MARCH 2018
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2018 Summer Camp Edition
DAY ZERO Our Blue Planet is Running Out of Water
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ESTHER’S KITCHEN
10 ECO EPICS
TRAVELING WITH PURPOSE 2/26/18 12:26 PM
LANDSCAPING PAYS
Receive an increased cash rebate of $2 per square foot
of grass you replace with water smart landscaping. Your home will not only look beautiful, you’ll be doing your part to save water. Using less means more. Restrictions apply. To learn more, visit snwa.com or call 702-258-SAVE.
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SNWA is a not-for-profit water agency
2/26/18 11:16 AM
KTNV_
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*PRICING AND OFFER SUBJECT TO CHANGE. IMAGES MAY REPRESENT MODEL HOMES. SEE AGENT FOR DETAILS. DK LAS VEGAS LLC COMMUNITY.
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PASSOVER
CELEBRATION BEGINNING FRIDAY, MARCH 30 IN THE EVENING – SATURDAY, APRIL 7 IN THE EVENING
FEATURING
in addition to our regular buffet:
Matzo Ball Soup Carved Beef Brisket Whitefish Salad Chopped Chicken Liver Noodle Kugel Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Gefilte Fish Potato Pancakes Hallah Bread
IT’S GOOD TO B CONNECTEDSM | BConnectedOnline.com
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2/26/18 10:58 AM
“I trust City National the same way parents trust us.” City National’s expert advice and attention helps us to be more efficient in our day to day operations which means I can spend more of my time focused on our students’ success. For the last 30 years, 100% of our graduates have gone on to college. That’s the most important number I look at. City National is The way up® for our school.
Jeremy Gregersen Head of The Meadows School Hear Jeremy’s complete story at cnb.com/TrustCNB
The way up.
®
CNB MEMBER FDIC.
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©2017 City National Bank. All Rights Reserved.
Call (866) 618-5193 to learn more or visit cnb.com City National Bank is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.
2/26/18 10:58 AM
March 2018
Pulse 14
18
Explore The month’s event listings to help plan your day or your stay.
20 Desire Sin City abounds in worldclass shopping ... these are a few of our favorite things. 22 Discover Places to go, cool things to do, hip people to see in the most exciting city in the world.
Grill 58 Patrick Duffy Client care specialist, art collector and philanthropist
44 Day Zero The water crisis in Cape Town encourages this look at the central role water plays in the rise of civilizations. 46 10 Eco Epics Activist films that deal with environ mental issues.
The month’s spotlight on someone to know.
2018 Summer Camp Edition
52 Traveling With a Purpose Ecotourism is the fastest growing segment in the travel biz.
DAY ZERO
On the Cover The dry bed of the Theewaterskloof Dam in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Our Blue Planet is Running Out of Water
www.davidlv.com
27 Summer Camps
38 Taste Chef James Trees’ long awaited eatery is finally serving some of the best pasta this side of the continent.
Think
M A RC H 2018
Special Section
34 Sense Thomas Heatherwick’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art in Cape Town, South Africa is a masterclass in repurposing.
48
8.11
Devour Where to find some of the best eats, drinks and foodie happenings in the Valley.
Live
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MARCH 2018
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10 ECO EPICS
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Copyright © 2018 by JewishINK LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. DAVID MAGAZINE is protected as a trademark in the United States. Subscribers: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we are under no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork or advertisements. Submissions will not be returned unless arranged for in writing. DAVID MAGAZINE is a monthly publication. All information regarding editorial content or property for sale is deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is printed subject to errors and omissions.
6 | www.davidlv.com
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2/26/18 12:28 PM
Camp K’helah celebrates our 23rd year of Summer Camp! The Meadows School, 8601 Scholar Ln., Las Vegas, NV, 89128
Calling all Campers Ages 3 years - 10th Grade
Guided by Jewish Values, campers gain 21st Century skills in our fun summer camp environment.
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Specialty Camps including Art, Drama, Sports & more!
Featuring a Gaga Pit, Swimming, Color Wars, Fun Fridays, S.T.E.A.M, & more!
h! Ca
la
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Sleep away camp in Big Bear! August 1st - August 5th for 3rd grade - 7th grade
Green! Go
m p K’h
e
Contact the JCC of Southern Nevada 702-794-0090 jccsn.org
2/26/18 10:55 AM
Publisher/Editor Associate Publisher
Max Friedland
max@davidlv.com editor@davidlv.com
Joanne Friedland
joanne@davidlv.com
EDITORIAL
Calendar Editor Copy Editor Pulse Editor Contributing Writers
ZoĂŤ Friedland
zoe@davidlv.com
Jaq Greenspon Marisa Finetti
Josh Bell Marisa Finetti Aleza Freeman Jaq Greenspon Jason Harris Dasha Nekrasova Brian Sodoma Lynn Wexler
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
Art Director/ Photographer
Steven Wilson
steve@davidlv.com
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Advertising Director
Joanne Friedland
joanne@davidlv.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS 702-254-2223 | subscribe@davidlv.com
Volume 08 Number 9&10 www.davidlv.com DAVID Magazine is published 12 times a year.
Copyright 2018 by JewishINK LLC. 1930 Village Center Circle, No. 3-459 Las Vegas, NV 89134 (p) 702-254-2223 (f) 702-664-2633
To advertise in DAVID Magazine, call 702-254-2223 or email ads@davidlv.com To subscribe to DAVID Magazine, call 702.254-2223 or email subscibe@davidlv.com
DAVID Magazine sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This copy of DAVID Magazine was printed by American Web in Denver, Colo., on paper from well-managed forests which meet EPA guidelines that recommend use of recovered fibers for coated papers. Inks used contain a blend of soy base. Our printer meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards and is a certified member of both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. When you are done with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it.
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Contributors
Josh Bell
Marisa Finetti
is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He’s the former film editor of Las Vegas Weekly and has written about movies and pop culture for The Dissolve, Comic Book Resources, Film Racket, LA Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and more. Find his thoughts on trashy horror movies, classic cinema and other important topics at joshbellhateseverything.com.
has called Las Vegas home since 2005, after spending 10 years as a zinfandel grower in Dry Creek Valley. Her best of moments in writing include getting her mug shot taken at Penn Jillette’s house, covering a nudist colony while being uncovered, and interviewing a sommelier who enlightened her that there is more to wine than California.
Aleza Freeman is a true product of the desert, conceived in the Negev and born in Vegas. She spent many years as a reporter, editor and copywriter for newspapers, ad agencies and casino creative departments in the Bay Area and Southern Nevada before branching out on her own as a freelance writer. Aleza’s squad includes her artist husband, curlyheaded son, fluffy cat, diva dog and the occasional spider.
Visit her blog loveandrelish.com
Jaq Greenspon
Jason Harris
Lynn Wexler
is a new father as well as a world traveling, dog loving, scuba diving, book collecting, writer currently residing somewhere in Eastern Europe. His words have been spoken by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and Robin Hood, been read by David Copperfield, and criticized by his 7th grade English teacher. He’d like to thank the members of the Academy, although he doesn’t know why. In his spare time, he’s a university professor and a kick ass uncle.
writes for a number of publications and websites. He specializes in food, music, and comedy writing. He has worked in almost every aspect of the entertainment industry. He has sold multiple screenplays, written awards shows and had a tv show on ABC for a minute. He’s still broke. And he loves his daughter Scarlett the most.
enjoys distilling, and voicing in print, the essence of topics she researches and those she interviews. Her acute and ardent style has been acknowledged throughout her years as a TV reporter, news anchor and journalist, interviewing persons of note on the world stage. As a certified Values and Manners Life Coach, Lynn trains groups and individuals on improving their personal, social and professional effectiveness. She is most proud of her three outstanding children.
Brian Sodoma Dasha Nekrasova is a New York based actress and writer whose latest film, Wobble Palace will premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival. She was born in Minsk, Belarus and
is a freelance journalist and copywriter whose work has been published by Entrepreneur, Forbes. com and major daily newspapers like the Arizona Republic and Las Vegas Review Journal.
raised in Las Vegas. 10 | www.davidlv.com
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From the Publisher
Max & Joanne Friedland at the eitz Museum of Contemporary African Art in Cape Town, South Africa.
Over New Year, my wife and I were in Cape Town, South Africa with the kids, visiting friends and family and showing off our old stomping ground. Being there in the splendor of the Western Cape, watching my mother hoard bottled water made me wonder how the mother city became the new poster child of an international disaster. Cape Town was always a place of abundance, a way station where sailing ships on their long sea voyages from Europe could stop for supplies. Known as the Fairest Cape, it was a sailor’s favorite port, not only for the fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat available but also sweet water that ran in its rivers. And now it’s running out. After school, my surfer buddies and I would grab our boards and head for the beach. There always were frigid waves to ride before dinner. Surrounded by so much water, how can it now be rationed and restricted? The Theewaterskloof Dam is one of the largest reservoirs in the region and, as you can see from our shocking cover image this month, it is down to just single-digit percentage points of capacity. This major component of the Cape’s water resources shares a boundary with the southern end of a farm we used to own. Like the farm, it draws its name from the Theewaterskloof River, and its tea-colored water that flows through the orchards down to the dam. For the last three years, a high-pressure weather system has parked itself over the southern Atlantic blocking seasonal rains. It has caused reservoirs to empty and rivers to run dry. According to people I talked with when I was there, the little water that makes it to the ground from mountain streams, runs into the ocean. In fact, there’s been no work on the infrastructure at all. When South Africa was under apartheid, as shameful as it was, there was plenty of water for the privileged. In the black communities, multiple households would rely on a single spigot or supply. With the end of Apartheid the country was not only ill-prepared for the increase in water demand, but continued to do nothing to acknowledge it moving forward for a variety of reasons, including blatant corruption. There is, however, some good news. Day ero, the day when the plumbing runs dry, has been adjusted backward a few times due to an overwhelming response from Capetonians. My mother has become quite the water conservation wizard. To her, it is all about “grey water,” the bucket in the shower. She uses it for a multitude of chores; it waters her plants and cleans her kitchen floor. She even has little containers in her hand basins and the kitchen sink to collect excess wastewater. It’s now possible to hear her humming her new favorite melody “If it’s yellow let it mellow if it’s brown, flush it down.” Mom, the later-day environmentalist, has found a way to get a kick out of it all. If this 87-year-old can learn new tricks, then there is hope for us all. As always enjoy our magazine. I’ll see you in the racks.
