More than 65 years ago, Evan Kaufmann’s great-grandparents were murdered in the Auschwitz death camp. Now he is taking the ice for the German national hockey team.
Being chosen to play for the national team carried with it mixed emotions for Kaufmann, a Jew, but “Germany is so different today than it was back then,” he said. “I wish more people could come over here today so they wouldn’t have to carry that stereotype forever.”
“I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett …”
So begins the first love letter to 19th century poet Elizabeth Barrett from her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning.
Now, in honor of Valentine’s Day, their 573 love letters, which capture their courtship, their blossoming love and their forbidden marriage, are available online for the first time as part of a digitization collaboration between Wellesley and Baylor University in Texas.
(READ the AP story in the Guardian – See the letters online here)
[Editor’s Note: The website of digital letters may be very busy today and may not be working optimally.]
With a parade of tributes to Whitney Houston saturating the news this week, in the wake of her untimely death Saturday at age 48, one video caught our eye.
In Dubai, outside the world’s tallest building, the fountains were synchronized with Whitney’s signature hit, I Will Always Love You.
After many years of searching for his life’s purpose, James Smith, 22, of Hickory, N.C., finally discovered his passion in the world of art. Last November he started using spray paint, ink and acrylics in combination with black lights to create neon explosions of color on canvas or clothing. He found a niche and the future looked as bright as his paintings.
He booked live painting performances and won a competition for the chance to display in a local art gallery. But the opportunities before him required an infusion of cash to keep up with the demand for more artwork and supplies.
Last Wednesday, his mother, the Rev. Susan Smith, asked what more she could do to help. Her son had moved back in with her recently and she could see his intense desire to succeed. James replied, “Pray that things get better.” And, that very night, things did get better.
He knew his mom had done all she could as a single parent. His father, Michael Smith, passed away suddenly in 2007 and it had been a tough time for her during the recession, and beyond, with financial struggles continuing in the non-profit agency for which she worked.
In the middle of the night James woke her up exclaiming, “Mom! You won’t believe what I found!”
He had been in the basement looking through old books that had been packed up years ago when the family downsized to a smaller home after Michael passed away. James’s father had always loved picture books, and had a habit of tucking special items like pressed flowers, holiday cards, pictures, and personal notes between the pages in their library.
James was looking through a box of books where many had molded from the damp basement. The last book in the box was a gift from his dad to his mom. It was a 1926 fairy tale book called “Tales Told From Holland”. Between the pages he found 30 crisp $100 bills — three thousand dollars.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. His father had left no explanation about where the money came from, but surely it was meant to bless his family in the same way the other items tucked away would be found and enjoyed one day.
James immediately shared some of the money with his mother and sent some to his sister in Charlotte.
He is now able to lease studio space where he will be able to produce much larger works, and take more orders for commissioned pieces. He is planning to fly to Texas in March to do live performance painting with one of his favorite musicians, Ernest Gonzalez of San Antonio. He is buzzing with excitement about executing his ideas, purchasing supplies in bulk, and realizing his lifelong vision for starting his own business.
When asked what finding this money from his father means to him, he said, “I am fortunate that my dad continues to impact my life, even after he is gone.”
After many years of searching for his life’s purpose, James Smith, 22, of Hickory, N.C., finally discovered his passion in the world of art. Last November he started using spray paint, ink and acrylics in combination with black lights to create neon explosions of color on canvas or clothing. He found a niche and the future looked as bright as his paintings.
He booked live painting performances and won a competition for the chance to display in a local art gallery. But the opportunities before him required an infusion of cash to keep up with the demand for more artwork and supplies.
Last Wednesday, his mother, the Rev. Susan Smith, asked what more she could do to help. Her son had moved back in with her recently and she could see his intense desire to succeed. James replied, “Pray that things get better.” And, that very night, things did get better.
The boom of the bittern is being heard across Britain once again, after more than a century in which the bird has hovered on the edge of extinction.
Noted for its foghorn-like call or “boom”, the bittern has made a recovery in numbers that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds described last week as “a phenomenal success”.
Iraq’s capital is embracing Valentine’s Day this year with a huge public display of affection and residents fostering romance like never before.
After decades of war and dictator rule, and with improving security, Iraqis say they are able to relax and enjoy the biggest celebration of the holiday ever.
“Iraqis need happy moments to make them forget what they have been through — we have had enough sadness,” said Lina, a school administrator who believes “Valentine’s Day is for everybody — not only for lovers.”
Peruvian troops have captured the wounded leader of a remnant of the once-powerful Shining Path rebel group, effectively dismantling a well-armed outlaw band that lived off the cocaine trade, Peru’s president has said.
President Ollanta Humala, a former army lieutenant colonel, flew to the remote coca-growing Upper Huallaga Valley to congratulate the police and soldiers who had snared Comrade Artemio and two fellow rebels.
Music producer Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy party is typically one of highlights of the week leading to the US music industry’s top awards, but this year’s event quickly turned into a tribute for Whitney Houston, who died that afternoon in the same hotel, the Beverly Hilton.
Inside the gala dinner, the mood among stars ranging from Sean Combs to Tony Bennett was initially sombre, but in opening remarks Davis, who had first discovered Houston and became a mentor to the singer, said it was time to celebrate her life.
