Listen to candidates' debates aired on Wyoming Public Radio:
WPR: Wyoming Public Radio and the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming held two debates (2010-10-13)
Listened to some of the Massie-Hill debate yesterday. Now sure that Massie is the one.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Writers of West and South "immersed in loss"
"Westerners are immersed hourly in loss."
So said Rick Bass, Southern-born and now a citizen of the Rocky Mountain West. He was one of the guest writers Oct. 8 at the annual Literary Connection at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.
It’s an old script. Extractive industries remove our timber, coal, trona, gold, copper, uranium and oil. Access roads criss-cross our wild lands, leading to loss of animal habitat.
When each stake is played out, or expenses and regulations outdo profits, "the industries withdraw, blaming environmentalists, but never taking responsibility for their actions," Rick says.
The jobs leave with the industries. Anger and loss follow.
Rick bemoans the “trashing of our wild gardens” in the West. He doesn’t just “bemoan.” He writes angrily about the loss. He works vigorously to defend the wild places, notably his own Yaak Valley in western Montana. He has served on the board of the Yaak Valley Forest Council and Round River Conservation Studies.
“The biota of the Yaak is the ecological equivalent of a Russian novel,” he says. “Not one species in the Yaak has gone extinct since the Ice Age. Maybe it’s the only valley you can say that about.”
His life as a writer and hunter suits the Yaak. He describes how the predator-prey relationship speaks to the conflict inherent in a short story or novel.
“In the Yaak, everything eats meat and is searching for it,” he says. “What is the hunt but story in pursuit of story?”
The predator may move through the landscape, he adds, but it is “the prey which directs the hunter’s movements.” Both are moving through a landscape which is both horizontal and vertical and filled with impediments.
“The hunted shapes the hunter – the dramatic tension between them is story.”
The hunting culture is vastly different from the farming culture down on the prairie. “Corn is not trying to elude you,” he says. “When you step into the woods, there’s nothing in you but imagination.”
I am not a hunter but I can imagine the hunt. Not the same thing as actually doing it. I know that there is a huge difference between stalking the frozen “fecal-drenched chicken” (Rick’s term) to the pursuit of a wild deer in the wild woods.
But thinking metaphorically, I can relate to the act of stepping into the woods of a story. Writer in pursuit of a story, moving through a complicated landscape. I start the pursuit but often the “prey” takes me on a wild ride that I didn’t anticipate when I started.
Rick is convinced that “there is a river of spirit that flows shifting and winding between me and the land.” This is some sort of “third spirit – a spark that ignites between us and the landscape.”
So the landscape is crucial to Rick Bass the writer and the hunter. So is the sense of loss that occurs when that landscape is plundered.
“The narrative is in full crisis now,” he says. There’s also a strange diminishment of time and space evident now. Is this sense of loss going away?
“I still can imagine a happy ending.”
Rick’s stories, of course, don’t necessarily have happy endings. He read sections of several – “Her First Elk;” “The Hermit’s Story;” “The Cave.”
He read the full text of “The Canoeist,” a story told mostly in the conditional tense – “would.” That’s a rarity. Very short – and a love story, too.
After the reading, emcee and fiction writer Laura Pritchett of Colorado said that she likes Rick’s “really funky odd love stories.”
Many of his stories are “funky odd,” going back to the stories set in the South in “The Watch.”
Stories riven with loss and dark humor. Two traits of writers I admire, whether they be West or South. As a passport-carrying member of both places, I know.
So said Rick Bass, Southern-born and now a citizen of the Rocky Mountain West. He was one of the guest writers Oct. 8 at the annual Literary Connection at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.
It’s an old script. Extractive industries remove our timber, coal, trona, gold, copper, uranium and oil. Access roads criss-cross our wild lands, leading to loss of animal habitat.
When each stake is played out, or expenses and regulations outdo profits, "the industries withdraw, blaming environmentalists, but never taking responsibility for their actions," Rick says.
The jobs leave with the industries. Anger and loss follow.
Rick bemoans the “trashing of our wild gardens” in the West. He doesn’t just “bemoan.” He writes angrily about the loss. He works vigorously to defend the wild places, notably his own Yaak Valley in western Montana. He has served on the board of the Yaak Valley Forest Council and Round River Conservation Studies.
“The biota of the Yaak is the ecological equivalent of a Russian novel,” he says. “Not one species in the Yaak has gone extinct since the Ice Age. Maybe it’s the only valley you can say that about.”
His life as a writer and hunter suits the Yaak. He describes how the predator-prey relationship speaks to the conflict inherent in a short story or novel.
“In the Yaak, everything eats meat and is searching for it,” he says. “What is the hunt but story in pursuit of story?”
