Potluck and Propaganda

*** Update - Venue change ***
Please note, P&P will take place at the Empty Space, 644 Laguna Street, San Francisco 94102 instead of the cook st house.
*** ***

Coming soon for one time only, Potluck and Propaganda is back and again happy to invite you to an evening of good food and good conversation! The event will take place on Tuesday June 21st starting 7:30 pm at the Empty Space, 644 Laguna Street, SF 94102.

During my recent journey in Southeast Asia it was always interesting to see how the USA (and israel) are regarded by other cultures and how much my beliefs about them are accurate. This month's movie, Oliver Stone's South of the Border, deals with this exact issue. "Eager to investigate how the U.S. media has depicted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, director Oliver Stone journeys south to interview the man himself and speaks with several other South American presidents in the process.”. Here is the trailer:



This movie is only 78 minutes long so afterwords we might have time for open decks - please send me links to videos you recently watched and made an impression. Alternatively I can share some travel photos, videos and stories...

The potluck theme this time is California. Whether it is dishes made from local seasonal ingredients or perhaps California style fusion cuisine, please share something that reminds you of this awesome state.

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: California.
09:30 - 10:50 Movie: South of the Border (78 minutes)
10:50 - 11:30 Open decks, upon demand.

Hope you can make it!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

In case you didn't know, P&P is currently on a break and doing some field work in Southeast Asia. We hope to return to our scheduled program in the not too far future.

Peace and blessings!

Hello everyone,
I am thrilled to invite you to a very special P&P event which will be our 24th and last one for a while! You may already know that I am getting ready to leave the bay area and travel for a bit, so I'll be moving out of Yariville and won't be able to host these events any time soon. It will also be my birthday and since I have so much stuff that I rather not put in storage let's try a "reverse birthday" concept, meaning I will be GIVING birthday gifts instead of receiving them! I'm sure there is something in my apartment that you can use, so come early and get first dibs on the Box of Gifts...

The theme for the evening is Pizza and Propaganda - I'll order a bunch of Pizzas and all of you just bring some side dishes or drinks to go with them. The computer will be available for Open Decks submissions so we can play short videos (preferably under 10 minutes) for everyone to enjoy. It can be anything that you'd like to share with no particular topic - funny, informative, of just pretty, anything goes. It would be best if you could email me your video choices before the event to make things smooth and flowing.



Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 11:30 Pizza Night / Video Open Decks / Birthday Celebration.

I'd really like to ask that you RSVP so I can get the right amount of pizzas.
If you haven't been to one of our events already then this will be your last chance for a while. Hope to see you!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

Hello friends. Only two more gatherings left before I move out of Yariville so please stop by this coming Tuesday September 14 and be part of P&P history!

The movie this month is Dear Zachary: A Letter to a son about his father. This documentary tells the story of the murder of Dr. Andrew Bagby in 2001 by his pregnant girlfriend who then fled to Canada. Yes, it sounds like a soap opera but it's a very interesting movie and story. Check out the trailer to get a better picture:




For potluck theme this month we have 2 options! Option one is Burningman Leftovers. Here is your chance to get rid of these Trader Joe’s Indian Fare thingies and use it as a basis for your dish. Option two is Raw Foods which would be a good balance.

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: Burningman Leftovers vs. Raw Foods.
09:30 - 11:11 Feature presentation: Dear Zachary (95 minutes)

Hope to see you!

P.S.
The last P&P night of this season will take place next month, Tuesday October 12. It will be an Open Decks Pizza and Propaganda and also my birthday party!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

Greetings P&P friends! I'd like to once again invite you to be a part of our monthly gathering which will take place as usual on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. The last three events were influenced by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico so this month we are going to take a break and watch something a bit lighter.

The movie Catch 22 (1970) is a cult classic, based on Joseph Heller's book by the same name. It tells the story of a Word War II air force bombardier Yossarian and his attempts to get discharged from the military on the grounds of insanity. Much like M.A.S.H., this parody focuses on "military mentality" and bureaucratic societies in general. BTW, did I mention that this is P&P event no.22? Anyway, here is a link to the trailer.



Potluck theme for this month is Finger Foods! Bring your favorite buffet style dish, tapas recipe or anything that come in small pieces. Here are some ideas to inspire you: Finger Food Ideas. If you don't feel like cooking then just bring some drinks or simply your fabulous self!

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: Finger Foods.
09:30 - 11:30 Feature presentation: Catch 22 (121 minutes)

Hope you can make it! P&P is going to go on a hiatus after the October event so I'd really like to see as many of you lovely people as possible before taking off...

