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If there is any advice Col. Kirk Gibbs can give to his successor, it is this: Lead with honor and humility.
As Gibbs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s 61st commander, prepares to relinquish command of the LA District July 19 to Col. Aaron Barta, he offered up some advice and reflected on the past three years as the leader of one of the largest Corps districts in the country.
There are many things Gibbs said he is proud of when it comes to the LA District, but three things stand out: the District being recognized two years in a row as a "Best Place to Work" in the Corps; completing Weed Army Hospital at Fort Irwin, California – the Department of Defense’s only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Platinum, carbon-neutral, net-zero certifiable hospital – on time and within budget; and the one-on-one time he was able to spend with employees in the District.
It is the people Gibbs said he will miss the most – the employees and the District’s close partners across the four-state area.
“I have never focused on relationships like I have here in this District, and I sincerely believe it is part of the District's culture,” he said. “When projects are tough, the close relationships get us through those challenges and ultimately deliver the program.”
During his time with the LA District, Gibbs has overseen a multimillion-dollar program that provides engineering, construction, planning, contracting, real estate, emergency operations, environmental and regulatory services to military, federal, state and local governments across a 226,000-square-mile area of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. That also includes leading about 750 military and civilian personnel with a wide array of expertise.
But leading people is nothing new to Gibbs, who has served for more than 24 years as an active-duty Soldier, leading both military and civilian personnel.
“Each person is different, and I have learned that good leaders get to know each person individually and then lead them in a way that brings out the best in that employee,” he said.
Providing priorities and a solid intent on the District’s missions, particularly disaster response operations, helps employees stay focused on what’s really important, he said.
Gibbs will now serve as the chief of staff at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, he said, he hopes to be an advocate for all of the Corps’ districts nationwide.
“I feel that this District and the great people are responsible for giving me the incredible opportunity of being the Corps’ chief of staff,” he said. “The people have taught me so much, and I will take that with me to make a positive impact on the Corps’ enterprise and help our Districts deliver our programs in civil works, military, Interagency and International Services, real estate and regulatory.”
Gibbs knows how the importance of mentors and having a good support system have played in shaping his career, and he credits his parents with instilling in him respect for others; his wife, Kim, who taught him to endure all challenges, no matter how great, with grace and dignity; and his former chief of staff – Col. Steve Hill – for giving him tough jobs to prepare him for success.
“(Hill) gave me tough jobs that I thought he could have done at the time, but as I look back, the toughest assignments he gave me in that civilian organization at the Corps headquarters prepared me for District command and enabled me to achieve the goal of commanding at the battalion, brigade and District levels,” he said. “I also remember he told me I would be a chief of staff for the Corps one day. He was preparing me for that. I didn't believe him, but that is my next job.”
And, as for additional advice he can share with Barta, Gibbs provided these words of wisdom:
- Be prepared to change leadership style when leading a District of professional civilians. Don't lead them in the same way as Soldiers;
- Engage with people and get around to see them across the District's entire area of operation. Don't sit behind a desk;
- Study hard initially and learn the policies, processes and programs. “You will never be the expert, but you must prepare yourself to make effective decisions as quickly as possible”;
- Always provide a commander's intent and an end state. The civilian workforce appreciates that; and, lastly,
- Lead with honor and humility. “It isn't about you. It is about the District's people and our vital mission.”
As for the future of the LA District, Gibbs said he hopes future leaders continue to change the culture to an organization that is more risk tolerant in streamlining processes and moving projects forward; deliver the Department of Veterans Affairs and Customs and Border Protection programs phenomenally – on time, within budget and to the highest quality; and to remain a "Best Place to Work" in order to retain and recruit talent to the high-cost living area of Southern California.
“I want the District to do what it always does and ‘knock those programs out of the park,’” he said.
Painting Cabinet 29
Bartholomeus Breenbergh (1598 - 1657), worked in Rome and Amsterdam
Roman Ruin Landscape with Christ and the centurion of Capernaum, 1637
Oil on oak wood
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
After he had on behalf of Karoline Luise auctioned the picture for 860 livres, wrote Jean-Henri Eberts proudly to Karlsruhe. "The Bremberg (sic!) is a capital work and would be in the view of all connoisseurs in peacetime 2000 livres worth." In fact, it is a major painting by the Dutch landscape painter whose style was strongly influenced by a multi-year stay in Rome. It tells the story of the Roman centurion, asking Jesus for the healing of a faithful servant and who is rewarded for his faith and humility (Matthew 8.5-13).
Malereikabinett 29
Bartholomeus Breenbergh (1598 - 1657), tätig in Rom und Amsterdam
Römische Ruinenlandschaft mit Christus und dem Hauptmann von Kapernaum, 1637
Öl auf Eichenholz
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Nachdem er das Bild im Auftrag Karoline Luises für 860 Livres ersteigert hatte, schrieb Jean-Henri Eberts stolz nach Karlsruhe. "Der Bremberg (sic) ist ein kapitales Werk und wäre nach Ansicht aller Kenner in Friedenszeiten 2000 Livres wert." In der Tat handelt es sich um ein bedeutendes Gemälde des holländischen Landschaftsmalers, dessen Still maßgeblich von einem mehrjährigen Aufenthalt in Rom geprägt war. Es erzählt die Geschichte des römischen Hauptmanns, der Jesus um die Heilung eines treuen Dieners bittet und für seinen Glauben und seine Demut belohnt wird (Mt 8,5-13).
