Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Medical Marijuana Appeals court says no MMJ on probation
Posted by Bryce Crawford on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 6:01 PM
Word is drifting out of Denver that on Feb. 2, the Colorado Court of Appeals overturned a previous ruling that held it was OK for those on probation to continue to partake of medical marijuana.
The case verdict, The People of the State of Colorado v. Leonard Charles Watkins, comes courtesy of an e-mail blast from Legalize 2012, one of three campaigns actively seeking to change our state's marijuana laws.
First, the campaign offers this summary of the court ruling: "Previously, probation departments across Colorado had wide discretion into whether or not a patient on probation would be allowed to use their medicinal cannabis. With the Court of Appeals ruling, the ability of probation officers to address individual patient situations on a case-by-case basis has been eliminated and replaced with a statewide 'Zero Tolerance' policy for medical cannabis use and probation."
And here's the judges' reasoning:
"In light of the holding in Slayton, the recognized purpose of section 18-1.3-204(1), and the fact that the federal statutes prohibiting possession or use of marijuana (even for medical purposes) authorize punishment by confinement, we conclude that defendant’s federally prohibited use of medical marijuana would constitute an 'offense' within the meaning of section 18-1.3-104(1). See § 18-1-103(1), C.R.S. 2011 (provisions of title 18 'govern the construction of and punishment for' any state offense 'unless the context otherwise requires')," reads the opinion.
So, tough blow for those who need medical cannabis while on probation. And here's Legalize 2012's solution.
"The Cannabis Re-Legalization Act citizen's ballot initiative, which was also filed on 2/2/12, would solve this problem by replacing the flawed language of Colorado's Medical Marijuana Amendment with a broader and better-written law," reads the statement. "First, the Cannabis Re-Legalization Act makes cannabis use a fundamental Constitutional right for Colorado citizens. Then, the Cannabis Re-Legalization Act protects all cannabis users by prohibiting the government from punishing them or denying them any right or privilege for their cannabis use."
So there you have it: Another lost right for MMJ patients, and another marijuana legalization campaign on the scene, joining The Relief for the Possession of Cannabis Act of 2012 and the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Eco News / Politics Frack you, we want fossil fuels
Posted by Sara Michael on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 5:22 PM
Locking gas caps were invented during the Great Depression as a preventive measure against scurrilous thieves who would siphon gasoline from unsuspecting car owners — and that was when gas was only 18 cents a gallon.
Factor in inflation, and that’s still only about $2.50 a gallon; 40 cents cheaper than I paid at the pump Monday.
At the 2012 Colorado Energy Summit held Monday in Golden at the Colorado School of Mines, foreign oil prices and finding alternatives to imported energy made for a heated topic. Making a campaign stop at the summit, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich blamed the high cost of gasoline on the “anti-American-energy” attitude of the Obama administration.
“A rational, serious American government would have a crash program for American energy. Our goal is to become so independent of the Middle East that we actually don’t care what they do,” Gingrich said. “[Our goal] is to ensure that no American president ever again bows to a Saudi king.”
Gingrich’s plan to do this is far from simple.
He declared his intention to, if elected, eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and replace it with a new “Environmental Solutions Agency,” with a brand-new staff who would have to have “as a first test, common sense.”
A baby wailed in the front row of the auditorium as he said this.
Gingrich also expressed his intent to open up federal land for energy examination, focusing on the far north. The federal government owns 69 percent of Alaska — jokingly, Gingrich reasoned, about 1½ Texases.
“You can give the environmentalists half of Texas,” he said. “They can pick their favorite glacier, their favorite polar bear, whatever they want.” And then, he said, the rest of that massive area could be opened up and explored for its oil and gas possibilities.
The baby cried again.
“We are a dynamic society of constant innovation. There is no peak oil. There is no peak gas,” Newt said. “Those are terms used by the left to justify telling the rest of us we have to have austerity so they can control our lives on behalf of a theory.
“You want to know when the economy’s going to start recovering? About 9 o’clock at night on Election Day when people figure out [Obama] is gone.”
When Gingrich left the stage to massive applause, so did half the auditorium, but the presentations continued and brought the discussions a little closer to home.
Tisha Schuller, president of Colorado Oil & Gas Association, explained several initiatives that have appeared over the past year from the state’s oil and gas companies.
