By Dan Collins
Does Telluride really need another festival in the middle of the summer? Probably not. Do we really need more compassion? More sharing and caring? Yes. Why? Because it's good for us and for the planet.
"How so?" you ask.
Come find out at COMPASSION FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS, the Telluride Institute's Ideas Festival 2011, taking place July 8 - 10, at the Sheridan Opera House.
Silent auction and more added to the fourth Annual Touch-A-Truck Fundraiser Saturday, June 25.
Mountain Munchkins Child Care and Preschool, operated by the Town of Mountain Village, hosts the fourth annual Touch-A-Truck Fundraiser in support of the childcare center’s infant, toddler, and preschool programs. The event takes place Saturday, June 25, 2011, 10 a.m.– to 1 p.m. in the Telluride Middle/High School parking lot. Admission is $5 per adult and/or child.
“My favorite thing about Touch-A-Truck is driving the school bus,” said three-year-old Gia Neyens.
Telluride's Ah Haa School for the Arts continues its weekend immersions with a round of "Wooden It Be Loverly," this rendition, not from "My Fair Lady."
We are talking about artist Justin Bain's two classes focusing on the art of working wood: "Hand-cut Dovetail Box," Friday – Saturday, July 15 – July 16, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and "Introduction to Wood Bending," Friday– Saturday, July 29 – July 30, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Both workshops take place at the artist's studio, Alacran Woodworks, in Rico, Colorado.
The Telluride Science Reasearch Center Tuesday Town talks are back! The season kicks off with a scientist-explorer Dr. Ted Maksym of the British Antarctic Survey. His presentation, “In the Footsteps of Shackleton: A natural history of Antarctic sea ice” will be held from 6:00 to 7:15 pm, Tuesday, June 21, 2011, in the Palm Theatre in the Telluride Middle School/High School.
Maksym is an expert in Antarctic sea ice, which covers 8.5% of the world’s oceans in the winter. Maksym's current research measures the thickness of Antarctic sea ice to understand more about the influence of climate change. Surface area can be imaged by satellite, but scientists need information on the thickness of sea ice to understand more precisely if it’s growing, melting, or moving.
[click "Play" to listen to Beryl's interview with Susan]
Beryl Bender Birch is among the presenters at Aubrey Hackman's 4th annual Telluride Yoga Festival, July 14 – July 17.
Beryl's history is the history of Yoga in America, a story of assimilation and diversification and recently, big business. This spiritual teacher, yoga therapist, and author ("Power Yoga,""Boomer Yoga,""Beyond Power Yoga") was an early adaptor and pioneer: in the early 70s, the tie-dyed days of drugs, sex and rock 'n roll, Beryl, a former student of philosophy and comparative religion, became an avid student of yoga and the study of consciousness.
By J James McTigue
Alicia Stark, RN-BSN, began her career as a labor and delivery nurse in a high-risk hospital in Virginia.
She gained incredible medical experience, but realized she hadn’t learned anything about birth. This education came when she worked literally worlds away -- on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona.
Inspired by her experiences on the Reservation, she added certified Hypno-Birthing practitioner to her 
list of credentials. She is excited to share the methods of hypno-birthing and what she refers to as birthing “tools” to pregnant women in and around Telluride. She will be teaching a two-day, Hypno-Birthing class, from noon to 6 p.m. on June 25th and 26th at Shantihi Yoga Studio in Ridgway.
The Science of Cocktails an elixir of science and fun
Wednesday, June 22, 7:30 (VIP), 8:30 – 11:30 p.m., the Pinhead Institute hosts is only major public fundraiser: "The Science of Cocktails." The event takes place in the Crystal Room (and Deck) at The Peaks Resort & Spa in Mountain Village. The evening includes drink, gourmet desserts, and dancing to DJ Will of SoulAtomic.
Think of "The Science of Cocktails" as a remix of the witches' scene in "MacBeth."
Pinhead's evening bills itself as "an in-depth look, interactive look at the physics, chemistry and biology of cocktails and spirits." Mixers include six restaurants and one Ridgway distillery – Cosmopolitan, Honga's, M's Restaurant at Hotel Madeline Telluride, La Marmotte, The Steaming Bean, Siam, and Trail Town Still – competing to concoct the "Perfect Pinhead Potion."
Health news you can use every other Monday
Dr. Sharon Grundy
For 33 years, the Telluride Medical Center has provided health care services to Telluride and the 7,500 residents scattered throughout the R 1 School District. The Med Center is also the only 24-hour emergency facility within 65 miles. As a mountain town in a challenging, remote environment, a thriving medical center is vital to our community’s health. A brand new series on Telluride Inside... and Out features news you can use from the doctors at the Telluride Medical Center. Every other Monday, the column, To Your Health, will focus on news you can use to live a healthier life.
Remember the apple? No, not the one from the Garden that got us all in trouble. The one you take daily to keep the doctor away? Preventative medicine has come a long way since the original prototype. Now the challenge is making sense of the proliferation of received wisdom to make the right choices even about something as basic as which tests are essential. What should be routine in a "routine" check-up?
Were you "in the running" on Day 1 of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival? Were you somewhere near the front of the line to get your position on the Town Park grounds to hear your musical heroes? If so, check out the video, you may be...
By Tracy Shaffer
Sunday afternoons at the Mercury Café are always an eclectic mix with swing dance, poetry slams and tarot readings on the calendar. But last week the place levitated to a place even the Tibetan meditation class would envy. The occasion was a concert by the brilliant jazz band, Zuri, featuring the angelic voice of Prudence Mabhena, to benefit the Cunningham Foundation.
Hosted by Zuri cellist James Bailey, the event opened with some “world-inspired, improvisational, high-energy jazz”, as vibes playing percussionist Greg Tanner Harris describes the Zuri sound (I’d have gone with “jaw-dropping, eye-popping” myself), while artist Laurie Maves painted the scene on canvas for auction. Soon Prudence rolled in gracefully; the most grounded human being I’ve ever seen, with a soul that emanates from her brown/black eyes. She is pure spirit and a set of pipes that will make you believe in God.