Collection
The foundation of the collection consists of 205 mostly French and Dutch paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries which Margravine Karoline Luise acquired 1759-1776. From this collection originate significant works, such as The portrait of a young man by Frans van Mieris the Elder, The winter landscape with lime kiln of Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, The Lacemaker by Gerard Dou, the Still Life with hunting equipment and dead partridge of Willem van Aelst, The Peace in the Chicken yard by Melchior de Hondecoeter as well as a self-portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn. In addition, four still lifes of Jean Siméon Chardin and two pastoral scenes by François Boucher, having been commissioned directly by the Marchioness from artists.
A first significant expansion the museum received in 1858 by the collection of canon Johann Baptist von Hirscher (1788-1865) with works of religious art of the 15th and 16th centuries. This group includes works such as two tablets of the Sterzinger altar and the wing fragment The sacramental blessing of Bartholomew Zeitblom. From 1899 to 1920, the native of Baden painter Hans Thoma held the position of Director of the Kunsthalle. He acquired old masterly paintings as the tauberbischofsheim altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald and drove the expansion of the collection with art of the 19th century forward. Only his successors expanded the holdings of the Art Gallery with works of Impressionism and the following generations of artists.
The permanent exhibition in the main building includes approximately 800 paintings and sculptures. Among the outstanding works of art of the Department German painters of the late Gothic and Renaissance are the Christ as Man of Sorrows by Albrecht Dürer, the Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion by Matthias Grünewald, Maria with the Child by Lucas Cranach the Elder, the portrait of Sebastian Brant by Hans Burgkmair the elder and The Nativity of Hans Baldung. Whose Margrave panel due to property disputes in 2006 made it in the headlines and also led to political conflicts. One of the biggest buying successes which a German museum in the postwar period was able to land concerns the successive acquisition of six of the seven known pieces of a Passion altar in 1450 - the notname of the artist after this work "Master of the Karlsruhe Passion" - a seventh piece is located in German public ownership (Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne).
In the department of Dutch and Flemish paintings of the 16th century can be found, in addition to the aforementioned works, the portrait of the Marchesa Veronica Spinola Doria by Peter Paul Rubens, Moses strikes the rock and water flows for the thirsty people of Israel of Jacob Jordaens, the still life with kitchen tools and foods of Frans Snyders, the village festival of David Teniers the younger, the still life with lemon, oranges and filled clay pot by Willem Kalf, a Young couple having breakfast by Gabriel Metsu, in the bedroom of Pieter de Hooch, the great group of trees at the waterfront of Jacob Izaaksoon van Ruisdael, a river landscape with a milkmaid of Aelbert Jacobsz. Cuyp as well as a trompe-l'œil still life of Samuel van Hoogstraten.
Further examples of French paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries are, the adoration of the golden calf of Claude Lorrain, preparations for dance class of the Le Nain brothers, the portrait of Marshal Charles-Auguste de Matignon by Hyacinthe Rigaud, the portrait of a young nobleman in hunting costume of Nicolas de Largillière, The storm of Claude Joseph Vernet and The minuet of Nicolas Lancret. From the 19th century can be found with Rocky wooded valley at Civita Castellana by Gustave Courbet, The Lamentation of Eugène Delacroix, the children portrait Le petit Lange of Édouard Manet, the portrait of Madame Jeantaud by Edgar Degas, the landscape June morning near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, homes in Le Pouldu Paul Gauguin and views to the sea at L'Estaque by Paul Cézanne further works of French artists at Kunsthalle.
One focus of the collection is the German painting and sculpture of the 19th century. From Joseph Anton Koch, the Kunsthalle possesses a Heroic landscape with rainbow, from Georg Friedrich Kersting the painting The painter Gerhard Kügelgen in his studio, from Caspar David Friedrich the landscape rocky reef on the sea beach and from Karl Blechen view to the Monastery of Santa Scolastica. Other important works of this department are the disruption of Adolph Menzel as well as the young self-portrait, the portrait Nanna Risi and The Banquet of Plato of Anselm Feuerbach.
For the presentation of the complex of oeuvres by Hans Thoma, a whole wing in 1909 at the Kunsthalle was installed. Main oeuvres of the arts are, for example, the genre picture The siblings as well as, created on behalf of the grand-ducal family, Thoma Chapel with its religious themes.
Of the German contemporaries of Hans Thoma, Max Liebermann on the beach of Noordwijk and Lovis Corinth with a portrait of his wife in the museum are represented. Furthermore the Kunsthalle owns works by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Carl Spitzweg, Arnold Böcklin, Hans von Marées, Wilhelm Leibl, Fritz von Uhde, Wilhelm Trübner and Max Klinger.
In the building of the adjacent Orangerie works of the collection and new acquisitions from the years after 1952 can be seen. In two integrated graphics cabinets the Kupferstichkabinett (gallery of prints) gives insight into its inventory of contemporary art on paper. From the period after 1945, the works Arabs with footprints by Jean Dubuffet, Sponge Relief RE 48; Sol. 1960 by Yves Klein, Honoring the square: Yellow center of Josef Albers, the cityscape F by Gerhard Richter and the Fixe idea by Georg Baselitz in the Kunsthalle. The collection of classical modernism wandered into the main building. Examples of paintings from the period to 1945 are The Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay, the Improvisation 13 by Wassily Kandinsky, Deers in the Forest II by Franz Marc, People at the Blue lake of August Macke, the self-portrait The painter of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the Merzpicture 21b by Kurt Schwitters, the forest of Max Ernst, Tower gate II by Lyonel Feininger, the Seven Deadly Sins of Otto Dix and the removal of the Sphinxes by Max Beckmann. In addition, the museum regularly shows special exhibitions.