“I’m particularly thankful that no one is wearing a sign that says 'frack you' taped to their forehead,” she said, laughing.
One such enterprise is Frackfocus.org, a hydraulic-fracturing disclosure registry, where every chemical in every well is listed site-by-site. While the registry has been voluntary for the past year, it will be mandatory as of April 1 to add a new layer of transparency and safety to the hydraulic-fracturing process.
Also, a voluntary baseline water-sampling program has been installed throughout the state. Schuller says 93 percent of drilling companies participate in this program, helping ensure the quality of groundwater before and after drilling.
“Technology has transformed the potential for our country to have a domestic, secure, environmentally responsible supply of energy,” Schuller said.
When Sen. Rick Santorum took the stage, he echoed some of Gingrich’s statements about a “war on fossil fuels” from the current administration.
“[The President] looks at this as a problem, a problem that we have to get around and create alternative sources because we can’t be burning things that come out of the ground,” Santorum said.
“I see it as one of the greatest assets of wealth that we have.“
Santorum encouraged turning over federal lands to the private sector to allow for proper land management.
“We were put on this earth as creatures of God to have dominion over the earth, to use it wisely and steward it wisely — but for our benefit, not for the earth’s benefit,” he said. “We should not let the vagaries of nature destroy what we have helped create.”
But Santorum’s main appeal was for the upkeep of the standard of American life. He shared what he called his “Made in the USA” plan, providing an emphasis on American-grown energy and on keeping jobs in America.
“Be careful what you wish for when you give the government power and authority over you,” Santorum advised.
The line to shake his hand after the event was longer than the line for the restrooms.
The Republican caucuses are being held tonight; participants can find their location here.
You probably won't hear any candidate prompting a return to the days of locking gas caps, but the main question left from Monday’s summit remains: Which Commander-in-Chief contender would best serve the energy sector of our state?
I'll consult my favorite polar bear and let you know.
National News Contraception: Santorum's last stand?
Posted by Chet Hardin on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 4:21 PM
With Republicans in three states trudging to their nearest schools to hold straw votes this evening, we could be seeing do-or-die time for presidential hopeful Rick Santorum.
His poll numbers put him in a close race with Mitt Romney, who has the momentum after his wins in Florida and Nevada, yet Santorum's chances tonight are about as good as they are going to get. Some pollsters are even predicting a "Santorum surprise."
Santorum knows that he needs that something special to secure his appeal over Romney, That he needs to find that perfect argument to convince the yet-decided Republicans that he is their faithful servant. And this is what he came up with.
A political firestorm over abortion and birth control spread suddenly on Tuesday. A high-ranking official resigned from the Komen breast-cancer charity after its backtracking treaty with Planned Parenthood, and Republican presidential candidates blistered the Obama administration for a recent ruling on Catholic hospitals and contraception.
Santorum wants GOP caucus-goers to know that he would never require Catholic hospitals provide something like Plan B — an emergency contraceptive — to rape victims ... but Mitt Romney would.
I stand with Americans - people of every faith or no faith at all - who still hold that there are truths which are self evident - and rights which are inalienable.This is not the first time that elected officials have trounced on the fundamental right to religious freedom. In December 2005, Governor Mitt Romney required all Massachusetts hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.
He said then that he believed “in his heart of hearts” that receiving these contraceptives - free of charge - trumped employees' religious consciences. Now, a few years later and running for president, his heart is strategically aligned with religious voters opposing this federal mandate.
Newt Gingrich took the cue, and took his swipe at Romney, too.
"There's been a lot of talk about the Obama administration's attack on the Catholic church," Gingrich told a packed house at Price Hill Chili Restaurant here. "Well the fact is, Gov. Romney insisted that Catholic hospitals give out abortion pills against their religious belief when he was governor."
Romney's defenders, however, want everyone to know that Santorum and Gingrich have gotten their facts wrong.
David French, a Romney supporter, provides some more detail over at the National Review:
The legislature passed legislation mandating that hospitals — including the state’s Catholic hospitals — administer [emergency contraception]. Governor Romney vetoed that legislation ...Unfortunately, however, the legislature overrode his veto (by overwhelming margins). What followed was a dispute over the meaning of two seemingly conflicting state laws: a decades-old law exempting private hospitals from providing contraceptives and the newer law containing no such exemptions. Initially, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (which was charged with crafting regulations implementing the new EC law) took the position that the new law didn’t supersede the old and that Catholic hospitals could opt out. Two days later, the Romney administration reversed this view, stating the proper legal interpretation was that the new law did, in fact, apply to all hospitals in the state.
