Post-mortem, Wyoming style, on the first presidential debate

Democrats gathered tonight at Lori Brand's house in Cheyenne for a debate watching party. As always, we had a lot of fun just being together as Liberals in our decidedly un-Liberal state. We ate well, and drank fine wine and beer, as we watched the give-and-take between the candidates. Mitt looked and sounded desperate, trying to be a middle-of-the-roader in the Republican Party that is being driven over a cliff by right-wing crackpots. The moderator, Jim Lehrer, had no real part in the event. As Rachel Maddow quipped when it was concluded: "We've seen the death of this debate format." Or something like that. There was a bit of debate, but both Romney and Obama ran over the moderator. It doesn't work, and we deserve better.

Still, fun was had by all. We met some new people who heard about the event through the Obama for American site. We raised some money for state and local candidates, as well as for the Obama outreach effort from Wyoming to battleground Colorado, site of the debate. Obama needs to win Colorado to win the election. So we have to keep lobbing phone calls from The Equality State to The Centennial State until Nov. 6.

BTW, Jeran Artery of Wyoming Equality is a fine auctioneer. Thanks, Jeran.

On to the Veep debates next week!

Get 'em while they're hot, folks -- Presidential Debate Bingo cards

One of Meg's Presidential Debate Bingo cards

Laramie's Meg Lanker-Simons at Cognitive Dissonance has come up with a series of cards for "Presidential Debate Bingo." Every card is different! Play the game, get five buzzwords or jingoistic phrases in a row, submit the winning entry within an hour following the Oct. 3 Denver debate and win a swag bag of political buttons, bumper stickers, yard signs, and more. You won't find this offer in stores! Go to http://cognitivedissonance.tumblr.com/post/32773853069/inothernews-cognitivedissonance-presidential

"Gardening: Cool Season Crops" continues Oct. 4 at Cheyenne Botanic Gardens

Saw this on Nancy Sindelar's excellent e-mail newsletter: 

"Gardening: Cool Season Crops."  Grow crops for harvest in the hoop house.  Learn to take advantage of the end of the season, to continue the harvest.  Fifth of a seven-week series. At 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4, Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 710 South Lions Park Dr.  Info & RSVP:  637-6458, www.botanic.org, info@botanic.org.  Cost: $5 for the entire series. 

MoveOn petition asks: Sen. Barrasso, why did you vote to block veterans' jobs bill?

Wyoming MoveOn member Josh Kronberg sent this:

Dear Wyoming MoveOn member,

All over Wyoming we see public support for our troops overseas, but just because their tours of duty might end doesn't mean that the debt owed them by their country ends with them. 

Nonetheless, our troops are coming home to Wyoming and finding it even harder than non-vets to find jobs, housing, and support. We can wave all the banners we want and paste all the bumper stickers we can find but that doesn't put paychecks in veterans' hands or roofs over their heads.

Recently, Senator John Barrasso voted to block a billion-dollar veteran jobs program, and it's time we in Wyoming did more to support our troops than put bumper stickers on our cars and repost pictures on Facebook. 

That's why I created a petition on SignOn.org to Sen. Barrasso, which says:

Senator Barrasso, stop blocking programs to employ our vets, and start showing them the support they have earned. Reverse your decision on preventing the billion-dollar veteran jobs program from going through; put our money where our mouth is.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Josh Kronberg

This petition was created on SignOn.org, the progressive, nonprofit petition site. SignOn.org is sponsored by MoveOn Civic Action, which is not responsible for the contents of this or other petitions posted on the site. Josh Kronberg didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Debate watch party on the agenda for Oct. 3

Democrats are holding a debate watch party on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m. I saw the details on the Obama for America web site. It has a special relevance for those of us in Cheyenne who witnessed Obama's nomination and acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in 2008. This debate comes to us from the University of Denver campus.

It wasn't mentioned, but I wonder if there is a drinking game involved? You have to chug a beer when Mitt mentions socialism? When President Obama mentions Osama bin Laden? When Mitt can't remember the time that he told the Detroit auto industry to go to hell? When President Obama mentions that he's The Savior of Detroit? When the moderators lob a softball question at either candidate?

