HD 12 candidate Kathleen Petersen holds meet-and-greet Oct. 29

Kathleen Petersen, Democratic Party candidate for House District 8, will be holding a candidate meet-and-greet on Monday, Oct. 29, 7-8:30 p.m., in the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park in Cheyenne. Come out and meet Kathleen, ask questions, have a few snacks.

She's the candidate in my state house district. Her campaign has been gathering steam as she walks neighborhoods and makes presentations to groups, as people see that she's the best person to replace Republican Bob Nicholas. We need more Democratic voices in the Wyoming Legislature. We also need a better gender make-up, with the Legislature predominately men of a certain age. She spoke last night at the chili dinner and convinced me.  

Check out her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.petersen.94

Let us now praise famous songs, and those creative types who begat them

Chris and I attended the "American Tapestry" concert this afternoon at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Cheyenne. Our daughter was singing, as she's in the Laramie County Community College Collegiate and Cantorei choirs. She does both well. You're probably not surprised to hear a proud father say that.

Several of the selections were taken from the page -- poetry, to be specific. First came three selections from A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad. My accountant father gave me a copy of that book when I was still in high school. He thought it might be an encouragement to my budding poetic soul. It wasn't (I was more attuned to Jim Morrison back then), but it was still a nice gesture. Housman is still not my favorite, but his verse sounds great when set to music and sung by collegiate voices.

Robert Burns made an appearance as the Men's Ensemble sang "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose." The men, all dressed in black suits, held a rose as they gathered around the piano and intoned Burns. Very nice.

The recessional song was "The Promise of the Living" from the opera The Tender Land. Music was composed by Aaron Copland with libretto by Horace Everett, a pseudonym for dancer and choreographer Erik Johns. Copland was inspired to write the opera after viewing the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, with text by James Agee and photos by Walker Evans. The book arose from a 1936 magazine assignment Agee and Evans accepted in 1936. The goal was to document the lives of white sharecroppers in the South. The magazine article didn't pan out, but the book did, and is now one of those volumes studied for its trail-blazing blend of straight reportage, creative nonfiction, poetry and photos.  Another one of those interesting works of art to emerge from the Great Depression.

Fine concert today, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks to talented  singers, and the wonderful teachers who trained them.

interested party blog: On not voting for Sen. McGovern in '72

South Dakota blogger Larry Kurtz had a story today about what it was like to be a young upstart in 1972. We share a similar age and history and interest in Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72." Read more:

interested party: On not voting for Sen. McGovern in '72: In about 1970 or so, my very furious retired Air Force Republican father wrote the Sioux Falls Argus Leader after it ran a photo during ...

R.I.P. Sen. George McGovern, Democrat from South Dakota

Sen. George McGovern died this morning in his hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D. He grew up in the Great Depression Dust Bowl, won the DFC for his actions over Europe's skies during WWII, and was the Democratic Party presidential nominee in 1972.

He was the first presidential candidate I voted for, back when I was 21 and living in Boston.

McGovern's dedication to liberal politics was an inspiration to me then and remains so now.

This comes from an obit this morning on NPR:

President Bill Clinton lauded McGovern's achievements at the 2006 dedication of the McGovern Library in Mitchell, S.D.

"In the storied history of American politics, I believe no other presidential candidate ever had such an enduring impact in defeat," Clinton said at the time.

And this, from Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary:

Yarrow says McGovern inspired an entire generation of Americans.

"There are few and far between that measure up to the dignity, honesty and fantastic commitment of George McGovern that kept this country strong and conscious for all these years," Yarrow said.

Public servant, war hero, anti-war hero, author and fine human being. R.I.P., Sen. McGovern.

Richard Bausch: Each story has "its own demands, and you write to discover what those demands are"

Good, uncomplicated advice for fiction writers (from a Dinty W. Moore Facebook post):

"Each story is different, with its own demands, and you write to discover what those demands are, making the mistakes as you go. Usually, you make a lot of mistakes, because no one is ever in total charge of his own consciousness. So you move through it, accepting that it will be confusing, and even intractable for a time -- you go on each day, trying to be concrete, and to couch things in particulars rather than concepts and abstractions, since the abstractions are mostly inert even though people can kill over them." ~ Richard Bausch

Barack Obama: "If you come down with a case of Romnesia..."

