CAMP RICHARDSON — “Guilty Pleasures” — it’s the musical comedy of the Lake Tahoe Basin that doesn’t matter who is offended. And that’s a good thing.

With new songs about the Ta-hole, an amped-up version of living with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, an update on what it means to be a local, the dysfunction of the city of South Lake Tahoe, how incomprehensible it is that the basin doesn’t have regional transit, and praise of raising the speed limit on Highway 50 — it’s all in this play.

"Guilty Pleasures" will be at the Boathouse Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. Photo/Kathryn Reed

With only two shows left (Saturday night and Sunday afternoon), it’s a must see.

With new songs, more robust voices and vignettes that are relevant in 2012, this play captures several slices of life in Tahoe.

— Kathryn Reed

Destiny Aman, a doctoral student in the Penn State University Department of Geography, has been conducting doctoral research on how emotion interacts with wildfire hazard perception in the wildland urban interface, which is the area where homes and other structures border or intermingle with forests, shrubs and grasslands.

Aman has interviewed more than 80 residents, fire, and community managers in Truckee.

As wildfire size and intensity continues to grow, researchers are beginning to uncover the importance of the emotional relationships that residents have with certain places that, in turn, affect the perception, communication, and reduction of risk in the wildland-urban interface.

Aman will be sharing her findings on Aug. 6 from 5-6:30pm in Council Chambers at Town Hall, 10183 Truckee Airport Road.

By Mandy Kendall

When I was growing up, whenever the sun appeared (which wasn’t always that often in England) I remember my mother telling us to go outside in the sunshine to help us grow big and strong. At the time I figured it was just to get us out of the house and from under her feet, but it turns out she was actually making sure that we grew up big and strong (well, that and she probably really did want us out of the house).

Sunshine is fundamentally important for all kinds of reasons. It is a great natural antiseptic as the ultraviolet light in its rays can kill viruses, bacteria and molds in air, water and on our skin. Sunshine can boost your digestion and metabolism and increase your white and red blood cell count. Sunlight can improve your mood by increasing your serotonin (the happy hormone) levels and also increase the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Sunlight can also improve the function of your liver breaking down toxins in the body. Arthritic joints may also benefit from the healing powers of the sun’s rays.

Mandy Kendall

However one of the most important effects of sunshine for us is the production of vitamin D. The benefits of Vitamin D are numerous but here are a few key ones:

• Helps regulate calcium and phosphorus levels in your blood

• Promotes calcium absorption in your small intestine

• Improves your immune system

• Plays a major role in the life cycle of your cells

• Recent studies show that certain cancers and immune dysfunction are strongly associated with vitamin D deficiency.

How much do we need daily?

The Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences set a standard in 1997 of 200 to 600 International units (IU) per day depending on your age. It is now generally agreed that 1,000 to 2,000 IU per day from a variety of sources (sun, diet and supplements) is closer to what we need for optimum health

So how do we get vitamin D?

The sun is the best source. When exposed to sunlight your body is able to produce this fat soluble vitamin naturally. Your skin uses ultraviolet rays to make the vitamin which is then rapidly absorbed in the blood and fat tissue and can be stored for several months.

How much sunshine is enough?

A Harvard Public Health Review suggests: “A light-skinned person who takes walks in the summer with the face, neck, and arms exposed for 15 minutes gets enough.” The review goes on to say that darker skin needs up to twice as much exposure to generate the same amount of vitamin D and also warns about the dangers of prolonged exposure without sunscreen. Evidence suggests that supplementation may be needed during the months when there is less sunshine.

What are other good sources?

It’s hard to get vitamin D from diet which is why some foods are fortified with vitamin D. The same Harvard Review reported however that although a glass of milk is “supposed to contain about 100 IU … in reality may contain as little as 50 IU on average.”

Fatty fish is considered the best source of vitamin D with a 3.5 ounce serving of cooked salmon providing around 360 IU. Three ounces of canned tuna will have about 200 IU and a 13.4-ounce can of sardines provides approximately 250 IU.

As many of us spend a lot of time indoors, and don’t eat a fatty fish rich diet, supplementation is recommended to fill the gaps. General guidelines suggest no more than 2,000 IU per day using products containing vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is reported to be three to four times more potent than vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol).

