"Playground Love" by Air

Air is one of my favorite groups. Their music is almost always sublime, which makes them a perfect candidate for a Sublime Sunday song here. I was initially going to post "How Does it Make You Feel" because it's melancholy gold...until I listened to an old mix CD I made this week that had "Playground Love" on it.

It's off the soundtrack to the superb Sofia Coppola movie "the Virgin Suicides" (also a great book) and I played it over and over and over for a few years after I got the soundtrack. It's not quite their typical song - the vocals are different and the piano is distinct - but maybe that's why it stands out so much. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Close your eyes and listen:



Bonus - check out the special vibraphone version by Air.

Have you downloaded the Sublime Goodness mixtape yet?

6 Year-Old Takes Wheel, Save Dad's Life

Another day, another courageous kid highlighted in Sublime Goodness! What's also eerie to me is it was only a month ago that I posted about an 8 year-old girl who took the wheel and saved herself and her grandmother. Here is Tustin's story from last week:

Philip Mains of North Platte, Neb., is usually able to control his diabetes. But while driving recently with his two young sons in his Chevy Avalanche, Mains’ blood-sugar level suddenly dropped, plunging him into unconsciousness. His 6-year-old, Tustin, immediately took the wheel and safely steered the vehicle, which was traveling at about 15 mph, until a police officer chased it down and threw the car into park. “I saw my dad fall asleep,” said Tustin, “and I climbed over the seat and got on my dad’s lap.” His dad is doing fine. (from the Week)

> Read more about the events here in the North Platte Telegraph

It should also be noted that "Tustin managed to do a pretty good job of driving the Avalanche. Phillip said there wasn't any significant damage to the vehicle and it appeared the only damage was a scrape that occurred when Tustin brushed the side of the bridge after he turned the vehicle around."

Wow. Great job Tustin! Your father should be proud. What an amazing and inspiring child.

11 Year-Old Boy Works to Fight Homelessness

Youngsters never cease to amaze me. In just the few short months of Sublime Goodness, I've posted many stories of inspirational youth. This is no exception:

In just two weeks, Zach Bonner's black-and-red sneakers have hit about 170 miles of pavement. They'll log hundreds more miles as Zach continues his 50-day "My House to the White House" journey to the nation's capitol, raising awareness of child homelessness.

Zach, of Tampa, Fla., made a pit stop in Spartanburg's Cleveland Park Wednesday to invite local students to walk with him, then pass his message on to others.

"I would like to continue to educate as many people as possible about the problem of homelessness," 11-year-old Zach said. "That is what the walk is about - to raise awareness."

At just 7 years old, Zach founded the Little Red Wagon Foundation Inc. (www.littleredwagonfoundation.com), with the motto "Kids helping kids one wagon full at a time." On the 668-mile walk, Zach says he hopes to draw attention to the more than 1.3 million homeless children in the country.

"I want people to know the truth about homeless children," he said. "They're not out there because they want to be, but because of bad situations out of their control."

Students from Chesnee Elementary School joined Zach for a walk around Cleveland Park and delivered more than 100 hand-written letters on child homelessness. Zach hopes to personally deliver any letters he collects along the way to President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

CES student Jordan Hensley, 10, wrote about the need to help people who are without a home.

"I feel bad when I see people out there without food and water and how they're struggling to keep their lives," Jordan said. "Always try to help people and never let people starve."

This isn't the first time Zach has walked for the cause. In November 2007, he walked from Tampa to Tallahassee, Fla., and last fall he walked from Tallahassee to Atlanta. He plans to complete this third and final leg on June 29. (from Goupstate.com)

And he is 11! It inspires me to do more (in my old age :).

Here is a short documentary on Zack in his "early" years:



Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• 8 Year-Old Girl Saves Self, Grandmother by Taking Wheel
• Boy, 5, Saves Dad's Life
• Youth No Obstacle for this Volunteer
• Boy Asks Friends for Food, Not Toys on Birthday
• Kids' Letters to President Obama

Hero Cop Saves Toddler from Train & Inspires Children

I'm sure you might have seen this story on the news recently - it's pretty amazing (and in Wisconsin!). It's always great to hear about someone acting selflessly to save others. In case you missed it, here is the deal (if you know the scoop, just skip to the video below):

Monday's Memorial Day Parade in Elm Grove [WI] was canceled after an accident on the train tracks. But the tragedy could have been even worse if it weren't for the actions of a West Allis man and Elm Grove Police Officer John Krahn.

