Open House Today for a House With a Heart

Once in a while one comes across a truly noble person with a just Cause,
a person who belongs right up there on stage with all those CNN Heroes who are
annually honored with prizes and recognition for their efforts. Beverly Bronson of
Ghar Sita Mutu is one such person, with an underfunded organization that is barely
recognized, from what I gather when I check her updates on Facebook..

Firoze Shakir, a Mumbai-based photographer and blogger is a friend from Flickr
and Facebook who requested I add Beverly Bronson, founder of Ghar Sita Mutu,
as a friend. All it took was a few lines on the website to convince me that I was witnessing
the work of an individual with a heart of gold :

 
Photo copyrights by Ghar Sita Mutu on Flickr

" Ghar Sita Mutu was founded as a charity in 2001 by Beverly Bronson,

a volunteer social worker in Nepal, when she found two abandoned brothers 

aged two and five huddled together outside their tin hut in the streets

of Kathmandu, Nepal. Unable to find anyone to care for the children, Beverly 

became their guardian and admitted them into a bleak and overcrowded hostel

attached to a small school. The boys did not thrive, and she began to dream
about starting a charity to provide a home for them and other abandoned
children that would also help support and train destitute mothers." 

Beverly is someone who gave up her life as a small antique shop owner in New York

to seek a more meaningful one as a volunteer social worker in far away Kathmandu, Nepal.

 Photo copyrights by Ghar Sita Mutu on Flickr

The only ongoing support I could offer to Beverly in my current financial situation was the
comfort of friendship and encouragement via my words and network friends, and so I put

out an 'Add as a Friend' request on Facebook.....and Voila ! Hearts burst open with words
of love and support !


Thanks to all these wonderful friends on Facebook who responded to my
request to add Beverly Bronson my Hero, as a friend. There was little hesitation
on their part or in their hearts it seems. Apologies if I've omitted any new friends
who may have joined my network in the interim between publishing this post.
Contact info is listed below.....join on Facebook and leave your comments there,
or if you wish to donate, click here


Adrienne Gonsalves of Pune, India,
CEO of PACE Communications Mumbai

Akshay Mahajan of India, 
roving Photojournalist





Alan William Roberts 
Photographer from Wales UK


 
Andruta Bell
Teacher in Romania


Angel Danger
from Udine, Italy


Anthony Posey
New Orleans Photographer

Benn Bell,
Photographer in New Jersey


Blank Noise in India
Organization that fights against Sexual Harassment of Women


Bridget White Kumar
International Author, Blogger, Specialty Chef based in South India


Chris Mortensen
Entrepreneur in Asheville, North Carolina

Claudia Minnalouche
International Translator and student currently in Dublin


Dale Hyde
News Media blogger/publisher


Dan Carwyn
My schoolmate from Pune, India, now in Lesmurdie, Australia

Dev Pandey Mumbai India

Diana Manning
Artist/Owner Diana Manning Studio in Argenta, Illinois

Emilys Apartmentskasiopi A 
in Kassiopi, Greece

Firoze Shakir
Barefoot blogger-street photographer from Mumbai India

Glenn Losack New York NY
Musician, Photographer, Psychiatrist and International Humanitarian

Gorgo Gorghi 
Musicologist from Palermo, Italy

• Geri Goldman Reichgut 

  New York, NY
  

Heather Rothey
Photographer/Horse Whisperer in Ogden, Utah

Heidi Anne Morris
Photographer and student in Bath UK

Isabel Quiñones Pentell 

• 
  
• 

  Isabelle Robbe-Dren

Jagannath Mistry 
 Indian artist now in Brazil



Jasmeen Patheja
Feminist, Activist, Photographer, Blogger, Founder of Blank Noise

Jeanne Lozier
Singer-Songwriter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Jeet Thayil
Musician-Artist Mumbai India

Jennifer Naidu
Teacher-Writer Pune, India

Jitendra Hassija 
Friend from Pune, India

Jocelyne Costa

Judi Just
Photographer-Artist from Miami, Florida

Kara Sachs
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Kaushik Dutta
West Bengal, India

Lievanta Evelyn Millar
Student ~ Mumbai, India

Linda Schaefer
Photographer, Author and Teacher in Ada, Oklahoma

Lisa DuBois
Photographer, Journalist, Digital Artist New York NY

Lydia Naidu
From Pune, India

Manav Sachdeva Maasoom
UNICEF, Consultant Services, Writer, Poet from New York, NY

