Lift Up Your Hearts!

Ratings Guide: 0 to 5 ★s reflects how much I liked it (worst to best); 0 to 3 ☢s represents a content advisory (mildest to strongest).

January

1. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra: Itzhak Perlman ★★★
2. Leu Gardens Camellia show ★★★ Lots of freeze damage, but a surprising number of brave blooms.
3. Charles Leadbeater on innovation (TED) ★★★ 19 min. The power of Professional Amateurs and collaborative work.
4. Kartick Satyanarayan: How we rescued the "dancing" bears (TED) ★★★★ 4 min. Win-win environmental activism reminiscent of the Nature Conservancy's work.
5. John Gerzema: The post-crisis consumer (TED) ★★★ 16.5 min. Finally, someone who thinks more saving and less spending is a positive sign for the economy. True consumer power!
6. Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering (TED) ★★★★ 4 min. A workshop for kids that will make you wish you were 7 again.
7. Robert Sapolsky: The uniqueness of humans (TED) ★★★ ☢ (Nothing objectionable, but some sexual references.) 37.5 min. What we share—and don't—with animals; you'll be surprised.
8. Mars Hill Audio Journal Vol. 75 ★★★ Ken Myers' interviews are always interesting; click link for contents listing.
9. Orlando Baroque Orchestra: Da Capo ★★★
10. Mars Hill Audio Journal Vol. 99 ★★★★
11. Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology (TED) ★★★★ 14 min. The world is your computer.
12. Shakespeare: The Word and the Action (The Teaching Company) ★★★★★

    February

13. Mars Hill Audio Journal Vol. 100 ★★★
14. Michael Pollan on Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (FORA.tv) ★★★
15. Leu Gardens ★★ Leu Gardens is always enjoyable, and we had great company on our walk; the low rating is because there was so much freeze damage, made all the more obvious because it has now been cleaned up—there are many open places where plants used to be.
16. The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art ★★★★★ One of my favorite museums: small, local, but with the best collection in the world of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany.
17. Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food (TED) ★★★ ☢ 22 min. Not a great speaker, and a little too inclined to look into non-personal (i.e. government and business) solutions, but an important message nonetheless. Worth it for the clip at 11:16 where he asks schoolchildren to identify foods in their natural state. Mild language warning.
18. E.O. Wilson on saving life on Earth (TED) ★★★ 22.5 min. He reminds me so much of my father and grandfather!

March

19. Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory (TED) ★★★ 20 min.
20. Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds (TED) ★★★★ 20 min. My favorite quote: "Where's the younger version of those [Asperger's/ASD] kids going today? They're not ending up in Silicon Valley where they belong."
21. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 1 ★★★
22. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra: Hal France Returns ★★★
23. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 2 ★★★★
24. The Building of St. Peter's Basilica by Kenneth R. Bartlett (Teaching Company) ★★★★
25. Christmas in Victorian Britain by Patrick N. Allitt (Teaching Company) ★★★★
26. The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival ★★★ Art, music, food. Always a fun time.
27. What Killed the Dinosaurs? by Peter Ward (Teaching Company) ★★★
28. Duke Ellington—The Jazz Man by Patrick N. Allitt (Teaching Company) ★★★
29. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 3 ★★★★
30. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 1 ★★★★ ☢ (language)
31. Great Leaders—Winston Churchill by J. Rufus Fears (Teaching Company) ★★★★
32. Great Leaders—Abraham Lincoln by Allen C. Guelzo (Teaching Company) ★★★
33. Masterpieces of Classical Holiday Music by Robert Greenberg (Teaching Company) ★★★★★
34. What the Declaration of Independence Says by J. Rufus Fears (Teaching Company) ★★★★
35. Gentlemen in the Wilderness—Jamestown 400th Anniversary by Allen C. Guelzo (Teaching Company) ★★★
36. Eisenhower and Operation Overlord by Thomas Childers (Teaching Company) ★★★★
37. Martin Luther King, Jr.—Stride Toward Freedom by Dennis Dalton (Teaching Company) ★★
38. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 2 ★★★★ ☢ (language) Elementary school students who don't know how to use a knife and fork? And school officials who think it's reasonable that they don't?
39. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 4 ★★★★ My favorite so far.

April

40. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra: Rehearsal for A Tribute to Lenny ★★ ☢ This was a special event for donors, and I enjoyed seeing behind the scenes. It would have been more fun if we could have heard more of what the conductor was saying, though. We left during intermission, not wanting to stay out too late, and in any case we had been reminded of why we subscribe to the classics series and not the pop series. Too loud, too much vocal music. Sure loved the Overture to "Candide," however! (The one ☢ is due to one profanity in a video clip. Not what I expected in an orchestral concert.)
41. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 3 ★★★★ ☢ (language) Best so far; we SO underestimate our kids.
42. Christmas in 19th Century America by Patrick N. Allitt (Teaching Company) ★★★★ American Christmas traditions through history. Makes one a little more sympathetic to the Puritan desire to forgo the celebration altogether.
43. Nutrition Made Clear: It's All about the Calories by Roberta H. Anding (Teaching Company) ★★★
44. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 5 ★★★★ Got to see Gary Boyd Roberts briefly in this one.
45. The Symphony: Mozart by Robert Greenberg (Teaching Company) ★★★★★
I can't get enough of Bob Greenberg's music lectures!
46. American Identity: Lewis and Clark, the Explorers by Patrick N. Allitt (Teaching Company) ★★★★ ☢
47. St. Patrick by William R. Cook (Teaching Company) ★★★★
48. Winter Park Farmer's Market ★★★★ I wish it were more of a farmer's market than it is, but there are a few gems that make it very much worthwhile.
49. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 4 ★★★★ ☢ (language) I'm learning to appreciate his style and see the value of his crazy stunt. I wish health eating gave everyone his energy!
50. Mars Hill Audio Journal Vol. 101 ★★ Not bad, just not as interesting as usual.
51. Passport to Europe: Germany, Switzerland, and Austria ★★ We watched the parts about Switzerland (Zurich, Interlake, and St. Moritz), plus Salzburg. Interesting, but not nearly as good as Rick Steves. She spends too much time shopping and in fancy hotels.
52. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 5 ★★★ ☢ (language) Not bad, but less interesting than previous episodes.

May

53. Monk The television show, all eight seasons, completed in May. ★★★★ ☢ mild language and violence—it's a murder mystery show.
54. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 6 ★★ ☢ (language) The wrap-up. Unfortunately, Jamie nearly lost me on this one. It's one thing to change the food served by the schools, but his idea that all children should eat the school's lunch, and that the school should regulate any meal brought from home, is offensive.
55. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 6 ★★★★★
56. Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 7 ★★★★★ They get better and better. I'm looking forward to next season.
57. The Dark Ages (The History Channel) ★★★
58. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ("best of") ★★ and
59. The Smothers Brother's Comedy Hour ("best of") ★★★ Two comedy shows from 40 years ago; much of it is as funny as ever, but some is sad, in light of future trends.

June/July

60. Various odds and ends on two transatlantic flights. Nothing worth mentioning, except that I no longer feel that I'm missing something important by not getting the Discovery Channel. The two episodes I watched had a dismal content/fluff ratio.

August

61. How to Listen to and Understand Great Music by Robert Greenberg (Teaching Company) ★★★★★ (Review to come)
62. Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors (TED) ★★★ 21 min. Haven't heard a TED lecture in a while. Fascinating look at different conducting leadership styles.
63. Various episodes and short clips from Nineteen Kids and Counting on Hulu. ★★★★ I may not agree with them on several issues, but I can't help liking the Duggars.