Zen Cowboy Chuck Pyle performs March 3 at Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet in Cheyenne

Chuck Pyle, Colorado's "Zen Cowboy," will provide the music and humor at the Wyoming Democratic Party's Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet March 3:

Chuck Pyle has won high praise from both fans and peers alike throughout an inspired performance career of over 40 years. When reviewers first gave him the "Zen Cowboy" moniker, he decided to, as he says, "Always ride the horse in the direction it's going," and took the nickname to heart, shaving his head and blending his upbeat perspective with old-fashioned horse sense. He mixes infectiously hummable melodies with straight-from-the-saddle poetry, quoting bumper stickers, proverbs, world leaders and old cowboys.  

An accomplished songwriter, Chuck's songs have been recorded by John Denver, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Suzy Bogguss. Country fans know him best for writing, "Cadillac Cowboy", recorded by the late Chris LeDoux, and "Jaded Lover," recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker. 

Clip from Chuck’s song about Wyoming, “Wide Open:” http://www.chuckpyle.com/audio/the_spaces_in_between/wide_open.mp3

New Wyoming varieties of spring flowers

Something to look forward to, here in Wyoming. More info here. 

Who increased the debt?

DNC Chair: "Mitt Romney's campaign is cratering"

From a Wyoming Democratic Party press release:

Tonight, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the results of the Republican primary in South Carolina: 

“If tonight proved one thing, it's that the central rationale of Mitt Romney’s campaign is cratering.  He came into South Carolina  with a 20 point lead -- a state where jobs and the economy is the number one issue -- and the candidate who hung his entire candidacy on these issues, Mitt Romney, saw his support collapse.

“Why?  Because Mitt Romney's been exposed as being out of touch with the middle class, and voters are seeing that he lives by another set of rules. He’s refused to level with voters, and now he’s in trouble.  Anyone who goes into a state with a significant double digit lead yet ends up losing that support in a week, is someone who is failing to connect.

“Voters in South Carolina saw that Mitt Romney has no core values, and that he will say anything to get elected.  He’s been exposed as having plans and policies that would keep his taxes low, and make them even lower, while doing nothing for the middle class.  The people of South Carolina also began to see what Romney’s brand of free enterprise really is: destroying companies and jobs to enrich himself while working families suffer.  Tonight, they rejected it.  At the end of the day, voters want someone they can trust, who shares their vision and who understands their plight.  And they are finding that Mitt Romney is not that person.

“Regardless of who becomes the Republican nominee, all of the candidates in the race support the failed policies of the past that drove us to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  That’s not what the American people want, and that’s why they know that the clear choice in this election is President Obama.”  

Okie from Muskogee will perform at Cheyenne Frontier Days

Here's some good news -- and get-well-soon wishes from fans in Cheyenne (from the Casper Star-Tribune):

Country music legend Merle Haggard plans to play Cheyenne Frontier Days this summer. 

Event organizers said Haggard would play July 22 with Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band, of Wyoming, as the opening act. 

It will be the second time Haggard has played at Frontier Days. The first was in 1979. 

Tickets go on sale on Friday. 

Frontier Days runs from July 20-29. Other performers who are set to appear include Hank Williams Jr., Reba McEntire and the Zac Brown Band. 

On Wednesday, Haggard's publicist announced the singer is being treated for pneumonia in a Georgia hospital and has had to cancel the rest of his January concert dates. 

Read more: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/merle-haggard-to-perform-at-cheyenne-frontier-days/article_b58cfbf2-6373-57e5-9a80-

New UW speaker series honors contributions of Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd

Sen. Liz Byrd looks on as Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan signs law authorizing Martin Luther King, Jr./WY Equality Day at a 1990 ceremony in the State Capitol.

On Monday, we commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday with events around the country. The one held in Cheyenne featured a march by several hundred people from Depot Plaza to the State Capitol. Leading the parade were African-American leaders accompanied by Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead and his wife Carol, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill, State Auditor Cynthia Cloud, and Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen.

Love & Charity Club organized the day’s events. The club’s Rita Watson was emcee. She introduced the state’s elected officials who made non-memorable speeches. They are all Republicans. On a daily basis, their policies seek to undo gains in social justice made by Dr. King and others in the Civil Rights movement. Inside the Capitol, Republican legislators were celebrating MLK/Equality Day by drafting legislation to roll back pensions of state workers, curtail social programs, destroy public education, and gerrymander voting districts to dilute the state’s minority vote which tends to be urban and Democratic. “Urban” you say? Wyoming is rural! “Minority” you say? Wyoming is white!

Take a look at the current redistricting maps and tell me why they look so funny. Why are the votes of city dwellers being watered down by the votes of dispersed rural populations. Cities tend to be more moderate and even liberal. There does seem to be an exception, and that’s Casper. What’s the matter with Casper? But overall, this holds true. Show me a Democrat in the state legislature who isn’t from a city or the Wind River Reservation and I’ll eat my hat.

Martin Luther King, Jr./WY Equality Day march in Cheyenne.

On Monday, Rita Watson mentioned the contributions of Harriet Elizabeth “Liz” Byrd, former state senator who was ill and couldn’t attend the festivities. Liz Byrd worked for almost a decade to pass legislation for a Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Seems odd that it would take a decade for The Equality State to honor a champion of equality such as Dr. King. In the end, the legislature named the holiday “Martin Luther King, Jr./Wyoming Equality Day. We have a hyphenated holiday. But we do have a holiday for Dr. King, just like the rest of the states.

Liz Byrd has deeper Wyoming roots than most of us. She went away to college and returned to find that teaching jobs with the Laramie County School District were closed to blacks. So she taught the children at F.E. Warren AFB. Remember that Republican Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower oversaw the end of segregation in the armed forces (and its schools). Sen. Byrd could enter the gates of our local military base and find a job. Not acceptance from everyone, but her value as a human being and a teacher were duly noted by the U.S. Government.

It’s gratifying to see that Sen. Byrd’s contributions are being celebrated by the University of Wyoming this week. UW’s African American and Diaspora Studies office has created the Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd Speaker Series.

Here’s info from a UW press release:

To recognize her many contributions to Wyoming, both as an educator and legislator, UW . AADS is working to raise $25,000 to endow the series, which will bring minority educators and speakers to UW and serve to honor the woman who sponsored legislation that, in 1990, established Martin Luther King, Jr./Wyoming Equality Day as a state holiday. 

"I can't think of a better person to represent the University of Wyoming," says AADS Director Tracey O. Patton. "She's emblematic of what we all hope to accomplish in life. I think every person on this planet would like to affect positive change for the world. Very few of us get to do that but she did. She has made lives better in the state of Wyoming."

Find out more about Liz Byrd at http://www.uwyo.edu/profiles/extras/liz-byrd.html

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen speaks at the State Capitol Building on Martin Luther King, Jr./WY Equality Day.

Nellie Tayloe Ross dinner March 3 in Cheyenne

More Arizona craziness: Tucson schools ban books by Chicano and Native-American authors

Can you imagine a school district anywhere banning the writing of Sherman Alexie, Leslie Marmon Silko, William Shakespeare, Roberto Rodriguez, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Sandra Cisneros and Henry David Thoreau?

This is what the Unified Tucson School District board did when it ordered the removal of "Rethinking Columbus" and other books from the curriculum. This was in response to the Arizona State Legislature's banning of ethnic studies classes in all public schools.

The Know Nothings in the Arizona Legislature are an international embarrassment. They have the upper hand now, but it won't last forever. The voices of these talented authors will outlast the barking of the bigots. Authors such as Alexie and Silko and Baca and Rodriguez and Cisneros are writers of the West. They write about the struggles that go on every day in Wyoming and Utah and New Mexico and Arizona. Their voices are loud and clear. Too loud and too clear and too popular for close-minded bigots in state legislatures across the West.

Read more here: Tucson schools bans books by Chicano and Native American authors | the narcosphere

P.S.: When the Arizona Legislature was first considering banning ethnic studies classes in May 2010, I penned a modest satire on the subject, "Ethnic Studies 212: The Superiority of the Irish." The post has received thousands of hits in the past 18 months and remains one of the most popular pieces on Hummingbirdminds. Read it at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2010/05/ethnic-studies-212-superiority-of-irish.html

Code of the West: "Remember that some things are not for sale"

I was wondering when someone was going to make the link between Wyoming's official "Code of the West" and the rise of corporate personhood. Great column by Dave Throgmorton writing in the Rawlins Daily Times. Go to Rawlins Times opinion columns

Amazon.com releases "Easy to Love but Hard to Raise" anthology

Amazon.com has just released the anthology “Easy to Love but Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories" from DRT Press. Order your copy here. 

Here’s the book blurb:

If there's anything the 32 parent-writers and 15 experts of Easy to Love but Hard to Raise want you to know, it's this: 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. We've been there. We've done that. We've navigated the system. Some of us succeeded. Some failed. We've been judged by friends, teachers, family, & strangers. We've gotten the phone calls & the looks. We've done things we never thought we'd do, good & bad. We've been up nights, cried in our pillows, and screamed in frustration. We've doubted ourselves, our children, & our partners. We've had to educate everyone, including our children's doctors. We are parents of children with alphabet soup diagnoses, invisible special needs, behavioral problems.Our children are easy to love, but oh, so hard to raise. 

Easy to Love but Hard to Raise is an anthology of personal essays written by parents of children with ADD, ADHD, OCD, PDD, ASDs, SPD, PBD and/or other alphabet soup diagnoses that takes the already difficult job of parenting and adds to the challenge. 

These essays focus on honest feelings, lessons learned, epiphanies, commonplace and extraordinary experiences. They are written by parents of toddlers, young children, teens, and adult children; those who are in the parenting trenches now, and those looking back on their parenting experiences. 

Topics include : how children came to be diagnosed, the experience of dealing with problem behaviors in various contexts and settings, experiences with/feelings about treatment (therapies, medications, alternative treatments), school (and other advocacy) experiences, children's social interactions/friends, and the effect of parenting a difficult child on a parent's emotional and physical health, marriage, and other relationships.

I’m one of these 32 parent-writers. My essay is entitled “The Great Third Grade AIDS Scare.” Buy the book. Read the essays. You’ll have a much better idea about the challenges faced by kids with ADHD, OCD, PBD, etc. – and their parents.