Also, for good measure, Romney totally opposes "Obamacare".
They are now using Obamacare to impose a secular vision on Americans who believe that they should not have their religious freedom taken away.On January 20, 2012, the Obama administration affirmed a rule that would force Roman Catholic hospitals, charities, and universities to purchase health insurance for their employees that includes coverage for contraception, abortifacients, and sterilization, in violation of their religious principles. This is wrong.
It should be an interesting night.
Music / Reverb Super Tuesday with Van Halen, Die Antwoord and the Fray
Posted by Bill Forman on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 4:01 PM
- Independent Records clerks celebrate the return of Eddie and Dave
If a CD drops on a Tuesday, and there's no one around to hear it, does it really make a sound?
That's basically the question the record industry has been grappling with in the age of digital downloading. Tuesdays — which is when new albums are traditionally released — tend to get even more dreary in the winter months, given that most major artists put out their albums in time for the holiday shopping season.
So, last week's new Leonard Cohen album notwithstanding, 2012 hasn't exactly been a party.
Until today that is. With new releases from a David Lee Roth-fronted Van Halen, Die Antwoord and, um, the Fray, music fans suddenly have a reason to perk up.
And retailers do, too, as suggested by all the Colorado Springs Independent Records clerks rocking Van Halen shirts today.
So to get you going, here's a quick critical rundown, followed by sample videos.
VAN HALEN, A Different Kind of Truth
What it sounds like: Way better than Chickenfoot, the band featuring VH refugees Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony. This is arguably the best Van Halen album in 28 years.
Why it matters: As the purveyor of hits like "I Can't Drive 55," Sammy Hagar was a proven rock commodity (and I use that term literally) when he took over from David Lee Roth in the mid-80s. Hagar helped sustained the franchise financially, but musically sounded about as calculated as his Cabo Wabo tequila business. The chemistry between Roth and Van Halen is still pretty magical.
DIE ANTWOORD, Ten$ion
What it sounds like: Eclectic, eccentric and excessive, with next-level hits of Zef hip-hop, rave-revival electronics, shreds of metal, and of course the inimitable vocal stylings of Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er.
Why it matters: Following the massive success of the self-produced viral video, "Enter the Ninja," the South African act signed to Interscope but parted ways last fall due to the proverbial "artistic differences." But as you'll see in last night's Letterman performance, their guttural patois and sonic sucker punches are as strong as ever.
THE FRAY, Scars & Stories
What it sounds like: The Fray.
Why it matters: It doesn't.
Arts Bently Spang, returning the funk
Posted by Edie Adelstein on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 3:01 PM
Bently Spang, he of the "Fighting Cheyenne" sparkly boxer jacket, gold lamé Elvis suit and dueling braids, is coming back to Colorado Springs.
- IDEA Space
Spang doesn't take himself too seriously, but his missions aim high. In the past year, Spang has received a lot of recognition for his art and community-building work, which involves galvanizing Native Americans to make better lives for themselves.
When he comes back to town next month, Spang will present Teckno Tipi, an interactive performance with lights, sound and video projections based on the history and contemporary meaning of the Plains tipi, which he describes as "the largest culturally resonant object in Plains culture." If it's anything like Tekcno Powwow II: The Return of the Funk, the multidisciplinary dance and music extravaganza Spang organized several years back, this should be fun, fascinating and ultimately inspiring. Expect to join Spang in dance following the show.
Techno Tipi takes place Fri., March 9 at 7 p.m. at Colorado College's Cornerstone Arts Center (825 N. Cascade Ave.) For more information, click here.
Film Help yourself to a movie ... with local ties
Posted by Matthew Schniper on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 2:28 PM
Despite eye rolls and groans that tend to meet the words "self-help," highly successful books turned films like The Secret continue to prove that there's a wide market out there for being lectured at by well-intentioned people way more wholesome and fulfilled than you'll ever be (regardless of what they tell you).
Just don't follow all of them into a sweat lodge.
