Good Idea Society

Next Meeting: This American Life - 4/23

2009-04-14T10:05:00.003-04:00

Our next meeting will be Thursday, 4/23 at the Palace 9 Movie Theater in South Burlington.

This American Life will have a live show broadcast to movie theaters around the country:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=51129544839&ref=ts

We'll meet up somewhere for drinks before and then hit the show.

Get your tixs now.

ACTION

2009-03-01T15:39:00.002-05:00

At our last meeting, we discussed potential volunteer/service projects we could do as a group. Kim found one that I think we be great for us. Here's her write up on it:

There is a Junior Iron Chef Competition that Vermont FEED is sponsoring for middle and high school aged students statewide. It is at the Champlain Expo on March 28, 2009 from 8:00 to 5:00 pm. They need many volunteers for help with event set up and breakdown, food distribution, activity coordination, etc.

Vermont FEED is a organization with an important mission: "VT FEED works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition. We act as a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food systems, and to cultivate links between the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms, and communities. Now in its ninth year, Vermont FEED has worked with more than one third of schools in Vermont to create robust and viable Farm to School programs."

So the question is, do you want to volunteer. Please let Kim and I know by Thursday, March, 5th.

Meeting #25: Books (remember them)

2009-02-08T10:35:00.003-05:00

For one of our more successful meetings (#5), everyone discussed the last book they read. We are going to bring that topic back in 2009. For our next meeting, Tuesday, February 17th at 7pm at the Drink, come ready to discuss the last book you read. We'll also get an update on and discuss possible service ideas.

Meeting #24: recap

2009-01-21T20:47:00.002-05:00

Quick recap...

'08 predictions:
> five of us predicted that Obama would be president a year ago.

'09 predictions were made and sealed away.

We have a great list of meetings for '09 including a service project, VT vineyard tour, urban golf charity tournament, screening of Eddie Murphy Delirious, and many more.

Meeting #24: Inauguration & Predictions

2009-01-05T20:06:00.002-05:00

It's been a while. And a lot has happened since our last meeting at the end of the summer... new president, economy tanking, Isabel turned one.

Let's get together for a meeting with the following topics:
1. Watch and reflect on the Inauguration.
2. Review the predictions we made for 2008 (they have been sealed since our first meeting in '08) and make new predictions for 2009.
3. Talk about what the Good Idea Society should do/be in 2009.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 7pm at Drink on St. Paul. I completely open to a different location, suggestions anyone?

Homer votes for Obama

2008-10-03T17:01:00.000-04:00

Meeting #23 - Report back from Sudan/pot luck

2008-08-20T14:12:00.004-04:00

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 27th 7pm (updated day) at the old GIS club house (Ross and Jeff's - 158 N. Willard)

Topic: Annie has returned from her trip to Uganda and Sudan and will be telling the group all about it. You can read about her trip here: http://africaannie.blogspot.com/ .

What to bring: We are going to try to have a African themed potluck. What does that mean... just try to bring something small we can snack on that somehow relates to Africa.

Meeting #22 - take me out to the ball game

2008-07-20T16:15:00.004-04:00

Baseball, hot dogs, beer, champ.
We had a leisurely summer meeting last week as we watched the Single A Lake Monster's play some ball.
Next meeting will be a little more serious. Details to come, meeting will probably be later in August.

Meeting #22 - Lake Monsters!

2008-07-06T10:18:00.002-04:00

Meeting #22 will take place on Wednesday, July 16th at Centennial field in Burlington. That's right, Lake Monsters vs. Crosscutters. Details here.

Cheese Loves Beer IV

2008-07-06T10:14:00.003-04:00

I would say the pictures really tell the story.

Cheese loves beer IV

2008-06-01T09:25:00.002-04:00

American Flatbread is hosting a cheese and beer tasting on Sunday, June 29th at 2pm. There will be nine pairings for $30/person. There are already five GIS members signed up and space is limited, so sign up asap. details here: http://www.flatbreadhearth.com/calDisp.php

Meeting #20 - recap

2008-05-19T12:59:00.002-04:00

Last week's bocce session went well. We were shut out of the nice bocce courts, but played some extreme bocce as we watched the sun set. Highlights included Marin's first meeting and the return of Alan Nicholas.
Next meeting: Tuesday, June 10th. Any good ideas for topics?

Meeting #20 - Bocce

2008-05-12T13:04:00.003-04:00

Spring is here, for real. At our next meeting, let's get together and enjoy a relaxing game of Bocce at Oakledge.
Tuesday, 5/13. 6:30pm, Oakledge Bocce courts. BYOB. Here's a little video inspiration to get you excited.

Annie's off to Africa

2008-04-28T15:17:00.004-04:00

Annie leaves for Africa on May 12th. She'll keep us updated here: http://africaannie.blogspot.com

We collected 8 full bags for the students + plus some extra bags and supplies.

Next meeting: May 13th - details to come.

Meeting #19 - recap

2008-04-08T20:51:00.008-04:00

The meeting last night was great. A perfect example of the good idea society at it's best - beer, cheese, and helping school girls in Sudan. Here's a quick recap.

#1 - BEER AND CHEESE TASTING
We started the night off with the beer and cheese tasting. Yes beer, not wine. Here are the pairings we tasted:
- Brooklyner Weisse with the Blue Ledge Farm Chevre
- Peak Organic Pale Ale with Grafton Farms Sharp Cheddar and Maple Smoked Cheddar
- Budweiser and Cabot American Cheese Slices
- Samuel Smith Lager with Le Gruyere
- Woodstock Inn Pig's Ear Brown with Gouda and Orb Weaver Coby Farmhouse
- Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout with Boucher Farms Gor-Dawn-Zola
The Wolaver's and Gordawnzola was by far the favorite. Others included the Peak Pale ale with maple smoked cheddar and the Weisse with Chevre.

#2 - HELP FOR SUDAN (via Vermont)
Annie talked to us about her upcoming trip to Africa to open secondary schools for girls in Southern Sudan. We are going to help gather supplies. Here is a recap of what we need and a recap from Annie:

Our goal is to gather the following:
• 10 backpacks in good condition filled with:
- A calculator
- A pencil sharpener
- A three-subject college ruled notebook
- 10 black or blue ink pens.
- 10 No. 2 pencils.
• $20 that will be spent on textbooks.

You can help a high school student at NESEI's (New Sudan Education Initiative) first school in Sudan-- it takes just a little money and time!

The New Sudan Education Initiative (NESEI) is a partnership started here in Burlington, VT between Sudanese and a local/global network of supporters, who have come together to bring the gift of education to Sudan. We are working to build 20 schools in this region by 2015.

The first school site is scheduled to open on May 15, 2008 in Yei, Sudan. On May 10 a group from Burlington will be travelling to celebrate this huge success. On our trip we will bring backpacks filled with resources to help the first group of students begin their educational journey.
This campaign is a great way to help a young student receive a quality education, and a wonderful opportunity to create a personal connection to NESEI's first school. Please join us today!

Meeting #19 - Beer, Cheese, and School Supplies for Sudan

2008-03-26T20:52:00.003-04:00

Meeting #19 will be held at Maegen and my house (54 Morse Place) on MONDAY, April 7rd at 7pm. We will have two topics: 1) a beer and cheese pairing tasting. 2) gathering school supplies to help students in Sudan.

#1 - Beer and Cheese. Ross (although he does not know it yet) and I will work out appropriate pairings for beer and cheese. This should be really fun - at least for me, because those are two of my favorite things. Check out two articles from a recent seven days: #1, #2.

#2 - At our last meeting we discussed the logistics of a children's book drive. While we could do this - the need is not pressing and the effort seems to be more than we are ready to put in. One of our new members (and old friend) will be traveling to Sudan with a group of Vermonters to help create new schools in a war torn region. They need some basic help gather supplies. Sounds like a good idea. Annie will be on hand to talk about the initiative (in between the beer and cheese). Check out the article from the free press. Things to bring:
- Backpack
- A calculator
- A pencil sharpener
- A three-subject college ruled notebook
- 10 black or blue ink pens.
- 10 No. 2 pencils.
* we'll plan on how we raise the rest.

No meeting tonight

2008-03-11T15:10:00.000-04:00

Date, location, topic of next meeting to be posted soon.

Meeting #18 - topic/date/details

2008-02-10T14:05:00.000-05:00

Meeting #18 will be held on Tuesday, February 19th at the 1/2 lounge at 7pm. Topic: Logistics (promotion, collection, distribution) of Children's book drive. See you then.

Meeting #17 recap

2008-02-10T13:48:00.000-05:00

We held meeting #17 at the 1/2 Lounge and discussed two topics: 1) Bringing a good idea to life. 2) reveal '07 predictions.

