Fri, May 18, 2007
May 18-20, 2007
GREAT PLAINS ART MUSEUM, MAY 17-19
UNL Hosts National Conference on Homesteading
What were the ecological impacts of homesteading on the natural environment? How did the 1872 Dominion Lands Act contribute to the development of Indian farming on the Canadian Prairies? What were the disastrous effects of the 1862 Homestead Act on the Omaha Tribe? Why did the media promote women as homesteaders?
These questions and more will be discussed May 17-19 at "Homesteading Reconsidered," the 33rd interdisciplinary symposium sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Great Plains Studies. The focus of the symposium will be the Homestead Act of 1862 in the United States and the Dominion Lands Act of 1872 in Canada, which fundamentally shaped the pattern of non-Indian settlement on the Great Plains. more...
1,000,000 TREES IN 10 YEARS
ReTree Nebraska Proposes a Million Tree Challenge
One decade, 1 million trees - that is the goal of ReTree Nebraska. The 10-year cooperative initiative will raise public awareness of the value of trees, reverse the decline of Nebraska's community tree resources and improve the diversity and sustainability of trees in communities across the state for generations to come, said Scott Josiah, state forester and director of the Nebraska Forest Service at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Assessments of more than 200 community tree inventories conducted by the Nebraska Forest Service since 1977 show the state has lost nearly half its community forest resources since the late 1970s. more...
RETREE NEBRASKA
MARY RIEPMA ROSS MEDIA ARTS CENTER
Avenue Montaigne, Plagues And Pleasures On The Salton Sea Play at the Ross
UNL's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center presents Avenue Montaigne and Plagues And Pleasures On The Salton Sea. Both films will play through May 24.
The charming Cecile de France sizzles as a waitress with a dream in the French romantic comedy Avenue Montaigne. Directed by Daniele Thompson (JET LAG) and written by Thompson and her son, Christopher (who also plays a major role in the film), Avenue Montaigne takes place on the fashionable Paris street from which the film takes its name. In the middle of it all is wide-eyed Jessica, who has an innocent love of life that captures the heart of just about everyone she comes into contact with. Reminiscent of such fine French films as Look At Me and Va Savoir, Avenue Montaigne features unique, interesting characters, excellent acting, and a lot of fun and fascinating talk about art, music, theater, food, and other cultural
Once known as the "California Riviera," the Salton Sea is now called one of America's worst ecological disasters: a fetid, stagnant, salty lake, coughing up dead fish and birds by the thousands. Yet a few hardy eccentrics hang on to hope, including a roadside nudist waving at passing European tourists, a man building a religious mountain out of mud and paint, beer-loving Hungarian Revolutionary Hunky Daddy, and the real-estate "Ronald McDonald" known simply as The Landman. Through their perceptions and misperceptions, the strange history and unexpected beauty of the Salton Sea is revealed. While PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA covers the historical, economic, political, and environmental issues that face the Sea, it more importantly offers up an offbeat portrait of the eccentric and individualistic people who populate its shores. It is an epic western tale of fantastic real estate ventures and failed boomtowns, inner-city gangs fleeing to white small town America, and the subjective notion of success and failure amidst the ruins of the past.
More information is available at the Ross website.