Until next time.

Mandy Kendall operates Health Connective in South Lake Tahoe, which aligns wellness seekers with their ideal wellness provider. If you have questions, would like some advice, or would like to request some Qwik-e tips on any health and well-being topic, drop her an email at connect@healthconnective.com or keep an eye out on Lake Tahoe News for regular Qwik-e tips on how to make healthy changes one Quick and Easy step at a time.

El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Division is offering back-to-school immunizations for children.

Public Health can provide all childhood vaccinations required for school entry, including those needed for kindergarten entry, and the Tdap vaccine which is required for incoming seventh-graders and for those students in grades 8-12 who are transferring from another state or county.

Public Health also offers vaccines recommended for students entering college.

According to Cathy Dunbar, El Dorado County immunization coordinator, children entering prschool or a childcare setting are required to have received one dose of the Hib vaccine on or after their first birthday. The Hib vaccine protects against a particularly dangerous bacterial infection that mostly affects babies and children under age five, and can cause a severe form of pneumonia and bacterial meningitis.

Parents who do not have a health care provider and wish to have their child vaccinated through a scheduled appointment at Public Health may call the Public Health Clinic at (530) 621.6100 in Placerville or (530) 573.3155 in South Lake Tahoe. A $10 administrative fee is charged per shot at the Public Health Clinic buildings, though no child will be refused a vaccination due to an inability to pay. The Public Health Clinic buildings are located at 931 Spring St. in Placerville and 1360 Johnson Blvd., Ste. 103 in South Lake Tahoe.

Public Health is also conducting a series of free, walk-in vaccination clinics for children at designated locations throughout El Dorado County. For a list of dates and locations of the free, walk-in vaccination clinics, go online.

By Kathryn Reed

Going 50 on 50 has been a mantra of locals for years. But what isn’t known is if the phrase or song came first.

Dave Hamilton says he’d like to think he coined the phrase, “but I imagine that term was around before the song.” This is in reference to the song and skit about driving 50 mph on Highway 50.

"Guilty Pleasures" is at the Boathouse Theatre for five shows starting Aug. 1. Photo/Provided

Hamilton with Mark D. Williams (who is the music instructor at Lake Tahoe Community College) are the creative geniuses behind “Guilty Pleasures” – the totally Tahoe play that returns to the stage for five performances starting tonight.

This is the sixth version of the play that was first written and produced in 2002. The last time it was updated was in 2009. Hamilton writes the dialogue and lyrics, while Williams is responsible for the music. Hamilton said the second half has changed so much through the years that it doesn’t resemble the first rendition.

“There will be three completely new numbers and many of the bits have been updated as well,” Hamilton said of the 2012 show.

Songs include “Keep Tahoe Blues,” “Living on Tahoe Time” and the “TRPA”.

The play is about a progressive judge who allows several individuals to perform a show as part of their community service.

Hamilton and Williams came up with the idea for “Guilty Pleasures” after working on stage productions together and thinking they could do better than some of the material they had been working with.

“We had done two shows at the Boathouse — ‘Nunsense’ and ‘6 Women with Brain Death or Inquiring Minds Want to Know’. Both are comic skit musicals and in the pantheon of shows, not very well written. However, both have been wildly successful. People like goofy shows,” Hamilton told Lake Tahoe News as to how the idea for “Guilty Pleasures” came to life. “We figured we could write something that bad and not have to pay to do it. I was trying to think of an overarching idea to capture some of the song ideas I had come up with. Somehow I came up with the idea that these people, normal folks, were all doing the show as part of a community service project.”

Most of the shows in the past decade have sold out. This is attributed to locals, second homeowners and regular visitors being able to relate to the themes delivered in “Guilty Pleasures”.

Returning to the Boathouse Theatre are Kurt Munger, Chris and Pam Taylor. The three have been in each of the six shows. Stephanie Grigsby, Anita Jones, Mark Williams (not the music guy) and Matt Ault will be playing different parts than they have in the past. “Guilty Pleasures” newbies are Carrie Bauwens, Joanie San Agustin and April Foiles.

Whether there will be a future update Hamilton won’t commit to saying at this time.