Wyofile: ALEC model bill on healthcare found its way onto Wyoming's November ballot

Read this comprehensive Wyofile article by Greg Nickerson about the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Nickerson provides examples of ALEC model legislation that has made its way to the Wyoming Statehouse. He also provides an updated list of ALEC members. Hummingbirdminds has published several lists of ALEC members over the years but the Wyofile aricle has the latest ones. Go read it and weep. To whet your appetite and outrage, here are the first two paragraphs:

When the Trayvon Martin shooting made headlines this year, it brought public attention to a little-known group called the American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC. The conservative group created model legislation that promoted the “stand your ground” law, or Castle Doctrine, invoked by police who didn’t arrest Martin’s killer. ALEC also supported voter ID laws, which some say are an effort to block elderly and minority voters from participating in upcoming elections.

Ideas from ALEC’s model bills have also made their way into Wyoming statehouse, notably in a constitutional amendment on healthcare that will be up for vote this November.

Help forward-thinking Democratic candidates blunt the power of the legislature's Blunt Skulls

I'll be walking neighborhoods for Democratic Party House candidate Lee Filer this morning. He's not in my district but he will be a thoughtful, young rep for those who live in HD 12.

Our legislature, you see, has hardening of the arteries and hardening of the heart. The Know Nothings who run the Republican Party who run the legislature want to make sure that Wyoming stays inconsequential. They spend an embarrassing amount of time ranting about Obamacare and pushing regressive social legislation. Remember the 2011 session? That was embarrassing. I should know as I blogged about it extensively. Remember what happened in 2012? The Republicans didn't want health care for its citizens but they did want an aircraft carrier to protect its sovereignty. Really?

No wonder our young people leave the state in droves, eager to find a place that will respect their need to contribute to the future. My fellow blogger Rodger McDaniel put it so well in today's post (and WTE op-ed):

That’s why Wyoming’s greatest export is neither coal nor gas but our youth. The millions we invest in educating children becomes an investment in the future of other states. Communities pretend to bemoan the loss of these young people...  Clinging to the past and its symbols assures that anyone with an urge to think about the opportunities of the future will find themselves elsewhere, contributing to some other community somewhere else. 

Sad, isn't it, that the calcified thinking of one generation can lead to a dubious future for an entire state -- or an entire country.

It doesn't have to be this way. There are a number of fine Democrats running for the legislature, mainly in Laramie County. You can walk for Lee Filer this morning or for Mary Throne. You can help get Marguerite Herman on the county commission. You can vote for recent grad Misty Heil for the LCCC board. You can vote for Kathleen Petersen and Joe Fender and the Esquibel brothers and Jim Byrd and Gary Datus. Imagine a Dem-majority county delegation. It still would be a challenge to blunt the power of the Blunt Skulls from Natrona County and the north country. But it's a start.

Obama speech launches flood of Romnesia memes

Here's one, for example

Democrats' campaign events: Canvassing for Lee Filer and Mary Throne and chili dinner for all

Here are the Democratic Party campaign events planned for this weekend in Laramie County:
 

SATURDAY: 10/20 9:30 am Canvassing for Lee Filer HD-12. Meeting at Lee's Home 265 Bent Avenue. BREAKFAST WILL  BE SERVED. For more information contact campaign manager Calob Taylor at 307/640-3360

SATURDAY: 10/20 10 am Canvassing for Mary Throne HD-11. Meeting at Mary's home, 720 E. 19th Street. For more information or to support the campaign campaign manager, Kate Wright at 307/220-7447. 

SUNDAY: 10/21 4-7 pm. Annual Chili Dinner for Dems. Old Community House in Lion's Park. Bring side dish/dessert if able. For more information contact Linda Stowers at 307/220-1219. 

SUNDAY: 10/21 6 pm. Lee Filer Supporter House Party. 10/21 6 pm. 1602 Ragtime Drive.

State Archaeologist Dr. Mark Miller previews new book in Oct. 25 lecture in Cheyenne

This sounds great -- and I can't wait for the book by this fine Wyoming writer:

Dr. Mark Miller, Wyoming’s State Archaeologist, will celebrate National Archaeology Day with a lecture at the Wyoming State Museum, October 25 at 7 p.m.

From the earliest carved and painted images on stone cliffs to locations dating to the 20^th Century, Wyoming is dotted with hundreds of sites that bear witness to military activities. In his talk, Dr. Miller draws from his recently completed book, “Military Sites in Wyoming 1700-1920.”

