Soul Pancake Connection

This is a share from Facebook. A digital media company called Soul Pancake. They are a Facebook Blog page with the subtitle We Make Stuff That Matters. Flecks of inspiration and gratitude that are packaged up in a slick  and short message. Check out their feed:
Soul Pancake 

But this particular video observation somehow resonated with me. It looks at a handful of couples. All shapes and sizes. Some very new and others long term life partners. Their assignment is to sit opposite each other and take 4 minutes of silent eye contact. No words, just a chance to look into the window of the soul. I try to be always cognizant of communicating and connecting. And also realize that often, my word and tone might miss the mark of my intention. This was very personal, at times uncomfortable for the pairs and also deeply spiritual. Mindfulness is something I am occasionally aware of and know I need to make conscious efforts to find a place for it in my daily tasks. I feel like this short experiment could be a great chance to practice something so small and yet substantial.

Funny Girl

I know I have posted with a few shout outs on here before, but my go-to Funny Girl is #MissLauraBenanti. Whether strolling as Fosca from "Passion" in Times Square, to teaching a Master Class to unruly elementary students she is a constant enigma. Her Twitter feed is a neurotic diary from Starbucks lattes to riding the subway. On stage she can range from sublime in "Into the Woods" to absolutely ridiculous as in the unseen "Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" Appearances are deceiving - with her porcelain features, one would never guess that she is actually much more femme fatale in Lucille Ball get-up. Failed sitcom as a Playboy bunny - check! Eating donuts in a jogging suit at 54 Below's swanky cabaret room - check! Making a complete non-issue out of a gown mishap on a live broadcast in the "Sound of Music" - check! Is there anything this woman can not tackle - and tackle is indeed the correct word.

Which brings us to the current. (And I have only seen glimpses of the chameleon work she is doing on Nashville this season.) She is starring at Radio City in the Spring Spectacular with Derek Hough and the Rockettes. In this notably parody - of which she does many - it shows her in rehearsal mode with the leggy beauties. We all know she can probably hold her own dancing along any one of them. But here she launches into the studio in day glo pink Jane Fonda attire and makes mayhem out of a routine. Hilarity and hijinx again.

the Bionic Iron Man

Every once in a while I share something here fascinating in the world of technology. 3-D Printing, on line technology, medical advances - there is still the part of my brain that is science geek.

Combine this with a slight adoration of Robert Downey Jr. over decades now from brat pack bad boy to Charlie Chaplin to Ally McBeal and beyond. I love his mugging humor and dry wit. So seeing this share in his iconic role of Iron Man with a young Alex who happens to be a paraplegic with the loss of an arm. Here he is a spokesperson for Albert Manero and #CollectiveProject that raises funds to assemble artificial limbs for children and families at an affordable price. A great humanitarian gesture bringing a young superhero to life. Epic in so many ways!

Only the video to share via Facebook

For the Birds

I am always an animal lover, dogs in particular, but would never turn away a cat, rabbit, goat or anything fuzzy and warm. But birds....? I enjoy them especially at this time of year when the cardinals belt out from the top of the branches in defiance of winter. And I did fill up a brand new bird feeder in the back yard - a gift of Jeff. However, the idea of a bird as a "pet" seems lost on me.

Thus, this great photo collage of a family in Australia that made an impact on an injured Magpie. Named Penguin, she has made an even larger impact back to the loving hands that nursed her. The photography of these images is stunning in itself. But the moments of play and kindred spirit are astounding. It seems like a television movie of the week should be all over this. I mean this bird rides their bikes with them, rests on their pillows in bed, and finds any excuse to perch on their heads. Truly a human/ animal bond that amazes.

See them all: Penguin the Magpie

 

Separated at Birth

I am opting for something lighter and trivial this week. It seems these separated at birth books were the rage a few decades back. But here is a web blast that aligns pseudo celebrities alongside vintage photos of them as doppelgangers. A few of them are uncanny. Just for fun.

http://worldinsidepictures.com/12-celebrities-who-actually-might-be-time-travelers/

Give Me Liberty or ...

I'm not one to usually pontificate on major issues via Facebook. I tend to use my Twitter account as a political voice. (@joeybthinks) Mainly because my Blog & FB are "social circles", appeal to a HUGE cross section of people in my life, and I have seen the vitriol that can spew in threads and lead to "unfriending." I try to be respectful of many beliefs - even when they do not match my own.

But this parody video by Matt Baumes sheds some interesting light on the changing tides currently at play in the country. It is titled a Field Guide for Spotting Sneaky Homophobic Laws. And although that sounds snarky, it transcends far beyond the Gay Marriage agenda. It is more a textbook in discrimination that can just as easily be applied to race issues, civil rights or denominational persecution. It ackowledges catch phrases such as Religious Liberty - which is interpreted as Freedom to Practice your Religion. But this is already instilled in our constitution. What it actually implies, is using your religion to discriminate against others. Businesses are usually the first to jump on this Band Wagon accusing of Tyranny, Commerce Improvement and being forced to service those who have views differing from their own. The dangerous point of these is that while they are initially aimed at LGBT peoples, it could ultimately turn on them and be aimed at Elderly or Veterans or any number of other possible sub-populations. Myself, I think of myself as a discriminate shopper. And if I get bad customer service for a number of reasons, I am out the door and can gladly spend my money elsewhere. Another name for these Businesses are basically Hate Groups. Other instances place government employees caught in the crossfire of mandated decisions imposed upon them - whether or not they agree with them.



It treats the whole Conservative Banner as a species that is going extinct and will either morph into something more tolerant with a younger generation, or an evil beast that will consume itself in a fit of survival when faced with starvation. Sadly, most of these dirt battles are in Southern states and the current strategy is to play them out not in major cities, but smaller communities where several minority groups are less informed and vulnerable to scare tactics, intimidation and bullying. As much as we have forged forward on these issues from everything civil rights to abortion in past decades, this bigotry still rears its ugly head.