Make a Joyful Noise in the World, Now
Phil Collins – Take me home live
I spend a great deal of time curating very serious topics and issues. Sometimes it becomes very depressing. What is the anti-dote for this? I decided it is to make a joyful noise in the world, now.
So today’s blog post is about fun, whimsical, joyful things I like to do on social media. I did not even realize how much I needing this healing medicine to soothe the pain of life and the misery in the world. But a new facebook group, called Best World Music woke me up and got me smiling. Not everyone posts music I know or like. It doesn’t matter. I learn about new songs and groups from all over the world, thanks to Sasa Dobrijevic, it’s founder and contributing member, from Serbia.
I have also had the opportunity to focus on something that gives me enormous joy, music itself. I rarely listen to music. My wonderful Bose Radio/CD player is about 20 years old. It skips, the CDs often do not play and there is not a single radio station that I enjoy listening to for very long. Thanks to Best World Music, the famine is over. I can listen to other peoples suggested music, post my favorites and listen to them. In addition, I am making new friends from this group. We all share a happy common interest.
Another of my passions is architectural history. One of my favorite periods is The Gilded Age and the stories of the people and Mansions of the Gilded Age.
Thanks again to another existing facebook friend, Michael Carl Tanner, and several new friends I am having great fun walking down memory lane and discovering all kinds of new architectural and social wonders of the period.
Then there is my piece de resistance, purple food. Yes it does exist and this specific kind is from a yam native to the Philipines. It is known as ube. I had discovered ube in powder form in an Asian Market. I love to explore and try things I have never seen before. The powder sat in my cabinet for sometime. But when I finally got around to concocting my own version of the package recipe, I devoured the entire thing. I sought an expert, Jun Belen on this magnificent purple food. Much to my delight he had an entire blog post with photos of my beloved ube desserts.
Mother Nature Triumphs Over Man Made Deadly GMOs
About I month ago, I saw a video about the history of GMOs, based on the book Seeds of Deception. It made me so depressed I had to find a new focus for the Global Food rEvolution. I started to turn the corner when today I read about a new approach to crop production. It very much reaffirms my commitment to a future where Mother Nature triumphs over man made deadly GMOs.
The venture, named BioAg Alliance will “use microbes and fungi to enhance crop growth and yield, help with pest resistance, and reduce inputs like water. Monsanto paid Novozymes $300 million to partner in this ‘game changing’ venture. Monsanto will do marketing and field testing. Novozymes will do the manufacturing.” K. McDonald, Monsanto Going Green: Using Bacteria and Fungi to Increase Crop Yields and Lower Inputs
I am not naive enough to expect perfection. But like many people, I feel a sense of hope that at least we are not doomed to a death by consuming food consisting of nothing but genetically modified organisms. I do not know what dollars deal made Monsanto willing to change colors. But I do understand the sense of it.
Although Monsanto has received almost unanimous government support or lack of opposition due to lobbying and other enticements, there is tremendous opposition amongst the people. There have been huge public protests flooding the Internet. None were mentioned on the major TV networks due to collusion between corporate giants. But globally, there is a refusal to accept American exports due to GMO contamination. Apparently other countries have already realized what the US government and agricultural giants are just waking up to. GMOs are deadly.
The groundswell can no longer be held at bay. To see a change of heart, or at least wallet, to a greener approach restores hope and faith that Mother Nature triumphs to the good of all.
Economic Faith Leads to Acceptance of a Simpler Life
Back in 1929, when the stock market made its most precipitous crash, there were millionaires turned paupers who jumped from their office windows to their death. They could not bear the thought of a simpler life, one stripped of the glitz and glamour that accompanied the rarified air they were used to breathing.
Today, the economic see-saw is sending millions, not to their deaths, but rather to face the challenges of the 99% and The Middle Class Poor. For me, economic faith has led me to not only the acceptance of a simpler life but also the joyful discoveries that have accompanied it. This is not to say that it has not been a huge adjustment. But rather than plummet to my death, I have found my circumstance such that with the cultivation of economic faith and the acceptance of a simpler life, I seem to be keeping my head above water and enjoying it as well.
As the 1% continues to need to glut themselves on more and more, the ranks of the growing Middle Class Poor have increased and are tightening our belts. But, you know, it isn’t nearly as bad as I thought. Once you get an understanding of what financial assistance is available and just how to get it, you have a place to start. Here is an example.
Two years ago, we were granted food stamps, $367/month to be exact. Little did I know, this was considered a hefty sum. You see, I had a bit of the ticker tape millionaire attitude and was humiliated by the meager amount since it was a fraction of my monthly healthy food expenses. This past summer we had to file our SNAP (as food stamps is now called) recertification. To our mortification, our monthly allotment was reduced to 5%. That’s right TO 5% or $16 not by 5% as many other folks were. How the hell were we going to eat on $16/month. Short of dumpster diving or stealing, neither was an option, I had no idea.
Being one who perseveres rather than falls into self-pity, I knew this was my opportunity to make some new discoveries. These would be discoveries for my own salvation. My goal is that they could also provide information to support other souls who thought they would have only crumbs to pick at to survive.
