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October 23, 2009

Kseniya Simonova - Sand Animation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kseniya_Simonova


From: Peter Griffin
Date: 2009/10/23
Subject: [Griff's Picks] Kseniya Simonova - Sand Animation
To: Griff's Picks <griffspicks@googlegroups.com>


Got this via Nishant Shah who says: "I don't have words for this. I don't think I have seen anything so beautiful, moving and sublime in contemporary art lately. Superlatives are inadequate, so I will just let you experience it instead."

I shall do likewise.

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September 27, 2009

The joy of giving away a book every day of the week: Literary Angels Book Giveaway

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ahalya Naidu
Date: 2009/9/27
Subject: The joy of giving away a book every day of the week: Literary Angels Book Giveaway
To: ahalya@literaryangels.com


Hi,

Now, here’s how it works.

I have seven books. One for each day of the week, starting from September 27. Every morning I post a question, not a quiz, I just want to hear from you, dear reader. I will choose one person each day (a random choice), and at the end of the week, I parcel the books off to you. The first book giveaway is at http://www.literaryangels.com/archives/88, visit the link, and answer the question there.

I bet you want to know what these books are. I won’t give away the titles, but the books – the books with uncracked spines – are by Mark Twain, Roald Dahl, Leonard Mann, Bill Bryson and two super secret authors. I have chosen these books carefully, they are connected with the art of reading and writing, and are a valuable addition to your library. And they are all entertaining reads.

May I ask for one teeny-weeny favour though? Spread the word. Twitter about the giveaway, write a blog post about it, get your friends to spread the word too and let me know. If you would do me this huge favour (and tell me about it) you stand to win the Super Nice Book At The End Of The Week! Oh, and I promise to have more giveaways. One every month. What do you think?

Here are the rules for my giveaway, courtesy Meethil Momaya, who is also running a book giveaway for JoGW on his wildlife blog Jungle Book.in

Here is the step by step guide:

1. Read the blog post of the day – there will be one for each day start­ing 27 September
2. Reply to the question(s) in the blog post, if any. Or fol­low the instruc­tions at the end of each post
3. If your com­ments don’t show up, don’t panic, they might be held up for moderation.
4. The contest for a book will close at mid­night of each day
6. Win­ner of the pre­vi­ous day will be announced on the fol­low­ing day
7. Title of the book will be kept undis­closed till the end of the week
8. All books will ship 4 Octo­ber onwards
9. Open to res­i­dents of the world
10. A spe­cial gift will be announced at the end of the week

Do This.

1. Use the same email id for all com­ments across the week
2. You may leave behind more than one com­ment each day
3. You may reply to other peo­ples comments
4. You may spread the word (twit­ter, blog, FB wall, etc.) and get your friends to join in
5. Give con­struc­tive criticism

Don’t Do This

1. Do not use mul­ti­ple email ids. Your IP will be monitored
2. Do not use foul lan­guage. You will not win
3. Do not wait till the 11th hour to com­ment, don’t trust tech too much

Why am I doing this? Well, other than it giving me a thrill to be able to give really nice books away to people I haven’t met yet, I am also introducing my baby, Literary Angels, to the world. Since I hope to work with books all my life, I hope I get a lot of readers to like me.

To dig deeper and know why I am really giving away the books, here’s the story:

At the end of a sleepy, leafy lane close to my school was my library. Keith’s Book Shack. I remember everything, everything about it. The dust, the dogs snoozing in the corner, the place where all the Agatha Christies were kept (first row, second shelf from the top), the Perry Masons, and my number – 7497.

That library changed me.

I cannot forget the kindness the old librarian showed me when I had too little money and just one more book that I wanted to borrow. He gave it to me. To keep. I stammered and refused, he smiled and pushed the book towards me. It was a slim volume of Peanuts. I never was a fan of the dog, and I still am not. But, it’s the first book I see when I open my bookshelf. That day, I felt the joy of receiving.

That day has led to this day, twenty years later. You could say that it is a tribute to the kind librarian who once gave me a book.

