Helping Haiti’s children through portraits, music and puppetry

From Clay Paper Scissors Gallery & Studios in Cheyenne (via Wyomingarts blog): 

Clay Paper Scissors has a lot going on this December, and we hope to see you come by at some point this month. We'll be open during Art Design & Dine from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, and also on Dec. 10 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Dec. 17 from 3-5 p.m. We are also open by appointment -- just call 307-631-6039 to set up a time.  

We are featuring a show of portraits by Cheyenne artist Paula Egan-Wright called Children of Haiti. These wistful and winsome portraits are being sold as a fundraiser for the new Kay Lesli school for orphans in Haiti. Clay Paper Scissors is donating part of the commission on every piece sold from this show to the project. Additionally, we will be offering some items by local artists that will make great gifts for yourself or someone on your list! We have bright and useful tote bags, beautiful functional pottery, lovely seasonal cards and jewelry for yourself or that special someone. All these items are by Wyoming artists -- most local here in Cheyenne! Support your local artists for Christmas! 

Paula Egan-Wright is offering a couple of opportunities to have your portrait -- or that of someone you love -- done! Portraits are by donation with proceeds supporting the Kay Lesli school in Haiti. Paula will be available on a first come, first serve basis on Dec. 10 from 11:15-1 p.m. and on Dec. 17 from 3-5 p.m. These portraits make unique gifts for grandparents or a special someone. Bring your children or grandchildren down to sit!  

On Dec. 10, Paula Egan-Wright and students will present a puppet show called "The Magic Orange Tree." This short show is a Haitain folktale that paints a portrait of life in Haiti, all the while touching on several contemporary issues -- superstition, the oppression of children, and the public responsibility for meeting the needs of children. The play features several Caribbean melodies and will be performed with puppets by seven dedicated students. It will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 10 and is open to the public. Donations benefiting the Kay Lesli school for orphans in Haiti will be gratefully accepted. 

On Dec. 17, 3-5 p.m., there will be an artist reception for Children of Haiti. Paula Egan-Wright will be there doing portraits for donations. These quick portraits make wonderful gifts -- anyone can sit, and all donations benefit the Kay Lesli school. In addition, the vocal trio Just Friends will sing a few syncopated melodies from the islands and some Christmas tunes to add to the ambiance. 

Occupy Cheyenne finishes declaration and plans for Dec. 10 "We are the 99%" rally

Occupy Cheyenne finished drafting its declaration today. Much work went into it -- and lots of coffee and homemade goodies. Read it at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1liMX2YbBypA86KKV5utf6DZe9k00Xg3egmIFMz1vDNc/edit. Puts a lie to the MSM's constant whining about the Occupy Movement's fuzzy focus and lack of purpose.

Join your friends and neighbors, union members and teachers, state employees and students, for the "We are the 99%" rally on Saturday, Dec. 10, noon-3 p.m. We'll start in front of the State Capitol Building on 24th Street. We'll talk a bit, hear details about the declaration, and then walk down to the Depot Plaza for a bit of sign-waving and hot chocolate.

If you're looking for some artistic assistance with your sign, drop by the Cheyenne Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomas Ave., before the march, 10 a.m.-11:45 a.m. I'm a good word guy but inept when it comes to drawing. But some local artists will be on hand to help us transform our stories and gripes and insights into pleasing placards.

For more info about the Dec. 10 events or about Occupy Cheyenne, contact Leah Zegan, 307-631-3742, or Forrest King, 307-631-6795. Also visit Occupy Cheyenne on Facebook. Reply to the invitation at http://www.facebook.com/events/263765093672372/

Art Design & Dine in Cheyenne wraps up 2011 with art, food, music and figure drawing

Art Design & Dine for Dec. 8

Out West at the Autry -- "Saving the LGBT Story: Preserving Personal History Collections"

This event is in L.A., located several miles away from Cheyenne. However, it's being organized by Gregory Hinton, who grew up in Cody and is in the midst of a research fellowship at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC) in his hometown. Some of you may remember Hinton from the staged reading of "Beyond Brokeback" that he put together for the April 2011 Shepard Symposium in Laramie.

Here's the event:

The Autry National Center in L.A. presents "Saving the LGBT Story: Preserving Personal History Collections" on Saturday, December 10, 2–3:30 p.m. 

This is a discussion featuring archivists and experts who will provide personal collectors with information about caring for their photographs, documents, and ephemera and raise awareness about institutions that might be appropriate future repositories for their collections. The event is part of the acclaimed program "Out West at the Autry," a series of public events focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history and culture in the West with gallery talks, film screenings, lectures, performances, and other cultural events. 

“Whistling at the past comes with its risks and rewards," said Hinton, producer of Out West at the Autry. "It is our duty to be good stewards of our histories. The Autry Library has shown remarkable vision by including the archives of the International Gay Rodeo Association in its permanent rodeo collection. By doing so, the Autry has recognized the significant contribution of the gay and lesbian Western community to the sport of rodeo, a first for any major Western cultural institution.”

The presenters for the December 10 event are Liza Posas, Autry Archivist and Head Librarian, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; Greg Williams, Vice President, Board of Directors for ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives and Director, Archives and Special Collections, Archives/Special Collections at CSU Dominguez Hills; and Angela Brinskele, Director of Communications for the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives. 

This event is made possible in part by a generous grant from HBO.