THE GOOD IDEA:
We are moving forward with the children's book drive. Benjamin will confirm if Barnes/Wheeler need them. If not, we'll explore other local organizations with need.
Action steps:
> Ross to register goodideasociety.com (done)
> Miya to create Good Idea Society logo
> Benjamin to confirm schools needs.
> At our next meeting, we will work up the actual plan to promote, collect, and distribute the books.

07 PREDICTIONS:
Here are a few highlights of the predictions that came true...
> Huge snowstorm in Feb. 2007 (Kim)
> Own a pet (Jeff) *If you count the mice in Lab, I think this came true.
> Jeff won't have to share his office anymore (Ross)
> The GIS will have 20 members (Adam) *although be never have 20 people at one meeting, I think we have about that many people.
> Vermont will remain one of the best places on earth (Nelia)
Those that did not come true...
> Jay and Maegen will by a house (Jay) *although we did in the first month of '08.
> Jay will throw the trophy through our front door instead of kicking it after winning the kickball championship. (Maegen) *If we had won, I might have.
> Buy a new car (Kim) *the Civic is still rockin'.

Meeting #17 - location

2008-02-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

Location for tomorrows meeting will be the 1/2 lounge. Tuesday (2/5) at 7pm.

Meeting #16 recap, and #17 details.

2008-01-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

Details on meeting #17... Tuesday (2/5) at 7pm, location TBD (although it will probably be at Drink because we can never think of a better place, suggestions are welcome).
Topics:
1. Predictions. We get to read the predictions we made at the beginning of 2007 and make new ones for 2008.
2. Follow up from last meeting. We'll bring one of those simple good ideas to life.

Meeting #16 recap:
We had a good idea, we are going to try something small and achievable, complete it, and give ourselves a sense of accomplishment. We were thinking of a Toy drive, and Kimberly did a great job of doing that on her own. So maybe we'll pick up one of the other ideas (cold weather clothes for kids, sport equipment, musical instruments, etc). We can decide at meeting #17. Also, we are going to donate $50 from the GIS treasury through Kiva (Jeff is going to head that up). A next step would be something bigger and more visible like a coffee mug.

Meeting #16 - The good idea meeting

2007-12-05T16:39:00.000-05:00

It's time to live up to our name. Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 12/11 at 7:00pm at TBD (please someone suggest a good spot). The topic will be to come up with a "good idea" that we as a group can implement. Something as good as this...

(thanks Nelia for the video link).
To give you some guidelines... the benefit should be felt locally, should impact people, should be creative and fun (no pressure).

#15.5 - meeting recap

2007-11-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

Our meeting last Thursday was fun, educations, and had wine...sounds like the prefect GIS meeting. We planned to discuss the politics and fortunately for us the Democrats scheduled a debate for the same night. So we popped open a bunch of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau and discussed the blow by blow on the debate. With our drawing too many conclusions we decided that Hillary and Obama are the front runners and neither gained nor lost much from the debate. Biden, Dobb, and Kucinch all made great points, but have not chance of winning. And Richardson and Edwards need to just get off the stage.I'm thinking the next meeting should be Tuesday, 12/11. Any thoughts on a topic?

Meeting #15.5 - LOCATION

2007-11-15T10:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight's meeting will be held at Kim's house (280 Maple St. #2). We'll be using some money from the GIS endowment to get a bunch of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau. Be there at 7pm. We'll talk politics.

Meeting #15.5

2007-11-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

Let's try this again (with a little bit of an incentive)...

Meeting #15.5 will be held of Thursday, November 15th at 7pm. It will be at a bar TBD (let me know your suggestions) or at Maegen and my place.

TOPIC: Political Participation. We still have another year to go before the election and I'm already sick of it... but wait, I've done nothing, why am I sick of it? What am I sick of? What would I do if I could change the process? Be introspective, do some research, and come ready to discuss.

INCENTIVE:
Beaujolais Nouveau tasting (per Allan's request).

So some politics and wine, we can't go wrong.

I can't be the only one to pick up on this...

2007-11-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

Yahoo is getting chastised by the media and congress for giving a customer's info over to the Chinese government. As they should, the journalist ended up with a 10 yr. prison term. What I'm confused about is how our government does the same exact thing to Internet and phone companies and it's not an issue. Sure hippies like the ACLU make a stink about it. But in the same week that Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang is getting bitched out in congress, FBI chief Robert Mueller is in the same hall defending National Security Letters. I can't be the only one who noticed...

Meeting #15 report

2007-10-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

Well, only Benjamin showed up. I was watching a snowboard movie while we were waiting so he go introduced to that whole scene. The good idea of the night was the left over salmon we put into the annie's mac + cheese for dinner. Give it a try.