The slide show and lecture summarizes a study of more than 300 sites that have been incorporated into this historic context, beginning with early evidence of military activity in Native American rock art.

FMI: http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2012/10/dr-mark-miller-speaks-about-military.html

When it comes to voting, the county clerk explains it all for you w/update

Everything you need to know about voting in Laramie County is available on the county clerk's web site at http://www.laramiecountyclerk.com/elections.aspx.

One thing I couldn't find is the cut-off date for early registration. While it is true that Wyoming allows you to register to vote on election day, there is a cut-off date prior to the Nov. 6 election so the clerk's office can compile the voter rolls used at the polling places. These are thick binders full of women -- and men too.

You can vote downtown on weekdays during business hours in the atrium located between the courthouse and the county admin building.

Couldn't be easier, could it? Then how come so many voters sit out elections? If you do, don't expect any of us voters to listen when you start complaining about the gubment.

UPDATE: Cut-off date for early registration in Wyoming is Monday, Oct. 22.

Iraq vet and writer David Abrams returns to Jackson with his novel "Fobbit"

I'm always a bit dubious when a new novel is compared to Catch-22 or M*A*S*H or is labeled "definitive." However, I am always ready for a new reading adventure, especially if the book features a darkly humorous take on war, any war, and the author is from Wyoming.

So here's some info on Jackson Hole H.S. grad David Abrams and his new novel, "Fobbit," and the author's upcoming appearance in his old stomping grounds:

The Jackson Hole Writers Conference & Teton County Library Present: David Abrams, 7-8:30 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 2. David Abrams, who graduated from Jackson Hole High School in 1981, spent 20 years in the Army and then came back to the states to write what is being acclaimed as the definitive novel of the Iraq War. His novel about the Iraq War, "Fobbit," was published by Grove/Atlantic in 2012. Location: Center for the Arts, Dancers Workshop, 240 S. Glenwood Street, Jackson, WY 83001. Free. Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135, odoherty@tclib.org. 

From the author’s web site:

In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield – where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like an office job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy. Of all the fobbits stationed at Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph, Staff Sergeant Chance Gooding is the fobbitiest. His M-16 is collecting dust, he reads Dickens and Cervantes instead of watching NASCAR with the grunts, and the only piece of Army intelligence he really shows an interest in is the mess hall menu. Gooding works in the base’s public affairs office, furiously tapping out press releases that put a positive slant on the latest roadside bombing or strategic blunder before CNN can break the real story. Another soldier who would spend every day at the FOB if he could is Captain Abe Shrinkle, but unfortunately for him he’s a front-line officer, in charge of a platoon of troops. Abe trembles at any encounter with the enemy and hoards hundreds of care packages, brimming over with baby wipes, foot powder, and erotic letters from bored housewives. When Shrinkle makes a series of ill-judged tactical decisions, he ends up in front of his commanding officers, and Gooding has his work cut out trying to make everything smell like roses--and that’s just the start of the bad news.

Divine Intervention the real source of Binders Full of Women

Meme seen on Binders Full of Women Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/bindersfullofwomen/?ref=ts&fref=tscaption

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meme: Romney still uses binders?

Meme from Kaili Joy Gray at Daily Kos

From tonight's debate:

CROWLEY: Governor Romney, pay equity for women?

ROMNEY: Thank you. And important topic, and one which I learned a great deal about, particularly as I was serving as governor of my state, because I had the chance to pull together a cabinet and all the applicants seemed to be men.

And I — and I went to my staff, and I said, "How come all the people for these jobs are — are all men." They said, "Well, these are the people that have the qualifications." And I said, "Well, gosh, can't we — can't we find some — some women that are also qualified?"

ROMNEY: And — and so we — we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet.

I went to a number of women's groups and said, "Can you help us find folks," and they brought us whole binders full of women.

Mitt has "binders full of women" -- and they're priced to sell!

Funniest line of this debate night -- Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment. Read more at Meg's Place: http://cognitivedissonance.tumblr.com/post/33752141771/i-still-cant-get-over-the-binders-full-of-women

This just in -- health care is a commie plot

Clueless in Montana (from the Button Valley Bugle)

Onward and upward (and sometimes downward and dumbward) as Wyoming lurches into the future

American Bison at Utah's Hogle Zoo

The following comes from a University of Wyoming press release that appeared on Friday. It talks about Wyoming's and UW's commitment to the future in the form of computing power and connectivity. It's refreshing to see such forward-thinking planning on the part of a university that last summer removed a campus sculpture that dared to question global warming ("Carbon Sink"). But it's also the same university that opened a huge new visual arts building at the end of last year, and began raising funds to match a legislative appropriation for a renovated performing arts building. And remember Bill Ayers, the firebrand education reformer and one-time antiwar radical that UW tried to stop speaking on campus a few years back?