Out West at the Autry is a series of public programs that explores the contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community to Western American history by bringing together scholars, authors, artists, politicians, musicians, and others for gallery discussions, performances, and screenings. Conceived by independent curator Gregory Hinton in 2009, Out West at the Autry was inspired by the Autry’s installation of the iconic shirts worn by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the film "Brokeback Mountain," on loan from collector Tom Gregory, as well as the permanent inclusion of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) archives to the Autry library (both facilitated by Hinton).

Mixed-media art exhibit views hospital patients "through the eyes of a chaplain"

From the Wyomingarts blog:


The inaugural exhibit in a new community outreach art program is "Through the Eyes of a Chaplain." It showcases mixed media artwork by Kathleen Jacobson, as associate chaplain at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. 

From the exhibit's brochure, the artist talks about her inspiration:

My paintings are based on interactions I had with patients in 2010 through 2011. They are intriguing stories that weave together patients' medical conditions and spirituality. The narratives range from spiritual awakenings to end-of-life and near-death visions. I purposely left the door open for interpretation by each viewer -- so did not include the stories with the paintings. Every person sees life through the filter of his or her own unique life skills.

The exhibit will be on display in the north hallway of the Medical Center in Cheyenne through February. An artist's reception will be held on Thursday, Dec. 8, 5-8 p.m., in conjunction with Cheyenne's monthly art walk, Art Design and Dine.

"We are the 99%" rally Dec. 10 in Cheyenne

Wyoming Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, arrested by Florida authorities for allegedly beating his disabled son

What can you say about an elected official (anyone, for that matter) who does something like this (as reported in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle):

State Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, faces a felony charge of abusing a disabled adult in Florida following a Nov. 23 arrest.

Nicholas, 54, was arrested in Boca Grande, Fla., while on vacation after allegedly punching and kicking his 19-year-old mentally disabled son, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report.

The document indicates that multiple witnesses outside of a restaurant saw Nicholas hit his son repeatedly with a closed fist, push him onto the sidewalk and then kick him more than five times.

--clip--

Nicholas said his son became disruptive and combative during lunch. He said he was only trying to get his son out of the restaurant, and he described his response as "corporal punishment," according to the sheriff's report.

--clip--

"I accept I will have to explain my actions," he said. "And if I was too strong with my son, I will address that as well."

Nicholas, who lives in Cheyenne, is an attorney and was elected in 2010 to represent House District 8.

He serves on the Legislature's Joint Judiciary Interim Committee. The biography he provided for his last campaign listed that he has served for more than 10 years as a board member on the Caring for Children Foundation and is a Special Olympics coach.

Nicholas' son lives with him in Cheyenne. He has two other adult-age children.

The legislator said he has no intention of resigning his legislative seat.

"I don’t think I committed a crime, so why would I?" he responded when asked.

Read entire story at http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/12/03/news/20local_12-03-11.txt

Occupy Cheyenne General Assembly Dec. 4, 2 p.m.

Occupy Cheyenne General Assembly on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2-5 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne. Planning for Dec. 10 "We are the 99%" rally at the State Capitol. View Map/Get Directions. 

When it comes to downtown revival, we have to start thinking like farmers

An urban planner wants us to think like farmers. Crop yields, stuff like that.

A rural conservation institute with desert roots works to revive our city centers.

A city collaborates with urban and rural entities as it seeks ways to fill a gaping hole in its downtown. 

That's the odd combination of interests that gathered yesterday for "The Dollars and Sense of Downtown Development" at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne. 

Urban planner Joe Minicozzi conducted the PowerPoint presentation. He's V.P. of the Asheville, N.C., Downtown Association. He was introduced by Sheridan's John Heyneman, project manager of the Northern Rockies Region/WY Program of the Sonoran Institute. He, in turn, was introduced by Matt Ashby, planning services director of the City of Cheyenne.

In the audience were downtown business owners, civic activists, government types and interested bystanders such as myself (full disclosure -- I also am a government type who works at the state arts council). My daughter Annie, too, an 18-year-old budding singer/songwriter who finds politics interesting. Not sure if there are other artists in the room, although if would behoove them to attend events such as these. The arts play a huge part in any downtown revival. Just ask Asheville, with its 30-some galleries and public art works and performing arts centers and outdoor street festivals. Go ahead, ask.

Think like a farmer. That's what Asheville's Minicozzi tells us. Think about production per acre. Think about tax policies. 

Do we have to?

Yes we do.

He's studied Cheyenne, and is here with the help of a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office, sister agency to the Wyoming Arts Council. He's looked at the numbers and Cheyenne's coffers would get a much better yield if it was planting businesses downtown instead of on Dell Range.

This appeals to the locavore in me. This appeals to the "shop locally" part in me. It appeals to the artscentric part of me.

The homegrown Laughing Seed Cafe in downtown
Asheville (from The Painted House blog) 

Another thing -- those businesses planted in any city's Central Business District (CBD) tend to be more entrepreneurial and are usually launched by local entities instead of some far-away corporation. 

He has nothing against Wal-Mart, Minicozzi said, but noted that Wal-Mart does one thing very well, and that's "getting money back to Arkansas." You could also say the same about Target (Minnesota) and all the big box stores. 