Political Participation- meeting #15

2007-10-14T21:21:00.000-04:00

Meeting #15 will be held of Tuesday, October 23rd at 7pm. It will be at a bar TBD (let me know your suggestions) or at Maegen and my place.

TOPIC: Political Participation. We still have another year to go before the election and I'm already sick of it... but wait, I've done nothing, why am I sick of it? What am I sick of? What would I do if I could change the process? Be introspective, do some research, and come ready to discuss.

back to the seed, that never took root.

2007-10-14T20:46:00.000-04:00

First off, no meeting this week. Maegen and I are running a food drive at Higher Ground.

Bare with me on a quick ramble. The GIS has not really taken root yet, we have a good idea, but it's not happening. I believe that's because we are not keeping to the original intention of the society. Basically, less "fluff" meetings, more serious discussion. Our best meetings have been more serious ones. I realize this may turn people off and that's okay. The hope is the GIS will succeed with a core group of dedicated members. As a reminder, here is the charter invitation that I will try to stay true to.

THE GOOD IDEA SOCIETY – charter invitation 10/30/06

Let’s create a place to share good ideas - good ideas that foster good community, good environment, good people, and good times.

To start, this place would be a bi-weekly meeting. A forum to have fun, discuss important/relevant issues, and to discuss problems that we face as a people and a community. This will all be done over a few pints and glasses of wine.

Our ideas will vary widely, from discussions of religion, politics, history, philosophy, and ethics to a dirty joke night or a whiskey tasting. The ideas can and will change from meeting to meeting and hopefully we will hit on some good ideas - good ideas that we’ll put into action and create real results.

But the main idea of the Good Idea Society is to create a “society” of friends where ideas can be safely expressed and explored while having a good time. Not so different from our lives already – just a touch more structure to help bring the ideas to life.

Let’s be serious, but let’s not take ourselves too seriously. Let’s try to do good, but make sure we’re having fun and not getting bogged down in the weight of our ideas.

Meeting #14 & #15 - Slap Shot and Octoberfest

2007-09-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

Welcome back.

We'll have our first meetings in a long time in October. The first (#14) will be held on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2nd at 7pm. We will be a screening the film Slap Shot. Allan plays Johnny Upton, so we'll get a bit of a directors cut. As it stands Ross and Jeff's house is the venue, but we'd love to find an alternate location. Suggestions anyone?

great Johnny Upton quote from the movie

The second (#15), to be held on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16th, will be a seasonal Octoberfest party. We'll carve up some pumpkins, tap a keg of GIS Red Ale that Ross and I brewed over the summer, etc. This will be at Ross and Jeff's.

Time to get rolling again.

2007-09-07T09:09:00.000-04:00

The kids are back in school, the leaves are starting to turn. Time to get the GIS back on track. What a great summer, we did some many fun, enriching activities. What you missed them? Oh right, that's because they never happened. Oh well.

We're going to have the first meeting of the fall later this month. We'll most likely be screening a film Allan worked on out as his house. Stay tuned for details. Missed you.

And for Ms. Emily - the GIS may sponsor the second annual Beerlington Golf Pub Crawl Open, hopefully some time in October.

Bad Idea - being on the lake during T-Storms

2007-06-19T17:09:00.000-04:00

It would be a bad idea to go out on the lake during major thunder storms.

FIELD TRIP CANCELED.

From the National Weather Service

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE
HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF ON OR NEAR LAKE CHAMPLAIN...GET OUT OF THE WATER AND MOVE
INDOORS OR INSIDE A VEHICLE. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE OUT TO
15 MILES FROM THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU
ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER NOW.
DON`T BE CAUGHT ON THE WATER IN A THUNDERSTORM!

Summer Event #1 - Sunset Cruise

2007-05-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

Sunset Cruise – on the Champlain ferry.

Meet at the Ferry at Perkins Pier Tuesday, Jun 19th. Meet at 6:20. BYOB and a snack for dinner. We'll take the roundtrip route from Burlington to Port Kent. It leaves Burlington at 6:35 and gets us back by 8:30. Tickets are $8.50.
Topic TBD, if we even have one. Let us know if you have ideas.

Meeting #13 - recap: GIS Summer Vacation

2007-05-30T10:22:00.000-04:00

GIS bi-weekly meetings will be on vacation for the summer, resuming the week after labor day.

But the GIS will not be dormant all summer - field trips and events will flourish and we encourage GIS members to throw out ideas for events/trips and hosts/bring them to life. Free form GIS.

