‘Journey of the Universe’

MILLBROOK — The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies screened the film, “Journey of the Universe: An Epic Story of Transformation,” on Friday, Feb. 10 and filled the auditorium. “Journey of the Universe” is a documentary that offers a perspective on the close relationship humans have with the Earth, the environment and the resulting social crisis. The film takes audiences from the Big Bang Theory to how the presence of humans has already strongly impacted the earth. Notable author and philosopher Brian Thomas Swimme and Yale University historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker collaborated in making the documentary and a book with the same title that accompanies the film.The film takes audiences on a journey, illustrating how life on earth came into existence. Swimme is the host in the film, showing in the course of one day in Greece how humans are tied into the web of existence and the role they play in the universe. The film describes how human creativity, developed through music, literature and dance, all play important roles in our scientific existence. The documentary raises complex ideas and prompts discussions about how humans have impacted the planet. Yet the film is able to connect to people of all ages and backgrounds so they can all join the conversation. Tucker was available for a question and answer session following the screening as well.“We wanted to make a film that would be fine with a scientist, atheist, agnostic or people not interested in religion,” said Tucker. “I think the self-organizing dynamics of the universe cause enough wonder and amazement whether you’re religious or not.”The pair lived in Berkley, Calif., for three years while writing the script for both the film and the book. By the end of the documentary the film shows how humans are responsible for the current environmental crisis, however it also shows that they also have the power to turn that crisis around. Attendees Friday evening were engaged by the issues the film raised and Tucker answered many questions from the audience. She described what she hoped people would take away from the film.“I would hope that they get a sense of hope,” said Tucker. “That their future is not bleak or shut down and that we are all in this together. I like to think of it as an inter-generational handshake with the next generation. Their great work, whether it’s raising children, teaching or having a business, the whole spectrum of things matter in creating the flourishing of the earth community — so they can feel connected to something larger.”

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Walking among the ‘Herd’

Walking among the ‘Herd’

Michel Negroponte

Betti Franceschi

"Herd,” a film by Michel Negroponte, will be screening at The Norfolk Library on Saturday April 13 at 5:30 p.m. This mesmerizing documentary investigates the relationship between humans and other sentient beings by following a herd of shaggy Belted Galloway cattle through a little more than a year of their lives.

Negroponte and his wife have had a second home just outside of Livingston Manor, in the southwest corner of the Catskills, for many years. Like many during the pandemic, they moved up north for what they thought would be a few weeks, and now seldom return to their city dwelling. Adjacent to their property is a privately owned farm and when a herd of Belted Galloways arrived, Negroponte realized the subject of his new film.

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documentaries

Fresh perspectives in Norfolk Library film series

Fresh perspectives in Norfolk Library film series

Diego Ongaro

Photo submitted

Parisian filmmaker Diego Ongaro, who has been living in Norfolk for the past 20 years, has composed a collection of films for viewing based on his unique taste.

The series, titled “Visions of Europe,” began over the winter at the Norfolk Library with a focus on under-the-radar contemporary films with unique voices, highlighting the creative richness and vitality of the European film landscape.

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norfolk library

New ground to cover and plenty of groundcover

New ground to cover and plenty of groundcover

Young native pachysandra from Lindera Nursery shows a variety of color and delicate flowers.

Dee Salomon

It is still too early to sow seeds outside, except for peas, both the edible and floral kind. I have transplanted a few shrubs and a dogwood tree that was root pruned in the fall. I have also moved a few hellebores that seeded in the near woods back into their garden beds near the house; they seem not to mind the few frosty mornings we have recently had. In years past I would have been cleaning up the plant beds but I now know better and will wait at least six weeks more. I have instead found the most perfect time-consuming activity for early spring: teasing out Vinca minor, also known as periwinkle and myrtle, from the ground in places it was never meant to be.

Planting the stuff in the first place is my biggest ever garden regret. It was recommended to me as a groundcover that would hold together a hillside, bare after a removal of invasive plants save for a dozen or so trees. And here we are, twelve years later; there is vinca everywhere. It blankets the hillside and has crept over the top into the woods. It has made its way left and right. I am convinced that vinca is the plastic of the plant world. The stuff won’t die. (The name Vinca comes from the Latin ‘vincire’ which means ‘to bind or fetter.’) Last year I pulled a bunch and left it strewn on the roof of the root cellar for 6 months and the leaves were still green.

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the ungardener

Matza Lasagne by 'The Cook and the Rabbi'

Matza Lasagne by 'The Cook and the Rabbi'

Culinary craftsmanship intersects with spiritual insights in the wonderfully collaborative book, “The Cook and the Rabbi.” On April 14 at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck (6422 Montgomery Street), the cook, Susan Simon, and the rabbi, Zoe B. Zak, will lead a conversation about food, tradition, holidays, resilience and what to cook this Passover.

Passover, marked by the traditional seder meal, holds profound significance within Jewish culture and for many carries extra meaning this year at a time of great conflict. The word seder, meaning “order” in Hebrew, unfolds in a 15-step progression intertwining prayers, blessings, stories, and songs that narrate the ancient saga of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. It’s a narrative that has endured for over two millennia, evolving with time yet retaining its essence, a theme echoed beautifully in “The Cook and the Rabbi.”

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books