Max D. Friedland max@davidlv.com
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2/26/18 6:19 PM
Pulse
Your Guide to the Arts, Entertainment and Community Events. What's Hot this Month in Dining, Shopping and Local Attractions.
Top left clockwise: DJ Khaled & Demi Lovato, George Clinton, USA Sevens Rugby, Noel Gallagher www.davidlv.com | 13
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Explore MARCH
THU
1
CELEBRATING LIFE! MASTERS EXHIBITION Through Mar. 31. Charleston Heights Art Center Gallery. 702-229-2787. http://artslasvegas.org MORAL MONSTERS FEATURING THE WORK OF LANCE L. SMITH Through Mar. 28, 7 a.m. 5:30 p.m. Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery. 702-229-2787. http://artslasvegas.org ELTON JOHN Through Mar. 2, 7:30 p.m. The Colosseum, Caesars Palace. 866-227-5938. http://caesarspalace.com "RED" AERIAL GALLERY BANNER EXHIBIT Through Mar. 31, all day. publicart@ lasvegasnevada.gov. 702-229-2787. http:// artslasvegas.org WINDOWS ON FIRST: "APPROPRIATION" FEATURING ARTWORK OF CAMILLA QUINN All day. Las Vegas City Hall, Windows on First. publicart@lasvegasnevada.gov. 702-229-2787. http://artslasvegas.org CHINESE HERITAGE: YEAR OF THE DOG Through Mar. 24. By appointment only. Historic Fifth Street School Mayor's Gallery. 702-2292787. http://artslasvegas.org
301 N. Buffalo Drive
702-255-3444
www.thebagelcafelv.com
WhereTheLocalsEat.com
FROM REFUSE TO REUSE Through Mar. 31. 7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Las Vegas City Hall Grand Gallery. 702-229-2787. http://artslasvegas.org
BILL ENGVALL 9 p.m. Treasure Island. 702-8947111. http://treasureisland.com TIM ALLEN Through Mar. 3, 10 p.m. Terry Fator Theater, Mirage Hotel & Casino. 702-791-7111. http://mirage.com USA SEVENS RUGBY TOURNAMENT Through Mar. 4, times vary. Sam Boyd Stadium. 702895-2761. http://samboydstadium.com
SAT
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DEMI LOVATO AND DJ KHALED WITH SPECIAL GUEST KEHLANI 7:30 p.m. MGM Grand Garden Arena, MGM Grand. 702-8927575. http://mgmgrand.com LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC PHIL-NOME-NAL SPEAKEASY GALA 5 p.m. Reynolds Hall, The Smith Center. 702-258-5438 http://lvphil.org QUEEN ESTHER'S BALL, AN ALL GENDER COSTUME PARTY 8:30 p.m. The Center. 702497-0090. http://jccsn.org
SUN
4
SOLOMON SCHECHTER DAY SCHOOL OF LAS VEGAS GALA 5 p.m. Canyon Gate Country Club. 702-804-1333. http://ssds-lv.org
FRI
SMASH MAGAZINE PRESENTS OF MICE & MEN 6:30 p.m. Vinyl, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 702-693-5000. http://hardrockhotel.com
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S ONE NIGHT ONE DROP 7:30 P.M. Michael Jackson One Theatre, Mandalay Bay. 844-339-1837. http://onenight.onedrop.org
RETROSPECTIVE IN STILL LIFE 6 p.m. West Las Vegas Library. 702-507-3980. http:// lvccld.org.
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2/26/18 11:01 AM
tun-201
TOURO GALA
SILENT AUCTION OPENS APRIL S I L E N T AU CT I O N P R O C E E D S B E N E F I T S TO U R O ST U D E N T S C H O L A R S H I P S I T E M S I N C LU D E A R T WO R K J E W E L RY FINE DINING SCULPTURES MUCH MORE…
Visit www.tun.touro.edu or call 702-777-3100 for more details TO U R O GA L A S P O N S O R S Touro University Nevada is grateful to its sponsors who have helped make this event possible
DR. JALDEEP
DAULAT
874 American Pacific Drive, Henderson, Nevada 89014
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2/26/18 11:01 AM 2/20/18 11:45 AM
WED OPERA LAS VEGAS PRESENTS
Bernstein at 100!
7
2018 PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Through Mar. 10, times vary. T-Mobile Arena. 702-692-1300. http://t-mobilearena.com ROGER DALTREY - THE WHO HITS AND RARITIES Through Mar. 10, 8 p.m. The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 702-6935000. http://hardrockhotel.com
THU
8
SHEN YUN 2018 Through Mar. 11, times vary. Reynolds Hall, Smith Center. 702-749-2012. http:// thesmithcenter.com
FRI CONDUCTOR • COMPOSER • GENIUS
Bravo Bernstein! March 25 - 3 pm
The Smith Center - Cabaret Jazz $100 - Concert & Artists Reception Leonard Bernstein is one of the most iconic and successful composers of the 20th Century. “Bernstein’s Centennial” is being feted in a year-long celebration around the world. Some of OLV’s most accomplished singers will perform beloved hits from West Side Story and On the Town, as well as pieces from Trouble in Tahiti, A Quiet Place and the epic concert Mass that opened the Kennedy Center. Happy Birthday, Lenny! Your musical legacy lives forever!
Tickets Available Now 702/749-2000
or
thesmithcenter.com/shows-tickets
9
BILL MAHER Through Mar. 10, 10 p.m. Terry Fator Theater, Mirage Hotel & Casino. 702-791-7111. http://mirage.com STONE TEMPLE PILOTS 7 p.m. House of Blues, Mandalay Place. 702-632-7600. http:// mandalaybay.com NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS 8 p.m. The Chelsea, Cosmopolitan. 702-6987000. http://cosmopolitan.com CHASE PADGETT - 6 GUITARS 7:30 p.m. Charleston Heights Arts Center. 702-229-2787. http:// artslasvegas.org LIONEL RICHIE Through Mar. 20, 8 p.m. The AXIS, Planet Hollywood. 702-7855555. http://caesars.com/ planethollywood JERRY SEINFELD Through Mar. 10, 7:30 p.m. The Colosseum, Caesars Palace. 866-227-5938. http://caesarspalace.com
SAT
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TEMPLE SINAI'S DENIM & DIAMONDS GALA 6 p.m. Red Rock Hotel & Casino. 702-2545110. http://templesinailv.org/ gala2018
KEVIN KLING OF "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED" 7 p.m. Historic Fifth Street School. 702-299-2787. http://artslasvegas.org
SUN
11
ROCKY HORROR LIVE! 7:30 p.m. House of Blues, Mandalay Place. 702-632-7600. http:// mandalaybay.com
WED
14
JEWISH NEVADA WOMEN'S PHILANTHROPY UNITED LUNCHEON 10:30 a.m. Enclave. sarah@jewishnevada.org. http:// jewishnevada.org REBA, BROOKS & DUNN Through Mar. 24, 7:30 p.m. The Colosseum, Caesars Palace. 866-227-5938. http://caesarspalace.com
THU
15
RICKY MARTIN Through Mar. 25, 8 p.m. Park Theater, Monte Carlo. http://montecarlo.com RUNA Through Mar. 16, 7 p.m. Myron's Cabaret Jazz, Smith Center. 702-749-2012. http:// thesmithcenter.com FLOGGING MOLLY 8:30 p.m. Boulevard Pool, Cosmopolitan. 702-698-7000. http:// cosmopolitan.com IAC LAS VEGAS GALA 6 p.m. lvgala@israeliamerican. org. 702-786-6700. http:// israeliamerican.org
FRI
16
THE POETS' CORNER 7:30 p.m. West Las Vegas Arts Center. 702229-2787. http://artslasvegas.org KENNY CHESNEY - TRIP AROUND THE SUN TOUR Through Mar. 17, 9 p.m. The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 702-693-5000. http:// hardrockhotel.com DOWNTOWN CULTURAL SERIES: MULLIVAN'S EDGE 12 p.m. Lloyd
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D. George Federal Courthouse Jury Assembly Room. 702-2292787. http://artslasvegas.org DANIEL TOSH Through Mar. 17, times vary. Terry Fator Theater, Mirage Hotel & Casino. 702-7917111. http://mirage.com
SAT
17
ST. PATRICK'S DAY FESTIVAL 8 p.m. Historic Fifth Street School. 702-229-2787. http:// artslasvegas.org THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS 8 p.m. House of Blues, Mandalay Place. 702-632-7600. http:// mandalaybay.com BON JOVI - THIS HOUSE IS NOT FOR SALE TOUR 7:30 p.m. T-Mobile Arena. 702-692-1300. http://t-mobilearena.com
TUE
20
LOVE NEVER DIES Through Mar. 25, times vary. Reynolds Hall, Smith Center. 702-749-2012. http://thesmithcenter.com
FRI
23
CHRIS STAPLETON 8 p.m. MGM Grand Garden Arena, MGM Grand. 702-892-7575. http:// mgmgrand.com
SAT
24
LAS VEGAS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 2 p.m. Centennial Hills Park. 702-229-2787. http:// artslasvegas.org DASH BERLIN - SEASON GRAND OPENING 11 a.m. Marquee Dayclub, Cosmopolitan. 702-6987000. http://cosmopolitan.com
SUN
25
OPERA LAS VEGAS "BRAVO
BERNSTEIN!" 3 p.m. Myron's Cabaret Jazz, Smith Center. 702-749-2012. http:// thesmithcenter.com FOCUS ON NEVADA PHOTO SHOWCASE 6 p.m. Windmill Library. 702-507-6030. http:// lvccld.org
TUE
27
MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST 7:30 p.m. House Of Blues, Mandalay Place. 702-632-7600. http:// mandalaybay.com CELINE DION Through Mar. 31, 7:30 p.m. The Colosseum, Caesars Palace. 866-227-5938. http://caesarspalace.com THE ARTIST WITHIN 6 p.m. West Charleston Library. 702-507-3940. http://lvccld.org.
