Movies of Educators to Inspire...

Over the last little while I've been recalling some of my favourite movies dealing with education from an educators perspective.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a list that is worth a gander

The Emperor's Club -- Kevin Klein is a Roman history teacher, that clashes wills with the son of a senator.  When Klein believes he has failed, he gets surprised by his successes.  To quote one of his students "A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives."

Dead Poets Society -- One of my all time favourite Robin Williams performances.  Robin Williams portrays a teacher that returns to his Alma mater, to enlighten and mold his students into aspiring thinkers, with some tragic consequences.  "Captain, my captain" still rings in my mind when I'm feeling a little rebelliousness stirring in my heart and mind. If you can find it, the directors cut is worth the extra time.

Anthony Bourdain -- Medium Raw

I just finished devouring Anthony Bourdain's latest offering Medium Raw. Partly autobiographical, partly his rants, likes and dislikes that fans of Bourdian will enjoy. The language is still not for the faint-of-heart, as the pages and chapters are peppered with colourful language.

Bourdain talks about some people is less than a fan of, balances that with some fandom of some skilled practitioners of the culinary arts. He provides his insight in to the state of the current culinary world, and a few notes from the past.

I love his write and style, and so I enthusiastically recommend this to others. If you don't dig is work like I do, scan it and see if this will convert you.


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Lost Symbol

After much prodding by a friend I read Dan Brown's Lost Symbol and it was good to see him target someone other than the church.  I recently read it a second time, to ensure I hadn't missed any subtle nuances.

Much like the Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code, conspiracy theorists will have a field day as our symbologist, Robert Langdon, looks into the secrets of the Masons. Runing around Washington DC to ensure the safety of its inhabitance, our protagonist tries to decode the secrets and symbols  and solve the mystery presented to him.

My friend and I each had an additional laugh because we each live near a Mason Hall in our respective cities. There are many reviews of this book on the net if you care to read them detail, and even a few spoiler sites to ruin your fun.

If you have liked any of his previous books I would say give this one a browse as well.


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Acedia, A Long Lost Word.

A couple weeks back I was listening to Words at Large on CBC Radio it was but the subject of acedia came up.  Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life By Kathleen Norris was the book under discussion.  The author brought up an interesting point, she talked about the Deadly Thoughts instead of Deadly Sins, and acedia fell into the category of deadly thoughts.  Was very interesting and the podcast is worth listening to.


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Into The Wild

Finally saw Into the Wild.  Very intersting movie, and an interesting concept.  It was too bad for the main character that the Dick Proenneke Alone in the Wilderness wasn't available yet, he might have survived. You can read the IMDB summaries of either of the movies.  When the Proenneke documentary is on PBS I will watch it without fail.  There is of course also Never Cry Wolf and Call of the Wild. 

Now my real point, I've been at a cross road for awhile, when my mind is unsettled I run to the outdoors. Nothing like the power and tranquility of nature.  Sitting on a bluff, or a ridge, hilltop or mountain top.  My bush craft isn't up to the point that I could just drop off the face of civilization and disappear into the woods and walk a lifetime in Proenneke's footsteps.  I need to practice starting a fire with a bow drill.  I would have to decide to actually hunt, instead of just stalk for photos.  Most importantly, I need to learn plant and mushroom identification.  In the Into the Wild movie the dood mistook Inedible wild sweet pea, hedysarum mackenzii, with Edible Wild potatoe, hedysarum alpinum.  I have far too much to learn on the plant and mushroom front to survive without a garden, or a super market.  At some point, I also need to learn how to better dress meat, then smoke or dry it.  While I understand how to dress most game, it has just been far too long since I last tried that, I would probably spoil more meat than I could butcher, again like the d00d in the movie.

The Nasty Bits:

Just powered though Anthony Bourdain The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones. It's a colection of odds and sods from his other writings.  If you like Anthony's schtick from his various TV shows, then this might give you a chuckle.

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Digital Fortress

Well, I powered through Digital Fortress.  It's a Dan Brown book.  Not really comparable to Cryptonomicon.  It was an interesting book, and I prefer it to the Da Vinci Code.  A couple of the twists were not as predictable as they were in Angels & Demons.  For people that do not like Dan Brown, don't bother with this one, otherwise give it a go. 

Up next Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle.

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Angels & Demons

If you like Dan Brown (Author of the Da Vinci Code) you will probably like Angels & Demons. Had a couple of twists that made it interesting and a pretty fast read.  I'm gonna read his Digital Fortress, and see how that compares to the Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

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Road to Mars

Even though I bought in for my trip to ecuador, I finally sat down and read Eric Idle's Road to Mars I quiet enjoyed it and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I orginally heard excerpts from the book on CBC Radio Between the Covers. I bought it, thought I might have read it durring my various airport stops, and flights, but nope. So, after sitting on my to read pile for too long I finally did. I do recomend it, but you'll probably have to get it off your favorite online book seller.


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An Interesting Series Of Novels

I've been reading books by Jane Linkdskold, well "The Firekeeper Sagas" anyway. I've got a couple others but haven't read those yet. If I see a picture of a wolf or wolf in the title, it's gonna grab my interest. I have read 5 of the 6 had been pretty happy with her writing. The sixth should be out in hardcover but I'll wait for the paperback.

I also have "Buried Pyramid", but haven't read that yet, and looking to pick up "Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls". This should help me decide am I biased because there are wolves, or is it really her writting.

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