The predator may move through the landscape, he adds, but it is “the prey which directs the hunter’s movements.” Both are moving through a landscape which is both horizontal and vertical and filled with impediments.
“The hunted shapes the hunter – the dramatic tension between them is story.”
The hunting culture is vastly different from the farming culture down on the prairie. “Corn is not trying to elude you,” he says. “When you step into the woods, there’s nothing in you but imagination.”
I am not a hunter but I can imagine the hunt. Not the same thing as actually doing it. I know that there is a huge difference between stalking the frozen “fecal-drenched chicken” (Rick’s term) to the pursuit of a wild deer in the wild woods.
But thinking metaphorically, I can relate to the act of stepping into the woods of a story. Writer in pursuit of a story, moving through a complicated landscape. I start the pursuit but often the “prey” takes me on a wild ride that I didn’t anticipate when I started.
Rick is convinced that “there is a river of spirit that flows shifting and winding between me and the land.” This is some sort of “third spirit – a spark that ignites between us and the landscape.”
So the landscape is crucial to Rick Bass the writer and the hunter. So is the sense of loss that occurs when that landscape is plundered.
“The narrative is in full crisis now,” he says. There’s also a strange diminishment of time and space evident now. Is this sense of loss going away?
“I still can imagine a happy ending.”
Rick’s stories, of course, don’t necessarily have happy endings. He read sections of several – “Her First Elk;” “The Hermit’s Story;” “The Cave.”
He read the full text of “The Canoeist,” a story told mostly in the conditional tense – “would.” That’s a rarity. Very short – and a love story, too.
After the reading, emcee and fiction writer Laura Pritchett of Colorado said that she likes Rick’s “really funky odd love stories.”
Many of his stories are “funky odd,” going back to the stories set in the South in “The Watch.”
Stories riven with loss and dark humor. Two traits of writers I admire, whether they be West or South. As a passport-carrying member of both places, I know.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Torrington conference gives boost to locally-based ag economies
Sheridan's Sam Western writes for The Economist, WyoFile and an assortment of other publications on issues important to Wyoming and the high and dry West. His latest piece for WyoFile is about agriculture. Sam's not an aggie, and neither am I, but we both know that corporate large-scale ag has proven destructive to the High Plains. Not only on the landscape but on the human culture.
The "localvore" movement may have a partial solution. A recent ag summit was held in Torrington. The local Table Mountain Winery participated, as did Meadow Maid Farms out of Yoder which offers an increasingly popular CSA program.
But Sam's article tells it better in today's Wyofile story:
The "localvore" movement may have a partial solution. A recent ag summit was held in Torrington. The local Table Mountain Winery participated, as did Meadow Maid Farms out of Yoder which offers an increasingly popular CSA program.
But Sam's article tells it better in today's Wyofile story:
"Wyoming agriculture is beginning to plant new seeds, and poor counties, known for monoculture, lead the way," reports WyoFile correspondent Sam Western. Sam found himself very pleasantly surprised in late summer when a conference in Torrington featured delicious meals from local producers. He went on to examine what the local food movement, and what new ventures in agriculture might mean to the traditionally agricultural, and poor, counties in southeast Wyoming. As a small supplement to the economic changes that recent oil industry interest in the Niobrara formation may bring, that is.
The problem in modern agriculture, declared Torrington conference speaker Joel Salatin, "is creating holistic, complementary systems to create salaries for the next generation. The average age of the American farmer is 60 years old. Farmers hit retirement age and then give it to the kids. That’s too late. The time to pick up that youthful enthusiasm is when they are 16-18 years old. We need to build enough income into farms to hire ourselves and our children and next generation."
Some of these topics will be discussed at a state-sponsored conference on AgriFuture, starting tomorrow, Oct. 13, in Evanston. And meanwhile the legislature may be weighing in on issues regarding sales of home-made food from local products: a bill to exempt such sales from safety regulation got a committee endorsement in Buffalo earlier this month, despite serious objections from food safety experts.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Live-stream Obama House Parties and local candidate forum Oct. 12 in Cheyenne
Cheyenne Democrat Lori Brand sends this:
Connie Filopovitch and I are hosting one of the Live-Stream Obama House Parties along with a candidate forum on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
At 5 p.m. will be the live webcast with other Organizing for America House Parties across the country.
At 6:30 p.m. we will have a candidates' forum. If you are a candidate in or a supporter of a candidate, this would be the time to give a short presentation. I have invited Sandy Shanor who is running for the LCSD#1 School Board.
See you on Tuesday at 629 Oakhurst in Cheyenne.
FMI: Connie Filipovitch-Sarmiento, 307-421-7492
Democrat Gaining Momentum in Wyoming
This was posted Oct. 3 on Daily Kos. Better late than never.