I’ve written a number of hummingbirdminds' posts about the struggles our children have had with ADHD, ADD, learning disabilities, addiction and mental illness. You can look them up!

"Easy to Love but Hard to Raise" has a Facebook fan page. Check it out here.

UW hosts first poetry slam of the semester Jan. 25 in Laramie

University of Wyoming Poetry Slam
Wednesday, January 25, 8:00 pm
UW Union Gardens

Those wishing to compete can sign up at either the Student Activities Council event table on Wednesdays in the Union Breezeway, or in the Campus Activities Center in the basement of the Union.  Limited to 25 contestants, so competition spots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events celebrate diversity & equality across The Equality State

From Dan Neal at the Equality State Policy Center:

State residents will celebrate Martin Luther King Day with in communities across Wyoming including in Riverton where Rez Action, a group working with the Equality State Policy Center, plans a march and speeches by three leaders of the Wind River tribes. 

“We invite all those who want to celebrate equality to march with us to honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” a news release from the organizers says. “We march in celebration of equality and Dr. King’s vision of ‘that all of us will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.’” 

Other events are planned in Laramie and Casper. 

Tribal members Micah Lott and Molly Holt are two of the Rez Action members staging Monday’s “Embrace Equality Celebrate Diversity” event in Riverton. Participants will rendezvous at 1 p.m. at City Park for the march to City Hall. State Rep. Patrick Goggles, the House minority leader who represents HD33, will speak as well as former state representative Scott Ratliff, now an special assistant on Native American issues to U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, Northern Arapaho tribal liaison Gary Collins, and Riverton activist Cody Green. 

For information, please contact Micah Lott at 307-851-1344 or micah.lott93@gmail.com. Rez Action members describe the group as an organization of “dedicated activists who fight social injustice, discrimination, and advocate for a healthy environment.” 

The Casper NAACP will host the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March and Rally starting at 11 a.m. at Casper’s City Park at Center and 7th streets. Marchers will walk to the United Methodist Church downtown. Eastern Shoshone Tribal elder Ivan Posey will speak. Members of the Wind River Unity Youth Council will participate as dancers with the Scout River Drum Group. Following a soup lunch at the church, the Unity group will conduct a workshop at 1 p.m. In Casper, contact Nurieh Glasgow at 234-3428 or Janet de Vries at 268-2446 for more information. 

A third march is planned on Jan. 16 in Laramie. Marchers will walk from the Albany County Courthouse to the University of Wyoming Student Union starting at 4 p.m. followed by a supper in the union ballroom. As part of its Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue, actor Hill Harper will speak at 1 pm. Jan 18 at the Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. A full schedule of events is available here. 

In Cheyenne, a march is planned at Noon from the old Union Pacific Railroad Depot up Capitol Avenue to the state Capitol. Gov. Matt Mead and Mayor Rick Kaysen will speak along with State Auditor Cynthia Cloud, and State Supt. of Public Instruction Cindy Hill. The march is being organized by the Love and Charity Club. Contact moderator Rita Watson at 307-632-2338 for more information.

Planet Jackson Hole: "Wyoming picker causes raucous caucus" in Iowa

Ten Sleep musician Jalan Crossland busted by police during protests against Republican candidates during Iowa caucus. Go to Wyoming picker causes raucous caucus. I reported this first on Dec. 31. Go to http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2011/12/who-is-mystery-man-from-ten-sleep.html

Occupy Greeley invites us to an "Inside Job" screening Jan. 21

From our pals at Occupy Greeley.

UPDATE: Occupy Cheyenne's plan for Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day march

Here's an update on the Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day march in Cheyenne.

On Wednesday, after taking our cause to Monday's NAACP meeting, I advised Occupy Cheyenne people not to bring signs to Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day march in downtown Cheyenne. My advice was a bit premature -- my hummingbirdminds' impulsivity took over. Yesterday I heard from Gloradene Stevenson, president of Love & Charity Club, organizer of the march. She was out of town. Gloradene said that Love & Charity has no problem with us bring respectful signs to the march.

So bring your signs. Participate in the march and accompanying MLK Day events.

Attention Occupy Cheyenne: Here's the plan for Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day march

This is a copy of the status update I sent to my fellow occupiers on Occupy Cheyenne:

My wife Chris and I attended the local NAACP meeting Monday night at the Laramie County Public Library. Chris chairs the planning committee for Juneteenth, the annual summer celebration held in Cheyenne’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Park. Rev. McDowell gave up 15 minutes in the NAACP agenda so I could talk to the membership about Occupy Cheyenne.

I spoke about our street actions and protests. I talked about our General Assemblies and the work we did on the declaration. I read the first two paragraphs of the declaration. As I read, I thought that there was little in the declaration that Dr. King would disagree with.

I then told the group about our plans to participate in Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (known in Wyoming as “Equality Day”) march from the Depot Plaza to the Capitol. I told them that our plans were to bring signs that were respectful to Dr. King but also carried a message from Occupy Cheyenne.

Several members spoke out against the sign idea. They felt it would distract from the commemoration. Rev. McDowell, president of the local NAACP chapter, suggested we talk to the actual organizers of the march, Love & Charity, about our plans. I plan to do that before the march.

