UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a silk painting class with local artist and Serendipity Boutique owner Diana Liebe on Sunday, March 18, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Liebe will demonstrate the process and each participant will paint and take home a hand-painted silk scarf.
Liebe is a former art teacher at both the high school and college levels, and actively teaches art workshops around the county.
Cost of class is a $20 materials fee and space is limited to 12 persons.
For reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-275-8030, 707-293-8752 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Lake County Wine Studio is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake.
Psychologists must have a word for it, the phenomenon of shifting the focus of sadness from the source of that sadness to something else. Here’s a fine poem on this subject by Penelope Scambly Schott, who lives in Oregon.
Second Tour
While my husband packed to fly back to Vietnam, this time as a tourist instead of a soldier,
I drove to the zoo to say goodbye to the musk oxen who were being shipped out early next morning
to Tacoma. We were getting lions instead. When I got there, it was too easy to park.
The zoo was closing early so they wouldn’t let me in. I went back to my car and slid into the driver’s seat.
Sobs tore from deep in my chest, I who had never seen a musk ox and never cared until now.
The centennial anniversary of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character John Carter is honored in a grand fashion by the Walt Disney Studios extravagant delivery of a blockbuster adventure film.
As envisioned by Burroughs’ classic novel, “A Princess of Mars,” the notion of the heroic John Carter had a very modern sensibility, for this space hero was the evident precursor of contemporary action adventurers.
It would probably be fair to say that films like “Star Wars” and “Dune” owe much to the vision of Burroughs, rather than to claim that “John Carter” is inspired by so many science-fiction films that preceded it.
“John Carter” may assume that the film audience is well aware of Burroughs’ fictional work, where a world known as “Barsoom” is the author’s name for the planet Mars.
Indeed, as directed by Andrew Stanton (best known for his animated films), “John Carter” bothers very little with any meaningful exposition, relying on viewers to catch on quickly to the premise of the bizarre alien world.
The initial action takes place in the immediate post-Civil War period, where the titular character (Taylor Kitsch) is a war veteran and officer of the Confederate Army in Virginia.
Searching for gold in the caves of the Arizona Territory, Carter resists the efforts of the U.S. Cavalry to enlist his services in the fight against Indian tribes.
Though not a pacifist, Carter bears too many scars from the Civil War to sign up to fight for any cause, no matter how just.
Flashbacks inform that Carter was deeply wounded by his inability to save his wife during the war.
Meanwhile, Barsoom is a dying planet, devastated by conflicts that have raged for thousands of years. The Zodangans, lead by Sab Than (Dominic West), battle the Heliumites, whose beautiful Princess Dejah (Lynn Collins) strives to find a peaceful solution.
When war-weary Carter is unexpectedly transported to the red planet, the balance of power is tipped. The low gravity of Mars gives Carter extraordinary abilities.
Amusingly, Carter discovers that he is able to leap, figuratively, over tall buildings. This super power will prove unsettling to the warring tribes.
On the barren planet’s surface, Carter is initially found and enslaved by the Tharks, but he wins the respect of their leader, Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe), who eventually helps him escape the fearsome tribe.
The Tharks are an interesting breed of a green-skinned alien creature, standing nine feet tall with four arms and huge tusks. More problematic is their bad attitude.
The heroic Carter manages to rescue Princess Dejah from the evil clutches of the Zodangans. For her part, the princess is tough, smart and beautiful, and far sexier than Princess Leia. Though the Zodangans and Heliumites are inhabitants of Mars, they look like humans.
Trouble is brewing because Sab Than has convinced Dejah’s father, the King of Helium (Ciaran Hands), to agree to arranged marriage of convenience between himself and the princess in order to unite the warring entities.
Greater danger lurks in the subterfuge of Sab’s allegiance to the all-powerful Matai Shang (Mark Strong), villainous leader of the shape-shifting Therns.
Keeping track of the palace intrigues is hardly necessary to enjoy “John Carter” for what it is. The action and the special effects are stunning.
There’s a unique visual appeal to “John Carter,” from floating cities and shifting platforms to the large warrior spaceships that resemble dragonflies.
The primary characters are also intriguing. The muscular, but lean John Carter runs around in a loincloth and breastplate, looking oddly enough very much like Tarzan (a nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs, no doubt).
Even more fascinating is the lovely Princess Dejah, a captivating presence who is likely to become the new pin-up girl for science-fiction fanboys.
“John Carter” is refreshingly exciting and thoroughly enjoyable, even if the 3D effects are minimal. It’s also worth noting the comic relief that comes from Woola, a weirdly huge lizard-like dog that is Carter’s faithful companion.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I have just learned that Facebook is good for something other than posting photos of your drunken revelry at a Vegas bachelor party.
Apparently, polls were conducted on Facebook for fans of various TV series to select their favorite episodes, allowing the winning episodes to be released in DVD collections.
The result of this enterprise is the release of treasured episodes of seven great TV series in a DVD collection entitled “Fan Favorites: The Best Of.”
For vintage TV lovers, “Fan Favorites: The Best of The Honeymooners” and “Fan Favorites: The Best of Hogan’s Heroes” will offer classic laughs.