Democrat Wendt Gaining Momentum in Republican Wyoming
Democrat Wendt Gaining Momentum in Republican Wyoming
After the election, Democrats will make great pets
You learn lots of things while walking Cheyenne neighborhoods for your favorite Democratic Party candidates.
I did that on Saturday as I dropped off door hangers for Senate District 5 candidate Lori Millin and flyers for District Court Clerk candidate Wendy Soto.
About those door hangers… A steady northwest wind blew on Saturday. Cooled things off, and also made it difficult to hang a door hanger so it wouldn’t blow away. Forget all of the west- and –north-facing homes – about half of my assigned territory. It’s so easy to smack the top of the hanger against the door knob and watch it magically attach. There’s a technique that I’ve learned over the years. Grab the lower end of the hanger and BAP it on the tiny part of the knob. It’s all in the wrist. This also works on screen door knobs and fancier knobs that have the latch you work with your thumb.
But the wind calls for different methods. First, you can’t get a good wind-up as the wind snatches the hanger in mid-motion. If you then use old-fashioned manual attachment techniques, the raging wind will snag the hanger from its perch and send it to Nebraska. This leaves lots of wind litter. It’s also a waste of precious campaign dollars, especially this year when Democrats are holding bake sales and maxing out credit cards to get cash. It’s also unseemly to see Dems running down the street after skittering door hangers and flyers. I can just see those Republicans now, sitting on their verandas, sipping mint juleps, lighting cigars with 20-dollar bills, watching us run. “Those Democrats are so entertaining,” they might say. “After the election, they will make great pets."
Speaking of Republicans, I didn’t see a single Repub candidate out on the hustings. I kept my eyes and ears open as I slipped campaign material through screen doors or rolled it up to slip between door knob and door jamb. I saw no Repub material, either. A curious overnight with only a few weeks left to go. The Repubs must feel confident. Wyoming is a one-party state, after all, and never more so than this year when its Repub Gov candidate leads the Dem candidate by a huge 30-point margin.
Still, we persevere. On one street, I ran into the Democrats' Laramie County Clerk candidate Tim Thorson and his wife Elizabeth. Tim was placing another yard sign. Tim has been very aggressive in the sign department. He also has four billboards placed around the county. A hard-working Dem politician.
And not the only one. I also spotted Dem House District 8 candidate Ken McCauley knocking on townhouse doors along Lawrence Ave. He leaves flyers in doors when he gets no answer. When he does get an answer, he asks for a few minutes to talk about the issues. According to Ken, people get a bit cantankerous when they discover his party affiliation. They often change their mind after discovering Ken is a U.S. Air Force combat veteran and has solid ideas for the district. One 90-something voter (also a military veteran) spouted the Fox News repertoire of Death Panels and cutting big gubment and those damn commies and socialists. Ken said, “I’m a combat veteran and have been fighting socialists all my life.” The man changed his tune and shook Ken’s hand.
Now, a socialist commie pinko peacenik such as me might take umbrage at this. Let me take a short-time out for some umbrage.
Ah, that’s better.
How do you fight this sort of Tea Party crap, where people get into your face and spew a barrage of nonsense?
Shoot back. Humor’s good, too, but it’s often wasted on the brainwashed. Ken is a combat veteran and a Democrat and a smart guy with great ideas. Should he not make use of all of his credentials? I’ve voted for Democrats with impressive military combat credentials? Remember John Kerry? JFK? George McGovern? They were the best candidates for the job. JFK was elected, while Republicans Swift-boated Kerry and did something similar to McGovern back in 1972. Although the Dems basically sunk themselves during both of those elections. And who can forget Al Gore’s 2000 popular-vote victory over George W. Bush? The guy who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in a non-combat role vs. the Texas Air National Guard pilot who skipped maneuvers stateside?
I’ve also voted for many candidates who never served in the military. In fact, if I had voted the straight Wyoming Republican Party slate for U.S. House and U.S. Senate in 2008, I would have voted for three candidates who never served in the military. All three, however, support both of our ongoing wars and the continuing bloated defense budget.
And so it goes.
I encountered one gentleman who asked me point-blank if Lori Millin voted for Obama. I said that I supposed so as she was a Democrat. He then asked if she supported charter schools. I said that she supported education although I didn’t know about her position on charter schools. He then said that that was the problem with us doorhanging people, we didn’t know what our candidates stood for. He was a Republican and active in politics. I asked if he wanted me to retrieve the door hanger if he didn’t want to read it. He said he would read it. I asked if he voted the straight party line and he said he didn’t. I said that I was a Democrat and I didn’t support the straight party line which is very difficult to do in Wyoming anyway.
