KUCI: Get the Funk Out!
Life’s a Rollercoaster Ride! Stories of Inspiration and Change
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Monday Dec 04, 2017
Monday Dec 04, 2017
Mike Gellman, M.S. is the Founder of High Five Career Coaching and coaches highly-motivated professionals and leaders in various stages of their careers to gain greater clarity, create sustainable change, and achieve higher levels of excellence. He is also the author of Pipe Dreams: 7 Pipelines of Career Success (available on Amazon.com) that has received rave reviews from readers.
Mike is passionate about coaching and has devoted his career to helping employees, leaders, and teams work more effectively and achieve their potential within corporate and nonprofit organizations. He launched and managed a highly regarded career coaching and development center for
SoCalGas employees and was heavily involved in leading enterprise-wide talent management and organizational development initiatives.
For over 15 years, Mike has successfully facilitated numerous succession planning, high potential leader development, employee engagement and organizational change efforts. He also created an award-winning mentorship program for the San Diego chapter of the Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD) that has been running strong since 2000.
Mike is an ACC credentialed coach through the International Coach Federation (ICF), the premier organization for professionally trained coaches. He is a graduate of Coach U, an ICF accredited coach-training program. Mike has a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Springfield College and has also completed graduate studies in Entrepreneurship from San Diego
State University. In addition, he holds numerous certifications and experience in the use of a broad range of diagnostic assessment tools that help individuals and teams uncover blind spots and identify their strongest growth needs.
In addition to being a devoted dad of a bright 13 year-old son, Jonas, Mike enjoys hiking, camping, photography, running, and volunteering in his community. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and having spent most of his professional career in San Diego, California, he currently resides in Irvine,
California.
Monday Dec 04, 2017
Monday Dec 04, 2017
This wide-ranging collection of inspirational poetry and prose offers readers solace, perspective, and the courage to persevere.
In times of personal hardship or collective anxiety, words have the power to provide comfort, meaning, and hope. The past year has seen a resurgence of poetry and inspiring quotes—posted on social media, appearing on bestseller lists, shared from friend to friend. Honoring this communal spirit, How Lovely the Ruins is a timeless collection of both classic and contemporary poetry and short prose that can be of help in difficult times—selections that offer wisdom and purpose, and that allow us to step out of our current moment to gain a new perspective on the world around us as well as the world within.
The poets and writers featured in this book represent the diversity of our country as well as voices beyond our borders, including Maya Angelou, W. H. Auden, Danez Smith, Rumi, Emily Dickinson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Alice Walker, Adam Zagajewski, Langston Hughes, Wendell Berry, Anna Akhmatova, Yehuda Amichai, and Robert Frost. And the book opens with a stunning foreword by Elizabeth Alexander, whose poem “Praise Song for the Day,” delivered at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, ushered in an era of optimism. In works celebrating our capacity for compassion, our patriotism, our right to protest, and our ability to persevere, How Lovely the Ruins is a beacon that illuminates our shared humanity, allowing us connection in a fractured world.
