Live Hope Love

It's been a while since I've felt truly moved by a web site. But, LiveHopeLove is more than just a web site. It's a testament to the lives of those living in Jamaica with AIDS.

The site shares the experiences of poet and writer, Kwame Dawes. It illustrates his experiences and conversations with people affected by AIDS, both those suffering from the disease and those supporting that struggle.

I think LiveHopeLove is the purest example of a web site. It uses video, audio and text to bring the resilience of these people from across the globe into your own home. And, I would have never experienced these individual battles had it not been for the efforts of its creators.
It's no wonder the site is the 2009 People's Voice Webby Award Winner in the Art Category and an Emmy nominee.

The LiveHopeLove website is just a piece of a larger multi-media reporting project. There is also an extended essay in The Virginia Quarterly Review (Spring 2008), two short public television documentaries and a collection of poems documenting Dawes' experiences. The Pulitzer Center of Crisis Reporting funded the project.

Now, I don't normally include information like this, but I really wanted to throw out accolades to the individuals who had a hand in putting this site together.

Poetry/Special Correspondent: Kwame Dawes
Executive Producer: Jon Sawyer
Co-Producers/Videographers: Nathalie Applewhite and Steve Sapienza
Videographer: Doug Gritzmacher
Photographer: Josh Cogan
Interactive Website: bluecadet

Here's One For the Habitually Bored

Here's one that kept me laughing for a good solid 5 minutes... AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. The name explains itself: an online collection of some seriously creepy family photos. I had more favorites than I could ever possibly share on this blog, but here are the final contenders that made the cut.

Ok, now who does this? What role could bears possibly play in these people's lives that it caused them dress up and darken their noses? On the plus side, the little kid is pretty adorable.


Ok, now if the bears didn't get your creepy juices flowing... the freaking Ninjas should! Seriously, who are these people that think of this stuff?! They're probably into role playing games too!


Now, I think the possum adds that touch of class we all look for in a family photo.

This kid totally got cropped out of what is otherwise, a very nice family photo.

Why ofcourse a kid grabbing himself automatically makes a family photo a little awkward... but I'd also like to point your attention to the mother in this photo. Something about her screams, "Get me outta here!" Almost like she's had "Mom!" screamed at her one too many times.