He then added that he had called Mike Massie’s office multiple times and hadn’t received a response. Mike is the Democratic Party candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction. I said that that was very odd as Mike was big on returning calls and he’d spent lots of time talking about education all across the state. The man said, “I’d like to talk to him."
We left it at that. The best conversation I’ve had with a Republican in a long time. I got in my car and found Lori in an adjacent neighborhood. I told her about my talk and she got in her car and went over to talk to the man. She spoke to the man and his wife. They were big supporters of charter schools. Lori supports them as long as the rules are followed. Republicans insist on charter-school support from local school districts but don’t want to be bound by rules of the district or the Wyoming Department of Education. She sees that as a problem. Her kids attend Laramie County schools.
I also see this as a problem.
What I like is that Lori went to the man’s house to talk to him about his concerns. That’s not easy. It takes courage. You don’t have to be in the military to appreciate courage.
I did that on Saturday as I dropped off door hangers for Senate District 5 candidate Lori Millin and flyers for District Court Clerk candidate Wendy Soto.
About those door hangers… A steady northwest wind blew on Saturday. Cooled things off, and also made it difficult to hang a door hanger so it wouldn’t blow away. Forget all of the west- and –north-facing homes – about half of my assigned territory. It’s so easy to smack the top of the hanger against the door knob and watch it magically attach. There’s a technique that I’ve learned over the years. Grab the lower end of the hanger and BAP it on the tiny part of the knob. It’s all in the wrist. This also works on screen door knobs and fancier knobs that have the latch you work with your thumb.
But the wind calls for different methods. First, you can’t get a good wind-up as the wind snatches the hanger in mid-motion. If you then use old-fashioned manual attachment techniques, the raging wind will snag the hanger from its perch and send it to Nebraska. This leaves lots of wind litter. It’s also a waste of precious campaign dollars, especially this year when Democrats are holding bake sales and maxing out credit cards to get cash. It’s also unseemly to see Dems running down the street after skittering door hangers and flyers. I can just see those Republicans now, sitting on their verandas, sipping mint juleps, lighting cigars with 20-dollar bills, watching us run. “Those Democrats are so entertaining,” they might say. “After the election, they will make great pets."
Speaking of Republicans, I didn’t see a single Repub candidate out on the hustings. I kept my eyes and ears open as I slipped campaign material through screen doors or rolled it up to slip between door knob and door jamb. I saw no Repub material, either. A curious overnight with only a few weeks left to go. The Repubs must feel confident. Wyoming is a one-party state, after all, and never more so than this year when its Repub Gov candidate leads the Dem candidate by a huge 30-point margin.
Still, we persevere. On one street, I ran into the Democrats' Laramie County Clerk candidate Tim Thorson and his wife Elizabeth. Tim was placing another yard sign. Tim has been very aggressive in the sign department. He also has four billboards placed around the county. A hard-working Dem politician.
And not the only one. I also spotted Dem House District 8 candidate Ken McCauley knocking on townhouse doors along Lawrence Ave. He leaves flyers in doors when he gets no answer. When he does get an answer, he asks for a few minutes to talk about the issues. According to Ken, people get a bit cantankerous when they discover his party affiliation. They often change their mind after discovering Ken is a U.S. Air Force combat veteran and has solid ideas for the district. One 90-something voter (also a military veteran) spouted the Fox News repertoire of Death Panels and cutting big gubment and those damn commies and socialists. Ken said, “I’m a combat veteran and have been fighting socialists all my life.” The man changed his tune and shook Ken’s hand.
Now, a socialist commie pinko peacenik such as me might take umbrage at this. Let me take a short-time out for some umbrage.
Ah, that’s better.
How do you fight this sort of Tea Party crap, where people get into your face and spew a barrage of nonsense?
Shoot back. Humor’s good, too, but it’s often wasted on the brainwashed. Ken is a combat veteran and a Democrat and a smart guy with great ideas. Should he not make use of all of his credentials? I’ve voted for Democrats with impressive military combat credentials? Remember John Kerry? JFK? George McGovern? They were the best candidates for the job. JFK was elected, while Republicans Swift-boated Kerry and did something similar to McGovern back in 1972. Although the Dems basically sunk themselves during both of those elections. And who can forget Al Gore’s 2000 popular-vote victory over George W. Bush? The guy who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in a non-combat role vs. the Texas Air National Guard pilot who skipped maneuvers stateside?
I’ve also voted for many candidates who never served in the military. In fact, if I had voted the straight Wyoming Republican Party slate for U.S. House and U.S. Senate in 2008, I would have voted for three candidates who never served in the military. All three, however, support both of our ongoing wars and the continuing bloated defense budget.
And so it goes.