Includes poetry, prose, and quotations from:
Elizabeth Alexander • Marcus Aurelius • Karen Armstrong • Matthew Arnold • Ellen Bass • Brian Bilston • Gwendolyn Brooks • Elizabeth Barrett Browning • Octavia E. Butler • Regie Cabico • Dinos Christianopoulos • Lucille Clifton • Ta-Nehisi Coates • Leonard Cohen • Wendy Cope • E. E. Cummings • Charles Dickens • Mark Doty • Thomas Edison • Albert Einstein • Ralph Ellison • Kenneth Fearing • Annie Finch • Rebecca Foust • Nikki Giovanni • Stephanie Gray • John Green • Hazel Hall • Thich Nhat Hanh • Joy Harjo • Václav Havel • Terrance Hayes • William Ernest Henley • Juan Felipe Herrera • Jane Hirshfield • John Holmes • A. E. Housman • Bohumil Hrabal • Robinson Jeffers • Georgia Douglas Johnson • James Weldon Johnson • Paul Kalanithi • Robert F. Kennedy • Omar Khayyam • Emma Lazarus • Li-Young Lee • Denise Levertov • Ada Limón • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow • Nelson Mandela • Masahide • Khaled Mattawa • Jamaal May • Claude McKay • Edna St. Vincent Millay • Pablo Neruda • Anaïs Nin • Olga Orozco • Ovid • Pier Paolo Pasolini • Edgar Allan Poe • Claudia Rankine • Adrienne Rich • Rainer Maria Rilke • Alberto Ríos • Edwin Arlington Robinson • Eleanor Roosevelt • Christina Rossetti • Muriel Rukeyser • Sadhguru • Carl Sandburg • Vikram Seth • Charles Simic • Safiya Sinclair • Effie Waller Smith • Maggie Smith • Tracy K. Smith • Leonora Speyer • Gloria Steinem • Clark Strand • Wisława Szymborska • Rabindranath Tagore • Sara Teasdale • Alfred, Lord Tennyson • Vincent van Gogh • Ocean Vuong • Florence Brooks Whitehouse • Walt Whitman • Ella Wheeler Wilcox • William Carlos Williams • Virginia Woolf • W. B. Yeats • Saadi Youssef • Javier Zamora • Howard Zinn
Friday Dec 01, 2017
Friday Dec 01, 2017
SHADI MARTINI
Director of Humanitarian Relief and Regional Relations
Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees
As it has with so many other victims of this crisis, the Syrian war turned businessman, Shadi Martini, into a refugee, an activist, and an advocate for greater cooperation across faith and cultural lines.
Now, as the Director of Humanitarian Relief and Regional Relations to the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, the nation’s leading interfaith response to the Syrian crisis, Mr. Martini travels throughout the U.S. and abroad raising awareness of the crisis, encouraging greater public engagement, facilitating partnerships between organizations focused on addressing similar issues, and planting the seeds for future stability in the region by fostering people-to-people engagement.
He frequently provides briefings based on first-hand knowledge of the crisis to government officials, civil society leaders, the media, and various secular and faith-based organizations. He was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria and graduated from the High School Aleppo Scientific College. Martini attended college in Lebanon where he received his BA from Beirut University College in 1993. After graduation, Martini went to Bulgaria and formed his own manufacturing company. In 2009 he returned to Syria to run his family’s business.
In March 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on those providing aid to anyone suspected of being in the opposition, Mr. Martini, then the General Manager of a hospital in Aleppo, and his comrades worked covertly to provide aid to wounded and ill civilians. This secret network was discovered in mid-2012, forcing him to flee his country.
Soon after, Martini began organizing assistance for Syrian refugees from a neighboring country. He was elected by Bulgarian NGOs to serve on the Bulgarian crisis commission to help overcome the obstacles to aiding and integrating refugees. He then served on the executive committee of the national change party (Syrian opposition) in charge of foreign relations, but left the party in late 2013. He co-founded the “Republic Party” (Syrian opposition) and was elected chairman of the General Assembly, but left his post and the party, and resigned all political activity when he joined the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees in Jordan.
In 2014, Martini founded Refugee Support Group, a humanitarian aid organization based in Bulgaria. For the past several years he has partnered with numerous faith-based organizations in the U.S. and abroad, which led to his involvement with the Multifaith Alliance. In that capacity, he continues his work in the Middle East and also coordinates major relief efforts for Syrian refugees flooding into Europe.
Martini is fluent in Arabic, English and Bulgarian. In April, he became a very proud United States citizen, in a ceremony he described as “An event I wish everyone could experience to understand the meaning of being a citizen of this great country.” On November 8, he voted in his first U.S. presidential election.
Orange County Interfaith Community Concert
Support the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees
Sunday, December 3, 2017 ~ 2pm - 3pm
Performance by the Marbella Trio
featuring Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2
Presentation by Shadi Martini
Director of Humanitarian Relief & Regional
Relations for MFA
Martini is a Syrian refugee, forced to flee
for secretly aiding the injured.