FRI
30
AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH MICHAEL FEINSTEIN AND SPECIAL GUEST LIZA MINNELLI 7:30 p.m. Reynolds Hall, Smith Center. 702-749-2012. http:// thesmithcenter.com INCUBUS Through Mar. 31, 9 p.m. The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 702-693-5000. http:// hardrockhotel.com
SAT
31
GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC 7:30 p.m. House of Blues, Mandalay Place. 702-632-7600. http:// mandalaybay.com MIRANDA SINGS... YOUR WELCOME 7 p.m. Reynolds Hall, Smith Center. 702-749-2012. http://thesmithcenter.com
To submit your event information, email calendar@davidlv.com by the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the event is being held. www.davidlv.com | 17
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Devour The Wagyu burger Black Tap’s award-winning Greg Norman burger is named after Greg Norman, the owner of the Australian ranch that produces the terrific, funky Wagyu beef Black Tap uses in their burgers. The generously-sized burger is made with house buttermilk-dill, blue cheese, and arugula, for a crisp and peppery kick. Located inside The Venetian, Black Tap pays homage to the great American luncheonette experience, while offering award-winning burgers, famous CrazyShake™ milkshakes, craft beer, and cocktails. For those on-the-go, check out the walk-up window. Black Tap, The Venetian, 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-414-2337.
Conant’s Classic For being such a simple dish, Scott Conant’s Pasta Pomodoro is tantalizingly delicious. The bright acidity from the tomatoes, combined with the vibrant and fragrant basil, tossed together with house-made pasta, and emulsified with rich butter and olive oil…it’s simply unforgettable. Luckily, Conant’s classic dish is available at his newly opened Masso Osteria inside the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa. Masso Osteria, Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-797-7777.
The Glass Onion
N T M Y
A delicious take on the classic dry martini, the inspiration for this inventive cocktail came from the desire to create a dry gin martini with a touch of savoriness. A hint of celery is complemented by the dryness of vermouth, the saline quality of Manzanilla Sherry, and light acidity from our house-made pickle brine. • • • •
2.5 oz. Rutte Celery Gin .5 oz. Dolin Dry Vermouth .5 oz. Manzanilla Sherry .25 oz. Pickle Brine
Technique: Stir all ingredients with ice, then strain into large chilled coupe. Garnish with a dill sprig, serve, and enjoy. The Kitchen at Atomic, 927 Fremont St, Las Vegas. 702-534-3223.
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NICE TO MEAT YOU CUT OF THE WEEK THREE COURSES AND SIDES BOTTOMLESS WINE $55 13_22_Pulse.indd 19
CHARLIE PALMER STEAK LAS VEGAS 3960 LAS VEGAS BLVD SOUTH AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL 702.632.5120 CHARLIEPALMERSTEAK.COM @CHARLIEPALMERSTEAK 2/26/18 11:02 AM
Desire
Color of the year: Pantone’s Ultra Violet The Ascaso Dream is known for its great looks and fantastic features – like making cappuccino. The machine features a three-way solenoid valve, an adjustable over pressure valve and it comes with a durable aluminum tamper. $599. Amazon.com
Fall in love with Primula’s ultra violet floral design in this cast iron teapot. It’s vintage feel and seamless pour makes for a functional fashion staple in the kitchen. $28 Amazon.com
The Melody jumper is knitted from beautiful cassis mohair, creating a truly soft and warm feel. The slightly loose silhouette it provides is comfortable for everyday. Finished with ribbed cuffs, hem and a classic crew neckline, this timeless knit can easily be mixed and layered with the seasonal styles. $540. Mulberry, Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-382-0496.
Subtle and stylish, Krewe’s St. Louis round sunglasses in handcrafted acetate with 24-karat, gold-plated hardware is punctuated with purple lenses and purple-tortoise frames. $255. Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 3200 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-731-3636.
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In honor of the Chinese Year of the Dog, depictions of Gucci’s creative director’s Boston terriers appear throughout the Cruise 2018 collection. The images of Bosco and Orso are featured as patches on this acetate bomber jacket. $3,900. Gucci, The Shops at Crystals, 3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-730-1946.
The Embrace Ambition special-edition bracelet was created in collaboration with the Tory Burch Foundation to encourage women to embrace ambition. Made of silk and offered in six colors - including purple - it features an engraved charm and a brass Gemini Link —a graphic abstraction of the Tory Burch logo. Fully adjustable and great for everyday, it’s also a heartfelt token of friendship. $30. Tory Burch, The Grand Canal Shoppes, Palazzo, 3327 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-369-0541.
In striking purple velvet, these high-rise Marc Jacobs jeans are the ultimate statement in coolness. The slim cut anchors the dramatic hue, making them a youthful alternative to denim. $390. Neiman Marcus, 3200 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-731-3636.
Ermenegildo Zegna’s purple silk satin necktie is printed with light blue diamonds and pays homage to the storied brand’s heritage. $195. Ermenegildo Zegna, Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-474-4246.
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Discover Pedal power on rails Through April, you can “ride the rails” two ways and experience history dating back to the 1 30s - the time when the Boulder Branch Line was constructed by the nion Pacific ailroad to service the Boulder Dam project. ail Explorers The Las Vegas Division offers an exciting new tour, which combines an exhilarating, four-mile, downhill, pedal-powered ride from the station to ailroad Pass. Then, enjoy a more leisurely ride back to the top of the hill in one of the Nevada State ailroad Museum’s historic trains. Prices range from 5 for two to 150 for four passengers. Rail Explorers,
- 33- 5
. http railexplorers.net
It’s Brilliant “Brilliant!,” the new experience at The Neon Museum, takes you back to vintage Vegas where unrestored signs – with broken lights and all – are provided the creative technology to give the impression that they have been re-electrified. The immersive 30-minute show, created by audiovisual artist and designer Craig Winslow, reanimates 40 monumental examples from amongst the museum’s many iconic, vintage signs, to the accompaniment of music from some of the entertainment industry’s most storied performers. Tickets start at 15 for locals, seniors, students, and military. The Neon Museum, 0 N. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, 02-3 - 3 . http neonmuseum.org
Chocolates and Cocktails Take a trip back to 1 , when Marie Antoinette’s pharmacist created a distinctive, coin-shaped confection blended with headache medicine and cocoa butter. The queen, who had refused to take her medicine all those years, was delighted by his now famous chocolate pistoles (coins). Today – with no medicine added, of course – the treat can still be enjoyed as a pairing when you order a cocktail from - midnight at osina, inside Palazzo Las Vegas. No doctor’s note needed for this fanciful libation duo. Rosina, The Palazzo, 3325 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, 02- 0 -1 5.
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Mingle Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada (JCCSN) “Patron of the J” Cocktail Party Venue 1
The Jon Sparer & John Klai Residence
Date
Thursday, February 1
Event
This elegant evening of music, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres was held at the sumptuous Sparer-Klai home in The Ridges. This evening sponsored by the Ivan Sher Group, celebrated the past accomplishments of the JCCSN and provided the perfect setting to announce the many new programs planned for 2018. All proceeds from this cheerful event went to a variety of JCCSN programs and scholarships.
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(L-R) Michael Serenco, Ivan Sher, John Klai and Dan Cohen. (L-R) Todd Polikoff, Jeff Metz and Hugh Bassewitz. (L-R) Rachel & Sam Ventura and Annette Aerenson. Joan and Laurence Davis. (L-R) Toni Chaltiel, Charlene Sher and Dr. Geoffrey Sher. (L-R) Annette Aerenson, Jon Sparer, John Klai and Nancy Weinberger. Wendy Kraft & Laura Sussman. Myrna Brown and Alan Bachman.
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Mingle Jewish National Fund Annual Las Vegas Love of Israel Brunch Venue Conference Center of Las Vegas
Date
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Event
Over 350 people attended this brunch. They came to hear Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Bret Stephens as well as to honor community member Larry Monkarsh. This beautiful event was chaired by Brian Chernoff, Alex Woogmaster and Lior Sibony. Since their founding in 1901, the JNF’s single driving focus has been to ensure a strong, secure and prosperous Israel for the Jewish people everywhere. Together with their partners, they re-established the Jewish homeland in modern Israel. JNF planted more than a quarter-billion trees in what was once a barren desert, and built hundreds of vibrant, bustling, life-affirming communities. Today they are engaged in state-of-the-art technologies and are pioneers in water conservation.
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(L-R) Bret Stephens, Janet Wellish, Larry Monkarsh, Bernice Friedman and Rick Krosnick. (L-R) Joan Davis, Laurence Davis and Itzik Becher. Faye Steinberg. Glenda and Larry Monkarsh. Elaine Entin and Hillary Steinberg. Rabbi Yocheved Mintz and Bret Stephens. (L-R) Lior Sibony, Brian Chernoff and Alex Woogmaster.
Photos: Tonya Harvey
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Mingle Adelson Educational Campus “In Pursuit of Excellence” Gala Venue Venetian Hotel | Casino, Las Vegas
Date Saturday, January 20
Event
600 guests gathered to honor Dr. Miriam & Sheldon G. Adelson and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the elite Adelson Educational Campus’ High School. Live entertainment included a performance by the cast of BAZ - A Musical Mash-up and a presentation to, and an interview with, the honored couple. All present enjoyed this festive celebration, which raised funds for Adelson Educational Campus scholarships.