We'll be drunk by 6:35.

Get more info here.

Sam Western explores the future of AML funding in Wyoming w/update

Sam Western, Sheridan author and correspondent for London's The Economist, spoke last night at the Roosevelt-Kennedy dinner held by the Wyoming Democratic Party.

In a bit of kismet, a column by Sam appeared this morning in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. In it, he explores the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Trust Fund (AML) legislation, how it's helped and hurt Wyoming.

AML legislation was first passed in 1977 and mandated that a percentage of each ton of coal was designated to clean up abandoned mines. Strip mines of the West, like those in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, were taxed at $.35 per ton while underground mines of the East were taxed at $.15 per ton. Since most of the reclaimed mines were in the East, most of the $3 billion in taxes on Wyoming coal (the largest amount from any state) should have gone elsewhere. But the law also mandated that 50 percent of the taxes collected in a state would go back to that state. So it did. But since Wyoming had so few abandoned mines to reclaim, that money went to new ag facilities at Sheridan College and new classrooms at UW, facilities that normally would be paid for by its citizens.

That darn federal gubment.

In Republican Paul Ryan's Draconian budget plan, all that coal tax money would disappear. Remember, the GOP doesn't like taxes on wealthy corporations or people. The budget failed, but not before Wyoming's entire Congressional delegation, Republicans all, voted for it. Meanwhile, the 50 percent rate of return for AML funding has dropped to 48 percent, which means Wyoming loses out on millions every year. Our Congressional delegation now is backpedaling as fast as it can to save the AML funding.

Thus, this isn't a story about the AML. It's about the the reluctance of Wyoming to accept a new reality: Revenue from minerals, such as AML money, is easy to snatch, and Congress will probably use it for whatever it pleases.

The dilemma also reveals Wyoming's one-dimensional sense of entitlement. It's our money, we yelp, and we want it back. Now.

The reality is that over the years, Wyoming has received tens of billions of non-mineral-related money from taxpayers who don't live in the Cowboy State. In the trade-off department, Wyoming has gotten an awfully good deal.

The old era is fading. What were once Wyoming plums are now low-hanging fruit for a cash-strapped Congress to pluck for other purposes.

The matter is complicated by the unwillingness of Republicans to work across the aisle to reach a compromise on issues which would benefit the state. The doctrinaire thick-headedness of Barrasso, Enzi and Lummis, only make it inevitable that Wyoming will continue to lose federal funds. Not only will they not compromise with Democrats, they also finds compromise tough with members of their own party running for vice president.

What a dilemma.

And Wyoming will be the loser.

This is a summary of an excellent article loaded with details. I recommend that you read it. I would send you to the WTE web site to read the entire column, but it's a terrible web site and Sam is nowhere to be found. If you get the paper, read it on the op-ed pages. If not, try the library.

You can read more of Sam's excellent work (journalism, essays and fiction) at www.samuelwestern.com

10/1/12 UPDATE: Sam's column is on wyofile. Go to http://wyofile.com/2012/09/feds-can-restrict-flow-of-mineral-revenue-to-wyoming/  

Nov. 10 Cheyenne conference outlines steps to getting your novel published

Joanne Kennedy's new novel

Some of my local writing pals are staging a one-day conference "designed to help you navigate the next steps toward the publication of your novel." It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10, 10:15 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Laramie County Public Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave., Cheyenne.

Presenters include members of my writing group, Mary Gillgannon and Liz Roadifer, and an emeritus member of the group, Joanne Kennedy. Mary writes historical novels, as well as Celtic and Regency romances. Liz writes mysteries and sci-fi fantasy. Joanne is the well-known author of cowboy romances set in Wyoming.

Also presenting are Amanda Cabot, a Cheyenne author of Christian romances; teen novelist and library board member Tina Ann Forkner; "Saucy Lucy" series mystery novelist Cindy Keen Reynders; and memoirist and sci-fi writer Marjie Smith.

That's one heck of a line-up. I attended a recent presentation by Mary, in which she outlined the steps to getting your work published as e-books. I learned a lot and took lots of notes (see my blog about it here).

