A Picture Says a Thousand Words

Haiti's only film school was destroyed on January 12th during the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Since that time, the film students have been documenting, capturing and sharing with the world graphic and moving images from this still unfolding crisis. (Per the USGS, this is the strongest quake to hit what is now Haiti since 1770.) Through their art these filmmakers are able to help save/rebuild lives. I first learned of Ciné Institute from a Sundance Film Festival posting. Film can be enormously powerful.


Please be advised that there are images in this film that are graphic and may not be appropriate for young children.

"Cup of Jo"... Anna

I caught a great documentary today at The Princeton Environmental Film Festival called "Strong Coffee: The Story of Cafe Femenino".
It is an inspiring, uplifting, well done and short - just 48 minutes - documentary about marginalized female coffee farmers in Peru who organized (in 2004) into the first all female produced coffee growers in the world.

It is the story of Cafe Femenino and the "Femenino beans". To be a true Femenino bean, the land where the coffee "cherries" are grown must be owned by a woman, all the work to produce the bean, from the picking of the bean to the cleaning to the selling, must be done by women. The coffee beans are sold as Fair Trade, and Organic (generating a premium which benefits the coffee Co-op) and then, because it is a Femenino bean, another 2 cents per pound is paid. This additional money goes directly to the women of Cafe Femenino. They decide how it is spent. Roasters buying these coffee beans must agree to keep the Femenino beans separate from other beans (so no blending) to preserve the integrity of this particular coffee. There is also a "Pay It Forward" element at play here. Roasters buying the Femenino beans agree to contribute a percentage of their profits from the sale of the Femenino coffee to a local women's charity of their choosing or they can send such profits on to The Cafe Femenino Foundation.

The film shows that lives have been improved in the rural hills of Peru. Women's attitudes about themselves and attitudes towards them have been altered. Families are experiencing less domestic violence, more daughters are receiving an education. As expressed in the film, a small gesture like purchasing a cup of coffee can improve lives around the world. One place where you can find Cafe Femenino coffee is Grounds for Change.

And, thanks to my good friend Joanne B. for joining me at this screening.

A Decade Lost: From Aught to Naught

As we enter this new decade, let's review some of those things that are becoming obsolete, what is replacing them, and if that is good or NOT *:

BOOK >>>>>>>>>> KINDLE
Well, I think the Kindles are great, especially for traveling (no lugging the heavy books),for newpapers (no ink mess or awkward paper folding to avoid invading your neighbors space if you care about that sort of thing), and for sampling new reads. But, I do love the feel of a good book and the COLORS/VISUALS you get with an actual book - especially those books from Rizzoli and Assouline.

PEN >>>>>>>>>> KEYBOARD
Sorry, I love the feel of a fabulous pen - from a Tiffany Blue pen to a handsome Mont Blanc to my old stand by - blue papermates (by the box full). I always sign my docs in blue - easy to id the original. But I do use BOTH (obviously, as you are reading my Blog)

LANDLINE >>>>>>>>>> CELLPHONE
Provided the brain cancer link is truly a myth, cellphones are GOOD. They are portable, small and come in a variety of colors.

PAYPHONE CALLS TO SAY GOODNIGHT >>>>>>>>>> CELLPHONES TO SAY/TEXT GOODNIGHT
A GOOD thing. Direct and to the Point and no lines. I am not sure I actually ever stood on a line or used a pay phone for this purpose but others have! And, are there really any payphone left anyway?

ACTUAL CONVERSATION >>>>>>>>>> TEXT MESSAGES and EMAILS
Aside from calling someone's actual home, hearing a voice, maybe having to say hello to someone's parent, child, spouse or other human, actually seeing someone's face during a conversation where you can see their reaction, and read, rightly or wrongly, emotion as you "converse", there are advantages but I hope the Art of Conversation is not completely lost. And, SKYPE is a bridge builder here...

PAYPHONE CALLS TO SAY GOODNIGHT >>>>>>>>>> CELLPHONES TO SAY/TEXT GOODNIGHT
A GOOD thing. Direct and to the Point and no lines. I am not sure I actually ever stood on a line or used a pay phone for this purpose but others have! And, are there really any payphone left anyway?

PERSONAL LETTER >>>>>>>>>> EMAIL
Many say the former has disappeared but we all know the curiousity, intrigue, PLEASURE we feel when a personal letter arrives. Not so much with an email. And, do we save love emails? I don't think so. And, when we give a gift, do we give it with an email taped to the box or in the bag? No, our gifts - whatever the occasion - are most often accompanied with a handwritten note/card or gift tag. As a related aside, one of the most refreshing things I heard all week - a friend who has no email. He only writes personal notes. He responds to business emails sent to his office the next day with a hand written note/letter or a phone call - he likes to take the time to deliberate. While this may not be practical for some or most of us (myself included), it is food for thought.

RANDOM CHATTER >>>>>>>>>> TWITTER
I don't even know what to say here.

HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

*opinions may vary depending upon your age and experience!

In Living Color

Ogden Rood (1831-1902), an American physicist and artist, wrote about color theory and introduced the term "hue". Hue is the basic term of a color - whether it is blue, green or red ... Neo-impressionist painters (such as George Seurat) benefited from his writings. Others have studied and written about color, saturation, color wavelengths, hue, perception, etc. I could read Modern Chromatics (1879) by Rood - but no. Today, I am going to study color via my new book "HUE", by Kelly Wearstler. Is this lazy? No, it's studying the practical application of color theory.

