Two dear friends — Janine Sagert and Nurit Oren— get together to speak about “From Shock to Awe,” a documentary film intended to raise the awareness of healing “post-traumatic stress disorder” victims with substances such as cannabis, ayahuasca and MDMA instead of the conventional drugs that make them docile and lifeless. Janine explains the healing effects of these substances and shares miraculous stories of veterans who have not only been restored but have become successful and inspiring individuals. (more…)
Archive of ‘Media’ category
“The Intercept” — Journalism as it is meant to be
“The ‘Fourth Estate’ describes the journalists’ role in representing the interests of ‘the people’ in relation to the business and political elites who claim to be doing things in our names,” wrote Martin Hirst, Associate Professor Journalism & Media at Deakin University. He goes on to say, “Today, governments that claim to act in the “public interest” must face daily scrutiny of their actions. They must be called to account when overstepping the bounds of what citizens will support, or when taking actions that are clearly not in our interests. We rely on journalists and the news media to do this job on our behalf.
“This separation between the people and the state becomes more important when the economic interests of the powerful so frequently dominate society. In our modern world, the interest of ‘the nation’ is no more than the collective interest of those who wield political and economic power. Today, the state is the executive branch of the ruling class. The news media – as the tribune of ‘the people’ – must be constantly on guard and alert to actions of the state, particularly when those actions may harm the interests of citizens.” (more…)
Brilliant Business: A Road Map to the 21st Century
I recently found a copy of a documentary I produced almost 20 years ago, and I want to share it. I feel there are timeless messages in this 60-minute film, regarding leadership, work, culture, and team performance. (Ah, yes, I do look a bit younger!)
In 1996, I was asked by a long-time client to design, manage, and serve as the emcee of a three-and-a-half day retreat for his entire company of more than 400 people. The idea was to celebrate their first 10 years of business, so the focus was not on “bottom line” activities, but “top line” — as you will see. My client gave me carte blanche to do whatever I thought would honor their long journey to the pinnacle of industry success. He only asked that I produce an event of such impeccability that he could point to any and every aspect of the retreat and say to his people, “That’s the level of service and care we want to offer our customers from now on.”
I said Yes! before I even knew if it were possible to produce such a retreat in the four-month time frame he had given me. I wondered where I’d find a venue big enough to accommodate 400 people and all the activities I wanted to do. Plus, with people flying in from more than 30 cities around North America, I had to find a location close enough to a major airport for convenient connections and reliable surface transportation. What fun it was! (more…)