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Joy

A group gave 105 homeless people disposable cameras. These are the photos they took.

See life through someone else's eyes 👀

Photo by Jackie Cook/MyLondon Photography Contest.

These photos are a charming look into another life.


In 2016, a group of 105 homeless people gathered at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Each of them was given a disposable camera and told to take pictures that represent "my London."

The photos were entered in an annual contest run by London-based nonprofit Cafe Art, which gives homeless artists the chance to have their work displayed around the city and—for some of the photographers who participate in the yearly challenge—in a print calendar.

"Some people have had experience, and others have never picked up a camera before," said Paul Ryan, co-director of Cafe Art.

The program, Ryan explained, includes mentorship and training from professional volunteers at the Royal Photographic Society, including winners of the contest from previous years—many of whom are ultimately inducted into the society themselves.

a sign reads "Drivers Wanted" with a red double decker bus toy in front of it

A "Drivers Wanted" sign in the window from the MyLondon Photography Contest.

Photo by Richard Fletcher/MyLondon Photography Contest. All photos used with permission.

The goal of the challenge is to help participants gain the confidence to get back on the job market, search for housing, re-engage with their social circles, or even activate dormant skills.

"I really enjoyed it. And I started to get involved in my art again, which I'd left for years," a 2015 participant said in a video for the organization's Kickstarter campaign.

These are 11 of the top vote-getters from the 2016 contest:

1. Ella Sullivan — "Heart Bike Rack"

a bike rack shaped like a heart overlooking a street

A heart shaped bike rack.

Photo by Ella Sullivan/MyLondon Photography Contest

2. Alana Del Valle — "London Bus with Sculpture"

A red-double-decker-bus behind a mirrored sculpture.

A red-double-decker-bus behind a mirrored sculpture.

Photo by Alana Del Valle/MyLondon Photography Contest

3. Beatrice — "Out of the Blue"

A hand shadow reaches up the wall toward a red water container.

A hand shadow reaches up the wall toward a water container.

Photo by Beatrice/MyLondon Photography Contest

4. Laz Ozerden — "What Now?"

black and white photo of homeless man with hands open sitting on the sidewalk waiting for donations

Open hands accepting donations.

Photo by Laz Ozerden/MyLondon Photography Contest

5. Leo Shaul — "The Coffee Roaster"

black and white photo of an elderly man in a long coat

A long coat hugs “The Coffee Roaster."

Photo by Leo Shaul/MyLondon Photography Contest

6. Christopher McTavish — "St. Paul's in Reflection"

reflection of a building in a puddle beside a blue shoe

St. Paul's Cathedral cast a reflection against a blue shoe in a puddle.

Photo by Christopher McTavish/MyLondon Photography Contest

7. Hugh Gary — "London Calling"

a red phone booth sits in a field of purple flowers

London calling.

Photo by Hugh Gary/MyLondon Photography Contest

8. Keith Norris — "Watching Mannequin"

a woman rolls her eyes at a mannequin through a window

Rolling your eyes at a mannequin.

Photo by Keith Norris/MyLondon Photography Contest

9. Siliana — "After the Rain"

A boat cruises under a bridge after a rainy day.

A boat cruises under the bridge after a rainy day.

Photo by Siliana/MyLondon Photography Contest

10. Saffron Saidi — "Graffiti Area"

a dog sits perfectly in position to make it look like the graffitied man behind him has him on a leash

Life reflecting art.

Photo by Saffron Saidi/MyLondon Photography Contest

11. Jackie Cook — "Underground Exit"

woman with bright pink hair peeks around a stairwell

Who’s that in the stairwell?

Photo by Jackie Cook/MyLondon Photography Contest

Ryan, who has been developing the program for seven years, said that while there's no one-size-fits-all solution for individuals who are homeless, for some who are too used to being "knocked back," the experience of seeing their work on display or in print—and of success—can be invaluable.

"Everyone is helped in a different way, to get up to the next step in whatever way they need to."

Cafe Art's program is still going strong and the last ten years of the contest are documented on their site. Check out the best photos since 2016 and consider buying a calendar to support! You can also weigh in on photos for this year's contest until February 5th.


This article originally appeared nine years ago.

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Modern Families

My family just flew to three European countries and home again for $149 per person total

Here's how we traveled from the U.S. to London, Athens and Vienna and back again for less than the cost of one domestic flight.

Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau

My husband and kids sitting on Ted Lasso's bench in Richmond, U.K.

Our family of five just got back from a nearly 3-week European vacation—three different cities in three different countries—and we only paid $149 cash per person for all of our flights combined.