While I await the inevitable lightning bolt that I just earned for that crass joke, go ahead and watch this promotional trailer for the film I'm about to discuss in brief:
Good stuff, huh? You know, if you like that kinda thing and all.
Well, the reason I bring all of this up is said film, The Keeper of the Keys, will premiere in Colorado at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 9 at Stargazers Theatre.
But wait, yea lovers of intangible things that are good for your soul, there's more: Two Colorado Springs-based women, Molly Lord and Kathleen Haden, are featured in the film.
From the film's website, here are some brief bio notes on each woman:
Feathers in both Lord and Haden's caps: their co-cast members. They include Jack Canfield (the Chicken Soup for the Soul guy), Marci Shimoff (Happy for No Reason, Love for No Reason) and John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus).
The film was produced and written by genre guru Robin Jay (The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationship Between 12 and 2).
Prior to film time, there's an optional VIP party ($50, tickets here) at 5:30 that includes a copy of the film, gift bag, apps and much more. Regular admission is $9.
Local musician Chuck Pyle will perform prior to the screening, as well, and the film will be followed by a cast meet-and-greet.
A portion of the night's proceeds will go to AspenPointe's Peer Navigator Program, which provides support for military families.
Elections / Politics It's caucus time, Republicans!
Posted by J. Adrian Stanley on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 11:07 AM
- DonkeyHotey
While the enthusiasm that beckons its arrival hardly reaches the level of, say, Super Bowl Sunday, the Republican Caucus is nevertheless a big deal.
Just ask all those Republican presidential candidates.
Anyway, if you're a registered Republican, today is the day. Read on for some helpful tips, courtesy of Secretary of State Scott Gessler:
You're likely hearing quite a bit on the national and state news about Colorado and its caucuses today. Colorado is one of the few states that use a caucus system to select its presidential candidates and it's a great way for our citizens to engage in the process.
This evening beginning at 7:00 p.m., registered Republican voters can attend and participate in their neighborhood caucus to cast their straw poll ballot for president and elect delegates to the county and state assemblies. Republicans wishing to participate in their caucus can find their location by clicking here.
Meanwhile, Colorado Democrats will hold their caucuses on Tuesday, March 6, also at 7:00 p.m. Registered Democrat voters can learn more about their caucuses by clicking here.
Whether this is your tenth or your first caucus, consider getting involved in the process. Your neighbors and party officials are welcoming and willing to teach you about the process.
Thanks, in advance, for your interest and civic engagement. See you at the caucuses!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Nonprofits / Local News How to feel good about an oil change
Posted by Molly Mrazek on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 7:46 PM
- Aspen Auto Clinic
Getting an oil change is one of those things that you never want to do, but you have to do — if you want your car to continue running, that is. Aspen Auto Clinic's new offer may not completely change your outlook on getting it done, but it will make you feel a bit better while you're there.
In its "Oil Changes That Change the World" program, Aspen is helping out local nonprofits, schools and churches by offering to donate $40 for every oil change package bought in the name of that organization.
Interested friends, families, clients and other supporters can choose from three packages, ranging from $80 to $240, that include five oil changes and free tire rotation with no expiration date. (Organizations interested in participating can contact the fundraiser's project manager.)
The auto clinic's founder, Greg Bunch, says he wants to give back to the community in thanks for the support his business has gotten over the years. Over the next two years, he hopes to raise $1 million for local organizations.
For more information visit: aspenautoclinic.com or any one of its four Colorado Springs locations.
Eco News Broadmoor hosts 'new energy' summit
Posted by Pam Zubeck on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 5:29 PM
The Broadmoor will host the fourth annual New Energy Summit April 9-11, with a lot of big shots in the energy industry slated to appear, representing such fossil-fuel behemoths as Chevron, Halliburton and ConocoPhillips.
But there are others coming who represent the new world of energy, including members of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of Boulder and Denis Hayes, founder of Earth Day.
Costs of attending range from $100 for a student to $495 for someone from a for-profit business. You can register here. For a complete list of speakers, click here.
Among the sponsors is our own Colorado Springs Utilities, which already has invested in hydro power and the large solar array at the Air Force Academy. CSU also has set up a program to accommodate community solar gardens. The city-owned enterprise also is venturing into another realm of renewables, having recently discussed buying 50 megawatts of wind power.