Tim Weiner was on his way to the parade when he saw a van get stuck between the gates on the train tracks on Juneau in Elm Grove. Inside the van was a 23-year old mother, Monica Partenfelder and her 2-year old son.

"She kind of panicked. I don't blame her. She probably didn't see where the train was coming from. You could hear it was getting close," Weiner said.

The wheels of the van were lodged on the tracks. She was trapped. That's when the boy's father, Scott Partenfelder, who was riding in a different car, raced to try to get the mother and son out in time. Witnesses say Officer John Krahn also came out of nowhere to help.

"I couldn't figure out why he wasn't getting away from the car. But I later found out there was a child in the back. So he was reaching in the back when the train hit the car. He was trying to get the child out. This guy is a hero," Weiner said.

The two men got the mother out of the van in time, but they couldn't get the 2-year old boy out of the car seat. The train smashed into the van, knocking the vehicle into both Partenfelder and Officer Krahn. Witnesses say even after the crash, Officer Krahn was only worried about the boy's safety.

"I ran over to the police officer, and his leg was pretty bad, and all he said to me was "Get the kid out of the van!" and he was screaming and yelling in pain," Weiner said.

The 2-year old was in the van when the train collided with it head on. Incredibly, the young boy wasn't hurt. Officer John Krahn, now in the hospital, is being praised for his actions.

"That cop, that guy's a hero as far as I'm concerned. He really didn't have to be there, he didn't have to do that. But he did," Weiner said. (from MSNBC)

I also really liked this video about Krahn's impact in a local elementary school where he children know him as the "D.A.R.E." cop. His heroic actions inspired some great discussion with the kids.

Watch:



Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• 8 Year-Old Girl Saves Self, Grandmother by Taking Wheel
• Toddler Caught by Two Men After 40-Foot Fall from Window
• Another Hero Captain - "Captain Courageous"
• 'Hero' Mail Carrier Delivers for Woman in Need
• Boy, 5, Saves Dad's Life
• Back-to-Back Heroic Acts by a Transit Officer
• Chesley Sullenberger is My Hero: Facebook Edition

Hi - A "Real" Human Interface Computer

This video made me smile. Mostly because I have two little girls and I'm sure they kind of think this is what's really going on inside the computer. I know when I was very little, I pictured a bunch of little elves in the television flipping switches and working hard to ensure my cartoons displayed correctly. Enjoy.

Hi from Multitouch Barcelona on Vimeo.

* I apologize for the short posts lately. My internet connection has been intermittent and only works sporadically. I'm typing fast and posting when I can! I hope to be back up and running normally soon.

Remembering Our Veterans

Happy Memorial Day!

I like this short piece highlighting a 91 (!) year-old WWII vet and his new mission. Also, as an aside, I've been to the newish memorial featured in the video across from the Lincoln monument and it's very impressive. I love the mall in DC.

Thank you fellow veterans!

"Walcott" by Vampire Weekend

Today's Sunday Sublime song is an upbeat fun one for a change. It's hard to pick one from Vampire Weekend's recent debut album, but this one kicks off with a bang. The jaunty tune stays in your head for days - I love how the instrumentation too.

Enjoy. Close your eyes and listen:



As a bonus, here is a fun acoustic version in Paris (with "One" thrown in for good measure).

Have you downloaded the Sublime Goodness Mixtape yet?

The Evolution of Dance

The most viewed YouTube video of all time. I saw Judson Laipply perform this live at a conference in March and it brought the house down. Everyone was loving it. On a personal note, I met him before the show and he was hilarious and down to earth. He has some great jokes about his grandmother is all I'm saying.

Even if you've seen this before, it's still worth watching - funny and smile-inducing.

Enjoy!



Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• Cute Things Falling Asleep
• 40 Inspirational Speeches in Two Minutes
• The Best Laughing Baby Video - "Ethan Laughing"
• News Anchors Dance During Commercials
• Funny Cat Videos

Oklahoma High School Students Get Inspiration Through Poetry

You wouldn't think that poetry can win the hearts and minds of many high school boys (football players at that!), but here is a great story of inspiration in words:

The last year was the most trying one in Heritage Hall senior Ford Price’s life. Diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma cancer last spring, it was a constant battle for Price.