Okay, UW has a split personality, not unlike Wyoming's.

You gotta love this place for that. And sometimes, well, you gotta think of Nobel Prize winning writer William Faulkner. As the story goes, Faulkner was at a book signing in Montana when a woman said that she wished that Montana writers loved Montana like Faulkner obviously loved Mississippi. Faulkner's reply: "Madam, I hate Mississippi."

That probably left her speechless.

You don't have to love a place to write well about it. And you don't have to love a place to wish it a fruitful future.

So the new NCAR Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) was dedicated today. Go out and visit the new education center, which is open to the public on weekdays. After this week, you won't be able to visit Yellowstone, the new supercomputer, unless you have an appointment or you're running for president.

This is only one of the surprising bits in this article. DYK that the huge fiber-optic cable that laid the ground for the NWSC is called the Bison Ring (not to be confused with Wagner's Ring Cycle)? See above images for an explanation. And that another big computer has been installed at UW in Laramie with the name Mount Moran, after a peak in the Teton Range? I kind of like this trend that attaches Wyocentric names to tangles of wires and metal and electrons. Microsoft is building a new regional data center in Cheyenne. Wonder what its computer will be called? I suggest "Vedauwoo." Or possibly "Crazy Horse."

Here's the first few paragraphs of the UW release:

It began with laying hundreds of miles of fiber-optic cable, much of it buried under the ground along stretches of interstate that traverse the mountains and plains of Wyoming. Next week, the state’s evolution from primarily pulling minerals out of the ground to a sky’s-the-limit outlook for supercomputing will be complete.

The $74 million NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC), with a primary focus of atmospheric research, is slated to open Monday, Oct. 15, with a ceremonial dedication. Located at the North Range Business Park in Cheyenne, the $30 million supercomputer, dubbed “Yellowstone,” will be used by multiple University of Wyoming researchers and their students to model detailed simulations of hydrology, carbon sequestration, planet formation, efficiency of wind turbines, and much more.

Read the whole thing at http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2012/10/supercomputer-opening-caps-years-of-effort.html

City News holds series of writing and publishing workshops in October

City News in downtown Cheyenne is hosting a series of writing and publishing workshops in October.

On Sunday, Oct. 21, noon-1:30 p.m., there will be a special workshop designed for children. According to a press release, it will "encourage young authors to expand their skills, put ideas into words, through fun exercises and sharing. Halloween costumes are encouraged."

A writing workshop for adults will be held on Sunday, Oct. 28, noon-1:30 p.m. Bring your finished writing or come in for ideas. Author and publisher Blaze McRob will be there to discuss the horror genre.

FMI: Alan or Audrey, 307-638-8671.

On Thursday, Oct. 25, City News will hold a free workshop from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Hear tips from author Patricia G. Stevenson ("The Dilapidated Man," "The Jezebel Bride"), artist N. Kay Stevenson and agent Carolyn Campbell. Come join the team as they workshop the steps in writing, designing and promoting a book. More info at patriciagstevenson.com.

Casper Star-Tribune explores UW cover-up in Carbon Sink sculpture removal

Good story about the UW "Carbon Sink" stink by CST business editor Jeremy Fugleberg (story also appeared in Billings Gazette):

Emails: University of Wyoming officials sped up, touted removal of anti-coal sculpture

You don't have to get scared this week to have a good time in Cheyenne

When you talk about fall arts events, you have to include several local haunted houses. It takes good theatrical skills to scare people. The Cheyenne Knights of Pythias "Nightmare on 17th Street" has been voted one of the scariest in the region and won't admit young children and pregnant women. The next performances at 312 1/2 W. Lincolnway will be Oct. 19 and 20, 7-11 p.m. A portion of the ticket price goes to local orgs such as The Boys and Girls Club.

If you don't want to get really scared but still want to be entertained, get out to the final performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" at 2 p.m today at the CLTP's Mary Godfrey Theatre. I saw it last week and it's terrific. In case you don't remember, the musical has a famous haunting scene, in which the ghost of Fruma-Sarah (played convincingly by Dana Heying) scares Golde into agreeing to let her daughter marry a poor tailor. Oy vey! Call 638-6543 for tix.