The workshop is free. The day includes a lunch-hour book signing, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Laramie County Library Foundation. You can brown-bag it, or get a delicious lunch at the library cafe (I eat there often).

FMI: 307-634-3561.

Cheyenne Vineyard Church's "Cotton Patch Gospel" has roots in Christian social justice

My former work colleague Randy Oestman left state employment to serve as a minister for the Cheyenne Vineyard Church, 1506 Thomes Ave. Vineyard services are very musical, I am told, which is not surprising, considering Randy's theatre background. Randy and his Vineyard colleagues take the New Testament's social justice message seriously. They minister to Cheyenne's homeless and collect leftover foodstuffs from farmers' markets to distribute to needy families. I buy my eggs from Randy, whose chickens lay the darndest-colored eggs. Randy even practices his theatrical skills in the chicken coop.

In October, the Vineyard Church is producing the "Cotton Patch Gospel," based on a book by Tom Key and Russell Treyz, with music by Harry Chapin, written just before he died in a 1981 traffic accident. Anything with music by Harry Chapin has to be good.

Here is a description of the play from Wikipedia:

Cotton Patch Gospel is a musical by Tom Key and Russell Treyz with music and lyrics written by Harry Chapin just before his death in 1981. Based on the book The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John by Clarence Jordan, the story retells the life of Jesus as if in modern day, rural Georgia.

Using a southern reinterpretation of the gospel story, the musical is often performed in a one-man show format with an accompanying quartet of bluegrass musicians, although a larger cast can also be used. A video recording of the play was released in 1988 with Tom Key as the leading actor.

Interesting to note that Clarence Jordan was the founder of the Koinonia Farm,  a ground-breaking Christian social justice community that infuriated its white Georgia neighbors by practicing and preaching equality for all, including African-Americans. During the Civil Rights struggles of the 1950s and '60s, Koinonia was the target of a local economic boycott and several bombings. It was able to survive by shipping all of its goods through the U.S. Postal Service because, as we all know, "the mail must go through." Jordan also was instrumental in the founding of Habitat for Humanity, another revolutionary Georgia organization. Koinonia and Habitat had a big influence on one of its neighbors, Jimmy Carter of Plains. Clarence Jordan's nephew, Hamilton, was President Carter's chief of staff.

"Cotton Patch Gospel" will be performed at the Cheyenne Vineyard Church Oct. 5-6. 12-13 and 19-20 at 7 p.m. Admission is free but please bring grocery gift cards or non-perishable food for the needy. Call for tickets: 307-638-8700.

It's Enzi and Barrasso who deserve jeers for their votes against veterans' jobs bill

WyoDems Communications Director and long-time Wyoming reporter and editor Brodie Farquhar posted this on Facebook:

Today's Casper Star-Tribune properly "Cheered" a recent jobs fair for veterans with their weekly Cheers/Jeers column. Yet so far, aside from one letter to the editor, the CST has been entirely silent about the fact that Enzi and Barrasso voted against a veterans jobs bill. That in itself deserves a "Jeer."

Launchtoberfest in Fort Collins promotes Biodiesel for Bands initiative

Launchtoberfest in Fort Collins on Oct. 6 looks like a great time and a good opportunity to find out more about this initiative to trim traveling costs for regional bands.

The real quandary for the depressed: you often are too depressed to take action

Marjorie Morrison is the author of the recently published "The Inside Battle: Our Military Mental Health Crisis" (Military Psychology Press, $8.99 ebook). Yesterday, she wrote a great column for the Huffington Post. Here are some excerpts:

From 2005 to 2010, service members took their own lives at a rate of about one every 36 hours. There are currently more deaths in the military by suicide then killed in combat. Suicides in the US Army increased 80% in 2004 to 2008. 

This is the excerpt that rang true for me:

A service member who seeks help has significant barriers to overcome. Almost all of us can look back at a time when we felt depressed. Typically, it isn't until after you get through it that you realize how distressed you were. It's difficult enough to ask for help, but considerably harder when one feels hopeless.