Possible summer events/trip:
> Underhill corn roast (some time in September)
> Thunder Road – Thurs and Sunday nights
> GIS #3 - beer
> Recipe swap/pot luck
> Clam bake (possibly at Crooked Path)
> Fleming museum – Winooski/Burlington
> Tunbridge world fair
> Formal night – dinner/dance
> Paintball
> Lee Scratch Perry concert
> Cheese – in some way shape or form
> bocce tournament
> Doubles tennis tourney
> Iron chef cooking night – dinner with one common ingredient
> Wine tasting hosted by Burlington Wine Shoppe.
> Sunset cruise – on the ferry bitches.
> GIS hosts, the 2nd annual Beerlington Open
> Chili cook off
> Umiak – wine tour/canoe thing
> Horse racing in Saratoga
> Car camping in the Kingdom
> You’ve got to hear this – bring a favorite or interesting song/album to share with the group. Also bring your music collection (hopefully on a hard drive) for exchange.
> Lake Monsters Game

Want one of these events to happen? grab the bull by the horns and organize.

Meeting #13 - state of the union

2007-05-21T17:04:00.000-04:00

The next meeting will be Tuesday May 29th at 7:30pm. It will be held at the 158 North Willard (unless we find a better location before then). The topic of the meeting with be a state of the union on the good idea society and planning the topics for the next six meetings. In the mean time please post meeting ideas to the idea bank post. We'll have GIS Stout's and Brown Ale's.

PS - Sorry for spacing on last week and not having a meeting.

Weekend happenings (both involving alcohol?)

2007-04-29T19:17:00.000-04:00

It was an eventful weekend for the some GIS members and I decided we should have more pictures on the blog.

Saturday night Marc invited us out to his house to witness some wine drawing and the Zinf tastes great. Thanks for the Good times.

And this morning Ross and I put some labels on the Stout and Brown ales we brewed. I can't wait to drink the Stout's this coming Tuesday.

The stencil was a little chunky after. Most of the bottles look great, there are some that did not turn out that good and some crazy experiments. Good times.

Meeting #12 - Dirty Joke Night!

2007-04-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

Well it's been about six months since the start of the GIS and we think it's finally time for the DIRTY JOKE NIGHT. We had planned on discussing the idealization of western social democracies, but thought it might be a little heady after the anti-war meeting. So on the details...

May 1st, 7:30pm at Jeff and Ross's (158 North Willard). Come with a few dirty jokes to share. We will also we drinking the Good Idea Society Stouts that were bottled at meeting #10. See you there.

Meeting #11 - recap

2007-04-20T14:47:00.000-04:00

At meeting #11 we discussed the modern anti-war movement. It was a very insightful conversation. A couple of key insights were that the pace of change can be much slower than we want in our on-demand society. Sustained pressure over time can lead to changes (mid-term election). And while we may not be marching on Washington, discussion is key to keep the topic alive.

Here is the "GOOD IDEA" of the meeting. If you support an elected official or protest group, let them know. Show some support. Everyone should over the next week or so send out a email (a virtual pat on the back) to a group or person who you feel is going the right thing and keep up the sustained pressure to enact change.

Meeting #11 - peace?

2007-04-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

Our next meeting is this coming Tuesday (4/17) at 7:30pm at Drink (formally known as the Wine Works). The topic will be the modern anti-war movement. Originally we were going to discuss the Peace One Day movement (www.peaceoneday.org) but the more I thought about it I decided it would be best to have a broader conversation about the anti-war movement. What works? What is effective? What is counterproductive? Does it make sense in modern society? How has it been done in the past? So there's the topic, please post up any articles, links, etc. that would be good to review prior to the meeting. See you then.

Field Trip! 4/28

2007-04-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

Marc had invited us out for some wine bottling, sounds like a blast. See note from Marc...

If anyone's into wine, I'll be drawing (bottling) 50 gallons of California Zinfandel, on Saturday, April 28th. I've been doing a little QA on it :) since we crushed the grapes in the fall, and it's coming along very nicely!

We'll start about 5pm, though it'll take a few hours to get all that bottled :) so feel free to pop in anytime between then and about 10 or so.

If so inclined, bring a bit of your favorite beverage or snack, but don't sweat it; we'll be glad to see you and we'll have plenty of wine. :)

- Marc

Meeting #10 - BEER!

2007-03-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

Meeting #10 will be held at Ross and Jeff's house at 158 N. Willard St. at 7:3opm on Tuesday, April 3rd. The topic of the meeting will be beer. We will brew our own beer (a stout) and discuss and taste different beers.