Also at 2 p.m. today (and on Oct. 19, 20 and 21) is "Cotton Patch Gospel" at Vineyard Church, 1506 Thomes Avenue downtown. I wrote about the musical here. It's free with a donation of food for the needy, but you have to call 638-8700 to RSVP.

Wyoming's opera shortage is partially alleviated today with "An Afternoon of Opera" from 3-5 p.m. today at the Plains Hotel, 1600 Central Ave. It features the Opera Colorado Young Artists Reception, concert arias and ensembles. Free but a $10 voluntary contribution is appreciated. FMI: 514-2236.

Next Sunday, Oct. 21, 3 p.m., my daughter Annie will join her fellow LCCC music students for the "American Tapestry" concert at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1908 Central Ave. It features the LCCC Collegiate Choir, Cantorel and newly formed men's and women's ensemble. Free, but donations will be accepted for the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for veterans recovering from overseas deployments. FMI: 778-1158.

Gunshot shatters window of Obama office in Denver

Jason Payseno of EAP Glass installs plywood where a window was shot out Friday at an Obama campaign office on West Ninth Avenue near Acoma Street in Denver. (Daniel Petty, The Denver Post). Read more here

Tired of Republican attacks on teachers?

Please join us for a Democratic Party education candidate house party for Misty Heil (LCCC Board), Nate Breen (LCSD#1) and Gary Datus (HD-42).  

Brand House 

629 Oakhurst Drive, Cheyenne.

Sunday, October 14, 3-6 pm. 

Come meet the candidates!  Supporters can learn how they can help these great campaigns.  Education at all levels is a priority for Laramie County and attacks on teachers, other educators/faculty and academic freedom are rampant. Our candidates value good  teachers and strong policies to support them and their students. 

For more information, contact Lori Brand at 307-634-6977.

Laramie County Democratic Party chili dinner set for October 21

ANNUAL LARAMIE COUNTY DEMOCRATS CHILI DINNER

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

4-7 P.M.

OLD COMMUNITY HOUSE, LIONS PARK

MEET AND TALK TO CANDIDATES

RALLY THE TROOPS FOR THE FINAL WEEKS OF CAMPAIGN

BRING A DESSERT OR SALAD

CHILI, HOT DOGS, HAMBURGERS, BEVERAGES PROVIDED

DONATIONS WELCOME!

ALL PROGRESSIVE-MINDED PEOPLE WELCOME!

DEFY THE KNOW NOTHINGS -- VOTE DEMOCRATIC!

Out with the old and in with the new at Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center

Columbian Mammoth cast at new welcome center

Chris and I took a Saturday afternoon drive out to the new Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center at the High Plains exit south in I-25. We missed yesterday afternoon's official dedication due to too many workplace meetings. But we did read about it on the front page of this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. You can also read an earlier article I wrote about it here.

The welcome center is part highway pit stop, Wyoming Travel & Tourism Department offices, and historic museum. Its top-notch exhibits and dioramas show the state's history through dinosaurs digs, water projects, transportation, energy and outdoor recreation. Sometimes you experience it in many dimensions. The sloped walkway that takes you from the mammoth skeleton to the transportation exhibit is all about water: lakes, dams, waterfalls and fishing streams. You can hear the rushing water, and lights glimmer off the floor, giving you the feeling that you may be walking on water. Hallelujah!

The grounds are criss-crossed with trails marked with historic markers explaining it all for you. Multitudes of native deciduous trees and bushes have been planted. in about ten years, the place will have plenty of shade. There's a fenced-in pet walk area and a wetlands that drains the run-off from the highway. Berms have been added from the dirt remaining from construction of the center and the highway overpass. Along the top of the main berm is a series of five wind generators which were spinning today, powering the indoor exhibits.

This place is all about alternative energy and is powered by wind, solar and geo-exchange sources. Interesting to note that state taxes on coal and oil and natural gas paid for the bulk of construction costs while its operation will be powered predominately by renewable energy. Out with the old and in with the new. We are not really finished with the old, but places like this illustrate what the future holds.

It's also true that this place would not exist without the arts of architecture, design, photography, videography, literature, music and sculpture. A word about the music: no Muzak for this center, but it features western, C&W and Americana tunes. While there today, I heard a cowboy song by Wyoming's own Chris LeDoux and "Somebody Robbed the Glendale Train" by New Riders of the Purple Sage. Nice mix.