This is the problem, isn't it? People who suffer from clinical depression often cannot reach out of that big black hole to get help. In other words, we are too depressed to know we are depressed and too depressed to get the help we need. It often takes someone close to us to urge us on. Unfortunately, we may be too depressed to act. We may pretend that we know better. We may pretend that we are fine.

I am not a veteran. I do come from a long line of veterans who suffered from depression and PTSD. I know what depression feels like. I know how hard it is to reach out to get help.

I was first diagnosed with depression in 1990, when I was 40. I have been on and off antidepressants ever since. More than one psychiatrist has told me this: "Stay on antidepressants. You have clinical depression."

Did I listen? Of course not.

Here is the danger. Antidepressants may seek to work effectively over time. If we are seeing clinicians on a regular basis, they may discover this and switch our meds. If we are not seeing clinicians on a regular basis, who's to know? We may just decide to quit taking Prozac or Zoloft or Mertazapine or Effexor or Wellbutrin or any of the other drugs that help to ward off the hopgoblins.

Big mistake.    

We should pause here to entertain objections from those who think that antidepressants are the work of the devil, or a means to mind control. Any Scientologists in the room? I can see why objections may arise. Many of those who commit suicide are taking antidepressants. It's easy to assume that antidepressants lead to suicide.

When I was embarking on my latest antidepressant regimen, I came across an article about a young Iraq veteran who had committed suicide. Tip for the depressed: never read about suicide when in the throes of depression. The photo in the story showed the vet's bedroom. Near his bed were myriad bottles of pills. One read "Mirtazapine." Thing is, I'd been taking the very same drug at the very same dosage for two weeks. Nothing was happening. I was feeling a bit desperate. Was I ready to kill myself? No. But I was depressed as hell. It would be months and months before that med and several others finally combined to give me some relief.

Now that I am no longer depressed, I realize how depressed I really was. And I am amazed that I am front of you right now, that I am typing on this keyboard and entering fairly sensible words on the screen. Amazed.

I was lucky. I had an understanding wife. I had understanding colleagues at work. I have friends. I have health insurance. I am en ex-jock who knew that exercise can be a way to the other side. I am a writer who believes in journaling. I have an extra dose of Irish cussedness in me -- it keeps me going when things look blackest. I have some wisdom endowed by six decades on the planet. I know how to pray.

What if I was 21, just back from a terrible war? Would I know what to do? I've never had to face that. But thousands of others have to face that every day.

Be kind. That's what combat veteran and ex-POW Kurt Vonnegut used to say. Be kind. He knew that little acts of kindness can go a long way. If nothing else, that's something we can all give to one another.

Be kind.

And take your freakin' meds, ya dimwit!

That's me talking to myself. When I'm feeling right. When I'm not, well, I say nothing.

Winter forecast: WY mild and wet, FL cold and dry

The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a mild and wet winter for my part of the world in southeastern Wyoming. Meanwhile, my homeplace of Florida will be cold and dry. What's wrong with this picture?

Wyoming Equality holds a Halloween bash Oct. 27 at Suite 1901 in Cheyenne

You heard it here first (or maybe second or third):

Wyoming Equality is sponsoring a Halloween bash on Saturday, Oct. 27, in the Casablanca Room at Suite 1901 in Cheyenne. Suite 1901 is under new management.

Costume prizes for "Best Super Hero," Best Horror or (Whorer)" and "Best Original," will be handed out.

Cost is $5 for members and $10 for non-members

FMI: http://www.facebook.com/events/286956541419329/?notif_t=plan_user_invited

Beet Street wants you to help spread the word about the Arts Incubator of the Rockies

My arts pals at Beet Street south of the border in Fort Collins, Colo., are looking for some savvy online types to spread the word about the Arts Incubator of the Rockies (AIR). I wasn't shocked to learn that there are some 280,000 artists and creatives in the Intermountain West. In fact, that number seems a bit low to me, as I sometimes feel that there are 280,000 creatives in Wyoming alone and they are all trying to call us at the Arts Council on the same day!

