Passion in the Moments

This is me!

Hi! I'm Rue, the artist and voice behind Passion in the Moments / E:thos Photographic. As you may have gathered in looking around the blog, I think a lot and share those thoughts with all and sundry (that is anyone who will listen!). This weekly posting is essentially an opportunity to share tid-bits, rants and observations that I have made in the course of the week that are not really worth writing a whole article about but are interesting nevertheless. These coupled with that odd picture I have taken that doesn't really fit in anywhere, news about what's going on @ E:thos and a review of something interesting, put together in one post makes up what I call Rue's Friday Fragments.There is humour, righteous indignation, sad truths and a little of me, so something for everyone...enjoy!

Please vote for our entry, the Wheel of Time in the G-Technology Photo Competition, click here for the voting page.

Wheel of Time

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Click here to vote for us!

(This is the bit where I share with you a new product or service I have discovered/like)

Make up by Menaka

This lady is brilliant with a make up brush and some lippy! I had the opportunity to have a mini makeover by her this week and was absolutely over the moon with the results!

'Make up by Menaka is based in London and the South East. Trained at the London School of Beauty and Make up, I specialise in bridal make up, whether that be for an English Rose, An African Queen or an Indian Beauty.'

Visit Menaka's website @ http://www.makeupbymenaka.com

10. Featured Random Image:

As I am celebrating the birth of my new nephew I thought I would post this picture which I found on the street post New Years 2010 during the heavy snow of that period.

9. Familiarity breeds contempt

In the news on Thursday, yet another new initiative has been suggested for the British educational system to try and encourage pupils to be more at ease and build relationship with teachers in school and to , 'bring teachers to the level of children'! The trial is taking place at Kent School in Faversham with children aged 5 - 11. Now if you know anything about British youth you will know that they are some of the rudest, most disrespectful children across the racial, financial and regional divides. Teachers in the UK struggle to keep on top of their classes and control their children and the law makes it harder and harder for teachers AND parents to discipline their children and honestly the practice of having to call parents 'mum and dad' and teachers, 'Mr, Sir, Ms, Madam' seems to be one of the very few things left that help children remember that grown ups are older and need to be treated differently to their peers. I personally feel that this move, if widely adopted with prove to be a death blow in the battle for teachers to maintain a level of respect and discipline in pupils.

8. Volunteering for the 2012 Olympics is open!

As from Wednesday this week anyone with a basic grasp of the English language, over 18 and eligible to work in the United Kingdom could register as a prospective volunteer for the 2012 Olympic Games. It would be an amazing opportunity to be involved in this event as it is somewhat historic and so for all those who are elidgible and want to throw their hat into the ring, click here!

7. HIV Positive women sterilized, discriminated against and stigmatized in Africa
I was deeply saddened when I read this headline earlier in the week. There are at least 15 women who have filed a lawsuit in Namibia Southern Africa as a result of forced sterilization and more reports coming out of South Africa. It is as yet not clear how widespread this blatant abuse of a woman's human right to a family life is being violated however these cases are most certainly the tip of the iceberg. Some of you reading this may be thinking, well if they have HIV should they be having children and infecting them? Well there has been a lot of research into ensuring children can be born free of HIV from infected parents and this is now a reality even in the poorer parts of Africa and other third world regions. In light of this and to some extent regardless of this fact, for decades women have protested and vocally fought for their right to choose in relation to the abortion debate and now most countries extend this right yet women who want to promote and uphold the right to life are being targeted, and their rights irrevocably removed from them, a tragedy indeed if we have seen one in our world today.

6. Hope...a miners lifeline

Margarita Segovia, wife of trapped Chilean miner Ariel Ticona,
rests at hospital beside their newborn daughter Esperanza.
Photograph: Ariel Marinkovic/AFP/Getty Images

Having recently become an aunt again to a beautiful baby boy, I could not help but be moved by the news piece on the birth of baby hope, the new daughter of one of the miners that have been trapped for what seems to be an age in Chile. She is a beautiful reminder that no matter what is going on, life keeps on going so we can all stop at the point of crisis or push forth and allow our lives to be positioned to give birth to new ideas and in the process you may just find the thing you need to give you staying power and pull you out of your situation.

5. Something with the feel good factor!
I saw this earlier in the week on The Goat: Fun Stuff on Sunday

I thought it was brilliant hence I'm sharing!

4. Working for the Lord as a career move
Forgive me if this is old news to you but I have literally this morning come across the story of Deborah Hollamby, a former nun turned broadcaster, writer and speaker. When I first heard about Deborah I was watching the news and she was giving her opinion regarding the weekend's papal visit to the UK. I was intrigued as to how this woman 'used to be a nun' as I was of the understanding that being a nun is a life long calling. When I dug deeper I suddenly realised that there may be more to this story than meets the eye... Deborah has always been in the performing arts from a young age and seems to have always been heading towards broadcasting. When she joined the order of St. Paul (which is a media related order) she developed her broadcasting career by carrying out various broadcasting assignments for the church for six years then she quit that and took on another broadcasting job outside of the church leaving her habit behind...Not being catholic myself, I don't really know what to think or say about that but I do believe that all those who enter the ministry should not do so unless they have a clear calling from God that they then honour until death.

3. Britain a third world country????

Harare International Airport

The Pope's 'advisor' Cardinal Walter Kasper who was dumped err... I mean 'pulled out' of the Pope's first ever state visit to the UK this week has some colourful views about the UK. He pointed out how atheistic the country has become which is a fair observation though most of the UK's more 'pagan' laws come from Europe. His most outrageous statement however which caused his last minute drop out from the trip was in an interview with a German magazine where he compares Heathrow Airport to a 3rd World country because of the number of ethnic minorities working there. This I might add is not because African airports are poor and unattractive, but simple the colour of the people working there. This is simply a racist statement there is no two ways about it which shows his ignorance and should be concerning to the millions of staunch Catholics that populate third world countries today. Poorly said but then again as the scriptures say; 'from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks'! -- Ironically Africa is probably one of if not the most religious continent in relation to the Christian faith.

2. Spray on Clothes!
Yes! You read right, spray on clothes known as 'fabrican' This is for real! Don't believe me? Watch the video below...My verdict? Pretty cool and would certainly be handy if you had an impromptu sleepover or surprise weekend away :-) But for every day use, not so much, it seems to take a considerable amount of time to build a full outfit that you then need to style a little before you go out. Pulling something on will always be easier and better for day to day clothing.

1. Lady Gaga meat dress at VMA 2010

Now I know that this is the second fashion related piece in this weeks fragments but I could not resist this story. Lady Gaga in a meat dress. Well I am not a member of Peta or Animal rights but I am a humanitarian who advocates for ending child hunger and poverty in third world countries so with that in mind I would far rather Lady Gaga gave towards a program that feeds poor hungry children than wear food that could curb their hunger. Outside of that I think people need to be responsible for their own fashion choices and have the right to wear what they want.

Finally...that's all for this week! Please do send in your thoughts / comments and stories! Also if you want a shout out then email me @ ethosphotographic@gmail.com

This series is of beach sand with footprints made by man and by the sea...

It serves to remind us that every 'contact leaves a trace'...

It is therefore wise to consider our ways as we walk through the sandy beaches that are the lives of others... E:thos

I'd like to share a poem with you that has been a comfort to me in difficult times and a beautiful reminder of the love God has for me...I hope you are blessed and encouraged by it.

Footprints in the sand... A poem by Mary Stevenson

Last night I had a dream.

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:

one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,