Everyone needs to bring a six pack of their favorite beer, or a beer they want to try. Also, if you have not paid your $20 membership fee, buck up.

get thirsty.

Note from Ross...

The format will be
a)discussion about the two main kinds of beer and methods of brewing beer

b)Next we will put together a list of "qualities" for a few of the beers that people have brought, to help illustrate key ingredients. Then we will start drinking said beers.

c)Beginning brewing (we will be making 5 gal of either a stout of a porter)

d)Bottling a batch that I made last week.

e)talking about how awesome we all are (repeat if neccessary)

I'm no expert on brewing, but I've done it 10 times or so. I'm doing my best to put together some info and hopefully lurn y'all some. Come on! It's beer afterall!

BRING: a 6 pack of either your favorite (good) beer or a beer you have always wanted to try. Go out on a limb here.
ALSO BRING: your membership dues if this is your third meeting. Dues ($20) pay for the homebrew beer supplies, so no payee, no get beeree.

Tuesday, 7:30 pm.
158 North Willard St
Google Map

Meeting #9 - location

2007-03-19T17:44:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow's meeting will not be at the Euro Cafe. It will be held at Ross and Jeff's house at 158 North Willard @ 7pm sharp. BYOB.

Also, for some meetings we are starting to have expenses, if you have not paid already, please bring your $20 membership fee.

Meeting #8 and #9 - details, etc

2007-03-12T21:31:00.000-04:00

Getting back on track... Allan is in good health again and Ross is healing well. The last two meetings we have schedule revolved around them so we have had to make some changes.

Meeting #8 will be Tuesday, 3/13 at 7:30pm at Wine Works. This will be another "no topic" meeting, come and have good drinks with good friends and think up some good ideas.

Meeting #9 will be Tuesday, March 20th at 7:00pm at the Euro Cafe (location to be confirmed). We will be screening the movie "The Player", Directed by Robert Altman. Our own Allan Nicholls was the Assistant Director and will give us a "directors cut" walk through and discussion after. Please be on time because we need to start the movie.

Here are the next six meeting times and topics:
3/13 - no topic
3/20 - Screen "The Player"
4/3- Beer tasting and home brew session
4/17 - Peaceoneday.org
5/1 - Idealization of social democracies
5/15 - idea/topic session

Meeting #7 - update

2007-02-27T13:20:00.000-05:00

Allan is under the weather and will not be able to make it tonight, so we will not be screening the player.

We will just get some drinks at the wine bar at 7pm and just chill out and have some good conversation, no particular topic.

meeting #7 - topic/details

2007-02-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 27th at 7:00pm at the Euro Cafe. We will be screening the movie "The Player", Directed by Robert Altman. Our own Allan Nicholls was the Assistant Director and will give us a "directors cut" walk through and discussion after. Please be on time because we need to start the movie.

We've also had a change in structure that I will write about this weekend, but in the meantime, here are the next six meeting times and topics:
2/28 - Screen "The Player"
3/13 - Beer tasting and home brew session
3/27 - Peaceoneday.org
4/10 - Idealization of social democracies
4/24 - idea/topic session

meeting #6 - details/topic

2007-02-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

Meeting #6 will be on Tuesday, 2/13 at 7:30pm at the Euro Cafe at 61 Main St.

Topic: living sustainably/dealing with the post-oil world/global warming/etc.

Why? check this out:

http://stepitup07.org/

Bill McKibben started this. Groups around the country will join him on April 14 to participate in the largest global-warming rally in history. It's a call to action. Maybe this is something some GIS members would want to spearhead here in Burlington (though I bet there are already groups making plans for this). Plus, the IPCC just released its report on climate change...and the news ain't good.

Meeting #5 - recap

2007-01-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

The topic of "the last book you read" was a lot of fun. Allan did a good job recaping below. At this point we would like everyone to make a comment to this post with the last book they read.

From Allan...

Without the participation of Jeffrey Adam things weren't quite the same...you were missed. The discussion of all the books covering Clinton's life, the Bosnian uprising, the memoir of Jennifer Walls, the Chef's book, Nick Hornby's suicide stories and my South African cop story showed some pretty interesting diversity....not to forget Ross' house buying guide ( and his other book which I cannot recall) and my "reading to my child" books which are always offering up something of a treat to me.I am looking forward to the change of venue suggested and also the topic to be dealt with at our next get together, which may or may not include the evasive Phil Tucker. oh yes...I forgot to mention the most interesting book of them all Lovell's "comments from a spy"or something, that apparently poorly written but well received because of family ties...I can relate to that. All in all it was low key and stimulating conversation...there were no "fart jokes" thank you very much!

meeting #5 - details/topic

2007-01-25T22:45:00.000-05:00

Meeting #5 will be on Tuesday, 1/30 at 7:30pm at the Wine Bar.

