Breathe Culture
where beautiful mistakes thriveArchive for January, 2008
Free Rice
I stumbled across this website today (literally through “stumble upon“) that is truly deserving of mention. It’s a non-profit website dedicated to feeding the hungry. The United Nations has teamed up to create this website where everyday people with a little time on their hands, can answer questions and earn rice donations for those in need.You are given a word along with 4 possible definitions, all you have to do is choose the correct answer and for each word you get right, 20 grains of rice are donated.20 grains seems insignificant, I thought that myself when first checking this out, but with numerous countries getting on board and the spread of this program the results are amazing.Just yesterday 96,544,880 grains of rice were earned. WOW. FREE RICE??!! The rice is paid for by the advertisers on the page, who are interested in promoting literacy as well as helping to end hunger. So if you have a spare 2 minutes in your day (which I suspect everyone can find) go to the site and give some people some free rice.
DO IT!
(If you have not figured it out, just click the picture above and go from there.)
365 days & Sarah Bloom
I just need to brag a little off the top, I did my second university level midterm today and got 84%. Pretty good, and definitely a pass! My topic for today is partially the 365 self portrait project but more so one of the projects members. “sadandbeautiful“ (Sarah Bloom) as we know her on Flickr has been in this project for so long that she’s already onto her SECOND year of self portraits!I find this amazing because I made it only to about day 66 before running out of creative power. If you don’t know anything about the 365 project, you should check it out, it’s a great tool for self awareness and is interesting to see what photos people post to represent themselves. 
©anniewisc For Instance 
Back to Sarah though, not only has she been part of 365 for a LONG time, she has also contributed some simply SPECTACULAR photos. Softly Glow Day 100, Baby!! FUTAB on acid ( She has her photos copy written so I couldn’t post any for examples, but just click the links to see what I’m talking about, you wont be disappointed. ) She also keeps a blog, where she talks about her sobriety, love, and her daughter just to name a few topics.From that website you can check out the multitude of other things she is involved in, publishing her own books, selling her photos, and even supporting Unicef! Wow. What does this lady not do? She’s a powerful role model for women everywhere who need to learn how to accept their bodies and learn to love. A perfect fit for the “Breathe Culture” featured photographer!
Armenia
Today I was reading the Lonely Planet Blue List book for 2008, when I came across a section about Armenia.I honestly knew nothing about this country before today and probably would have struggled to place it on a map. However after reading this article today I have a sudden urge to pack up my belongings and enjoy some time exploring the over 40,000 historic monuments Armenia has to offer.I think I should plan my trip there for the third Sunday in July when the locals will be celebrating “Vardavar“. This is the national day of randomly soaking strangers with water. How fun! Not only can I wander around in Noah’s footsteps while drinking amazing wine and brandy, I can throw water on complete strangers with a gaggle of Armenians!Overall, this Country sounds like a place that I would enjoy visiting, mountains, history, and locals with a sense of humor! *my apologies for the short post today, I was without internet until 6:30 this evening, I will make up with it tomorrow, don’t you worry!*
Couch Surfing
I had heard about this website before, but never took the time to actually go and check it out. Couch Surfing, is a unique site dedicated to matching travelers up with a couch, a new friend, or simply some great travel tips. There are over 200 different countries represented and over 600,000 positive experiences documented on the site.I must encourage every person who has ever thought ” I would love to travel, but it just isn’t possible for me” to check this site out. Put your belongings in storage, rent out your apt for a month, take the insurance off your vehicle and get yourself a plane ticket. Travel has never been easier and more available than now!Through couchsurfing.com you can do a few different things. You can find a place to stay, find a new friend to have coffee or drinks with (great if you are traveling alone), get tips on beaches, tours, events, and so much more. There is also a part of the site for those of you who simply cannot pack up and go, to welcome others into your home. The site uses a fairly good screening process and users leave ratings based on the experiences they have. There’s no guarantee against creepy people, so be sure to use your brain and be cautious. (as you always should when traveling)I personally signed up for the site yesterday, and will be looking into some people to meet up with when I head to Maui on vacation in March. Although I will not be looking for a couch, it would be great to have a local showing me the surf breaks rather than trying to figure out a good one on my own.Do a couch surf search and see what’s out there!
New Beginnings
When it comes to the blogging timeline, I have been a “blogger” since the near beginnings. Over 5 years now I have recorded thoughts, feelings, and adventures and shared them with the online community. Up until about a month ago it was something that I did every week or so whenever I had something new or interesting to write about. I can’t really explain what happened but with the loss of a loved one, I decided to delete my blog. 5 years worth of ramblings gone in the click of a button. I didn’t feel sad, or like I was losing anything. I felt released. So in light of that, I have decided to start this project, not so much a blog but more of a showcase for arts, or anything that I feel needs to be noticed and remembered. I hope to be completely honest, and diligent in this project and to start fresh on a new path with my purpose being to “Breathe Culture” into this space.
Life through a lens
January 23, 2008 at 4:03 pm · Filed under flickr and tagged: comment, flickr, golden lens club, group, life through a lens, photo, photography, pool, review
Recently I joined a group on Flickr called “Life through a lens“. With just over 1,000 members and over 6,000 photos, it is an active community that has already drawn me right in. The basic premise of the group is to obtain real and meaningful comments on your photos instead of the simple “good job” or “nice shot” comments you get in most other groups. You post a photo of your own to the group, and then you comment on the previous 5 ahead of yours. Simple!The first photo I added was,
I had taken quite a few shots in this place and wanted some feedback about this shot. If you follow this link, you will be taken to my site where you can read the wonderful comments left by some really talented people.”kate mellersh” ”batedbreath” and ”word artist” were definitely the most helpful and gave great constructive criticism. What more can you ask for?The second photo that I added to the group was one that I loved, but had noticed was overlooked compared to some of my others.
I took this photo while doing a surf tour in Australia, and the comments it received were just as insightful. Some top ones being from, “J-Fish”, ”alessandra.j”, and “Edwin Dalorzo”. It does mean a lot to get these comments, and then look at the photos of the person commenting because I find in this group, everyone is top notch! One other thing to really appreciate is the admins of the group take the time to recognize members of the group who do their part, above and beyond what is asked for in the group rules.There is a “Golden Lens Club“ where members are recognized for their contributions. If that doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what will.
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