I encountered one gentleman who asked me point-blank if Lori Millin voted for Obama. I said that I supposed so as she was a Democrat. He then asked if she supported charter schools. I said that she supported education although I didn’t know about her position on charter schools. He then said that that was the problem with us doorhanging people, we didn’t know what our candidates stood for. He was a Republican and active in politics. I asked if he wanted me to retrieve the door hanger if he didn’t want to read it. He said he would read it. I asked if he voted the straight party line and he said he didn’t. I said that I was a Democrat and I didn’t support the straight party line which is very difficult to do in Wyoming anyway.
He then added that he had called Mike Massie’s office multiple times and hadn’t received a response. Mike is the Democratic Party candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction. I said that that was very odd as Mike was big on returning calls and he’d spent lots of time talking about education all across the state. The man said, “I’d like to talk to him."
We left it at that. The best conversation I’ve had with a Republican in a long time. I got in my car and found Lori in an adjacent neighborhood. I told her about my talk and she got in her car and went over to talk to the man. She spoke to the man and his wife. They were big supporters of charter schools. Lori supports them as long as the rules are followed. Republicans insist on charter-school support from local school districts but don’t want to be bound by rules of the district or the Wyoming Department of Education. She sees that as a problem. Her kids attend Laramie County schools.
I also see this as a problem.
What I like is that Lori went to the man’s house to talk to him about his concerns. That’s not easy. It takes courage. You don’t have to be in the military to appreciate courage.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Sometimes it takes an artist to interpret war's horror
Design Boom recently featured this simple but incredibly powerful installation by Brooklyn-based artist Sebastian Errazuriz. Using the wall outside his studio, he's created a simple tally of some sobering numbers: military combat deaths in Iraq in 2009, and military suicides in 2009From Design Boom:
'When I first found the overall statistics that summed the 304 suicides by US soldiers during 2009, I was shocked. I tried to find a number to compare that statistic. To my surprise the suicide statistic doubled the total of 149 US soldiers that had died in the Iraq war during 2009 and equaled the number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.'
Errazuriz's first instinct was to post the statistic on facebook—dumbfounded by the lack of response and interest, he bought can of black paint and decided to 'post' the news in the real world on his own wall outside his studio in Brooklyn. Equipped with a ladder, he marked a black strip for every dead soldier, until both the suicide rates and war rates occupied the entire wall and were registered as a single image.
The sign is back
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Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Tea Partier lurking behind every Wyoming sagebrush
On Sunday, Rasmussen Reports released a telephone survey of “Likely Voters” in Wyoming.
No surprise:
And, finally, we get to the crux of the matter (also no surprise):
So, Republican Matt Mead will be our next governor. The majority of Tea Partiers will vote for Mead, as will some Democrats. Dems will vote for Mead because he is a moderate in the tradition of many Wyoming politicians. Repubs don’t have to be moderate, but let’s just say it’s a tradition. Democrats, such as Gov. Dave Freudenthal, have no choice – wearing the cloak of Republicanism is crucial to victory. He ran against Republican loonies in two races and won both times. Will Mead stay moderate? Or will he have to kowtow to the very loud Tea Party.
A look at his web site shows a few Tea Party planks slipping in. Here’s one on his “Health Care and Quality of Life page,” which is also a priority of the Republican Party:
However, on the same page, he says this:
Some disconnect here. Can’t have great health care without health care reform. Many thousands of Wyoming families depend on Medicaid. To curtail the teenage pregnancy rate, will he engage in education or the Republicans usual weapon of choice – fear?
Four weeks left to election day. In Wyoming, you can vote early. Do it now or later – but vote!
The Tea Party is counting on you to stay home.
No surprise:
Republican Matt Mead leads Democrat Leslie Peterson, 61%to 25%. This is pretty close to the majority held by registered Republicans over registered Democrats.No surprise:
Mead, a former U.S. attorney, is favored by 84% of membersin his own party.But all of this is scary and weird:
Twenty-six percent (26%) of Wyoming voters consider themselves membersof the Tea Party movement, much higher than the national average.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Tea Partiers in Wyoming favor Mead. Only 38% of non-Tea Party members support the Democrat, while a majority(51%) favors the Republican.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) of all voters in the state say the Tea Party movement is good for the country.
And, finally, we get to the crux of the matter (also no surprise):
John McCain carried Wyoming over Barack Obama by a 65% to 33% margin in November 2008. Now just 32% of Wyoming voters approve of the job Obama is doing as president. Sixty-seven percent (67%) disapprove of his job performance. This is considerably higher disapproval that is found nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
So, Republican Matt Mead will be our next governor. The majority of Tea Partiers will vote for Mead, as will some Democrats. Dems will vote for Mead because he is a moderate in the tradition of many Wyoming politicians. Repubs don’t have to be moderate, but let’s just say it’s a tradition. Democrats, such as Gov. Dave Freudenthal, have no choice – wearing the cloak of Republicanism is crucial to victory. He ran against Republican loonies in two races and won both times. Will Mead stay moderate? Or will he have to kowtow to the very loud Tea Party.