What goes around, comes around…


Lost in a good book,
Ahalya Naidu
http://www.literaryangels.com/

---

Another Book Giveaway during the Joy of Giving Week

Excerpts from her mail to me are below.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ahalya Naidu


Also, there's another book giveaway running during the Joy of Giving Week. My friend, the wildlife photographer I once told you about, Meethil Momaya, he is also running a free book giveaway. He is also giving away 7 books and a special one for those who spread the word :)

Am pasting his latest question:
http://www.junglebook.in/archives/64

Responsible Tourism

by Meethil on September 28, 2009

Band­hav­garh Tiger Reserve is famous for its tigers. Peo­ple from all over the world come here to see and pho­to­graph the big cat. But Band­hav­garh 1 is burst­ing at the seams – not with tigers but with Maruti Gyp­sies. A case of over­ex­po­sure at its worst. Dur­ing peak tourism sea­son, the jun­gle is as chaotic as a mela. It’s dis­turb­ing for the ani­mals and depress­ing for the trees. Last sea­son, the admin­is­tra­tion restricted the num­ber of cars enter­ing from each of the three gates. The thought behind the action was pri­mar­ily traf­fic con­trol – not for­est health. But all the expo­sure has its ben­e­fit – the national park or its tigers won’t be dis­ap­pear­ing any­time soon.

Abun­dant infor­ma­tion leads to abun­dant tourism, abun­dant tourism leads to abun­dant rev­enue, which leads to abun­dant tourism-related infra­struc­ture (guides, lit­er­a­ture, hotels, restau­rants, etc) which again leads to abun­dant tourism. Vicious circle.

On the other hand, Narara2, a part of Marine National Park3, suf­fers in silence. It is one of the rare places in the world where you can see Corals with­out hav­ing to dive under­wa­ter. Dur­ing my last two vis­its there I saw not one. Muddy deposits have choked them to death. The muddy water is a result of con­struc­tion activ­i­ties car­ried out to lay pipes for a major oil com­pany. Did you know about this place? Then how will you know what is killing it?

Lack of infor­ma­tion leads to lack of tourism, lack of tourism leads to lack of rev­enue, which leads to lack of tourism-related infra­struc­ture (lit­er­a­ture, guides, hotels, restau­rants, etc) which again leads to lack of tourism. Vicious circle.

The onus of respon­si­ble tourism lies on us, the tourist. We should not only ensure that a place is not dam­aged by our vis­its, but, we should also ensure that a place does not die because we do not visit it.

For Your Third Book
Use the com­ments sys­tem to tell me in no more than 150 words, how can we con­vince peo­ple to be respon­si­ble tourists?
  1. Declared National Park in 1982 ↩
  2. 60 km from Jam­na­gar, Gujarat ↩
  3. Also declared in 1982 ↩

Warm regards,
Ahalya

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September 16, 2009

Inspiring Stories - A MetaGood Project: Looking For Freelancers & Story Ideas

From nirat@metagood.org
Sep 16, 2009

Overview

Inspiring Stories is a MetaGood project (www.metagood.org) which seeks
to unearth stories of inspiring individuals and groups who are doing
work that is making a difference and enabling positive changes in our
society. These stories would be captured through interviews, photo &
video documentaries and would be disseminated over the MetaGood website
& spin-off books.

Themes For Inspiring Stories

Inspiring Stories will run stories aligned to a few themes because this
will allow us to have depth and focus and will also enable us to create
spin-offs such as theme specific books that will be released under
Creative Commons licensing at cost only pricing.

The 7 themes that Inspiring Stories will run (sequentially) are:

1. Inspiring Career Transitions
2. Social Entrepreneurs / Innovators
3. Stories Of Sustainable Business
4. Inspiring People In The Government
5. Stories Of Inspiring Underprivileged
6. Inspiring Students
7. Inspiring Social Change Movements

Theme & Story Formats

Each of the themes will run for 20 stories. Theme 1 will start first and
once we're through with 20 stories in it, we'd move to Theme 2 and so
on. The story length would be between 3,000 & 4,000 words with 5-7
associated images.

We have a freelance program in which we commission stories to interested
writers and pay Rs 10,000 for each story successfully completed.

Creative Commons Licensing

These stories would be put up on the MetaGood website and also other
formats such as books for each theme. We'd be releasing the stories
under a Creative Commons license enabling noncommercial reuse of the
stories by other entities.

Looking For Freelancers & Story Ideas

If you would like to participate either as a freelancer or you know of
someone who would make a great person to feature in one of our stories,
then please reach out to me on nirat@metagood.org or call me on + 91
9899692572.

