This eight-minute video is a true mini-vacation. In it, Debbie Herzing (the Jane Goodall of dolphins) talks about the important things that dolphins can teach humans: working together, building community, and living in peace. As someone who strives to build peace, I wonder what would happen if we all watched more dolphin videos like this one.
Another thing that this video discusses is why there are so many dolphins in the Bahamas. The cushiony sand floor, coupled with the transparency of the blue water, provides respite from their main predator -- sharks.
May you find much as much peace in this video as I did.
When I think of carpets, Azerbaijan is not the first country that comes to mind. Turkey comes first, as a girlfriend and I spent a long weekend in Istanbul and looked at carpets while drinking apple tea. Next comes Pakistan, as my husband brought a carpet home after a work trip -- and the carpet was the only thing he brought home, as the airline lost his luggage.
So I was intrigued when I Googled Azerbaijan and discovered that there is a carpet museum in Baku. I was surprised to also learn that UNESCO declared the Azerbaijani carpet a "Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage."
Largely a woman's occupation, carpetmaking is a means of conveying a family's traditions and history. This 10-minute video offers an overview and insight for why this practice is so important.
In a time before yoga pants and Zoom shirts dominated our days and we could gather in groups of larger than 50 people, 150 young couples aged 17 to 24 from around the world donned white gowns and black tails to debut in one of the most elegant places in the world: the Vienna State Opera.
So, what exactly does it mean to "debut"? A debut is a young woman's formal entrance into society. For women of a certain status, a debut indicated that she was eligible to be married. Click here for a succinct definition of debut according to Shonda Rhimes.
The last Vienna Opera Ball before the pandemic took place on February 20, 2020, and serves as the setting for this week's journey. In this six-minute video, you will witness precision and pageantry as 300 young people waltz to Johann Strauss' Blue Danube. Even if you do not understand German, you can certainly appreciate the adulation of the commentators and spectators.
If your debutante days are long gone, you can still participate in the Vienna Opera Ball. A general admission seat (not including a seat) runs 315 euros (approximately $375 US), and a circle box for up to 12 people and including catering runs 23,600 euros (approximately $28,085 US). You can find more information by clicking here.
It is a joy to introduce you to my favorite Aboriginal artist, Emily Kam Kngwarray. I was first introduced to Kngwarray's work shortly before I moved to Australia, when I was a docent at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The museum hosted an exhibit of women Aboriginal artists that included Kngwarray's work. At the time, I did not understand the work but was quite taken by the dreaming, the transference of culture and traditions.
When I first moved to Australia, I spent many of my days at the National Gallery of Australia, where I learned about Kngwarray's significance as the first female Aboriginal artist to gain worldwide acclaim.
This 15-minute film is a discussion of Kngwarray's piece called Big Yam Dreaming. It is a striking black and white piece; click on this link to view the art in its original colors (the video distorts the piece to blue).