A look at his web site shows a few Tea Party planks slipping in. Here’s one on his “Health Care and Quality of Life page,” which is also a priority of the Republican Party:
Wyoming should join with other states in the ongoing legal challenge against the recently passed federal health care law. In my view the law is unconstitutional and infringes on individual liberties. Our state’s voice should be heard. Under the new federal law, the Federal government is meddling in one sixth of our national economy. The law will kill jobs, distress small businesses, and hurt future growth. The expansion of Medicaid, the mandate for individuals to purchase health insurance or be penalized – these and other aspects ofthe federal law are not good for Wyoming or our citizens. This is not the time for our State to remain silent.
However, on the same page, he says this:
As Governor, I will tackle the tough issues that affect quality of life, like unemployment, health care, treatment of juveniles, domestic violence, services for persons with disabilities, teenage pregnancy, and the elderly. I want the best for Wyoming families now and in the future. We want safe, friendly communities and the ability to enjoy our great outdoors.
Some disconnect here. Can’t have great health care without health care reform. Many thousands of Wyoming families depend on Medicaid. To curtail the teenage pregnancy rate, will he engage in education or the Republicans usual weapon of choice – fear?
Four weeks left to election day. In Wyoming, you can vote early. Do it now or later – but vote!
The Tea Party is counting on you to stay home.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
M.L. Liebler in DFP: New Book salutes "uniqueness of working-class culture"
Detroit Press Press Pop Culture Reporter Julie Hinds penned an article about poet and poetry activist M.L. Liebler. M.L. edited the recent anthology "Working Words: Punching the Clock and Kicking Out the Jams" from Coffee House Press. One of my short stories is in the anthology.
Here's an excerpt:
Read the DFP piece at http://www.freep.com/article/20101003/FEATURES05/10030324/M-L-Liebler-wants-to-make-poetry-accessible-to-everyone
Here's an excerpt:
It includes a powerful, eclectic assortment of writings, from poetry and short fiction to memoirs and nonfiction. And, of course, there are rock lyrics -- a reflection of the artistry of the genre and the impact that music has always had on Liebler, who considers the Beatles among his earliest teachers.
The lyrics to "Lose Yourself" by Eminem and "The Big Three Killed My Baby" by Jack White, two working-class heroes from the Motor City region, are featured in "Working Words." So are songs by one of America's greatest music icons, Bob Dylan.
At 500-plus pages, the anthology also contains works by old-school greats like Willa Cather, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, contemporary writers like Amiri Baraka and Andrei Codrescu and many writers with Michigan ties, including Philip Levine, Michael Moore, Bonnie Jo Campbell and Liebler himself.
In an introduction to the book, Liebler, who lives in his hometown of St. Clair Shores and is the poet laureate there, describes how he had two goals for the project: to let American writers tell stories of work and to pay homage "in the most inclusive and diverse way to the uniqueness of working-class cultures" and his own roots.
Read the DFP piece at http://www.freep.com/article/20101003/FEATURES05/10030324/M-L-Liebler-wants-to-make-poetry-accessible-to-everyone
Denver developer/preservationist Dana Crawford to address "Partnerships for Preservation" conference
Just in the past year, many exciting things have been happening to renew Cheyenne's downtown. The Depot and its outdoor plaza have brought life to downtown on summer weekends with concerts, a farmer's market and various events inside the Depot. Just recently, local organizers launched the Lights On! project to turn the main floor of the Hynds Building into an arts center. City planners are still pondering downtown's big hole, hoping that inspiration will strike.
Here's another event, geared mainly toward preservation of historic areas (including downtown):
FMI: http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Agenda.aspx?e=abc3372d-1d90-4e17-a236-af305b712d88
Here's another event, geared mainly toward preservation of historic areas (including downtown):
"Buildings, Business & Bankers - Partnerships for Preservation"RSVP by Oct. 6.
Buildings, Businesses, and Bankers - these are the keys to achieving our collective vision for historic areas in our communities. The mission of this conference is to bring together the best from each of these realms to advance momentum for community development and preservation.
Featuring award-winning preservationist Dana Crawford and community marketing and branding specialist Ben Muldrow.
Join us and be part of the movement!
Wednesday, October 13, 4:30 p.m., through Friday, October 15, 2 p.m., at the Historic Plains Hotel, 1600 Central Avenue, Cheyenne.
FMI: http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Agenda.aspx?e=abc3372d-1d90-4e17-a236-af305b712d88
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Lancet: "ADHD is not purely a social construct"
Purely a social construct? I never thought that, but others did -- and do. Partly a social construct, I would have said. So, this study is not exactly good news but it does help explain a few things.