Thanks
Nirat

Nirat Bhatnagar
Gurgaon

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August 26, 2009

Online competition for the socially conscious

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gautham Krishnadas <me.gautham@gmail.com>
Date: 2009/8/27
Subject: Srishti - The Creation :An International online competition for the socially conscious !


National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) Surathkal, India is a premier technical University of India which imparts quality education, develops technical and analytical skills through a unique blend of training and research aided by highly qualified faculty. 

4000 students, 120 colleges, 60 companies, 45 events, 4 days culminate into one momentous occasion - ENGINEER (http://engineer.org.in/ ) which is the annual international technical symposium of NITK. To Commemorate the Golden Jubilee year of our institute we extend our invitation to socially conscious students across the world pursuing diverse disciplines such as engineering, economics, management, design,public policy, law and the arts to participate in the following online competition-



"Srishti-The Creation" is a socially conscious initiative from the Team ENGINEER to motivate young minds to come up with solutions to the various social problems that haunts this world. It is an online event which provides budding social entrepreneurs and socially concerned individuals a platform to challenge and benchmark their ingenuity.

  • Participants would be required to upload a write-up based on the problem statement (visit the weblink given below) with ideas that are practical, sensible and ethical.
  • It is a complete online event and the authentic proposals will be judged based on unbiased guidelines.
  • The last date for submission is 24:00 Hrs (GMT), October 15th, 2009
  • The decisions of Team Engineer will be final.
  • The best proposals will be awarded with attractive cash prizes!

Team ENGINEER takes immense pleasure in inviting you to be a part of our journey.

To be a change-maker, register for "Srishti-The Creation" at –

http://engineer.org.in/events/sce/srishti-the-creation


Send your queries to srishti@engineer.org.in

Team Engineer
National Institute of Technology
Surathkal, Karnataka, India
575025
 

 

 


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August 26, 2009

100 Social Sites for Bookworms


Tip: Max

100 Awesome Social Sites for Bookworms

That old stereotype of the quiet bookworm sitting in the corner reading a book while the world passes by is so passe these days. While there is no doubt those who love books can often be found reading, they are also eager to meet others who share their passion for literature. It’s easier than ever to do so with the popularity of online social networks. The following social sites offer plenty of opportunities for bookworms to unite.

Share Your Love of Books Online

These social networks offer some of the most popular and some not quite so well known, but all provide a chance to connect with others who love to read.

 

  1. Shelfari. Get a virtual bookshelf here where you can show the books you’ve read, what you want to read, and share your books and opinions with friends on this site rated as one of the most beautiful social networking sites.
  2. Goodreads. Not only can you share your books and reviews here, but you can form virtual book clubs, try your hand at book trivia, and more.
  3. Library Thing. Catalog your books virtually, find reviews from others, share your opinion, and more on this popular networking site.
  4. ConnectViaBooks. Sharing a love of books is only the first part of this social network that includes an interactive world map on the landing page that shows activities of members.
  5. weRead. Connect with other book-loving members, participate in quizzes and polls, and more.
  6. Noting:books. Keep notes about the books you are reading, including the day your started and your thoughts as you read. Share your notes with others or read members’ notebooks they keep.
  7. ReadWhale. Make your book shelf, connect with others, discuss books, and even interact on Twitter with this social network.
  8. Reader�. Connect with other readers through your reading list that includes recommendations, keyword tags, and more.
  9. aNobii. When you search a book through aNobii, not only can you find members with that book on their lists and ratings, but you have options for purchasing the book online, access to code for blogging about the book, and more.
  10. BookJetty. Track books, find out if books are available in local libraries, connect with friends, and more on BookJetty.
  11. BookRabbit. Don’t rely on virtual bookshelves, upload photos of your real bookshelves, then join in discussions with other members and check out their shelves, too.
  12. Revish. Review books, join groups, keep a reading journal, and much more on this site.
  13. BookSprouts. Focusing mostly on creating an online book club environment, BookSprouts makes it easy to find others to discuss your latest reads.
  14. Readernaut. Create your library, track your progress as you read, and connect with others at Readernaut.
  15. Bookarmy. Read reviews, get recommendations, read about authors, read online, and connect with others so that you "never read a bad book again."
  16. Booktagger. Add the books your like and tag them with descriptions, then join or create a book group, create book lists by fun categories you create, keep track of books you’ve loaned, and more.
  17. LibroSpot. Manage your books, share information about them, and find information on books you are interested in reading.
  18. Bookhuddle. List your books, find and write reviews, join book clubs, and participate in discussions with others.
  19. Chain Reading. Share what you are reading and planning to read or find and share recommendations on books.
  20. Juicespot. Get the juice on books or spill the juice yourself at this social network for those who love books.
  21. LivingSocial: Books. This section of LivingSocial allows members to organize, share, and link to books or just discuss favorites.
  22. Booklicker. Connect with others who love books at this site that offers discussion, recommendations, and reviews.
  23. BookRevyoo. Review books and rate others’ reviews at this site where you can also add books to be reviewed and add keyword tags to books.
  24. Book Network. This social network offers groups, blogs, a forum, a bookshop, and much more.

