Khách của ông Nguyễn Văn Long - người chiếu phim thú vị

Less stuff, more happiness

mnmlist: minimalist protest

The Occupy Wall Street protesters are rapidly becoming the Occupy Earth protesters, and for good reason.

People are finally pushing back against the incredible influence that corporations have on every aspect of our lives. People are finding a voice for the frustrations of being powerless against the corporations.

And that’s a good thing. Corporations have taken control of our economy, our jobs, our political system, our environment, but much more than that: they now tell us how to entertain ourselves, how to spend time with others, how to show love for friends and family, how to look good and feel good about ourselves, how to communicate, how to educate our kids, how to spend our spare time, how to be in public spaces together, how to create and enjoy music and art.

Every minute of our lives is now spent with products of a corporation, and we are never alone.

How can we find our non-corporate voices? How can we protest against this?

We can take a stand.

The minimalist might protest simply by not buying corporate products. Don’t eat at corporate restaurants, or buy corporate coffee, or buy corporate clothes. Don’t have logos on everything you own. Don’t watch corporate entertainment — make your own! Find non-corporate ways to spend time with people. Find non-corporate ways to celebrate Christmas. Find non-corporate music to listen to, or create your own.

It’s possible. We still have our humanity. We can still breathe, but first we must create some breathing room.

http://mnmlist.com/nope

Weekly Challenge :)

Hey everyone!

This week's challenge is simple: leave a random note for someone to find. It could be a note of appreciation, a thank you note, or simply a note wishing someone a great day.

Have a great week everyone and don't underestimate the power of a good deed!

-The OurKindness Crew

Challenge of the Week!

Hey all!

We hope you had a great thanksgiving break! This week's challenge is to have a quality conversation with someone you live with (or someone close to you) over a cup of coffee.

Make it a great week!

-The OurKindness Crew

Weekly Challange

Happy Monday!

This week we challenge you to make a commitment to finding a way to serve during the holidays. This could be hosting a holiday get together for your family and friends, volunteering for a cause, or donating your time and resources to a needy organiztion. Make a positive impact this holiday season.

Have a wonderful week,
~The OurKindness Team

The power of silence

9 November 2010 Last updated at 11:57

A record by the Royal British Legion featuring only silence is hoping to beat Take That to the number one spot this week. It reflects the immense power that - for many people - silence can wield, if only we stopped to listen.

Stop.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath.

Shut out the world around you.

Those moments when you are immersed in quietness are all too rare in today's world.

Noise pollution is a companion to modern life, with traffic, ringtones and other people's conversations providing the soundtrack to our daily routines.

But at this time of year, when the echoes of the bangs and fireworks of the calendar's noisiest festival have only just passed, it's the absence of noise that takes centre stage.

On Thursday, Armistice Day, the nation will fall silent for two minutes at 11am and recall the moment the bombs stopped in 1918. Many will also respect a silence on Sunday.

This sombre reflection is probably the most famous expression of silence in British society, and it will have an even stronger resonance this year.

This week, the Royal British Legion released a single called 2 Minute Silence, which is competing for top spot in Sunday's Top 40 with Take That's first record since their reunion, The Flood. The Legion's video features noiseless contributions from some famous figures.

The Legion's director general, Chris Simpkins, said he hoped people would appreciate the significance of the absence of sound.

"Rather than record a song, we felt the UK public would recognise the poignancy of silence and its clear association with remembrance."

But silence need not be sad or contemplative. It has many powerful functions, depending on the circumstances. Here is a selection. Add some more using the form at the foot of the page.

PROTEST

The web-based Cage Against the Machine campaign aims to put a work of silence on top of the Christmas charts.

John Cage's most famous work, entitled 4'33 and made up of three movements in which the musicians are instructed not to play their instruments, is an attempt to hold off the X Factor winner from its anticipated slot, as was achieved in 2009 by a somewhat noisier Rage Against The Machine track.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

The sound experience which I prefer to all others is the experience of silence”

End Quote Composer John Cage

It may be a playful exercise, but according to Guardian classical music critic and presenter of BBC Radio 3's Music Matters Tom Service, it is fully in keeping with Cage's reasons for creating the track.

Service says the composer was, in part, reacting against post-war America's inescapable soundtrack of muzak.

Nothing, after all, is more terrifying to radio producers than the prospect of "dead air", and nor has any other musician presented a starker contrast with the noise of modern urban life.

"In the world we live in, it's really quite a subversive thing to do because you never really get silence otherwise," observes Service.