I manage the Wyoming Arts Council presence on AIR and I also signed up as Mike Shay, writer. I encourage you to sign up too and, if you're willing, to sign on as a catalyst for the AIR site. The web site, a collaboration between FoCo-based communications company Rocket Jones and marketers One Tribe Creative, is user-friendly. I already tried to break it and didn't succeed!

Here's what Beet Street has to say:

Now that we've launched the amazing AIR website, we need to activate the 280,000 artists and creatives who live in the Intermountain West. Help us build a strong regional arts community by spreading the word about all the AIR programs and website tools. If you love talking to people, we need you!

Help show that our region loves to collaborate and learn together! We need 25 volunteers to help reach out to both local and regional artists, creative businesses, and cultural organizations. To really get our community engaged, we want to get 1,000 free and 300 paid members signed up before the end of the year.

An information and orientation meeting will be held on Thursday, October 4 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Beet Street office (200 W. Mountain Ave., Suite A). Please RSVP by October 1 to Kerry Miller at kmiller@beetstreet.org and please describe to us in a few sentences your experience/skills and why you'd like to volunteer for this project.

Researchers/authors Peter and Rosemary Grant speak about the "Evolution of Darwin's Finches" at UW

This will drive the fundies crazy (from a UW press release):

Two of the world’s leading evolutionary researchers, Peter and Rosemary Grant, will speak at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the University of Wyoming Berry Center auditorium.

They will discuss “Evolution of Darwin’s Finches.” UW Zoology Professor Craig Benkman will host their presentation as part of the L. Floyd Clarke Memorial Lecture Series.

The Grants’ research on evolution in the Galapagos Islands, where they have spent six months of every year since 1973, is well-known. Capturing, tagging and taking blood samples of the finches on the island of Daphne Major, the two Princeton University emeritus professors continue the evolutionary work of Charles Darwin in the place that inspired his theory of evolution.

"The Grants' three-year study of the evolution of Galapagos Island finches and their adaptive responses to environmental change is one of the classic studies in biology,” says Scott Seville, zoologist and UW Outreach School associate dean. “Their work has been featured in many documentaries and was the focus of the Pulitzer prize-winning book ‘Beak of the Finch’ by Jonathan Wiener."

In 2008, the Grants were among 13 recipients of the prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal, which is bestowed every 50 years by the Linnean Society of London. They received the Kyoto Prize in basic sciences, an international award honoring significant contributions to scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind. They have written numerous articles and books on their discoveries.

For more information, call (307) 766-5627.

Roger Ludwig speaks about innovative PTSD treatment Sept. 30 in Cheyenne

Cheyenne psychotherapist Roger Ludwig will talk about an innovative treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on Sunday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m., at St. Peter's Church, 252 Dell Range Blvd., Cheyenne.

Ludwig recently returned from Africa as a member of an elite team teaching the Thought Field Therapy (TFT) approach to PTSD among people who have suffered through the seemingly endless wars raging on the continent.

St. Peter's Church is located across from the Wyoming Air National Guard. The presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Then out spake brave Horatius: Get thee some therapy, soldier!

Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
"To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods?"

From Horatius, by Thomas Babington McCauley

Luis Carlos Montalvan first came across these lines while reading a biography of Winston Churchill. Montalvan was 13, a voracious reader, memorizing McCauley and Poe and Neruda and any other verse that struck his fancy.

"It really fueled my passion for life," Montalvan said. "It also led to a love affair with those teachers who taught me in school."

Luis Montalvan and Tuesday

His parents were well-educated. His father fled Castro's Cuba. His mother emigrated from Puerto Rico. They were well-read and liked to argue about politics.

"My father was a Republican and my mother, a Democrat," he said. "We had lots of discussions. I tended to wear my opinions on my sleeve. At school, kids looked at me, said, 'here's a spirited guy' and beat me up. But I became a warrior and they didn't beat me up any more."

Montalvan's dream was to be a soldier. He grew up in the Reagan era when "the Evil Empire was a true-blue threat." He joined the Army at 17, receiving his parent's consent because he was under-age. He started boot camp in June 1990 just as Operation Desert Shield got started in Kuwait. Desert Storm followed. By the time Montalvan was a trained soldier the following April, the war was over and he wasn't deployed.

