Bravo to the Bare Bones

Dear Editors,

I would like to applaud the cast, direction and production of the Bare Bones Burlesque & the Salt Fire Circus. For those who did not witness the amazing talent living here in Durango, this show is top notch. It started with the Bare Bones Band playing a very antiquated circus theme which seemed to evolve and change throughout the show to a very progressive version that has you rocking in your seat.  In between there are a series of circus performances from mind blowing juggling, awe inspiring Cirque Du Soleil aerial performances, to a sexy Lion taming.  The Burlesque element highlighted not only the sex appeal of this era, but the varied performances showcased cultural variations.  Other highlights in the show included strong vocal performances on stage and another that developed in the audience. To say I was on the edge of my seat would be an understatement, and leaving my seat aside from the intermission was not an option.  

Coming from the NY/Philadelphia region I have been to a few Broadway and off Broadway productions and found this show to be a force to be reckoned with. The fact that the show sold out before the first showing and that the waiting list was two pages long, for each show should give you an idea of the shows  demand.  

I would like to close by saying that while all of the cast and performers were exceptional; I found each to be very gracious in receiving their accolades. I would love to individually acknowledge various members; I will just say you know who you are and what I found specifically amazing about your performance.  I want to thank all of you for your hard work and preparation and the many other little things that caught my attention to add to the shows ambiance.  In the meantime I will look forward to any future production and would

ENCORE!  ENCORE! ENCORE

– Brian Welsh, Durango

Another view of Ayurveda

Dear Editors,

Re: The science of life, Ancient Indian healing art grows locally (Volume 8, No. 22, June 4, 2009) by4 

– Marc Carrier,

via e-mail

Sponsoring local sustainability

Dear Editors,

I am writing on behalf of the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado to publicly thank the co-sponsors who made it possible for us to bring Gunter Pauli, founder and leader of Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives, to Durango for his May 8 presentation entitled “Technologies from Nature: Inspiring Innovations and Generating Jobs.”  

Our thanks go to La Plata County, Nature’s Oasis, Carver Brewing Co., Chris Calwell, Durango Coffee Co., Durango Compost Co., Durango Natural Foods, Fort Lewis College Environmental Center, Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency, La Plata Economic Development Action Partnership, Maria’s Bookshop, Peakinsight, Phoenix Recycling, San Juan Bioenergy, Ska Brewery, and Zia Taqueria.

We are deeply grateful to these individuals, businesses and organizations for their commitment to the long-term health of our community.  

– Dick White,

Policy Committee Chair

Keep the dollars at home

Dear Editors,

A while ago, I read that Bill Gates and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were planning on donating a total of $500 million to reduce the incidence of smoking in developing countries, especially China. I haven’t seen any recent information on this subject, but I believe they made a commitment to this ridiculous project.

Why are they concerned with the habits of the Chinese people? Do the Chinese worry about our health when they send all of those tainted products to the U.S.? Do the Chinese concern themselves with our economy when they flood our country with their products and eliminate U.S. jobs?

It is admirable for Bill and Mike to give back to society some of the many millions they have earned, but they should concern themselves with the plight of all the Americans who have lost their jobs because of the cheap goods manufactured in China and exported to the U.S. With U.S. unemployment projected to approach 10 percent in 2009, they should be investing the $500 million in the U.S. to create jobs for Americans, the same American workers who made them wealthy.

– Donald A. Moskowitz, via e-mail

Business as usual in Holcomb

Dear Editors:

Evidence of global warming bombards us each day: glaciers all over the globe melting, stronger storms, six of the earth’s hottest years since 1860 occurring in the last eight years, and so on. The scientific community is now virtually unanimous in their conclusion that global warming is caused by greenhouse gases, 80% of which are carbon dioxide. CO2 occurs as a result of burning coal, gasoline, and other fossil fuels. Our electric power plants are huge contributors of carbon dioxide.

Despite all this Kansas recently permitted a huge new coal-fired power plant for construction in Holcomb. This one plant will produce 13,000,000 tons of CO2 each year in order to supply power to Tri-State cooperatives, La Plata Electric Association among them. To offset Holcomb’s annual contribution to global warming, with all of its known and unknown risks to life on our planet, we would need to remove 1,900,000 gasoline powered cars, SUV’s, and light trucks from our highways.

Furthermore, this new plant could increase Kansas mercury emissions by 65 percent. To add insult to injury, most of the electricity to be produced at Holcomb will be sent to Colorado. Kansas gets the pollution while Colorado gets the power.

Why aren’t we actively talking about better efficiency, wind power and solar power, or at least state-of-the art emission controls? Instead we are about to be stuck for 50 years or more with huge new coal plant that is just business as usual.  

– Lou Restrapo,

via email