From The Lancet medical journal in London:
From The Lancet medical journal in London:
Our findings provide genetic evidence of an increased rate of large CNVs in individuals with ADHD and suggest that ADHD is not purely a social construct.Read the summary at http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61109-9/fulltext. Huff Post and others also covered the study. If you had ADHD, you would already be Googling.
Getting a handle on health care reform's impact on our families
All of us with special needs children are doing our best to understand health care legislation. Just our luck that we'll have it all memorized and then the Repubs will claim victory in November and try to roll back the clock on this issue -- that's what they've promised. So good at undoing -- so bad at doing.
The following info comes from the Statewide Family and Consumer Networks Technical Assistance Center. It features great links to help families grok the ins and outs of health care reform. Thanks to Peggy Nickell at Wyoming UPLIFT for passing this along:
The following info comes from the Statewide Family and Consumer Networks Technical Assistance Center. It features great links to help families grok the ins and outs of health care reform. Thanks to Peggy Nickell at Wyoming UPLIFT for passing this along:
Links to Resources on Healthcare Reform
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed The Affordable Care Act into law. This comprehensive healthcare reform law includes many provisions that will impact children, youth and their families. Many websites have been developed and updated with information designed to help families and healthcare consumers navigate these changes. The following are links to sites that provide extremely helpful guidance on the new healthcare reform law and implementation:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed a website dedicated to helping people better understand the new healthcare law. It includes a section titled Families with Children that provides resources on a variety of topics. Here is a link to that section of the website: http://www.healthcare.gov/foryou/family/index.html.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has created a new section of their website titled Explaining the Basics of Health Reform. It includes multiple resources to help explain many of the complex provisions included in the law. Here is a link to that section of the website: http://www.kff.org/healthreform/basics.cfm#explaininghealthcarereformseries.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has developed a health reform section of their website that helps to explain the comprehensive provisions of the law and includes links to other websites that also provide helpful analysis. Here is a link to the Bazelon site: http://www.bazelon.org/Where-We-Stand/Access-to-Services/Health-Care-Reform/Final-Law-and-Implementation-.aspx.
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare has added a Policy Issues and Resource section to their website dedicated to the recently enacted healthcare reform law. This section of the website also includes access to archived Webinars on Healthcare Reform. Here is a link to the website: http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/healthcare_reform.
Resources developed as part of a joint project of The George Washington University's Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have been posted to a website titled Health Reform GPS ~ Navigating Implementation. Here is the link to the website: http://www.healthreformgps.org/.
Families USA has created a section of their website titled Health Reform Central ~ The Road to Implementation that includes a series of helpful resources. Here is a link to the website: http://www.familiesusa.org/health-reform-central/.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wyoming's Barrasso and Enzi join 43 other Senators to block bill to stop sending US jobs overseas
Daily Kos blogger MinistryOfTruth was suitably upset today when Senate Republicans voted to keep sending American jobs overseas.
45 Senators BLOCK bill to stop sending US jobs overseas with a tax cut wet kiss. This is MADNESS!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Leslie Petersen drops into Cheyenne Sept. 28
The Leslie Petersen campaign sent this notice:
Leslie Petersen, Democratic Candidate for Governor, will hold a News Conference in Cheyenne in the Wyoming Capitol on Tuesday, September 28th at 10:30 AM.
Governor Freudenthal will appear with Petersen to talk about her candidacy at the beginning of the press conference.
The subject of the press conference is funding for our communities and the need for adequate and reliable funding for local services.
Leslie will take questions from the media and the public after her opening remarks.
Leslie Petersen, Democratic Candidate for Governor, will hold a News Conference in Cheyenne in the Wyoming Capitol on Tuesday, September 28th at 10:30 AM.
Governor Freudenthal will appear with Petersen to talk about her candidacy at the beginning of the press conference.
The subject of the press conference is funding for our communities and the need for adequate and reliable funding for local services.
Leslie will take questions from the media and the public after her opening remarks.
"Helping Hands for Haiti" features art, food and music Sept. 30 in Cheyenne
Clay Paper Scissors Gallery in downtown Cheyenne will host a reception for its new show "Helping Hands for Haiti -- paintings and drawings by Paula Egan-Wright," on Thursday September 30, 5:30-7 p.m. Traditional Haitian food will be served and music will be provided by the Haitian Quartet
Paula Egan-Wright, an East High School French teacher, spent part of the summer in Haiti helping with earthquake relief at an orphanage. While she was there, she produced beautiful and poignant paintings and drawings of the people, places and the destruction wrought by the earthquake. Full of hope and life moving on, these paintings provide a moving documentary of a country struggling to regain its feet after disaster. Paula's drawings include portraits of children and people, and show the changes to famous places like the President's Palace and the Iron Market. All proceeds will go to support the orphanage in Haiti. Helping Hands for Haiti will be up through October 23, 2010.
