International advocate for water quality and policy Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of renowned pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, will be the featured speaker at the 2010 Siebens Binz—Tahoe Forum at Sierra Nevada College campus on Aug. 28 at 3pm.

Parents are encouraged to bring their kids to this free public event, which will feature an visual and audio presentation highlighting Cousteau’s worldwide journey to educate people about the water issues that affect us all — from Botswana to Lake Tahoe.

The 2010 Siebens Binz—Tahoe Forum continues SNC’s more than decade-long tradition of bringing high-profile speakers to the community. The event was created in 1997 in alignment with the mission of Sierra Nevada College, which emphasizes environmental, social, economic, and cultural responsibility and sustainability.

Tickets are free but required for entry; to RSVP or for more information, contact Michelle McFall at (775) 831.1314 or mmcfall@sierranevada.edu, or go to www.sierranevada.edu/forum.

Thirty-seven young South Shore singers, dancers and actors have been hard at work the last two weeks learning their parts for the 1950’s musical “Rock Around the Block”. They are participating in Sierra Tahoe Children’s Theater annual workshop under the direction of Liz Niven and Marcia Sarosik.

Some of the participants have been sponsored by the El Dorado Community Foundation and the Sports Connection. The soda pop abd sock hop musical is set in the 1950s.

The community is invited to the production July 23 at 6pm at Tahoe Valley Elementary School’s multipurpose room and again July 24 at 10:30am.

There is no charge for the performance, but donations will be accepted at the door.

By David Hegle, Reno Gazette-Journal

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is going through some changes. Growing pains, even, though the audience shouldn’t feel a thing.

But they will notice that this year’s slate is different. Instead of two offerings (like last year’s bill of “Measure for Measure” and “Much Ado About Nothing”), there is only one, and it’s not technically Shakespeare.

But while “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” is recently penned, it is two hours of riotous comedy and as worth seeing as any past production.

The festival, enjoying its 38th season, is now in the hands of Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee, who also directs independent theater festivals in Boise and Cleveland.

Read the whole story

June Towill Brown will unveil her new Series of Three bronze sculpture collection entitled “Gentle Giants” at a free public showing and live sculpting event at the Pacific Crest Gallery July 24-25 in South Lake Tahoe.

Well-known for her hallmark series work, Brown’s most recent collection was created to honor the mystical and magical Gypsy stallion horses and includes the limited edition sculptures entitled “Gypsy Dancer, Gypsy Spirit and Gypsy Fire.”

During this weekend event, Brown of J.T. Brown Sculptures will be will be sculpting her next Series of Three that will portray Gypsy mares with their foals. Pacific Crest Gallery is located at 1001 Heavenly Village Way, Ste. 21.

For more information, call (530) 541.2523.

This past month, Brown attended the Women Artists of the West 40th Annual Celebration where Brown’s sculpture “Gypsy Fire” was chosen as a Finalist during the event’s Juried Show at the legendary Olaf Wieghorst Museum in El Cajon.

The Limited Edition bronze was displayed during this six-week thematic event honoring some of the west finest women artists. In December of 2008, Brown was juried into Women Artists of the West from among many accomplished women artists in the United States.

JT Brown Sculptures is based in Incline Village. For complete information, visit www.jtbrownsculptures.com or call (775) 831.1313.

By Kathryn Reed

Long before the white man called Lake Tahoe home, Washoe Indians lived here in spring and summer, while calling Gardnerville home as the temperatures dropped.

Some tribal members were born on the shores of Lake Tahoe 85 years ago. Today, many Washoe live at the lake and in the valley year-round.

Now in its 20th year, the Washoe people celebrate their culture at Valhalla near Camp Richardson with a type of living history. The event showcases tribal living, the past and the present.

Wa She Shu It De is free from 10am-5pm, July 24-25. It will include basket making, traditional singing, dancers, drums, flutists, food and games.

“The festival is to educate the general public that indigenous people are still here,” said Wanda Bachelor of the Washoe Tribe. “The Washoe Tribe is still strong. We have been around for thousands of years. We are trying to preserve and protect who we are.”

At the festival, pictures should only be taken if permission is granted by the tribal member.

For a complete summer festival line up, click here or call (530) 541.4975.

Liz Broscoe, professional drummer and teacher, welcomes kids ages 10-18 to join her in creating a drum group.

On Aug. 12 the group will join Broscoe on stage at the Valhalla Boat House as part of her drum show DURGA. The program is in partnership with the Boys & Girls of Lake Tahoe.

Liz Broscoe helps Haley Crowsen with the djembe. Photo/Provided

Practices are at the club (1100 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe) on July 22, July 29, Aug. 5 and Aug. 11 at 1pm.

The program is free and participants do not need to be a member of the Boys & Girls Club.

Drums will be provided.