Fans who want to take a trip down memory lane with celebrated sitcoms from the 1970s and 1980s will enjoy the DVD collection for “Happy Days,” “Cheers” and “The Odd Couple.”
Not to be overlooked are the episodes bundled for “MacGyver” and one of the best spinoff series ever, which would be “Frasier.”
Personally, I don’t think TV gets much better than “The Odd Couple,” where Tony Randall’s neat freak Felix Unger is a thorn in the side of Jack Klugman’s ultra-slob Oscar Madison.
The “Fan Favorites: The Best Of” collection offers great fun for a wide range of interests.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – In 2011, KZYX brought the StoryCorps Mobile Recording Studio to Ukiah, Calif.
In the space of about four weeks, more than 100 recording sessions took place in downtown Ukiah. In each and every case, local people, friends, neighbors, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandfathers and grandmothers stepped into the studio.
They talked about life, death, wellness, illness, family, friends, jobs, hobbies and so much more.
On Saturday, March 10, KZYX will bring you an hour of short stories, vignettes really, excerpted from the complete StoryCorps interviews.
These are stories from all over the United States, and will serve as an introduction to the StoryCorps experience.
Then at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 17, KZYX will begin sharing stories recorded in Ukiah in 2011.
For one hour each Saturday these people will share part of their lives with each other and with each of you.
Their stories run the gamut from complex to simple, from thoroughly happy to sad or poignant. They are all worth listening to. And you can at www.kzyx.org .
KZYX wishes to thank Ukiah Valley Conference Center, Sanford House Bed & Breakfast, Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, Ukiah Valley Medical Center and StoryCorps for their support.
Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) on Tuesday announced the beginning of the 2012 Congressional Art Competition, and urged high school students in California’s 1st Congressional District to enter their artwork.
The annual competition showcases the artistic talents and abilities of students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
The 2012 competition is open to all high school students in California’s 1st District.
“At a time when tight budgets are forcing many of our schools to scale back art and music programs, it’s important to recognize and encourage our district’s young artists,” said Rep. Thompson. “The Congressional Art Competition gives our community the opportunity to support our student artists, and I encourage all eligible students to apply. I look forward to reviewing this year’s submissions.”
Since 1982, the Congressional Art Competition has given Members of Congress the opportunity to encourage the artistic talents of their young constituents.
Each member of Congress hosts a competition among high school students in his or her district. The winning artwork from each district is then displayed in the United States Capitol for one year.
In addition, the grand prize winner will be flown with a guest to Washington, D.C. to attend an awards ceremony in June.
A panel of judges will select the winning entries and their decision will be announced at a special ceremony and exhibit (details TBD).
All artwork is due by Friday, April 20, and can be submitted at any of Congressman Thompson’s district offices:
Humboldt: 317 3rd St., Suite 1, Eureka, CA 95501.
Mendocino: 430 North Franklin St., PO Box 2208, Fort Bragg, CA 95437.
Napa: 1040 Main St., Suite 101, Napa, CA 94559.
Yolo: 712 Main St., Suite 101, Woodland, CA 95695.
Guidelines for the Congressional Art Competition include the following:
Artwork must be two-dimensional.
Each piece can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep), including the frame.
Students and teachers interested in the Congressional Art Competition may contact Lindsay Righter in Congressman Thompson’s Humboldt office at 707-269-9595 for further guidelines and information.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – For five days this spring, from April 22-27, aspiring or published writers interested in writing memoirs, personal essays or travel articles based on personal experience will have the opportunity to focus and luxuriate in the writing process at the beautiful Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.
Entitled, “Life into Literature,” the retreat will be led by noted Bay Area author Laura Fraser and will feature additional workshops with San Francisco authors Peter Orner and Victoria Costello, as well as Stanford University instructor and novelist Tom Barbash.
Laura Fraser is the author, most recently, of “All Over the Map,” which Booklist called “a winning coming-of-middle-age memoir.”
Her previous book, “An Italian Affair,” was a New York Times best selling travel memoir. She has taught writing at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, San Francisco State and her other seminar sites include writers’ workshops in San Miquel de Allende, Mexico.
As a teacher, she encourages students to free write about topics they are passionate about, and she then provides tools and expertise in clarity, research and audience.
An avid reader, Ms. Fraser has kept an ever-expanding record of the books she has read since she was 13 years old.
Lake County was chosen for this retreat due to its relaxing atmosphere conducive to writing, as well as the enthusiasm expressed by Lake County writers and the Tallman Hotel.
Former Lake County Poet Laureate Mary McMillian will welcome retreat participants at the reception and dinner on the first night, and the final evening will feature a three course dinner prepared by Blue Wing Executive Chef Nick Heidemann and paired with Writer’s Block wines produced by Quincy Steele at the Steele Winery in Kelseyville.
Members of Lake County literary groups are invited to meet retreat participants and faculty over dinner that night and afterwards adjourn to hear short readings from retreat participants.
For further information, visit the Tallman Hotel Web site, www.tallmanhotel.com/events , or Laura Fraser’s site, www.LauraFraser.com .
Those interested in participating in the full five-day retreat, or the Thursday night dinner, can contact the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.
For Lake County residents wishing to participate in the retreat without overnight accommodations, please contact the hotel to be placed in a waiting list at a reduced price.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