Book Swapping Sites

Buying books can be expensive, so join one of these groups to meet others and swap books.

  1. BookCrossing. This fun way to share books includes the online sharing available elsewhere, but also promotes leaving your used books behind for others to discover.
  2. BookMooch. When you give away your books, you earn points that allow you to get books from others here.
  3. SwapTree. Trade your books for other books or anything else you want here. Don’t want to part with your books? Then trade your DVDs, CDs, and video games for more books.
  4. WhatsOnMyBookshelf. Rather than writing descriptions of books, tag them and look for books you might want while providing your used books to others.
  5. BookHopper. This international site encourages book swapping through the mail within your own country. Be sure to check out the forums where you can discuss books and authors, too.
  6. FrugalReader. List books by ISBN and earn points for all that you give away, then redeem your points for books from other members. You receive enough points for two paperbacks or one hardback when you list nine books.
  7. BiblioPhil. Manage lists, offer books to loan to trusted buddies, sell books, and more at BiblioPhil.
  8. PaperBackSwap. This site facilitates swapping of not only paperbacks for its members.
  9. Bookins. For $4.49 to cover shipping, you can trade any book or DVD with members on this site.
  10. Title Trader. Earn points by trading your books, DVDs, and CDs or by referring members to the group, then get the books you want for free.

Innovative and Specialized Book Networks

These groups offer either a very specialized topic or an innovate approach to book appreciation.

  1. Kindle Forum, Kindle Social Network. Kindle users can meet others here and share their love of books and their Kindle readers.
  2. BookGlutton. Discuss books while you read them online with other members on BookGlutton.
  3. BooksWellRead. This social networking site is an online journal about the things members have read. Whether you want to jot down notes about your latest fiction book or the chapter of homework from your economics class, keep online notes that can be private or shared with other members.
  4. BiblioTravel. Connect with others over books that represent a specific city or take you away on a literary travel journey.
  5. bkkeepr. Track your book progress Twitter style on this site that has members sharing short updates.
  6. Shakespeare High. This social network is all about Shakespeare all the time.
  7. Mystery Net Community. This community offers discussions revolving around mysteries in books as well as in TV and movies. There are also a few groups that meet in person in cities around the world.
  8. Whodunnit Book Club. This social network is all about mysteries and includes blog posts, forums, and groups.
  9. CrimeSpace. If crime fiction is your thing, then you will want to check out this social network.
  10. BookFizz. Like a Digg for books, BookFizz posts book reviews that members can vote on.

Book Recommendations

These social sites offer recommendations for your next read.

  1. BookLamp. Modeled after the music site, Pandora, BookLamp offers suggestions of books based on your past reads and aspects that you liked and didn’t like about them. Join the forums now and you can also help shape the direction BookLamp will grow.
  2. Reading Trails. Write reviews and create your own trail of books. Each trail that intersects provides recommendations for other members.
  3. What Should I Read Next?. Create a list of your favorite books to help build this recommendation site based on members’ lists.
  4. The Book Seer. Fill in the blanks with what you’ve finished reading to get recommendations for your next read that are filtered through several different book networks.

Online Book Clubs, Forums, and Message Boards

These book clubs, forums, and message boards all offer great ways to discuss books no matter where you are.