Stan Dolega's "Wind Code" outdoor sculpture not only uses steel beams patterned to look like Wyoming's ubiquitous snow fences, but also includes native rocks and is built to remind of us of the mountains we can see in the distance. It was put in place through the state's Percent for Art program.

Take a jaunt out to the new welcome center. It's functional and educational and pretty and fun. Sounds are good too.

Local author hosts B&N book fair to benefit Cheyenne Botanic Gardens

Cheyenne author Amanda Cabot will host a book fair at Barnes and Noble for her new novel Christmas Roses, on Saturday, Nov. 3. Proceeds will benefit the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and Paul Smith Children’s Village. Come on out for a fun afternoon with Amanda and finish (or begin) your Christmas shopping at the same time. 

The following Saturday, Nov. 10, Amanda will join some of her fellow Laramie County authors for a publishing conference at the Laramie County Public Library. This conference is "designed to help you navigate the next steps toward publication of your novel." It will be held from 10:15 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Laramie County Public Library. Feel free to brown-bag your lunch or purchase it at the library cafe. The event is free. Authors will be selling and signing copies of their books. FMI: 307-634-3561.

Fab art at FABulous Women's Art Show at WOW in Laramie

Fabulous women artists exhibit their fabulous artwork at Works of Wyoming in Laramie. Opening reception is Saturday. Head over to WOW's new digs on First Street in downtown Laramie. Stick around for some fab vegetarian food next door at Sweet Melissa's and a pint of finely crafted ale at the brewpub.

Republican Paul Ryan: Heavy on certitude, light on Catholic social justice

As I watched the Veep candidates trade barbs this evening in Kentucky, I couldn't help but wonder what they were like in high school. Lori said that Paul Ryan was called a brown-noser in his high school yearbook. I don't know this to be true but I also don't doubt it. One only has to see his thin-lipped smirk and his beady eyes to know he was a brown-noser, the kind who has his face so far up the teacher's bum that, well, you know....

Joe Biden, on the other hand, was a wise guy, quick-witted and big-mouthed, who might also have been fun to be around. He may also have been the BMOC -- Big Man on Campus -- the guy who got the girls and wasn't too humble about it.

But there's one other thing. Paul Ryan has the certitude and rectitude that makes him unbearable. He's the kind of parishioner who's driven me from the Catholic Church. This is what the Catholic Church believes! I know it in my lily white soul! If you don't like it, you must be one of those cafeteria Catholics. Get out!

So I did. These type of Catholics are insufferable. Certainty has never been a Catholic trait. Joe Biden was right when he quipped that Ryan didn't learn much about Catholic social doctrine with his catechism.

Give me those feisty social justice street-fighting Catholics any day. Or those heady Unitarians or friendly United Methodists or angst-ridden Existentialists or fallen Catholics or Jack Mormons. People who've been through the fire and learned a few things in the process.

Biden has been kicked around some. Lost his wife and daughter in a car crash. Had his son deployed to Iraq. Experienced losses at home and in the Senate. He knows that there's no certainty in life or in politics.

Biden stuck it to Ryan tonight. He probably would have done the same in high school debate, although charm and a big smile doesn't always win points in competition.   

Veterans, artists, writers and colleges team up for the Combat Paper Project

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From Nov. 5-9, the Combat Paper Project is teaming up with the Colorado

State University Veterans Organization right down the road in Fort Collins

for a week-long program of workshops, film screenings, presentations and 

an exhibit leading up to Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The completed works 

will be exhibited at the William E. Morgan Library at CSU from 7-9 p.m. on

Thursday, Nov. 8. The event is free and open to the public. For more 

information, contact Drew Waldbauer, alvs_staff@mail.colostate.edu, 

970-491-3977. 

Here's some info on the project:

The Combat Paper Project utilizes art-making workshops to assist veterans in reconciling and sharing their personal experiences as well as broadening the traditional narrative surrounding service and the military culture.

Through papermaking workshops veterans use their uniforms worn in combat to create cathartic works of art. The uniforms are cut up, beaten into a pulp and formed into sheets of paper. Veterans use the transformative process of papermaking to reclaim their uniform as art and begin to embrace their experiences in the military.

The Combat Paper Project is based out of art studios throughout the United States and has traveled to Canada and the United Kingdom, providing veterans workshops, exhibitions, performances and artists' talks. This project is made possible by a multifaceted collaboration between artists, art collectors, academic institutions and veterans.

