And Now We're Six...

This past Saturday, June 19th of 2010, my little brother married a lovely young lady, and the Tran Clan of five increased to six. The joys and the blessings are countless, and the hours of preparation and planning have been numerous (hence my long absence from nothing but HAT's).

I have stories to retell and photos to share. However, I first want to lift up a piece by Kahlil Gibran, in honor of the wedding and marriage...

The Prophet on Marriage, by Kahlil Gibran

Then Almitra spoke again and said...
"And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:

You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other's shadow.

Congratulations to my dear brother and my new sister-in-law! Know that we will always love you and support you in your new life together.

Poetry in Motion: Forensic Astronomers Solve Whitman Mystery

[What would happen if we tried to uncover the inspiration for every piece of Art? Would we go crazy with wonderment/wondering? Can there really be only "one true" motivating factor, or isn't there a multitude of influences acting upon us during every moment of creativity?]

Poetry in Motion: Forensic Astronomers Solve Whitman Mystery: "Was the 'strange huge meteor procession,' as described in Walt Whitman's famous poem Leaves of Grass , based on an actual event?"

Hate Groups? Not in Our School

[I especially love that the entire school took a proactive stance in support of what they believe in, instead of against something. They chose to speak out for love, for inclusivity, for acceptance. As a community, they decided to stand/gather for something positive and peaceful. Even better, the decision-making included all constituencies of the school from administrators to teachers to students to parents -- that is what a community should and must do. That is what an institution of learning and education should inspire/instill in its students. Yay for Gunn High School!!]

Hate Groups? Not in Our School: "When an anti-gay hate group decided to visit their school, the students of Gunn High drowned out their protest with a celebration of acceptance."

Breaking News! $1.5B For Child and Maternal Health

Breaking News! $1.5B For Child and Maternal Health: "

Huge, huge news: Just now, at the Women Deliver conference in DC, Melinda Gates announced that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committing $1.5 billion in grants toward maternal, newborn and child health over the next five years.

Specifically, these grants will include training frontline health care workers, introducing low-cost, effective interventions to stem newborn infections and treat birth complications, and educating mothers about simple lifesaving practices like keeping newborns warm with their body heat.

Below is an excerpt from her remarkable speech:

Today, we are committing to make new grants totaling $1.5 billion over the next five years to support family planning, maternal and child health, and nutrition programs in developing countries.

This new pledge will complement our spending in other areas that affect women’s and children’s health, such as developing and delivering children’s vaccines, and preventing pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

I’m also making women’s and children’s health my personal priority as co-chair of the Gates Foundation.

My commitment to you is that I will continue to talk to leaders in rich countries about making funding pledges and following through on them. I will continue to talk to leaders in poor countries about making women and children a policy priority.

We will continue having this conversation about the work we’re doing together. We hold the future in our hands.

ONE’s Erin Hohlfelder is at the actual conference with Melinda now and will report back more soon.

"

Youth Portraits of Eco Heroes

Youth Portraits of Eco Heroes: "A group of East Bay middle and high school students from Berkeley's Young Artists Workspace (YAWS) chose environmental heroes and each created their own unique artistic portraits."