It sounds too good to be true, but it's not. It sounds like there's got to be a catch, and there is, but not like you might think.

Welcome to the world of travel hacking, where if you learn to play the points and miles game well, you can take vacations you (or at least I) never thought possible.

I started learning about the points and miles game in the fall of 2021 via the 10xTravel free course, and I started playing in earnest myself in February of 2022. As a result, in the past year and a half, our family has taken multiple flights and stayed at multiple hotels within the United States—including some schmancy resorts—for free or very close to free. (Certain taxes and fees on flights have to be paid in cash, so there's no such thing as a 100% free flight.) But this trip to Europe was our first foray into international travel with points.

Four people standing in front of a lit up tree

My family enjoyed the Rathaus Christkindlmarket in Vienna.

Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau

The one "catch" to travel hacking? It's a complicated, strategic long game that takes time and effort to learn. But it's totally worth it. The basic gist is that you maximize credit card sign-up bonuses to accumulate transferable credit card points or loyalty points/miles with hotels and airlines, all without spending any more money than you normally would. Then you learn how to redeem those points for travel, which makes them way more valuable than simply getting cash back.

I wrote an overview of how the game works in a previous article (which you can read here), but I figured a real-life example is the best illustration.

For this trip to Europe, I transferred 362,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card points to United Airlines. (My husband and I have accumulated over 1.2 million points and miles in the past year and a half, so this trip was barely a third of our points.) That's what all of our flights to, from and around Europe cost, plus one more flight paid for with Southwest points to get all the way home. The taxes and fees for all flights came out to $149 for each of us.

three young people in front of the temple of poseidon

The Temple of Poseidon was a favorite of the whole family.

Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau

Our original itinerary was actually US > London > Athens > Tel Aviv > US, but obviously the Israel plans changed when the war began. We switched from Tel Aviv to Vienna for our music-loving kids just a couple of weeks before we departed. The flight from Vienna back to the US cost fewer points than the Tel Aviv to US flight, which made it so our added Athens to Vienna flight was covered by points we'd already spent. (We'd originally booked a one-way cash flight from Athens to Tel Aviv. That got refunded when the flight was canceled.) And thanks to United's Excursionist Perk, our London to Athens leg also cost us zero points—we only paid taxes.

So what you see here are the fees we paid out of pocket for three flights—Spokane to London, London to Athens, and Vienna to Chicago (where we stopped to see family and friends for a few days on our way home). The Oct 15 "date of purchase" was actually the date we changed our Tel Aviv flight to Vienna—we purchased the original tickets months ago.

As you can see, the fees for these flights were $112 per person:

Screenshot of airline fees

Fees for flights from Spokane to London, London to Athens, and Vienna to Chicago

Screenshot via Annie Reneau

Here are the taxes and fees for the Athens to Vienna leg we added after the Israel changes, which were $31.40 per person:

Screenshot of flight total

Taxes and fees for flight from Athens to Vienna.

Screenshot via Annie Reneau

Finally, to get back to Spokane from Chicago, we booked flights on Southwest. We have a ton of Southwest Rapid Rewards points accumulated from playing the game as well as two Southwest Companion Passes, which means two of our kids traveled with us for free (only paid fees on their flights—no points needed). So we paid 14,345 Southwest points x 3 (43,035 points total) and the fees were just $5.60 each, which brings us to our grand total of $149 per person.

screenshot of southwest flight totals

We paid $5.60 each for our flight from Chicago to Spokane on Southwest.

Screenshot via Annie Reneau

To reiterate, we didn't pay anything beyond our normal spending for the points we used to get these flights. We just strategically utilized new credit cards for all of our expenses every few months. Accumulating points is actually the simpler part of the game. Figuring how to find the best redemption deals for the points is where it gets complicated and the real work comes in.

It's not like I just went on the United website, put in our dates and destinations, transferred the points and got the tickets. I spent many hours poring over different airline websites and different city combinations and dates to see where the best deals were. (We weren't tied to particular cities or dates other than our religious pilgrimage to Haifa, which didn't end up happening anyway.) It took a lot of time to find these tickets for the price we did, but again, totally worth it to save thousands of dollars.

family at sunset

Our whole family at the tip of mainland Greece at sunset.

Photo courtesy of Annie Reneau

If there weren't as many of us, we could also have gotten hotels on points, but with a family of five it was more affordable to book Airbnbs where we were Europe. So it's not like this vacation cost us nothing—we still had accommodations, public transportation, a car rental in Greece for exploring outside of Athens for a few days, food (pretty cheap in Greece, more expensive in the U.K. and Austria), and any museums, attractions and events we enjoyed.

