What Inspires Me? #16 Ken Burns UNUM
Ken Burns has been making documentary films for about 40 years. These include The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), The War (2007), The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009), Prohibition (2011), The Roosevelts (2014), The Vietnam War (2017), and Country Music (2019). His newest film Benjamin Franklin is showing on PBS now.
Ken Burns documentaries are informative, well-researched, interesting—and as I did with Country Music—binge worthy. That’s no secret. But this might be. It was to me: UNUM!
UNUM is a new (to-me-at-least) feature on his website is all about connectivity.
Connecting historical dots.
Connecting events.
Especially connecting with viewers!
In more than 40 years of delving through history, Ken Burns team has noticed connectivity. that while note-worthy events in one part of the world occurred, in other parts equally noteworthy events were happening—historical, physical and cultural. There are obvious and no so obvious connections.
UNUM explores this through snippets of films organized into groups of historical or cultural significance as well as by time periods.
And what’s really cool—especially for research purposes, users can initiate their own searches on UNUM. Whatever clipping pop up as a result of that key word search will play a bit before the “key word” appears in the clipping and a bit longer so views will see for themselves how it fits in the grander scheme of things.
Teachers: What better way to connect students to historical events than with visual-oral-actual clipping! Civil Rights, Black History, Government, Prohibition, Vietnam, the Dust Bowl—you teaching it; UNUM for Educators!
UNUM is a proud partner of PBS LearningMedia, which provides educators with free standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and other instructional resources for the classroom.
Writers of Fiction and Non-Fiction: UNUM for Educators provides the color commentary, visual and oral playlist for America-centric historical fiction and non-fiction—and not dry clippings on microfiche! You writing it—UNUM has it. If not, send word to Ken Burns—a documentary about that subject is either already in the works—or it will be!
But, don’t take my word for it, check out UNUM for yourself.
Be warned, once you delve into UNUM, you might find yourself down a rabbit hole you will not want to escape:
What Inspires Me? #15 Carrying Kevan
Just watch the video. Yes! Click and watch. You’ll see. Then scroll down to read more.
Kevan Chandler grew up in the foothills of North Carolina. He is the youngest of three siblings and the second to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, type 2, a rare neuromuscular disease. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in counseling from John Wesley College. In the summer of 2016, Kevan and his friends took a trip across Europe, leaving his wheelchair at home, and his friends carried him for three weeks in a backpack. Read More of Kevan’s story!
This photo and more are on the We Carry Kevan website.
Along with having a grand time traveling, Kevan and his buds give backpacks modeled after the one they customized for Kevan to families of others with disabilities so they can explore, play, travel—experience the world together!
Whether that means climbing all 30 million steps of the Great Wall
Enjoying a wee walk in the park
Watching a high school football game in the bleachers—maybe even the very back row!
Going Any Place a Wheelchair Can Not!
How can you help? Click over to the We Carry Kevan website and check it out. Your gift to We Carry Kevan will help us bring backpacks, support, encouragement, and love to individuals with disabilities and their families.
What Inspires Me #14-STRONG MUSEUM OF PLAY
PLAYTIME! We all need playtime. It’s like the adage, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well listen up Jack!
The mecca of playtime awaits!
The STRONG MUSEUM OF PLAY, is an entire Museum dedicated to play. Located in Rochester, New York, it’s named for Margaret Strong who “founded” the museum, originally as home tours of her collections which included more than 27,000 dolls. In 1969, Margaret obtained a provisional charter from New York to officially establish the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination. The Museum is open Saturday–Thursday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. And virtually…
Museum Exhibits rotate—as most due—as I type, one can stroll through Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, try a Sky Climb, cruise the Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Hall of Fame, and my favorite, naturally, Reading Adventureland!
No Boo-hooing if Rochester, NY is too far for you to visit in person, The STRONG welcomes virtual visitors to it’s online exhibits.
If, like me, your need for a dose of fascination, wild imagination, whimsy is STRONG, take a virtual tour! Playtime anyone?
What Inspires Me #13-Saltwater Power
If you are reading this, you are one of us lucky ones who have electricity, or access to electricity to power up our devices. But what about all the millions of people around the world who are not lucky enough to live within a grid?
Saltwater can fuel a battery powerful enough for children to study, people to see to cook and work and read, to charge a phone or radio, to guide a fishing boat home…
People in rural communities in the Philippians, South American, Africa—everywhere there is salt and water—and some human ingenuity can not have safe, non-toxic, environmentally friendly illumination. Saltwater light can be for you too—and me.
This Waterlight, produced by the Columbian company E-Dina, made of bamboo converts salt water into electricity, is completely waterproof, recyclable and reliable in any weather.
When filled with only 500 millilitres of seawater – or urine in emergency situations – it can emit up to 45 days of light and can also charge phones or another small device via its integrated USB port. Read more about Waterlight and E-Dina on this post by Dezeen.com.
For those living by the ocean, a quick dipper is all one needs to power lights, radios—even charge up cell phones.
As for Inlanders? 2 teaspoons of salt stirred into water does the trick.
Doubters???
