On some Sunday mornings, I forget (sort of on purpose) to turn off my alarm so I can tune in to Krista Tippett’s morning meditation. The show, which used to be called Speaking of Faith and is now On Being, has made my Unitarian Universalist exploration of life a lot more interesting over time.
I was wondering whether to post one of the video links I have stored up for Sunday, but I thought I’d wander off for a little inspiration and it didn’t take me long to discover this blog post. I remembered seeing the commercial when it made the rounds a few years ago, but apparently that predated my blog because it’s not included in last year’s entries, though I can’t imagine why.
So, with that hat tip, here’s some stunning beauty for your Sunday.
To see a little of what went into the production of this commercial, watch this:
Kids, don’t try this at home. For that matter, the same goes for adults.
For those who object to the destruction of the colony, let me just say that fire ants are an invasive species. Wikipedia has this to say about the ones infesting the southern US:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates more than US$5 billion is spent annually on medical treatment, damage, and control in RIFA-infested areas. Further, the ants cause approximately US$750 million in damage to agricultural assets, including veterinary bills and livestock loss, as well as crop loss.[44]
On the whole, I’d rather see art than poison as a result of their eradication. Considering over 23 million viewers have watched (fascinated? horrified?), there must be something to the method in this madness.
In 1992, the film Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase won five awards for Best Animated Film, including the 1993 Oscar. The piece, animated using the blended clay technique, features highlights from the works of 35 artists, including Munch, Kahlo, Dali, Warhol, Picasso, Magritte and more.
I feel I should add a trigger warning – literal – as the Roy Lichtenstein includes a gun and I know several people on my flist are likely to need the heads up.
Art is on my mind tonight, as are the Academy Awards. It’s interesting how we define works as award-worthy, and how few of us actually receive the recognition we deserve, simply because of exposure. Sometimes it’s about luck. Sometimes it’s about quality. Occasionally, the two merge together and those who create the art get the recognition they deserve. It happens, all too infrequently.
The DAS Film Festival (which published the video) says this about its purpose:
Each month we’ll be webcasting a short film from 2-20 minutes long that relates in some way to Design, Architecture or Sustainability. And I have a feeling we’ll find common ground with art and science as well. In fact, I hope, over time, the films taken together will offer a kind of serendipity that is not always present in the on-line world. The design blog will have a similar spirit of curiosity.
Their goals aren’t that far away from mine. I just prefer a broader canvas on which to paint my portrait of the world.
I can’t resist banjo music and this song. This creepy version, (clip from Deliverance) won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance (according to Wikipedia). The film also received a bunch of Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Considering this year’s Academy Award nominations hit the street at 8:30am EST today, seems appropriate for Throwback Thursday.
But wait. There’s more. Thanks, Steve Martin! (No, not this one…)
This isn’t an official video, so I have no idea how long it will stay up on YouTube, but it’s making the rounds on my Facebook feed and you really need to see it.
At its very best, figure skating is an art form as dramatic as anything you can put on stage, and at 19, Jason Brown is one of the very best I’ve ever seen. Even if you aren’t a fan, I am sure you can still appreciate the hard work that brought him to this moment on the ice.
I’m not generally a fan of sports (unless there’s a bat, floor exercises or ice involved) but I have a weakness for figure skating in particular, as well as dance, and Brown combines the athletic best of both.
I have a confession to make. Vevo is my favorite part of YouTube. It’s like staying up all night just to catch my favorite music video on MTV (back when MTV was, you know, Music Television), but without the Whitesnake and AC/DC videos in the way.
Seriously. I can find almost EVERYTHING I ever loved about the ’80s on Vev0, and you’re gonna get to watch them all year long. Twofer Tuesdays are especially cool because I don’t have to stick with the most played songs. I just have to find two that match (in whatever random way that fits, kind of like a video version of Apples to Apples.) But don’t be surprised if these disappear again off the playlist before the year is out. YouTube has a bad habit of making my favorite selections vanish into thin air.
With that in mind, here are two Bangles tunes. First one makes me smile, every time, especially when the cops are in the donut shops.
The second one? Has Leonard Nimoy. Seriously. How did I miss this the first time around? 1984 was never stranger than this. But wait, there’s more…
Originally posted on December 5, 2012, this short video hasn’t gotten nearly enough air time, and I think it’s important enough that I’m gong to share it under History. Today’s history lesson comes from Fred Glass for the California Federation of Teachers, narrated by Ed Asner (of Lou Grant and Mary Tyler Moore Show fame, among others).
The perils of a tax-free society have made the rounds recently, as the Tea Party fights harder than ever for deregulation and tries to shelter ever increasing amounts of funding from social programs. The cost is already profound, but it’s going to get a lot worse if we don’t find way to loosen the grip of Corporate America.
Two things struck me the first time I watched this video. The first was how expressive this 10-month old’s face is. Then I got to wondering at how intensely she’s concentrating on her mother’s voice and expressions. She is so moved by the song and delivery that she’s crying. I think it’s all about the connections we make with each other.
We don’t give our children nearly enough credit for their connections to us. Spiritual Sunday is about exploring that sense of wonder and humor and the special spark that we carry. With over 29 million hits, I think this baby girl has struck a chord.
But wait! There’s more!
The whole family appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show shortly after the original video aired. Here’s that link, too!
A version of this video is circulating right now on Facebook, but it isn’t the original. This one, with over 2 million hits since it was originally posted last May, is the real deal.