Looking Through Rose Colored Glasses

A pink wash for Charlemagne. Courtyard of Notre Dame. Just for fun.

As far as looking at life through rose colored glasses, there is nothing wrong with that... "glass half full" as the saying goes. After all, while it is true that our trip to Paris unexpectedly ended 24 hours after arrival, a week ago we were strolling through a beautiful city without a plan or an agenda, relaxing in a cafe, and enjoying life. So, better a day in Paris than none at all. La vie est belle!

(By the way, I really was in rose colored glasses. )

I hope you enjoy/enjoyed this week's posting "trips" to Paris. BTW, for anyone visiting in the near future, we had a fabulous dinner (yes, I realize it was the only one we had) at Le Bambouche, 15 rue de Babylone ( www.lebamboche.com). If you click on the tab "Cadre", you will see our table - photo top right. During dinner, they do dim the lights.

Recyclez s'il vous plaît

Look at this recylcing bin - located all over the streets in Paris. It is huge.

Look at this Smart Car - they are all over the streets in Paris. It is so small.

Hmmmm... I think this car might fit in the recyling bin.

Click to Help Women in Need

Click here for an easy and free way to help fund mammograms for those in need at The Breast Cancer Site!

School Lunches and Love Notes :)

And, it's back to school! Did I say "finally"? Just kidding. I could go another few months at least. But now that we are back to school I will be packing my kids' lunches pretty much everyday. I like to know what they are eating. They joke that "losers" take the bus and bring their own lunches but they rarely forget to grab it on the way out.

Truth be told, it would save $ if I let them buy lunch tomorrow but until our school lunch offerings change ala the "Renegade Lunch Lady" (/www.chefann.com/blog/ ), my girls will be schlepping their reusable soft colored bags (no vinyl or pvc used) and my son will take recycled paper brown bags (not great as they end up as trash). Our goal is also to have the lunches contain as much nutritious, locally grown food and "non-waste" materials as possible. To be sure, any notes I might embarrass them with will be written on pretty, recycled stationery/papers!

All in favor of updating The Child Nutrition Act and giving our kids real food raise your hand!

See this recent article: www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/dining/19school.html

A Deep Thought: Sustaining and Healing - What is Fair Trade Paper?

As I am on vacation with my children enjoying life, the sunshine and much laughter, I think about those that don't necessarily have it as good. Women who live in areas of war and tough economic conditions. And last night when we were in a store called "Next Summer" (www.thelakehouselife.com) I was reminded about Fair Trade artisans while looking at a funky red organic looking floor pillow. “Sustain & Heal” is one of my favorite letterpress stationery lines and it comes from De Milo Design in California and they say it best: " In one word, Fair Trade (not to be mistaken for NAFTA’s “Free Trade”) is Dignity. 10,000 Villages explains it best. They focus on relationships with people who have been marginalized by war, weather, and damaging cultural systems. Hearing stories of people who have reclaimed life through Fair Trade is important for us western shoppers. The invitations in “Sustain & Heal" use Fair Trade paper from Kenya, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. If we can’t get it Fair Trade, the designs are supplemented by 100% Post Consumer Waste recycled paper produced by eco- friendly methods. With "Sustain & Heal” invitations our celebrations sustain our planet and heal lives!" In addition to invitations, Sustain & Heal can letterpress your personal stationery, thank you notes and everyday notecards and those we keep in stock at the office. And, of course, all are beautifully done. Fair Trade products are popping up all over. Call to find out more.

Where Do You Shop? Be a 3/50 Project Supporter

Clink on this link to find out how to strengthen your local community. Pick 3 and spend $50.The benefits are real.

How Does Paper Made From Elephant Pooh Save Elephants? And, Does it Smell?

A few years ago when I first saw stationery made from elephant dung (pooh), I thought it was a funny gimmick. I didn't know that this process could really help with saving the lives of these beautiful animals. But, it does. Mr. Ellie Pooh is saving elephants in Sri Lanka. ( My cousin lives there by the way - small world - but she is not collecting elephant dung and making paper - she is saving the world in another manner.)

The story basically goes like this - there are about 4,000 elephants out of the estimated global total of 40,000 Asian elephants living in the wild in Sri Lanka. They are running out of space to live. They are being killed off or forced to move along to other areas, not for their tusks or for meat, but because they are encroaching on farm land. The goal of Mr. Ellie Pooh is to make the elephants valuable to the local economy by using their dung to create an artistic and useful product. Because elephants are herbivores, plant eaters, their pooh is really great for making paper. Check out the video for more info on the process and take a look at a recent invitation I did that uses Mr. Ellie Pooh paper (green and orange in this case; the marblized paper is made from plant leaves). Who knows, next time I send you a note, it just might be made from elephant %&*!@. And no, it won't smell!

Deep Thoughts: Did You Know Mousavi is an Artist?

I did a lot of reading over this rainy weekend. One interesting item I came across was about Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi - said to be a new "political rock star" -- he is actually an accomplished architect and artist. Follow the link below to see the article.

artwelove.com/news/archives/2009/06/18/awl-discovery-mir-hossein-mousavi-painter-architect-and-iranian-opposition-leader/

Another cool thing - an umbrella that changes colors when it gets wet!