February 2009

by Kris HolstromEveryone has something to contribute. So insist the folks of the RSVP (Regional Sustainability Visioning Project).  This effort, under the umbrella of The New Community Coalition and funded by the TMVOA is attempting to reel in a widely cast net. What would your...

Telluride's Nugget Theatre is screening four films this week, including the animated feature, "The Tale of Despereaux" and the World War II drama, "Defiance."

"Despereaux" is the story of a mouse who would be the hero who rescues the Princess. As travel writers know, you have no story unless something goes wrong. "The Tale of Despereaux" illustrates this dictum. Among the famous voices behind this animation are those of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. To see a trailer, go to apple.com/trailers.

Edward Zwick's "Defiance" is set in Eastern Europe in World War II. At a time when Jewish people were being massacred by the millions, the Bielski brothers were fighting the Nazis with a makeshift army of the people they had rescued. The movie stars Daniel Craig (the latest James Bond) and Liev Schreiber as two of the four Bielski brothers. The trailer can be found at apple.com/trailers. In the interest of full-disclosure, the editor of "Defiance" is Susan's and my brother-in-law, Steven Rosenblum, so this one is personal.

The Nugget's schedule for the coming week:

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with Jeb Berrier]

Comedy Fest begins Thursday at Telluride's Sheridan Opera House

Guaranteed the barbs will hit their mark – us – when the 10th annual Telluride Comedy Fest opens for business Thursday, February 12, with Locals' Night.

The weekend produced and hosted by town clown Jeb Berrier is always a great excuse for his old friends to gather and party hardy on the mountain and on the stage of the historic Sheridan Opera House. When those friends include the Who's Who of the world of comedy, then all bets are off. Anything goes.

The usual suspects include Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, Rob Huebel Jason Mantzoukas, Jamie Denbo, Scott Armstrong, Jessica Chaffin, Paul Scheer, Arj Barker, Steve Agee and DJ Eric Appel!

by Kris Holstrom

I’m in the middle of teaching a new class through the University Centers of the San Miguel. The charming director of UCSM approached me awhile back to brainstorm ways to spark student interest in sustainable ways and means. The class burst the seams of its first meeting room with 19 students packed in. ZERI – systems design for sustainability, PERMACULTURE – permanent agriculture (or is it permanent culture?) and RELOCALIZATION efforts are the lenses through which the class examines energy, food, water and waste – among other basic life necessities. This past weekend students chose between pruning and permaculture in McElmo Canyon and visiting the Buckhorn Garden Growing Dome near Colona. Some did both!

026 Battle Rock Farm has been producing fruit and food off and on for decades. In the past few years young blood and young fruit trees have taken root. Fresh ideas and enthusiasm are sprouting. It felt far too much like spring Saturday when students converged for a little pruning lesson and a farm tour. In my opinion, far too few folks know how a fruit tree grows or how to tell the difference between pear and peach. Who prefers what kind of “hair cut”. With sharpened pruners and lubricated loppers students translated verbal instructions by Lindsay Yarbrough and me, into action. It’s tough to make those first cuts, but as time passes and decisions made the process becomes a communication dance. “Step back and take a look and listen,” is good advice for pruning. After awhile the cuts are slightly easier to make – they begin to make sense.

by Eileen BurnsThe San Juan Symphony, with guest conductor Philip Mann, will be performing in Telluride, Sunday, February 15th at the Michael D. Palm Theatre.  Show time is 5pm.  The evening's selections include "Shubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor, Unfinished".  Shubert lived a full six years after...

Poster Part two of Elisabeth Gick's  three-part series on Tibet at Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library is a pause to refresh from the country's challenges: a screening of the award-winning documentary, "The Saltmen of Tibet."

According to Eilsabeth, the film offers a loving look at an ancient way of
life in one of the harshest, yet gorgeous regions of the world, the
Tibetan plateau. The story follows the daily rituals of a Tibetan nomadic community,
transporting us into a realm untainted by the tides of foreign invasion or
encroaching modernity. Step by step we experience the unforgettable, annual
three-month pilgrimage to the holy salt lakes of northern Tibet.

"Tibet is the roof of the world, a place where we feel we are in the
sky just as much as you are on the earth. The intense blueness of space
contrasts sharply with the deep green of Eastern Tibet's rolling grasslands
and the mineral colors of the west with its expanse of barren rock. For over
a thousand years Buddhist culture has been at the heart of Tibetan society,
and anyone who has travelled across these high plateaux will understand how
this contemplative civilization flourished in a landscape of such vastness," explained physical scientist/Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard.

Because of the heavy toll AIDS took on the fashion industry early in the epidemic the Telluride Aids Benefit Fashion Show is a fitting highlight to end a week of educational initiatives and community outreach focusing on prevention awareness.Because TAB’s muse and constant angel, Robert...



[ click play button to hear the Schoenau interview]

IMG_1256 Alice Schoenau is one of about 50 designers whose creations will be seen on the runway of the Telluride Aids Benefit Fashion Show on February 28.

“Throughout my studies in the Fashion Design Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I explored the means and meanings of changeable clothing. While always searching for new ways to create garments that can be worn in numerous ways, there is still a concern for function in addition to style.”

This recent graduate has created a small clothing line showcasing multi-functional designs in natural and organic fibers.

by Dr. Susannah Smith

Telluride's San Miguel Resource Center, the region's only nonprofit dealing with the twin challenges of domestic violence and sexual assault, celebrated healthy relationships last night at its annual Chocolate Lovers' Fling, the nonprofit's major public fundraiser. Support for the event means supporting yourself, a family member or a friend in need, anyone regardless of race or gender, yes gender, because abuse is an equal opportunity offender.

I'm writing today about a topic that is unpopular among women, and even female therapists.  However, the battered male is a reality.

Our media world has done a good job of reporting on domestic violence in women, which is also a reality.  We have heard of the "battered wife syndrome": a diagnostic complex of symptoms often referred to by clinicians.  I prefer to speak about the "battered partner syndrome."

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with Cynthia Sommers, Kristin Holbrooke and Jenny Delves]

IMG_0172 SMRC's Chocolate Lovers' Fling, the nonprofit’s only major public fundraiser, takes place on Saturday, February 7, at the Telluride Conference Center. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
 
 Marriage is gobbledygook, a gallimaufry of biblical, classical, courtly and Christian rules and mores. Historically, the ritual was a way to regulate procreation and tighten the screws on unbridled lust – especially female lust. Relatively recently, marriage became a tribute to romantic love and lifelong companionship. But it does not always affirm the optimism the institution celebrates.