"They exploit existing tax systems," he said. He shows some funny PowerPoint visuals which illustrate that those systems are not part of our DNA and are not chiseled in stone like the Ten Commandments. Nobody even seems to know how they started. Minicozzi had a chance to talk to the Laramie County tax assessor earlier in the day during some meetings with city and county government leaders. The assessor didn't know the history of tax policy -- not unusual. 

"Development follows the path of least resistance," and that tends to be suburban and exurban development. That's where the open land is and that's where big box stores are built and the big box stores have corporate lawyers and tax experts who know how to take advantage of local policies. The city claims a victory and sees that tax revenues roll in from the big box retailer and then it's time to lure yet another one (Menard's anyone?).

But when crop yields are compared, downtown is a much better investment. But arcane tax policies punish developers who wants to rehab buildings and fill vacant upper stories with living units.  

Minicozzi had a simple message for us: "We can change tax policy."

During the past two decades, Asheville's downtown development plowed ahead despite daunting tax policies and stubborn banks. Asheville traditionally was known for "trains, tourism and tuberculosis." Trains brought tourists to this mountain community. They also brought TB sufferers escaping the vapors of low-country Carolina. TB sanitariums sprang up. The Biltmore Estate was built. Presidents and rich folks and people struggling to breathe all sang Asheville's praises.

Then came the post-war suburbs. An interstate highway ripped through the center of Asheville and "killed downtown." Minicozzi shows us photos of downtown Asheville in the 1970s and 1980s. Vacant buildings. Those that remained were covered by ugly aluminum fronts. Not a pedestrian to be seen.

A few visionaries came to town and used their own money to get things started. They had to use their own money because city leaders and banks kept saying the same thing: "that won't work downtown." A few buildings were rehabbed into small businesses and housing units. A non-profit real estate development group was formed. Classes were held for kids to learn about the history of downtown.

Still, it was an uphill battle. Some young entrepreneurs wanted to open a vegetarian restaurant. Banks told them to go away. Their attitude seemed to be: "This is western North Carolina -- where's the barbecue?" Still, they persevered and opened the Laughing Seed restaurant. It's now a mainstay in Asheville's downtown. Many other restaurants followed. Cafe too, and galleries and living spaces and craft breweries and all the rest. Tax revenue is huge. The numbers are much larger per acre than they are in outlying areas.

Minicozzi urged us to think of precision agriculture. "Why spread fertilizer in the suburbs and grow weeds when you could be doing it in the city and grow tomatoes?" 

Minicozzi had lots of local stats. He's promised to send the presentation via e-mail. I'll share that with you when it arrives. He's done similar research and presentations in Laramie and Sheridan and communities in Montana (Bozeman and Billings) and Colorado (Glenwood Springs).

When "the hole" came up, as it always does at these kinds of events, John Heyneman noted that downtown Bozeman faced a similar situation. A 2009 natural gas explosion flattened four businesses on one city block along Main Street. A young woman was killed. Everyone had different ideas about what to do with the big hole. But now it's being filled. Heyneman said that other cities have faced similar circumstances, and could serve as models for Cheyenne.

Cheyenne residents can get involved in the city's Historic Placemaking effort. For more info, you can talk to urban planner Jan Spires at 307-637-6251. You can also watch for new streetscaping surrounding the Dinneen redevelopment on 17th Street and Lincolnway. You can see details of this $956,000 public-private partnership at Dinneen Downtown.

Architect's rendering of Cheyenne's Dinneen Building looking west in Lincolnway

New craft brewery to open in historic Tivoli Building

Great news for downtown Cheyenne – and for craft beer drinkers like me (from the Cheyenne Convention and Visitor’s Bureau):

Freedom's Edge Brewing Company is scheduled to open as a brew pub in Cheyenne's historic Tivoli Building in the Spring of 2012. The Tivoli Building was built in 1892 and was operated as a saloon (and reportedly a brothel) during the period when Cheyenne was known as the "Paris of the West".

The Tivoli has been completely restored and is ready to once again become one of the finest establishments in Cheyenne.

Here's a link to the Freedom's Edge website: http://www.freedomsedgebrewing.com/index.html

In December, foreclose on banks, not our homes

December Occupy events focus on housing and homelessness. This comes from Occupy Denver

Vote now for Matthew Shepard Foundation in Chase American Giving Awards competition

From the Casper Star-Tribune:

The Matthew Shepard Foundation is one of five nonprofits competing nationally Dec. 1-8 to win grant money from the Chase American Giving Awards. A total of $2 million will be awarded based on participants' voting on Facebook.

The Foundation is the only Wyoming nonprofit and only LGBT organization competing. It reached the final round of competition based on semifinals voting in the fall.

With the winnings, the foundation plans to develop an interactive online program, similar to a video game, that would use expert advice to teach youth how to cope with bullying and harassment, according to a media release.

The nonprofit with the most votes will receive $1 million, with second place winning $500,000, third place $250,000, and two runners-up $125,000.

Voters can visit www.VoteMatthewShepard.org to cast their ballot.

ADHD workshop Dec. 2 at Laramie County Library

Peak Wellness Center presents a free Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) workshop from noon-1 p.m. on Friday. Dec. 2, in the Cottonwood Room of the Laramie County Public Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave., Cheyenne.

Presentation will be conducted by Dr. Marta A. Pieczalska, board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist at Peak.

Light refreshments provided. Fee free to bring your own lunch.

FMI: 307-634-3561.