  1. Book Movement. Book Movement is a social networking site for book clubs and helps facilitate finding good books to read.
  2. Barnes & Noble Book Clubs. Barnes & Noble offers tons of book clubs as well as community rooms, announcements, and more.
  3. Online Book Club. Join the various book clubs here or post on the forums to discuss with others.
  4. Oprah’s Book Club. If you enjoy Oprah’s book recommendations, then you will love the opportunity to join in these online discussions.
  5. Online Book Club. This intimate online book club gives you plenty of say in how the group is run.
  6. Yahoo! Groups. Do a search here for an amazing number of book groups open to anyone looking for book discussion.
  7. Bookworms Virtual Book Club. This group reads a book a month and discusses it online.
  8. The Bookies. This book discussion group reads two books a month that are selected by nomination and voting within the group.
  9. Salon Table Talk – Books. This popular Internet magazine hosts a book section where registered members can participate in discussions and non-registered visitors can read only.
  10. Reader’s Paradise. Join this forum to discuss reading and literature.
  11. BookTalk.org. Join in discussions about both fiction and non-fiction books on these forums.
  12. African American Literature Book Club Discussion Boards. Also known as Thumper’s Corner, this discussion board features community conversation about African American literature, poetry, and culture.
  13. Incredibooks Online Discussion Forum. Not only can you discuss books and authors here, but you can participate in Read-a-Thons and play games, too.
  14. Readers Read Discussion Forums. Jump into any of the categories here such as children’s books, romance, mystery/thriller, or non-fiction.
  15. Amazon Book Clubs. Amazon offers recommendations for good reads as well as an active message board where discussions about the books take place.

Network Online and in Person

These groups offer opportunities to meet in person as well as some online interaction.

  1. BookMesh. Connect with others online over favorite books, then find events and book groups in your city through this site.
  2. Meetup. Search for "books" on this site to find groups that meet regularly in person as well as participate in online community.
  3. Reader’s Circle. Find a local book group or use this site to help organize one based on the idea of creating community like the coffeehouses and salons of England and France in the early modern period.

Networks for Authors and Publishers

Writers, publishers, agents, readers, and anyone else involved in getting books made will be able to find a social site just for them among this list.

  1. BookTour. Find book events happening near you or promote your own book events here.
  2. Book Marketing Network. This popular social network is for anyone involved in getting books to the public, including writers, self-publishers, publicists, marketers, and publishers.
  3. myebook. Whether you’ve written a novel or a comic book, get your e-book noticed with this social networking group for authors.
  4. Bibliofaction. This site is all about short stories and allows writers to post their work, read other writers’ work, and discuss writing.
  5. Ficly. Short story writers can collaborate at this unique social networking site that is all about creating stories.
  6. eNovella. This social network for creative writers offers opportunities for posting work, getting feedback, and connecting with other writers.
  7. Book Blogs. For those who read, write, and publicize books, this community offers forums for discussion, groups, events, and more.
  8. JacketFlap. Authors, illustrators, publishers, and others involved in children and young adult books can come together on this social network.
  9. AuthorsDen. Authors and readers can meet up virtually at this site to both promote and find new literature.
  10. WritersNet. This site offers news and opportunity for discussion among writers, editors, publishers, and agents.
  11. WritersCafe.org. A network for writers, find other writers, get feedback on your work, join writing groups, and more.
  12. Nothing Binding. This social network is for both readers and writers, and offers plenty of ways to connect through groups, book reviews, and more.
  13. Edit Red. Writers looking for peer review, support, and connection with other writers, this network fits the bill.
  14. Booksie. A site for writers, publish your poetry, short story, or novels here, create a profile, find other writers, and share your experiences.
  15. The Polka Dot Banner. Writers can bond over favorite books, get important information and advice about publishing, and more here.
  16. FiledBy. Authors and readers can connect here where readers can create bookshelves, write reviews, and connect with other members as well as authors.

Networks for Books and More

These social sites aren’t limited to only books.