Dessert reception immediately following concert hosted by the Interfaith Council of Laguna Beach.
Funds raised by this event will enable MFA to ship containers of life-saving humanitarian aid for distribution directly to Syrian war victims in southern Syria.
To adopt a container or donate, please visit: multifaithalliance.org/oc
RSVP: http://bit.ly/OCmultifaithalliance
Make it a Day of Giving:
Visit NCC’s annual “JOY OF GIVING” BOUTIQUE
from 11am-2pm.
Find sustainable one-of-a-kind gifts from around the world, and opportunities to honor loved ones who appreciate making the world a better place.
Neighborhood Congregational Church
340 St. Ann’s Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
shadi.martini@multifaithalliance.org | www.multifaithalliance.org
www.facebook.com/multifaithalliance | www.twitter.com/multifaithaid
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Fascinating, worldly and a striking talent, Ido Samuel is a star on the rise and is ready to take Hollywood by storm. An Israeli actor who has already conquered the film market in Israel with roles in an impressive list of over thirty films including his role as an Orthodox Jewish man named “Yossi” in award winning film “Fill The Void.” The feature film was nominated for two Film Independent Spirit Awards and won seven awards at the Israeli Film Academy Awards (the country’s equivalent to the U.S.’s Academy Awards), “Best Foreign Language Film” at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and two awards at the Venice Film Festival. “Fill The Void” which was widely distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.
Samuel moved to the United States four years ago to pursue his dream of acting in U.S. film and immediately booked leading roles in the prestigious short film “Ben-Dod Sheli” which made it to the semifinals for the Student Academy Awards which is hosted by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences and received rave reviews. He also filmed the highly anticipated short film “Dirty Bomb” which tells the story of Holocaust heroes who sacrificed their lives to sabotage the V2 bomb causing it to misfire during world War II. “Dirty Bomb” will be released in November and it’s star (Samuel) and director (Valerie McCaffrey) can’t wait for audiences to see it.
After serving in the Israeli army for three years, Samuel began training to be an actor in 2007 and booked a string of short films in 2010 and 2011 before landing the role of “Simba” in Israel’s version of “The Lion King” and later filming “Fill The Void” which put him in the spotlight and eventually prompted him to bring his talent to Los Angeles. Ido has continued booking roles in film and television projects such as Amazon’s award winning “Transparent.”
Samuel, now based in Los Angeles, has built a group of friends who he spends holidays with and who have been an incredible support system as he pursues his craft across the world. He practices martial arts and won regional and national awards in Israel. makes sure to travel back to see his family in Israel whenever possible and no matter where in the world he is he will always love his native country and of course Israeli and Jewish film.
ABOUT DIRTY BOMB
DIRTY BOMB, set against the Battle of the Bulge, depicts the true story of how Jewish concentration camp inmates sabotaged the development of Hitler’s V2 Bomb at the cost of their lives. The film is written and directed by Valerie McCaffrey, who as an independent casting director, cast over 80 films. In addition, Valerie uses her knowledge to a directing/producing/writing capacity. She directed a feature film called WISH YOU WERE DEAD distributed by Icon Entertainment International which starred Cary Elwes, Elaine Hendrix, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen and Sally Kirkland. She wrote a screenplay called EVERYTHING IS GOING TO POT in which she is planning to direct. She produced a film LOST AND FOUND IN ARMENIA with Jamie Kennedy and Angela Sarafyan. She also produced and cast an award-winning film entitled NEO NED, starring Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union.
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Monday Nov 20, 2017
THE FEMINIST’S GUIDE TO RAISING A LITTLE PRINCESS: How to Raise a Girl Who’s Authentic, Joyful, and Fearless – Even If She Refuses to Wear Anything but a Pink Tutu (a TarcherPerigee paperback; on sale November 11th, 2017) by Devorah Blachor.