But getting the flights for a song enabled us to do the rest. The cash price for the exact same flight itinerary would have cost between $6,000 and $9,000 for the whole family, especially since most of our flights were direct and at desirable times. Even if we were to see the 362,500 Chase points we used for their straight cash back value ($3,625), we still got a good deal. But those points didn't cost us anything. And our family got to take the trip of a lifetime. Travel hacking for the win.

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Joy

Dapper British man delights strangers with 'devastatingly effective' compliments

He'll turn you into an expert at delivering compliments in under a minute.

via TroyHawke/TikTok

Comedian Troy Hawke explains the art of the compliment.

Complimenting a totally random stranger on the street is a great way to get some serious side-eye. But British comedian Troy Hawke is such a master at the unique and sincere compliment that he spreads a bit of joy wherever he goes.

Hawke’s comedic persona is an erudite, sophisticated 1930s Errol Flynn-style throwback, and people seem to appreciate a compliment from a man who clearly has mastered the art of etiquette and grace.

In a recent TikTok video that received over 9 million views, the comedian throws a total charm storm on Notting Hill in London, where he compliments strangers on their wardrobes, how they walk and their driving skills. The cool thing is that everyone who receives a compliment from Hawke seems to enjoy the encounter.

The video is a friendly reminder that a well-timed and accurate compliment can be powerful. "Compliments are simple but not easy. Trust me," Hawke says, noting that it's especially difficult for English people to accept one. "Sincerely appreciating something someone has made an effort on will make their day.”

“The more unique, the more bespoke [the compliment], the more devastatingly effective,” Hawke adds. “Get it right, and it’s like a natural high for the pair of you.”

Hawke’s video is a fun reminder to all of us to be more thoughtful, sincere and prolific in our compliment-giving. They can really have a significant effect on another person’s day. The great Mark Twain once said, “My child, I can live on a good compliment two weeks with nothing else to eat.”

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uplifting
Joy

New poll reveals the top 20 things 'that make us feel good' in 2023

A welcome reminder of the good things in life.

via Quang Anh Ha Nguyen/Pexels

A woman jumping for joy

Living in an era with a 24-hour news cycle and endless updates on social media gives many the perception that the world is becoming more chaotic by the day. But when you talk to people as individuals, they think their lives are pretty darn okay. A recent poll by Gallup found that 85% of Americans are “satisfied” with their personal lives, and 14% are dissatisfied. When taken in context, that’s 8% higher satisfaction than when the poll started in 1979.

One of the keys to living a satisfied life is knowing what makes you happy.

A new poll of 2,000 Londoners released by Babybel Cheese has found the top 20 things that make them happy and that might just work for you, too. The list is refreshing because it’s about enjoying the simple things in life instead of chasing status or Instagram followers.

According to the poll, here are the top 20 things that bring people happiness.

1. A good night’s sleep

2. A sunny blue sky

3. Summer

4. Receiving a compliment or praise

5. Booking a holiday

6. Crying with laughter

7. Getting a quiet moment to yourself

8. Eating your favorite snack

9. Pets being happy to see you

10. Looking back at old photographs

11. Finishing a great book

12. Helping an elderly person with something

13. Finishing a workout

14. Hearing children really belly-laughing

15. Finding a parking space when it’s busy

16. A newly-cleaned car

17. When your football or other sports team wins

18. A heart-to-heart with a loved one

19. Volunteering or helping others

20. Finding out your children have done well at school

The No. 1 thing that makes people happy is a good night’s sleep. It makes a lot of sense because when we sleep, our bodies and minds do many essential things that can make the next day so much better.

However, when we don't get enough sleep, our brain's ability to adapt to new experiences, known as brain plasticity, diminishes. So, we have more difficulty processing memories and learning new things. Sleep deprivation can significantly affect our mood, making us more susceptible to feelings of anger and heightened emotional responses. In fact, Cedars Sinai says that a lack of sleep can lead to a host of mental problems, including higher levels of stress, frustration, depression and anxiety.

A good night's sleep isn't just about feeling alert—it's about maintaining our mental well-being, too.

The poll also shows that basic human social actions can provide a lot of happiness, whether that’s sharing a joke with a friend, working on a creative project or spending time with our children. It also shows the importance that giving back can have on our mental well-being.

The good news is that when we’re feeling down, so many simple things can easily make us happy, most of which can be found in our own backyards. The real lesson from the poll shows that we could all be a lot happier if we adopted an attitude of gratitude and stopped making things so complicated.

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happiness
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