Photos: Cashman Photography www.davidlv.com | 25
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9” x 10.875” full page
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Eco Summer Camp Local Camps Include Tikkun Olam (Repairing of the World) Programing ■ Aleza Freeman
G
rowing up in Las Vegas, Stephany Yoabov never learned about compost. It wasn’t until running an overnight camp in Hawaii that she even heard about the organic process and its
benefits. As The Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada’s new Family, Youth, and Camp Director, Yoabov plans to integrate environmentallyfriendly concepts like composting, recycling, and conservation into the JCC’s summer Camp K’helah program, which is moving this year to the eco-friendly Meadows School campus in Summerlin for pre-K through 7th graders. Though Southern Nevada isn’t home to a traditional summer eco-
camp, some local camps are helping to bridge the gap for youth interested in the environment. Such programs not only help to instill a healthy respect for nature, but also create a habit of healing the earth in the younger generation. “If we’re not educating our kids and empowering them with that knowledge now, then it’s not going to happen as they grow and teach their kids,” says Yoabov. “It will hurt us in the long run.” At the Springs Preserve, weekly themed “Summer Adventure Camps” for kids ages 6-12 revolve around resource-consciousness, creativity, activity, and sustainable living. Camps take place on the Preserve’s 180acre Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)certified campus, featuring museums, galleries, a botanical garden, and an interpretive trail system. “Summer Adventure Camps are a journey through the ultimate kids’ nature playground,” says Dawn Barraclough, a public relations represen-
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION tative for the Springs Preserve, which is owned by the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD). “The Springs Preserve provides the perfect backdrop for adventure, learning about our environment and culture, and cultivating tools for creative living.” Now in its 23rd year, Camp K’helah won’t entirely hinge on nature and conservation, but adding eco programs and incorporating a green culture was a no-brainer for Yoabov. In fact, it’s a Jewish imperative. “Tikkun o’lam, repairing the world, is huge,” says Yoabov, who formerly managed day camp, therapeutic recreation, and inclusion programming for the City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department. “If we’re not leading by those values, then we’re missing a whole message of what Judaism is about.” With solar panels, a recycling program and desert landscaping, she believes The Meadows School will be a great environment for this summer’s camp, which will build on the traditions campers and families love while adding new, enriching and empowering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) programs to help campers gain modern-day skills. The curriculum will also integrate specialty eco-camps, such as a week long class on solar energies. Campers will choose between building four different solar powered pro ects - a solar oven, a solar water distiller, a solar food dryer, or solar race cars. Yoabav is still designing additional eco-friendly programs, like Mitzvah Mondays, where campers team up to give back to the local community by doing good deeds. She also considers current events, like the catastrophic drought in South Africa, as teachable moments for campers. “This natural disaster is a prime example of why we need to make stronger efforts to conserve our water and energy on a local level,” she says. “While our water levels at Hoover Dam have come up over the past decade, it has not been at full capacity since 1983. If we don’t begin conserving more now, I’m afraid we will run out of water for our generations
Summer Camp June 4 – 29, 2018
Come play and learn with us this Summer at DISCOVERY Children’s Museum!
ART. STEM. CODING. Reserve your child’s spot today! 360 Promenade Place, Las Vegas NV 89106
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION to come. The same goes for energy…if we don’t step our efforts up today, we will run out of our natural resources tomorrow.” Such localized lessons are an ideal approach to kids’ environmental education, according to Blair Griffin, Community Education Manager for the Seattle-area environmental learning center and eco-camp IslandWood. In his experience, youth are engaged by ideas and concepts within their sphere of control, rather than those with several moving parts. “Talking to a 10-year-old about climate change isn’t always the best thing,” explains Griffin, who describes the camps at IslandWood as fun, interesting, and a little strange. “It’s going to have the reverse effect. It’s going to make a kid feel a little bit less empowered, less excited about doing something positive and a little bit more dower, a little more hopeless.” He suggests focusing on what the kids can do well in their own backyards and at their own ages, whether it’s starting a recycling program at school or striving to be a better person overall. “Our hope is that kids will leave looking at their connection with their community a little bit more and feeling a bit more empowered so they keep learning,” he says. That’s certainly Yoabav’s goal. “It’s a domino effect,” she explains. “If we’re not teaching them now, what’s the hope for our future?” In addition to the day camp at The Meadows School, Camp K’helah will offer a five-day sleepaway camp, Camp K’helah Pines, located in Big Bear, CA, from August 1-5. Campers will build self-confidence, make new friends, gain an appreciation of nature and the environment, try new activities, and develop new skills in a traditional camp setting. More information will be available at a kickoff event for Camp K’helah from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 4 at The Meadows School. The Springs Preserve’s summer camp runs June 4 through Aug. 10. Each week features a new theme and opportunity to be inspired by the nature, history, and cultural stories currently shaping our lives in Las Vegas. Online registration is available at https://www.springspreserve.org. david march 2018.pdf 1 2/15/18 4:18 PM
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Discovery Day Camp Makes Summer Camp a Reality for Visually Impaired Youth nroll for une camp through lind hildren s oundation
evada
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ummer is just around the corner. For many, the season brings vivid childhood memories to mind — riding your bike to the park, hanging out with friends, baseball games, ice cream cones, water parks, family vacations, and that summer rite of passage – camp! They replay in our minds like a summer highlights reel. Summer looks very different for the thousands of children in Southern evada who suffer from vision difficulty their visual acuity ranging from difficulty seeing even when wearing corrective lenses to complete blindness. For these children, summer can be an isolating time. Most activities require some adaptation for the blind, and not every place is prepared to offer that. However one local organi ation, the nonprofit evada lind hildren s oundation , is changing that through its iscovery ay amp. offers the only merican amping ssociation accredited day camp in evada specifically designed for the special needs of blind and low vision children. With the support of camp counselors some visually impaired as well iscovery ay amp attendees get to participate in traditional day camp activities and start their own highlight reel.
“ t its heart, iscovery ay amp is about providing opportunities, explains xecutive irector mily Smith. “ hrough field trips and hands on learning experiences, our campers gain confidence in their abilities and independent living skills. e also weave in educational components, but if you ask the campers, they ll tell you they re ust having a great time. s iscovery ay amp incorporates five key areas into
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programming. They include literacy, math, socialization, orientation and mobility, and independence with an array of adapted learning activities like Math Bingo, Minute-to-Win-It challenges, human foosball, and beep archery and beep ball. The latter two activities use different frequencies of buzzing or beeping to allow
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children with visual impairments to play by auditory processing. Perhaps one of the most unexpected benefits of Discovery Day Camp has been its effect on the southern Nevada community. With more people gaining an understanding about the needs of the visually impaired they can see how, sometimes, simple things can make a big difference for them. Each week, campers participate in at least two field trips to local businesses for hands-on exploration, learning, volunteer service, and fun. Kids have pet dolphins at The Mirage’s Secret Garden, made bag lunches for homeless teens, touched a crocodile’s skull at The Shark Reef, made pizzas at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, and played beep baseball with the Las Vegas 51s. “Sometimes, when we first reach out to a company for a field trip, there’s a certain level of hesitation around adapting their services for our kids; in most cases, they’re just nervous because they’ve never done or even thought about it before,” says Smith. “But that hesitation quickly turns to creative excitement as they work with our team to figure out how to make the most out of the opportunity. For example, the staff at the Boulder City Train Museum adapted the exhibits to provide a more hands-on and interactive experience for our kids. It was such a hit with the kids, the museum team decided to keep the new hands-on approach for their regular school field trips. “We’re fortunate to have some great partners and are excited to expand our camp program again this year through a partnership with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to provide The Braille Enrichment for Learning & Literacy (BELL) Academy to campers in southern Nevada,” adds Smith. “Fewer than 10 percent of the 1.3 million people who are legally blind in the United States are Braille readers and just 10 percent of blind children are learning it. There’s a direct link between literacy, graduation rates, and unemployment, and we are committed to changing all three. We wouldn’t stand for this if we were talking about literacy rates among our sighted students.” The BELL Academy is a week-long day camp that offers a more intensive reading program to prepare blind and low-vision children for success in school and in life by increasing Braille literacy and independent living skills. The BELL Academy utilizes NFB curriculum, along with adult mentors who are also blind or visually impaired, in order to build campers’ literacy skills through Braille instruction and hands-on learning activities, all in a traditional day-camp setting. Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation’s camp sessions are designed for kids, kindergarten through 8th grade, and run June 4 – 22, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4p.m. for just $50 per week. The cost includes field trips, lunch, and extended care before and after camp. Scholarships are available based on financial need to ensure no child is turned away. To register for camp, volunteer, donate, or partner with NBCF, visit www.nvblindchildren.org or call 702-735-6223.
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Live
A Focus on Living in Las Vegas People and Places Arts and Entertainment Food and Beverage Philanthropy and Religion Health and Fitness and More...
