My Facebook friends and people I talk to are SO ready for 2009 to be gone so they can usher in a more promising 2010. I hope all of us can count many blessings even in difficult times, but it’s true, the economy, layoffs, politics, war weariness, etc. all took a toll on us this year. For many 2009 can’t exit soon enough, including those of us in journalism and … Continue reading Die 2009 Die
My story on slum tourism or “poorism” has been chosen by Ode Magazine as one of its top 10 positive stories of 2009. It ran in the April travel issue. This is my first magazine article and it came as a result of stories I introduced on my blog. http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/62/slum-tours/ http://www.odemagazine.com/exchange/13599/ode_s_top_10_positive_stories_from_2009 For more information about Vicky Collins visit http://www.teletrendstv.com Continue reading Slum Tourism
To celebrate Barbie’s 50th anniversary a line of Muslim Barbie dolls have been released to help Arabic children connect. There’s a love/hate relationship with Burka Barbie. They wear hijab and brightly colored burkas. What do you think of this diversity doll? http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/12/arab-world-burka-barbie-iconic-doll-gets-an-islamic-makeover-for-50th-anniversary.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BabylonBeyond+%28Babylon+%26+Beyond+Blog%29 For more information on Vicky Collins visit http://teletrendstv.com. Continue reading Burka Barbie
Hawaii is seeing the biggest waves in 40 years. We were at this exact spot on the North Shore of Oahu at the end of October. Waimea Bay was calm and my son, Blair, jumped off the rocks that these people are videotaping from. To give perspective Da Big Rock, as it is called, is about 75 feet high. Earlier this week the waves were up to … Continue reading Hawaii’s Big Waves
It’s hard to wrap your head around what Aron Ralston had to do in a slot canyon in Utah in 2003. While hiking he dislodged a boulder and his arm was pinned beneath the huge rock for six days. To escape certain death he amputated his own arm then rappelled down a 65 foot wall and hiked eight miles before he found help. The act … Continue reading Meeting Aron Ralston
Esther Heller tells me she used to be a dancer. She says she won competitions in Paris and Athens and even Kamchatka (although she no longer is certain where that is.) She used to teach dancing in Denver. Waltzes and Polkas and Fox Trots. She did it for free so people could learn to move their feet. But now Esther’s feet have betrayed her. Until … Continue reading Esther’s Last Dance
Abigail Van Buren who wrote the syndicated Dear Abby column for many years introduced me to the Thanksgiving prayer we say at our table. I love its simplicity and reminder that we need to keep in mind those less fortunate than we are as we count our myriad of blessings. This year, in our troubled world, let’s also be grateful to those who are different from us … Continue reading Thanksgiving Blessing
Many of you have come to this blog to watch the story about Juliette and read about her brutal acid attack in Kampala, Uganda (http://vimeo.com/5703299.) I had always considered the violence against Juliette and other women like her as personal. Jealous men destroy the lives of women who threaten them in some way. Nicholos Kristof of the New York Times writes widely on this subject as … Continue reading Acid Attacks: Personal and Political
Daniel Suelo believes he has found the key to happiness. Live without possessions or money. His spartan life in Moab, Utah fills his soul and he doesn’t even think of returning to the life most of us lead. “We use all our energy to maintain our possessions and it becomes an ugly cycle,” he says. So he lives in a cave, gets his possessions from … Continue reading Does Money Buy Happiness?
Wonderful story from CBS News about entrepreneurship along the Silk Road in China. Chinese policy towards America may not be changing much but its people embrace our capitalism and long to compete with us. The Silk Road is open for business! http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5701582n For more information on Vicky Collins visit http://teletrendstv.com. Continue reading Travelling China’s Silk Road
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