In this title inspired by her viral New York Times Motherlode piece “Turn Your Princess-Obsessed Toddler into a Feminist in Eight Easy Steps,” Blachor offers insight and humor to all those who cringe each morning when their daughters refuse to wear anything that isn’t pink. Using personal anecdotes and playful essays, Blachor explores how mothers can raise their daughters in a society that pressures girls and women to bury their own needs, conform to unrealistic beauty standards, and sacrifice their own passions. With amusing – yet reassuring! - interviews with the formerly princess-obsessed, THE FEMINISTS GUIDE TO RAISING A LITTLE PRINCESS tackles important concepts while offering comic relief to concerned parents of budding little princesses.
The author is based overseas, however, is available for interviews and willing to call in from Skype.. Below my signature, you will see a q&a with the author. Please let me know if you would like to schedule an interview, or if you need anything else from me. I look forward to hearing from you!
Check out the TarcherPerigee Blog
About the Author:
Devorah Blachor is a New York Times Motherlode columnist and also writes for The Huffington Post, McSweeney's, The Hairpin, Redbook, Mommyish, Good Housekeeping, and The Rumpus, among other websites and magazines. Blachor's husband Matt Rees is an award-winning journalist and novelist. Their children Cai and Mari provide endless material for humor and essays.
In Conversation with Devorah Blachor, author of THE FEMINIST’S GUIDE TO RAISING A LITTLE PRINCESS, Devorah will talk about the following:
1. What inspired you to write The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess?
When my three-year-old daughter Mari started loving pink and princesses, the irony was great. Here I was, a committed feminist who favored oversized frumpy clothing and who wished the entire beauty industry would sink into the earth in a puff of silicone vapor. And here I had a walking toddler advertisement for tulle and sequins. I took my anxiety over what this might mean for Mari, and I turned it into a tongue-and-cheek satirical article called “Turn Your Princess-Obsessed Toddler Into a Feminist in Eight Easy Steps”. It was published in the New York Times Motherlode and it went viral. I realized I wasn’t alone. There were lots of mothers like me, who were committed to raising strong and independently minded daughters, and who were flummoxed by their daughters’ passion for tiaras and pink tutus. I started diving into this subject and that research evolved into the book.
2. Why did you want to steer your daughter away from pink and princesses and all things girly?
The culture of “pink for girls” is antithetical to what we would want for our girls and boys. We don’t want our kids to be limited by other people’s perceptions of what they should and shouldn’t be. We want boys to play freely with dolls if that’s their desire, for example.. And if girls are encouraged to play with toys that are traditionally associated with girls, what does that mean for them as they grow up? Will they be less likely to pursue “male” professions like pilots or engineers? My fear was that the pink culture would restrict my daughter before she even reached adolescence. I had a deeper fear too. I spent many years living with long-term depression. I associated the “feminine” with my depression. I thought the strictures and expectations of being female had contributed to my losing my spark when I was a teenager - a spark that I didn’t get back for many years. I didn’t want that to happen to my daughter.
3. How – or why – did she gravitate towards it anyway?
If you’ve ever met a toddler, you’ve probably noticed how strong-willed they are. I mean, they are REALLY determined. Meanwhile, as parents of toddlers, our energies are depleted. We’re absorbed with potty training and toddler aggression and getting them to eat foods that aren’t exclusively star shaped, and a whole host of other hilarious challenges. In the end, Mari’s love for princesses proved greater than my resistance to them.
4. Is it possible for parents to embrace their children’s princess obsession while also helping them reject the sexist messages that accompany so many of these princess-centered stories?
For a full answer to this question, get back to me in about ten years. For now, my answer is: We can certainly try. Particularly as they get older (like, I certainly never had these conversations when Mari was three), we can show our daughters how destructive messages are buried in the stories of the regressive princess. Luckily, we can use the newer princesses to point out positive qualities as well. Moana is an amazing character, for example. In her bravery and her quest to save her people, she possesses the qualities we find in the heroes of Greek mythology. Merida demonstrates resilience, from Elsa we learn about overcoming fears, and Anna teaches us the enormous power of acceptance and forgiveness. We can totally use this whole princess thing to our advantage.
5. Why do you say that parental instinct should be honored more than the advice of others (including relatives, articles and books by parenting experts)?