Through ongoing participation in the papermaking process, combat papermakers are attempting to progress from creating works specific to their military experiences to expressing a broader vision on militarism and society. The work reflects both the anger of the past and hope for the future. Through this collaboration between civilians and veterans, a much-needed conversation is generated regarding our responsibilities to the returned veteran and an understanding of the dehumanizing effects of warfare.

The Combat Paper Project is a collaboration initiated by Drew Matott and Drew Cameron, involving war veterans, activists and artists. More information about our beginnings or the papermaking process can be found in our basic papermaking primer.

Cody's Steve Schrepferman brings his quirky ceramics to Cheyenne's Art Design and Dine

From my arts pal and fellow arts worker, Camellia El-Antably:

This month we are featuring Steve Schrepferman, a Cody ceramicist, at Clay Paper Scissors in honor of National Crafts Month. Steve is a highly versatile potter with work from the gorgeously functional (drinking from one of his cups is lovely experience in balance and texture) to quirky functional to large scale urns and vases and wall hangings. The work is often thrown and then modified and always glazed with rich, deep colors. Some of the pieces in the gallery now have an almost African sense to them. You can get a taste of his work at his website, http://www.steveschrepferman.com/, where he says:

My visual sensibility is rooted in the colors, textures, and rugged forms in the landscape of the American West. I am in awe of the immense vistas and canyons and feel a strong connection to the great physical and spiritual energy of this land. These are the energies I strive to capture in my work.

Art Design & Dine will be tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 11, from 5-8 p.m. Clay Paper Scissors is located at 1506 Thomes, Ste B, at the southeast corner of the building facing the tracks. Steve's work will be up through November.

Also during ADD: Mark Vinich, a studio artist, has artwork in the Teacher Show at the Civic Center; Mark and Camellia El-Antably's show, "Memories & Curious Conversations," continues at the Hynds Building at the corner of 16th and Capitol.

Studio Space is available! Please come talk to us about it.

9th U.S. Court of Appeals reinstates Montana's campaign donation limits

Good news from Huff Post Politics:

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Montana's campaign donation limits, telling the federal judge who struck down the limits that the panel needs to see his full reasoning so it can review the case.

The court intervened late Tuesday less than a week after the judge's decision opened the door to unlimited money in state elections – during the height of election season.

Read all about it at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/10/montana-campaign-donation-limits_n_1954591.html

Some good advice for writers from Clarissa Pinkola Estes

"The most difficult endeavor is not to create something. The most difficult endeavor is not even to begin. The most difficult is to keep rowing all the way through to completion. And this, in spades, is the content of the night-sea journey... making the descent to true self, nourishing the work from that locus of control, and completing the work. Then beginning the next, and the next... and completing them."

--Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, from her Creative Fire manuscript 

Dr. Estes will be conducting a creativity workshop, "Rowing Songs for the

Night-Sea Journey," Oct. 20-25 at Sunrise Ranch in the foothills between

Fort Collins and Loveland. Go here for more info: 

http://sunriseranch.org/personal-growth/rowing-songs/

Suite 1901 is new addition to Art Design & Dine art walk

Cheyenne's Art Design & Dine has added a new location, Suite 1901 at 1901 Central Avenue. Not surprising, as the bar/restaurant is now under new management and has a new mission. Four quilters will be exhibiting their work in the downstairs banquet area. The show opens with an artist’s reception on Thursday, Oct 11, from 5-8 p.m. Artist's statements below.

Joy Torelli

Joy Torelli – My artistic focus with my art quilts is to use bold, saturated colors and make them vibrate against each other.  I also like to use common images, like fish or flowers, and embellish them to transform them into new and exciting fiber art.  I use several techniques, such as printing photos on fabric and then stitching with thread or applying decorative yarns and paints. Another process is to take an image like a fish and use various fabrics, yarns, threads, beads, and other embellishments to produce an other-worldly, flamboyant fish.  I also like to experiment with new techniques, such as fabric “ruching”  to give three dimensions to flowers on the surface of the piece.