"In fact, what you're listening to isn't silence - it's background noise, and Cage is asking us to focus on it rather than block it out.

"It's a radically simple idea and it cuts across our notions of what is music. Cage Against the Machine makes perfect sense."

HEALING

On 24 February 2007, the Ireland rugby team hosted England at Dublin's Croke Park, in one of the most emotionally charged sporting fixtures in recent years.

The stadium, home to the Gaelic games, was the scene of Bloody Sunday in 1920, when British forces opened fire on the crowd watching a match, killing 14 spectators and players.

A respectful silence greeted England in Dublin

There was much talk in the build-up to the match about what kind of reception England would get, and how God Save The Queen would be treated in an arena strongly associated with anti-British enmity of the past.

Writing in the Times on the day after Ireland thrashed England on the pitch, columnist Simon Barnes said the short silence before the British national anthem was so well respected, and emotional, that it was transformative for the Irish nation.

"It [the national anthem] was preceded by a silence that was almost reverent - not in respect of the sentiments of that terse and tuneless ditty but because freeing oneself from the shackles of history is worth a moment's savouring.

"Then the tune was played and the England team and the 7,000 England supporters sang along, and there was not a whistle or a catcall or a boo. Why should there be? This was just sport, was it not?

"Then, extraordinarily, a round of applause; not for the song but for the silence, the palpable feeling that the end of an era was being celebrated."

WORSHIP

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If you go back 200 years into a rural society, people would see being quiet as normal. Now, it's as if people have acquired an aversion to silence”

End Quote Father Christopher Jamison Worth Abbey, West Sussex

• Could you stay silent for eight days?

Silence has long been recognised by religious groups as a key component of an ascetic path to spirituality, founded on a belief that denial offers spiritual focus.

The recent BBC programme The Big Silence - in which five volunteers were sent to a Jesuit retreat in for over a week, and only allowed to talk for an hour a day - brought the practice to broader attention.

In Christianity, some orders of monks take vows of silence. Others, such as Trappists, only speak when it is deemed necessary.

Hindus also have wise ascetics called munis, or silent ones.

To those who practise worship in this way, the power of keeping quiet relies on the opportunity it creates for contemplation.

Kim Nataraja of the World Community for Christian Meditation says silence offers a pointed retreat from the noise, bustle and distractions of modern society.

"We need to rediscover the power of attention and we do that through silence - the concentration that we use in prayer can be used in everyday life," she says.

"The intuitive knowledge that lives in silence helps us deal with life's surprises. If you are silent that allows you to be fully attentive to who you are."

MENACE

Pauses became such a hallmark of playwright Harold Pinter that they even get a mention in the Oxford English Dictionary under the term "Pinterism".

The Nobel prize winner made a short silence as loaded with meaning as the lines themselves, elevating it from being a gap in conversation to an important dramatic tool.

A Pinter pause - typically about 10 seconds - could convey a range of emotions. It commonly amplified a sense of menace by ratcheting up the dramatic tension in an exchange.

These silences were also capable of fear, rage, indecision or introspective trauma. Each break in dialogue, sometimes mid-sentence, became an important aspect of character.

Continue reading the main story

Pinter's pausometer

• Betrayal 140
• The Caretaker 149
• The Homecoming 224

Pinter himself said too much was made of them, but director Sir Peter Hall said the pauses in Pinter's work are all there for a reason. Three dots is hesitation, he remarked, a pause is a mundane crisis and a silence a full-blown crisis.

"Beckett started it and Harold took it over to express that which is inexpressible in a very original and particular way, and made them something which is his."

Michael Billington, theatre critic of the Guardian, says: "Pinter carefully orchestrated his plays with pauses and silences and, if you observe what he wrote, the plays acquire their own rhythm and music.

"What he disliked was productions that arbitrarily inserted pauses and sacrificed the natural moment of his dialogue."

COMMUNICATION

Silence is not just the absence of sound, it is an important way of communicating. It can denote agreement, disapproval, intimacy, power - any number of emotions and feelings.

Just like the spoken word, it fulfils the basic functions of language - the referential, interpersonal and textual - says Professor Adam Jaworski, author of The Power of Silence.

"Where it does most is in the interpersonal area. It is often associated with the negative actions of communication and implies concealment, but we often need to use it this way to protect ourselves.

"However, silence also speaks of intimacy, love and security for people. It's a hugely important role of silence. Good friends can be together and be silent, people who aren't good friends find silence uncomfortable."

Another important thing that silence communicates is power. People in authority can regulate speech and silence. They can nominate when a person talks and when they don't. Those who are subordinate often stay silent until spoken to.

