Random News Column #2

| Sep 4, 2009

eerie-smoky-skies

EERIE. Smoky skies as seen from Rallysport in East Boulder Tuesday.

THE SMOKY SKIES CLEAR. Two really strange days of smoky skies occurred earlier this week, as smoke from three different regions of fire to our west all descended on the Denver-Boulder area (the inferno west of LA being the biggest). It wasn’t quite “darkness at noon,” but at the height of the onslaught the sun had an ashen orange color as it hung in the grayish-brown sky. Tuesday seemed the scariest day. By Wednesday the smoke had largely cleared and we were no longer casting wary, amazed looks into the sky.

Alan O'Hashi

Alan O'Hashi

Una Morera

Una Morera

Jenna Hoffman

Jenna Hoffman

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MEDIA-PLEX DEBUTS. Wednesday night Sept. 2, in addition to attending the MoveOn-organized rally for healthcare reform at the Central Park bandshell (covered with our characteristic brevity here), we attended a very successful opening reception for Boulder Creative Media-Plex, a newly opened hive of creativity at 1906 13th St. Alan O’Hashi is the prime mover of the Media-Plex, which now provides office space for such creative types as Tom Parkin Films and Boulder Valley Media Alliance, but still has space for more videographers, writers and the like.

Among those in attendance in a throng of about 100 were long-time Univ. of Colorado filmmaking professor (recently retired) Jerry Aronson and videographers Lee Buric, Una Morera (view her videos) and Jenna Hoffman. If you want to visit the new Media-Plex, the location, to be specific, is on the ground floor of the red brick office building on the northeast corner of Walnut and 13th (enter from the Walnut Street side). Or, inquire about visiting or renting by e-mailing Alan.

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RANDOMLY AND IN CONCLUSION…

… Close to 300 zealots from the region’s natural products industry (that includes food products, cosmetics, etc.) rallied and cheered at their annual Naturally Boulder Days 2009 confab at the Millennium Harvest House Sept. 2-3. Events included a “pitch slam” of lightning-fast presentations by entrepreneurs, a highly thought-provoking keynote by Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann covering topics like the promising future of aquaponics (see him presenting these ideas at a different venue on this Youtube video), and panel discussions by kewl local luminaries …

… Really, can Sushi Tora (10th Street just north of Pearl) get any better? Spotless, fun, and oh the amazing flavors of the shumai and gyoza appetizers (among other delights). …

… Another on our very short list of adored restaurant is Radek Cerny’s semi-new Full Belly Bistro, kind of hard to find the first time just north of where Laudisio used to be in that Willow Springs mini-center on Iris just west of 28th Street. Here’s a man who knows food, and flavors, and how to run a tight, fun “front of the house” (that’s restaurant-speak for servers and ambience). Before fall’s hideous chilliness sets in, rush over and enjoy an outside table. …

… One thing more: Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, having sold its goat herd (g’bye, girls!) after founder Jim Schott up and moved to Paonia, is nonetheless working at full capacity (processing goat’s milk it now buys from area suppliers) in its Longmont creamery, making goat cheeses that win awards. They can’t keep up with demand (full disclosure: we’re part owners).