Good afternoon 5 Bullet friends,
The sun is out, hip-hip-hip-hooray! This finds its way to you across the digital ether full of positivity, joy and love. Yes, in spite of the sorry state of world affairs, we still have to pick ourselves up, brush off our smiles and remember that there is no place for pessimism and defeatism in adversity. Let's manifest the positivity we look for in the world around us - and so it will be! So, without further ado, I'm delighted to share this fortnightly selection of social tips, tit-bits, treats and talking points, all of which I've come across or re-discovered over the past 2 weeks! Please enjoy!
1. What I'm reading: Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico - Recommended to me on two consecutive days by two of the readers I most respect, it is little wonder that this book has blown my mind for its incredibly well controlled prose and its hair-raising social critique. It dares us free-living millennials to look ourselves and our lives in a very, very clear mirror. Prose at its very best, rendered into sublime English by the masterful Sophia Hughes (also of Hurricane Season), please add this to your reading list!
2. What I'm exploring: NotebookLM - AI remains a surprise, a concern and a flabbergasting tool. This week I've been experimenting with Google's NotebookLM: think ChatGPT but trained on your own documents. It's incredibly powerful as a wiki, as a research space, as a controlled environment to manipulate your own documents and writing. Endless use cases possible here, but the ability to generate instant and bizarrely engrossing podcasts, videos, mind-maps and infographics based on your documents is just the tip of the iceberg...
3. What I'm watching : Dirty Business - I caved into my parents recommending me this one. In fact, this 3-part Channel 4 documentary is the kind of mass public sensitisation that we need for many such issues. An exposé into the quality of the UK's rivers, it builds on previous reporting I've shared in the past. If you're into cold water swimming, I suggest you watch this one!
4. What I'm practising: Meditation with The Way - This email really does include things I 'rediscover'. One of those over the last fortnight has been Henry Shukman's The Way. Out of all the meditation courses and approaches I've every tried, for me, this one is by far the most enjoyable and effective. An incredibly clear and well thought out structure, it is as much an education in meditation traditions as it is a meditative practice in and of itself. You can get 30 free sessions to try it out here.
5. What I'm cooking: These delicious, simple, vegan cinnamon rolls - This vegan cinnamon roll recipe is a winner. Quick to make, quick to eat - they've gone down a storm in my house! Recipe taken from Karolina Tegelaar's The Vegan Baking Bible - literally my bible for vegan baking, it contains just about everything you could ever want to bake and has so many winning recipes!
📣 Opportunities from me and my network
💬 Know someone that might benefit from some Joyful Men Coaching? Get in touch with Hakay here.
💚 Donate to support community-led kitchens in Gaza via the Gaza Food Project. .
💻 Looking for a website hosting? Visit Circular Design, our non-profit web agency.
🥦 Become a Vegan Society Member for free if you’re under 26!
📖 Order your copy of Remnants of War, Migration, Love by Taha Salim.
⭐️ Know someone critically-minded? I’d love to nominate them for Aspen Rising Leaders.
That’s it for this fortnight! As ever, please let me know your thoughts and feedback – and send anything you’d like me to include in upcoming editions this way.
