Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on April 19th, 2013
Good morning!
I’m going to switch it up this morning, and post a little fun for Friday. It is the weekend and I am excited to have a weekend off - it has been awhile.
I found this on-line and I thought “How cool.” I love creative ideas that inspire people to action. The video is wonderful to watch. I HOPE you enjoy it.
Hilarious And Heartbreaking Secrets From Postsecret.com
TED and The Huffington Post are excited to bring you TEDWeekends, a curated weekend program that introduces a powerful “idea worth spreading” every Friday, anchored in an exceptional TEDTalk. This week’s TEDTalk is accompanied by an original blog post from the featured speaker, along with new op-eds, thoughts and responses from the HuffPost community. Watch the talk above, read the blog post and tell us your thoughts below. Become part of the conversation!
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There are two kinds of secrets, the ones we hide from others, and those we keep from ourselves.
As I write this introduction to my 2012 TED Talk, I am overseas on a speaking tour in Australia and New Zealand sharing secrets. The PostSecret website has received more than 600,000,000 hits. There have been five PostSecret books, the last one reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Why are we so fascinated by these secrets?
Photo courtesy of Frank Warren.
Sometimes when we think we are keeping a secret, that secret is actually keeping us.
I began collecting and sharing secrets in 2004. I printed 3,000 self-addressed postcards with simple instructions about sharing an artful secret. I passed them out to strangers on the streets of Washington, D.C., not knowing what to expect. But soon secrets began to find their way to my mailbox.
The idea began to spread virally and I began receiving shocking, silly and soulful secrets from around the world. Today, I have received over a half-million secrets and they continue to come. One in my TEDTalk was a surprise marriage proposal. I ended my talk with a poignant secret that was a final song from a grandmother to her granddaughter.
Photo courtesy of Frank Warren.
Secrets can be transformative: Sharing a secret with another person, or just with ourselves, can change who we are.
Two questions I often hear are: Do you think these anonymous secrets are true? And what happens if you get a secret about a serious crime?
I think of each postcard as a work of art, and as self-revelatory art. Secrets can have different layers of truth. Some can be both true and false; others can become true over time depending on our choices.
Sometimes a secret we keep from ourselves only becomes true after we read it on a stranger’s postcard. Early in the project I received this email:
“Dear Frank, Do you know that I left my boyfriend of a year and a half because of the postcard that read, ‘His temper is so scary, I’ve lost all my opinions.’ It hadn’t even occurred to me what was happening, and it took a total stranger writing it down to make me realize what the hell was going on in my life.”
I get very few secrets about crimes, but I have been contacted by the FBI about one particular postcard mailed to me. That story ended positively but I need to keep the details secret.
Secrets are the currency of intimacy.
The most gratifying part of the project has been the community of support that over the life of the project has contributed more than a million dollars to suicide prevention and developed themost complete and comprehensive database of suicide prevention hotlines in the world.
Lately we have been working on a PostSecret play called “PostSecret: Unheard Voices” to bring to life more of the secrets and stories.
So much of this still feels like a mystery to me. The secrets keep coming year after year. I may not have a choice; this could be something that I can’t turn off. My wife has this fear that years from now we may be retired somewhere by the beach and secrets will continue to track us down, but part of me hopes the secrets never stop coming.
Because so many people have shared their secrets with me, I will share one of mine with you. It’s a secret I never told anyone until I pulled a postcard from my mailbox that described an experience very similar to the childhood humiliation I had kept buried inside for decades.
“When I was in the Fourth Grade, a new kid moved into our neighborhood. He was a charismatic leader who quickly became popular. Soon after, he convinced two of my friends to pin me to the ground and hold open my eyelids. They took turns spitting into my eyes.”
Secrets can feel like walls when we hide them inside, but if we can find the courage to share them, we discover we are not alone at all. Our secrets become bridges.
Photo courtesy of Frank Warren.
Click here to see a slideshow of some of the most compelling secrets sent to Postsecret.com.
Readers: Have any of you sent in a postcard to Postsecret.com? Let’s play here. If you feel like posting a secret here, your secrets are safe here too. You will always remain anonymous. Blog me.
On another note…I’ve been reading the writes on the Boston “suspects” this morning on the Huff Po. – One has been killed. The other is at large. The hunt is on. Have you been reading? What are your thoughts? I’ll leave the forum open or you to comment. Me? I’n going to zip my lips on this one. But hey, it’s Friday…flap your lips if you choose.
Peace & Love…spread a little will ya.
xo
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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April 19th, 2013 at 11:44 am
See what you get white boy when you give your race preferential treatment. You bring Dzhohkar here and give him all the advantages you give to whites and he turns into the snake-in-the-grass your race is famous for. Latinos come here do your dirty work, pick your fruit and you villainize us.
April 19th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Our Hearts Are with the People of Boston
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston and with the families of all of the victims of this week’s brutal attack. We pray for the health and recovery of those injured, for the witnesses to the explosions, and for the first responders who arrived on the scene to tend to the wounded and secure the area.
Words are inadequate to console the loved ones of those lost at the Boston Marathon. But we will do what we can to care for them. We will ensure that justice will be done.
Members of Congress stand ready to assist our partners in Boston and Massachusetts as they respond to this unspeakable tragedy. The entire nation will stand as a source of support and comfort to this community in the days to come.
Congresswoman Pelosi stands with the 2013 Goldman Environmental Price recipients and celebrates their efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment across the world.
Continuing the Fight for Sensible Gun Violence Prevention
Wednesday’s vote in the Senate is disappointing to the American people and devastating to the families, friends, and loved ones of victims of gun violence across our country.
A minority of Senators failed to summon the courage to do what’s right on behalf of the safety and security of our children and families. Their shameful votes prevented commonsense steps to expand background checks and keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands. Their indefensible actions broke our promise to every community struck by gun violence.
In the words of the Sandy Hook promise, ‘Our hearts are broken, our spirit is not.’ With perseverance and determination, we hope the Senate brings strong legislation back up for consideration and acts to protect our schools, homes, and neighborhoods. That is the least we can do to honor the memory of the children of Newtown, the people of Tucson, and all of the Americans lost to the scourge of gun violence.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.
best regards,
April 19th, 2013 at 2:01 pm
I think Walter Kronkite has been grieving for years, seeing what has happened to the country he loved as a result of corporate media’s corruption. What I’ve seen through the years isn’t a matter of media lying, but of media selectively omitting facts in a way intended to form public opinion, too often relying on finding ways to pit ordinary people against each other (middle class vs., poor, thin vs. fat, non-smokers vs. smokers — doesn’t much matter why or whom).
Rather than focusing on ensuring an informed public, which s vital to maintaining any measure of democracy, media’s primary role is to put people against each other. You can be assured that any moment of national solidarity will instantly be exploited and used to turn people against their neighbors.
April 19th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
I’ve been following secrets for years! Luv it : )
My secret: I’m hooked on this blog ; ) and I love being alone in a new city (I’m doing that right now!) and I then immediately feel the need to check in w someone or multiple someone’s briefly : )
Luv, Zen Lill
April 19th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
On Friday morning, Arkansas State Rep. Nate Bell (R) tweeted that “liberal” Boston residents likely wished for assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, as the manhunt for Boston Marathon bombing suspects continued.
Bell, a second-term legislator and National Rifle Association life member, has previously supported allowing guns in churches as “removing a state mandated restriction on religious freedom.”
His tweet said:
I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine?
====================
Is there any low these creatures won’t go to?
April 19th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Always glad to see your post here Zen Lill.
April 19th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
And how many Boston police and FBI agents are really thankful that they don’t have to worry too much about highly armed freaked out Boston residents accidentally shooting the authorities or each other? Of course there are people with guns in Boston, but it’s not quite the same thing as in Florida, or Texas, or other states with lax or no gun control.
April 19th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Are we surprised by Nate Bell’s #5 comment? The dude is a serious country yokel, probably has the IQ of his shoe size.
April 19th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Let’s see — we’ve got a suspect who not only uses guns but explosives (even reputedly strapping explosives on him), and we have a populace who are extremely nervous and viewing just about any white male they don’t know with suspicion.
Now let’s throw a lot of AR-15s into the mix.
What could possibly go wrong?
April 19th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
I do like the fact that it is white males who are getting racially profiled. Walk down the street in Boston, a figure approaches, and you think “What a relief. It is a black guy”
April 19th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
Are you sheep still buying into the emotional responses that these articles are designed to activate. This is not news, but agenda feeding. Whites are so stupid and sheepish…
Those boys were framed. This was done by Obama’s jihad disguised as white men.
April 19th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Look at what state this idiot is from? They don’t vote guys like this out, they worship them.
April 19th, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Michelle, I’ve been poisoning relatives and friends and strangers for 31 years. I keep very meticulous records for years. I am thinking of sharing my excitement with others through Postsecret.com.