Julene Bair in New York Times: Biggest threat to Ogallala Aquifer is corn farming, not XL pipeline

Julene Bair

Essayist Julene Bair moved away from southeast Wyoming a few years back. We still miss you, Julene!

Her words resonate, no matter where she plants herself. She grew up a farmer’s daughter in Kansas. She’s spent most of her writing life exploring that legacy, most notably in “One Degree West: Confessions of a Plainsdaughter,” which won the Willa Award from Women Writing the West. She’s won creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Arts Council.

Julene, now living in Longmont, Colo., penned an essay for yesterday’s New York Times. The topic is a timely one – the Keystone XL pipeline. Opponents contended that any leak from the pipeline would permanently contaminate the land and water in the sensitive Nebraska Sand Hills. The Ogallala Aquifer rests beneath the sand hills and 174,000 square miles of crop and range land from South Dakota to Texas. Problem is, chemicals used for corn growing have already polluted the aquifer. In the essay, “Running Dry on the Great Plains,” Julene makes a plea for a saner dry-land farming policy:

Why haven’t viable environmental groups formed to protect the Ogallala? Because corn contributes so much to the economy that its reign is seldom questioned. Federal subsidy payments to corn growers and the federal mandate to produce ethanol underwrite the waste and pollution.

These subsidies should end. When the farm bill comes up for reauthorization next year, Congress should instead pay farmers to reduce their dependence on irrigation and chemicals. The eastern Nebraska climate is moist enough to grow corn without irrigation. That is how the University of Nebraska football team came to be the Cornhuskers. And the more arid High Plains to the west are known as the nation’s breadbasket because wheat, a drought-tolerant crop, thrives there.

Read the rest at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/01/opinion/polluting-the-ogallala-aquifer.html

Julene’s bog: www.julenebair.com or find her work on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julene-Bair-Author-Essays-Memoirs/309113472445879

Asheville's Joe Minicozzi speaks about downtown revival Dec. 1 in Cheyenne

Asheville, N.C., complete with downtown, sunset and mountains (Cheyenne has those, too).

You may only know Asheville, N.C., as the fictional Southern Gothic town of Altamont, Catawba, in Thomas Wolfe's famous novel "Look Homeward, Angel." That's how I met Asheville, as a young college student in the South reading my way through all of Wolfe's books. Interesting to note that the city's "favorite son" was not such a favorite after his thinly-veiled portrayal of some 200 Asheville residents in the 1929 novel. The hubbub caused Wolfe to stay away from his hometown for almost eight years.
 
These days, Thomas Wolfe's neighborhood and his mom's boarding house and his father's stone-carving workshop all are on the city's walking tour. But that's not the city's only claim to fame. It's been called one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by all of those magazines that track such things. Modern Maturity calls it one of “The 50 Most Alive Places To Be” while Rolling Stone names it the “New Freak Capital of the U.S.” Recently, the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins announced that Asheville is one of its top choices for expansion. This means that Asheville must be another one of those “bikes, (snow) boards and beers” destinations like Fort Collins, Burlington, VT, Flagstaff and Bend, OR. It is one of those “best outside towns” according to Outside Magazine.

One of the city’s many claims to fame is its thriving downtown. Most of its historic buildings did not fall to the wrecking ball during America’s urban renewal craze. They now are inhabited by small businesses, including some 30 art galleries and a slew of cafes and restaurants. This town of 83,000, only a bit larger than Cheyenne, keeps its downtown alive with a variety of performing arts events.

How do they do it? Glad you asked. On Thursday, Dec. 1, Joe Minicozzi will explain it all for you. He’s the executive director of the Asheville Downtown Association. You’re invited to hear him speak from 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Cottonwood Room of the Laramie County Public Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. His topic will focus on the return that taxpayers receive for investing in downtown. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), City of Cheyenne and the Sonoran Institute brought Minicozzi to Cheyenne to analyze downtown’s property tax benefits.

My first question might be: what are the property tax benefits of a giant hole in your downtown?

In case you’re wondering, Thomas Wolfe did spend some time in Wyoming. In June and July 1938, Wolfe and Edward Miller, Sunday editor for the Portland Oregonian, trekked by car to 11 national parks. Yellowstone was one of them. The journal of Wolfe’s experiences were discovered with his belongings after he died in September 1938 of complications from tuberculosis and the flu. They were published by the University of Pittsburgh Press as “A Western Journey: a daily log of a great parks trip, June 20-July 2, 1938.” The Virginia Quarterly Review featured an article about Wolfe’s journey in its August 2009 issue. Here’s a sampling:

The text of “A Western Journey” is full of astute descriptions of dramatic western scenery—“the bay-bright gold of wooded big barks,” “a valley plain, flat as a floor and green as heaven and fertile and more ripe than the Promised Land,” “vast, pale, lemon-mystic plain,”—but the people of the American West fascinated Wolfe as much as the scenery. He describes women feeding deer outside the hotel, the Indian children begging for pennies, the diverse spectators at Old Faithful, the motorists who stop along the road to play with the bears, “a quaint old gal named Florence who imitates bird calls,” the man who pulls his son back from a geyser (“Don’t lean over that, I’ll have a parboiled boy”). Wolfe’s deep interest in people was also apparent to Miller, who later commented, “What stood out to me was the enormous kindliness of the man, his intense sympathy for the average, untalented, decent person."

Thomas Wolfe admiring "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone National Park, June 1938. (Thomas Wolfe Collection, Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville, NC.