Zeitz MOCAA | 34 www.davidlv.com | 33
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Sense
Zeitz MOCAA Thomas Heatherwick’s Transformation of a Grain Silo Into the Museum of Contemporary African Art
By Dasha Nekrasova
I
n September 2017, South Africa’s anticipated Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art opened its doors. A public, not-for-profit museum located on the scenic Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town, the Zeitz MOCAA collection is housed in a decommissioned grain silo, whose plain industrial exterior conceals the breathtaking modernist atrium inside. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick of London, the museum boasts 80 white-cube galleries that span its 9 floors, and a cathedral-esque entrance hall that The Guardian’s Oliver Wainwright described as “a thrilling space of concrete cylinders that plunge from
the ceiling like carved stalactites, through which stairs spiral and glass elevators glide.” Hailed as “Africa’s Tate Modern,” the museum houses the art collection of Jochen Zeitz, a German philanthropist and former CEO at Puma. The museum’s director, Mark Coetzee, was born in Johannesburg, and employed by Zeitz in 2008 to help amass his collection of contemporary African art. The pair met in Miami, when Puma SE partnered with Coetzee (who was in charge of the Rubell Family collection at the time) for his show “30 Americans,” a group show that showcased the work of AfricanAmerican artists. The exhibit prompted Zeitz to wonder why there was so little representation of African artists, and so few institutions in place
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to support them. With his Capetonian curators counsel, he began to accumulate a “cutting-edge contemporary” collection, focused deliberately on investing in works made after 2000. The only rule, Coetzee explained on a hard-hat tour of the museum last Spring, “...to buy bodies of work. With very few exceptions, we have 40, 50, 60 pieces of every artist whose work we acquired.” By prioritizing the acquisition of entire bodies of work, as opposed to specific pieces, eitz set an intention to display his collection publicly. He told the New York Times, “We always had the idea that there would be place in Africa where we would exhibit.” That place would be the V&A Waterfront, a popular and pricey site for South African tourism, whose director David Green approached
eitz and Coetzee with a proposal to renovate its massive grain silo. Mr. Heatherwick, the architect, had been in talks to develop the silo - once the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa - for over a decade. Heatherwick, who is known for designing the British pavilion at the 2010 World Expo, as well as the remarkable copper cauldron at the 2012 London Olympics, was fascinated by the space. The architectural feat of transforming the site, originally built in 1921 and decommissioned in 2001, into one that would be hospitable for its new purposes (“tubes are quite rubbish places for showing art,” Heatherwick explained) would be an archeological one, relying on an excavational process to construct its breathtaking ovoid atrium. In a place where museum-going isn’t commonplace, the building www.davidlv.com | 35
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would have to lure people in, rather than display its iconicity on the outside. “Our challenge was to make compelling innards,” Heatherwick says. “How could we compel people to come inside and allow curiosity to do the rest of the work?” The decision to retain the integrity of the original structure was vital to Heatherwick’s vision. Taking care to preserve the tubularity required the concrete to be recast inside each of the cylinders - the structure essentially had to be replicated before it could be deconstructed. The result is an astonishing modern interior, a visual homage to the grain the silo once contained - corn. Heatherwick explains: “There was this sort of funny synergy when we managed to get hold of some of the corn that had been stored in the building...We took one of these original grains, digitally scanned it to get the exact form and then enlarged it to be 10 stories high. It made this extraordinary geometry.” The central atrium currently showcases an installation by South African artist Nicholas Hlobo, “Iimpundulu Zonke Ziyandilenda,” referencing beasts from Xhosa folklore. Zeitz MOCAA’s opening exhibition, “All Things Being Equal,” highlighted the tremendously talented artists in their permanent collection, among them Wangechi Mutu from Kenya, South Africa’s Zanele Muholi, Glenn Ligon of the United States and El Anutsui from Ghana. Like the Tate Modern, Zeitz MOCAA also boasts an iconic blue painting from K based artist Chris Ofili. Isaac Julien’s nine-screen projection, A Thousand Waves, is an astonishing part of the permanent collection, as is Cosmic Alphabet, a massive installation of glass panels on the floor of the sculpture garden, more than 100 ft above the central court and designed by the recently deceased artist from Togo, El Loko. With a careful emphasis on hyper-contemporary work from Africa and its diaspora, Mark
Exterior of the Zeitz MOCAA and the Silo Hotel.
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Coetzee explains the endeavor of the museum to serve as a platform with “emphasis on access for all, representation of all, and a platform for people from Africa to participate in writing their own cultural heritage.” Like any institution that sets its sights on a project with such an ambitious scope, the museum has drawn criticism. The V&A Waterfront is home to some of the most expensive real-estate on the continent, with the newly converted silo expectedly serving as a value-adding cornerstone for luxury development in the area. While the museum draws over 3,000 visitors a day, most are tourists, prompting critics to question Zietz MOCAA’s engagement with the local community - a question made especially grave by South Africa’s painful history of colonialism (both Zietz and Coetzee are white). Underlining this tension - between the museum’s commitment to decolonizing the Western gaze, and the persisting inequalities still very real in the community - is the adjacent development of the opulent Silo Hotel. The hotel (not designed by Heatherwick) is located atop the museum itself, an addition some consider distasteful, and from which Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was kept prisoner, is visible. Coetzee and MOCAA have been hesitant to speak on the hotel and surrounding development in the Silo District, focusing instead on the efforts taken to ensure the museum remains accessible and engaged with local residents - free admission for locals on Wednesdays, daily for those under 18, as well as a dedicated arts education center, curatorial training program, and costume institute. “I think what is going to define all of this in the end is what is represented in the museum,” says Coetzee of the historical disparity of representation in African art, “It is going to win if the audience see themselves represented by their own artists.”
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Taste
Esther’s Kitchen
Chef James rees Comes ome
By Jason Harris “Italians hate that dish. You love it.” - James Trees t’s 2012. I’m living in Los Angeles with my girlfriend. One summer day she tells me she found a dog online, in a pound an hour and a half away, that she wants to rescue. She brings back the dog later that day. We name it Juno. Within minutes, I am exponentially happier. What’s strange is I didn’t realize how much I missed owning a dog until I owned a dog again. It’s easy to miss something when it’s gone, but it’s an odd feeling to retroactively miss something once it is back in your life. If there is a word for that feeling, I don’t know it. But I did experience that retroactive longing in a different way, recently. It’s now New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2017. For almost a year, James Trees, the large, lumbering chef who looks older than he actually is, has been telling me, and every other person in the Las Vegas food scene, about his upcoming restaurant, Esther’s Kitchen. We keep joking with him that he should get a t-shirt that says “Six weeks” on it, because every time we ask
I
ith
inning Confidence
him when is it going to open? he tells us he is hoping “in another six weeks.” Trees has a solid reputation and is a regular at food events, but this preview dinner, right before it’s time to ring in 201 , is the first real taste of his food I’m getting. All the stuff I’ve heard - which celebrity chefs Trees has worked for in the past, which impressive restaurants he’s cooked at in his career, and all the hype about what Esther’s is going to be - either gets obliterated or becomes part of the legend with this meal. The chef serves me a lasagnette nero. Think torn lasagna noodles made with squid ink to give it a dark color, complimented by luscious hunks of lobster, and rounded out with earthy fennel and acid from lemon. I’m not kidding when I say this: I take a bite of the noodle and I put my fork down. I need to fully inhabit this moment. This is easily the best pasta noodle I’ve had in Las Vegas, probably ever. Where have I had a noodle this good before? When was that? Was it when I was growing up in a largely Italian neighborhood in New Jersey? Sunday dinners at the Vecchiones’ house? Was it when I was in college and visited the famed North End in Boston? Does it even matter? I sit there, savoring this noodle, realizing that for a long
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Left page: Fresh radiatorre pasta with black garlic, lemon, bread crumbs and chives Above: Chef James Trees handrolling the day’s cavatelli. www.davidlv.com | 39
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Clockwise from top left: Sourdough pizza with roasted mushrooms, duxelles, taleggio, charred kale. Spaghetti drying in the pasta room. Chocolate tart with amarena cherries, creme fraiche and sea salt. Weiser’s parsnip risotto with confit lemon, black garlic and sorrel.
time now, I completely missed eating pasta done the right way. Within one day of opening Esther’s Kitchen, Chef Trees, 37, has elevated the entire pasta game in Las Vegas and has made the fakers no longer tolerable. “I do what I always do, which is go in and fix sh*t.” - James Trees Trees has a bit of East Coast swagger to him. He grew up in a rough neighborhood in Las Vegas, reminiscent of many Northeastern communities where the older kids from the streets would beat up the younger kids from the same streets, but if an outsider came and picked a fight with anybody, all the neighborhood kids would beat up the outsider. He signed up for cooking class in high school because the girl he had
a crush on told him to. When class started, she was nowhere to be found, but something clicked for Trees. He recalls, “I loved to cook once I learned what it was. I realized that cooking is my three favorite subjects rolled up into one. It’s history, art, and science all combined. And it’s a craft. I fell in love with cooking because it was the things I loved the most smashed together in this craziness.” Like a fish to water, Trees took to the kitchen. At age 1 , he got an internship at The Mirage Hotel where he was supposed to work in the kitchen for 3 hours a day. He would spend to 10 hours there learning his craft. When The Bellagio opened, many of the Mirage cooks moved over to the
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new hotel for a chance to advance their careers. That left Trees in a prime spot at The Mirage. He worked in a shared kitchen with the crews from the newly opened high-end dining establishments from chefs Alex Stratta the restaurant Renoir - and Luke Palladino - who operated Onda. From there, the young cook made his way to the Culinary Institute of America and then, after graduation, back to his hometown to become an in-house cook at The Bellagio. Things were going along swimmingly for Trees, who also had stints at Bradley Ogden, Alex, and Alize along the way. One day, though, while driving home, he crashed his car going 140 miles per hour. He says, “I broke my neck, my back, my shoulder blades, my wrist, my legs, my collar bone, my ribs, dislocated pelvis - you name it, I was f***ed.” Where better to do physical therapy than in the kitchen of a busy restaurant? Trees took a position at Knob Hill in the MGM where he’d work a 10-hour day then pass out for the next two. He did this until he was in game shape again. His next step was with The Mina Group, opening outposts for celebrity chef Michael Mina in cities including Detroit, Miami, Scottsdale, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Developing a reputation as a fixer of sorts in the kitchen, he got a job helping make the chefs on reality television look more credible. Trees recalls, “I ran the back kitchen on Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. The people who were on the tv show couldn’t make a Beef Wellington if their lives depended on it. Anyone who goes on a show like that is a clown.” It should be noted that Trees himself will be a contestant on an upcoming episode of a Food Network cooking competition show. Trendy stops at The Viceroy and Superba Food and Bread in Los Angeles followed. By this time, Trees had built up enough fans that he began looking for his own brick and mortar space in LA. He thought he had $300,000 from investors lined up, all of which fell through. Looking back now, at his packed restaurant near Downtown Las Vegas, Trees says confidently, I’m really glad none of them invested. “Why the heck would I do the exact same restaurant in LA, where there’s massive competition and the rent is three times higher and the labor is so much harder to get and the minimum wage is $15 an hour? That sounds like a recipe for disaster.” - James Trees What it came down to for Trees is what it often comes down to for people, betting on yourself and somehow convincing your family to double down on you. Trees’ great-aunt Esther, for whom his restaurant is named, always bet on James. She helped put him through culinary school and she wrote him a check early on for his own restaurant. He recalls, “She was investing in me as a human being and honestly, up until 5 years ago, I probably wasn’t worth investing in.” But Trees needed more than just his aunt’s check and his own savings to open the hip spot on Casino Center Boulevard. He’s borrowed from his parents and his sister to make Esther’s Kitchen a reality. This is his motivation to make sure he puts out the best food he can every day. He says: You want to talk about a family business? The reason I’m not allowed to fail is because if this restaurant fails my mom loses her house. I believe 100% if you have the ability to fail in life, you will totally fail. I cannot fail. I will work here 25 hours a day, 9 days a week. I do not give any f***s. The local community has responded with an improbable amount of love. Go to Esther’s on any night and you’ll be surrounded by a lively, energetic crowd that includes socialites, foodies, and business people. It’s quickly become the Downtown dinner spot de jour.