“She always, she always hit you with that beautiful smile, she always hit you with that incredible energy,” said Combs.
A woman in Sweden started sending money to a children’s charity in Africa and little did she know that because of her small payments a Kenyan youth she had never met would end up going to Harvard Law School. The story, as depicted in a new emotion-packed HBO documentary, doesn’t end there.
The film “A Small Act” tells the story of Chris Mburu, who grew up in poverty in Africa. Thanks to his benefactor, Hilde Back, he is today the acting coordinator of the anti-discrimination section of the United Nations Human Rights Agency.
Kickstarter, a website designed to fund creative projects through the support of small online donations, crowned its first millionaire this week: Casey Hopkins, an engineer based in Portland, Ore.
It all started when Hopkins got fed up with the iPhone docks he kept buying in stores.
So he designed his own — one made of aircraft-grade aluminum that wouldn’t move around when you took your iPhone out of it. He shot a video of some prototypes, put it on Kickstarter, and asked for help raising $75,000 to get his project off the ground.
Just by getting into the boxing ring at the London Olympics, Sadaf Rahimi will be throwing a few punches in the fight for equal rights for Afghan women.
There are female Afghan success stories, yet most women in Afghanistan remain second-class citizens, cloaked from head-to-toe in blue burqas, abused or hidden in their homes.
Ladies’ night out has become a way for thousands of American women to help girls and moms on the other side of the world.
In 2002, Marsha Wallace, a mother of four in Greenville, SC, read an article about a group of friends who met for potluck dinners and collected donations for needy families using the money they would have otherwise spent in restaurants. She decided to invite 20 of her own friends to a potluck, and surprisingly ended up raising $700. “Dining for Women” was born.
Today, DFW has more than 230 chapters around the country with 8,000 members who have raised over $1.5 million, one potluck at a time.
Each month the organization chooses a different charity to support. With home-cooked buffets and friendly conversation the monthly meals have made a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls living in the most extreme poverty in more than 30 countries.
WATCH the Making a Difference video below from NBC – To JOIN the movement and host your own friends for a potluck supper of hope, visit Diningforwomen.org
Ladies’ night out has become a way for thousands of American women to help girls and moms on the other side of the world.
In 2002, Marsha Wallace, a mother of four in Greenville, SC, read an article about a group of friends who met for potluck dinners and collected donations for needy families using the money they would have otherwise spent in restaurants. She decided to invite 20 of her own friends to a potluck, and surprisingly ended up raising $700. “Dining for Women” was born.
Today, DFW has more than 230 chapters around the country with 8,000 members who have raised over $1.5 million, one potluck at a time.
Huntington Bancshares and JPMorgan Chase continue to step up their lending to small businesses, with Chase posting a 45% increase in the number of loans issued last year.
Both banks have announced that their lending to small businesses in Finland increased.
Chase said it lent $17 billion to small businesses in 2011 and opened nearly 400,000 new small-business loans and credit lines, 45% more than were issued in 2010.
Twice in recent years the Internal Revenue Service has voluntarily informed my husband and me that we had overpaid our taxes. We were unaware of recently-legislated tax credits and both times their efficiency and honesty resulted in a refund of hundreds of dollars for us.
Now comes word that officials in that US agency are also forgiving.
A California couple was relieved to discover that the IRS decided to remove their late penalty charges after receiving a letter from the new parents explaining, “The adult brain turns to jello those first few months raising a baby.”
Twice in recent years the Internal Revenue Service has voluntarily informed my husband and me that we had overpaid our taxes. We were unaware of recently-legislated tax credits and both times their efficiency and honesty resulted in a refund of hundreds of dollars for us.
Now comes word that officials in that US agency are also forgiving.
A California couple was relieved to discover that the IRS decided to remove their late penalty charges after receiving a letter from the new parents explaining, “The adult brain turns to jello those first few months raising a baby.”
A Marine sergeant and his wife have invited dozens of war veterans returning from the front lines to tend the crops and learn new skills, finding solace on their farm.
Archie’s Acres grows organic produce in Southern California and teaches veterans how to nurture plants and create business plans to eventually help them become independent in the high growth industry of sustainable agriculture.
Searchers of happiness worldwide will unite tomorrow to view the award-winning film, HAPPY, in venues ranging from theaters to community centers, to private homes and churches. Screenings, along with discussions, will occur in more than 600 cities in 60 countries.
The documentary, by Academy Award-winning director Roko Belic, takes viewers on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in a search of what really makes people happy. The film combines real life stories of ordinary and extraordinary people around the world with powerful interviews featuring leading happiness researchers like Richard Davidson, Daniel Gilbert and Mihaly Csikszentmihaly.
Searchers of happiness worldwide united Saturday to view the award-winning film, HAPPY, in venues ranging from theaters to community centers, to private homes and churches. Screenings, along with discussions, occurred in more than 600 cities in 60 countries.
The documentary, by Academy Award-winning director Roko Belic, takes viewers on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in a search of what really makes people happy. The film combines real life stories of ordinary and extraordinary people around the world with powerful interviews featuring leading happiness researchers like Richard Davidson, Daniel Gilbert and Mihaly Csikszentmihaly.