Sammlung
Den Grundstock der Sammlung bilden 205 meist französische und niederländische Gemälde des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts, welche Markgräfin Karoline Luise zwischen 1759 und 1776 erwarb. Aus dieser Sammlung stammen bedeutende Arbeiten, wie das Bildnis eines jungen Mannes von Frans van Mieris der Ältere, die Winterlandschaft mit Kalkofen von Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Die Spitzenklöpplerin von Gerard Dou, das Stillleben mit Jagdgeräten und totem Rebhuhn von Willem van Aelst, Der Friede im Hühnerhof von Melchior de Hondecoeter sowie ein Selbstbildnis von Rembrandt van Rijn. Hinzu kommen vier Stillleben von Jean Siméon Chardin und zwei Schäferszenen von François Boucher, die die Markgräfin bei Künstlern direkt in Auftrag gegeben hatte.
Eine erste wesentliche Erweiterung erhielt das Museum 1858 durch die Sammlung des Domkapitulars Johann Baptist von Hirscher (1788–1865) mit Werken religiöser Kunst des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts. Zu dieser Gruppe gehören Werke wie zwei Tafeln des Sterzinger Altars und das Flügelfragment Der sakramentale Segen von Bartholomäus Zeitblom. Von 1899 bis 1920 bekleidete der aus Baden stammende Maler Hans Thoma die Position des Direktors der Kunsthalle. Er erwarb altmeisterliche Gemälde wie den Tauberbischofsheimer Altar von Matthias Grünewald und trieb den Ausbau der Sammlung mit Kunst des 19. Jahrhunderts voran. Erst seine Nachfolger erweiterten die Bestände der Kunsthalle um Werke des Impressionismus und der folgenden Künstlergenerationen.
Die Dauerausstellung im Hauptgebäude umfasst rund 800 Gemälde und Skulpturen. Zu den herausragenden Kunstwerken der Abteilung deutsche Maler der Spätgotik und Renaissance gehören der Christus als Schmerzensmann von Albrecht Dürer, die Kreuztragung und Kreuzigung von Matthias Grünewald, Maria mit dem Kinde von Lucas Cranach der Ältere, das Bildnis Sebastian Brants von Hans Burgkmair der Ältere und die Die Geburt Christi von Hans Baldung. Dessen Markgrafentafel geriet durch Eigentumsstreitigkeiten 2006 in die Schlagzeilen und führte auch zu politischen Auseinandersetzungen. Einer der größten Ankaufserfolge, welche ein deutsches Museum in der Nachkriegszeit verbuchen konnte, betrifft den sukzessiven Erwerb von sechs der sieben bekannten Tafeln eines Passionsaltars um 1450 – der Notname des Malers nach diesem Werk „Meister der Karlsruher Passion“ – eine siebte Tafel befindet sich in deutschem öffentlichen Besitz (Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Köln).
In der Abteilung niederländischer und flämischer Malerei des 16. Jahrhunderts finden sich, neben den erwähnten Werken, das Bildnis der Marchesa Veronica Spinola Doria von Peter Paul Rubens, Moses schlägt Wasser aus dem Felsen von Jacob Jordaens, das Stillleben mit Küchengeräten und Lebensmitteln von Frans Snyders, das Dorffest von David Teniers dem Jüngeren, das Stillleben mit Zitrone, Orangen und gefülltem Römer von Willem Kalf, ein Junges Paar beim Frühstück von Gabriel Metsu, Im Schlafzimmer von Pieter de Hooch, die Große Baumgruppe am Wasser von Jacob Izaaksoon van Ruisdael, eine Flusslandschaft mit Melkerin von Aelbert Jacobsz. Cuyp sowie ein Augenbetrüger-Stillleben von Samuel van Hoogstraten.
Weitere Beispiele französischer Malerei des 17. bzw. 18. Jahrhunderts sind Die Anbetung des Goldeen Kalbes von Claude Lorrain, die Vorbereitung zur Tanzstunde der Brüder Le Nain, das Bildnis des Marschalls Charles-Auguste de Matignon von Hyacinthe Rigaud, das Bildnis eines jungen Edelmannes im Jagdkostüm von Nicolas de Largillière, Der Sturm von Claude Joseph Vernet und Das Menuett von Nicolas Lancret. Aus dem 19. Jahrhundert finden sich mit Felsiges Waldtal bei Cività Castellana von Gustave Courbet, Die Beweinung Christi von Eugène Delacroix, dem Kinderbildnis Le petit Lange von Édouard Manet, dem Bildnis der Madame Jeantaud von Edgar Degas, dem Landschaftsbild Junimorgen bei Pontoise von Camille Pissarro, Häuser in Le Pouldu von Paul Gauguin und Blick auf das Meer bei L’Estaque von Paul Cézanne weitere Arbeiten französischer Künstler in der Kunsthalle.
Einen Schwerpunkt der Sammlung bildet die deutsche Malerei und Skulptur des 19. Jahrhunderts. Von Joseph Anton Koch besitzt die Kunsthalle eine Heroische Landschaft mit Regenbogen, von Georg Friedrich Kersting das Gemälde Der Maler Gerhard Kügelgen in seinem Atelier, von Caspar David Friedrich das Landschaftsbild Felsenriff am Meeresstrand und von Karl Blechen den Blick auf das Kloster Santa Scolastica. Weitere bedeutende Werke dieser Abteilung sind Die Störung von Adolph Menzel sowie das Jugendliche Selbstbildnis, das Bildnis Nanna Risi und Das Gastmahl des Plato von Anselm Feuerbach.