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reimagine
T H E
F U T U R E
Imagine a community that provides every citizen with the doctors, nurses and healthcare providers they need when they are well, and when they are sick. Imagine shorter wait times to see those providers, with patient-centered care focused on improving health outcomes. Our state needs more qualified healthcare providers to bridge the gaps that exist. With your help, we can all reimagine a better future for our families, friends and communities. Roseman University, a not-for-profit, private University thanks its friends and advocates for generously giving time and resources to build a healthier Nevada. Join us as we reimagine the next chapter of healthcare for Nevada. Make your gift by calling 702-802-2870 or text “Reimagine” to 855-790-8070. Challenge. Reimagine. Roseman. Learn more at roseman.edu COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE COLLEGE OF NURSING
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If you make a chair and skip a step, that chair falls apart. I think the same is true for cooking. We make chairs. - James Trees Stroll past the open kitchen and look to your left as you get towards the back of the building. There sits the pasta room, an entire space in the building dedicated to making noodles and bread. It serves to establish a tone and as a set piece in the restaurant. For Trees, it is necessary to get his food right. He explains: The pasta room comes from the idea that you need to be able to separate prep from work. It is humidity and temperature controlled. 76 degrees / 80 percent humidity all the time. While we’re making pasta, the pasta doughs don’t change while we’re extruding them. They don’t change when we’re rolling them out. We are about the basics of chemistry and what yeast and flour do at certain temperatures and humidity. If that’s what it takes to make cacio e pepe or cavatelli as memorable as his, then every Italian restaurant should be required to have one, to be up to code. The former uses chitarra as the noodle of choice, a thin semolina and egg noodle that looks like spaghetti. Says Trees of the process to make it, “It’s either elusively hard or deceptively simple to make.” The combination of toasted Tellicherry peppercorns, chicken stock, butter and Pecorino, sticks to the noodle perfectly, creating the most comforting Italian version of macaroni and cheese one could ask for. The latter takes eggless shell noodles and pairs them with a version of broccoli rabe that Trees learned to make from his friend’s father that involves overcooking the green then frying it with garlic and chili. Trees then takes a tomato and gives it the works - blanch, peel, and quarter, then cook with garlic salt, pepper, and thyme. He then smokes the tomato with a smoking gun. When everything is put together it wondrously exemplifies a dish where, even though all the parts on their own are excellent, the sum far outweighs them. For all his talking though, Trees doesn’t like to give credit to his cooking. He states: The only reason why we’re successful is because we didn’t go after a bunch of resumes on the Strip. I don’t give a damn where you worked. I want the coolest, nicest people to work here that I can find and that’s how we are successful. I think it’s the human beings in the building that bring people back. Certainly that is an element, but the word on the street about Esther’s Kitchen isn’t Did you hear how quickly the server refilled my water or “The hostess pulled out my chair like a boss.” The word on the street is, “The food at Esther’s has been so good from the jump that it has already made this funky hole-in-the-wall a must-visit restaurant.” So let’s gives Trees, a wizard of sh*t-talking, one more chance to sum up Esther’s immediate success. He says: Restaurants are time and place. Even though Rene Redzipi (chef of the wildly acclaimed Noma—Trees actually calls him something unmentionable)said it, he was right. This restaurant, the reason why we have been successful so far, is because it’s time and place. It’s this food in this time in this place. Every major city has this restaurant except for Las Vegas. Thankfully, we now have it too.
Esther’s Kichen 1130 S. Casino Center Blvd., #110, Las Vegas. 702-570-7864 | estherslv.com
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Essays and In-Depth Articles on Topics that Will Have People Talking all Month Long.
Travelling With Purpose | 52 www.davidlv.com | 43
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Day Zero Our Blue Planet is Running Out of Water 44 | www.davidlv.com 44_47_Think1_Water.indd 44
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Cape Town, South Africa.
By Jaq Greenspon
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N the next few months, if things don’t change, Cape Town, South Africa will run out of water. Over the next few years, a number of major world cities will be facing the same problem. Places like London, Tokyo, Moscow, and Beijing are all hitting a time of too little fresh water and too many people who need it. How long has this been going on though? Several thousand years ago this month, allegedly, water was also a bit of a problem. The Israelites were trying to escape from Pharaoh and the only thing standing between them and total annihilation was one big body of water. So Moses, who was leading this Exodus, did what he had to do:
He parted the waters of the Red Sea, allowing his people to escape the Egyptians and spend the next 40 years wandering the desert, looking for the holy land, a place where we could settle, a place with enough food and water for everyone, without having to rely on baking matzoh on flat rocks and manna from heaven. It’s an old story, one we tell every year (Next year in Jerusalem, right?) Of course, today, not much has changed and water is still a bit of a problem. Although it’s not the excess blocking our path, but the absence which is not allowing us to move forward. As humanity, we’ve had a long and complicated history with the stuff. Our bodies are made mostly of water and as we were coming to consciousness, the idea of a garden, a place lush with greenery and vegetation, an oasis www.davidlv.com | 45
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The arches of an elevated section of the Roman provincial Aqueduct of Segovia, Spain.
in the desert, a place only possible with a flowing supply of water, was the image which permeated our thoughts. Civilization itself depended upon not only finding it, since any animal could do that, but cultivating it, bending it to our will and purpose. At first, we stopped our roaming when we found a source, a river or a heavy stream, an inlet or even a lake, which could support us. This was the problem with that flight from Egypt – the reason we didn’t just stop on the other side of the sea and thumb our noses at those pursuing us – we couldn’t drink the saltwater. So we wandered. But where civilization flourished was where we could drink the water. About ,000 years ago, we finally figured that out. Jericho, famous for its walls, was the first permanent urban settlement and it was located near fresh water springs. This is a place where we could dig trenches and furrows and grow crops to last through the winters. If you look at almost all the capital cities, all over the world, they were founded and built near these water sources (kinda makes you wonder what they were thinking of when they planned Las Vegas, eh?). There are archeological records of wells in ancient Egypt, and in Mesopotamia, stone gutters for channeling rainwater have been found. Over in Crete, they were actually building bathrooms and toilets back in the Bronze Age, about 2000 years before the Common Era. Of course, if you need water elsewhere, you have to be like the Romans and invent technology to move it where you want it to be. The aqueducts of Rome, which started showing up about 1500 years after the Cretans, were used to move large amounts of water from one area to another (preferably downhill, although Archimedes figured out a way, using a screw, to move it uphill, but that’s a different story).
With the Romans and their ability to move water where it’s needed, all of a sudden, populations weren’t tied to the areas right around the river bend. They could grow and expand, families could have more kids and farmers could till more land to feed them (and expand their conquests since they could now get water to the military as well). Over time, though, those expansions have become slightly problematic. Sure, things were going pretty well through the dark ages and as we headed towards the present day everything seemed like it was on course and doing fine. Then the Industrial evolution happened and things kind of exploded. Human population jumped in alarming numbers. Fekri Hassan, in Water: History for Our Times, points out that the acceleration of the pace of industry and a new set of services have created a new demand for water that was once primarily allocated to agriculture and food production. This extraordinary increase in the demand for water has been matched by an attack on the purity of water resources caused by industrial and urban pollutants. In other words, as we’ve gotten more people, we’ve also gotten more things on which to use water. And the water we have, we’re not doing much to protect. If water were an infinite, renewable resource, this wouldn’t be a bad thing, but it’s not. No matter how big the oceans seem to be, no matter how much water flows over the rim at Niagara Falls every minute (which, at peak times, is more than 6 million cubic feet) we’re living in a closed system and we rely on the planet itself to provide the drinking water we need. Every 7th grader who’s ever had to do a last minute science fair project (and already used up their allotment of baking soda volcanoes) understands the way water cycles work – evaporation takes the water up into the sky, which then returns it clean as rain and snow, which then
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Cape Town residents line up for water at one of the few natural springs.