Manoj Phulphagar

Marcel Duvoix
Author, Entrepreneur from Ypsilanti, Michigan

Mariami Nadareishvili
From Tbilisi, Georgia

Marla Miller
Registered Nurse from Hancock, Minnesota

Monica Martinelli
Linguistics Specialist from Jesi, Italy

Montana Newman

Oriah Miller
Author, Entrepreneur, Comsultant from Marina del Rey, California

Petra Cerjak from Ptuj

Prabhat Za
Photographer from Kathmandu, Nepal

Preet Soni

Régine Engel
Photographer-Artist from Strasbourg, France

Raisa Sheikh
Teacher from Pune, India

Rajesh Kumar
Consultant Cosmetic Dermatologist in Mumbai, India

Rajputravel India
Travel Agent in New Delhi, India

Rama Sethu Ranga Nathan
PSG College of Technology · University of Madras, Chennai

Ramona Borthwick
Musician, Photographer, Artist, Graphic Designer, Entrepreneur
from Boston, Mass.

Ray Framroze
From Goa, India


Romeo Fraioli
Photographer from Arce, Italy

Sandy Hawkins
From Niceville, Florida

Sean O'Sullivan
From Seattle, Washington

Sherrie Lovler
Calligraphy artist, Poet, Blogger

Simona Mortensen
Nursing professional from Asheville, North Carolina

Susan Marie
Nlogger, Radio Jock, Humanitarian, Talent Co-ordinator, etc. from Buffalo, New York

Tushar Naidu 
Pro Club DJ in Dubai UAE

Uwe Paschen

Environmental Engineering · Narita-shi, Chiba, Japan

Environmental and Agricultural Consultant

Valentin Arfire
 Photographer from Timisoara, Romania

Varsha Manik  from India



Ghar Sita Mutu Photos on Flickr :

Beverly's Contact Info :

	+977 2392060116Mobile 1 212.529.0832Home
Email	bevbronson@yahoo.com
On Facebook	facebook.com/bevbronson

Interesting story of Kathmandu orphans in this video :

BBC Trailer : Human Planet

Some Links have a way of disappearing from Facebook within a day, and rather than
having to keep searching, I decided to use the embed code provided on Youtube
to share one of the greatest clips ever shared anywhere. I ask that you please
be patient and let the page load because it is totally worth the wait....and that's all I need to say,
in addition to a big 'Thank You' to Dan C. in Perth who knows what I like to share and post.

L O V E

LOVE is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps
no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but
rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:4

The Polyanna-Facebook Complex

Many disgruntled users of the most successful social network in the world are now rapidly
maturing along with Facebook, and getting less out of the experience. The 'friend connection'
frenzy to find long-lost lovers, friends and classmates has given way to fewer friendly 'Likes'
and lesser polite 'Comments'. Facebookers with over 300 friends have nothing to say to even
a tenth of them in their spare time. Why ? Is it because they are running out of the Polyanna
mindset Facebook expects of them as users ? In the face of ongoing upgrades and tweaks,
it seems people are not getting that initial rush of using 'friends' to try out the latest Game/App
with. A combination of information overload and a sense of inadequacy to deal with all the '
tweaks and upgrades' contribute to frustration and borderline melancholia. The thrill is gone,
it would seem, if it weren't for the increasing numbers who await their next 'Friend Request'
from persons who can barely speak in their language.

Did Slate's Libby Copeland hit the nail on the head when she said. "Blandness will not do,
and with some exceptions, sad stuff doesn't make the cut, either." Or did she miss the nail
altogether ? I think she did. Here's my friend Sean's observation about the Slate article :

" Hmmm...I'd like your opinion of that. Perhaps it's just me and the 'friends' I've accumulated, 

but my experience is opposite this. Every day I get messages of bad things and see little but 

support and love towards those suffering even minor depressions or problems. "

And here's my interaction with Claudia, another friend :

• Loading...
• 

  Fred M. Miller I am halfway through responding to a Slate.com article via my blog. 

  Slate asks if fb is making us all miserable with the whole experience.....I have to 

  squeeze this thread somewhere.

  February 1 at 11:01pm · ·
• 

  Claudia 

  I think FB has brought us together.. interconnectivity. It's great. I adore many of the 

  people that I've met here, and I don't want to lose them. I love the connections that 

  can happen even in a small way day to day. That said.. that is the... ONLY feature 

  that FB has not destroyed. Given the new Feed 'features' I really can't SEE that

  many of my 'friends', and it's actually harder to keep up / keep connected.
  