There is so much out there - the tips and the articles and the well-meaning relatives and the strangers on the street who tell you to button up your child’s sweater. Not to mention the “mommy wars” and the debate over parenting styles. The subtext of so much of this noise is judgement. Parents - and mothers in particular - constantly get the message that they’re doing it all wrong. If you listen to too many “experts”, you might lose your own voice amidst the noise. If you need advice or counsel, you can always choose a few people or sources you genuinely trust. But you can absolutely listen to yourself most of all. No one knows your child better than you do.
6. How can we help our daughters navigate a society that idealizes perfection?
Most parents have had the experience of their child coming home from school, upset by their own mistakes or shortcomings. Maybe they got into trouble with the teacher, or did something that made other kids laugh, or didn’t perform well on the soccer pitch. These are precious moments of parenting, when you can give your child a ton of love and acceptance and let them know it’s ok not to be perfect, and that it’s definitely ok to make mistakes. In general, it’s great to tell your kids stories of people who failed and kept trying, because we want them to not get beaten down by failure or fear of failure. Equally important is what happens at home. When my kids act “unlovable” - when they test me and fight with each other and are needy and obnoxious - in those moments, I sometimes want to lie down or run away or drink wine. And while I can’t pretend I’ve never poured myself a glass in times of stress or yelled at them, I know that the way I handle these imperfect moments are important. Because if I can stop and breathe and accept my children when they are behaving in “unlovable” ways, they get the message that they don’t have to be perfect to be loved. It’s tricky. We’re all doing our best. And we should go easy on ourselves as well - as parents and as human beings, we shouldn’t expect perfection from ourselves either.
7. In your book, you interview a number of women who used to be princess-obsessed as girls. Did their obsession have any negative lasting effects?
It’s one of my favorite parts of the book, because I was curious to know how it all turned out for girls who were obsessed with princesses. This “Princess Culture” is a relatively new thing, because Disney only started marketing the princess brand in 2000. The first generation of girls who fell down the “Disney Princess rabbit hole” are coming of age now. When I finally reached out to some of them for my book, I was heartened. Every single one seemed like an engaged, intelligent and interesting person. And they all had a good and humorous perspective on their princess days.
8. What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Accept your children, who will not be the people you expected but will be fabulous anyway. While you’re at it, accept yourself. And don’t forget to laugh. This parenting stuff can sometimes feel heavy and overwhelming. But if you have the right perspective, a lot of it is actually quite funny. Particularly very small little girls who are very passionate about princesses.
http://www.devorahblachor.com/
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Monday Nov 20, 2017
I have one word for this book: YUM.
ZINGERMAN'S BAKEHOUSE. You might have heard of Zingerman's, the renowned artisanal bakery out of Michigan, whose national mail-order business has created a fan-based crowd across the entire U.S. Since 1992, Zingerman's has been going strong, and this month marks it's 25th anniversary when, for the first time ever, they are sharing their delicious recipes and business secrets in a new cookbook, ZINGERMAN'S BAKEHOUSE. The story of the founding of Zingerman's Bakehouse and their continued success in the wake of changing tastes and food fads, is as heart-warming as it is impressive, reminding us that business success and passion do go hand in hand. In the book they share their successes and their heart aches with equal fan fare.
This is the must-have baking book for bakers of all skill levels. Since 1992, Michigan's renowned artisanal bakery, Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, has fed a fan base across the United States and beyond with their chewy-sweet brownies and gingersnaps, famous sour cream coffee cake, and fragrant loaves of Jewish rye, challah, and sourdough. It's no wonder Zingerman's is a cultural and culinary institution. Now, for the first time, to celebrate their 25th anniversary, the Zingerman's bakers share 65 meticulously tested, carefully detailed recipes in a beautiful hardcover book featuring more than 50 color photographs and bountiful illustrations. Behind-the-scenes stories of the business enrich this collection of best-of-kind, delicious recipes for every ”I can't believe I get to make this at home!" treat."
Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo are master bakers and the co-owners of Zingerman's Bakehouse. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
http://www.zingermansbakehouse .com/25years/
Thursday Nov 16, 2017
Thursday Nov 16, 2017
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER SUSAN SARANDON AND DIRECTOR THOMAS MORGAN, REBELHOUSE GROUP, AND PILGRIM MEDIA ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE FEATURE DOCUMENTARY SOUFRA AT THE DOC NYC FESTIVAL
ABOUT
THE FILM TELLS A WILDLY INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST UNLIKELY ENTREPRENEUR, MARIAN SHA’AR —A GENERATIONAL REFUGEE WHO LAUNCHED A CATERING COMPANY AND THE FIRST-EVER FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS FROM INSIDE A REFUGEE CAMP.
U.S. SCREENINGS OF SOUFRA TO FOLLOW IN LOS ANGELES STARTING NOV. 17 & NEW YORK STARTING DEC. 15
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER SUSAN SARANDON TO ATTEND RED CARPET U.S. PREMIERE AT DOC NYC IN NOVEMBER
WINNER – AUDIENCE AWARD – EL GOUNA FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER – BEST ARAB DOCUMENTARY—EL GOUNA FILM FESTIVAL
NEW YORK – The award-winning documentary feature SOUFRA, will have its North American Premiere at the DOC NYC Film Festival in New York on November 12th.
SOUFRA is directed by award-winning filmmaker Thomas Morgan (Storied Streets, Waiting for Mamu), produced by Primetime Emmy®-winning filmmaker Kathleen Glynn (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, TV Nation), Rebelhouse President, Trevor Hall, Pilgrim Media Group President & CEO Craig Piligian, and executive produced by Academy Award®-winning actress Susan Sarandon. All will attend the film’s red carpet premiere, along with other prominent individuals including actress Mary-Louise Parker, on November 12th at SVA Theatre 2.
"The only ‘feel good’ doc about refugees that I know of – inspiring and delicious,"
said Susan Sarandon.
SOUFRA follows the inspirational story of intrepid social entrepreneur, Mariam Shaar – a refugee who has spent her entire life in the 69-year-old Burl El Barajneh refugee camp south of Beirut, Lebanon.
The film chronicles Mariam and a diverse team of fellow refugee women, from throughout the Middle East who share the camp as their home as they set out to change their fate by launching a catering company, “Soufra,” and then expanding its reach (thanks to an astonishing Kickstarter campaign), outside the camp with a food truck business. Together, they heal the wounds of war through the unifying power of food while taking their future into their own hands.
SOUFRA is a co-production of Rebelhouse Group, Pilgrim Media Group, and BIG 9 Productions.
Official Website: http://www.soufrafilm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soufrafilm/
Instagram: @soufrafilm
Thursday Nov 16, 2017
Thursday Nov 16, 2017
New Yorker writer shares her journey of learning French in the name of love –and what it means to love someone in a second language
“A thoughtful, beautifully written meditation on the art of language and intimacy. The book unfolds like several books in one: on moving abroad, on communication in human relationships, on the history of language, and in the end, on the delights of cross-cultural fusion.”—The New York Times Book Review
A staff writer at The New Yorker since 2008, Lauren Collins has profiled subjects from Michelle Obama and Gérard Depardieu to April Bloomfield and Donatella Versace. In her bestselling book, WHEN IN FRENCH: Love in a Second Language, now available in paperback, Collins turns an unwavering eye on herself. When, in her early thirties, Colllins moves to London and falls for a Frenchman named Oliver, she discovers firsthand that a language barrier is no match for love. Unable to speak French herself, their relationship develops solely in English. When the couple, newly married, relocates to francophone Geneva, Collins—fearful of one day becoming "a Borat of a mother" who doesn’t understand her own kids—decides to answer these questions for herself by learning French.
Lauren Collins as she shares her journey of what it means to love someone in a second language, including:
· Wondering about the things she doesn’t understand about Olivier, having never spoken to him in his native tongue
· Whether “I love you” even means the same thing as “je t’aime”
· Grappling with the complexities of the French language and accidently telling her mother-in-law that she’s given birth to a coffee machine
· Wrestling with the very nature of French identity and society—a far cry from life back home in North Carolina.