Für die Präsentation des Werkkomplexes von Hans Thoma wurde 1909 in der Kunsthalle ein ganzer Gebäudetrakt errichtet. Hauptwerke des Künstlers sind etwa das Genrebild Die Geschwister sowie die, im Auftrag der großherzöglichen Familie geschaffene, Thoma-Kapelle mit ihren religiösen Themen.
Von den deutschen Zeitgenossen Hans Thomas sind Max Liebermann mit Am Strand von Noordwijk und Lovis Corinth mit einem Bildnis seiner Frau im Museum vertreten. Darüber hinaus besitzt die Kunsthalle Werke von Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Carl Spitzweg, Arnold Böcklin, Hans von Marées, Wilhelm Leibl, Fritz von Uhde, Wilhelm Trübner und Max Klinger.
Im Gebäude der benachbarten Orangerie sind Werke der Sammlung und Neuankäufe aus den Jahren nach 1952 zu sehen. In zwei integrierten Grafikkabinetten gibt das Kupferstichkabinett Einblick in seinen Bestand zeitgenössischer Kunst auf Papier. Aus der Zeit nach 1945 finden sich die Arbeiten Araber mit Fußspuren von Jean Dubuffet, Schwammrelief >RE 48:Sol.1960< von Yves Klein, Ehrung des Quadrates: Gelbes Zentrum von Josef Albers, das Stadtbild F von Gerhard Richter und die Fixe Idee von Georg Baselitz in der Kunsthalle. Die Sammlung der Klassischen Moderne wanderte in das Hauptgebäude. Beispiele für Gemälde aus der Zeit bis 1945 sind Der Eiffelturm von Robert Delaunay, die Improvisation 13 von Wassily Kandinsky, Rehe im Wald II von Franz Marc, Leute am blauen See von August Macke, das Selbstbildnis Der Maler von Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, das Merzbild 21b von Kurt Schwitters, Der Wald von Max Ernst, Torturm II von Lyonel Feininger, Die Sieben Todsünden von Otto Dix und der Abtransport der Sphinxe von Max Beckmann. Darüber hinaus zeigt das Museum regelmäßig Sonderausstellungen.
If there is any advice Col. Kirk Gibbs can give to his successor, it is this: Lead with honor and humility.
As Gibbs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s 61st commander, prepares to relinquish command of the LA District July 19 to Col. Aaron Barta, he offered up some advice and reflected on the past three years as the leader of one of the largest Corps districts in the country.
There are many things Gibbs said he is proud of when it comes to the LA District, but three things stand out: the District being recognized two years in a row as a "Best Place to Work" in the Corps; completing Weed Army Hospital at Fort Irwin, California – the Department of Defense’s only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Platinum, carbon-neutral, net-zero certifiable hospital – on time and within budget; and the one-on-one time he was able to spend with employees in the District.
It is the people Gibbs said he will miss the most – the employees and the District’s close partners across the four-state area.
“I have never focused on relationships like I have here in this District, and I sincerely believe it is part of the District's culture,” he said. “When projects are tough, the close relationships get us through those challenges and ultimately deliver the program.”
During his time with the LA District, Gibbs has overseen a multimillion-dollar program that provides engineering, construction, planning, contracting, real estate, emergency operations, environmental and regulatory services to military, federal, state and local governments across a 226,000-square-mile area of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. That also includes leading about 750 military and civilian personnel with a wide array of expertise.
But leading people is nothing new to Gibbs, who has served for more than 24 years as an active-duty Soldier, leading both military and civilian personnel.
“Each person is different, and I have learned that good leaders get to know each person individually and then lead them in a way that brings out the best in that employee,” he said.
Providing priorities and a solid intent on the District’s missions, particularly disaster response operations, helps employees stay focused on what’s really important, he said.
Gibbs will now serve as the chief of staff at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, he said, he hopes to be an advocate for all of the Corps’ districts nationwide.
“I feel that this District and the great people are responsible for giving me the incredible opportunity of being the Corps’ chief of staff,” he said. “The people have taught me so much, and I will take that with me to make a positive impact on the Corps’ enterprise and help our Districts deliver our programs in civil works, military, Interagency and International Services, real estate and regulatory.”
Gibbs knows how the importance of mentors and having a good support system have played in shaping his career, and he credits his parents with instilling in him respect for others; his wife, Kim, who taught him to endure all challenges, no matter how great, with grace and dignity; and his former chief of staff – Col. Steve Hill – for giving him tough jobs to prepare him for success.
“(Hill) gave me tough jobs that I thought he could have done at the time, but as I look back, the toughest assignments he gave me in that civilian organization at the Corps headquarters prepared me for District command and enabled me to achieve the goal of commanding at the battalion, brigade and District levels,” he said. “I also remember he told me I would be a chief of staff for the Corps one day. He was preparing me for that. I didn't believe him, but that is my next job.”