Wolfe is long gone. His books remain vital along with landmarks of his life in Asheville. Not sure what lessons Cheyenne can take from Asheville, but I’m going to be there Thursday to hear about the possibilities.

Obama re-election poster: Need four more years to fix Bush mistakes

Dem Chair Chuck Herz comments on "ideologically extreme" and "politically rigid" Sen. John Barrasso

We don't need what this doctor is prescribing

Wyoming Democratic Party Chairman Chuck Herz was quoted in a Nov. 25 article about Right-wing Republican Wonder Boy (and Fox favorite) Dr./Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming:

Chuck Herz, chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party, said Barrasso is ideologically "extreme," politically rigid and unscrupulous in what he says on political issues.

"He represents a political culture that I believe is very destructive in America right now, and destructive in Wyoming as well, and is just plain wrong," Herz said Friday. "I believe what he represents is doing great evil in the country. Hurting people.”

Way to go, Chuck. You may also recall that Dr./Sen. Barrasso was one of the speakers at the Koch Bros.-sponsored Tea Party Express rally in Cheyenne earlier this year. Rigid and extreme, indeed.

Read the article at http://www.necn.com/11/25/11/Wyoming-senator-gains-political-stature-/landing_health.html?&apID=f0ad322618f3458fa1d0b1ad38b765c2

Pete Gosar is featured speaker at tonight's meeting of Platte County Dems in Wheatland

Terry R. Jones, Chairman of the Platte County Democrats, sends this: Platte County Democrats will meet Monday, November 28, at the First State Bank Conference Center at 7 p.m. Pete Gosar ran for Governor in 2010 and will be the featured speaker. Chris Kanwischer, Platte County Clerk, is tracking the redistricting effort and will provide insight on this important issue.Please plan to attend and bring your friends. It will be informative and fun. 

Occupy Cheyenne activists interviewed during OWS cross-country odyssey

Occupy Wyoming!

Arun Gupta and Michelle Fawcett blew into Cheyenne today to interview some of us involved with Occupy Cheyenne.

We kidded them about the wind. Nary a breeze today but they should have been here last night or maybe last week. Those were real wide-open-spaces windy Wyoming days and nights! Wind sculpts us and we speak of it often.

A mighty wind is blowing (to borrow a movie phrase) and it's called the Occupy Movement or more specifically OWS. Arun and Michelle are traveling the U.S. talking to those involved in local Occupy entities. They were in Denver and Boulder yesterday. Albuquerque and Santa Fe before that. Later this afternoon is Laramie, and then on to the Wasatch Front and Boise. They will be on the West Coast by the weekend.

Arun is an indie media reporter based in New York City. He traces his activist roots to The Battle in Seattle, the now-famous anti-globalization protests that rocked Seattle for three days in 1999. He covers social movements for The Indypendent, an actual "physical newspaper" in NYC. It has a web site but hits the street regularly just like in olden times when we all read print. He covered the first three weeks at Occupy Wall Street and considers it "an historic event."

Michelle runs the camera and audio. She's a media professional and teaches as an adjunct prof at NYU. She organized NYC's first citywide indie media conference.

From edenpictures on Fliker via occupyusatoday.com

Eight OC people were able to get off of work and school and other obligations today to meet with Arun and Michelle. We range in age from 25 to 62 and no, I wasn't the oldest one. I only knew one of the people in the room before OC. Nobody but me professed an affiliation with the Democratic Party. An independent-minded group (Independent, too). I have no real desire to recruit for the Dems, as this alleged member of the two-party system is ineffectual in Wyoming. It wasn't always to case, but it is now.

Arun asked about our motives for being involved with OC. We each have our own particular reasons. All of us are angry at the rampant inequality caused by the unholy alliance of our political and financial systems. The fix is in, and we're none too happy about it and want to change it.

You can find out more about Occupy Cheyenne on its Facebook page.

Arun and Michelle will be posting audios, videos and written narratives in The Indypendent and on Salon, The Progressive, In These Times, and The Guardian.

Read the chronicles of their journey at occupyusatoday.com.

This year, Homeless Persons' Memorial Day affects more of us than ever

'Tis the season when the MSM begins paying attention to "the homeless issue." It has something to do with the holidays, a time when all of us are supposed to be at our warm hearths breaking bread with family and friends. Millions of Americans no longer have warm hearths, no hearths of any kind. Meanwhile, a small percentage (shall we say the 1%) have huge hearths courtesy of taxpayer-funded bailouts and secret loans (see breaking news from Bloomberg News). While the big-hearth boys have the law of their sides, the same cannot be said for the no-hearth folks. French writer Anatole France once made this comment about the law and the homeless:

"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich and the poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread" (from Le Lys Rouge).

Alas, the homeless have always (and will always) be with us.

Last night's CBS “60 Minutes” had a story on Central Florida families living in their vehicles. On most Orlando nights, you can get away with sleeping in your car and not having to use all of your gas on powering the heater. That’s not true in Wyoming.

Most homeless don’t have the benefit of a car. They sleep under bridges and in parks. Sunday's Denver Post had an article about an increasing number of people sleeping out each night on the downtown 16th Street Mall. They bed down under the metal bison sculptures or stretch out under benches. Outreach workers last summer regularly counted more than 100 people per night bunking down at the mall. While a city effort to end homelessness in Denver called Operation Road Home has had some success, the problem continues to grow while federal and state funding continues to shrink.