The actual term (Ice Heaves) was reported on several stations near the event. Here’s one of the reports, from KSTP.com: Ice Ashore Damages Homes on Mille Lacs.
Yeah, it’s Feel Good Friday, but I’m getting serious, considering the weather we just suffered this week. And yes, you should feel good at the end of the video.
I first saw this hit my Facebook feed on my birthday last year, and it hit me hard when I took the time to watch. So let me tell my own story:
Back when I still had a full-time job, one of my tasks was to provide opportunities for the homeless to see a show. One day, I encountered a woman who wanted to see the show but managed to miss it because she didn’t understand the calendar very well. The shelter was located right in the same building where we were temporarily housed, and I was on my way to work on the show.
I brought the woman with me, and comped her in. Sure, she sat with the other folks who paid for their tickets, but we weren’t sold out and I thought the meaning of the show was important enough to share with her, even though she was unable to cover the cost of the ticket. And when the show was over, I took her back to her shelter, so she could be indoors for the night (it being December and all).
It wasn’t much. I couldn’t provide her with a permanent fix for her situation, but it was something.
We have so very many people, poorest of the poor, in this country. Most of us avoid looking at their faces or wondering about their stories. Perhaps if we spent a little more time understanding how they got where they were and a little less judging their choices, we’d be better off as a whole in the US.
I know it seems overwhelming to try and help everyone but there are success stories out there. The expression on Jim’s face when he sees himself in the mirror at the end of the process says so much more than words ever could about where he’s been and what his life could be.
If you can’t convince yourself to hand over a dollar for someone who needs help, look for places like Dégagé Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI, that give back to those who need it most.
Watch the video. There but for the grace of…whatever you look to for support. If you have family, if you have the proper meds, if you’re in a financial position that makes it possible for you to afford to be generous, be thankful. There are a lot of folks who aren’t or can’t. Many of them are too ill to save themselves.
Trust me when I say this is just the first of the Danny Kaye clips you’ll see this year. This clip comes from Kaye’s movie The Five Pennies (1959), .
I had SUCH a crush on him back when I first started watching the Golden Age musicals. I have as many of his films on DVD as I can get my hands on. I just love his work.
Louis Armstrong is such a great partner for this piece. Sit back and enjoy the patter and scat.
Can’t get enough?
Here’s another clip, from Kaye’s television series.
Yes, folks, YouTube can be serious thugs when they want to be.
This is not the original 4 million hit viral video posted by Cory’s family, but then, that’s because we can’t see the original here in the US. So I’m offering this substitute instead. Catch it before YouTube takes it down again.
If this 20-month old can get his grove on, what’s stopping you?
(Oh and? Swallow the drink if you’re one of the five people on my feed who hasn’t seen the video yet. The bouncing is nothing compared to his leg moves. Seriously.)
Next week (maybe) we’ll get into some Baryshnikov moves, but hey! They all have to start somewhere, right?
Okay, so here we are, at the end of the first week, with our first Twofer Tuesday. I could choose a lot of music — as you’ll see over the next year, my taste is fairly eclectic — but this seems to be a great starting point, both for Epiphany (yesterday was it), and for my spiritual exploration. These songs were part of the soundtrack of my college years.
From here on out, it’s lather, rinse, repeat until December 31. I make no promises that I won’t repeat something from a previous entry. If I do, you ‘ll know just how much I *really* love it.
I used to say the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. I’ve revised that line of thinking, thanks to Lizzie Mae.
These first started hitting my feed around the end of last year, and I meant to get to them, but I didn’t, until around mid December when I was already deep in Advent Calendar Land. It’s embarrassing, sitting there, howling all by yourself. I wanted to share with the rest of the world. And now I am. Look for more of these throughout the next few months.
The saddest (most hilarious) part is that these responses are based on real life.
From the credits:
Ask A Slave is a comedy web series based on the actress’ time working as a living history character at [a popular historic site]. Starring Azie Dungey as Lizzie Mae and directed by Jordan Black.
All questions and interactions are based on true events.
This seems like a great place to start the conversation over Spirit. For me, Sunday is an arbitrary selection, but since many people are keyed to think that the weekend is tied to spiritual connection, it’s as good a day as any other to select for the exploration.
Jim Carrey’s comments might seem an odd place to start, but they’re not. In fact, based on his work with The Truman Show, I think this is a dandy place to start the conversation. Look for future conversations, about the planet, religion, nature and more on Sundays throughout this year.
Welcome to Science (and Math) Saturday, and Good Mythical Morning, Episode 260.
The best of the wacky in the Internet, summarized. How many of these have you shared on Facebook?
The “interesting” nature of their webisodes aside, Good Mythical Morning has posted nearly 600 videos, and I can’t fault them. I’m just gathering random stuff from all over. They’re sitting in front of a camera and producing their shows. Deserves a highlight, I’m thinking.
Welcome to Throwback Thursday. It might not be what you expect, but then, where would we be in this world if everything was the way everyone expected?
I ran across this little clip while looking for a reference for a short story. I confess, until I looked her up, I had no idea who Beatrice “Bea” Lillie was, but I thought of Fanny Brice (a sort-of contemporary of Bea’s). Ed Sullivan’s intro is so very typical of his shows, which were among my favorite things to watch.
Starting off the New Year in style with my favorite funny man Steve Martin and one of the best there is or was, Gregory Hines.
I would have featured this video during Steve Martin week, but I found it after I’d already compiled all the clips for the week. Which just goes to show, if you wait long enough, you can find enough material for an entire year. And so here’s to the offbeat and unexpected. And to our first Dancing Wednesday!