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Rosine Bena Published 5:21 p.m. UTC Jul 17, 2018 My next-door neighbor, Mary Maul, is a terrific MD and acupuncturist and an avid ballet fan. She is very excited about SNB’s new edgy steampunk ballet that will premiere July 23. “So what is it like to create a completely new story ballet from scratch?” she asked me. My answer: Imagine riding a unicycle on the freeway in San Francisco while juggling 12 fragile china plates and reciting Hamlet’s soliloquy … blindfolded. Then multiply that by 10. The creative process starts with a vision. In this case, it is a new ballet version of the famous Shakespeare comedy, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." Next comes a written project description and estimated budget including the complete cast, sets, costumes, technical needs, proposed venues and estimated costs. Once approved by the board (which helps raise the funds), the creative process begins. Director Ananda Bena-Weber spent six months listening to … [Read more...] about SNB gives Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ a steampunk ballet makeover

Caroline Simon USA TODAY Published 1:45 p.m. UTC Jul 17, 2018 Space exploration. Mechanical engineering. Robotics. Cutting-edge fields – for cutting-edge young women.   Girl Scouts of the USA is launching 30 new badges that emphasize skills in  innovative areas to propel members to new heights, programs best nurtured in a single-gender environment, agency officials say.   The badge rollout announced Tuesday comes at a tense time for Girl Scouts: Boy Scouts of America said last year it would start accepting girls into its programs in a shift toward inclusivity; as of March, more than 3,000 girls had been enrolled in early adopter programs.  Girl Scouts opposed the change, which was first announced last October. Kathy Hopinkah Hannan, the organization's president, asked the board of Boy Scouts in a letter last August to refrain from recruiting girls. The badge program was already in development … [Read more...] about Girls only: As Boy Scouts begin accepting girls, Girl Scouts launching new trailblazing badges

Associated Press Published 5:52 p.m. UTC Jul 17, 2018 LAS VEGAS — The U.S. government is sending $226,000 to Nevada for cameras to help detect and monitor wildfires near Lake Tahoe. Sen. Dean Heller's Office announced the funding for the AlertTahoe program Tuesday morning that will allow cameras to be upgraded and new cameras to be installed. The money comes on the heels of the Martin Fire burning in a remote area of Northern Nevada that got so big it was visible from space. Heller says in a statement that the AlertTahoe fire monitoring and detection system has helped stop hundreds of potentially devastating fires over the past few years. More: Two fires on Peavine Mountain 100 percent contained More: Ferguson Fire roars near Yosemite; some residents ordered to evacuate … [Read more...] about Heller announces funding for Tahoe-area wildfire cameras

Who’s entitled to a ‘seat’? Received July 16 At an informal event for a candidate for state office, I heard the phrase, “Have a seat at the table” several times. Should an individual who is not a citizen of the USA have a seat at the table? Roughly 50 percent of the people in our country do not pay federal income tax. If they are 62 or younger, should they be seated on federal matters? Should convicted felons have a seat? If a family/individual is receiving welfare and continues to have more children and, therefore, additional benefits, should they be seated? When we determine who deserves a seat at the table, we will be moving positively toward solving many of the challenges we face. (Word count: 116) MICHAEL ARMSTRONG Idaho Falls … [Read more...] about Letter to the editor: Who’s entitled to a ‘seat’?