And, as for additional advice he can share with Barta, Gibbs provided these words of wisdom:
- Be prepared to change leadership style when leading a District of professional civilians. Don't lead them in the same way as Soldiers;
- Engage with people and get around to see them across the District's entire area of operation. Don't sit behind a desk;
- Study hard initially and learn the policies, processes and programs. “You will never be the expert, but you must prepare yourself to make effective decisions as quickly as possible”;
- Always provide a commander's intent and an end state. The civilian workforce appreciates that; and, lastly,
- Lead with honor and humility. “It isn't about you. It is about the District's people and our vital mission.”
As for the future of the LA District, Gibbs said he hopes future leaders continue to change the culture to an organization that is more risk tolerant in streamlining processes and moving projects forward; deliver the Department of Veterans Affairs and Customs and Border Protection programs phenomenally – on time, within budget and to the highest quality; and to remain a "Best Place to Work" in order to retain and recruit talent to the high-cost living area of Southern California.
“I want the District to do what it always does and ‘knock those programs out of the park,’” he said.
When they had pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted. —Hosea 13:6
In our relationship with God something similar can happen. “Going with the flow” can lead us to believe we’re stronger than we are. When life is easy, our minds tell us that it’s due to our own strength. We become proud and self-confident. But when trouble hits, we realize how little strength we have and how helpless we are.
This happened with the Israelites. God would bless them with military success, peace, and prosperity. But thinking they had achieved it on their own, they would then become proud and self-sufficient (Deut. 8:11-12). Assuming that they no longer needed God, they would go their own way until an enemy attacked and they would realize how powerless they were without God’s help.
When life is going well we too need to beware of self-deception. Pride will take us where we do not want to go. Only humility will keep us where we ought to be—grateful to God and dependent on His strength.
Lord, we don’t dare trust in our own strength to do our tasks today. You are the Giver of our talents and opportunities. Help us use them not for our own advancement, but to help others.
Join us at
Immanuel Community Church
6 Barclay #4th Floor, NY 10007
WEDNESDAY Worship Service @7PM
SUNDAY Worship Service @2PM
facebook.com/immanuelnyc
Venice '17.
Doge Pietro Loredan Beseeching the Virgin.
Jacopo Robusti detto il Tintoretto, 1585.
Palazzo Ducale. Sala del Senato.
By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
Proverbs 22:4 King James Version
Our absolutely lovely and love-inspiring friend for this Friday is Michael Q Todd. He is a self-proclaimed "recovering know-it-all, recovering lawyer, and a love promoter". With such humility, love, and generosity of spirit, I couldn't wait to share his story with you this week! Michael is a New Zealander who now lives in Tokyo because he loves Japan, the Japanese people and because he believes that Japan has a key role to play in creating our sustainable future, given its amazing technological advances. Plus, he says, it is "the center of the world"!
Michael coaches businesses and non-profits on how to use Twitter effectively through his non-profit social marketing organization. Michael does so many amazing things using social media for good that it's hard to
know where to begin or end, but that's just as well because his is an ever-evolving journey!
By way of background to Michael's meteoric rise in the social media world (it seems to me he is connected to everyone, one way or other!), Michael tells me that he used to be a lawyer but that he woke up one day and realized that it had all been about him, and that his dreams from his youth of being more actively involved in environment and social good needed nourishing anew. Although he had continued to donate time, legal skills, and money to various important causes such as Greenpeace, Michael felt that it was time to answer one simple but significant question: "How can I make a bigger difference?". It meant leaving "lawyerdom" and striking out on a completely new and still-being-mapped path of social media as the means for giving back, doing good, and helping us all to make the changes we want to see in this world.
Michael has been instrumental in helping non-profits improve their outreach using social media, and he is especially passionate about helping causes that will make a difference to our way of living and the health of the planet. For example, he is actively involved in transactional giving, the process by which the purchase of a product or service gives back to those in need (for example, MiniMonos does this through B1G1, whereby your children's memberships contribute to the donation of clean drinking water to children in India). Michael has facilitated numerous transactional giving processes including giving bikes to children for each car sold (for Hamilton (NZ) based Bikes for Kids), giving malaria nets for each bed sheet sold, and giving clay pots for each water filter sold (Abundant Water). He is thoroughly convinced of the immediate and ongoing value of transactional giving as a way to ensure that the cycle of virtue continues for all participants, starting with manufacturer, to retailer, to consumer, and back to those with particular needs. I am right with you on the worth of this cyclical way of giving back to the world!
Michael, along with his team, has also recently set the world on fire through his social media promotion of the "Beers for Books" initiative in which a book is donated for a beer. This initiative was started 10 months ago and since then, has donated 70,000 books to children! This has taken place in at least 16 cities around the world (that he knows of, and he says the real success comes when these events are held without his knowledge!). Via Room to Read, the books themselves are sourced from the countries in which they are made, for example, books made in Pakistan, India, and Ghana are given to the children in those same countries. He is also planning a "Bubbly for Books", and to those of you who are New Zealanders, he tells me that there is yet to be a "Beers for Books" in New Zealand, so here's an idea for your weekend! (You can find out how to hold an event here and you can check out the Facebook group here.)
At the moment, as well as developing his value-giving approaches through social media, Michael has some particular environmental concerns that he wanted to share with us. He is very alarmed at the rapid and inexplicable disappearance of our bees across the world. Without bees, our food chain won't be pollinated and all won't be right with the world. He is also extremely worried about the loss of sharks, the ocean's top predator that dates back 450 million years. Without them, he says, the ocean life will be thrown into chaos. And still on oceans, Michael is concerned about the ever-increasing acidification of our oceans through the additional CO2 load entering them, something that will take thousands of years to rectify. He is looking at ways he can actively promote information about what we can do to help.
A committed father, Michael speaks really fondly of his four children, ages 6, 10, 14, and 20. Some are in different parts of the world from him and he treasures each of them deeply. He says much of what he is doing is because he wants to be reassured that the world will be on a better, more mindful trajectory by the time that this generation become adults. He also told me that at least one of his children is dabbling in MiniMonos now and then, and that he thinks what Minimonos is doing is just incredible, which made me feel very proud!
When Michael isn't deeply busy doing all he can to spread the word about the importance of connecting via social media and doing our bit for the planet, he loves to visit his youngest daughter's school, to read to the children and surprise them with his passion for juggling, a hobby he uses to relax and wind down. In fact, Michael told me that he "loves teaching juggling to children because it teaches them balance and self-confidence". And I also found out that he's a top notch golfer, scuba diver, rugby player, and tennis player! Phew!
I will own up to having enjoyed a 2.5 hour conversation with Michael when preparing this post. So, it has been very hard to condense all the amazing things he is doing into one concise article! Instead, I truly recommend that if you have not done so already, that you connect with Michael via his Twitter account @mqtodd and on Facebook. Thanks Michael, both for sharing your time with me to tell me not only more about yourself, and also some much appreciated social media tips too!
As an expression of humility, the men to be ordained prostrate themselves upon the altar as the Litany of the Saints is sung.
On Tuesday, May 17, 2016, Most Rev. David J. Walkowiak, bishop of Grand Rapids, ordained diocesan seminarians Kyle Kilpatrick, Stephen Durkee, and Steven Geerling as transitional deacons at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Transitional deacons are deacons preparing for the priesthood.
(Photos by Eric Tank)
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Day 45: Sun Feb 14
I love having fresh flowers in the condo. They add a certain brightness, cheer, and life to the space. Flowers motivate me to declutter and clean so I can have a magazine worthy home.
Valentine's Day is definitely dominated by roses... and while I like roses very much, I have to admit that I adore baby's breath. Humble and delicate, baby's breath reminds me of raw beauty - like picking wildflowers in a field on a warm summer morning type of beauty - and I actually wouldn't mind receiving a big bunch of the little white flowers all on their own.
Anyway, it's late and I'm probably being more melodramatic than I need to be so I'll head to bed now. Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! If you're interested, you can read a little about mine here.
Hand painted on canvas and piece of wood in the artistic style of the school of Crete. The materials used for painting are egg tempera and gold leaf 23 K'.
Imitating Christ's Humility
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Test how humble you truly are, do you bear piety? true repentance? real humility even an acknowledgement of reality? See if you are truly righteous as you claim to be!
A truly righteous person knows they aren't without sin nor do they condemn others and put themselves on a self-righteous level they must have the following experiences and lessons learned:
Awakened = Realize the world around you isn't a fairytale, know there are others in need of your wealth and help, that paradise isn't on earth less you create it! Do not think highly of yourself in puffed up pride!
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Accepting = There are weird cultures, different people and more to life than just simplicity! Place aside your angst and do be so quick to judge others. Whether they are a different race, different lifestyle, speak a different language, be open to them!
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Kind Hearted = Aside from just being open and awakened, reach out to others who need your help and assistance whom above all cannot help themselves! Offer the poor man a job, offer the homeless a place to stay, undermine your anger when insulted or offended by others and return love to them. Charitable acts of kindness go a long way!
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Wise and Intelligent = Think your a brainiac? Well you may be learned but if not seek knowledge, however even the learned are not wise! Wisdom is gained through experience, take in all situations that you failed in or happened to pass up. Let them teach you to better your knowledge so you may increase your common sense!
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Pride Stripped and Self-Sacrificing = After facing hardship after hardship have you truly grown from that? Sometimes you must let go of things in order to gain character, lose all pride so that all that stands with you is God's light!
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Obedient and In Tune = To be obedient is a manner of what you learned from all you darkest experiences. To obey the will and command of God leads you further to his love! In order to know if all things be true and of there is a God or anything that religions speaks of you must be in tune (spiritually sensitive) and pray for revelation!
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Humiliated = Though your image may appear glorious, you must face all manners of embarrasment, mockery and flattery then endure them to their fullest extent! Only then will you know there is more to life than what the world tells you!
If you accomplished all this then you are truly righteous, don't let it go to your head about being so pure and righteous though. For even the most righteous can still sin!
The main entrance to the Basilica of the Nativity. You must bow low to enter through the Door of Humility.
HUMILITY (mosaic tile motivational art at Alexander Muir/Gladstone Ave Junior and Senior Public School)
If there is any advice Col. Kirk Gibbs can give to his successor, it is this: Lead with honor and humility.
As Gibbs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s 61st commander, prepares to relinquish command of the LA District July 19 to Col. Aaron Barta, he offered up some advice and reflected on the past three years as the leader of one of the largest Corps districts in the country.
There are many things Gibbs said he is proud of when it comes to the LA District, but three things stand out: the District being recognized two years in a row as a "Best Place to Work" in the Corps; completing Weed Army Hospital at Fort Irwin, California – the Department of Defense’s only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Platinum, carbon-neutral, net-zero certifiable hospital – on time and within budget; and the one-on-one time he was able to spend with employees in the District.
It is the people Gibbs said he will miss the most – the employees and the District’s close partners across the four-state area.
“I have never focused on relationships like I have here in this District, and I sincerely believe it is part of the District's culture,” he said. “When projects are tough, the close relationships get us through those challenges and ultimately deliver the program.”