Topic: Come ready to discuss the last book you read.

Location?

2007-01-17T20:24:00.000-05:00

Do we want to continue at the wine bar?
We could move to the Euro cafe (on Main st) and have the place to ourselves as long as we spend $100 on beer, wine, food, etc.
Or is there another location that you're interested in.
Speak your mind, have a good idea or at least an opinion.

Meeting 4 Re(cap)solutions

2007-01-12T17:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some bullet points right from the source - wine works napkins (best note paper ever). We hope to hear resolutions at the next meeting from those who couldn't attend this week's meeting. Next meeting will be January 23rd and get some ideas in the bank.

meeting #4: TOPIC/DETAILS

2007-01-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

Meeting #4 will be on Tuesday, 1/9 at 7:30pm at the Wine Bar.

Topic: Goals and predictions for 2007.

> what will this year bring? to the good idea society, burlington, vermont, the world.
> democrats taking over the congress - will anything really change?
> iraq? where will we be at the beginning of '08?
> what does our changing environment mean to vermont? will we feel the impact in '07?
> what are your personal goals for '07?
> are there any goals that the good idea society can help you achieve?
> everyone come up with one personal goal that helps other people.

Here are some predictions about various topics for '07 from news outlets:
Politics from the Washington Post:
Entertainment from the LA times:
Environment from Grist:
Some random fact about 1 in 4 Americans thinking that Jesus will come again in '07 from our very own WCAX (Ch.3):

From there it’s only a matter of time before Cap’n Crunch shows up in a hemp jacket, raising money to save the manatees.

2007-01-03T11:31:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on in the NY Times. Be It Ever So Homespun, There's Nothing Like Spin

A Laughing Matter: Modern Comedy

2007-01-02T18:18:00.000-05:00

GIS – Meeting notes December 12, 2006

The meeting was opened with a few glasses of wine and a welcome from Jay. Ben and Neil introduced the topic for the night – Modern Comedy. You Tube was the first topic point then leading into: Will Ferrell’s trilogy of comedic characters, Jackie Gleason, SNL, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, and trends within SNL.

Mr. Nicholls explained the TV queue and how lawyers, scoundrels, and accountants run the show (no pun intended). The TV queue made even more sense when someone tossed around an example of David Spade’s success.

Anthony brought up his intentions of shooting/producing a comedy which led the discussion toward how the Good Idea Society should be a supportive crutch for members taking action in interests.

From something with substance we changed toward a lighter subject, farts. Flatulants, crop dusting, breaking wind, passing wind, butt coughs, southerly wind, morning thunder, cutting the cheese, stepping on a toad, cutting loose, air bubble, gassers, stinkers, air biscuits, low-flying ducks, barking spiders, rotten eggs, wet ones, poots, pump, trump, parp and biff, etc.

Full House and the formulaic properties of hit sitcoms.
The Daily Show with John Stewart, Colbert Report, etc.

We closed on the topic and informally discussed ideas for meetings and how the secretary should post meeting notes more promptly in the future!!

Next Meeting 01.09.07 Happy New Year!
Your favorite secretary <3 Jeff

meeting #3 - TOPIC

2006-12-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

Modern Comedy is topic of the meeting. Here are a few discussion topics and questions to get us started...

> YouTube and the rest has changed our experience of comedy/media....how the decentralizing Internet compares to the old-style, monolithic network-TV model. We see so much these days in clips and fragments, millions of viewers watching customized content, yet there's the whole "viral" thing when one clip seems to strike a nerve....so different than the top-down ways of yore.
> Why is Will Farrell so fun?
> Look at and think about old school comedians like the Marx Brothers, then moving on to people like Johnny Carson, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Lenny Bruce, John Belushi--take those comedians and consider what they used for material and what portions of society they satirized and/or lampooned--and then take a good look at modern comedians like Dane Cook, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Will Farrell, and the new sort of "Frat Comedy" films like Old School, Anchorman, and Dodgeball and consider where they're coming from.
> Will fart jokes ever lose their appeal?

Please post up interesting articles, videos, etc as comments.

meeting #3: details

2006-11-29T21:43:00.000-05:00

Meeting #3 will be on Tuesday, 12/12 at 7:30pm at the Wine Bar.

