One in 8 Million - New York Characters in Sound and Images

Everyone has their own story. When I was a child, I used to pay attention to the lights my neighbours tourned on as the evening arrived. This made me realise, with a little bit of sadness, how many stories remain unknown.

The New York Times introduces the so-called "ordinary people", those who have extraordinary stories "of passions and problems, relationships and routines, vocations and obsessions."

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/

Children Underground (2001, directed by Edet Belzberg)

I just saw this extremely disturbing documentary, which follows five children living in a subway station in Bucharest. As a Romanian, I am profoundly ashamed of the lack of interest shown by the authorities of my country regarding this issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrVId0cXaro&feature=related

Catalonia says no to bullfighting

"Catalonia's regional parliament has voted to outlaw bullfighting in the Spanish region - making it the first area on the mainland to initiate a ban."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10780480

How can this be true?

Some days ago I discovered this website. It is a project that aims to open our eyes to child abuse. Although it focuses on what happens in the Netherlands, this problem exists everywhere and it should make us think about it.

http://www.kinderenindekou.nl/index_en.asp

Summer is here

"With the summer solstice now two weeks gone, the northern hemisphere is heating up. High temperatures in some places have made working difficult and have taxed power grids as usage of electricity neared record levels in the U.S. This past weekend, the United States celebrated its 234th birthday on July 4th, with fireworks, parades and many other outdoor activities. Collected here today are a handful of recent photographs of people (and animals) either trying to beat the heat, or just enjoying a sunny summer's day. (40 photos total)"

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/07/summer_is_here.html

Hans Rosling on global population growth

"The world's population will grow to 9 billion over the next 50 years -- and only by raising the living standards of the poorest can we check population growth. This is the paradoxical answer that Hans Rosling unveils at TED@Cannes using colorful new data display technology (you'll see)."

http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_on_global_population_growth.html

The Lunch Date (Short Film Palme d'Or, 1990)

National Geographic Image Collection

"See hundreds of photos from the National Geographic Image Collection (...)."

photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/image-collection/

The Long News

"The Long News: stories that might still matter fifty, or a hundred, or ten thousand years from now."

http://blog.longnow.org/category/news-items-that-are-of-long-term-consequence/

TED: Ideas worth spreading

"Gather the world's leading thinkers and doers, offer them four days of rapid-fire stimulation, and the result? Unexpected connections. Extraordinary insights. Powerful inspiration."

http://www.ted.com/