Current gallery hours are Fridays and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.
FMI: Call 307-631-6039.
Follow the gallery on Facebook! Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheyenne-WY/Clay-Paper-Scissors-Gallery-Studio/84834729244
Paula Egan-Wright, an East High School French teacher, spent part of the summer in Haiti helping with earthquake relief at an orphanage. While she was there, she produced beautiful and poignant paintings and drawings of the people, places and the destruction wrought by the earthquake. Full of hope and life moving on, these paintings provide a moving documentary of a country struggling to regain its feet after disaster. Paula's drawings include portraits of children and people, and show the changes to famous places like the President's Palace and the Iron Market. All proceeds will go to support the orphanage in Haiti. Helping Hands for Haiti will be up through October 23, 2010.
Current gallery hours are Fridays and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.
FMI: Call 307-631-6039.
Follow the gallery on Facebook! Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheyenne-WY/Clay-Paper-Scissors-Gallery-Studio/84834729244
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wyoming already has its Tea Party candidate in Rep. Cynthia Lummis
David Wendt, Democratic Party candidate for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat, wrote a fine editorial for Sunday's Casper Star-Tribune. In it, he wonders why Rep. Cynthia Lummis has sided with the Tea Party when that's definitely not Wyoming's cup of tea.
In his words:
Read the full list of the members of the Tea Party Caucus at Michele Bachmann's (yes, that Michele Bachmann) web site at http://bachmann.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=199440
Rep. Lummis, the company you keep!
In his words:
Here in Wyoming we didn’t have to wait until the primary election was over to have our Tea Party candidate. This summer Rep. Cynthia Lummis had already signed on as a member within the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives of the 28-member "Tea Party caucus." Others of this group included Rep. Joe Barton, who felt it necessary to apologize to BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.Read the rest at http://trib.com/news/opinion/forums/article_6cee1ea1-c2e6-5887-9528-714efe6833e5.html
Do we really want to marginalize our state by sending back as our one representative in the House of Representatives, a member of this extremist caucus? What does the Tea Party know or care about Wyoming’s interests? On issues near and dear to Wyoming, like keeping the Wyoming Range off limits to drilling, Rep. Lummis has distanced herself from even her traditional conservative colleagues, Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, by opposing this cherished legacy of the late Sen. Craig Thomas.
The Tea Party has reaped a harvest of fear in national politics. They have played upon legitimate fears of economic insecurity, government overreaching, terrorism, and illegal immigration to create a harvest of anti-tax hysteria and religious intolerance. Wrapping themselves in the mantle of God and country, they purport to "take our country back" from their fellow Americans, as if all those who don’t share their views are traitors.
But is fear what we are about here in Wyoming? We pride ourselves on our frontier heritage. We have always brought to our challenges a spirit of self-reliance and courage to face the unknown. Time and again, we have summoned forth the initiative to respond to such challenges as the struggle for women’s equality, the preservation of public spaces and natural resources, and the fulfillment of our role as the nation’s energy workhorse.
Read the full list of the members of the Tea Party Caucus at Michele Bachmann's (yes, that Michele Bachmann) web site at http://bachmann.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=199440
Rep. Lummis, the company you keep!
Can you say Equality State?
By Jeremy Pelzer at the Casper Star-Tribune:
Why is this the business of the State of Wyoming?
Wyoming and nine other states signed onto a legal brief Friday claiming a federal court "exceeded its judicial authority" when it ruled that the U.S. Constitution requires legal marriage to include same-sex couples.Dogs and cats living together! Married people not having sex! Polyamority!
In the amicus brief, which was set to be filed late Friday afternoon with the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals, the states criticized a California federal judge's ruling last month that California's Proposition 8, a voter-passed ban on same-sex marriage, was illegal on federal constitutional grounds.
In the ruling, Judge Vaughn Walker wrote that there was no legitimate state interest in preventing same-sex marriages and that "moral disapproval" alone wasn't sufficient reason to justify banning it.
The case, Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, is currently on appeal. Lawyers for both sides have said they expect the case to ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
The other states joining the brief are Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.
Among other points, the 39-page brief asserts that same-sex marriage is not a fundamental right; questions the legal grounds of the decision; and holds that individual states, not the federal court system, have final say in decisions about whether to allow same-sex marriages.
The brief also states that Walker's definition of marriage as the state's approval of a couple's choice to live with, commit to and form a household and economic partnership with each other is a "staggeringly broad" definition that could open the door to polyamorous or even non-sexual marriages.
Why is this the business of the State of Wyoming?
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