Notes from January get-together

Hi gang,

Remember when we got together last week...And we shared some food. And we drank some wine and cider? Remember? And then we shared some inspirational sources from 2007? Remember?
Yeah, that was awesome!

Here's some of the inspirational films, books, and other sources mentioned by some of you during our last chat...

Films:

Jo-Anne recommends Paper Clips, a documentary on a Tennessee middle school project to create a monument for victims of the Holocaust.

Giacomo recommends Hot Fuzz, a film that teaches you that sometimes, you gotta trust your gut, and just take care of business. The taglines explain it pretty well too: "Big Cops. Small Town. Moderate Violence" and "In a town where nothing much goes on, a whole lot it about to go down"

Nancy recommends Me and You and Everyone We Know This 2005 film won a Caméra D'Or at Cannes, narrowly beating out Hot Fuzz. The structure of the film consists of several subplots which all revolve around an intertwined cast of characters, at least according to wikipedia.

Stephanie recommends The Real Dirt on Farmer John, also a film from 2005, about a farmer trying to go green, and the obstacles he faces.

Giacomo also recommends In the Shadow of the Moon, a documentary which follows the manned space flights to the moon, using both never-before-publicly-released footage from NASA, and interviews with most of the astronauts who share their experience, and how the trips changed them. It kinda makes you realize how crazy small we are...


Books and Blogs:

Ted recommends The Dialectic of Freedom, by Maxine Greene. According to the publisher: In this book about freedom, possibility, and imagination in American education, Maxine Greene taps the fields of philosophy, history, educational theory, and literature in order to discuss the many struggles that have characterized Americans'' quest for freedom in the midst of what is conceived to be a free society.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Jo-Anne recommends The Ripple Effect blog, by Steve Harper. Not just because she's become Harper's unofficial promoter, but because it's also pretty darn cool and inspirational.

Giacomo recommends Anatomy of a Rose, by Sharman Apt Russell. It makes you realize how insanely adaptable, yet romantic nature can be. For example, how some flowers colour themselves to attract specific types of bugs, then once inside, the bug is beaten up and showered with pollen. As one reviewer writes: On every page of this multifaceted, beautifully written book about flowering plants (no, not just roses) is something to make you smile and something to make you think.

Ted also recommends a book which unfortunately I could not locate, but which sounds something like "Spell of the Sensues". I believe I was on my third glass of wine by then...

And finally, how to answer a question when neither "yes" or "no" are proper. It's the Zen word "mu", which sorta means "none", and your question is wrong and should be reformulated. For example: Q. Does Stephen Harper have a soul? A. Mu

I had a great time last week, and I'm already thinking about a topic for the next meeting.

Ciao,

Giacomo

P.S. My notes also say we ordered a CLT, meze, edamame beans, baked brie, and shrooms