It was one he fought head-on. And it was one he didn’t have to fight alone. To go with his family, Price had support from some words and a "band of brothers.”

Price is a member of a poetry club started two years ago by Oklahoma City attorney and former Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Turpen...

"I thought it was kind of like a joke at first,” Ford Price said. "But Mike Turpen got us all really excited and pumped up about it. It’s been fantastic.”

The group started with the poem "If” by Rudyard Kipling. From there, the group also discussed and recited "Stopping by Woods on a Stormy Evening” by Robert Frost, "In the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt and "Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The words of "If” became more than just a poem and gave strength to Price during his chemotherapy treatments.

"It helped a ton to have all that support,” Price said.

"Ryan (Randolph) and his mom made signs with lines from "If” and had them in my room. It was real inspirational.”

Price beat his battle with cancer in December, and Heritage Hall dedicated its championship football season to him.

> Read the Full Story at NewsOK

Watch a video:



And here is the Rudyard Kipling poem "If" that started it all:

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

University Student Gets Anonymous $16,000 Check for Tuition

Pay it forward. That's what the letter accompanying the $16,000 check said to Marc Alexander:

Dear Mr. Alexander,

Enclosed is a cashier's check for $16,000. This is a gift to pay for your classes next term at Kettering. We hope that at some time in your successful future you may find someone in need and "pay this gift forward."

Amazing isn't it? Here is the deal in a nutshell:

In the midst of a credit crisis, the 23-year-old had been rejected seven times for the $16,000 loan he needed to attend Kettering University this term.

But someone out there just couldn't stand to see the star senior quit college.

The anonymous letter came to Kettering's financial aid office just days after his story appeared in The Flint Journal -- enclosed was a $16,000 cashier's check.

Just one simple request from his secret donors: Pay it forward.

"I was just blown away," said Alexander, head of a non-profit organization that helps youth. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me. This was something I'd only seen in the movies.

"It's kind of hard to even express how grateful and thankful I am. I am on top of the world."

> Read the Full Story at the Flint Journal

What are you doing to pay it forward?

*Thanks to Daily Good for the tip-off on this great story.

Amputee Swimmer Doesn't Quit

I love stories like this - someone who doesn't look at their disability as an barrier..but an obstacle to overcome. Here is Dwight's story:

Dwight Montgomery was pulling himself out of the water when he looked up and saw the crowd was clapping and cheering for him.

Three years after a horrific motorcycle accident left him with one leg, the Jamaican-born swimmer finished his first Nike Swim Miami two weeks ago in a little more than two hours.

"They made me feel as if I won the race even though I finished 174th out of 182 swimmers," Montgomery said. "I did the [3.1-mile] race as a challenge. It was one of the most taxing and rewarding things that I ever have done. The pain lasted for two full days."

The next week Montgomery, 48, of Tamarac was right back in the pool training for more challenges.

This is my favorite part:

"I find now that I am doing all of this I am motivating my [10 yr-old] daughter even more," said Montgomery, who hopes to compete in triathlons. "The lesson she learns isn’t just about swimming. The lessons she gets by watching about not quitting and being in pain and getting past that is invaluable. It says that you can do anything."

> Read the full story and more about Dwight Montgomery

Watch the CNN video recap:

Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• No Stopping Five-Year-Old Girl with New Legs
• Disabled Iraq Veteran Overcomes Tragedy & Inspires Others
• One Man Helps the Disabled See the World
• Don't Quit Poem Video

"Across the Universe" by the Beatles

This Sunday's sublime song is one of my most favorite songs of all time. For a long while, I wanted this played at my funeral. Also, both of my little daughters request this song to be sung as a lullaby - there is something about it that is so...universal. It takes me to another place when I hear it.

The version here is not the overproduced one from "Let it Be," this is the alternate take from the Beatles Anthology - a truer, stripped down version closer to how John Lennon meant it to sound and be heard.

Close your eyes and listen:



Jai Guru Deva, Om....Nothing's gonna change my world...

As a bonus, here are two of my favorite cover versions:

• Rufus Wainwright
• Fiona Apple

Have you downloaded the Sublime Goodness Mixtape yet?

A Million Little Pictures - Photo Project About Art of Documenting

This is so cool. If you remember, recently I posted a recap of a collaborative project by Art House Co-op in Georgia where a few thousand people from around the world (artists & non-artists) created art in sketchbooks, sent them in and they exhibition went on tour. I was bummed that I missed the deadline for that neat project!