Try it yourself. Click for step-by-step directions at miniscience.com
Make Your Own Saltwater Battery!
And here’s a link to a step-by-step Utube video from #cleanenergy.
LET THERE BE LIGHT!
What inspires #12-Spring Training with All-Star Baseball Movies for Kids
What Inspires Me? Spring Training!
Last season, the Atlanta Braves, after besting the Houston Astros in five games, became the 2021 World Champs. Shohei Ohtani, best 2-way player since Babe Ruth, swept the awards. But that’s old news now!
While the MLB teams are warming up, we’re warming up too. Here’s five movies we’re watching (rewatching) while we wait for the season to begin!
(Sorry I am not including viewing/buying links but they are all online & YouTube!)
Yep, you’re not seeing double! There are two posters for Bad News Bears: the original, 1976 Bad News Bears with Walter Matthau and Tattum O’Neal and the 2005 Bad News Bears with Billy Bob. Why not watch both and compare—But hurry! The 2022 MLB Baseball Season opens April 7!
What Inspires Me #11-Strollers at the Border
This line of strollers stocked and waiting at the Polish train station for Ukrainian mothers arriving with young children made my heart sing. As I type Ukrainians are under siege. Bombs are exploding. Families are being torn apart. Homes, lives destroyed. While here, the sun is shining and my biggest worry is belly fat.
What can we do? How can we help?
Sunday, a friend shared a story of how, in response to a request for coats, hats, gloves to send to Ukraine, she emptied their winter closets and took everything to the collection center where her donations were turned away. The center was only taking the best of the best to send to the Ukraine. And, even at that, they were not sure how they were going to get the collected winter garments to the people in need. After being turned back, rather than being discouraged, my friend took the collected garments to a local mission where they were gratefully accepted. “We need your donations, right here, right now!” she was told.
Still…We Want to Help Ukrainian People. What can we do?
Do as those Polish families at the border do: Donate stuff locally. It might not be a glamorous to donate to organizations near home but think about it: By giving our stuff—clothing, food, time—locally, those organization and others can free up resources not spent here, there.
Donate dollars to Ukraine. Here’s a list of organizations put together by Global Citizen. 27 Meaningful Ways You Can Help Ukraine (globalcitizen.org)
What Inspires Me #10-Kindness Rocks
Kindness Rocks! Colorful, Thoughtful, Delightful stone nuggets sharing words of encouragement, hope, love from strangers to strangers.
“Our mission is to inspire intentional kindness in others, one rock at a time”
The Kindness Rocks Project was begun by Megan Murphy, a “ Women’s Empowerment Coach, Business Mentor, Kindness Activist, Meditation Instructor and Lecturer,” when after losing her parents in her early teens she’d walk the beach looking for guidance/messages/signs from them in the form of rocks. In the website video she shares how, finding a heart-shaped rock meant her parents were telling her she was on the right track. Listen to the rest of Megan Murphy’s “How the Project Began” with a tissue.
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for Kindness”
I don’t know if the Kindness Rocks Project is an offshoot of, part of, inspired by The Kindness Project, begun by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore in 1996, as a way of coping with the death of her daughter Cheyenne or not but the two projects are so aligned that on some level—the heart level—they totally are!
Here’s what I do know:
Gathering rocks is a cheap, easy fun!
Painting rocks is cheap, easy fun!
Deciding what to write and draw on those rocks is cheap, fun—not always easy—definitely thought provoking.
Placing those Kindness Rocks with hopes that a stranger will find them is exciting, fun and makes our hearts happy.
Kindness is something humans of all ages, shapes, sizes, social-economic situations can give.
If you need more, here’s a Step-by-Step tutorial from The Kindness Rocks Project to get you started:
Besides:
Kindness is a renewable energy!
What Inspires Me #9: Paid to Play
What Inspires Me #9
Getting Paid for Doing What I Love!
When I began my writing journey, there were SCADS of paid gigs out there for writers willing to put in the hours. Back then, a single mother of 2 with a dream of being an author, I worked as a waitron robot so I’d have the flexibility to be there for my kids and work at being a writer. (Definitely more “Flo” than “Alice” although I fancied myself “Jenna”.
I didn’t go it alone, thank heavens. I was part of a team. My writing partner Ronnie and I queried and wrote and submitted stories, poem, articles. And the best part we began having work accepted. Each acceptance—each check—meant less wait shifts I had to work to make ends meet. Alas, nowadays with so many writers writing free content—basically giving it away for free (with blogs like this, Huff post, Wikipedia, etc. etc) those paid opportunities are harder to find. So, when Lucy Reed from Gigmine, approached me asking to share this article on how to get paid writing gigs, I said Yes!
Guest Post by Lucy Reed, founder of Gigmine
A Guide to Freelance Writing for College Students and Recent Grads
One of the best things about pursuing a freelance career in writing is that you can write from practically anywhere, no matter the time or day of the week. As long as you get everything done before your deadline, it doesn’t matter whether you’re working nights, weekends, or a standard 9-to-5 schedule. And because of the flexibility freelance writing provides, it’s an excellent career path for college students as well as recent graduates.
