Ed Sheeran: “Being weird is a wonderful thing”

I've just watched this video from 2015, and thought it was worth sharing. It's singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran talking at a gala for the American Institute for Stuttering. He starts by saying, "I was a very, very, very weird child" and takes it from there. Well worth watching. https://youtu.be/K_3r3SolyDs

Race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership

Today - February 19th, 2017 - is the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. And in the current political climate, it's a day that invites considerable reflection. Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, allowing the Secretary of War to create special military zones within the US. It led …

Meghan Markle: More than an Other

When I lived in the UK and was asked my identity, I always checked the box for 'Other'. I'm Scottish-Persian, and that made sense there, where Persians are Asian, not white. In the US, where I live now, Persian is considered Caucasian, so I've been tending to check 'Caucasian', in order to play by the …

The power of adversity

I've read a lot recently on the subject of failure - and how we need to learn how to fail. Most of this conversation has been in the context of raising children. In other words, we can't just hand out participation ribbons to kids when they don't win. They have to cry and have tantrums. They have …

Ugly

By guest blogger Alan McArthur A punk tattooist named Ugly. OK. It's Thailand - where your nickname comes before your real name. And you do get some odd ones. Nasty, his friend. Yep, actually a really nice guy, like Ugly. The subject's the Otherworld. Where the Others live. And who is an OTHER. Another oddball, …

Nori Shirasu: moonwalking… and writing his own script

Nori Shirasu is many things - a fine artist, a performance artist and an actor. He paints, he dances, he mimes, sometimes he teaches calligraphy and anime, he's writing a book - the list is pretty limitless. Within minutes of meeting him earlier this year, we got talking about not fitting in. Originally from Nagoya, …

#MyBeautyMySay

https://youtu.be/em6ooEv_Nuk

Flying kites brilliantly in a divisive wind

I found these in Target today, and they made me so happy. I already think the world of Pharrell and his 'i am OTHER' approach to life, and my daughter loves Yoobi - a stationery company that gives back to the community (doing what Tom's did with shoes). "The intention behind the new Yoobi x i am OTHER collection," they …

Lidia Yuknavitch: The Beauty of Being a Misfit

Here's a great TED Talk by author Lidia Yuknavitch who has struggled all her life with being a misfit. In her thirties, she had dropped out of college at least twice, been in rehab, had two failed marriages under her belt, spent time in jail, and lived under a bridge dealing with the sorrow of losing …

Tami: The Other’s Mother

I recently wrote about Dillan Barmache, who has of late become something of a celebrity in my world. He’s 16 years old, autistic and non-verbal, and, since finding his voice by typing, he’s become a passionate advocate for other kids like him. His story is amazing, and very inspiring. A recent set of videos he made …