There are so many things that I have learned to do simpler and even do without. My confidence in my ability to survive in challenging times has given me a sort of economic faith. I am resourceful. I know how to take little and make it into more. I know how to take things from the garbage and make them into treasures. I know how to accept a simpler life. In fact, I appreciate things more now than when I had more.
Future blog posts will focus on the specifics of making due, having more with less, and cultivating economic faith with acceptance of a simpler life. ‘Stay tuned’ for some fun projects, food recipes and ideas that will help you be a resourceful success as part of The Middle Class Poor.
Blogging about my Pinterest Passion
This post, Blogging about my Pinterest Passion, was inspired by and is the result of a questionnaire presented to bloggers, event planners, photographers, social media experts and other professionals by a freelance writer seeking input and opinions on Pinterest etiquette. It was originally written in April of 2012.
Pinterest research and blog posts:
I have done a substantial amount of research on Pinterest, have written several posts about it to date, and am a pinner myself. I have an extensive list of sources and resources that you may find additionally helpful for your project. You can view my Saturday articles as well as the source and resources lists, on Digital Brand Marketing posted on 3.17.12, 3.24.12, and 3.31.12.
Pinterest Bio:
As a blogger and visual artist myself, I was immediately drawn to this relatively new platform with the naive assumption that it would be like scrapbooking but on virtual boards, no cutting out from magazines, no glue and no trips to the crafts store and no in-depth knowledge of social media. After the beginning of an ongoing and thorough investigation about Pinterest and its inner workings, I have come to some very different conclusions and considerable legal concerns.
To answer your questions:
Q1. What bothers you about the way that people pin you work, photographs or ideas?
A1. What bothers me most is not that other people are pinning or repinning my work, photographs or ideas. What really concerns me is that it is very difficult for people to obtain clear guidelines on know how to pin properly, at all.
The reason for this is due to the fundamental lack of understanding about how Pinterest actually works. It may
appear to be an innocent, hobby like activity but it is just as complicated and intricate as any other social media
platform, if not more so. Transparency is the key. In my opinion, the founders of Pinterest were not clear in their ‘Terms of Services’ when they wrote them. There is considerable concern within the ‘investigative blogging
community’ about the current updates not really being sufficient to create the needed transparency to make this
platform user friendly.
Q2. What would you encourage Pinterest users to do before they pin something?
A2. I encourage pinners to learn how to pin properly. How can they do this? Research, research, research.
I know that this will seem like an ordeal for pinners to do this but I can simplify this by sharing the work I have done. Since the original and revised ‘Terms of Service’ are so heavily laden with legal language, I strongly suggest that anyone who wants to pin read the set of posts by A.F.MarCom. Angelique and Friends turn inscrutable legal language into pedestrian terms in:
• Pinterest and Copyright Explained in Plain Talk – Part 2: Why Pinterest needs perpetual rights to display your work
I also suggest potential pinners view the two short videos by Jonathan Bailey at the beginning and end of this post: Pinterest Part Three: The Perplexed Pinner
I would be remiss if I did not include the extraordinary Resource Guide of 89 Pinterest posts compiled by Tom Treanor and mention the Pinterest LinkedIn Group that we and many other pinners belong to.
Q3. What kind of content is unacceptable for users to pin?
A3. This is a direct quote from the Pinterest website’s Pin Etiquette page and then my comment:
Report Objectionable Content
“We do not allow nudity, hateful content, or content that encourages people to hurt themselves. If you find content that violates our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policy you can submit the content for review by pushing the ‘Report Content’ link.”
“We do not allow nudity, hateful content, or content that encourages people to hurt themselves. If you find content that violates our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policy you can submit the content for review by pushing the ‘Report Content’ link.”
The first sentence of this quote is very clear and requires no further explanation or research. But in the second sentence, we run into the same legal issues discussed about the ‘Terms of Services’ and ‘Acceptable Use Policy’ in Q2.
Q4. In terms of giving credit where credit is due, what advice would you lend to people using Pinterest?
A4. To quote from the Pinterest website and then add my own comment:
Credit Your Sources
“Pins are the most useful when they have links back to the original source. If you notice that a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Image Search or a blog entry.”
Also, there is a difference between crediting the person whose content is in a pinned image and the source of the image itself. Which one is the proper credit?
Here is a fantastic blog that explains how to get the proper credit:
If this very clever search method still leaves you empty handed, do not use the image. There are millions of other images to choose from, both your own original ones and those of fellow pinners.
So always follow these ‘suggestions’:
• check that your source is correct
• ask direct permission if possible or when necessary
• if both fail, find another image
If you do not follow the above to the ‘letter of the law’, I believe that you can leave yourself open to possible legal problems related to copyright infringement.
Pinterest is a platform that has qualities and issues that I am very passionate about. I hope my answers are helpful. I would be delighted to discuss this topic further with anyone who has thoughts, suggestions, ideas, or disagreements.
SOURCES: