I love the alteration of “Famous Failures” but not the emphasis on failing. That just doesn’t go with the teacher- me. Surprisingly, it is both attention getting and also encouraging . Failure. . . . . one of those universal experiences we often don’t like to admit.. . . .
Be inspired! I used to have giant cut-out letters on my classroom wall that said, “Hard Work Pays Off” We all need a goal and a reason to be on this earth. Each does have something special that no other person can do. Find your purpose, set goals, work hard, fail, succeed, and encourage others!
Do you know someone who could be added to this list? I would love for you to share.
This story will touch the hardest of hearts! Thanks , Katie!
“He’s like an angel. When he was younger, he would pass by our store everyday. He couldn’t speak back then. He couldn’t even say his name, but he always passed by the store and gave off the warmest feelings. My father began to invite him in, and soon he was coming by the store every day to play. When he started spending time with us, he began to improve very quickly. We told him we needed his help with the shop. We think that all he needed was something to hope for. He began to tell us all about his feelings. He visited with everyone who came into the shop. He learned bits of English and Japanese. He changed our lives so much. My father loved him like a son, and he loved my father. They would always laugh together and dance together. When my Father died, he was very sad for five months. He still prays for my father every time he eats a meal. Lately, all he can talk about is a girl in his class that he wants to marry. She also has Down Syndrome. Every day he talks about the wedding he will have, and he invites everyone he sees. He has invited over 5,000 people so far. He tells each person what they are supposed to bring to the wedding. His father will not allow him to get married. But we are thinking about having a ‘wedding party,’ and inviting everyone in the town.” (Jerusalem)
The social media prowess of Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, isn’t restricted to his home country. He has more Facebook fans in the United States than most current members of Congress, governors and other political candidates.
Mr. Modi’s American Facebook base of 170,529 as of Wednesday is larger than all but 21 American elected officials and current candidates, according to Socialbakers, a site that tracks social media accounts. He even has more American Facebook fans than Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey and potential presidential candidate, or Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader from Nevada.
Some of this is because Mr. Modi waged a high-profile election campaign earlier this year. He used social media effectively in that campaign and employed it as an important part of his communication strategy once in office. His popularity among people of Indian descent in the United States was vividly displayed by the reception he got at a sold-out Madison Square Garden event on Sunday.
Several American politicians benefited from Mr. Modi’s presence in the United States. Members of Congress who attended the Madison Square Garden event received sizable boosts on Twitter after posting pictures of themselves with the Indian leader. Six of the eight biggest gains in Twitter followers among lawmakers that day were for people at the event, including Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat of Hawaii and the House’s first Hindu, who got at least 767 new followers in the day after posting a picture of herself with Mr. Modi.
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Most of Mr. Modi’s social media followers come from India, which has the second largest number of Facebook users. He also has at least 10,000 Facebook fans from 21 countries, including Egypt, the Philippines and Pakistan, where his 94,553 Facebook fans outnumber the Americans who follow Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, on the site. There are about 3.3 million people in the United States who claim Indian ancestry, according to the Census Bureau.
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There are American politicians who have a bigger social media base. Barack Obama, who has more Facebook fans outside the United States (37.8 million) than inside it (15.1 million), tops the list. It also includes Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas, and the two candidates seeking to replace him: the Democrat Wendy Davis and the Republican Greg Abbott. Jan Brewer, the Republican governor of Arizona, who is not eligible to run for re-election this year, also outpaces Mr. Modi.
Many U.S. Facebook Fans Like Modi
Fewer than two dozen elected officials from the United States have more American-based Facebook fans than Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister.
This is one of my favorite spots in Ahmedabad. The four minute video is worth the time, trust me!
Manek Chowk is the central square of Ahmedabad’s oldest district, The Pols. During the day it is the liveliest market in Ahmedabad where fruits, spices, traditional steel kitchen and table utensils are sold as well as a section of bright Indian fabrics. The central plaza is ringed with various gold and silver shops with a varied display of jewelry to make any a bride smile. Having crowds of hungry patrons in the square at night is extra security for the jewelry stores. At night the, the square is transformed into a giant outdoor restaurant complete with tables, chairs, vendor booths and hundreds of hungry patrons. This tradition of serving food every night of the year, began in the early 20th Century when hungry workers returned after late hours of work in the many nearby fabric mills. We had heard about Manek Chowk the whole time we were in Ahmedabad, but had never gone at night. I am not sure why, maybe because The Pols or Old City was far from where we lived, or because some of the students had become sick from eating street food near Cept University. Whatever the case may have been , we decided to go the last week with a guide and friend from Cept. The city has, as it turns out, set down some pretty strict regulations of meeting sanitary guidelines. Throwing all caution to the wind, we ate with gusto. And the food, excitement, smells, tastes, and complete sensory explosion made it a night to remember. We especially loved the chocolate and cheese pizza, and pineapple, chocolate, and cheese sandwiches Really, I am not kidding. It may just be some Indian magic , but they were delicious. And not a one of us was sick during the night or the next day from our late supper in Manek Chowk. By the time the square is set up and food is prepared, the festivities starts about 10 o’clock. If you have a chance to experience this place, day, night or both …..don’t miss it!
This video by Jaymin Modi, made me laugh with the memories of this special place. Enjoy.
I hope this emergency 24 hour number has gotten your attention! Yes, this dark and destructive business is alive and well in the United States. And from the movie trailer you will see that it is not just poor and desperate girls, but it can happen to in-tack middle class families!
Scroll down to see the facts compiled by the Polaris Project!
Since 2007, we have worked closely with local partners to help tens of thousands of callers connect with the help and services they need. As a result of the calls, emails, and online tip reports fielded by the hotline over the course of our first five years of operation, the NHTRC maintains one of the most extensive data sets on the issue of human trafficking in the United States.
From December 7, 2007, through December 31, 2012, the NHTRC answered 65,557 calls, 1,735 online tip forms, and 5,251 emails — totaling more than 72,000 interactions. This report is based on the information learned from these interactions during the first five years of the hotline’s operation by Polaris.
Key facts:
The NHTRC experienced a 259% increase in calls between 2008 and 2012.
In five years, we received reports of 9,298 unique cases of human trafficking.
The three most common forms of sex trafficking reported to the hotline involved pimp-controlled prostitution, commercial-front brothels, and escort services. Labor trafficking was most frequently reported in domestic work, restaurants, peddling rings, and sales crews.
41% of sex trafficking cases and 20% of labor trafficking cases referenced U.S. citizens as victims.
Women were referenced as victims in 85% of sex trafficking cases, and men in 40% of labor trafficking cases.
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What’s a White House dinner without dinner? Modi and Obama will find out. (+video)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with President Obama for a private dinner tonight, but the prime minister is fasting for a Hindu religious festival. This is Modi’s first official visit.
By Syed Nazakat, Correspondent SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
Lucas Jackson/Reuters View Caption
NEW DELHI — How do you serve dinner to a head of state who won’t eat? The White House will attempt to answer that tonight, as President Obama hosts the fasting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a private dinner.
Unlike most of his predecessors in India’s highest political office, Mr. Modi, who took office in May, is a devout Hindu. He is fasting for the Hindu religious festival of Navratri, a practice he’s maintained for the past 40 years.
The leader – who was banned from traveling to the United States for nearly a decade because of questions over his actions during deadly Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 – is enjoying a so-far triumphal first official visit, including giving his first speech at the United Nations, and headlining a sold-out event at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
IN PICTURES Social mobility in the BRICS!
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VIDEO Is PM Narendra Modi India’s New Rock Star?
Back home in India, Modi’s choice to observe his regular practice despite the major diplomatic engagement is making headlines, with the Times of India noting that “Modi’s fast … baffles Americans.” The paper praised Modi for “pulling off” the fast while holding 36 meetings and events in five days. “These are not one-way meetings during which he just listens and nods. He engages,” the paper wrote.
What is the Navratri festival?
Navratri is a nine-day festival, during which Indian Hindus worship the mother goddess Durga. Navratri, derived from the ancient Sanskrit words “nine nights,” is celebrated twice a year, once to mark the start of summer and again to announce the onset of winter. This year the festival falls from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3.
During the festival, Hindus fast, pray, and dance to please the mother goddess. The festival is considered auspicious and many people purchases cars, jewelry, and buy houses. The festival culminates on the 10th day, known as Dussehra, which marks the victory of good over evil and is often celebrated with fireworks and reenactments of ancient Hindu stories.
The festival is practiced differently depending on the region. Many devotees restrict their diet to fruit and vegetables and give up meat, onions, and garlic. Others, like Modi, who is a strict vegetarian, do not eat at all.
Modi has cultivated a formidable reputation for strict self-discipline. He reportedly sleeps for only five hours – sometimes even less. Journalists say that he wakes up at 5 a.m., meditates, prays, and logs on to the Internet to check what is written about him.
His icon is philosopher-monk Swami Vivekanand, who championed yoga and meditation to the Western world in the 19th century.
After he left home as a young man, Modi found inspiration from his writings and become a campaigner for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu organization that aims to make India a Hindu nation and functions as an ideological fountainhead to a host of right-wing Hindu groups.
Warming ties?
The White House visit is part of a warming of ties between official Washington and Modi, who had been denied a US visa since 2005 for his role in riots between Hindus and Muslims that killed over 1,000 under his watch as chief minister in Gujarat, India. A court cleared Modi of responsibility, though his critics maintain that he could have done more to stop the violence.
Officials at India’s foreign office say that the White House had been informed of Modi’s dietary requirements. When asked about Mr. Modi’s plans to fast, India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said it was “normal diplomatic practice to indicate the dietary preferences of the guests to the hosts” ahead of a foreign visit.
“They have taken note of it and have prepared everything accordingly,” Mr. Akbaruddin told the Indian news agency PTI.
Agree or disagree, Mr. Modi does not lead from behind, no mater where he is!
Shaun is my friend. Do I agree with him on everything? No, but I have learned much from him. This is a fascinating post that I thought you might enjoy! Oh the mysteries of life!
Originally posted on keep picturing: This is a post from my friend Keyur about the beginning of Navaratri a 9 day festival celebration in India. Mr. Modi is fasting as he visits the United Nations and Washington, even forgoing a working dinner with Mr. Obama … Continue reading →
Charles-Marie Widor was a French composer, organist and teacher who lived from 1844-1937. This is his most famous work, simply known as the Widor Toccata, though it actually is the final piece in the 5th movement of his Symphony for Organ #5.
I remember the first time I heard it played and the wonder of it all. As you listen you will hear the technical difficulty and stamina of the organist playing this amazing six minute piece. It is jubilant and joyous and often played as a recessional piece after a wedding ceremony or at the end of midnight mass on Christmas Eve. I had it played as the recessional for both my parent’s funerals as the last celebration gift of their lives.
TalesAlongTheWay 