Some cities accuse Occupy movements of being nothing but homeless encampments, and have used that as an excuse to evict occupiers (the law's "majestic equality" mentioned by France). The Nov. 1 New York Magazine talked about the uneasy alliance between Occupy protests and the homeless, some of whom are more interested in food and shelter than in political statements.

Foreclosures and evictions by big banks have forced thousands of people out of their homes. Drug addiction, alcoholism and mental illness also are a part in the problem. That said, there’s no excuse for people freezing to death out on our streets. Awareness is crucial. More needs to be done. To that end, the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless sponsors Homeless Memorial Day every year. Here are the details:

Homeless Memorial Day will take place this year on December 21 at noon in front of the State Capitol Building. Recognition of those who died homeless on the streets of Cheyenne will take place with the tolling of a bell by Rev. Rick Veit, St. Marks Episcopal Church. Other speakers will include Virginia Sellner, Director, Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, Richard McCullough, Crossroads Clinic/Community Action Homeless Outreach Program, Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman, Mt. Sinai Synagogue. Music will include Christmas Carols and Hanukkah songs. The Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless has sponsored this event in Cheyenne since it beginning in 1990. This is the 22nd Homeless Memorial Day event for Cheyenne and the rest of the country. In the 1980s a small group of cities remembered those who died on the streets but the events were not organized. In 1990 the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council organized the event and began holding memorials on December 21st each year -- the longest day of the year and frequently the coldest day of the year in many communities. A small number of cities participated in the 1990 event and it has grown each year since then. In 2010 there were 141 cities participating and approximately 1,900 homeless individuals remembered.

Shop locally at Dec. 3 Cheyenne Winter Market

The next Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market is on Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Vendor businesses are locally owned and operated -- "local" meaning within 150 miles of Cheyenne. Last year at the December market, I bought a handmade scarf and hat set for my wife by an artrepreneur in Chugwater (she raises her own llamas). I bought several ornaments from a Cheyenne glass artist. And baked goods galore. Some fine tamales. How did I pay for this? With the fruits of my hard-working Liberal nature, of course. And my handy credit union credit card. I moved my money long ago. You should too.

Local Harvest describes it this way:

This is a fun indoor market with great energy and super vendors. Fair-Trade Coffee, Goat Cheese, Handmade Chocolates, Cinnamon rolls, chowders, locally raised Mushrooms, Gourmet Pastas, Black Forest Ham, beef, bison, lamb, chicken, turkey, chicken eggs, take out Bar-B-Que, artisan breads, cookies, cakes, and much more. This market is 85% food vendors with the balance of crafts or body care products.

FMI: http://www.localharvest.org/cheyenne-winter-farmers-market-M40878

Pre-order now: "Easy to Love but Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories"

Received my copies of this new book today. It features one of my essays, "The Great Third Grade AIDS Scare." Thanks for Kay and Adrienne for putting together a great volume. Foreword by the legendary ADHD researcher and author Dr. Edward Hallowell.  Pre-order at DRT Press. 

"The Black Hills Are Not For Sale" mural goes up in L.A.

From Native American Netroots: On Saturday, Nov. 26, beginning at 1 p.m., there is an important event will take place at the intersection of Melrose and Fairfax in West Los Angeles. Harper's Magazine Contributing Editor and National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey, and prolific street artist of the Obama HOPE campaign image, Shepard Fairey, have collaborated and will produce a 20x80-foot mural THE BLACK HILLS ARE NOT FOR SALE installation before your eyes. It goes up during Native American Heritage Month. In case you didn't know: Part of the Black Hills are in Wyoming. That section has already been sold. (Artist's rendering above from nativeamericannetroots)

Laramie County Democrats meet Nov. 28 at Cheyenne IBEW Hall

The Laramie County Democratic Party will be holding its monthly meeting with the Democratic Grassroots Coalition on Monday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) hall. According to Pres. Linda Stowers, the agenda will be committee updates and a discussion of "Why we are Thankful to be a Democrat." FMI: http://www.laramiecountydemocrats.org 

LCCC's Mental Health Awareness Week helps to stem Wyoming's shocking youth suicide rate

Heartwarming holiday statistics from the Wyoming Behavioral Health Division (formerly the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division):  

• Suicide ranks as the 2nd leading cause of death for Wyoming’s adolescents and young adults.
• One of every six high school students reported they had attempted suicide.
• More Wyoming teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, and other medical illnesses combined.

On the local level, Laramie County Community College Counseling and Campus Wellness Center announces that Mental Health Wellness Awareness Week runs from Nov. 28-Dec. 2.


Come by the Mental Health Awareness table in Student Lounge in the College Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Suicide Awareness & Prevention session will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 3-5 p.m. in Room 179 of the College Community Center. Free, but RSVP required. The purpose of this training is to promote help seeking behaviors and reduce the stigma of seeking help. Learn to identify warning signs of suicide, risks, and protective factors. Learn skills to help yourself, a friend, family member, or another student.