  1. Listal. Socialize with other members who may have similar tastes to you based on your lists. Besides books, find lists of movies, images, music, and anything else you can think to list.
  2. iTrackmine. Track lists of books, wines, music, or anything else you can imagine. Access from your cell phone, create wish lists, and connect with friends.
  3. Cruxle. Cruxle uses your social media sites to recommend books as well as movies, TV shows, and music. You can also share your Cruxle information with friends.
  4. Likexo. Share the things that you like at this community that rates items and discusses them as well. Books, personalities, bands, albums, music, and movies are all on Likexo.
  5. lib.rario.us. Catalog books, DVDs, music, and games here where you can share your lists with friends and family.
  6. Shelf Centered. Create shelves of books, music, movies, and games that you can share or make private as you choose.
  7. Collectors’ Quest. This social network aims to connect collectors with similar interests. Search the keywords such as "books" to find collections and collectors. They have lots of comics and manga here.

Young Adults

Young adults or those interested in young adult literature can find a group just for them among these.

  1. GuruLib. Catalog your home library (even upload your titles by reading the barcode), keep track of research papers and theses, keep notes while you read, and share notes and recommendations with others. This site was started by college students and is a great resource for other students.
  2. Book Divas. Designed for young adult and college readers, this online book club offers message boards, interviews, contests, and much more.
  3. Young Adult Fiction. Join the members here to participate in a community interested in young adult literature.
  4. Borders Ink. Facebook and Borders Books have come together to create this group for young adults interested in literature.
  5. Teen Ink. Submit your writing, read articles, enter contests, and join in conversations on the bulletin board.

Networks for Those Who Love Words

Bookworms are famously in love with words, so check out these fun social sites that are all about appreciating and having fun with words.

  1. Wordie. Make lists of words you love or hate, lists by any topic, share your lists and see what lists others have created on this site that is all about words.
  2. Wordnik. Tag your favorite words, learn pronunciation, or contribute a definition yourself at this site.
  3. Leximo. Join this group to help create an awesome online dictionary with definitions you help shape. This dictionary is not just for English words, so contribute your foreign language skills as well.
  4. The Big Word Project. Choose words that define your website, then link the words to your website to help create definitions based on sites across the Internet.
  5. Urban Dictionary. The ultimate slang dictionary, all the definitions here are contributed by members.
  6. Quotegasm. Contribute famous quotes here or find quotes others have shared.

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August 6, 2009

Dance Video

 

From: Kamal

:) :) :) :) :) LOVE the choreography... never seen anything like it before!!!

 

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=114810685740

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July 16, 2009

Giving (and Getting) Stuff for Free...

Hi,

As you know, here's my small initiative to help individuals and organisations in India looking for funds:

http://twitter.com/FundACause

http://FundACause.posterous.com

Take a look at initiatives that facilitate the donation of materials (clothes, books and much more) here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mumbaifreecycle

http://karmayog.org/material

http://www.thehelphub.org

The Help Hub: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65225915640

So, if you'd like to give (and get) stuff for free, you know where to go!

- Chandni

Postscript: Whilst GiveIndia, Goonj and India Helps do much more (than facilitate the transfer of stuff), you could also donate materials to some of the people they're helping.

http://www.giveindia.org/CauseWise.aspx

http://www.goonj.info/collection.php

http://indiahelps.blogspot.com/

http://www.indiahelps.org/causes.htm




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July 1, 2009

Invitation to participate: What's Your Gift? Project


From: Chintan
Date: 2009/6/21
Subject: Invitation to participate: What's Your Gift? Project
To: whatsyourgiftproject@gmail.com


Dear friends,
This has been on my mind for a while. And I'm delighted to share it with you.
Do make time to read this, and let me know what you think at whatsyourgiftproject@gmail.com
Love
Chintan
 
 
What's Your Gift?
 
The What's Your Gift? Project is based on a deep conviction that each one of us has gifts to offer, and that it is the sharing of these gifts in a spirit of service that can well become an organising principle for the way we live. This project is a humble effort to look for, document and share the stories of those beautiful people who've recognised their gifts and are using them generously for the benefit of others.
 
The need for such stories is strongly felt at a time when people are beginning to lose their trust in being compassionate, reaching out, and helping others. They seek to be reassured that that money isn't such a reliable measure of happiness; that it is possible to do something just for the love of it; and that one can find a great sense of delight in knowing that one has been useful.
 
