Spring break trip to DAM

I like this photo for the angles and edges and shadows -- and I'm not talking about those tiny people looking at us. The human subjects (left to right) are Chris, my wife; Annie, my daughter; and Brandon, Annie's friend. We were gathered outside the Denver Art Museum before spending the day inside. The DAM roof is under construction (note workers dangling from ropes on the slanted roof in the background). The entranceway is covered with multicolored plastic sheeting with instuctions pointing out the way to out-of-towners. On the far right side of the pic is a massive sculpture that can be dark and foreboding if you face it with foreboding on a dark winter day. It seemed slightly playful the day we were there. Also, out out of the picture on the right was a trio of stoners who were laughing hysterically. Maybe they were laughing at the sculpture, but I prefer to think they were laughing with it. Later, one detached himself from the group and wandered over to bum a cigarette. I began to deliver my standard "smoking is bad for you" routine, when the kid held up his hand and said: "I don't need no lectures, man. I just need a cigarette." I told him that Chris and I quit smoking 25 years ago when Chris was pregnant with our son. He sighed in disgust and wandered away. I'll have to remember how boring my lectures are next time I'm confronted by a big city cigarette moocher or panhandler.

Fiction becomes film becomes reality

Brad Cain of the Associated Press reports that part of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem will be spared the wrecking ball and serve as a museum to commemorate the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," based on the book by Oregonian Ken Kesey.

I don't remember (maybe you do) whether was book was set in the Oregon State Hospital. It's at least implied.

Demolition crews are going to spare one section of the hospital, the marble hydrotherapy device that Chief Bromden throws through the window, Bromden's broom (which earned him the nickname "Chief Broom") and a bathtub used by Danny DeVito in the film. It will eventually become the Museum of Mental Health. Meanwhile, the new Oregon State Hospital will be built next door.

Writes Cain:

The movie based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel was fictional, but it has become closely associated over the years with real-life problems at Oregon's crumbling, overcrowded psychiatric facility.... Hospital superintendent Roy Orr said mental health advocates are divided on whether "Cuckoo's Nest" helped promote the cause of the mentally ill or was an overly sensationalized depiction of brutality in state mental institutions. But he supports devoting part of the museum to the movie."I guess I just view it as a part of our past; and now it's time to move on," he said.

Care in mental hospitals has come a long way since the lobotomies and forced incarcerations of the 1960s. But mental health care in general has a long way to go.

But I'm all in favor of any museum that raises the issue. It can also become a site on "The Literary Tour of the West," which should include other key sites in the region's (and Wyoming's) fictional history: a Rock Springs motel commemorating Richard Ford's story of the same name; Brokeback Mountain, located somewhere (possibly everywhere) in Wyoming; The Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow, which does exist; the site of the castle wherein lives Philip K. Dick's "The Man in the High Castle;" and C.J. Box's town of Saddlestring. Others?

"Designing the New West"

"Designing the New West: Architecture & Landscape in the Mountain West" will be held April 16-17 at the Gallatin Gateway Inn in Bozeman, Mont.

After just spending four days at a Laramie conference about "Public Art & Community," I'm not anxious to go to another confab so soon. But I heard great things about the previous New West-sponsored conference, so I encourage all you builders and architects and town planners and -- yes -- artists to attend. We're faced with some big challenges in the West. While the word "planning" tends to irritate denizens of the West, we're sunk without it. And we need creative approaches. City and county planners talking to neighboring ranchers. Artists talking to government officials. And Repubs talking to Dems (and vice versa).

Here's info on the conference from the New West web site:

"Designing the New West" features leading architects, developers, land planners and landscape designers from around the Rockies, with the aim of tracking design and development trends, showcasing best practices, and understanding how thoughtful and place-inspired design can help us shape our region in the most positive possible ways.

Thursday, April 16, will feature three pre-conference design charrettes and workshops, with specialists' presentations, discussions and site visits on a green home, a commercial development, and land planning & subdivision design. The day will conclude with a conference opening reception and social.

