Photo by Creative Vix from Pexels
“I don't think most people are aware of the exotic and extreme tools at the disposal of the most powerful and wealthy men of America when they are bent at silencing accusations against them.”
- Ronan Farrow
What led to the Me Too Movement going viral in 2017? It was a story in the New Yorker, written by investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, about prominent Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein. That Weinstein was a sexual predator was an open secret in Hollywood, but many were afraid to say anything or provide evidence against him. Catch and Kill - The Podcast Tapes is a six-part documentary series on how Ronan Farrow’s investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s crimes unfolded. Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar. Here’s a trailer.
“In Arabic the word for free and the word for forgiveness is the same word.”
- Mohamedou Ould Slahi in ‘The Mauritanian’
The Mauritanian, available on Amazon Prime, is a film about Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was incarcerated for fourteen years at the Guantanamo Bay military prison by the United States for his suspected role in 9/11. The film is based on Slahi’s memoir, Guantánamo Diary. Here is the trailer. Films based on true stories are always interesting and informative. While the film has a stellar cast, with Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch, you should watch The Mauritanian for actor Tahar Rahim’s performance as Slahi. Rahim’s name has been doing the rounds recently for his roles in The Looming Tower (on Amazon Prime) and The Serpent (on Netflix).
“With The Sleepy Bookshelf, we’re throwing the relaxing magic of Get Sleepy into the deep, cultural well of classic literature.”
- The Sleepy Bookshelf website
If you are having trouble sleeping, I recommend The Sleepy Bookshelf, the sister podcast of Get Sleepy. Both aim to give you a good night’s rest. While Get Sleepy has original stories, The Sleep Bookshelf offers a serialised reading of a book in a manner that will help you relax. The books completed so far are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Pride and Prejudice. They’ve recently begun the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Perfect bedtime listening. Being a Jane Austen fan, I began with Pride and Prejudice and found myself listening to it even during the day just to unwind.
“What’s interesting to me about that is regardless of where I am, anywhere, every audience gets that.”
- Bobby McFerrin
So you think you aren’t musical? Or maybe you like music, but you're not much of a singer or a musician. In this delightful clip, musician Bobby McFerin (of Don’t Worry, Get Happy fame) demonstrates in a very simple way how we all understand musical notes inherently even if we haven’t realised it yet.
“Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”
- ‘Desiderata’ by Max Erhmann
If you’ve never read the poem Desiderata by Max Erhmann, this time that we are in is the best time to absorb every word of it. Desiderata is Latin for ‘things desired’. As we continue in this ‘limbo’ state of uncertainty, and ask ourselves any number of questions about life, Desiderata, in offering a code to live by, answers all the important ones.
Until next time,
Michelle