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

Hello everybody! Please join us once again on the 2nd Tuesday of the month for P&P - an evening of flavors, entertainment and information. It's been almost 3 months since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and unfortunately the ongoing spill seem far from over. During this time there has been lot's of talks about finding safer alternatives for oil as a source of energy, natural gas being one of them. But is it really a safer alternative?

To look closer into the issue and learn more about the risks and benefits, the movie we'll watch this month is Gasland which won the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize of 2010 and recently aired on HBO. I hear it's very interesting. Here is the trailer:



Even though this is the 3rd month in a row that we are looking into environmental issues I really hope that you'll find the time to join us and inform yourself about this important topic. I promise that next month we'll take a break from this topic and focus on something much lighter...

Potluck theme for this month is Summer! Please share your favorite summer dish, drink, or anything else for that matter. Local organic ice cream will also be provided.

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: Summer.
09:30 - 11:15 Feature presentation: Gasland (107 minutes)

Hope you can make it!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

Copyright laws made inspiring!

Greetings friends! Hope you can join us for P&P number 20! That's right folks, P&P is no longer a teen and we will be celebrating the beginning of our 2nd decade (well, kinda) on the THIRD week of June, Tuesday the 15th. Apologies for the short notice about the new date. I really hope you can squeeze us into your busy schedule.

Last month we were already in the midst of the disaster in the gulf, and sadly this f**k-up is still far from over. The accident begs the question - are we not all responsible in some way to the general problem? Don't we all have an impact on the planet?
Well many of us try our best, but here is a guy that took this question to the extreme! The movie No Impact Man tells the story of Colin Beavan who has been writing a blog by the same name since 2007 and exploring what it really means to live with zero footprint. Here is the trailer:



Potluck theme for this month is Cajun Cuisine! Let's have a meal in honor of the states along the golf that are already starting to experience the consequences. Bring a southern dish, southern drink, or just your southern self!

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: Cajun Food.
09:30 - 11:00 Feature presentation: No Impact Man (90 minutes)

Please come!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

Hello fellow propaganders! As always we will be delighted if you could join us for another installation of P&P. We’ve all heard about the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico so I think it would be appropriate if this month we take a closer look at the relationship between humans and life in the oceans. Our movie this May is The Cove, winner of the 2009 academy award for best documentary film. It follows an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers as they embark on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, shining a light on a dark and deadly secret... Here is the trailer:



This movie is not very long so we might have some time for open decks (no promises). If you have a short video to share please send me the link or have it handy when you come over.

To show solidarity with our neighbors from the south, the potluck theme this month is MEXICAN FOOD. Ay caramba! Bring your leftovers from Cinco de Mayo and toast to some margaritas with us!

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: Mexican Food.
09:30 - 11:00 Feature presentation: The Cove (92 minutes)

Hope to see you!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The views and opinions expressed during the events do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P, its organizers or participants.

Happy spring greetings everybody! The days are getting longer and warmer here on the northern hemisphere so let us get together once again for P&P #18 to celebrate the wonderful rejuvenation of nature all around us!

After watching "mainstream" Hollywood movies for the last 3 events it's time to revisit our original format and watch some "real" documentaries again. The one we have this month is the excellent and thought-provoking PBS program The Botany of Desire. Featuring Michael Pollan and based on his best-selling book, this show takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration of the human relationship with the plant world - seen from the plants' point of view. The program shows how four familiar species (the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato) evolved to satisfy our yearnings for sweetness, beauty, intoxication and control. Here is a 6 minute preview of the show to give you a sense of what's it about:



The potluck theme this month is of course SPRING - anything that's fresh or reminds you of new beginnings. Feel free to post your intended dish on the Facebook event wall.

Tentative schedule for the evening:
07:30 - 08:30 Gathering.
08:30 - 09:30 Community potluck dinner. Theme: Spring.
09:30 - 11:30 Feature presentation: The Botany of Desire (121 minutes)

Hope to see you!

Potluck and Propaganda is aimed to present information and encourage critical thinking. Let go of your belief systems (BS) and investigate different reality tunnels. The opinions expressed in the movies shown do not necessarily reflect the ones of P&P or its participants.

Thanks everyone for coming to another P&P, even though it turned out that most of you have already seen the movie... I guess I am the last San Franciscan who still hasn't! Update for those who couldn't make it - after devouring 4 lbs of cheese and 1 lbs of chocolate we ended up doing a short "open decks" session since the Fondue took longer than expected and many people had to leave early. Here is the just of it (hope I didn't forget anything):

Logorama




Conan O'Brien - Walker Texas Ranger Lever




Will It Blend? - Chuck Norris