makes its way down the slopes (remember the aqueducts?) to where we need it. But as there are more of us on the planet, that water gets spread around amongst more people and so while our supply is thinner, our need remains the same. EveryLittleDrop.com claims that in most developed nations, the average daily consumption is about 100 liters a day, while in some countries, like Germany, the average is 130 liters. Of course, in the United States, the average is between 200 and 400 liters per day. “The German Federal Environment Agency has calculated that on average only 4 liters of the 130 is used for drinking and cooking and almost 50 liters is used for personal hygiene, such as taking showers and baths.” And this doesn’t even take into account the water used for raising produce or livestock, nor preparing said products for consumption. Face it, we use a lot of water, every one of us, every single day. But now, things are taking a turn for the worse. Climate change is affecting the weather patterns and the rainfall we’d come to rely on just isn’t there. We can see it at Lake Mead, where we’ve been in drought conditions for more than the past decade, even dropping, briefly, into shortage conditions as recently as two years ago (this isn’t about the differently colored ring you can see as you drive past, although it is useful as an indicator). But that hasn’t stopped the Bellagio fountains from going off every 15-30 minutes or the $500-a-round golf courses from keeping their greens…well…green. Because we look around and just don’t see the danger. We deny the fact that the climate is changing and we luxuriate in our long, hot showers without ever thinking of the people in African nations who must walk dozens or even hundreds of kilometers for fresh, drinkable water. And all of this leads directly to what’s going to happen next month in Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Town relies heavily on rain to fill up its reservoirs, despite the fact it lies in the confluence of the South Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, and sometime in mid to late April, they’ll run out of water. Already they’re reduced to eliminating non-essential services and each person is limited to 50 liters (about 13.2 gallons) a day. Come “Day Zero” that number drops by another 50% and all residential water will be delivered via 200 or so “water points.” Thing is, they’ve known this was coming. The drought there began in 2015, but even before that, the infrastructure wasn’t up to the task of making sure the entire population was getting what it needed. If it was only Cape Town, though, maybe the world could gather and hold a concert, have phone lines installed so Americans could pledge a couple of gallons a week from their overabundant supplies and all would be well until the rain fell again. Except it’s not just Cape Town. Last summer, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “If current patterns of consumption continue unabated, two-thirds of the world’s population will be facing water shortages as a daily reality by 2025.” Furthermore, he noted the demand, worldwide, for fresh, clean water is projected to grow by more than 40% by the year 2050. By then, at least 25% of the global population will be living in countries where a recurring lack of fresh water will be a common issue. 2050. That’s only 32 years away. Our desert wandering took 40. Maybe we need those extra years to figure out a good plan to make sure everyone on Earth gets the water they need to live and bathe and, yes, even play golf. Then again, they were wandering in an age bereft of cell phones and desalinization plants and with the way manna hasn’t been falling from heaven lately, I really hope we can beat their record. www.davidlv.com | 47
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Ten Eco Epics Activist Films that Deal with Environmental Issues By Josh Bell
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t’s easy to find documentaries about the environment and ecological issues, but narrative films taking on topics of environmentalism are less common ere are dramatic movies that deal with issues relating to pollution, activism, industriali ation, animal rights, and more, while also telling entertaining, engaging stories with strong cinematic visions
The Birds (1963) here’s never any clear e planation of what makes birds start attacking humans in lfred itchcock’s unnerving horror classic, and it’s possible to view the avian rebellion as metaphorical, a reflection of the troubled psyche of main character Melanie aniels ( ippi edren) and her unstable relationships ut it’s ust as easily viewed as a literal revolt of nature, a response to the pressure that humanity has put on animals and the environment he movie opens in a store where birds are kept in cages, and Melanie and her potential love interest Mitch renner ( od aylor) use captive lovebirds as pro ies of sorts for their courtship re birds tired of being humanity’s playthings o they resent the proliferation of people on the inlet of odega ay r are they ust messing with us he great thing about The Birds is that it’s about all of those things and more, and it mines terror from the fundamental unknowability of nature
Silent Running (1972) he directorial debut of special-effects pioneer ouglas rumbull still looks astonishing nearly years later, with its masterful use of miniatures and optical effects to bring to life a remote spaceship housing the last of Earth’s plant and animal life ruce ern gives a committed, intense performance as botanist reeman owell, whose dedication to preserving nature comes at the cost of the lives of his fellow crew members and, eventually, his own sanity rdered to ettison and destroy the geodesic domes that contain the artificial ecosystems, owell instead hi acks the ship and sets off into deep space, seemingly the only human alive who cares about the beauty and wonder of nature, which has disappeared entirely from the future Earth he somewhat cheesy story is part tragic and part hopeful, holding onto the idea than even in a future when technology has rendered nature obsolete, humanity’s connection to the environment won’t be entirely broken
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The China Syndrome (1979) Although it’s often grouped with other 1970s conspiracy thrillers like Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View, James ridges’ film is more grounded and less sensationalistic, depicting the real possibilities of a meltdown at a nuclear power plant. Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas play journalists who uncover potential safety risks at the fictional entana nuclear power plant in Southern California, making themselves targets for the cover-up. Jack Lemmon gives a fantastic slow-burn performance as a plant employee who gradually realizes that his bosses have been lying to him, going from a strict company man to a moral crusader. lthough the story is fictional (and was denounced by the nuclear industry at the time), the movie was released less than two weeks before the actual Three Mile Island disaster, underscoring the relevance of the points that the filmmakers raise
Safe (1995) Todd Haynes’ deeply unsettling drama is never quite clear on whether main character Carol hite (Julianne Moore) is actually being made sick by the everyday chemicals surrounding her, or whether her descent into illness is primarily psychosomatic. But even if Carol’s household products aren’t the sources of her mysterious ailments, she certainly believes that they are and Haynes builds an atmosphere of dread that makes the audience hyper-aware of ust how many artificial substances surround us at all times. Carol’s quest to escape from the omnipresent contamination she perceives in her daily life is at times harrowing, and at other times darkly funny. Haynes doesn’t take sides, casting equal suspicion on both Carol’s modern suburban life and her subsequent experience with a cult-like remote retreat. Wherever she is, she’s at the mercy of forces that overwhelm her.
Fly Away Home (1996) Director Carroll Ballard is known for his heartwarming family movies involving animals (including The Black Stallion and Never Cry Wolf), and this fictionali ed version of a true story about migrating geese hits all those familiar notes, along with a gentle but insistent message about humanity’s stewardship of the environment. It’s a coming-of-age story about 13-yearold my ( nna a uin), who loses her mother in a car accident and is sent to live with her estranged, eccentric artist father (Jeff Daniels) in rural Canada. There, she nurtures a flock of geese, displaced by illegal industrial development, eventually guiding them on their 500-mile migration south with the help of ultralight planes built by her dad. It’s an uplifting story about how people can use technology and ingenuity to correct some of the damage that those same developments have done to the environment we live in.
Erin Brockovich (2000) Julia Roberts’ Oscar-winning performance is what most people remember about Erin Brockovich, and rightly so: Roberts is fantastic as the fiercely determined title character, who finds purpose in working as an advocate for the residents of a small California town whose water supply has been tainted by chemical runoff. Roberts’ Erin is brash, funny, and likable, and the story of her unlikely courtroom victory against a massive corporation is rousing, and handled with the perfect balance of grit and old-fashioned Hollywood triumphalism by director Steven Soderbergh. It’s also an origin story of sorts, showing how the real-life rockovich first discovered her passion for environmental and social justice, and how she went from a single mom trying to make ends meet to a committed activist. It’s a perfect illustration of how one person, with limited resources, can make a genuine difference in the world.
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WALL-E (2008) The Earth is literally a giant garbage dump in Pixar’s lovely animated ode to robot love, featuring a sweet romance between the title character (a trash compactor robot roaming the refusecovered planet) and EVE, a sleek diagnostic robot looking for signs of returning vegetation. They end up on one of the giant spaceships housing the remnants of humanity, who’ve become obese and helpless, entirely dependent on technology for their every need. Director and co-writer Andrew Stanton envisions a colorful and funny world, with Pixar’s typical boundless creativity, but the movie is also a cautionary tale about losing touch with nature and relying too much on conveniences supplied by massive corporations. WALL-E and EVE may be robots, but they’re the ones who recognize the value of nature and manage to bring humanity back down to Earth (literally and figuratively) in the end.
Avatar (2009) James Cameron’s sci-fi epic is still the highest-grossing film of all time, and it has inspired theme parks and merchandising and four sequels, which are set to be released beginning in 2020. But beyond its groundbreaking spectacle, it’s a parable about the battle between industrialism and environmentalism, embodied in the conflict over the moon of Pandora. The bad guys (military-trained contractors determined to strip-mine Pandora for the priceless mineral unobtanium) and the good guys (the peaceful, nature-connected Na’vi race, native to Pandora) may be broadly drawn, but their epic showdown is still thrilling. Cameron uses the conventions of large-scale blockbuster filmmaking (including the kind of sweeping romance that made his Titanic the previous highest-grossing movie of all time) to deliver an urgent message of respect for the environment and for indigenous cultures.
Night Moves (2013) Kelly Reichardt’s methodical thriller is about the interpersonal cost of extreme dedication to a cause, with Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning as environmental activists who take things a bit too far in their plan to sabotage a dam that is disrupting the surrounding ecosystem. The movie mostly follows the aftermath of their actions, as their commitment to the cause, and to each other, wavers and Eisenberg’s character in particular finds himself at odds with the more peaceful, nonviolent environmentalists at the farm and compound where he makes his home. Things gradually take a sinister turn as the paranoia builds, and both main characters drift far from the theoretically altruistic motives they started with. In working to save the planet, they end up losing sight of their humanity.
Deepwater Horizon (2016) The best of director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg’s true-American-hero movies (Battleship, Lone Survivor) is the story of the 2010 explosion and oil spill aboard the BP drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, off the coast of Louisiana. Wahlberg plays level-headed technician Mike Williams, who helped rescue many of his fellow oil workers, and Berg stages the disaster with visceral excitement, effectively conveying the chaos and danger of what the workers went through. He also clearly shows how corporate corner-cutting led to the disaster in the first place, with Mike and other hard-working BP employees (especially a grizzled veteran played by Kurt Russell) expressing concerns that are frequently ignored. The spill dominated the news cycle for a long time, but the movie brings it back to the people on the front lines, showing how the disregard for environmental safety directly endangered their lives. www.davidlv.com | 51
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Traveling With Purpose Ecotourism Connects Nevada With the World By Brian Sodoma
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ention the word “ecotourism” and you’ll likely hear many different definitions. In the hospitality business, you’ll hear statements about water-saving, eco-friendly appliances, and a diminishing carbon footprint. But there’s a lot more to explore with the term. It involves those who travel light and are conscientious about how much or little they consume as visitors in other places. Then, there’s the adventure traveler, the backpacker, hiker, even thrill-seeking outdoorsman, who probably prefers sleeping in a tent. These all fall under the ecotourism umbrella. And let’s not forget the voluntourists, those travelers who take trips that are not vacations, but instead an opportunity to study and help an environmentally disadvantaged situation. Ecotourism is, at its most basic, sustainable natural travel that benefits the communities in which the travel takes place, explained Jon Bruno, executive director of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), an association comprised of lodge owners, academics, tour operators, travelers, and other professionals associated with ecotourism. When we first created the generally accepted definition, we knew it would grow, but that is the heart. Bruno says ecotourism is one of the fastest growing segments in tourism, and its growth is shaping how people think about and choose LEFT Serra dos rg os National Park in io de Janeiro State, Brazil. www.davidlv.com | 53
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their travel experiences. According to one TIES report, 93 percent of Condé Nast Traveler readers say travel companies should be responsible for protecting the environment. Another 58 percent say their hotel choice is influenced by the support the hotel gives to its local community. In the U.S., visitors seeking naturebased, culture, or adventure travel number more than 10 million, according to TIES. And in another Condé Nast reader’s poll, 47 percent say they are interested in volunteer vacations; 98 percent of those who had volunteered on vacation said they were satisfied with the experience. Here’s a look at how ecotourism plays out in the Silver State and how it encourages relationships with those abroad who share that common bond of wanting to understand and improve natural environments.