RESPECT

Click to play

Click to play

Watch a clip from the 2 Minute Silence video

Silence has been used as a collective show of respect for many years, but it really became part of British life in the early 20th century, says Professor Jaworski. This is probably because it was a time when national identities became very important.

Records show a period of silence in remembrance of King Edward VII, when he died in 1910. One was also held after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. But the practice of using silence to remember the dead was firmly established on 11 November 1919 - the first two-minute commemorative silence on Armistice Day.

It's thought the idea was first proposed by Australian journalist and World War I veteran, Edward George Honey. It led King George V to order a two- minute silence, saying "all locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead".

Now silence is commonly used to show respect after many high-profile deaths and tragedies. This is because it is collective, it involves everyone and can be done in unison, says Professor Jaworski.

"It is a ritual and as such provides a safe script for people to express extreme emotions. People know the conventions and know how to behave. Also, it is a way of saying 'there are no words that are fitting to say how we feel about this'."

What does silence mean to you? Send us your thoughts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11712668

Weekly Challange

Happy Halloween Everyone!

This week's dare is to surprise someone with a treat!

Make it a great week. Be intentional!

-The Our Kindness Crew

Weekly Challange

Happy Monday!

This week's challenge is to reconnect with someone who you have lost touch with. Invite him or her for a coffee date, skype or send a sincere letter.

Have a wonderful week!
~The OurKindness Team

Weekly Challange

Hey Everyone!

This week's challenge is to make a donation to an organization of your choice that supports an issue that you are passionate about.

Make it a great week!

-The OurKindness Crew

Weekly Challange

Hello and happy Monday!

This week we challenge you to look for an intentional way to serve during one meal each day. For example, getting someone a refill or helping someone with their dishes, etc.

Have a wonderful week! Make someone's day!

~The OurKindness Team

Tình yêu là gì?

Một nhóm các nhà nghiên cứu đã đặt ra câu hỏi "Tình yêu là gì?" cho các em nhỏ từ 4 đến 8 tuổi. Câu trả lời của các em đã vượt quá những gì mà chúng ta có thể nghĩ tới.

"Tình yêu là gì?"

"Vì bà nội con bị đau khớp cho nên bà không thể khom xuống để sơn móng chân của bà nữa. Vì thế, ông nội con phải luôn luôn sơn móng chân cho bà, thậm chí cả khi tay của ông nội con cũng bị đau khớp. Đó là tình yêu."
Rebecca- 8 tuổi

"Khi ai đó yêu mình, cái cách mà họ kêu tên mình rất là khác. Lúc đó mình sẽ cảm thấy tên của mình rất là an toàn trong "miệng" của họ."
Billy - 4 tuổi

"Yêu là khi mà một cô gái xức dầu thơm và chàng trai thì cạo râu sạch sẽ, họ cùng nhau đi ra ngoài và họ ngửi nhau."
Karl - 5 tuổi

"Yêu là khi mà bạn đi ra ngoài để ăn, và bạn sẽ cho ai đó tất cả khoai tây chiên của bạn mà không đòi họ phải cho lại bạn cái gì cả."
Chrissy - 6 tuổi

"Tình yêu là một cái gì đó mà nó làm cho bạn cười cả khi bạn cảm thấy mệt mỏi."
Terri - 4 tuổi

"Tình yêu là khi mà mẹ pha cà phê cho bố và mẹ thử nhấp một ngụm trước khi đưa cho bố để đảm bảo là cà phê mẹ pha uống được."
Danny - 7 tuổi

"Nếu bạn muốn học yêu thương tốt hơn, bạn nên bắt đầu làm điều đó với người mà bạn ghét."
Nikka - 6 tuổi

"Tình yêu là khi mà bạn nói với một đứa con trai là bạn thích cái áo của nó, thế là nó mặc cái áo đó mỗi ngày."
Noelle - 7 tuổi

"Tình yêu là khi mà mẹ dành cho bố miếng gà ngon nhất."
Elaine- 5 tuổi

"Con biết là chị con yêu con vì chị cho con tất cả đồ cũ của chỉ, và chị phải đi ra ngoài mua cái mới."
Lauren - 4 tuổi

Weekly Challenge!

Hello All!

This week's challenge is to focus on holding doors for others as you enter or exit a building. This includes holding the door until the person has walked through, rather than just pushing the door open for someone. Throw in a smile and a "hello" for an extra touch!

The OurKindness Crew :)

Weekly Challenge

Hello OurKindness members!