But over the course of the next 17 years, he worked his way from the enlisted to the officer ranks and was deployed many times, eventually earning the rank of captain. An explosion knocked him out of action in Iraq. He walks with a cane now, and is aided by a helper dog, a Golden Retriever named Tuesday. But Tuesday helps his master as much with his Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as he does with the physical wounds.

Montalvan joined Iraq War veteran Brian Turner and Desert Shield/Desert Storm veteran Patrick Amelotte at a panel discussion entitled "Active Duty, Active Voices" at the Equality State Book Festival Sept. 14-15 in Casper. Montalvan's book (co-written with Bret Witter) is Until Tuesday: The Story of a Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him. In it, he relates the long journey toward healing his physical and emotional wounds.

As he spoke about his experiences, Montalvan began to recite the McCauley quote above. He stumbled after a few lines. This is caused by an aphasia that stems from his TBI. As Turner and Amelotte took turns speaking, Montalvan brought out a sheet of paper and wrote out the lines of Horatius that he had memorized as a 13-year-old. When it was his turn to speak, he read McCauley's lines.

"I sometimes forget words," said Montalvan. "It's disturbing."

Montalvan has received years of physical and psychological counseling for his wounds.

"I believe in the importance of facing trauma head-on," Montalvan said. "Trauma causes the five stages of grief. It causes physical and psychological suffering. It's impossible to get past trauma by internalizing it."

He encourages every veteran he meets to get counseling. He encouraged everyone in the book festival audience to get counseling.

"When I talk about the value of therapy, that's not learned until one does it," he said. "Here you are in a safe place. What you say is confidential. If your therapist is good, he is there to facilitate you talking about your issues.

"It causes stress to express your journey through pain. It is a release of negative energy. It doesn't really solve anything, but it gets it off of your chest. You sometimes stutter and stammer through these things. But there is a value in what you're forced to do."

Montalvan acknowledged that there is a difference between individual therapy and group therapy. "In group therapy, there's a different dynamic," he said. "Camaraderie builds. There were times when I was in the throes of PTSD and I imagined a whole platoon of friends were behind me. That would give me strength."

The retired Army Captain, who also holds a master's degree in journalism,  notes that writing and speaking have aided in his recovery. He also extols the benefits of journaling, of getting thoughts down on paper. "There's a healing to that."

Mt. Sinai Synagogue sponsors "Jews from Eastern Europe" exhibit, Jewish cuisine and a post-show talk Sept. 29 at "Fiddler on the Roof"

The most powerful musical theatre has origins in human misery. "Les Miserables" centers around survival on the mean streets of Paris and the struggle for freedom by the disenfranchised masses. "West Side Story" is about New York City street gangs and immigration. "Fiddler on the Roof" is about pogroms targeting Eastern European and Russian Jews. Lurking in the background of "Fiddler" is the eventual extermination of The Six Million. 

The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players will open its production of "Fiddler on the Roof" on Friday, September 28. The show will run for 10 performances: September 28, 29, 30 & October 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 15. Tickets are going fast so call the Box Office at (307) 638-6543 today or order online at www.cheyennelittletheatre.org.

There are several special events/activities associated with "Fiddler on the Roof." One of them is sponsored by the Mt. Sinai Synagogue. Several members of the Mt. Sinai congregation are in the cast. The Synagogue will present an exhibit of local Jews with families from Eastern Europe, compiled by Mt. Sinai Librarian and Historian Dorothy Feldman. The exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Mary Godfrey Playhouse at Pershing and Windmill throughout the run of the show. It opens September 28.

On Saturday, September 29, Mt Sinai Sisterhood will offer Jewish treats (Hamantashen, Rugelach, and other baked goods) at 6:30 P.M. before the 7:30 P.M. show. Donations will be accepted which will benefit the Cheyenne Little Theatre. Then, after that show, a free "Talk Back" session will be presented by the cast and Mt Sinai's Rabbi, Harley Karz-Wagman.

Help wanted: Executive Director for Arts Cheyenne

Here's a great job for some hard-charging arts administrator out there:

Arts Cheyenne announces its search for an executive director:

Do you like getting in on the ground floor of exciting developments?  This may be the job for you.