We asked Utilities to give us a comment but haven't heard back. We'll update if we hear anything.
Here's the press release:
The 4th annual Global New Energy Summit will again be held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 9th-11th. The Summit brings together internationally recognized leadership across key energy disciplines of science, industry, policy and finance. Summit panels will discuss the latest trends in innovation, policy, markets and capital across all areas of energy — including innovation in traditional energy area like Oil, Gas, Coal and Nuclear, as well as Solar, Wind, Water, Bio-fuels, Nuclear, Transmission and Smart Grid. This year’s Summit opens with an International Expo conversation and show floor illustrating exciting activities taking place in key regions around the globe including Asia, Europe and North America.This year’s Honorary Chair is Denis Hayes, Founder of Earth Day and Former Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “The Global New Energy Summit has increasingly delivered on the vision of bringing together national and international leadership across all disciplines and all energy sources to discuss their common ground and practical ways to achieve the mutual goals of economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. It’s my honor to participate and help lead this year’s discussion,” Hayes commented. Currently Hayes is President & CEO of the Bullitt Foundation. At the Bullitt Foundation, he leads an effort to mold the American Pacific Northwest into a global model of sustainability. Focusing mostly on the region’s largest cities (Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver) and its dominant industries, the foundation applies principles of the science of ecology to the design of 'human ecosystems'. To "walk its talk", the foundation is currently constructing the world’s greenest office building.
Internationally, Denis is recognized for having expanded Earth Day to more than 180 nations. It is now the world’s most widely observed secular holiday. Hayes remains the honorary chair of the Earth Day Network. He was prior a professor of energy engineering at Stanford, the director of the Illinois State Energy Office and director of the energy programs at the Worldwatch Institute. He has received the national Jefferson Medal for Outstanding Public Service as well as the highest awards bestowed by the Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Council of America, the Global Environmental Facility, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, the American Solar Energy Society, and the Commonwealth Club. He has served on dozens of governing boards, including those of Stanford University, the World Resources Institute, the Federation of American Scientists, the Energy Foundation, Children Now, the National Programming Council for Public Television, the American Solar Energy Society, Greenpeace, CERES, and the Environmental Grantmakers Association. Time magazine selected Hayes as one of its "Heroes of the Planet". He has been profiled as "Newsmaker of the week" by ABC News and as "Today’s Person in the News" by the New York Times.
“There is no better place to host the Global New Energy Summit than the Rocky Mountain region, home to leading innovation across the entire new energy spectrum,” said David Blivin, managing partner of Cottonwood Technology Fund and Summit director. “Each year the Summit grows in participation and attendance. There is clearly an interest among industry and policy leaders to assemble, discuss and discover from their peers in this rapidly evolving energy industry.”
Other committed Summit participants already include Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Head of Global Unconventional Resources at ConocoPhillips Greg Leveille, Gil Forer, Global Head of Cleantech, Ernst & Young and leaders from Luca Technologies, ITC Holdings, Colorado Springs Utilities, EPRI, Patton Boggs LLP, Altira Ventures, Arsenal Ventures, Wells Fargo and numerous others.
Medical Marijuana
MMJ meeting coming Tuesday Thursday
Posted by Bryce Crawford on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 4:45 PM
These are fun days, as we approach the midpoint of the U.S. Attorney's Office's 45-day window for a couple dozen medical marijuana centers to close or face prosecution.
But where there's a need to share information, there's a mixer from the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council . Verbatim from a new press release:
"With the upcoming legislative season coming soon, this mixer will be a great opportunity to find out what's going on with this years' cannabis laws at home. Addtionally, we'll be talking about the latest developments in banking, local law enforcement actions, and patient advocacy projects taking place in our community. As the industry diminishes in size, the importance of long term sustainability becomes even more precedent. Never has this been more important than now. With the Feds making real on their threats, patient numbers diminishing, and businesses dropping away on a weekley basis, it is important to distinguish our industry within our community at large."
Ten bucks gets you in the door, at 7:30 tomorrow Thursday night at the Warehouse Restaurant and Gallery.
Local News Independence Institute: We're 26th (in taxes)
Posted by Chet Hardin on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 4:31 PM
Here's an interesting study from Denver's Independence Institute. The far-right advocacy organization crunched the numbers, and what it found is that Colorado ranks nearly dead-middle in tax burden per capita.