FMI: http://www.lccc.wy.edu/life/wellness

Get your art history on through Pepper Spray Cop art

This take on "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugene Delacroix has the notable addition of UC Davis's now-infamous Pepper Spray Cop. It's by Brady Hill on Tumblr. More in the Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/pepper-spray-cop-works-his-way-through-art-history/2011/11/21/gIQA4XBmhN_blog.html

Back-sliding on FDR's "Four Freedoms"

This Norman Rockwell poster is based on the “Four Freedoms” addressed by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in a January 1941 speech. The following January, the U.S. would be at war and these freedoms would be at risk abroad and at home. They are:

1.      Freedom of speech and expression

2.      Freedom of worship

3.      Freedom from want

4.      Freedom from fear

They are all worth revisiting 70 years later. We seem to be back-sliding on these basic freedoms. At home and abroad.

Lifted the poster from Kaili Joy Gray's post today on Daily Kos. Thanks, Kaili. 

Join Occupy Cheyenne as it creates its declaration

http://www.facebook.com/events/220563101350368/

LCCC Board Chair Brenda Lyttle speaks to Democratic Grassroots Coalition Dec. 3

This invitation comes from Linda Stowers, head of the Laramie County Democrats:

You are invited to lunch on Saturday, December 3, at 11:30 a.m. at the 
Historic Plains Hotel 1600 Central Ave. Cost is $16.50 per person. Speaker 
will be Brenda Lyttle, Laramie County Community College Board Chair. Please RSVP to Louise at 307-635-1592 by 
November 28. The luncheon is sponsored by the Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition.

Felicia Follum wants to introduce you to Works of Wyoming (WOW)

Felicia Follum, Works of Wyoming

Wherever you may be in your arts career, sound marketing advice is crucial. Artrepreneurs in Wyoming may want to get to know Works of Wyoming in Laramie. Drop in and see the WOW Gallery and gift shop during the holiday season. It's located on the second floor of the Laramie Plains Civic Center, which has become action central for the local arts scene. 

Fellow artists, family and friends. I would like to introduce you to Works of Wyoming. I am currently the AmeriCorps intern working primarily on social media marketing as well as working in the gallery space and gift shop. (Last year I worked as the Graphic Design Intern for WOW and the WWBC. You can see my blog for that here.)

As the social media marketing person (I would love to say coordinator, though I do not officially have a title) I have been posting some marketing tips on the WOW blog. My current goal is to post every week on either Tuesday or Thursday and sometimes both. In addition to weekly social media marketing tips, there are basic professional development tips for artists, some fun projects and of course announcements for our workshops and shows. 

It would make my day if you would check out the blog and share it with your friends, especially artists and small business owners who could benefit from our services.  In addition to sharing the blog with people, I would also love to have more examples to post. If you would like to have your social media site, plans, or strategies in the blog, please comment below or contact me on the WOW Facebook page. If you would like to contact me through WOW feel free. Phone number is 307.742.6574 and the email address is wow@uwyo.edu. 

If you are not from Wyoming and would like help with your social media comment below for more info. If you are from WY and not a part of WOW, you should look into becoming a member. 

Contact WOW: WOW Blog or WOW Facebook or 307.742.6574 

Personal: Art Facebook Page (I don't add people I don't know in real life to my personal page, so be sure to go to FeliciaFollumDesign not FeliciaFollum. Thanks!)

 Cross posted in a slightly different form on the Wyomingarts blog.

Support your local artrepreneurs on Small Business Saturday

Support your local businesses, crafters and artrepreneurs. Go to Re-Occupy Main Street

Morris House Bistro sells great gumbo for good causes on Nov. 26

The Morris House Bistro in Cheyenne is conducting the “Gumbo for Gifts” fund-raiser for two good causes on Saturday, Nov. 26, beginning at 4 p.m. You will note that this is also the date of the annual downtown Christmas parade. For $10, you can get a bowl of homemade gumbo (before, during or after the parade). Vino’s is donating beverages (alcoholic and non) for the event. Proceeds will go to buy gifts for children in need and food for the hungry through Needs, Inc., and the Friday Food Bag Foundation.

FMI: 307-369-1378 or morrishousebistro@gmail.com.

In case you’ve never eaten at the Morris House Bistro, you’re in for a treat. This homegrown Cheyenne restaurant features real Carolina low-country cuisine and it made right on the spot. Never had the gumbo but it’s bound to be superb.

Occupy Cheyenne 11/21 General Assembly: Cold toes, warm hearts

Cool hand-crafted signs from Oct. 15 Occupy Cheyenne

I attended the second General Assembly for Occupy Cheyenne last night. We met outside in the parking lot of a city park. Temp hovered around freezing but thankfully the wind was not blowing. By the light of of city lamps and T's flashlight, we spoke about next steps. The next march will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10, noon-3 p.m. We'll assemble at the Wyoming State Capitol Building (we'll get a state permit!). There will be speakers and then we will follow the sidewalks down to Depot Plaza. There we will wave signs, shout catchy slogans and urge passing holiday shoppers to consider their roles in the 99%.

Those at last night's GA were of many ages and backgrounds. College students, state workers, a retired Air Force pilot, an economist, a welder, a graphic designer, an attorney, a social worker, an unemployed young person, etc. We were all out there in the cold to plan future events and to craft our message. Everyone seems to want a focused message from the Occupy Movement. At least that's what TV talking heads seem to want. Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich wants us to take baths (baths? -- he must be living in one of his historical novels). Not sure what Newt's obsession with cleanliness is -- probably a metaphor for his need to cleanse his filthy soul.