“After six versions, it gets harder to find material that everyone will get. There is always something topical going on, but in general it gets more difficult,” Hamilton told Lake Tahoe News. “It is interesting because about when I think people are tired of it, I keep running into local people who have never seen it. We did feel that when we ran it three years in a row, that it lost some steam. But then look at ‘Beach Blanket Babylon’.”

—

Details:

• Dates: Aug. 1-4, 7:30pm; Aug. 5, 2pm

• Cost: $18 adults, $15 seniors-students-children, in advance; $20 at door

• Info or tickets: Go online or call (530) 541.4975.

•Location: The Boathouse Theatre is at the Tallac Historic Site, which is located two miles past the intersection of highways 50 and 89, just past Camp Richardson, on the lake side of Highway 89.

Eight-year-old Carlie Sheridan of Northern Nevada never expected to see her cat Splash again.

The orange tabby wandered off in July 2011 shortly after the cat and his family moved from Loyalton to Cold Springs.

Carlie was 4-years-old when she adopted Splash on the same day her brother Bret also adopted a cat named Humphrey. When the cat did not return home, the entire family was heartbroken.

When the Sheridan’s phone rang last week, almost exactly one year after Splash disappeared, the last thing they expected to hear was that Splash had just been found in Sun Valley by Washoe County Animal Control Officer Marie Busselman.

Splash is home now because Splash has a microchip.

“The story of Splash and Carlie is a wonderful illustration of why we so strongly believe in the value of microchips and urge every pet owner to make use of them,” Washoe County Regional Animal Services Manager Barry Brode said in a statement. “Microchipping is your pet’s best chance of getting back home if it ever becomes lost.”

Acoustic jazz artist Joe Craven is putting on a performance to support the Tahoe Rim Trail Association.

All proceeds from the Aug. 15 event benefit TRTA trail enhancements, programs and educational outreach.

The event is at Camp Galilee Chapel, 1776 Highway 50 Glenbrook. A no host bar will begin at 6:30pm, with the concert starting at 7pm.

Space is limited to the first 125 registrants. Ticket prices $35 for TRTA members; $50 for non-TRTA members. Reserve seats by going online.

By Stuart Elliott, New York Times

Simply put, a lot of what Madison Avenue says these days is simply put.

“Simply,” “simple” and “simplicity” — along with like-minded thoughts that include “easy,” “honest” and “clear” — have become marketing buzzwords in response to three related trends: how busy life today seems, the growing complexity of technology and the increasingly complicated economic picture. That has encouraged advertisers to woo consumers with promises to provide solutions that are meant as simple but not simplistic.

“We all have this desire to simplify our lives, but we don’t know how to do it,” said Marian Salzman, the longtime trend tracker and chief executive of Euro RSCG Worldwide Public Relations, North America, who described herself during an interview as “talking on one BlackBerry” with her second BlackBerry “in my hand, with my coffee.”

Envy is also driving the simplicity movement, Ms. Salzman said, listing examples: “We have envy of other people who seem to have it together. We envy the time we had just three TV channels to choose from. And we envy the man in the gray flannel suit who knew when work started and ended.”

Simplicity marketing is, well, simple to find. Radio commercials for McDonald’s offer paeans to “the simple joy of a wholesome breakfast.” Ads call Ban antiperspirant “effortlessly simple,” while those for Ally Bank declare, “Saving is simple when no one charges you for it.”

Read the whole story

The shelter in Meyers is full of kittens — black, white, gray, orange, and nearly all possible combinations. This is the perfect time to adopt a kitten or two, or consider one of the beautiful adult cats who are waiting patiently for a new home.

All kittens, as well as all of the other cats and dogs at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, are neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.

Go online to see photos and description of all pets at the shelter.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

The Lake Tahoe Flow Arts Festival, sponsored by the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association, is Sept. 4-6.

The event, a potpourri of creative expression, activities and workshops, is a gathering geared for hooping, juggling and aerial silks enthusiasts, as well as poi performers, stand up paddleboarders, dance and yoga practitioners. Last year, more than 15 countries were represented at the event.

The Lake Tahoe Flow Arts Festival is at various locations in Kings Beach.

A full-event adult pass is $77 and daily passes $45 if purchased by Sept. 2.

To purchase tickets and for a full schedule of events and times, go online.