Photographer

Check out Richard Renaldi photographs that are part of his Touching Strangers series, the concept is fantastic.  Connecting people together. :)

http://www.upworthy.com/a-photographer-persuades-strangers-to-do-something-really-odd-and-they-totally-love-it?c=ufb1




photo taken from http://www.democraticunderground.com/103619910. 
Richard Renaldi - photographer

Powerful poetry

I just wanted to share this video with you.

http://www.upworthy.com/watch-a-student-totally-nail-something-about-women-that-ive-been-trying-to-articulate-for-37-years-6?g=2&c=ufb1

Wow, this is powerful and sad because it is so true.  This is a powerful statement about what our society, our culture, teaches all of us what women are expected to be like.  We are expected to be beautiful and to be beautiful we have to be slender and have the perfect body.  Women (and some men) are constantly trying to figure out a miracle diet that allow us to "shrink" and "occupy less space." A diet that actually works, unlike the sneak-down-at-midnight-for-a-lowfat-yogurt diet.  I don't know about you, but I can relate to this poem a lot.  Women filter what we say, we choose things based on its lack of carbs, we debate about having another slice of pizza because we don't want to look like a pig and we don't want to gain weight.

She talks about how her mother passes down these qualities, obsessions, etc, but it isn't just our parents who pass this down to us.  It is the people around us. It is everyone, peers, teachers, bosses, friends, etc. who pass these to us.  What is acceptable?  What is the "ideal" person?  The photoshop models who can have imperfect bodies cloned away?  They stop being actual people when you digitally change them.  Why do women feel they have to grow in?  Why can't we just accept we all have different body types and try to aim to be as healthy as we can.  Why do people who see a woman with curves or "thick" assume she isn't trying to lose weight?  If she's happy with her body, why does she have to lose weight?  To please others?  It should be to please herself, yet we all seem to want to change our appearances for each other.  Why?  Why are people mean about another person's appearance?  So someone isn't as aesthetically appealing to you as someone else, but this is subjective.  Why do people have to state that to the person's face?  I read on facebook and other social media sites comments when a post is made about women body types.  So many of the comments are disrespectful and people look at our little profile pictures to get information about someone, so they can be disrespectful to specific people.  They can call someone fat who has called them out for being disrespectful because they classify the person in their profile picture as "thick."  Is that why we are on this earth: to treat other people like they are inferior? like they are garbage? like they don't have feelings?  No one is superior, and no one knows everyone else's story.  Don't judge a book by its cover.  Back to these concerns being passed down by her mother: parents have a lot of influence as to what their children believe to be right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy, acceptable or unacceptable.  Love your child and try to let them know that you want them to be healthy and to do what they enjoy doing before judging them.  Take care of them, teach them by practicing healthy habits (not just food, but in self esteem).  

Government Shutdown

I am disappointed with our government right now.  They allow their personal beliefs get in the way of what is best for the people.  People on WIC are no longer receiving what they need for their families or for themselves.  Ridiculous.  Just because you have the power to shut down the government, doesn't mean you should.  People are still having to work without getting paid.  And I'm sure we are all still getting taxes taken out of our pay checks.  I'm also sure Congress is still getting paid, even though some of the people they represent are being pushed into traffic.  They did this because they are in power.  We elect these people.  I say we do a clean sweep and push everyone in Congress out in the next election.  They will not reach a compromise because they are rich jerks who can't understand people who live from pay check to pay check (or WIC check to WIC check).  They won't understand because they will never elect for themselves to follow the same laws that govern the rest of us.  No one is above the law.  No one is superior to anyone else.  Overthrow the government and show them who is really in charge of this country.  We, the people, can fix this better than the government who refuses to compromise.  Parties divide our country when they throw temper tantrums and refuse to compromise.  Grow up, figure this out, so people who need government assistance can get it.  We should take care of our citizens.  Some assistance could be due to laziness, but some it is due to hard times and bad luck.  We will pay to kill people in wars, but when it comes to assisting people in our own country it is questioned.  What does that say about our country?  I'm definitely not proud of my country at this time.  Our representatives are failing us.  A taste of power and they do what would be right for themselves, not what is right for the people they represent.

Go home Congress, you're drunk.  On Power.