To craft that message, we are meeting at noon on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the UU Church. We'll be working from the document drafted by Occupy DC. Needs to be Wyo-customized, as we have many issues within our state that need to be addressed. At the same time, we'll be customizing a Powerpoint presentation that was made during the recent teach-ins at the library and the UU Church. I joke about having a coherent message (see above). However, it is important. One of the first questions we all get is something along these lines: "What is Occupy (or the 99%) anyway?" A very good questions, and we hope to bring some clarity to that on Saturday.

More info will be forthcoming. Join is for the next Occupy Cheyenne march on Dec. 10. The Wyoming AFL/CIO has agreed to take part. We especially urge teachers to attend, as they no doubt will be under attack again in the upcoming legislature. Bring your signs. Bring your friends. I am inviting my fellow workers, whether they be part of the Wyoming Public Employees Association or not. I am inviting all of my fellow writers. Come on down! And shop locally while you're downtown.

In the meantime, go to the Occupy Cheyenne Facebook page and join in the conversation.

Dottie Lamm in The Denver Post: "Other faces in the crowd" at Occupy Denver are a bit older

Former Colorado First Lady and Denver Post columnist Dottie Lamm (on right,
with notebook) interviews one of our fellow "oldies" at Occupy Denver Oct. 8

I missed this column by Dottie Lamm when it first appeared in The Denver Post on Oct. 23. Lamm, Colorado's former First Lady (remember Dick "Gov. Gloom" Lamm?), attended the same Oct. 8 Occupy Denver protest that drew my wife Chris and I. She and her friends ("oldies") were concerned that they hadn't been seeing others of their age cohort at Occupy rallies. Dottie found Chris and I on the Colorado State Capitol steps and interviewed us for her Oct. 23 piece. Read the story at http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19159646

Thanks for the cordial invitation, Pikes Peak Writers Conference

One of my Cheyenne critique group colleagues, Liz Roadifer, received this e-letter from the Pikes Peak Writers organization. Liz has been involved with this group for awhile and says they put on a great conference each spring. I may attend in 2012 for the first time. Some fine writers on the PPWC presenters' list, including Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale and Robert "Elvis Cole" Crais. 

The link below takes you to a user-friendly web site.

This is such a simple and appealing invitation. Maybe other regional writing groups could take a page from PPWC: 

Dear Elizabeth,

You're cordially invited to the 20th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference, which will be held April 19-22, 2012, at the Colorado Springs Marriott.

Come help us celebrate 20 years of success with four jam-packed days of informative workshops, motivational speeches, networking opportunities, Read & Critique sessions, and the chance to pitch your manuscript to some of the most sought-after editors and agents in the business.

Some of this year's featured speakers* are:

Robert Crais
Jeffery Deaver
Susan Wiggs
Joe R. Lansdale
Donald Maass
...and more!

*Faculty roster subject to change without notice.

Find out why PPWC is known as one of the friendliest and best- organized writers conferences. 

Registration is now open

Questions? Contact registrar@pikepikespeakwriters.com

"Dr. Dirt" makes art by cleaning shapes into filthy urban surfaces

From Grist: Street artist Moose Benjamin Curtis doesn't use spray paint or wallpaper paste -- the usual tools of this trade. Instead, he wields scrub brushes, old socks, cleaning fluid, and, when he's living large, a high-pressure hose. He creates images by cleaning shapes into filthy urban surfaces such as retaining walls, signs, and tunnels. People have called it "reverse graffiti," "clean graffiti," and "negative space." Moose prefers "grime writing." He has called himself "a professor of dirt." For more: http://www.grist.org/cities/2011-11-04-dr.-dirt-street-artist-scrubs-images-into-the-urban-landscape

Moose's work at the Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco in 2009

Ol' Blue Eyes says (sings) it all about "New York, New York" in 2011

Chemical weapons used on peaceful UC Davis protesters

The wars come home: UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike uses pepper spray to move Occupy UC Davis protesters who were blocking officers' attempts to remove arrested protesters from the Quad on Friday afternoon. FMI: http://www.davisenterprise.com/... Photo credit: Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

GA for Occupy Cheyenne Nov. 21 in Mylar Park

I can walk to this one... I'll bring a traveler of coffee to share.

Creativity is Occupy Movement's middle name

I didn't see "Cheyenne" or "Wyoming" flash on this building but maybe next time...

Here's what this is all about:

One of the most impressive moments of yesterday's Occupy Wall Street marches, was when someone projected a giant 99% "bat signal" on the side of one of lower Manhattan's skyscrapers as thousands of people swarmed across the nearby Brooklyn Bridge. New Yorkers know the Verizon Building as the windowless, concrete eyesore that looms over the bridge and mars the downtown skyline, so seeing it used is such a way certainly got a lot of attention. 

But who did it? And how were they able to project the stories-high words on the building just as the protesters made their way over the span? Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin spoke to Mark Read, one of the Occupy Wall Street organizer who pulled together a team of friends and artists that arranged for the projection to happen. 

Read says he got help from two video projection artists, Max Nova and JR Skola, who used a 12,000 lumen projector and programmed the software needed to properly program the message. He also found an apartment in a nearby housing project from where they safely angle the projection on to the building. He says he offered to rent the apartment from a single mother of three, but when she found out what they wanted to use it for — and saw what happened during the eviction of Zuccotti Park — she refused to take their money.

Music by Hans Zimmer, To Know My Enemy. 

Some of this is new to me. There is now a category known as "video projection artists?" And a 12,000-lumen projector? It must be huge.