Friday, April 17, is a full-day program at the Gallatin Gateway Inn with a mix of presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Highlights include:

• Analysis of the state of the business in the region in light of the broad-based economic slowdown -- and the opportunities presented by the federal economic stimulus program.
• Discussion of creative approaches to sustainability, conservation-based design, and urban infill, including a look at new materials, new methods for project planning and management, and new financing models.
• Presentations on innovative land design, architecture and community development projects from some of the nation’s leading practitioners.
• Lively networking with some of the top design and development professionals from around the region.

"Designing the New West" will also offer continuing education credits for certified planners, real estate agents and engineers.

Register here

Dr. Temple Grandin headlines autism awareness event in Cheyenne

Veterinarian and author Temple Grandin from Fort Collins will be the keynote speaker for the second annual Autism Awareness Evening beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 3, at Barnes & Noble, 1851 Dell Range Blvd., Cheyenne. Grandin, who is autistic, is best known for bringing more humane practices to the slaughterhouse (if anyone has a better term for it, let me know). Her latest book is "Animals Make us Human," with Catherine Johnson.

Joining Dr. Grandin are local authors Heather Jensen ("Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Autism") and John Roedel ("Autism: Heartfelt Thoughts from Fathers"), who also is a member in good standing of the Ozymandian Theatre improv troupe in Cheyenne. Also speaking will be Helen Sumner, Autism Residential Habilitation Trainer.

This event is also a fund-raiser for the Stride Learning Center in Cheyenne.

FMI: 307-632-1164.

Why doesn't Rep. Lummis support young artists as community volunteers?

Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives backs a corps of volunteer artists and musicians to serve in schools in low-income communities, health care clinics, senior centers and other places that might need a helping hand -- along with a surge of creativity.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, H.R.1388/S.277 passed the Senate on March 26 by a vote of 79 to 19. Similar legislation was approved, 321-105, in the House of Representatives on March 18. Both bills would triple the number of AmeriCorps service volunteers, from 75,000 to 250,000.

One side note: When the legislation came up for a vote in the House on March 18, Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis voted against it. With her vote, she joined other House denizens of the Grossly Obsolete Party (GOP): Lynn Westmoreland (Ga.), Eric Cantor (Va.), Roy Blount (Mo.) and John Boehner (Ohio). What do these people have against young artists teaching painting classes at a Cheyenne senior center? Ask Cynthia.

The artists service corps provision in the House was proposed by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) during drafting of the legislation by the House Committee on Education and Labor. In the Senate, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) offered the artists service amendment, which was included by voice vote in the legislation taken to the floor by the bill's manager. The new provision in the House and Senate bills encourages the use of "skilled musicians and artists to promote greater community unity through the use of music and arts education and engagement through work in low-income communities, and education, health care, and therapeutic settings, and other work in the public domain with citizens of all ages."

Remember Pres. Obama's campaign pledge to create an "Artists Corps" of young artists trained to work in low-income schools and communities? I do. According to people in the know, passage of the national service legislation to support nonprofit organizations in working with community volunteers has been a high priority for the new president.

The measure passed March 26 by the Senate includes an amendment offered by Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) to establish a capacity-building program for nonprofit groups in the Corporation for National and Community Service that will expand organizational development assistance to small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations.

Another side note: Wyoming's Senate delegation split on this issue. Sen. John Barrasso voted against it. What does he have against young musicians teaching finger-picking techniques to special needs kids in Casper, his home town? On the positive side, Sen. Mike Enzi of Gillette, a member of the Senate Arts Caucus and a longtime supporter of the arts in Wyoming, voted for the bill sponsored by his buddy-across-the-aisle, Ted Kennedy. I like it when these two guys work together. Let's hope they can come up with a reasonable health care plan.

Both the House and the Senate bills would set up a fund to help nonprofit organizations recruit more volunteers and establish a "Summer of Service" program for middle and high school students. The two bills differ in provisions aimed at limiting the legislative advocacy and political organizing activities of service volunteers. This sounds like an issue right-wingers might get very paranoid about, as it's a well-known fact that volunteer artists and community organizers are untrustworthy liberals. We all remember Governor Palin's campaign rants against community organizers. Perhaps Sen. Barrasso and Rep. Lummis need a primer on volunteerism.

Let's see if this sticking point can be hammered out in committee. Stay tuned...

Laramie events this week feature the arts, film, social justice and Elton John

Great series of events this week in Laramie.

First up is the Shepard Symposium on Social Justice, sponsored by the Matthew Shepard Foundation. It gets under way on Wednesday, April 1, 7 p.m., with the Wyoming debut of the film "Straightlaced: How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up," which includes a talk by director Debra Chasnoff. Following the film at 9 p.m. is a hip-hop event with Rosa Clemente.

Keynote speaker at the Shepard Symposium is Elizabeth Birch on Thursday, April 2, 7:30 p.m. in the UW Education Dept. Auditorium. She's one of the most recognized leaders in the gay and lesbian civil rights movement, and served as executive director of the Human Rights Campaign for nearly a decade.

Elton John wraps up the Shepard Symposium on Friday night with a concert benefiting the Shepard Foundation.

The Public Art & Community symposium (UW just lousy with symposia all of a sudden) gets started with a 5-7 p.m. reception at the UW Conference Center in Laramie. You have to register for the symposium (and pay the fee) to get into the reception and avail yourself of the foodstuffs and drinkstuffs. But a free "Art Slam" follows at 7:30. This features artists and symposium presenters Jesus Moroles (winner of a 2008 National Medal of Arts), John Henry and Ursual von Rydingsvard. Another free event follows from 10 p.m.-midnight. "20:20" features 20 artists who each will "flash" 20 images of their work for 20 seconds each while they provide the illuminating narration. This should be a fun, fast-faced event.

For a full schedule, go to the Wyoming Arts Council web site at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/.

The arts symposium features scores of professional artists and sculptors talking about their work in 15- to 30-minute sessions. I'm looking forward to Lawrence Argent's talk about copyright issues at 8:45 a.m. on Friday. Not only good info for artists but for writers, too.

The registration deadline for the arts symposium is Tuesday, March 31. For info, call the WAC at 307-777-7742.

In case this isn't enough stimulation for the creative side of you, you can take in one of these other events:

"Awaken/Shift," the Department of Theatre and Dance's final dance concert of the season, College of Arts and Sciences auditorium, April 1, 2 and 4, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $14 for the public, $11 for senior citizens and $7 for students. To get tickets, stop by the Fine Arts Box Office, call 766 6666, or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

On Friday, April 3, noon: Mary L. Keller, adjunct professor in the Religious Studies and African American Studies programs, presents "Heart Mountain as Home: Foretop's Father in the 21st Century." Room 316 College of Agriculture Building. For more information, contact Ramesh Sivanpillai at sivan@uwyo.edu.

On Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., the Kappa Sigma Fraternity will host its first chili cookoff in Fraternity Mall. Tickets cost $5. To enter or for more information, contact David Steinberg at dsteinbe@uwyo.edu or (720) 238-2462.

I wish there was something to do in this wind-scoured, tumbleweed-ridden state.

Cheyenne's C.J. Box writes intro for new mapguide of Yellowstone region

Any publication that features an introduction by a mystery writer demands my attention. That's why I perked up when I saw the new "Yellowstone and Beyond" mapguide from National Geographic. Cheyenne author C.J. Box, nominated this year for an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, wrote the intro to the guide. It mixes a bit of first-person narrative with history and local color. I was waiting for C.J.'s protagonist, Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett, to make an appearance. Alas, he did not (you have to buy the books).

Read the intro --and download (or order) a copy of the mapguide -- at http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org/. The site also features an interactive map of the region.
National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations has published an entire series of these publications devoted to Geotourism: "The kind of travel that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents."

Others have attempted to treat this area as a region that happens to span three states. But this one seems to get the job done. Travel/tourism bureaus from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho all pitched in to fund the project. Good use of taxpayer funds, I'd say, as all three states mightily depend on tourism income. Yes, we're all energy-producing states, especially Wyoming and Montana. But tourism and the extractive industries overlap geographically and politically. Just take a look at the recent vote in D.C. to protect the Wyoming range, which is part of the Yellowstone region. Both of our senators voted for protection; Rep. Cynthia Lummis did not. Rep. Lummis is rapidly becoming a member in good standing of the Republican "N-O means No" Chorus.

Sen. John Barrasso made protection of the Wyoming Range a campaign promise. So I'm glad that he came through on this issue.

So, take a look at C.J.'s National Geographic's map. Get a copy for your summer travels.

One hour without lights -- but with poetry

At 8:28, we lit the candles, switched off the TV and turned out the lights. By 8:30, we were in the dark, but for the soothing glow of four candles.

We were members of the southeast Wyoming contingent of Earth Hour. All over the globe, people (even entire cities) were turning off lights at the behest of the World Wildlife Fund. It was an effort to bring attention to global warming and the threat it poses to wildlife.

Cheyenne wasn't one of the participating cities. But we decided to do our part, thinking it might be fun and illuminating. Annie's friend Brandon came for dinner and the switching off of the lights. Chris, Annie and I We were celebrating Brandon's first-place finish in the 10th-grade poetry category for Young Authors. He and Annie are fellow writers, which puts them in a minority at their high school. But it's a feisty minority, one that speaks its mind and is only dimly aware that there are many service industry jobs in their future as they work toward that big literary prize.

Brandon brought his poems, which he read by candlelight. They were very good, filled with teen angst and some sharp words and phrases. When he finished, we talked about the work and his delivery style. He said he read too fast and I agreed, but told him that some poems might need to be read faster than others. Often young writers read their work in a burst of syllables, and they're hard to understand. Also, a monotone can be a problem. But Brandon, it seems, had practiced.

We spoke of other things. Brandon's car wreck the week before, which he'd survived without a scratch. Annie's prose writing. A little bit about global warming. I became curious about our neighborhood's darkness level. I looked outside. It seemed darker than usual, but that could just be my imagination. I felt like one of those air raid wardens from World War II. That house is totally dark, but there's some light leaking from the one next door. Don't those idiots know that there's a war on?

Actually, there is a war on. Literal wars, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. But a war on the planet, too. We may have to assume a war footing to battle this one.

Poetry could be one of our secret weapons.

Dickens tackled epic themes -- you can, too

Too-good-to-be-true investments

Rapacious landlords

Clueless government agencies

Phrases ripped out of today's headlines?

Well, yes, but also themes in Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit," which hits the screen on PBS Masterpiece Theatre this Sunday.

The New York Times gives it an extremely favorable review. So I may watch it, even though I haven't committed myself to a MT series since "Pride and Prejudice" in the mid-90s. That series, according to the NYT, had the same director as "Little Dorrit." So I may watch now, or save to savor later. Read the Times' review at http://tv.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/arts/television/28dorr.html?hpw

As an English major, I read a lot of Dickens, including "Little Dorrit." In it, Mr. Dorrit spends 20 years in Marshalsea debtor's prison. Dickens knew a bit about debtor's prison, since his family spent some time in one. Mr. Dorrit used to be rich and now is a debtor due to some debts which may or may not be his. Nobody can seem to find an answer at the government Department of Circumlocution. It's modern-day equivalents can be seen in the Bush-era "oversight" and "regulatory" agencies that were charged with keeping track of A.I.G., Citigroup, food safety, disaster relief, etc.

Anyway, Mr. Dorrit is kind of clueless and his daughter, Amy, is an innocent ripe for the plucking. Her sister, Fanny, is a bit of a schemer. There are good guys that turn out to be bad; bad guys that turn out to be good. Dickens was a great storyteller if a bit long-winded. But you would be too if you had to constantly churn out chapters for the London periodicals. Dickens was always writing on the run, which gives his books a certain breathless quality when compared with his Victorian-era counterparts. You may find that hard to believe when you pick up "Little Dorrit," all 1,024 pages and 1.5 pounds of it (Penguin Classics edition). But his humor, cliffhanger endings and odd coincidences keep the reader moving along.

This makes me think that more classics from the English major's catalogue needs dusting off. Dickens has never gone out of print, so he's been with us all along. Tolstoy was another one who tackled the big subjects -- in a spectacular way with "War and Peace," but also in his essays and short novels. Epic -- that was Tolstoy and that was his work. He might just be the thing for a country that's been in minimalist mode for the past couple decades. Or maybe that was only university English departments. The world is always in epic mode -- we writers just have to summon the imagination to deal with it.

B-ball adds zip to a cold, snowy spring

This time of year, all talk is about basketball. Sweet Sixteen, college women's hoops, NIT -- and that's all on the college side. NBA is in the midst of its season. And high school hoops tournaments are being held (or have been held) during March all across the land.

Chris and I just watched the Kansas-Michigan State men's game. Michigan State won in the final two minutes. I was rooting for Kansas. All that tradition -- Naismith peach baskets, Phog Allen, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, three NCAA men's titles, including last year. Michigan State also has a bit of tradition going for it in the form of Magic Johnson and at least one men's b-ball title. MSU is in, KU is out of the running for a repeat.

Michigan State was down by 13 points at one time tonight. But the team battled back. That's the great thing about b-ball. In a good game, neither team is ever hopelessly behind. There were a few blow-outs the past couple days (poor Arizona) but tonight's game was a battle the entire way.

There are some of you out there (Bob P!) who are happy that the Missouri Tigers made it to the Elite Eight but Kansas did not. All I have to say to you is "wait 'til next year."

And let's hope that the Florida Gators find their Sweet Sixteen stamina next year.

Turn out your lights for "Earth Hour"

World Wildlife Fund is sponsoring Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. local time. I'm joining a lot of other people around the world in turning out my lights to make a statement about climate change.

According to the WWF:

By turning off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour, you will send a message that Americans care about this issue and stand with the rest of the world in finding solutions to the escalating climate crisis. As a participant, there are several ways to ensure Earth Hour 2009 is a success. Earth Hour encourages individuals, educational institutions, organizations, businesses, and cities to sign up and participate. Spread the word by inviting them to join.

Join "Earth Hour" here

Camping not just for "nerdy families, nature geeks and Boy Scouts" any more

CNN says this:

With the economy in a slump, camping seems to be grabbing a new foothold in the travel industry. Once considered by many to be an activity for nerdy families, nature geeks and Boy Scouts, sleeping outside in a tent has become chic -- likely because it is so much cheaper than paying for a hotel room.

The activity also strikes a new chord with Americans who want to get back to basics after an era of excess and overspending.

Outdoor camping's popularity jumped 7.4 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to a report from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Overnight backpacking is up 18.5 percent, the report said.

Here's a response from an ex-Boy Scout nature geek who has a nerdy family that loves camping: "Huh?"

Camping is not an alternative to a hotel room. There are camping trips and then there are hotel trips. When we spend the weekend in the mountains, we camp. When we stay overnight in Denver or travel to Tucson for spring break, we stay in hotels. Campsites are notoriously scarce in Denver's LoDo. You could bring your tent and camp down by the river. But the neighbors may not suit you.

I should take umbrage at these camping johnny-come-latelys. However, umbrage is also in short supply during these tough economic times. So I welcome all these new campers, many of them bound for the wilds of Wyoming this summer. If Bernie Madoff and his diamond-encrusted Hummer pulled up next to our campsite in the Snowy Range, I wouldn't tell him to take a hike. I'd invite him on a hike. What better way to know a person than to guide him on a jaunt over a rocky trail that rises 3,000 feet in two miles? If he's made of stern (but not Bear-Stearns) stuff, he'll make it to the summit. When we arrive, we'll admire the view together. When he turns his back, I'll vamoose, leaving him there in solitude to ponder his many crimes. I'd go back a couple days later with some bread and water.

We kid Bernie.

While camping, you can leave behind all of those economic concerns. Some rookies may worry that they won't have enough money to buy the latest camping gear. Don't let that trouble you. My old pal Dave touts "celebrity camping." You and your friends pile into a jalopy and head for the hills. Reaching a vacant campsite, you back up the car, unload comfy chairs and the beer cooler, and proceed to get "as loaded as a celebrity." Come nightfall, you can throw your sleeping bag (if you remember it) by the fire (if you have the wherewithal to make one) and sleep the sleep of the contented. Or you can just pass out in your camp chair.

Most of us prefer a less minimalist aproach. Besides, we're too old for such foolishness. We car camp, sure, but we also bring the proper equipment. Here's a partial list: tent, sleeping bags, air mattresses, camp stove, matches, food, beverages, cooking utensils, eating utensils, clothes, ponchos, books, journals, bug spray, dog. Optional items include iPods, although they are usually allowed, otherwise there will be a constant mosquito-like whining in my ear from a 16-year-old.

Definitely not allowed on any camping trip: RV, TV, ATV, guns, fishing poles, other fancy stuff. I have nothing against fishing, but killing any fish or fowl will again bring torrents of teen vegan whining into my ears. I liked to fish when I was a kid but do that no more. Now camping is for cooking, hiking, watching wildlife, sleeping under the stars and conversation.

Spending time with my nerdy family -- that's what it's really all about.

Is help on the way for student loan debt?

If Business Week, Daily Kos and U.S. News & World Report think it's an idea whose time has come, who am I to argue?

This strange mix of media outlets have recently run stories about the idea of forgiving student loans -- or at least finding ways to lessen the burdens of those saddled with whopping student debt.

Business Week noted on March 24 that "help is on the way" for those with federal student loans.

The Income-Based Repayment plan, part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, will provide some relief to federal student loan borrowers when it goes into effect on July 1. The program will cap most borrowers' monthly payments at less than 10% of their gross income for 25 years, after which any remaining debt will be forgiven. Another program, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness, allows borrowers to make income-based repayments and have their debt discharged after 10 years. "These programs actually provide some major help now and in the immediate future," says Irons of the Project on Student Debt.

But the situation is not quite as rosy for private loan borrowers. Many of these debtors have been unable to meet their monthly payments, putting their loans in forbearance for several years or, in the worst-case scenario, defaulting on their loans. Making matters worse for private borrowers is a clause in the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act that included private student loans as one of 10 debts that can't be forgiven in bankruptcy cases.

Read the entire article at
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/mar2009/bs20090323_558993.htm

I'm one of the 144,000 members of the Facebook group Cancel Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy. We all have horror stories to tell. Some members of the group have raised the point that the $500 we pay each month in student loans might be a better economic stimulus if we could spend it, rather than give it to a student loan conglomerate who uses it to line the pockets of their overpaid executives. It's well known that some of the same giant banks that bundled home and car loans also bundled student loans. The conglomerates made out like bandits, while we were left holding the bag of loans larded with compiling interest and collection charges.

It's consumer spending that stimulates the economy. After all, how many solid gold umbrella stands does one bank executive need? I understand that the purchase of gold umbrella stands contribute to the economy, especially if they are made in the U.S.A. and bought in the U.S.A. But it's a little-known fact that jobs in the the gold umbrella stand industry have all been shipped to Sri Lanka by those same executives who bought those umbrella stands during boom times for precious-metal accoutrements such as gold-flaked gourmet ice cream, gold-encrusted cell phones and 24-carat gold bullion doorstops. Not to mention those golden showers execs administered to us all.

But I digress, in the hummingbirdminds style.

What if that same $500 that went into an exec's gold umbrella stand budget line was instead spent locally on groceries, clothes, car repair and even umbrellas? What if there were thousands -- even millions -- of us doing that? Wouldn't that be better for the GDP and our local economies than the purchase of a few you-know-whats by you-know-who?

Think about it.

Meanwhile, check out a few other articles about student loan forgiveness on the CSLDTSTE group on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=46657437878. Thanks to group founder Robert Applebaum, NYC.

Jon Stewart explains it all for us

Just saw a repeat of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" smackdown with Jim Cramer of CNBC's "Fast Money." Wow! I didn't see it the first time because the buildup was so overdone that it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. But Stewart's main point was a simple one. Why was CNBC fiddling why Wall Street burned? Certainly they could have better reported the shenanigans behind the scenes, the fact that A.I.G. and Bear Stearns and Citigroup execs were taking our 401(k) money and enriching their own selves, all the time telling us to put more money into our investments and just forget about it. Trust us.

We're at fault too. We let them get away with it. Then. But what about now? Will we hold them accountable? Will Pres. Obama and his money people let them get away with it by propping up their old shell game?

Next time your workplace H.R. people conduct an investment seminar, ask them this question: Why did you tell us to put our money into 401(k)s and deffered comp plans and then forget about it? Is there something you're hiding? Or worse -- something you don't have a clue about because you too never ask WHY?

Start educating yourself by watching the repeat of Stewarty vs. Cramer "Daily Show" episode at http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=220533

Sirota slams greedheads, agrees with Repub Grassley

One of my favorite columnists/bloggers David Sirota writes this:

Remember, the Wall Street Journal shows that taxpayers are now being held hostage, as taxpayer-subsidized banks tell the government "if you want our help to get credit flowing again to consumers and businesses, stop the rush to penalize our
bonuses." And instead of simply nationalizing the banks that taxpayers already effectively own, Geithner, Summers and Obama are bowing down and complying,
offering up a plan that includes no serious executive pay restrictions and simply shovels more taxpayer cash to the same bankers who destroyed our economy.

Read David Sirota :: I Agree With Chuck Grassley

Greedheads planned all along to do us in

Matt Taibbi nails it in Rolling Stone:

...people are pissed off about this financial crisis, and about this bailout, but they're not pissed off enough. The reality is that the worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout that followed were together a kind of revolution, a coup d'état. They cemented and formalized a political trend that has been snowballing for decades: the gradual takeover of the government by a small class of connected insiders, who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations.

For entire article, go to Rolling Stone.

Religious affiliation: None

Leonard Pitts, Jr., writes for the Miami Herald, a daily paper known for a tell-it-like-it-is columnists. I first noticed him during the election, when his syndicated columns appeared in our local paper. He targets fools and hypocrites of all stripes, with his most scathing columns targeting conservative foolishness.

His column in today’s Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, "Religion is Losing Us," addresses the recent American Religious Identity Survey which "found a sharp erosion in the number of people claiming religious affiliation." He reels off some of the survey’s finding. He then sums up why many Americans have distanced themselves from religious wackos:

People of faith usually respond to that ugliness -- by which I mean a seemingly endless cycle of scandal, controversy, hypocrisy, violence and TV preachers saying idiot things -- in one of two ways. Either they defend it (making them part of the problem), or they regard it as a series of isolated, albeit unfortunate, episodes. But irreligious people do neither.

And people of faith should ask themselves: What is the cumulative effect upon outside observers of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker living like lords on the largess of the poor, multiplied by Jimmy Swaggart's pornography addiction, plus Eric Rudolph bombing Olympians and gays in the name of God, plus Muslims hijacking airplanes in the name of God, multiplied by the church that kicked out some members because they voted Democrat, divided by people caterwauling on courthouse steps as a rock bearing the Ten Commandments was removed, multiplied by the square root of Catholic priests preying on little boys while the church looked on and did nothing, multiplied by Muslims rioting over cartoons, plus the ongoing demonization of gay men and lesbians, divided by all those ''traditional values'' coalitions and ''family values'' councils that try to bully public schools into becoming worship houses, with morning prayers and science lessons from the book of Genesis? Then subtract selflessness, service, sacrifice, holiness and hope.

The church I attend sporadically (First United Methodist Church) isn’t like this. But the list of transgressions outlined by Pitt are just some of reasons I no longer go to the local Catholic Church.

Churches don’t need me. I used to think I needed a church to bring meaning to my life. But that’s not true. Only I can do that. I still describe myself as a Christian. But when I'm filling out paperwork and I come to the "religion" section, I write in "none."

Arts included in stimulus funds for Wyoming

As I've said many times, my day job is as an arts worker in the Wyoming Arts Council. The WAC is receiving $290,000 of stimulus funds that was included in the $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts funds in Pres. Obama's stimulus bill. All three members of Wyoming's Congressional delegation voted against economic stimulus. One, Rep. Cynthia Lummis from Cheyenne, called the NEA appropriation "crazy." Other Wyomingites have questioned the funding.

WAC Board Chair wrote an article last week called "Arts Mean Business." He makes a great case, and I don't say this just because he's our board chair.

Read the entire article at http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2009/03/arts-mean-business-and-economic.html

Live HD opera comes to the big screen

I've never seen a live opera. Never really interested me. Besides, to actually see one, I have to travel to the spiffy new opera house in Denver, pay a fortune for tickets, get dressed up, and probably pay for a fancy dinner. If it was a priority, I'd do it.

Today, I traveled to Cinemark in Fort Collins to see a simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera's "La Sonnambula." My friend Bob lives in Fort Collins and is a long-time opera fan. He spends part of each summer at the Santa Fe Opera. He has season tickets to Colorado Opera. He goes to the Met's simulcasts. He's an opera "Deadhead," travelling across the West, following Verdi and Bellini and even Wagner. I admire that sort of dedication.

I met Bob and his neighbor Art at the Cinemark. Art used to sing opera as a hobby when he was an engineering professor at Ohio State (a.k.a. The Ohio State). Art saw opera at La Scala in Milan in 1973. La Scala is to opera what City Lights Books in North Beach is to beat poets. Or Ryman Auditorium is to C/W musicians. You get the picture. Bob, of course, has seen dozens of operas and studies up on it in his semi-retirement. I'm a novice. Still educating myself in the fine arts -- a lifelong pursuit.

I paid $20 and joined 200-some people to see the opera on-screen. As we have always suspected, technology is a wonderful things for the arts. Sure, we've seen dire warnings about our teens' brains turning to jelly from playing too many rounds of "Halo" or "Resident Evil." But tech geeks also invented the HD camera and iPods and LCD projectors to enhance the artistic experience.

As I watched a 300-year-old opera live in high-def, I thought to myself: "Technology could help opera make a comeback." Yes, most of the people in the crowd were older than my 58 years. And yes, the graying of the performing arts audience is a major concern of arts groups all over the world. Whenever I go to a local symphony performance, the sound of old people snoring competes with strains of Beethoven and Mozart.

But things may be looking up. Did you know that opera has its own version of "American Idol?" It's true. At today's simulcast, we saw a preview of "The Audition," a documentary based on a 2007 nationwide search for the next big opera voice. The singers were almost all in their 20s, with one man coming in at the ripe old age of 30. They all have wonderful voices. The search has conducted regional auditions and the winners all go to the U.S. competition. That winner gets to sing at the Met.

I haven't spoken much about the opera itself. Bellini set his original in a small 17th-century town in the Swiss Alps. The new version takes place in a NYC rehearsal space, with the players dressed in contemporary clothes rehearsing for a performance of "La Sonnambula" set in a Swiss village. Kooky.

But what impressed me most is how the Metropolitan Opera, one of the oldest and stodgiest institutions in one of the oldest and stodgiest areas in the performing arts, is modernizing through technology and by borrowing ideas from reality shows such as "American Idol." Purists will be shocked. Bob tells me that the Mary Zimmerman, director of this new version of "La Sonnambula," was booed when introduced at opening night The Met. However, the place was filled to capacity for today's performance. And much applause was flung at the leading tenor and soprano. Even Bob, an old-line opera lover, loved the changes. And if we learned anything in our most recent past, change is good.

Ex-Veep Cheney still talking nonsense

On the March 18 "Daily Show," Jon Stewart skewered this John King "interview" of Wyoming's Dick Cheney. What's not to skewer? Go to http://crooksandliars.com/taxonomy/term/205