My suggestion is that we forget about the signs and attend the march. How many of you have participated in the local MLK Day march? It’s well attended but the numbers could be better. Rev. McDowell and others spoke last night about the crucial nature of the 2012 elections. Equality is threatened on all fronts, but especially in Wyoming with its Tea Party Republican-dominated Legislature. Unnecessary cuts will be made to programs crucial to the 99% while legislators will busily be turning over the store to their benefactors in the energy industry.

The NAACP members support our goals. They were interested in hearing about our actions. They were very interested in participating in the action we plan for the first day of the Legislature, although I had few details.

On Occupy Cheyenne's Dec. 10 action, we were allied with union members in Wyoming AFL-CIO affiliates. As far as I can tell, we’re one of the few Occupy movements in WY and CO that have done this. Other alliances would be welcomed. Attend the MLK Day march, meet some of your fellow marchers, introduce yourself as a member of Occupy Cheyenne, attend the soup and crackers luncheon after the march at the Allen AME Chapel, attend the “Youth Salute” to Dr. King at 4 p.m., at the Second Baptist Church. And there’s also a full slate of events this weekend.

See you Monday at noon for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day/Equality Day march.

Gregory Hinton at the BBHC in Cody: "Out West with Buffalo Bill"

This news comes from Gregory Hinton: “I would like you to be among the first to know the preliminary results of my recent research at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody as a 2011-2012 Resident Fellow. The title of my talk was Out West with Buffalo Bill. The primary objective of my research was to analyze the art, artifacts and papers of the BBHC for evidence of LGBT history and culture in the American West, particularly as it related to Buffalo Bill's Wild West.” Photo: Colonel William F. Cody, 1889, by French painter Rosa Bonheur (courtesy of the BBHC). For more about this research, go to http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2012/01/gregory-hinton-discusses-preliminary.html. Cross-posted from Wyomingarts.

"Defy the Hate" photo shoot Feb. 14 in Cheyenne targets bullying

From the “Defy the Hate” Facebook invite:

A “Defy the Hate” photo shoot will take place in the student lounge area at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne on Tuesday, Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day), 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

This shoot will conducted in honor of those who have committed suicide due to bullying. This shoot is also a community awareness shoot. Suicide and bullying is a growing problem. Too many of our youth are ending their lives needlessly. Too many teachers, principles, guidance counselors, and even some parents are turning a blind eye to this. Schools are saying that they have no record of some kids being bullied... really, how many kids feel safe to come to a teacher about this? How many kids have to lose their lives to this disease of bullying, ignorance, and indifference before someone realizes this is a problem? Schools are supposed to be a safe place. It seems the schools have become a battleground for the lives of the kids that go there. Come to this open shoot and make a stand against bullying and suicide. Come show the schools and bullies that you aren't going to put up with their hate and indifference any longer. It is time to be heard. Let’s show everyone that the community of Cheyenne won't stand for this. 

Photography will be provided by Flux Photography Studios and Lunar Studios. More info will be added as it becomes available.

UW grad Bob Vernon-Kubichek named new Wyoming director for Obama for America

Candidate Barack Obama talks to SRO crowd at UW on March 7, 2008.

This news comes from Chuck Herz, chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party:

My name is Bob Vernon-Kubichek and I am the new Wyoming Director of Obama for America. 

I would like to briefly introduce myself and provide a brief overview of the work OFA will be doing in 2012. 

I grew up in Casper, and graduated from Natrona County High School in 2006. During the summer of 2006 I worked on the Gary Trauner for US House campaign, and fell in love with the political business. I spent the following two years working on campaigns in Utah while attending the University of Utah.

In 2010 I graduated from the University of Wyoming with a B.A. in political science, after which I began working towards my M.A. in political science as a Graduate Assistant at UW. While I absolutely loved my time at UW, near the end of the fall semester I was presented the opportunity to become the new OFA State Director in Wyoming. I was compelled to accept this opportunity because I felt this fight was too important to simply sit on the sidelines and watch. 

In the coming months I will be meeting with citizens across Wyoming to begin building teams of volunteers to work towards the reelection of President Obama. The primary objective of our work in Wyoming will be support the campaign by making calls to supporters, canvassing neighborhoods, and ensuring that Americans across the county get out and vote for the President next November. 

This campaign is critical to the future of our country, and I cannot understate what is at stake. Failure would mean the reversal of the progress we have made over the last four years, and giving the country over to Republicans who have no interest in defending the middle class, expanding access to health care, or supporting a public education that is the engine of our future. 

I ask you to join me in this fight for the future of our people. There are people counting on us, and we cannot let them down. 

If you are interested in taking an active role in our efforts, I would ask you to either contact me directly at RVernonKubichek@BarackObama.com, or go to the Barack Obama home page and sign up to join. Upon signing up online we will receive your information and will contact you shortly. Soon there will be a calendar up with a list of upcoming events in your area along with how to get involved in the movement. 

Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to serving you in the year ahead.

Wanted: Obscure films and photos of Dick Cheney

Cheney in his most famous role as grumpy old right-winger

Noted filmmaker R.J. Cutler is doing a movie about former Republican Veep and war criminal Dick Cheney. He seeks footage from Dick's years as a callow Wyoming youth.