I know that many others will get the kind of thrill I do out of it, but I don’t know how to do it without getting caught. Do you or anyone on this blog have any suggestions?
April 19th, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Tricky Food Labels: Dangerous Food Additives That Sound Safe
Certain food additives may sound safe—but actually can be dangerous.
A bottle of Gatorade sounded like the perfect thirst quencher to 15-year-old Sarah Kavanagh on a hot, humid day in her Mississippi hometown.
But this teenager, a committed label-reader, was surprised to learn from an Internet search that the popular sports drink contained brominated vegetable oil, an ingredient that comes with a long list of possible side effects, including changes in thyroid hormones and function and neurological disorders.
The additive, used in some citrus-flavored drinks to keep the fruit flavoring evenly distributed, does not sound ominous—how bad could it be with “vegetable” in the name?
But Kavanagh, whose story was told in The New York Times, had done her research and started a petition to convince Gatorade-maker PepsiCo to change the drink’s formulation.
Other food additives (some even healthy-sounding) that are bad for us—along with some scary-sounding additives that are good for us.*
ADDITIVES TO AVOID
Cottonseed oil.
Made from the seeds of the cotton plant, cottonseed oil is used to thicken food or add texture. Cottonseed oil is found in many fried snack foods, especially potato chips, as well as in salad oil, sauces, marinades and baked goods.
Some individuals are allergic to cottonseed oil. Cotton crops also tend to be genetically modified and grown with high levels of pesticides.
Diacetyl.
This additive, which provides a buttery aroma and flavor, is most often found in micro-wave popcorn. And its pairing with hydrogenated fats, also typically found in microwave popcorn, equals an extremely unhealthy combination that increases LDL “bad” cholesterol and lowers HDL “good” cholesterol.
In addition, a preliminary 2012 lab study suggests that consuming diacetyl may worsen the effects of beta-amyloid accumulation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
This meaty-tasting flavor enhancer, classified as a “natural flavoring” on some labels and used in soups, meats, sauces and stews, often masks the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Found in many canned, packaged and prepared foods, MSG is known to trigger headaches and may lead to weight gain.
MSG is sometimes also a hidden source of wheat, which should be avoided by people who are sensitive to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
Potassium bromate.
Potassium alone is an essential mineral for health, but potassium bromate (found in bromated flour) has been linked to cancer in lab animals.
The threat is strong enough to have prompted all European countries as well as Canada and China to ban bromated flour, an additive that helps dough rise.
In the US, the FDA has stopped short of such a measure, instead only encouraging commercial bakers to voluntarily stop using it.
Many national manufacturers of baked goods, such as Arnold and Pepperidge Farm, switched to nonbromated flours years ago, but others have not. Check the label.
ADDITIVES THAT ARE SAFE
Alginate.
It may sound like it comes from algae, but seaweed is the source of this additive, which serves as a thickener in jellies, salad dressings, custards, ice cream and soups. Its ability to trap cholesterol in its gel-like structure may lower cholesterol, and some studies suggest it also can help us feel full.
Canthaxanthin.
Healthful food colorings are difficult to find, but this orange-red pigment—found in crustaceans, fish and mushrooms—is an antioxidant.
Canthaxanthin is sometimes added to fruit spreads, syrups and drinks and may have benefits similar to those found in other antioxidants such as beta-carotene.
Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate.
This food stabilizer and thickener is known for its stool-softening and laxative properties. The white, waxy solid, which is added to dairy-based cheeses, beverages and sauces, has been researched extensively in animal studies and is considered essentially nontoxic.
Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS).
Just trying to pronounce this additive scares some people away, but don’t let it deter you if you spot it on a food label. FOS are plant sugars derived from such healthful foods as asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes.
FOS, typically added to certain dairy products such as some yogurts and ice cream, act as healthful “prebiotics,” which promote the production of “good” bacteria in your gut.
*To research potential health risks of food additives, consult the Web site of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, http://www.CSPInet.org.
Source: Deanna Minich, PhD, CN, a Port Orchard, Washington–based nutritionist and author with more than 20 years of experience in nutrition, wellness and healing.
She has written four books on nutrition and health, including An A-Z Guide to Food Additives (Conari), in which she gives an “A to F” safety rating for widely used food additives. http://www.FoodAndSpirit.com
April 19th, 2013 at 6:03 pm
Don’t fuck with Obama’s watch. The perp is caught.
April 19th, 2013 at 11:27 pm
…and the experiment is complete. The rights of all citizens of this “democracy” have now been removed.