Here are some stories I have come across recently:
 
* A musician who takes people on trips to Ladakh and Kashmir -- trips that are less touristy, and more of an exploration into how our lifestyle choices impact the earth in hazardous ways, because of our callous preference for convenience and comfort over the health of the universe that sustains us in the first place
 
* A social psychologist who devotes much of her time to connecting people that might be able to benefit, support and learn from each other -- a person who freely shares her contacts, resources, time, and energy with many who speak of her with grateful hearts
 
* A filmmaker couple that hosts an open bookshelf, at home, as well as in their office -- anyone is welcome to come by and look at the books and pick whatever they like; the only rule being that the book shouldn't come back, it has to be passed on to someone else who again will pass it on.
 
* A computer programmer who has built up a collection of poetry from spiritual traditions across the world -- poetry that he considers a spontaneous, beautiful gift in his life, and is happy to share with readers in faraway places through the daily mails he sends out
 
* A college student who looks out for people with bare feet as he walks around his city, and buys footwear for those who have none
 
 
I invite you to share stories of people you've come across, and urge you to look around for more. The idea is to compile these stories in the form of an e-book that would be freely shared as a gift.
 
If you have a story, but do not have the time to write it, one can find volunteers to take care of that.
 
If you are good at writing, but do not have a story in mind, you can volunteer to help with interviewing, writing, editing and proofreading.
 
If you are into graphic design, you can help with layouts and illustrations.
 
If you are a photographer, you can help with pictures.
 
There might be several other ways in which you can share your gifts to help this project.
 
So do get in touch: whatsyourgiftproject@gmail.com
 
And yes, please circulate this mail among your friends.
 
 
PS: Many thanks to my friend Vinod, whose work and words inspired this project!

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June 16, 2009

Shikshantar's Swaraj University


From: Shubhangi

this is quite a cool place, good space to challenge your thinking

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Manish Jain <m.jain@rocketmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 9, 2009
Subject: swaraj university is coming...


dear shubhangi-

greetings from udaipur.

can you pls share the attached invitations (in hindi and english) for Swaraj University with youth and organizations that you are in touch with? 

we need your help to get the word out, particularly to school walkouts.  

thanks.

love,

manish


Manish Jain
Shikshantar: The Peoples' Institute for Rethinking Education and Development
83 Adinath Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan, 313004 INDIA
Tel: 91-294-245-1303
Fax: 91-294-245-1925
Web: www.swaraj.org/shikshantar
      



(download)

(download)

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May 27, 2009

Interesting website - SIGNPOSTS


From: Vinod Sreedhar <vinodsreedhar AT gmail.com>
Date: 2009/5/25
Subject: My new website - SIGNPOSTS



Hi! :)

This is a mail that should have been written at least two years ago. But thanks to my being blessed with a fickle mind (only regarding certain things thankfully) and loads of traveling on work and other projects, I've been a bit slow in coming up with a website about everything that I do. The site design itself took a lot of time. I worked on some parts of it alone and on other parts with my friend Girish (thanks for all the patience, Girish)... and finally the website has taken shape. Here it is:

www.signposts.co.in


Through the website, my intention is to bring together two areas of living / being that I feel need more attention than anything else today:

Our inner world -  This is all about following our hearts, doing what makes us come alive. But more importantly, it's about learning to be ourselves completely at all times... without any pretensions, without wanting to fit into the moulds that society has kept ready for us. This, of course, requires a tremendous amount of self-awareness and clarity about what our deepest values are, what we feel most strongly about, and how we want to use the time we have on Earth. It also raises questions about the choices we make regarding academics, careers, success, etc. And the fears/insecurities that prevent us from living fully. Our inner motivations and aspirations drive us to act in particular ways, ways that have an impact not only on us but also on the outer world. This, of course, leads us to the other area that I'm focusing on...

Our outer world -  we are living in a world today that is going through some dramatic changes. These changes are the result of how generations before us have chosen to live their lives. Likewise, the lifestyle choices we make will impact both our lives and that of future generations. And whether we like it or not, we are in a situation today where we have to make some really important choices. Living sustainably is my answer to this dilemma... living in a way that causes minimal damage to Earth and that recognises the interconnectedness of all life on the planet.

These are the two parts of ourselves that I feel need our regular attention. And SIGNPOSTS is my way of approaching the questions that most of us have about life and living.

Do stop by to take a look at the site. Ideas for content are also welcome... it is a work-in-progress and I will be putting up information about events/workshops that I will be organizing on the site. I will also be posting articles regularly on the Signposts blog.

Do share your feedback for me. :)

Thanks!
Vinod




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