Telluride Inside... and Out

Telluride retiring councilwoman waxing philosophical on election day

[click "Play to hear Susan's conversation with Andrea Benda]

Andrea Benda (r) with friend and
council colleague, Lulu Hunt

Retiring Telluride councilwoman Andrea Benda spends a great deal of time wandering around a cemetery. She is not maudlin. She has nothing to bury, not even a hatchet, because she long ago she made peace with all her council colleagues. Telluride's Lone Tree Cemetery is simply one of the stops on the town tours her company, Explore Telluride!, offers.

Andrea Benda holds a degree in Library Science from James Madison University. After graduation, she worked in the Chicago suburbs as a media specialist in elementary schools until she and her then husband Terry, now deceased, moved to Telluride and ran the Ore Station Lodge as an inn, handling everything from taking reservations to cleaning toilets. Not being afraid to get her hands dirty was probably good training for the Telluride Town Council.

Razz-a-ma-tazz: Legalize Marijuana & Grow the Economy

by Art Goodtimes

At his on-line town hall meet March 26th, Pres. Obama was asked if he thought legalizing marijuana might improve our economy. He laughed, joked about people who use Internet, and said, “No, I don’t think that is a good strategy to grow our economy.”

His words were chosen carefully. It is a divisive issue, and would be a difficult strategy to accomplish his goal of growing the economy.

Nevertheless, the outlawing of possession or use of Cannabis is based on such prejudice and unscientific thinking that many expected Obama, of all people, to be willing to address it. Right now. Tomorrow.

Celebrating Law Day on Telluride Time, Monday, May 4

[hear Susan's conversation with Sharon Shuteran and Freddy Shapiro]

Law Day, U.S.A. is officially May 1, a national event meant to reflect the role of law in our country's foundation. In Telluride as elsewhere in the country, Law Day is a vehicle for may bar and legal educations associations to promote the use of law as a legal education tool, particularly for students.Only in Telluride, we celebrate the event on "Telluride time."

 On May 4, 6.pm. at the Wilkinson Public Library, Judge Sharon Shuteran and longtime lawyer/former legal professor Freddy Shapiro co-host a program about the High Court based on insights and questions derived from Jeff Toobin's book, "The Nine."  (Having read the book is a nice but not necessary condition for showing up for the discussion.)

In "The Nine," Toobin humanizes the quirky justices and provides a basic understanding of the inner workings of the most important legal institution in America, including the role of political intuition in decision-making.

Elisabeth Gick returns to Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library with third all-Tibet program

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's interview with Elisabeth Gick]

As part of Telluride's week-long "Phenomenal Woman" Celebrations" Telluride Inside...and Out honors longtime local Elisabeth Gick and her crusade for Tibet.

Elisabeth is bit like Alice of Wonderland fame: her native curiosity always gets the better of her. She falls down holes and meets amazing people in exotic places. She also tries to make a difference.

For several years now, Elisabeth has been traveling in Asia, particularly in Tibet, where she has made friends and made a difference. For example, she is doing what she can for 82 young girls, all orphans, whom she met with daughter Lesley in October 2008, while visiting the town of Ganzi in upper Kham. Thanks to her efforts and the generosity of family and friends such as the Lifton-Zolines, the girls now have two solar hot water showers and will soon have a library. A third initiative involves raising funds for traditional outfits. Elisabeth is $800 short of that goal.

The soft center of the San Miguel Resource Center’s annual “Fling” is a chocolate buffet

[click "Play" to hear Susan's interview with Jill Roisman]

 
Poster by Kim Hilley

Chocolate predates Telluride (and its famous Fling). The history of chocolate actually dates back at least 1,500 years, when the Mayans of Central America crushed cocoa beans into an unsweetened beverage. The Aztecs had a name for that beverage: xocolatl or bitter water. The Aztec ruler, Montezuma II, is said to have consumed 50 or more golden goblets filled with bitter water each day.

Chocolate, also called “food of the gods,” was used in religious ceremonies. Its seeds were traded as currency.