  What we need [I'm using we as I can think of a list of at least 100 people off hand]...

  what we need is a place with the commenting options of FB, user controlled 'feeds', 

  and user modded pages. Then we need to migrate this lovely bunch of people 

  OVER THERE. And then.. live happily ever after. ;]See More

  February 1 at 11:18pm · · 2 people

Maybe my single friends do have a nice set of friends who try to uplift their spirits whenever
they sense that they are feeling down. I know that I myself have often unconsciously tried the
very same Pollyanna approach I mentioned in regard to Facebook. Some say I pass over
everything that others find disturbing with my ongoing philosophical, zany quips. I owe it
all to my childhood growing up with my foster aunts and to my first teen idol, Hayley Mills,
star of Disney's 'Polyanna' and 'The Parent Trap'.....I always found moments of gladness
to overcome the many moments of sadness whenever I escaped to that place where the
mindsets of Hayley, Pollyanna and myself merged into one.

'Everybody's searching for a hero, we all need someone to look up to'
Dorothy Hamill and Muhammad Ali, film stars like Paul Newman and Audrey Hepburn,
musicians like Ravi Shankar and John Lennon all have an ongoing impact on people's lives.
These 'heroes' often provide the impetus to many desperate souls looking to interact and
positively reinforce their lives. And Facebook helps them by providing a world of fine-tuned
interaction.

Many a Facebook friendship is based on a user's Likes and Comments, and that is what
makes the Facebook experience different. The heroic interactions between a passionate 
social worker in an Orphanage in Nepal and her network of friends from the Philippines,
Pakistan, the UK and the USA are shining examples of what is possible in a global social
environment. As are all the immediate responses to cries for help from owners of Animal
Shelters, and shows of worldwide solidarity with victims living under oppressive rule in
places like Iran and Egypt. The possibility to see good is there if we but open our eyes.

And so, Claudia...and Sean in Seattle......you are both right. There are many uplifting
instances occurring around the clock, whether they be in the form of a favorite Rumi quote
or the sharing of an artistic masterpiece, a humorous quip, a simple virtual nod in the
form of a 'Like' and of course those hearts and XXXs and OOOs. All reinforce a sense of
well-being, even if for a fleeting moment. Facebookers are involuntarily playing the 
'Glad Game' Polyanna played that changed her new hometown into one big happy place.


Oh, and Libby at Slate.com, thanks for raising the question for us to ponder.....
we'll be fine updating our Profile pics and pages and posting and 'Liking' and 'Commenting'
....at least until the next Update, or the finalization of the impending sale of Facebook.


Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)


The Parent Trap (1961) and The Parent Trap II (1986):
2-Movie Collection (2-Disc Set)

Sharing Email Stories

The following stories are so deeply entwined that

you must read them fully, and only then must you 

click on the link at the page bottom for the third and final story.

Story Number One

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for
anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from

bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie."
He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason.....
he was very good ! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal
maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well.
Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special
dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family
occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and
all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was
so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave
little consideration to the atrocity that went on around
him.  But he did have one soft spot, however....
he had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that
his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education.
Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime,
Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than
he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son :
he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision; he wanted to rectify wrongs he had
done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface"
Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity.
To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would
be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street .
But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest
price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious
medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power 
to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. 
Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. 
Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."

And now, on to STORY NUMBER TWO :

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lt. Commander Butch O'Hare.
He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked
at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of
formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship,
he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was
speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenceless.
He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet.
Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do.
He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dived into the formation of Japanese
planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised
enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation
and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or
tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.
Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from
the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's
daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's
first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town
would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport
in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to
visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located
between Terminals 1 and 2.

Okay....so what do these two stories have to do with each other ?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_J._O'Hare

and now, here's the link to the final story..... 
enjoy !


Amazon links









Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O'Hare (Bluejacket Books)




 
Legends of Airpower: Edward "Butch" O'Hare

Expedition Blue Planet- Dehli, India

Life in the Slums

Watch more free documentaries Small teaser with Alexandra Cousteau (grandchild of the legendary Jacques)
as she walks the slums of New Delhi and is determined to bring change to
living conditions for the slum dwellers whose basic needs for access to water
are virtually non-existent.

The Hole in the Wall (Institutional Use)
 


Alexandra Cousteau's Blue Legacy Series