April 2010

Featuring presenters drawn from science, industry, arts and the media, and in keeping with the International Year of Biodiversity, Mountainfilm launches its 32nd annual Festival on Friday, May 28, with an in-depth look at species extinction.

“We are living in the sixth major extinction on this planet and the first one to be caused by humans,” says Festival Director David Holbrooke. “The statistics are staggering. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-off since the loss of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. It’s estimated that a species dies off every 20 minutes. Some scientists predict that between 30 and 50 percent of all species will be extinct by mid-century. E.O. Wilson says that biodiversity is the key to life on this planet and that its collapse is the biggest threat we are facing.”

Noting he is still waiting to confirm several symposium presenters, Holbrooke says he is delighted with the depth of expertise he has already locked in.

April 29 to May , 2010

Visible Planets: Morning: Jupiter  Evening: Venus, Mars and Saturn

Destructing and Constructing an Evolutionary New Dawn

TheTower The Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon took place on April 28th @ 4:20 am MDT, bringing to fruition the lunar cycle which began in mid-April with a late degree Aries New Moon. For many, this lunation was intense. I heard rumblings, mumblings and grumblings of irritability and dissatisfaction from personal, private and professional sectors. The world seemed ill-at-ease, restless and discontent, pulling, pushing, yelling and rebelling.

Not only was Mercury retrograde - it will go direct in Taurus @ 4:27 pm on May 11th - but just 36 hours prior to the April 28th Full Moon, the planets Saturn and Uranus exactly opposed each other @ 29º Virgo/Pisces. This was the fourth of five exact oppositions taking place in the time period between the fall of 2008 and the summer of 2010, each one marking a critical balancing and breaking point in our personal, political and professional lives.

Kickass_smallposter Resized_How_To_Train_Your_Dragon_poster The Nugget Theatre in beautiful downtown Telluride has three movies on the bill for the week of Friday, April 30-Thursday, May 6. The early movie through the weekend is "How to Train your Dragon", rated PG. This is not your typical "boy-meets-dragon" story. Hiccup, a wise-guy Viking kid, will ultimately change the course of Viking history.

R rated "Kick Ass" posits a would-be super-hero with a problem: he has no super powers. He can't leap tall buildings at a single bound, can't bend steel with a hard look; you get the picture. But that doesn't keep him from inspiring a bunch of copycats, and of course, a bunch of super-villains. Not made for kids.

Thebountyhunter_smallteaser "The Bounty Hunter" (PG-13) starts with an interesting premise: wouldn't it be great to be a bounty hunter with a mandate to bring in your ex-wife. No story without a few twists, right?

See below for showtimes, and the Nugget website for trailers and reviews.

Friday, April 30
     5:00 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON   1hr 38min  PG
     7:00 KICK ASS                   1hr 58min  R

Poster The Sheridan Arts Foundation's Young People's Theater in Telluride, under the direction of Jen Julia, presents its third full-length musical, performed by a cast of 27 young locals, grades 3 – 5. Performances are April 30 – May 2, 6 p.m. ( one hour with intermission).

Hansel & Gretel is a fairy tale of German origins, made famous by the Brothers Grimm. The story follows a young brother and sister, who discover a Gingerbread house filled with candy in the forest, the home of a child-eating wicked old witch. The Grimm version differs from the original in one fundamental plot twist: there was no evil stepmother. It was the children's own mother who convinced the father to abandon his offspring in the woods, a not unknown practice during crisis such as famine, war, plague, pestilence of the late Middle Ages. The change was to smooth feathers in a society not able to conceive of a mother forsaking her own babes.

"Telluride Hiking Guide" author Susan Kees talks with TIO about her experiences in the region's high country. The third edition of her book is due out this year, and she also has a new website, www.telluridehikingguide.com. ...

180south
180 South

From over 600 submissions, Mountainfilm has whittled its 2010 official film selections down to roughly 75, a process that Festival Director David Holbrooke says was a "particular challenge" because there were so many strong films. 
 
“As always, we have a wide range of films on a dizzying array of subjects from exploration to environmentalism to ecstasy (the drug). Having to pick and choose what makes the most sense for us, what best connects or contrasts with our themes and sub-themes, is really tough. Saying ‘no’ to strong films and talented filmmakers is just hard, no two ways about it.”
 
However difficult the decision-making process, Holbrooke says he is excited by the quality and diversity of this year’s picks.

by Kris Holstrom

_DSC0133 It’s nice to get out of the Telluride region for a bit during off-season if circumstances allow. Our family +1 managed to accomplish a whirlwind tour of colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Daughter Kelsey is a junior, and it was a great opportunity to see new country as she considers where to launch the next phase of her life after graduation next year.

Colleges were many and great, but the most fun for me was staying at the Out 'n’ About Treehouse Treesort just outside of Cave Juntion, Oregon. If you ever played MYST and enjoyed the treehouse world or coveted a treehouse of your own as a kid, you would love this place.

Renate.suction The American Academy of Bookbinding and the Ah Haa School present a talk by Renate Mesmer of the Folger Shakespeare Library: “The Folger Shakespeare Library and the Preservation of Books.” The talk with accompanying slides is scheduled for Thursday, April 29, 6:30 p.m. in the East Room of the Ah Haa School’s Depot Building.

Renate Mesmer is in Telluride teaching book conservation classes at the American Academy of Bookbinding. She works at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, where she is Assistant Head of Conservation.
[click "Play" to hear Elaine Fischer talk about Mark]

Photo 1
Mark & Elaine

April is the month for uniquely talented people throughout the country and in Telluride, people who tend to think outside the box, march to their own drum, and find unique modes of self-expression.

April is National Autism Month and National Poetry Month.

Telluride's Autism Behavioral and  Consultation Team (now a state-mentored Model Autism Team) headed my Occupational Therapist/Yoga instructor Annie Clark has been busy muscling up its protocols and programs. And Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities and Talking Gourds are pleased to announce the 13th annual Mark Fischer Poetry Prize Award Ceremony and Poetry Reading. The event takes place Tuesday, April 27, at Telluride's award-winning Wilkinson Public Library.
[click "Play" to hear Susan's conversation with Michael Freeman]

IMG_2121 Telluride Yoga Center instructor Anne Roemer welcomes her dear friend and spiritual mentor Michael Freeman to town. His visit includes a gift to our community: a spiritual practice including a guided meditation on Friday, April 30, 7 – 8:30 p.m. and on Saturday, May 1, 1:30– 4:30 p.m., in the basement of Christ Presbyterian Church. (On Columbia, across the street from the Telluride Elementary School.)

Although people come to Yoga for a variety of reasons – to learn to bend like a pretzel, develop strength and focus, distraction from physical aches and pains – the refinement of awareness is what the practice is really all about. The process which begins with just showing up and being present, can end with personal transformation.