This week we challenge you to introduce yourself to one person each day who you see routinely, but have not introduced yourself to yet. It's about time to start saying hello and meeting those around you!

Have a wonderful week,

~OurKindness Crew
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=nf#!/group.php?gid=38702791182

Challenge of the Week! :)

Hey OurKindness Folks,

This week's challenge is to write an intentional note to someone whose work is often unrecognized, such as a bus driver, janitor, dishwasher, etc.

Make it a great week! :)

Weekly Challenge

Another week and another challenge!

This week focus on performing an intentional act of kindness for someone or group of people you live with. Be creative, caring and brighten their day!

Have a great week!
~The OurKindness Crew

OurKindness Challenge!

This week's challenge is to call someone and tell this person how much you appreciate him or her. Try to provide specific reasons.

Make it a great week and keep spreading the love! :)

-The OurKindness Crew

OurKindness Challenge!

Select: All, Read, None

Show:AllUnread

To members of OurKindness

Erik Swanson 17 August at 01:38 Reply

Hey OurKindness Folks!! My name is Erik Swanson, and I am joining Emily Coleman in starting the weekly challenges again. I would love to meet you if I have not met you yet!

This week we are challenging you to pay it forward by paying for the coffee or drink of a person behind you in line.

Also, please be sure to let us know if you have any suggestions for future challenges.

Good luck and make it a great week! :)

The OurKindness Crew

The OurKindness weekly dares

The OurKindness weekly dares are back and we promise they are here to stay.

This week we challenge you to randomly call a local restaurant, Starbucks, doctors office, or maintenance place to compliment them on their outstanding customer service. Try to learn an employee's name so you can make a specific compliment.

Have fun! Make a difference.

The OurKindness Crew

OurKindness

40 things to do, say, see, hear, taste, smell, and feel as soon as possible

Almost everyone loves to write, read, share, and tackle life goal lists. There are tons of books like “1,000 Places To See Before You Die,” sites for sharing lists like 43Things.com, and even a movie about two men chasing their final to-dos called, “The Bucket List.”

It’s fantastic that people want to do and see so much before they die. But I’ve realized after writing and publishing a few of these lists, is that they often imply a “years down the road” mentality, that we have a ton of time to finish every item on our lists. This makes us lose interest and leaves our lists to collect dust. None of us know how long we’re going to have. We may never live to an old age. So how about a new list with a more seize-the-day approach?

Here are 40 things to do, say, see, hear, taste, smell, and feel as soon as possible. Some things on this list are very small and simple, but can give profound results if you let it be so.

1. Enjoy a small victory after many major defeats.

2. Build something with your bare hands.

3. Hear whales communicating underwater.

4. Listen to the entire catalog of music from your favorite singer or band.

5. Let go of an inhibition.

6. Do something just for the hell of it. Not for money, fame, praise, or receiving an award.

7. Believe when all others have lost faith.

8. Taste fresh mountain spring water.

9. Hear genuine laughter.

10. Do something taboo.

11. Sit and listen to a waterfall.

12. Don’t say; “I’m having a bad day.”

13. Eat healthy.

14. Listen to a genre of music you’ve never liked.

15. Find beauty where others don’t.

16. Don’t think someone is strange just because they’re different.

17. Think those that are “normal” are strange.

18. Give a negative situation positivity.

19. Head to the woods.

20. Speak to someone much older than you. But listen more.

21. Ask questions that have no answers.

22. Give before someone asks.

23. Sincerely give a compliment to a stranger.

24. Give someone you don’t like a chance (or a second chance).

25. Reconcile with someone or a past event.

26. Get lost in a book, art work, or movie.

27. Dress to impress yourself.

28. Help an injured animal. (Seek trained professional if you could be in harm’s way.)

29. Take a break. Don’t worry about chasing a goal. Just enjoy the moment.

30. Go the extra step when you really don’t want to.

31. Be like John and “Imagine.”

32. Tell a love one; “I’m proud of you.”

33. Tell a love one after a failure or mistake; “I’m still proud of you.”

34. Enjoy a rainy day.

35. Don’t watch or read news for an entire day.

36. Lose a regret.

37. Dabble with your hidden talents.

38. Donate anonymously.

39. Find a new passion.

40. Finish an entire goal list.

Please feel free to add any other ideas from your own lists in the comment section below. We’d love to read about your near-future goals!

Photo by Nicholas_T

http://www.lyved.com/misc/40-things-to-do-say-see-hear-taste-smell-and-feel-as-soon-as-possible/

p/s: i'd love to meet the author of this blog soon :)