The Spanish conquistador Cortes is said to have called chocolate “the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue.”
Years later in Europe, chocolate was prescribed for depression and made into love and death potions. (Its bitter flavor masked poisons.)

Hats off to the professional Fling chefs

 
Images from 2008 Fling

1.   221 South Oak - chefs Eliza Gavin & Sue Govindsamy
2.   Allred's & Telski - chef Jason Lemon
3.   Argentine Grille @ The Rico Hotel - chef Eamonn O'Hara
4.   The Bistro @ The Hotel Telluride - chef Michael Dellaporta
5.   Cosmopolitan Restaurant - chef Angela Heuman
6.   Excelsior/Blue Point/X-Cafe/Cantina - chef Rhiannon Chandler
7.   Indian Ridge Bakery - chef Barclay Daranyi
8.   Kendra's Kitchen - chef Kendra Wilcox
9.   The New Sheridan Chop House - chef Carly Kunselman
10. Ouray Candy Company - Amy Mueller
11. Silverton Chocolates - chef Josh Galloway
12. The Sweet Life - chef Brandie Myers
13. Tarragon @ Elk Mountain Resort - chef Jeff Foulk
14. Tommy's - chef Bridget Malone
15. The Window @ Chair 7 - chef  Cinda Simons

How to Fling – What to do if you want to participate

To purchase tickets to the Chocolate Lovers' Fling, go to Two Skirts, Between the Covers, Telluride Bottle Works, and in the Mountain Village, Telluride Coffee Company. Online, go to tellurideticket.com. Act now and the price is $35 through January 31.
After Saturday, the price goes up to $50.

If you are interested in participating in the professional chef category, just contact Jill Roisman at JBR417@aol.com or Jill O'Dell at jillallik@yahoo.com.
Want to trade your time for a ticket? To volunteer, contact Erin Amini at erinamini@gmail.com or Kristina Anderson at ninianderson@mac.com.

Can't attend, but support the cause? To make a donation, call the SMRC at 970-728-5842.

KOTO's Lip Sync: Ticket auction tomorrow

The one, the only KOTO Lip Sync takes place this Friday at the Sheridan  Opera House. This is a SOLD OUT show. However, KOTO will auction off two sets of two tickets, on Thursday from 10-11.

These tickets are valued at $56.00 a pair. Call in your bid @ 728.4333. Good Luck.

Speaking of Lip Sync, there is still room for more acts. Prize money is: $100 for third, $200 for second and $300 for first place !!! What are you waiting for ? Get our act together! Call 728 8100.

Beating Up On Our Allies – Salazar Under Fire

Razz-a-ma-tazz

by Art Goodtimes

What is it about advocacy positions that lead supporters to beat up on allies as much as enemies, or sometimes even more?

I’ve seen this phenomenon first-hand as a lifetime environmentalist, former Earth First! organizer, and co-founder of the local community group in Telluride (Sheep Mountain Alliance), after having stepped into the political realm and having served now as a four-term county commissioner. Who beats up on me unmercifully, when I deviate from an activist stance (regardless of my reasons) – it’s my friends and allies. Just as, a few years back, here in Colorado, it was the constant carping of enviro groups (in large part) that drove the thin-skinned senator, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, out of the Democratic party and into the hands of the Republicans.

When I reflect on it, I suppose there are several reasons for this phenomenon.

Eilsabeth Gick on Tibet: out loud at the library tomorrow

[click to hear Elisabeth Gick on Tibet]

Elisabeth Gick first came to Telluride in September of 1979, like so many of us, an "accidental tourist.”

“The beauty of the valley sucked me right in and has not let go yet.”

Gick’s children, now adults, went through school here, and she started a very satisfying landscaping business, Outer Spaces, while also becoming deeply involved in a number of non-profits, including Mountainfilm and the Out Loud lecture series.

“I consider myself incredibly lucky to be living here.”

A few years ago, Elisabeth caught the travel bug, visiting interested Nepal in 1999, Vietnam and Cambodia in 2002, India for three months in 2005, India again for three months in 2006-2007.