Topic: TBD by 12/6

***comment below if you have any other thoughts on venue (where we hold the meetings) for future meetings.

IDEA BANK

2006-11-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

This posting will be a living document where we can all add in ideas for meeting topics. I'll start it by listing all the good ideas for meetings that have been discussed to date. Please add yours in by commenting to this post. The Agenda Committee will look here when they choice topics for each meeting.

> modern comedians
> the ritual of apology
> the nature of celebrity in the modern world
> the last book you read - come ready to discuss
> invite in local politicians
> discuss an article or program if interest. Download a podcast of a radio show and listen in advance and come ready to discuss. Possible programs include: Speaking of Faith, This American Life, Living on Earth, Bill O'Rielly (Fox News), etc.
> topics of history: founding fathers, civil war, civil rights, etc
> dirty joke night
> famous people: Thomas Jefferson, Gandhi, MLK Jr, etc.
> how to raise money for charity in a really fun way
> living sustainable - tips
> efforts to help local institutions
> expert led tastings: beer, wine, whiskey, cheese, cigars, chocolate

second meeting - recap

2006-11-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

Our second meeting went really well. We elected "officers" to 3 month terms. They are:
Treasurer: Kim
> responsible for collect and managing membership fees.
Secretary/reporter: Jeff
> responsible for reporting key points from each meeting.
Agenda Commitee: Benjamin, Darren, and Neil
> responsible for choosing topics for each meeting from the idea bank*. Agenda should be set at least a week in advance to a meeting.
If an officer can not attend a meeting, it is their responsibility to find a sub from within the society.
* The idea bank is a post on this blog where people can submit ideas for meeting topics. There will also be time at the beginning of each meeting to discuss new ideas.

RIP: Robert Altman

2006-11-22T14:50:00.000-05:00

Robert was close to one of our members and a generator of many life times worth of good ideas. More info.

meeting #2: details - DATE CHANGE

2006-11-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, the next meeting will be at the wine bar on Tuesday, November 28th from 7:30 - 9:00. Of couse everyone is encouraged to keep the good ideas and beverages flowing after 9:00.

TOPIC:
> Elect officers.
> Brianstorm good ideas that could be topics for future meetings.

first meeting - recap

2006-11-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

Excellent first meeting. The good ideas were really flowing. Our main topic or good idea that we discussed was the Good Idea Society itself. The one directive that exisits is the idea that the Society will be paramount to all other good ideas. We must make sure we are always fostering a forum for the Good Idea Society to evolve and flourish. We also decided on a few guidelines for the Society...
1. GUIDELINES - we will not make rules unless we need them. We discussed a few good guidelines, but we will not implement a guideline unless it is needed.
2. MEMBERSHIP - to start, there will be a $20 membership fee for the first six months. New members can join by being invited by a current member. A new person can attend two meetings before they have to join.
3. HOW THE MEETINGS WILL RUN - to start we will have 1.5 hour meetings starting at 7:30pm. We will recap the last meeting, discuss new ideas, then move onto the "idea(s) of the week". No cell phones during the meeting.
4. OFFICERS - at our next meeting we will nominate/volunteer/elect a few officers. 3 people on an agenda committee, 1 treasurer, 1 secretary/reporter.

First meeting - location set

2006-11-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

I have a good idea, let's have our first meeting at wine works in the basement in the their "cellar". It is a nice private location were we can have our first meeting. Time remains the same, Tuesday, November 14th at 7:30pm.

2006-10-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD IDEA SOCIETY – charter invitation 10/30/06

Let’s create a place to share good ideas - good ideas that foster good community, good environment, good people, and good times.

To start, this place would be a bi-weekly meeting. A forum to have fun, discuss important/relevant issues, and to discuss problems that we face as a people and a community. This will all be done over a few pints and glasses of wine.

Our ideas will vary widely, from discussions of religion, politics, history, philosophy, and ethics to a dirty joke night or a whiskey tasting. The ideas can and will change from meeting to meeting and hopefully we will hit on some good ideas - good ideas that we’ll put into action and create real results.

But the main idea of the Good Idea Society is to create a “society” of friends where ideas can be safely expressed and explored while having a good time. Not so different from our lives already – just a touch more structure to help bring the ideas to life.

Let’s be serious, but let’s not take ourselves too seriously. Let’s try to do good, but make sure we’re having fun and not getting bogged down in the weight of our ideas.

Meeting #1 – Tuesday, November 14, 2006 – 7:30pm – location TBD