San Diego Film Festival’s private screening of 'Come Hell or High Water' left the audience in deep thought. Photo: San Diego Film Festival

August 11, 2016 Comments (0) Views: 2325 Blog, Life on the Mesa

Life on the Mesa: How Do We End Generational Poverty?

‘Come Hell or High Water’ left its audience searching for solutions

By Amanda Caniglia

Rumor has it…

What’s the current buzz on the Mesa? I’d say it’s the latest story to break at TSRI. There’s been a reshuffle and Steve Kay has exited stage left. While a great mind has left the Mesa to return to USC, we have gained a few new great minds. Half of the new executive team are—wait for it—women! A huge congratulations are in order for Jennifer Crosby-Meurisse, new VP of HR, Cara Miller, VP of Communications, and Julia Ronlov, Executive Director of New Business Development.

Upcoming events (I'll be at the fun table…)

JUNK: The Golden Age of Debt
August 9-21, La Jolla Playhouse
“A sexy and epic thriller about an upstart genius hell bent on changing all the rules.” That’s right up my alley. Written by Ayad Akhtar and directed by Doug Hughes, JUNK: The Golden Age delves into the illusive world of debt. La Jolla Playhouse theatergoers are claiming this as one of the best shows this season. Don’t miss out! Who wouldn’t want to see a show whose lead character claims “Debt is an asset.”
Premiere of Hell or High Water
August 12, ArcLight La Jolla
Read on below for the details…
Postdoc Open-Mic Night
August 17, 6-8 p.m., Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
Postdoc Open-Mic Night is back and next week is the finals. Local braniacs are getting ready to throwdown this round. The stakes are high and the audience will watch them duke it out with words. Professor Jane Dyson of The Scripps Research Institute, and Diego Miralles, President of Adaptive Therapeutics at Adaptive Biotechnologies and former Global Head of Innovation for Johnson and Johnson, are our local legends deciding the fate of these brave scientists. Dyson and Miralles will also be around for a bit of networking and give five minute talks in addition to choosing our next champion. So come and get your schmooze on. Sponsored by Essen InnuCyte Live-Cell Analysis and MaxCyte Flow Transfection (who?), this crew has also arranged a tap takeover by Duckfoot Brewing. Think you got what it takes to win next season's title? Check out their site and sign up. I see a t-shirt in the making with their tag line, "Communicate Your Science." Or there's always my version, "School House Rock That Shit."

Just Mesa'n around…

Generational poverty. How do we end the cycle? San Diego Film Festival’s private screening of Come Hell or High Water left the audience at La Jolla’s ArcLight Cinema in deep thought. Merely an impromptu night of schmoozing and entertainment? Oh, no. Hosted by none other than Jon Cook himself, the San Diego Film Festival put on one swanky VIP reception and chose one hell of a film for its members to enjoy. You can always tell a good film by the conversation that follows. The night’s feature was a special screening for SDFF members. Set to premiere locally on August 12, this film stars the deeply profound, ever-impressive Jeff Bridges. Other show-stopping cast members? Gil Birmingham, Ben Foster, and stud-muffin Chris Pine. A slow film dedicated to great lines, timing, cinematography, and character development, one was able to sit back and soak up the storyline. I found myself savoring every line, every expression, every emotion. It’s a riveting tale of retaliation against our banking system. Line that left me thinking? “I was poor, my dad was poor, his dad… it’s like a disease and we just keep passing it down from generation to generation.” What is the solution for economic empowerment within one’s own community?