If you’re looking to get started as a freelance writer, this guide will tell you everything you need to launch a flexible, profitable, and rewarding writing career. Read on to begin!
Boost Your Writing Skills
Whether you’ve recently graduated from college or you’re working toward your degree, there are several steps you can take to become a better writer as you prepare to launch a freelance writing career. As one option, you could enroll in a writing degree program if you haven’t already completed one. Different types of writing majors include:
● Professional writing
● Creative writing
● Technical writing
● Business writing
● English
● Journalism
● Mass communications
● Marketing
● Public relations
● Digital communications
As an alternative to obtaining a writing degree, many free online courses are available to improve your skills as a writer. Amy-Mae Turner of Mashable shares 10 great courses for writers, or you can browse courses on learning platforms such as Masterclass, Udemy, Coursera, and edX to find the right fit for you. Reading and writing exercises can also help you to become a better writer, speller, and proofreader.
Find Your Writing Niche
If you’re working toward your college degree, you may still be finding your writing niche or specialization. After all, the niche you choose as a freelancer should depend on your passions and interests, areas of expertise, and competitors — and it can take some time to find the right niche for you.
Some examples of profitable writing niches to consider include finance, cryptocurrency and blockchain, technology, digital marketing, software-as-a-service, alternative health, and education. You could also specialize in a particular type of content, whether it be long-form blogs, white papers, case studies, or e-books.
When you’re just getting started as a freelance writer, there’s nothing wrong with marketing yourself as a generalist. You can always choose your niche once you’ve launched your freelance career and gained some professional experience as a writer.
Launch Your Freelance Writing Business
Once you’ve improved your writing skills and explored possible niches, you’ll be ready to launch your freelance career. Some of the steps you’ll need to complete when launching a freelance writing business include:
● Creating a professional website. This website should include a professional web domain, homepage, several writing samples, About and Contact pages, and testimonials from your teachers, colleagues, or former managers. Create your site using free website builders like Wix, GoDaddy, or Weebly, or hire a web developer to create one for you.
● Choosing a legal entity. Some of the most common legal entities for freelancers include limited liability companies (LLCs), sole proprietorships, and S corporations.
● Applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Regardless of how you choose to structure your freelance writing business, there are many benefits of applying for an EIN (or a Tax ID Number). An EIN allows you to separate your freelancing from your personal life, simplifying the process of filing state and federal business taxes, building credibility as a freelancer, and applying for a business bank account. Plus, you can get EIN online using ZenBusiness formation services.
● Filing taxes as a freelancer. Above all else, make sure you’re keeping good records and filing the appropriate forms at tax time. As a freelancer, you’re responsible for all parts of the tax-reporting process, so ensure you’re tracking things like expenses so you’ll have accurate records. Collective has an excellent guide to help you get started.
On the topic of federal and state business taxes, many freelancers opt to pay estimated quarterly taxes in addition to filing an annual tax return. Alexis Grant of The Write Life shares some tips for paying estimated taxes as a freelancer, or you may wish to meet with an accountant to learn more about your tax obligations. Alternatively, use tax software to help you determine how much money you need to set aside to cover any money owed at tax time. Determine which system works best for you.
Furthermore, several business tools can make life a whole lot easier when you’re getting started with freelance writing. You can use free accounting tools like Wave and Zoho Books, time trackers such as Toggl Track, and project management tools like Trello and Asana. Other online tools can be used to check for plagiarism, grammatical errors, and readability.
Look for Freelance Work
Once you’ve launched your career as a freelance writer, there are several different ways to find freelancing opportunities. As one option, you could cold-pitch clients directly: Just make sure you have a professional email address and you don’t use your college email to reach out to potential clients.
As an alternative to cold-pitching clients, you could create a freelancer profile on job boards such as Upwork. Once you’ve created your Upwork profile, you can search for projects and assignments and submit proposals for the projects you’re interested in.
Another option for beginner freelancers is to use online job boards to look for paid writing opportunities. A few places to look for freelance work include ProBlogger, Freelance Writing Gigs, BloggingPro, and FreelanceWriting.com.
Market Yourself as a Freelance Writer
Building up a freelance client base takes a great deal of time, patience, and perseverance, so don’t be discouraged if you’re not finding immediate success as a writer. Continue to promote yourself online by guest posting on other websites, writing content for your blog, and sharing your work on social media. You could also contribute to freelance forums, improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), and join and participate in groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Pursue Your Writing Dreams
As long as you’re skilled at writing, have a curiosity for learning new things, and you’re willing to put yourself out there, you can pursue your writing dreams — even if you’re still in school or have recently graduated from college. You don’t necessarily need a degree in order to pursue a career as a freelance writer, but the important thing is that you never stop learning.
While rejection is inevitable as a freelance writer, knowing this shouldn’t hold you back from launching a writing career if it’s something you’re truly passionate about pursuing. Whether you’re a college graduate or working toward your college degree, freelance writing can be a great way to make some extra money while improving your skills as a writer!—Lucy Reed is the founder of GigMine.