To sign up contact, call Broscoe at (530).318-2330 or email lizbroscoe@aol.com.

By Miranda Simon, Sacramento Bee

El Dorado County saluted film producer Lincoln Lageson during a Saturday evening event where his latest Hallmark movie,”Jack’s Family Adventure,” was screened.

The film was shot at The Grace Foundation, an equine rescue and rehabilitation facility in El Dorado Hills. Lageson also produced another film shot in El Dorado County, “Out of the Woods,” a Hallmark movie starring Ed Asner and Jason London, which debuted in 2005.

Lageson, who has said his parents grew up in Nevada City, used that town as the backdrop for his film “The Christmas Card,” a Hallmark movie that aired in 2006.

Read the whole story

By Sherman Goldenberg, RV Business

Rent an RV, hit the road and save gobs of money on your next vacation.

Really? Maybe not, even some advocates concede, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“You could probably pack four people in a car, eat at restaurants, stay in hotels, and I imagine it’s about the same cost,” said Chuck Woodbury, editor of RVTravel.com, a consumer website offering tips and tricks for RVers.

But consider the intangibles.

“The real advantage of the RV is that the family’s together, and you can cook and eat healthy meals,” Woodbury said. “There’s something about being in a little house that’s very appealing. Sitting around a campfire at night is a lot more fun than sitting around a hotel room and watching TV.”

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

After the bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this month, a sequel to “Food, Inc.” may be necessary.

All eggs, no matter the origin, sold in California starting in 2015 must meet the standards set forth in the 2008 voter approved Proposition 2. This legislation says all hens must be able to freely lie down, stand up, extend their wings and turn around. 2015 is the year the proposition takes affect.

“Food, Inc.” is the 2008 documentary about where animal products in the United States come from well before consumers buy them at the grocery store.

It’s graphic. It’s raw – in several meanings of the word. It’s disturbing. It had Sue and I turning our heads several times, but the audio told us what was going on.

Why watch it?

For one, too many people think their food comes from a grocery store. There is no thought beyond that. No thought about who grew it or raised it. No thought about the chemicals involved or what the animals may have consumed. No thought about what conditions the animals lived in.

I was familiar with much of the commentary in the movie. I had not seen all the pictures. I hadn’t seen chickens unable to move because it was wall-to-wall chickens.

Suddenly, the fact that in my vegetarian diet I do consume eggs – and bake with them all the time – I was alarmed. I had heard stories, but to see the conditions and hear from the farmers made my stomach turn.

The unfortunate thing about the new California law is that it does not address processed foods. Just think about all the food products that contain eggs. Then think about if the bill would cover the hens laying those eggs.

But maybe, just maybe, this law will change how some hens are treated. That would be a movie sequel worth watching – how food production has improved in the United States.

Another alarming aspect the movie brought forward is how agricultural is dominated by a handful of companies. It’s right up there with big oil. It was pointed out how people in government who are there to regulate the industry came from the industry. Sound familiar?

It’s one of those movies that everyone should see so they have an understanding of where food comes from.

The movie does show a farmer who has no problem doing things in what would be labeled a more organic way – having cows eat grass instead of a corn product. Corn isn’t a natural food product for cows – it’s something people have found cheap and easy to feed them.

If you want to know more about where food comes from, I highly recommend the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser.

By Jessica Bennett and Jesse Ellison, Newsweek

Every year around this time, the envelopes begin to arrive. Embossed curlicues on thick-stock, cream-colored paper ask for “the pleasure of our company” at “the union of,” “the celebration of,” or “the wedding of.” With every spring, our sighs get a little deeper as we anticipate another summer of rote ceremony, cocktail hour, and, finally, awkward dancing. Sure, some weddings are fun, but too often they’re a formulaic, overpriced, fraught rite of passage, marking entry into an institution that sociologists describe as “broken.”

Once upon a time, marriage made sense. It was how women ensured their financial security, got the fathers of their children to stick around, and gained access to a host of legal rights. But 40 years after the feminist movement established our rights in the workplace, a generation after the divorce rate peaked, and a decade after Sex and the City made singledom chic, marriage is—from a legal and practical standpoint, anyway—no longer necessary. The two of us are educated, young, urban professionals, committed to our careers, friendships, and, yes, our relationships. But we know that legally tying down those unions won’t make or break them. Women now constitute a majority of the workforce; we’re more educated, less religious, and living longer, with vacuum cleaners and washing machines to make domestic life easier. We’re also the breadwinners (or co-breadwinners) in two thirds of American families. In 2010, we know most spousal rights can be easily established outside of the law, and that Americans are cohabiting, happily, in record numbers. We have our own health care and 401(k)s and no longer need a marriage license to visit our partners in the hospital. For many of us, marriage doesn’t even mean a tax break.

Read the whole story