Colorado ranks 26th nationally, compared to all other states for the combined state and local tax burden, on a per capita basis.The amount of taxes citizens pay ranks in the middle compared to all other states.
Many Coloradans watch the news, read web and print articles, and strive to make the right choices in their civic participation. To properly make sense of the options and to gain insight and perspective on the demands for taxes to finance the many government proposals, it helps to know where Colorado stands in the bigger picture.
- Anthony Ryan Gonzalez and the Independence Institute
Every one of us tax-paying Coloradans shells out, on average, $4,039 per year — far from the $7,095 the top-taxed New Yorkers pay, and a little over a thousand more than the lowest-taxed South Carolinians. (Note: The study exempted Alaska, even though that state's tax burden per capita was basically double New York's, as those numbers were skewed by the state's large oil revenues.)
Citizens armed with dependable statistics will be able to weigh the claims of researchers, activists and pundits. Access to reliable, reproducible information should better enable reporters, opinion leaders and elected officials to base argument and advocacy on a strong, factual foundation.
So there you are. Arm yourself, citizen.
Entertainment / Music / Reverb Randy Travis out of jail in time for Pikes Peak Center show
Posted by Bill Forman on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 3:44 PM
Or, if you're Randy Travis, you may prefer to hang out in front of a church drinking wine until the police come and take you away.
The Texas country singer — whose tour starts this Friday and will bring him to the Pikes Peak Center on Feb. 17 — was reportedly arrested for public intoxication early Monday morning. (That indeed is his mug shot above.) According to a Denton Country sheriff's spokesperson, Travis had an open bottle of wine in his vehicle, got hauled off to jail at 1:30 a.m., and was released six hours later.
In a subsequent statement to the Associated Press, Travis apologized "for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl."
In retrospect, we probably should have seen this one coming. As Travis sang in "Better Class of Losers,"
"You think it's disgraceful that they drink three-dollar wine / But a better class of losers suits me fine."
Entertainment / Music / Reverb Shins join Red Rocks fray
Posted by Bill Forman on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Good news for all you Shins fans: James Mercer and company have joined previously announced bands Foster the People and the Fray on this summer's Red Rocks schedule.
The May 29 date was announced this morning on the Denver Post's blog, which also notes that the former Sub Pop band's Columbia debut, Port of Morrow, will be released by in March.
In case you missed it, you can read a 2010 Indy interview with Shins frontman Mercer here.
While most of the summer bookings for the amphitheater have yet to be announced, other scheduled shows for 2012 include Flux Pavillion, Eric Church, Big Head Todd and the Monsters (sharing a bill with the Barenaked Ladies), and the obligatory John Denver tribute. Dates and details at the Red Rocks website.
This year also marks the first time the outdoor venue has held a winter show, with Atmosphere headlining a sold-out Jan. 27 gig. The evening before, the Minneapolis hip-hop group dropped by to perform an impromptu set at the less frosty Ogden Theatre, right before Colorado Springs' own ReMINDers hit the stage.
And yes, you can go here for the Indy's 2011 Atmosphere interview.
Theater REVIEW: In the Next Room, or the vibrator play
Posted by Todd Wallinger on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 11:32 AM
When he took the reins as director of performing arts at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center in June, Scott RC Levy promised to shake things up at the venerable old theater. And no play this season demonstrates his edgy sensibilities quite like In the Next Room, or the vibrator play. (Read our preview of the play here.)
Despite its titillating title, In the Next Room is not a free-wheeling sex romp or madcap farce. What it is, is a touching, historically accurate and, yes, funny costume drama set at the dawn of the electrical age, when women were just beginning to rebel against their longtime roles and physicians were experimenting with a new device promising to cure women of "hysteria."
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2010, In the Next Room was written by Sarah Ruhl, one of the freshest voices in American theater today. Ruhl's works cover a wide range of subjects, but at their heart they all explore the distances between people and the sacrifices it takes to close those distances.
This play centers on Catherine Givings, a young wife and mother played with breezy charm by Stephanie Philo. Catherine is something of a scatterbrain, but she feels things deeply, especially the lack of attention from her husband Dr. Givings (an admirably restrained Chad Siebert). The good doctor has grown increasingly distant since her body stopped producing enough milk to feed their baby girl.
