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Book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma / Michael Pollan
This book represents one of two epiphanies I’ve experienced this year. Both involve discovering something I’ve been ignorant of most of my life, but relied on heavily nonetheless. In this case the discovery is an entity crucial to my daily survival – the food chain that sustains me. It’s very revealing of our powers of…
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Movie: Unknown White Male (2005)
A real story of extreme amnesia debunks some of the Hollywood amnesia mythology, leaving the piercing philosophical questions exposed. Our good fortune is that the amnesia struck a financially independent man with a video camera, who previously had a nosey friend with a video camera. So we’re able to see what might happen to a…
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Movie: Somersault (2006)
This Australian coming-of-age film follows the struggles of a 16-year-old girl who runs away from home to a small ski town. It does a pretty amazing job of exposing some of the difficulties of establishing relationships as a teenager, and just surviving, that shows how some painful lessons might change a person and yet leave…
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Movie: Eight Below (2006)
You know from the second the soundtrack starts that this is a Disney movie, and as such is going to manipulate you mercilessly. Resistance is futile. Just drink some water beforehand so you don’t get dehydrated by the tear extraction process. Despite my resentment of the emotional manhandling, the movie is redeemed to a large…