Judy Gilmore

Judy Gilmore – I think life is too complicated. Too much input, with no place to send it. And, it isn’t that there is anything I’d want to miss out on…just a fact…life is too complicated. Therefore, I find that my approach to art means I am going to simplify and organize my subject at every turn. It is kind of a game for me to make things less overwhelming. Working in series is appealing to me. Laying down some “restrictions” to follow and creating within those restrictions seems to open doors to my creativity rather than shut them. For example, only using four values of one color to create portraits changes my focus and is very liberating to me. It is probably because of my innate desire to simplify and organize this “too complicated life” that is such a part of me.

Esther Trevino Neasloney

Esther Trevino-Neasloney – I started quilting in the early 70′s mainly in the traditional aspect. It’s only been in the past few years that I have become involved in Contemporary Art quilting. Although I still enjoy the complexity and precision which is involved with traditional quilting, I prefer art quilting because it allows the artist to break the rules and  “think out of the box” when creating a piece. An art quilt can reflect a quilter’s idea or thought in an unusual or whimsical way. Contemporary art quilting can involve the use of many different forms of media which at times can be a challenge. The whole process can be a challenge but the end results are always an art piece that is “One of a Kind”.

Patricia Messer
 

Patricia J. Messer  – As a fiber artist I like to challenge myself to recreate something I admire or find fascinating. Then Ibegin with the basic idea and let the project guide me as it takes on a life of its own. I incorporate traditional quilting methods with different art techniques to capture the spirit of the quilt.

Keith Coombes at Ernie November: "You have to make things happen"

Poster for the Friday show at Ernie November in Cheyenne. Here's the plug on the Facebook event page: "HORDE OF DRAUGAR's CD-Release Party (Killer Death Metal from Cheyenne) with INCINERATED (Brutal Death/War Metal from Cheyenne). All-Ages/Free Show/Bring Donation$$$/Buy Merch/Always Fun/Never Stop/Ernie's Shows Rule."

I am still low-tech when it comes to music. If I still had a turntable, I would probably be buying vinyl. And I wouldn't be alone. There is still a market for turntables and records. Local music store Ernie November is a case in point. Proprietor Keith Coombes still stocks vinyl and it sells.

I order all of my CDs from Keith and Jason, his right hand man. Last February, when I told Jason that Moby Grape founder Peter Lewis was coming to Cheyenne, his eyes grew wide and he said only one word, "Wow." When I mentioned that Peter would be performing with Detroit spoken word poet M.L Liebler who sometimes performed with Jon Sinclair, his eyes grew wide and he asked this simple question: "You mean Jon Sinclair of MC5?" "Yes," was all that I said. Jason dug out a documentary video of MC5, one that I hadn't heard about.

These guys know their music. And their music history.

During lunch today, I dropped by the store to pick up the Bodeans CD I ordered when I was downtown for the Zombiefest. Keith was there, as he usually is, and my CD was sitting in a stack of special orders. Keith's a heavy metal guy, with multiple tattoos and piercings, but he will order anything. And buyers such as me get the good feeling that we are patronizing a local business. Ernie November is a downtown staple. As Keith rang up the sale, we talked about downtown redevelopment. He's excited about Alan O'Hashi's plan to redevelop the Hynds Building and The Hole directly across 16th Street. He likes the idea that 100-some LCCC students might end up living in the redeveloped space. We both agreed that it will add some much-needed energy, not to mention lots of kids who like to buy their music locally. And go to concerts. Keith has sponsored almost 100 shows in his tiny downtown space. He says that it takes him about 20 minutes to move his T-shirts and tie-dye clothing items into the back room and put screens around the incense and candle section. And then he just packs the fans into the store. This Friday, Horde of Draugar is coming to the store. Not my cup of tea, exactly, but he's aiming for a much younger demographic.

Keith was profiled in the June issue of Liberty's Torch, the local Libertarian newspaper. Under the header "Interviews: Capitalists & Creators," editor Brad Harrington conducted an interesting Q&A with Keith. In it, Keith says that he was like a lot of Cheyenne kids, and couldn't wait to leave town after high school because there was nothing to do. But he eventually moved back and took over Ernie November. He soon discovered that there still wasn't a lot of things for kids to do in Cheyenne.

You've got to make your path instead of to wait for it to come along. So that's what we ultimately did. We throw shows in here and we started because there was a lack of venues in town. We've had almost 100 shows in here, with dozens of touring bands from all over the world. If there's a lack of something out there, you have to take charge and do it yourself. Cheyenne's supposed to be just a 'cowboy,' western town, but here I am, the most un-country thing imaginable -- and I'm thriving. You have to make things happen.

Amen, Keith.