"Isn't it funny?" Catherine observes, comparing breastfeeding to the Christian practice of communion. "Jesus is a man ... but as women, it's our bodies that feed the world."
- Nathan Willers
- A top-notch cast, sumptuous costumes and a cheerfully humming vibrator in the background. What more does a theatergoer need?
Catherine hires an African-American wet nurse named Elizabeth, but this only increases her sense of isolation as the nurse, despite her initial resistance, forms a deep emotional bond with the infant. As she does in so many of her roles, Marisa Hebert plays Elizabeth with a soft-spoken intensity that only hints at layers hidden beneath.
Adding to Catherine's troubles is the fact that Dr. Givings has been finding great success with his "electric massage machine." Tightly corseted housewives step into his office feeling frustrated and depressed, but step out completely rejuvenated, enjoying a physical and emotional release that Catherine can only long for.
It would be easy to go overboard with a play like this, but Joye Cook-Levy, wife of Scott and a talented director in her own right, steers the production right down the middle, avoiding the rocks of melodrama on one side and raunch on the other.
The production is a joy to look at, with its lovingly detailed set by Christopher Sheley and sumptuous costumes by Janson Fangio. The role of props designer is overlooked in most productions, but Desarae Buza's contributions here are key, especially the boxy, cheerfully humming contraption of the title.
Ruhl's clever dialogue is delivered with a confident yet understated humor by the entire cast. Special mention goes to Max Ferguson as the struggling painter Leo, who comes to Dr. Givings for his own specialized treatment. ("Hysteria is very rare in man," Dr. Givings says about Leo, "but then, he is an artist.") Local favorite Amy Brooks also excels as Dr. Givings' loyal but conflicted assistant Annie.
My only real gripe with the production is the ending. What should have been a joyful, triumphant moment was played too subtly, and as the lights faded to black, it took the audience, unsure whether the play was over, several seconds to start applauding.
This is the first FAC production I can remember in which the cast was unmiked. I'm torn by this. On the one hand, there's nothing as distracting as microphones constantly crackling in and out, and even with a fully functioning system, the sound in the SaGaJi Theatre suffers from the less-than-ideal location of the loudspeaker high above the stage. On the other hand, it was hard to hear some of the dialogue Saturday night, and I expect it will take some time before the actors learn to fill the cavernous space.
With a play this smart, you don't want to miss a syllable.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Media / Sports Channel 5 sports director Lee Douglas dies
Posted by Ralph Routon on Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 3:25 PM
Lee Douglas, sports director of KOAA Channel 5 and a fixture in the Colorado Springs/Pueblo media scene for the past four decades, died Sunday at 57, according to the station’s website in this report posted online.
Douglas, a 1973 graduate of Pueblo Centennial High School, had been KOAA’s sports director since 2000, but his association with Channel 5 dated to 1979. He graduated from the University of Southern Colorado (now Colorado State University-Pueblo) with a communications degree in 1977.
Lee Douglas actually was his media name. His real name was Douglas Lee Cooley.
Rob Quirk, longtime Channel 5 news anchor, posted this on Facebook: “We were informed this morning from his closest friends that Lee passed away overnight. He was hospitalized on Saturday and suffered kidney failure."
Later, in another post, Quirk said: ”His laugh was infectious, his smile could light up a room. On this Super Bowl Sunday, we honor your hard work and dedication … RIP my friend."
Through the years, Douglas always was known for his enthusiastic dedication to local and Olympic sports. He kept up religiously with the area high schools as well as colleges in both Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Since 2004, he also had worked as color analyst for Air Force football radio broadcasts.
But some of his finest work came in profiling athletes from the Olympic Training Center or with ties to Colorado Springs leading into each Olympiad.
Douglas had another passion — music. Since finishing high school, he spent most of the past 40 years as a DJ on Pueblo stations, endearing himself to a large audience for playing oldies at night.
Among his many honors were back-to-back first places in the Independent’s Best Of Colorado Springs for best TV sportscaster in 2007 and 2008. He also was inducted in 2005 into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame.
KOAA plans a tribute to Douglas during a special 9:30 p.m. newscast after NBC’s coverage of the Super Bowl.