Plumbing the mysterious depths of humanity’s many forms of language, Collins describes with wicked humor and great style the frustrations, embarrassments, surprises, and, finally, joys of learning—and living in—French.
About the Author:
Lauren Collins began working at the New Yorker in 2003 and became a staff writer in 2008. Her subjects have included Michelle Obama, Donatella Versace, the graffiti artist Banksy, and the chef April Bloomfield. Since 2010, she has been based in Europe, covering stories from London, Paris, Copenhagen, and beyond. Her story on the Daily Mail was recently short-listed for the Feature Story of the Year by the Foreign Press Association in London.
Tuesday Nov 14, 2017
Tuesday Nov 14, 2017
Steven Johnson, the New York Times bestselling author of How We Got to Now—also an Emmy-winning PBS series—takes a long-zoom approach to popular entertainment, contending that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. In Wonderland, now out in paperback, Johnson argues that throughout history, the cutting edge of innovation lies wherever people are working the hardest to keep themselves amused and how follies dismissed as mindless entertainment have changed civilization in dramatic ways.
In six captivating sections—Fashion and Shopping, Music, Taste, Illusions, Games, and Public Space—Johnson introduces us to the colorful innovators of leisure: the explorers, proprietors, showmen, and artists who changed the trajectory of history with their luxurious wares, exotic meals, taverns, gambling tables, and magic shows.
Steven discusses how:
· Garment design has driven technological innovation
· Early music boxes demonstrated advanced mechanical engineering and player pianos paved the way for the development of computer software
· Having a taste for spices from pepper to vanilla to cinnamon generated massive international trade
· Our desire for amusement has shifted our perspective about public spaces and led to the creation of parks, zoos, taverns and coffeehouses, all of which have played a key role in revolutionizing society.
In every case—from 19th century illusionists to today’s virtual reality—Johnson brilliantly shows how innovations come from unexpected places—including the technological breakthroughs of Snow White to the way that games (from chess to Spacewar!) have made possible crucial advancements in computing. As he makes clear, “you will find the future wherever people have having the most fun.”
About the Author:
Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of books including How We Got to Now, Where Good Ideas Come From, The Invention of Air, The Ghost Map, and Everything Bad Is Good for You. The founder of a variety of influential websites, he is the host and co-creator of the PBS and BBC series How We Got to Now. Johnson lives in Marin County, California, and Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and three sons.
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Monday Nov 13, 2017
ABOUT MR. ROOSEVELT
In her feature directorial debut, Noël Wells portrays Emily, a talented but hard-to-classify comedic performer who left behind her home and boyfriend to pursue career opportunities in L.A. When a loved one falls ill, Emily rushes back to Austin where she’s forced to stay with her ex-boyfriend (Nick Thune) and his new-and-improved girlfriend (Britt Lower), a totally together woman with a five-year plan. Though Emily is the same, everything else is different: her house has been smartly redecorated, her rocker boyfriend is training to be a real estate agent, and her old haunts show serious signs of gentrification. Holed up in her own guest room, Emily--who has no idea what she'll be doing five days from now, let alone five years--is forced to question everyone's values: are they sell-outs or have they just figured out what makes them happy? And is she following her dreams or is she just a self-absorbed loser?
MR. ROOSEVELT premiered to great acclaim at SXSW, where it won the Audience Award in Narrative Spotlight and the Louis Black Lone Star Award, and has continued to garner plaudits on the festival circuit, most recently at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival, where it won the Founders Prize for Best US Fiction Film.
MR. ROOSEVELT is written and directed by Noël Wells, who also stars and serves as an Executive Producer. Michael B. Clark, Chris Ohlson, and Alex Turtletaub produce. Cinematography by Dagmar Weaver-Madsen, editing by Terel Gibson, music by Ryan Miller. MR. ROOSEVELT is distributed by Paladin Pictures.
RT: 90 minutes / Not Rated