Nevada and its curious visitors For the 43 million people who fly into Las Vegas every year, events on the Strip are usually the primary motivator. But we may be surprised at how much visitors desire to tune out the entertainment noise and venture out into nature. More than 10 percent of visitors often opt for a scenic drive or outdoor experience as well, according to visitor profile research from Travel Nevada. “I was last in Las Vegas in October of 2017, a few months ago, and having been outside of the major casino/tourist areas, I was struck by the beauty. I guess I’ve been there 10 times, and each time I walk and enjoy the spectacle, but my mind is always on the beautiful natural landscape, and the experiences I’ve had in the ‘real’ Vegas, Bruno said. Mauricia Baca, executive director for the nonprofit Get Outdoors Nevada, formerly Outside Las Vegas, says that while her group’s primary focus is to get the word out to local children and families about the wonders of Nevada, she loves to see how curious tourists have become about the desert environment. “First of all, I think there’s an intense interest in the Western experience. There’s lot of iconic imagery here and it’s all conveniently located to an airport, she said. At the same time, you have things like Death Valley. A lot of people don’t know that tourism peaks there in the summertime…You have a lot of these visitors, especially from Europe, who are just fascinated by the experience of that intense heat. Southern Nevada, in particular, is also a bird-watcher’s paradise, Baca says. Locally, between the Desert National Wildlife efuge, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Mount Charleston, Great Basin National Park, Pahranagat National Wildlife efuge, among others, bird-watchers gorge on the breadth of avian wildlife available to them. “These visitors often have these lists of species and they want to be able to check them off those lists, Baca said. Adam Bautz, founder of Outdoor Travel Tours in Las Vegas, guides visiting hikers and locals through the Valley of Fire for day-long excursions. Originally from the East Coast, Bautz has been a local travel guide for eight years and Valley of Fire, the state’s largest state park, located about an hour northeast of the city, is his niche. Bautz offers off-trail hiking experiences where travelers can experience intriguing slot canyons, Aztec petroglyphs, and other natural history not seen from trails. The guide also sees his share of international visitors curious about the desert. “I’d say about 98 percent of my tours are booked from outside of the state or country, he adds. I’ve met people from Israel, Germany, Sweden, Pakistan, you name it…These people tend to be looking for memories, not material things.
RIGHT: Outdoor Travel Tours with tourists from Massachusetts in Valley of Fire
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Outside Las Vegas Foundation, WMSCG Clean up at Flamingo Arroyo Trail
Purposeful travel Voluntourism, or travel that involves volunteer work while studying and helping local communities, is another branch of ecotourism. Baca says these efforts are alive and well in Nevada as much as they are in other areas of the world that are dealing with water, environmental, and other crises. Last year, her group organized 79 volunteer events, with a total of more than 6,000 volunteer hours worked. But she’s often surprised how a cleanup effort on a hiking trail in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, for example, can involve hearing several different languages. “Foreigners really want to see our trail systems…We get emails from all over the world about them,” she said. Further, graffiti clean-ups, fish and wildlife tree trimming projects, and even maintaining fences near protected natural springs court their share of volunteering business travelers, too. “We see a lot of…people who come here for corporate events. They reach out as part of their corporate social responsibility and want to give back,” she says. “We also see large groups of volunteers who are part of convention groups that come in looking for places to go…It’s interesting how people do those service trips and challenge themselves…It’s a way to get out and get to know people and places.”
Nature’s raw side, public land John T. Humphrey, a Carson Valley wildlife photographer and tour guide, conducts tours to the eastern edge of the Carson Valley, to an area known as Fish Springs. There, Humphrey’s classroom opens up with the Sierra Nevadas as a backdrop and wild horses of varying colors and builds cautiously welcoming him and his guests. A nature photographer who has logged thousands of hours at Yellowstone National Park, Humphrey is sought by those interested in taking a peek at nature’s truly wild side in northern Nevada and who usually want to capture it through a lens. He teaches visitors how to behave around horses, keep their distance, and even get the animals to position themselves for a shot, even though he admits he’s never been closer than 30 feet from one of the wild horses roaming the Carson Valley. Like Bautz and Baca, Humphrey guides locals, Europeans, Australians,
New Zealanders, Korean tourists, and plenty more. “I get bucket list people. Once we get to a spot where we see them (the horses), some will just lean back against the truck and you can see the tears coming down their face,” he says. Humphrey may be less an advocate for the horses themselves and more one for their home, or the land they roam. He’s also a voice in the area known for telling travelers, locals, and even BLM employees researching the area, to allow nature to run its own course, even if nature appears cruel and unwelcoming to these animals. Currently, there are about 60 horses in the area. Some are threatened by local mountain lions, injuries, and areas where food may be less abundant. Some will make up stories and say there just isn’t enough food. That’s not true,” he says. The number of horses fluctuates between 60 and 80 and you may see a carcass from time to time while looking for a stallion bounding through the wild. “It’s nature’s way. It should stay that way. That’s the raw part of it,” he says. “Some people understand and realize and appreciate this…This needs to happen to keep the numbers down and have enough food and water for all of them.” Brian Beffort, director of the Toiyabe chapter of the Sierra Club, is another advocate for Nevada land, particularly maintaining federal control of monuments and other protected areas. He sees tourist interest in Nevada’s nature as a statement of support and opportunity to educate on critical issues they may not understand. Gold Butte National Monument, for example, is currently under review by the federal government for possible changes that would allow more public and possibly industrial access to it, a potential threat to the monument. “We all own these amazing lands and are ours to go out and explore and I don’t think people want to get rid of that,” he says. Beffort supports any traveler’s decision to get away from the material greatness capitalism offers. It’s necessary to prevent the condition author ichard Louv coined as Nature Deficit Disorder in his book Last Child in the Woods. His theory is that a disconnection from nature encourages a wide range of behavioral problems among children and adults. “I think some people don’t realize that if you don’t think about these things too deeply, you don’t see their significance.
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Patrick Duffy
Client Care Specialist, Art Collector & Philanthropist
By Lynn Wexler
puddle. The two tie together because art provides life’s visuals and culture provides life’s manners.
Patrick Duffy is an aficionado…of life. He grew up in the sixties on Chicago’s tough Southwest Side – the product of a Jewish mother and an Irish Catholic father. He checked into the Betty Ford Clinic, in his twenties, for alcohol addiction (he’s been sober since). He went on to become the CEO - Chief Experience Officer - of several companies, specializing in sales and leadership training in fine jewelry, retail, and hospitality. Duffy, an art enthusiast, has collected over 350 pieces from around the world. He was President of the Las Vegas Art Museum Board (now closed) and sat on the boards of the Smith Center and the Neon Museum. He curated The Odyssey: A Visual Art Experience at the Town Lodge Motel for the Life Is Beautiful Festival. Known as a generous benefactor of nonprofits and social justice causes, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada named Duffy their 2015 Person of the Year. Duffy’s exuberant and gracious demeanor highlights his philosophy that laughter is the grease of life and respect is the great equalizer.
Describe your upbringing in Chicago. I grew up in a rough area — Irish, Italian, Polish etc. My mother was a homemaker and a nurse; Jewish. My father — an Irish Catholic Police Commander who enjoyed his liquor. I was their first-born son. I went to Catholic grammar school during the week and Hebrew school on Sundays. Conversation around the dinner table was interesting to say the least. It wasn’t an easy time. I remember escaping the whole ordeal pretending to be Endora in the TV show Bewitched.
Do you practice a religion today? No formal practice of either Christianity or Judaism – though I enjoy the holidays…and I have a mezuzah on my front door. I choose to practice ‘life’ through the basic tenets of both religions, which is to take care of one another; treat each other with respect and kindness.
You hold equal passion for art and manners. Where does that come from? My first partner of 21 years, Wally Goodman, who passed away. He taught me everything about art, art history, and civilized living; which is all about good manners, understanding, listening, and, at the end of the day, doing the right thing. A genetic pool void of manners turns into a genetic
What do you say to those intimidated by art and art museums? It’s unfortunate that all too often artists, and even gallerists, come off as elite snobs. Globally, the art community has not made love for art a user-friendly experience. They have to realize that there is no monopoly on art appreciation. I think it’s important to view art as enjoyment. Make it about what you like or do not like. What speaks to you. When buying art, what do you want to surround yourself with each day that brings you joy.
You’ve enjoyed a successful personal and professional life. What are the essential values? Be real. Live with authenticity… toward yourself and those around you. Live with passion. Be aware of and embrace your faults; and celebrate, with joie de vivre, your strengths; and be willing to share both with others.
Tell me about your new business venture, The Patrick Duffy Group, Ltd. (PDG). I’m offering, to small and medium size businesses, the curriculum I used — The Meaning of Yes — and successes I achieved with large corporations. The idea is that customers are investments. Our team spends time getting to know a business, their staff and customers, to create individualized solutions and custommade training programs to turn customers into loyal brand ambassadors. It’s a ‘customer first’ approach to offering five-star service. The return on investment is increased sales and revenue. I do this by personally offering my skill-set at reasonable prices. It’s a winning platform. I believe I can be the differentiator that will separate a business’s service and product from the competition.
You’ve overcome and triumphed in your life. What advice do you have for those who struggle with their sense of self? Don’t let the adult outside overwhelm the child within. Don’t define yourself by your baggage. And go about your day respecting everyone. Consideration for others will inevitably pave the path for understanding and acceptance in just about every situation you encounter.
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