During his time with the LA District, Gibbs has overseen a multimillion-dollar program that provides engineering, construction, planning, contracting, real estate, emergency operations, environmental and regulatory services to military, federal, state and local governments across a 226,000-square-mile area of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. That also includes leading about 750 military and civilian personnel with a wide array of expertise.
But leading people is nothing new to Gibbs, who has served for more than 24 years as an active-duty Soldier, leading both military and civilian personnel.
“Each person is different, and I have learned that good leaders get to know each person individually and then lead them in a way that brings out the best in that employee,” he said.
Providing priorities and a solid intent on the District’s missions, particularly disaster response operations, helps employees stay focused on what’s really important, he said.
Gibbs will now serve as the chief of staff at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, he said, he hopes to be an advocate for all of the Corps’ districts nationwide.
“I feel that this District and the great people are responsible for giving me the incredible opportunity of being the Corps’ chief of staff,” he said. “The people have taught me so much, and I will take that with me to make a positive impact on the Corps’ enterprise and help our Districts deliver our programs in civil works, military, Interagency and International Services, real estate and regulatory.”
Gibbs knows how the importance of mentors and having a good support system have played in shaping his career, and he credits his parents with instilling in him respect for others; his wife, Kim, who taught him to endure all challenges, no matter how great, with grace and dignity; and his former chief of staff – Col. Steve Hill – for giving him tough jobs to prepare him for success.
“(Hill) gave me tough jobs that I thought he could have done at the time, but as I look back, the toughest assignments he gave me in that civilian organization at the Corps headquarters prepared me for District command and enabled me to achieve the goal of commanding at the battalion, brigade and District levels,” he said. “I also remember he told me I would be a chief of staff for the Corps one day. He was preparing me for that. I didn't believe him, but that is my next job.”
And, as for additional advice he can share with Barta, Gibbs provided these words of wisdom:
- Be prepared to change leadership style when leading a District of professional civilians. Don't lead them in the same way as Soldiers;
- Engage with people and get around to see them across the District's entire area of operation. Don't sit behind a desk;
- Study hard initially and learn the policies, processes and programs. “You will never be the expert, but you must prepare yourself to make effective decisions as quickly as possible”;
- Always provide a commander's intent and an end state. The civilian workforce appreciates that; and, lastly,
- Lead with honor and humility. “It isn't about you. It is about the District's people and our vital mission.”
As for the future of the LA District, Gibbs said he hopes future leaders continue to change the culture to an organization that is more risk tolerant in streamlining processes and moving projects forward; deliver the Department of Veterans Affairs and Customs and Border Protection programs phenomenally – on time, within budget and to the highest quality; and to remain a "Best Place to Work" in order to retain and recruit talent to the high-cost living area of Southern California.
“I want the District to do what it always does and ‘knock those programs out of the park,’” he said.
April 24, 2015: Featuring Troy Hitch of Barefoot Proximity
At Barefoot Proximity/BBDO Troy leads innovation across the people, the process and the product. He also serves as a founding member of the Proximity Worldwide Creative Council. He's the creator of the breakthrough transmedia hit You Suck At Photoshop which has generated over 100 million video views, was named one of Time Magazine's Top 10 TV Episodes of 2008 and is the basis for Troy's distributed storytelling methodology. Troy is a passionate advocate for the innovation of storytelling in digital media and he has been a featured speaker at many industry conferences including Macworld, The New York Television Festival and ROFLcon. His work has been recognized by The Washington Post, The LA Times, Advertising Age, Wired and NPR.
Our Partners
Hosted by the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Photography by Joel Roewer
Video Production by Josh Emerson
Icône de la Grande Humilité (Christ de la Passion / The Great Humility Icon (Christ of the Passion).
Tempera de jaune d'oeuf / Egg tempera
Panneau de tilleul creusé / Carved lime tree panel
18 x 24 cm ?
Dorure / Gold size : or 22 carats gold
Par la main de / By the hand of :
Dina Masri.
