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Last night my sister Meredith was recognized as one of Inland Business Catalyst's "20 under 40". She'll be featured in the upcoming print issue of the magazine. Here's an excerpt from their piece on her:
“When everyone else was obsessed with five-year plans, I just stopped trying to plan a career. Instead, I looked for jobs and programs that were interesting and challenging—learning Thai, studying manufacturing, teaching middle school theatre—even when they had nothing to do with my industry,” says Meredith Hutchison Hartley of Me2 Solutions. “It let me build my own career instead of mimicking someone else’s, and I’ve learned to be very comfortable going outside my comfort zone.”
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I had several projects this week that kept my hands busy (don't even ask how ridiculously long it took me to sew eight patches on my son's new Boy Scout uniform), but left my mind free to wander, so I decided to watch a few documentaries and now I'm sharing them with you:
Done the Impossible
Firefly was one of the best television shows ever, a tragically short-lived sci-fi/western. Fox's cancellation was absolutely criminal, especially after the horrible way they promoted and treated the show, broadcasting the episodes out of order, moving the airing time around. They didn't give a great show a fighting chance and the fans, who adopted the name of the Firefly rebels, Browncoats, took matters into their own hands. It's a light-hearted tale of triumph against great odds. (And if you haven't watched the 14-episode series and the subsequently miraculous movie Serenity, you're seriously missing out.)
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The Invisible War
My father served in the U.S. Navy for 18 years. My father-in-law also served in the Navy, my brother-in-law deployed to Afghanistan with the Army National Guard, and I have ancestors that have served in every war since the Revolution in 1776. I am proud of my family's service and contributions to our country, but I was horrified to watch this documentary and see these brave women share their stories of the sexual harassment, assault and rape perpetrated on them by their brothers in arms, and their inability to receive any justice. Some positive steps have been made, but there's still a long way to go to make sure this never happens.
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The Interrupters
In the heart of Chicago there is a group of incredibly brave people, people who have lived the gang life, spent years in prison paying for their bad decisions, and now want to make a positive difference in their communities and in the lives of the next generation. They formed a group called CeaseFire whose goal is to eradicate violence and they call themselves the "interrupters" because they walk straight into the middle of intense situations to try to stop the violence. It's both encouraging and disheartening to see how they influence some people to change their lives and are unable to reach others. You'll see the best and worst of humanity in this film and stand in awe of the interrupters' commitment to help others.
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