Let’s see if we can come up with photos of Dick Cheney in a tutu. Or a young Dick torturing a kitten. Or lost footage of Cheney volunteering for the draft and slogging through a Southeast Asia rice paddy (he was so eager to send our children to Southwest Asia to slog through the desert). 

This comes from the Casper Star-Trib (via the Billings Gazette):

Starting in December, Cutler's Hollywood-based production company, Actual Reality Pictures, placed ads in the Casper Star-Tribune asking for film footage or photographs of Cheney, who lived in Wyoming during his teen years, attended the University of Wyoming, and represented the state in Congress from 1979 to 1989. 

Ryan Gallagher, an associate producer at Actual Reality, said the company is looking for footage that they wouldn't be able to find in government archives or purchase from stock film companies.  

"You look for as much exclusive and unknown footage that you can," Gallagher said. "Maybe somebody has a home video somewhere that we haven't heard about and that we'd just like to see."  

So far, Gallagher said his company hasn't gotten much response.  

The Cheney documentary is scheduled to air on Showtime sometime next fall, Gallagher said. Gallagher said it's "premature" to give details about what the documentary will be about, as they're just now starting to work on the film.  

Cutler is best-known for documentaries such as the Oscar-nominated "The War Room," which chronicled Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, and "American High," an Emmy-winning film about the lives of high school students in suburban Chicago. 

Anyone interested in submitting pictures or film of Cheney can contact Actual Reality Pictures at 213-534-3970 or cheneydoc@gmail.com.

God says: Keep those hands out of your pockets or risk an eternity in hell!

I am assuming that this is one of those fake photoshopped church signs (I pulled it off of Facebook). I do remember a seventh grade "sex ed" class in which the priests at St. Francis Catholic School in Wichita told us boys that it was a mortal sin to put our hands in our pockets. I still get illicit chills when I put my hands in my pockets, especially on a cold day.

If I did have a “hummingbird mind,” I could rule the world

A few weeks ago, a commenter on these pages made a snide comment about my brain. I am as capable of taking snide comments as I am in dishing them out. Actually, if I were to talk blog talk, I’d have to say I am good at snark, as snide has fallen out of favor in this new hyper-tech era.

The commenter, who was of the conservative persuasion, said that me and my readers must have brains the size of a hummingbird brain. He was inferring that we are peabrains, as a hummingbird brain is the size of a pea.

I can accept this criticism. But the comment did cause me to seek out information on hummingbird anatomy. The pea-brained hummingbird has the largest brain-size-to-body-mass index in the bird kingdom. It’s is approximately 4.2 percent of its body weight. If my brain were 4.2 percent of my weight, it would weigh 9.66 pounds. My head would be the size of a pumpkin but much more lethal. The late Kurt Vonnegut used to say that most of the world's ills could be blamed on the fact that human brains are too big for our own good. Imagine if they were three times bigger!

If my body weight were to be consistent with human anatomy, I would have to weigh almost 700 pounds. This would cut down on my mobility. But my huge brain would allow me to control puny-brained normal humans. They would do my bidding. I would command them to build a mobility device that allowed me to flit from food source to food source. I could hover hummingbird-like over this food source (McDonald’s, for instance), dart in to snag a Big Mac with my long forked tongue, and then dart out again, hovering over the local McD’s, never losing my place. I could exhaust the entire Big Mac supply of the McD’s on Yellowstone Blvd., and then dart over to the one on Lincolnway or College Ave., here in Cheyenne. I would always know where the food was located, and whether it was ready or not. All the while, I could locate a mate, if any were willing to date a big-brained, 700-pound winged human male with huge eyes, a long beak and forked tongue. I’d also be able to fight off any rivals who arrive on the scene. If I was forced to smite a rival, I would have to take a few minutes away from feeding. But not too long – hummingbirds eat a dozen meals per day, consuming many times their own body weight.

How do I know this? I found this info at on Ron Patterson’s excellent Gardening for Wildlife web site:

In a study that appeared in Current Biology, Susan Healy and Jonathan Henderson of the University of Edinburgh describe their fieldwork with rufous hummingbirds in the Canadian Rockies. 

Can a hummingbird's brain actually think? 

Tallying visits by three male rufous hummers, the researchers found the birds could distinguish between the 10-minute and 20-minute “flowers” and remember their locations and when they had last drained them. Over several days, they reliably returned to the “flowers” just after they had been refilled; once again, a matter of what, when, and where. 

It makes sense for hyperactive birds like hummers to maximize their foraging efficiency. Return to a flower too soon, and the nectar won’t have been replenished; too late, and a rival may have beaten you there. 

With a long migration route and a short breeding season, rufous hummers can’t afford to waste time and energy in the search for food. 

Healy and Henderson point out that their male hummers were able to track the timing of nectar supplies while defending their territories and courting females. So you have not only episodic memory but serious multitasking. Several studies show hummers know when a flower is ready. 

All this when a hummingbird's brain is smaller than a pea. 

No one knows how large a hummer's hippocampus is, absolutely or relatively. But the bird doesn’t have a whole lot of neurons to work with. It may not the size of the hummingbird brains that enables these kinds of mental processes, but the complexity of the wiring. Smaller does not necessarily equate to dumber: the minuscule brain of the hummer appears to have the bandwidth to do what it needs to do.

One of the great things about Ron’s site is the Bible quote he puts on each page. I’m not a Bible reader or a quoter, but I like the fact that he writes with such scientific detail and such passion, but also finds time to dig up verse to punctuate his narrative. He’s a serious multi-tasker, just like a hummingbird. Here’s the quote he provided on the page about hummingbird brains:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Not a jeremiad in any way.

In conclusion, I’d like to say this: Do your homework before making comments on this site, especially as it relates to the lives of hummingbirds. They are amazing creatures, preferable to snarky humans in so many ways.

Sources:
http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/anatomy.php
http://www.gardening-for-wildlife.com/hummingbird-brain.html 

http://www.hummingbirds.net/hainsworth.html

Occupy the Courts Jan. 20 in Denver

From Coffee Party USA: 

On Friday Jan. 20, the Coffee Party is joining Move to Amend and democracy advocates across the U.S. to hold more than 80 rallies in front of federal court buildings, including the US Supreme Court. These rallies will launch grassroots campaigns for ballot initiatives and resolutions rejecting the "Citizens United" decree for unlimited, anonymous spending to influence our elections. 

Momentum has been building in recent months, with resolutions passed by city councils in Los Angeles and New York City, and the Montana Supreme Court asserting that states have the right to prevent the corporate purchase of their governments.  Let's make this happen in states, towns, and cities across the country.

The closest event to Cheyenne and Laramie is in Denver:

Location: Gather on West Steps of the State Capitol, 200 East Colfax Avenue 10:30 AM.  Rally on the west steps of the State Capitol 11:30, followed by a march down the 16th Street Mall, to the U.S. Court of Appeals building at 18th & Stout, and where we will deliver a huge, signed copy of “The MOVE TO AMEND Amendment” and tack it, with duct tape to the Courthouse door.  There will be a debriefing/after-party at 2:00 PM at the Mercury Cafe 2199 California Street  Denver, CO 80205 Contact: Daphne Goodwin, daphne.mdmta@gmail.com

Nothing says "family values" like separating mothers from their children

Great column on Rodger McDaniel's Blowing in the Wyoming Wind blog (also on the op-ed page of today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle). He writes about Republican Gov. Matt Mead's recent decision not to fund a program that allows incarcerated mothers at the Lusk prison to be with their babies. So much for Republican family values, eh? Read the column here.

The biggest threat to Citizens United may come from Montana

David Sirota interviewed Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock on his radio show this past week:

Last week, while the national press corps was busy pretending the tiny Iowa caucus was the only news in America, a major ruling out of Montana paved the way for a likely U.S. Supreme Court showdown over the role of corporate money in politics. 

In the case, which was spearheaded by the state’s Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock, Montana’s top court restored Big Sky country’s century-old law banning corporations from directly spending on political candidates or committees. Legal experts believe that upon appeal, this case will come before the nation’s highest court. While there, it could serve as the first test of the precedents in the infamous Citizens United decision that essentially allows unfettered corporate spending in campaigns.

Read the transcript of the interview here: The biggest threat to Citizens United

I'm going to root around on my favorite Montana blogs to see what else I can find on this issue. More later...

New Year's Eve events may signal start of big year for downtown Cheyenne

Some really fine detail in this photo by David Jamison of NV Photographics. My wife, daughter and I, along with a thousand of our closest friends, came downtown to the first-ever ball drop, a project of the LightsOn! Project. LightsOn! has taken over the ground floor of the Hynds Building which is catty-corner to the Depot Plaza. Many events are planned for the Hynds in 2012, including art exhibits, figure-drawing classes, and a slate of LCCC Enrichment courses, including a workshop on creating your own one-person shows by writer and performer Christi Mitchell. Rumor has it that the State Museum is looking at the Hynds space for its annual Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition. Stay tuned... 

"Occupy Your Heart" the theme of this Sunday's service at UU Church of Cheyenne

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne has been very supportive of Occupy Cheyenne during its formative phase. We've held several GAs at the church, as well as sign-making sessions before public actions at the State Capitol and the Depot Plaza. UU Church members Leah Zegan and Forrest King and others have been very welcoming. I'm not a member but, during the past five years, I've been inside the walls of this church much more often than I have been in any other, including the two local Catholic churches (and one big downtown cathedral) that represent my faith tradition. 

I am drawn to the UU's commitment to social justice. This Sunday, Jan. 8, at 10:30 a.m., Rev. Dana Lightsey will conduct a service with the theme of "Occupy Your Heart." Here's a short description:

Time magazine's person of the year for 2011 is "the protester." Our world is being changed by mass protests all over the world. What are the common themes of these protests and what can we learn from them to make our world a better place for all?

Local food, arts, crafts and music featured at Winter Farmers' Market Jan. 7

What: Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market 

Where: Inside the Cheyenne Downtown Depot

When: Saturday, Jan. 7, 10 a.m.–2 p.m

Details: The Winter Farmers’ Market offers products grown, raised or crafted within 150 miles of Cheyenne. It will provide an opportunity to purchase locally grown all-​​natural beef, lamb, turkey, bison, farm fresh eggs, honey, along with locally crafted artisan breads, jams, jellies, tamales, empanadas, tortillas, soup and chili, jewelry, natural skin care, handmade baskets and much more. Come and stay for lunch, for more information call 307.649.2430.


I read somewhere that the market will feature live music. This is usually the case, but I couldn't find the performers names listed anywhere. Shouldn't musicians get the same kind of billing as farm fresh eggs and tamales?

Wyoming scholarships available for National Main Streets Conference in Baltimore

As we've discussed at length here, Wyoming's downtowns have launched some innovative projects. I think of downtown Cheyenne's LightsOn! project and the arts-based redevelopment launched by Casper. There is the renovated Rock Springs downtown theatre, the roundhouse project in Evanston, the "living upstairs in downtown" program in Sheridan, and so on. But much more needs to be done. You can't have a great city or town without a thriving downtown. The Wyoming Main Street Program is leading the way. It is offering scholarships to the national conference:

The Wyoming Main Street Program is offering travel scholarships to a conference that will help participants revitalize and build vibrant commercial districts in Wyoming’s downtowns. Several scholarships are available for the National Main Streets Conference in Baltimore, Md., April 1-4, 2012. The trip includes a Wyoming Main Street sponsored pre-trip to Maryland and Delaware, March 29-31, to learn how Main Street principles are being applied in other communities. 

The conference brings together people from communities of all sizes to network, discuss issues, and learn new ideas and solutions for growing and developing downtown revitalization programs. This year’s conference will focus on taking Main Street to the next level by continuing to grow support, economic strength, and the national movement. The scholarships cover airfare to and from an applicant’s nearest airport and Baltimore, conference registration fees, and lodging during the pre-trip and conference. 

Scholarship applications are due to Wyoming Main Street no later than Feb. 3, 2012. Application packets must include a completed application form. Scholarships will only be offered to individuals who are residents of a Wyoming municipality and associated with, or supported by, one of the following organizations: local government, downtown association or its equivalent, downtown merchants association, urban renewal authority, downtown development authority, chamber of commerce, historic preservation organization, or other community organizations intended to revitalize a historic downtown. 

Notification of scholarship awards will be made from the Wyoming Main Street staff on or around Feb. 15, 2012. Recipients are asked to give a report to their local city/town council as well as the Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board about the information learned on the trip and how it will help their community. 

For more information, contact Wyoming Main Street Specialist Scott Wisniewski at 307.777.2934 or scott.w@wyo.gov. 

The Wyoming Main Street Program is dedicated to providing Wyoming communities with opportunities to strengthen local pride and revitalize historic downtown districts by utilizing the Main Street Four Point Approach. This approach means Wyoming Main Street strives to help downtown business owners improve the appearance of downtowns, build cooperation between downtown groups, help downtowns market their unique qualities and strengthen the economic base of downtown.

Applications available here. For information, contact Kim Kittel at 307.287.2170 or kim.kittel@wyo.gov.

Once again, Wyoming teen suicide in the news

Once again, Wyoming teen suicide is in the news. This time, it's the death of 13-year-old Alex Frye of Cheyenne. His death on New Year's Day is getting plenty of attention in the local media -- and elsewhere. There is much talk about the alleged cause -- bullying at school. The school district seems to be doing its part of bringing up the topic and providing counselors for students and teachers at Alex's school, Carey Junior High. According to last night's Channel 5 newscast, the Cheyenne Police Department is adding a position to address suicide prevention. There's a fine local organization, Grace for 2 Brothers which offers “suicide prevention through awareness and education.”

Still, the beat goes on. Wyoming has among the highest teen suicide stats in the nation. Some of that is due to isolation and rough weather and lack of opportunity. Some of that is due to bullying, although it's unclear how much. It is clear that bullies beget bullies, and until this is addressed, bullying will continue to lead to both the mental and physical scarring of vulnerable youth.

Some of Wyoming’s cluelessness about suicide can be blamed on Wyoming's "cowboy up" mentality, which can be summed up this way: "Cowboy up!" Be tough. Shake it off. Get back on that horse. None of which helps much when it comes to assisting someone in pain.

I refer you to Tom Morton's excellent Casper Star-Tribune column from Oct. 26. He focused on the lethal nature of suicide by gun. Guns are very popular in Wyoming, and a popular (and very final) way to commit suicide. He noted that U.S. suicide stats -- 39th in the world -- are not particularly alarming. But, "if Wyoming's rate of 20.0 suicides per 100,000 population was compared to the worldwide rates, Wyoming would rank about 10th." Read more here. 

This comes from a 2010 article in the WTE:

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Wyoming youth, said Keith Hotle, a suicide prevention team leader with the Wyoming Department of Health. Only car crashes kill more teens. 

If a new disease was the second-leading cause of death for youth, that would be front page news all over the state," he said. 

But it isn't. Those headlines arrive only with each new suicide by a Wyoming youth. And they appear with great regularity, much to our shame.

Rest in peace, Alex Frye. We will remember you.

Cheyenne NAACP and Occupy Cheyenne search for common ground

The next meeting of the NAACP Unit #4108 is scheduled for Monday, January 9, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Sunflower Room of the Laramie County Public Library in downtown Cheyenne.  The meeting will focus on finalizing events and activities for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16 and February’s Black History Month.


NAACP members are invited to General Assembly meeting sponsored by Occupy Cheyenne on Thursday, Jan. 5, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Paramount Cafe, 1607 Capitol Ave., in downtown Cheyenne. We have common ground in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, philosophy of nonviolent protests against the powers and principalities that join forces to keep us all down. More info at Occupy Cheyenne on Facebook.

Help wanted: Wyoming Democratic Party

Something is happening on the Wyoming Democratic Party web site (and it's about time):

Field Director: The Wyoming Democratic Party is currently seeking qualified applicants for the position of Field Director (currently funded under the Democratic National Committee's State Party Partnership Program). A complete job description and application information is located here: Field Director Job Description.
 Compliance Director:  The Wyoming Democratic Party is currently seeking qualified applicants for the position of Compliance Director (currently partially funded under the Democratic National Committee's State Party Partnership Program). The Compliance Director is the staff member responsible for working with the Executive Director and others to oversee all aspects of the WDP’s compliance with applicable state and federal laws.  A complete job description and application information is located here: Compliance Director Job Description.
 Internships:  The Wyoming Democratic Party is offering internship opportunities for students. These are unpaid internships, and would require 10 to 20 hours per week (we are willing to be flexible as a student's schedule requires). Some of the duties will include researching, recruiting volunteers, phone banking, attending community events, networking with other organizations, and organizing events in the community. This is a great way to get political experience and make long-time professional contacts. For more information, contact Dana Walton at (307) 258-1825 or dana@wyomingdemocrats.com.

Poet and Army vet Brian Turner: Dialogue needed between U.S. vets and Iraqi artists

I read Brian Turner’s first poetry book, “Here, Bullet,” when it came out in 2005 from Alice James Books. Amazing poems from a witness to the war, one who arrived at the front possessing an MFA in creative writing.

We haven’t seen a huge amount of war poetry coming out of Iraq. It’s a mere trickle when compared to the U.S. poetry shaped by Vietnam. It’s early yet – the war only ended last week, officially. You can start with Turner’s work:

Earlier this year, Brian Turner went back to Baghdad as an Army veteran who also happens to be a writer. Turner served as an infantry team leader with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat team in 2003 and 2004, an experience that informs his award-winning book of poetry “Here, Bullet.” Iraq also features in his latest book, “Phantom Noise.” 

He believes now that the war is officially over, there needs to be a new dialogue between the two countries, especially between U.S. vets and Iraqi artists. 

“I was able to meet some Iraqi poets and painters, and they’re sort of waiting,” Turner told Here & Now's Robin Young. “They see the guns and the tanks and helicopters come, and they’re wondering where is another part of the conversation, more of a dialogue in art, that kind of constructive conversation. So if anybody is interested in that, I would encourage them to not sit by the sidelines and not get involved. They’re waiting for us.”

Hear a WBUR radio interview and Turner reading one of his poems at http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/12/22/poet-iraq-turner

Moving sale this week at downtown Cheyenne's Link Gallery

Cheyenne loses an art gallery, gains yet another empty storefront:

The owners of the LINK GALLERY, 124 W. Lincolnway in Cheyenne, are moving to Austin, Texas, one of America's most exciting cities, so they are having a sale. Prices are 20-40% off most paintings and prints through January 7. Mon-Sat 10:30 am – 5 pm. FMI: 307-778-0330. On Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Link-Gallery/50875219291?sk=info

The great big hole in Cheyenne's downtown makes for a hole in its soul

Ball drops at the Depot Plaza on New Year's Eve, causing all of us to think good thoughts about downtown Cheyenne's future.

After two years of railing against Wyoming's woeful public education system, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle editorial staff is shifting its focus.

It's time to kick Cheyenne in the ass.

The city is "mired in the doldrums and doing little to find its way out." It has "lost its desire to chase after pre-eminence." Cheyenne needs to "recapture the vision of being a great city."

Most shocking of all, the WTE has discovered that there is a a great big hole in the middle of downtown. It's not a metaphoric hole, either, but a very real one.

The downtown hole is a manifestation of Cheyenne's lack of vision. I recently asked the question of whether any other city of Cheyenne's size would tolerate a mega-hole to exist at its city center for seven years. A gas explosion leveled almost a city block in downtown Bozeman two years ago. The hole was filled in short order followed by rebuilding. Downtown Deadwood was able to fill its downtown hole (an old mine) with businesses and now has a bustling economy. Many other Rocky Mountain cities have faced explosions and blights and economic downturns. They have come up with viable plans to enliven their downtowns. 

My wife Chris and I went to the downtown New Year's Eve festivities last night. It was great to see so many people downtown. That rarely happens outside of Cheyenne Frontier Days or summer's Friday night concert series. Art Design & Dine has brought some life to downtown each second Thursday but it's still struggling to catch on after two years. Unfortunately, one of the participating AD&D galleries soon will be closing.

WTE identifies what it missing from downtown development: "visionary thinking and risk-taking." We've seen visionary thinking exhibited in the LightsOn! Project at the Hynds Building, which hosted a rocking party last night. We're also seeing some of that with the Dinneen Building and the accompanying screetscaping. Much more is needed.  

I'm with the WTE on this one. They plan to fill their op-ed pages to calls for an end to the miasma that had led to status as a second-rate city of the West.

I'll be reading.

As you might expect, there are some bright spots in Cheyenne's present. We'll talk about those too...