Thankfully, the good folks at the gallery saw my post and tipped me off to a new project - "A Million Little Pictures." I'm so excited! Here is the deal:

During the summer of 2009, one thousand artists from around the world will document their lives in 24 frames using a simple disposable camera with a flash.
On September 25th, 2009, an exhibition housing over 24,000 photographs will be constructed to take you on an adventure through the lives of these thousand artists.

We're looking for people with different cultures, ethnicities, geographic locations, and lifestyles. This is for anyone. You do not have to consider yourself an "artist" to participate.

They are going to hold the exhibition in the city that has the most participants. How cool is that? I love projects like this one (and their sketchbook project) -it's simple, creative and engaging to almost anyone.

The camera is only $18 - get yours!

> View the Million Little Pictures website (there are some pictures posted already)

One Thousand & One Faces - Beautiful Video

What a sweet and smile-inducing piece. Here is the intro:

1000 and one faces.Playing off the theme of a recent video contest, « Transformation : Live and React », Julien Lassort and Matthieu Burlot (France) explored the human face, the most exposed and personal part of the human body. Their dynamic portrayal of 1000 and one faces is a mosaic of portraits and emotions that plays off of the power of faces seen close up. Julien Fargo composed the melody that encapsulates the film.

Enjoy:

L'homme 100 têtes by JUL&MAT All rights reserved from JUL&MAT on Vimeo.

> View More Beautiful Video Motion Pieces (the love story one is another favorite)

Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• The Sound of Music - A Surprise Public Performance in a Train Station
• Fingers Breakdancing Video
• Funny Cat Videos
• Fifty People, One Question: New York
• Passage - A Video Game with a Heart

Share Our Strength's "Great American Bake Sale"

It wasn't too long ago that I spotlighted the innovative and great work that the organization Share Our Strength is doing - they've contacted me again recently to help spread the word about something called the "Great American Bake Sale." Here is the deal from Alice on behalf of Share our Strength:

Today, more than 12 million children in the United States do not know when their next meal will come. Unfortunately, this number continues to riseas these difficult economic times are leaving more and more people jobless, without homes, and unable to provide food for their families.

What can you do?

1. Sign-up to host a bake sale: http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/vgabs
2. Buy the virtual Great American Bake Sale eBook: http://StolenMomentsCooking.com/virtual-gabs
3. Post a ChipIn widget or banner on your blog: http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/bloggers

Make a difference in a child’s life by signing up and purchasing a virtual cookbook today! 100% of the proceeds from this eBook will benefit Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, which is a national effort thatencourages Americans to host bake sales in their communities to help end childhood hunger. Funds raised support summer and after-school feedingprograms in your community that thousands of kids depend on.

Once you have purchased your virtual Great American Bake Sale cookbook, double your impact and use the recipes to host your own Great AmericanBake Sale! Hosting a Bake Sale is a fun and easy way to make a big impact! To register your Bake Sale or for more information, please visit http://greatamericanbakesale/.

Bake Sale? Fresh brownies and cookies for good? Hard to argue with that.

Be Humbled by The Vastness of the Universe

Get ready to reflect and be humbled.

Maybe it's the launch of the Atlantis mission today to repair the Hubble telescope or the opening of the new Star Trek movie this past week, but I was pondering our teeny, tiny spot amongst the thousands of galaxies in the universe.

This video put it in perspective and blew me away (also, the images are staggeringly sublime):



*Note to my dear readers: I am leaving to work on an intensive training program out of town tomorrow for a week. Posts will be few and far between - in the meantime, here are some sites to check out in my tentative absence.

"Have You Seen Her" by The Chi-Lites

This Sunday sublime song is classic. I got into it the first time I heard the MC Hammer version (yes, MC Hammer) years ago. A local radio station played the original by the Chi-lites and I was blown away - and still am. I love the arrangement, the production and the vocals. My kids love it too.

Close your eyes and listen:



Have you downloaded the Sublime Goodness Mixtape yet?

P.S. - Happy Mothers Day to you and yours! I think you'll love this recent story about how an 85 year-old woman's children made her birthday special with flowers.