The primary responsibility of the person in this position will be to work collaboratively with the Arts Cheyenne Transitional Board, staff and volunteers to ensure the success of the organization.  As the first person to serve as Executive Director for this merged organization, the person hired will help mold the position.  Review the Executive Director Job Description and Executive Director Fact Sheet to learn more.

Application deadline is noon, Friday, October 5, 2012.

In the future, Wyoming travelers may yearn to be stranded at Denver's revamped airport

I happened upon Fast Company's Co.Exist (and Co-Create and Co.Design) during my perambulations around the Internet. All three are great places to waste (I mean, "spend") some time exploring new inventions and trends and ideas and foodways. Next time I'm in Copenhagen, I'm going to try to get a table at Noma for a plate of ants and blueberries, or barbecue carrots with sorrel sauce and hay ash. There is a hidden beauty to suburban sprawl -- and an array of stunning photos is offered in evidence. We are wasting our time harnessing wind at ground level -- we should be tethering high-flying wind-generating kites at 10 kilometers. Lots of them.

And airports aren't just for passing through any more. Munich's new airport offers an entire Oktoberfest experience, Hong Kong International offers an outdoor nine-hole golf course and a 350-seat IMAX theatre, Lagos's new airport will feature a duty-free shop with bargain-basement prices on kitchen appliances, and Changi International in Singapore features a Balinese-themed swimming pool. The airport was built on the site of one of Japan's most notorious World War II POW camps, the setting for James Clavell's compelling novel, "King Rat." Wonder if you can buy the book at the airport?

And here's what co.Exist had to say about Denver's soon-to-be-renovated DIA:

Architect's rendering of the new DIA

The Denver International Airport is getting more “Colorado.” It’s being expanded and transformed into a quasi city center, connected both physically and emotionally to downtown Denver and the region. A Westin hotel and conference center (with a dynamite rooftop pool and views of the Rockies) is part of the expansion program along with an outdoor public plaza for staging community events and a new fast rail line (and station) that will whisk travelers and Denver residents alike to/from downtown Denver.

Cheyenne can't compete with that. However, our new airport terminal may help airlines do a much better job shuttling us to DIA for the ambience that surrounds a Thanksgiving flight to Aunt Martha's or a business trip to D.C. Heck, Wyoming travelers may soon yearn to be stranded at DIA due to a holiday blizzard.

It's interesting to note that the new DIA will connect people "physically and emotionally to downtown Denver and the region." It may soon be easier to fly than drive from Cheyenne to Denver for a football weekend or for a weekend of shopping and entertainment. While Cheyenne long ago ceded Front Range leadership to Denver, this new transportation complex could make that reality permanent. But Cheyenne can hop on this bandwagon, making sure that we're a primary feeder hub to DIA and Denver. We haven't done a very good job of that in the past. By enhancing those things that make us great, we'll be a player in the region.

That doesn't mean making Cheyenne a mini-Denver. It means making Cheyenne more Cheyenne. As Mayor Kaysen has said time and again, one of our priorities has to be the revitalization of downtown. Keep at it, Cheyenne. Make Cheyenne more Cheyenne by saving its historic central business district. Nobody makes a destination of a place that excels in strip malls or Wal-Marts. They do want to travel to a place that has character. That's what Cheyenne Frontier Days is all about -- "Live the Legend!" It's the Old West meeting the New West. The Old West is rodeo and cowboys and country-western music. The New West means a vibrant downtown with brewpubs and restaurants and rock concerts and art galleries and western clothing stores mixed with funky boutiques. The distinctive music and art that's offered at these places should come from local and regional musicians and artists and artisans. The restaurant food should come from Southern Wyoming (SoWy) and Northern Colorado (NoCo) farms and ranches. Some of it can be grown on rooftop gardens and greenhouses. What a thriving place downtown Cheyenne will be. Denverites may want to hop on a plane at DIA and fly north to Cheyenne because there's no place like it on earth. Imagine that.

Architect's rendering of new Cheyenne airport terminal.