Tag Archive for 'PBS'

SuperForest Hero: Jane Elliot

mathew published on November 17, 2010 in art, build, celebrity and zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

SuperForest Heroes are people who exhibit amazing gifts and talents, and are set on changing the world. We will highlight who THEY ARE here.

Goooodd Morrnninggg SuperForest!

I want to introduce to you Jane Elliot. She is a SuperForest Hero. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 she decided she needed to begin really teaching her third grade students about discriminations, and more importantly humanity. She showed them what it felt like to be a minority, and evaluated the affects discrimination had on her students socially and academically. This experiment has become one of the most famous in social psychology. Be warned that her methods can definitely be describe as intense, but her outcomes cannot be disputed. She has changed the lives of many, and continuous to do so. Instead of me telling you about her, I want to show you her. PBS’s Frontline did a special on her in 1985. The whole program runs 46 minutes, but if you are short on time be sure to watch parts ONE & TWO at least. These two parts focus on her original experiment, and the others will show you the long term effect of her work, and how she has started bringing her teachings to adults. (Note: There are some words used in the video that are now socially inappropriate in our culture.)
So here is Part 1!

For the Parts 2 through 5 click on the link below!

Jane Elliot’s Frontline: A Class Divided

Jane Elliot is a community and family builder, and she is truly a SuperForest Hero. She brings people together in their humanity by making them realise they all can be hurt equally, and it just is not worth it. LOVE is much more powerful! Her teachings are invaluable. Thank you Jane,

Mathew & Team SuperForest

2010 Poet Laureate: W.S. Merwin

jordan published on July 2, 2010 in art. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I know it’s not the 2nd or 4th Friday of the month, but when I read this in the paper today, I had to share it with all of you:

W.S. Merwin Appointed as Next Poet Laureate

(via Matt Valentine/Library of Congress/AP Photo)

What is the Poet Laureate?  An honorary position appointed by the US government to a poet to promote the artform on a national level.  Who is W.S. Merwin?  At 83 he is perhaps the greatest living poet — a master who won his second Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his book The Shadow of Sirius.

He’s also my favorite poet of all time (after Neruda, whose work we would not be able to truly appreciate without Merwin’s translations).  You can read my previous posts about Merwin here and here.

A Zen Buddhist and an outspoken environmentalist who lives on his own Zero One like converted plantation in Haiku, Maui — Merwin embodies many of the ideals we strive for at SuperForest.

For A Coming Extinction

Gray whale
Now that we are sending you to The End
That great god
Tell him
That we who follow you invented forgiveness
And forgive nothing

I write as though you could understand
And I could say it
One must always pretend something
Among the dying
When you have left the seas nodding on their stalks
Empty of you
Tell him that we were made
On another day

The bewilderment will diminish like an echo
Winding along your inner mountains
Unheard by us
And find its way out
Leaving behind it the future
Dead
And ours

When you will not see again
The whale calves trying the light
Consider what you will find in the black garden
And its court
The sea cows the Great Auks the gorillas
The irreplaceable hosts ranged countless
And fore-ordaining as stars
Our sacrifices
Join your work to theirs
Tell him
That it is we who are important

It’s truly a great day for poetry and a great day for SuperForest.  If you’ve never read Merwin before, here’s several links where you can immerse yourself in the magic of his words (and voice): npr.org, pbs.org, poemhunter.

SuperForesty Film: Michael Pollan’s “Botany of Desire” (Tune in Oct. 28!)

carla published on October 19, 2009 in celebrity, food and zeitgeist. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Fellow SuperForesters,

I just got word that next Wednesday (October 28th), the exciting plant documentary, “Botany of Desire”, will premiere on PBS! This is one of those films that despite not having seen it myself, looks promising enough for me to suggest. So if you are able to, please be sure to tune in.

Based off of Michael Pollan‘s book, Botany of Desire, this film will attempt to showcase the intricate relationship between humans and plants. It examines this relationship by studying four particular plants that have travelled the road to success by satisfying a unique human desire, in this case, those are: sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control. Contrary to the popular belief that plants have been modified to serve our needs and desires, Pollan offers a unique perspective which asks the questions, “What if plants have been controlling us? What if throughout the course of human evolution, they have been using their desirable and attractive qualities to proliferate exponentially?”

Of course, the film isn’t trying to suggest that we are literally being manipulated by plants, but it does illustrate how in the end, despite our best efforts to control it, we really are at the mercy of mother nature.

Here’s a little preview for us:

And I highly recommend you visit the Botany of Desire website. There, you will find incredible sources of information, bonus videos, and interactive maps and timelines.

Botany of Desire

With love,

Carla