What has taken place these past 5 days is a national experiment in the elimination of people’s rights. This experiment has taken place right in the face of those same people who’s rights are now stripped away…willingly. The media, over the next few weeks and months will praise the system of camera’s that the government was “given access” to in order to help them catch these “terrorists”. The reason the government was “given access” to those cameras is due to the Patriot Act that Bush instituted and Obama re-instituted, which states that if the government deems a situation a terrorist act then the government has full use of the armed forces in order to quell and control the situation, as well as, they are able to use any means necessary to acquire information to assist in this action. Meaning, that the government can order one to turn over their private security video to the government. From now on everything will begin to become a terrorist situation.
In the upcoming media presentations the people of this “democracy” will be fed the fodder that being a “whistelbower” of sorts, in order to assist the government in keeping the people “safe” from these “terrorists” the government recommends people come forward with their personal videos and pictures to help the DHS secure any such “terrorists” and help keep the country safe. However, Congress doesn’t feel the same way when it comes to whistleblowers for corporate malfeasance. Those kind of whistleblowers are now balancing a tightrope of illegalities and liabilities. If you go to the FBI website you can click a link that they ask you to upload videos and pictures in order to help the organization find perps. In order to upload this information you must give much of your own information. In doing so, one also gives up IPS and DNS information. One also gives up global positioning information. You are now deep in the heart of their database.
It is now evident that the government finds comfort in knowing that Marshall Law can be instilled into a community over one single 19 year old “terrorist”. That the full force of the military industrial complex can be utilized, if necessary to quell these “terrorists”. Drones can be used to fly over the area and are legally able to drop bombs on that area in order to keep the “American people” safe. If the government were to actually have to use these drones and bomb the area, they can do so legally, due to the Patriot Act. If there is then subsequent deaths of innocent people that are in the area they are considered collateral damage and will go down in history as heroes to have died for the “safetly” of all other Amerikans.
Did anyone actually see these guys load and make these bombs? Did anyone actually SEE this kid get arrested? Did anyone actually SEE this kid get put into a police car, or perhaps any of the myriad of other military equipment that was going all throughout the Boston area? Did anyone actually SEE the two boys firing against the police officers? Just like the idea that they found a passport of one of the terrorists in the burned out rubble of the twin towers, that was so hot it melted steel and weakened the structural integrity of concrete, they found a passport, just like that, it seems convenient that they find a backpack seemingly in decent shape enough to make it seem as though it was the same backpack that was in the pictures. Yet, this same backpack blew away half a building and killed 3 people and injured hundreds of others. How did it do that? Because it was filled with ball bearings and nails and such. Yet, if it was filled with these deadly pressure cooking items that tear through buildings, cars, people, despite this power, the backpack seems in pretty descent shape all and all… I could go on…No, none of that took place. It was simply the media saying what took place. Why? Because the DHS secure the media from out of the area. This is simple smoke and mirrors.
…and the experiment is complete. The rights of all citizens of this “democracy” have now been removed. Welcome to the New World Order. It is a repeat of the process in which Hitler did the exact same actions prior to his takeover of the people of Germany. Exactly the same. Text book and proven to work. The difference now is it is happening, and working flawlessly in what is considered one of the most, if not the most, intelligent group of human beings that have ever resided on this planet. And those people CHEERED when the Marshall Law forces drove down their curfewed streets. …and the experiment is complete. The rights of all citizens of this “democracy” have now been removed.
This is a very sad day for what was once the greatest country in the history of the planet. The people gave up everything willingly and cheered.
All of this happened in the same week that the House signed a watered down gun bill despite that 90% of Americans wanted something they didn’t get. Or while the House also signed a bill allowing Congresspersons and Senators to trade insider trading and not have to report or disclose those trades. This also happened while our armed forces continue to bomb Afghanistan using drones and killing hundreds more innocent people in one week…
and the people cheered…
…and the experiment is complete. The rights of all citizens of this “democracy” have now been removed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/miranda-rights-boston-bombing-suspect_n_3120333.html?1366426954
April 20th, 2013 at 12:17 am
A bill passed late in the night of Dec. 1, 2011 (93-7 votes) that declares the entire United States of America a battleground. What this means is that the U.S. Military can now operate with impunity, and grant the U.S. Military the unchecked power to arrest, detain, interrogate, and even assassinate United States citizens with impunity.
What this means is the United States is basically declaring war with itself. We need to shed light on this and make sure it does not become a law, otherwise we should just say good bye to the Bill of Rights and everything America used to stand for.
Here is the link to the bill in question.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s1867pcs/pdf/BILLS-112s1867pcs.pdf