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Apartheid used a pencil to decide who was white. Nuremberg used grandparents' religion. Today's far right uses "remigration." The categories keep changing because none of them is real. My new Nordic Ledger essay on Europe and America's shared fiction: https://open.substack.com/pub/nordicledger/p/the-pencil-test-returns?r=mwsn6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Shana Caledonia Morrison (born April 7, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and his ex-wife, Janet Rigsbee Minto. She worked weekends in the record shop of her paternal grandparents, George and Violet. She learned her first songs from her grandmother who would often sing to her all afternoon. Morrison sang in musicals and choirs in high school and college. After graduating from Pepperdine University in 1993, she went on the road touring with her father and his band for a year. She duetted with him on his 1994 album A Night in San Francisco, and 1995's Days Like This. In 1996 she formed her own band, Caledonia. https://hvdommelen.nl/lp/MorrisonS.html

Portraits Are Not Just for the Young On Tuesday this week, I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful Ukrainian woman in my home studio. Today, Wednesday, she turns 62. We created a series of portraits both indoors with studio flash and outdoors in the warm Golden Hour light, surrounded by flowers at their most beautiful. The result was a collection of images that showed not only her beauty, but also her warmth, confidence, femininity, and presence. There is something very special about photographing mature women. A face that has lived. Eyes that carry experience. A smile that is not performed, but earned. These are portraits with depth — the kind of images that become more than photographs. They become memories. Some of these images are perfect for social media. Others deserve to be printed, framed behind glass, and placed on the wall where both she and her family can enjoy them for many years to come. A good portrait is not about looking younger. It is about being seen properly. Many women wait too long to be photographed. They think portraits are for someone else, or for another time. But beauty does not disappear with age. It changes. It becomes more personal, more interesting, and often much stronger. As a photographer with many years of experience, I know how important it is to create a calm, respectful, and safe atmosphere. Most people are not used to being in front of a camera, and that is completely normal. My job is to guide you gently, find the right light, the right angles, and the expressions that feel natural — not forced. Portrait photography can be elegant, relaxed, joyful, emotional, or quietly powerful. It can be done in the studio, outdoors in Golden Hour light, or at home in your own garden. And now, while the flowers and plants are at their finest, it is a wonderful time to create something beautiful with your family too. A family portrait in your garden does not need to be formal or complicated. It can be simple, warm, and personal — children, parents, grandparents, flowers, evening light, and the feeling of home. These are the images that grow in value with time. Whether you would like portraits of yourself, a birthday session, elegant portraits for social media, or a family photography session at home, I would be happy to help you create images that feel meaningful and lasting. If you have been thinking about booking a portrait session, this may be the right moment. Get in touch, and let us plan a relaxed and beautiful photography session together.

"Forget child poverty – Sweden is on its way to becoming poor in children. The laughter of children has fallen silent in many of our suburban areas in exchange for an economic policy that has favored grandparents’ spa constructions more than the pioneering spirit of future parents." (Original: "Glöm barnfattigdomen – Sverige håller på att bli fattigt på barn. Barnskratten har tystnat i många av våra villaförorter i utbyte mot en ekonomisk politik som gynnat morföräldrars spabyggen mer än blivande föräldrars nybyggaranda." https://t.co/68lYXqaTxZ) #ChildPoverty #Sweden #EconomicPolicy #SE

Young people, go see your grandparents to convince them! They will listen to you, especially on topics that concern you. The scandal of the lack of and poor registration on the electoral lists continues. The powers that be dream that the popular classes do not go... (Original: Jeunes gens, allez voir vos grands-parents pour les convaincre ! Ils vous écouteront, notamment sur les sujets qui vous concernent. Le scandale de la non et mal-inscription sur les listes électorales continue. Le pouvoir en place rêve du fait que les milieux populaires n'aillent https://t.co/vIECf2oBj6) #YouthEngagement #VoteReady #GenerationalDialogue #Nospecificcountrycodesarementionedinthearticle.

A mother in Attendorn, Germany, has been sentenced to five years in prison for isolating her daughter from the outside world for over seven years, hiding her with her grandparents and falsely claiming they had moved to Italy, which resulted in the daughter suffering severe psychological and emotional disturbances before her rescue in September 2022. #ChildAbuse #Isolation #LegalCase

A recent analysis highlights that family connections, particularly the involvement of grandparents, play a crucial role in a child's brain development and overall well-being, contributing to emotional resilience, social skills, and fostering positive lifelong health outcomes. #ChildDevelopment #FamilyRelationships #EmotionalWellbeing #Nospecificcountriesarementionedinthearticle.Therefore #theresponseisempty.

A recent analysis highlights that family connections, particularly the involvement of grandparents, play a crucial role in a child's brain development and overall well-being, contributing to emotional resilience, social skills, and fostering positive lifelong health outcomes. #ChildDevelopment #FamilyRelationships #EmotionalWellbeing #Nospecificcountriesarementionedinthearticle.Therefore #theresponseisempty.