2017
_____________
Institut Périchorèse - Atelier d'iconographie
Perichorese Institute - Iconography Workshop
Atelier In-Chora Workshop
Montréal / Montreal (Québec, Canada)
Toutes les icônes : liste par ordre chronologique (année) / All Icons : list in chronological order (year) : www.perichorese-icones.org/ALBUM/AlbumPagPrinc.htm
September 22 is the day grades 4 to 10 celebrate Science and Math Week with a fun academic contest to bring out their competitive spirit and motivate them to learn more about these two major subjects. The event is a quiz bee type game that tests the student’s general knowledge of science and math. Students are formed into groups of four (for high school) and five (for grade school) to emphasize cooperation and teamwork
Photo credits to Michelle Ann Villacorta, China Lorenzo, and Louisiana Sollestre
Grades 4 to 6 Winners
1st Place
TEAM GRAHAM BELL (Blue Shrit)
1. Stephen Matthew G. Ibañez (Grade 4 Charity)
2. Aldrin O. Paltao (Grade 5 Honesty)
3. Samantha Ashley A. San Juan (Grade 5 Happiness)
4. Chrizelle Anne R. Gavino (Grade 6 Humility)
5. John Patrick M. Esmeria (Grade 6 Generosity)
2nd Place
TEAM MENDEL (Black Shirt)
1. Lhance Ivan B. Lachica (Grade 4 Charity)
2. Christine Anne R. Gavino (Grade 5 Happiness)
3. Eulian Joshua F. Del Rosario (Grade 5 Honesty)
4. Nigel Louis M. Galang (Grade 6 Humility)
5. Donita Mae F Manlunas (Grade 6 Generosity)
3rd Place
TEAM MAXWELL (Yellow shirt)
1. Mila Angelica R. Terrado (Grade 4 Charity)
2. Trisha Gail M. Esmeria (Grade 5 Happiness)
3. Jarro Uriel M. Colonzo (Grade 6 Honesty)
4. Iris Francheska L. Bautista (Grade 6 Humility)
5. Arabella R. Saculo (Grade 6 Generosity)
High School Winners
1st Place
TEAM THOMPSON
1. Julienne Allyah Legutan (Grade 8 Aristotle)
2. Kenneth Pedigan (Grade 9 Newton)
3. Roselle Estrada (Grade Fourth Year Einstein)
4. Venedict Doroteo (Grade 7 Galileo)
2nd Place
TEAM DALTON
1. Jason Tormon (Fourth Year Einstein)
2. Danica Janelle Dizon (Grade 8 Aristotle)
3. Sophia Chua (Grade 9 Newton)
4. Jarren Seltiel Calonzo (Grade 7 Galileo)
3rd Place
TEAM CHADWICK
1. Louisiana Sollestre (Fourth Year Einstein)
2. Roma Reign Molina (Grade 8 Aristotle)
3. Neithan Abreu (Grade 9 Newton)
4. Don Luis Diaz (Grade 7 Galileo)
Congratulations to all the winners!
Sung-Bong Choi Fan Site coming soon. Keep checking back for more new content.
Fansite www.sungbongchoi.com
Blog: sungbongchoidotcom.blogspot.com
Twitter: @sungbongchoidot
Fra Angelico (c. 1395–1455)
The Madonna of Humility, c. 1430
tempera on panel
National Gallery of Art, Washington
In this painting, Florentine artist Fra Angelico answers an age-old question: what would the baby Jesus look like if He was stoned? OK, not really, but look at this detail image and tell me that He doesn’t look high. You can practically hear Him saying, “Dude, I am so wasted!”
Incidentally, the work of art I originally had scheduled for today was from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, but their web site is down, so I couldn’t copy the image to my own webspace (I'm no bandwidth pirate! As for other forms of piracy, such as posting copyrighted works of art without permission, I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me). So I had to bump up The Madonna of Humility by one day. The work that would have appeared today will instead appear tomorrow, assuming the SAAM has its act together by then.
This CreativeMornings/DC event featured Amy Saidman of SpeakeasyDC on the theme of 'Humility.'
This event was generously supported by Huge, Capital One Digital / Capital One Labs and TrackMaven and was hosted by Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center on April 23, 2015.
Photos by Lexey Swall
Marziya Gives Rs 10 to the Umbrella Lady
Every time I take Marziya out near Bandra Reclamation, she will nudge me, so I hand her Rs 10 that she hands over to the poor Umbrella Lady.. who sits in one place, all the seasons are immune to her impoverished life style.
I shot her having a bath in the same position ..my wife was with me.
Marziya knows with money you get sweets toys, but here she is aware that what she gives the Umbrella lady will not get her anything in return..but a sweet smile .. and this is the lesson I teach Marziya , giving charity without compulsion, I teach Marziya along with photography the meaning of humility...
There is a gentleman called Mr Razvi who is very fond of Marziya , he had not seen her since her arrival , so he met me yesterday , and inquired about her , I bought him home and Marziya was happy to see him, I gave her my Nikon D80 and holding it partly for her , made her shoot Mr Razvi.. I helped her with the shutter button ..she took two shots one after the other.
The world seen from the camera is a world without any distortion , a world you see as it exists.,. the camera is veritably a message of peace I am teaching Marziya human values through the camera ..photography is essential but not important at this stage.
Yes I have my first and only disciple of photography , who is teaching me also to paint with light her thoughts , her emotions..
Since the swine flu outbreak she is ensconced at home but comes to my shop twice a day, she reads the world with her perceptive mind..
Demonstrating a strong sense of humility after receiving her black belt, Lauren, a tall, beautiful, and slender young woman exercises with her class at their dojo (training studio)
Created on the train to the Art Institute of Chicago and over breakfast underground, July 24
Prismacolor, Progresso, Crayola, and Derwent colored pencils; Prismacolor Premier Verithin colored pencils, Prismacolor Premier illustration marker, Faber-Castell Polychromos black colored pencils, Bic black colored pencils, Sharpie felt-tip permanent marker
Blick Art Studios acid-free drawing pad
9 x 12
2016
“Never stop learning. The best investment you've made in yourself — and this university delivers on this more than you can ever imagine — is knowing how to learn, how to explore, how to fail with grace, how to recover with humility, and how help yourself while helping others. Don’t let that fade. It'll keep you relevant and making positive contributions to this world for the rest of your life.” — Ronn Cort, president and COO of SEKISUI KYDEX 💯🎓🐾 #BUClass2022 #HuskyPride #BloomOnward
I've met no one who gave their self away as much as Ed. Here is an epic human being who died in obscurity. His food was loved in the White House and in shelters for hobos. Ed taught me that love is what you do regardless of how you feel. Love is merciful and full of humility. It honors the needs of anyone you come in contact with. Personal comfort and safety is not a place where love prospers. Love is its own shelter and it gives no great concern for mortality but rather it causes the soul to exceed it's mortal boundaries.