"Resiliant" Woman Gets First U.S. Face Transplant

This is amazing, heartbreaking and inspiring. On another level, it's a powerful testament to modern science. Here is the background:

A shotgun blast shattered Connie Culp's face in September 2004, smashing her nose, cheek and jaw. It robbed her of the ability to see, smell, even to smile. The shot came from the gun of Thomas Culp, her husband. His failed attempt at a murder-suicide sent him to prison for seven years -- and left his wife struggling to survive.

Culp did survive, but while the damage to her face occurred in an instant, her unlikely journey to recovery would take far longer. Over the next four years, she endured dozens of surgeries. These procedures repaired some of the damage, but Culp remained disfigured and unable to eat or breathe on her own.

So when Culp, who became the first patient in the United States to undergo a face transplant operation last December, appeared publicly to thank the doctors who performed the surgery, the occasion was an emotional one.

"I just want to say when somebody has a disfigurement and don't look as pretty as you do, don't judge them, because you never know what happened to them. I was shot," Culp said.

Dr. Kathy Coffman, the psychiatrist who worked with Culp, said she was a resilient patient, having been through 27 other procedures before the face transplant, and she believes Culp will be a good ambassador to other potential patients.

> Read the full story at ABC News

I'm so happy for her. I read in another piece how people called her a "monster" before the surgery - like Culp said, don't judge.

I'm also thankful that there are people good enough to give to others...even after death - as Culp said in her appearance:

"While I know you all want to focus on me, I think it's more important you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this Christmas present, I guess I should say."

Watch her first public appearance and more picture of the stunning transplant:

Dog Saves Owner's Life from Mountain Lion Attack

I'll never get tired of stories like this. When you watch the video, it's touching to see the owner's emotion for his dog (I would be grateful too!). Here is the deal:

They say dogs are man's best friend and one west coast pup certainly lived up to that title. An Orange County [Georgia] couple said they were hiking when a mountain lion came at them. The couple's beloved pet jumped into action.

William Morse said he and his wife, Candy, were hiking in Falcon Campground about 1:00 p.m. when he spotted a mountain lion approach.

That's when the couple's 5-year-old Labrador-chow mix, Hoagie, attacked the mountain lion and protected the couple.

The Morses said the attack lasted about 30 seconds. The mountain lion took off and William and Candy Morse were unharmed. Hoagie was severely injured. (from Fox Atlanta)

And here is the sublime end to this story (which isn't touched on in the CNN video below):

Candy Morse said they got Hoagie three years ago. Hoagie had been abused and the previous owner was going to have him put to sleep. The Morse family saved Hoagie and now Hoagie has returned the favor.

Isn't that amazing?

Watch the CNN video:



Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• Dog Saves 9 People
• An Autistic Boy & His Dog
• Hero Dog Tries To Help Wounded Dog
• Boy, 5, Saves Dad's Life

The Best Version of the Song "Stand by Me" Ever

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Yes, I know it's not Sunday, the day where Sublime Goodness posts sublime songs, but this is an exception because it's a truly unique video and song experience.
This is unbelievably awesome on so many levels. First, because it's a song that frankly I've been tired of since I was in fifth grade (although John Lennon's is pretty OK) - but this version breathes a whole new life into it. Second, I love how technology brought so many musicians together around the world to create this beautiful mash-up.
It was posted on Gizmodo with the following background:

This cover of Stand By Me was recorded by completely unknown artists in a street virtual studio all around the world. It all started with a base track—vocals and guitar—recorded on the streets of Santa Monica, California, by a street musician called Roger Ridley. The base track was then taken to New Orleans, Louisiana, where Grandpa Elliott—a blind singer from the French Quarter—added vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley's base track on headphones. In the same city, Washboard Chaz's added some metal percussion to it.
And from there, it just gets rock 'n' rolling bananas: The producers took the resulting mix all through Europe, Africa, and South America, adding new tracks with multiple instruments and vocals that were assembled in the final version you are seeing in this video. All done with a simple laptop and some microphones.

I love it. Five minutes of sublime goodness music and film. Also, read some of the comments at the video's page at Vimeo. My favorite:

I was Dx with Breast Cancer 2-9-09 and this Work of Art touches my heart and gives me strength reminding me that all my online friends are Standing By Me. Thank you! Just beautiful guys!!!!!

> Click here to download/buy the song or album - Songs Around the World | Playing for Change
Related Sublime Goodness posts:

• Sublime Goodness Mixtape
• New York City Public School Kids Sing Coldplay's "Viva La Vida"
• Introducing....The YouTube Symphony Orchestra
• The Sound of Music - A Surprise Public Performance in Train Station
• Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans

Woman Ships Donated Sewing Machines to Needy - The Sewing Machine Project

This is another great story for me that really hits home (literally!) - it's from Saturday's local paper (Monona is Madison's neighbor). I love reading about people like Margaret who spend their hours helping the needy in creative and unique ways.

Monona's Margaret Jankowski met a woman on a recent trip to New Orleans who lost her sewing machine to Hurricane Katrina. It was a loss that went beyond material matters.

The woman, whose first name was Marilyn, told Jankowski how as a young black girl she was barred from trying on clothes in stores in New Orleans. So she and her sister would sketch the clothes from afar and take the sketches to their grandmother who would use them to make patterns. Her grandmother, in fact, sewed clothes for all of the family's 12 children. It was a kind of self-sufficiency that Marilyn continued for decades until the hurricane washed away her possessions, including her sewing machine.

She went without a sewing machine until Jankoski brought approximately 500 refurbished machines she helped collect to New Orleans.

Jankowski, who has organized similar missions to Sri Lanka, New Orleans and Kosovo, founded the Sewing Machine Project in 2005. The project sends used sewing machines to communities in need. Some replace those that individuals used to make clothes for themselves or their families. Others replace those lost by businesses, schools or community groups. Community centers and hospitals have also been recipients.

Contributors all across the United States have responded to Jankowski's project. Her call for sewing machines has brought used ones to drop-off sites all around the United States and sometimes, via UPS, to her front porch.

It's a kind of giving that people really respond to these days for many reasons, said Joan Gillman, director of special industry programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Business School and co-host of "In Business with Jody and Joan" on WTDY radio. "In this day and age, we're trying to be green, responsible and help people. This is a way to do it."

It's also the kind of charitable work that has gained favor because it provides the means for families and would-be entrepreneurs to help themselves.

"She's giving them the tools," Gillman said.

> Read the rest of the article at Wisconsin State Journal (it's worth a full read - inspiring!)

People helping people...help themselves. Thanks Margaret for all you do!

For more information and to find out how you can help visit thesewingmachineproject.org.

Related Sublime Goodness posts:

• 'Hero' Mail Carrier Delivers for Woman in Need
• Duo's Secret Acts of Kindness for a Month
• Youth No Obstacle for this Volunteer
• Boy Asks Friends for Food, Not Toys on Birthday
• Community Surprises Family with New Home
• Dog Saves 9 People

"Tender" by Blur

Today's Sunday Sublime Song comes to us from the great UK band Blur. It will make you feel good all over and the chorus will stick in your head for days ("I'm waiting for that feeling, I'm waiting for that feeling to coooome.") Personally, this song conjures up wonderful memories of my wife and I dating in 2000 - it was our soundtrack. So much so that at our wedding we made a CD for all our friends and family and this was the first song on it.

Loves the greatest thing
That we have...

Enjoy. Close your eyes and listen:



Here is an interesting live version too:



Have you downloaded the Sublime Goodness Mixtape yet?

Scientists Study "Smiling" Spider in Hawaii

Yes, that's a real picture.

This falls in the "things of beauty" category. I look at this and think of my wife and daughters who scream and yell bloody murder at the sight of the most eensy, weensy spider - but this arachnid makes you smile instead. How cool is that?

Also, as you'll see the spider is also a reminder to the plight of native species who have been crowded out by many non-native ones causing the happy face spider to face extinction:

The spider, which measures just a few millimeters across, has developed strange markings similar to the appearance of a smiling face. Scientists think that theridion grallator, which is harmless to humans, has evolved the patterns to confuse predators.

It is under-threat of extinction in the rainforests of the Hawaiian island chain in the Pacific...from the introduction of animals not native to the islands.

Dr Geoff Oxford, a spider expert from the University of York, said: "I must admit when I turned over the first leaf and saw one it certainly brought a smile to my face.

Dr Oxford, who has been studying the spiders since 1993, said that the unusual markings of the arachnid had made them a symbol of all of Hawaii's threatened wildlife.

"They are ambassadors for all the threatened invertebrates, insects and spiders on Hawaii," he said. (from London's Daily Telegraph)

> Watch a short video of the spider.

> Learn more about Theridion grallator (the happy face spider)