You’re all clear, kid, now let’s blow this thing and go home! – Han Solo

On the morning of September 11, 2001 I was asleep in a cozy little cabin in the beautiful high country region of Yosemite National Park.  Giant redwoods loomed nearby.  My world was serene and revolved around climbing massive granite blocks when not working as the “maintenance guy” at an environmental education center.  Frantic knocks on the door raised me from bed followed by the entry of a close friend and cups of hot coffee.
“I’ve got good …

Three lonesome demonstrators showed their support for Israel on Monday on the northwest corner of Broadway and Buffalo Way.  I dropped by to show some support and to chat for a while.  Though I’m a big fan of Israel I’m not a Kool-Aid drinker.  I realize that the Palestinians have a beef, and that there needs to be accommodation on both sides, but I admire Israel’s scrappy courage in the face of threats from psychotically hostile neighbors and the hypocritical condemnation of the majority of U.N. states.

The gang of three …

Jackson, WY resident Travis Walker has orchestrated a vortex of artistic energy and eco-activism.  In addition to being a talented artist, he’s become a pioneer for choreographing a community project of passionate and creative people.  Hard work, determination and dedicated volunteers like Tony Birkholz have transformed a dilapidated building on Gregory Lane into the new incarnation of the Teton Art Lab and Factory Studios.

.01: What prompted your relocation to 1255 Gregory Lane?

The Teton Artlab has been on the move since our inception in 2007, and it has been due to …

“The pioneers of a warless world are the young men and women who refuse military service.” – Albert Einstein

A few weeks ago I sat atop a gigantic jumbled pile of granitic boulders amongst an ocean of ever reaching Joshua Trees. I listened to wind rushing over rock and the occasional “cluk-cluk”of a curious raven. All was serene, basking in the warm desert sun, until a series of sonic booms ripped across the surreal landscape.
 
The thudding drone of military helicopters soon followed like a swarm of annoying industrial gnats. …

The following letter to the editor was originally printed in the Planet JH Weekly, July 27, 2005:

Vive la difference!

My personal vehicle sports a “Boycott France” bumper sticker which has elicited strong opinions with varying degrees of civility from all sides of the political spec- trum. However, this evening [July 18] when an enthusiastic Francophile and apparent supporter of the pre-war regime in Iraq placed an anonymous message on the windshield of my parked and empty vehicle, every person has expressed their opinion proudly, face to face or by name.
…

Ben Roth is a Jackson Hole based artist and sculpture who is on FIRE!  It’s been exciting to watch his career accelerate over the last few years, but he’s earned it through hard work, calculated risks and hyper-motivation.  He’s recently relocated his studio over to the emerging art district being established by the nice folks at the Teton Art Lab and Igneous Skis.

Ben’s work explores a wide spectrum, both fun and functional, from fine art to furniture, with inspirations from from Nature to NASCAR.  Next time you’re soaking in the …

I published some of my prop wishes for Wyoming and Jackson in the New Year in our Newsmaker issue this week http://planetjh.com/news/A_106896.aspx. Among other things, I’d like to see lodging tax revenue used to promote a Jackson Hole that’s representative of why we love to call this place home, a resolution to the ongoing and polarizing wolf dispute between Wyoming and the Feds, and a body count of zero on Teton Pass this ski season. Here’s one I’d add: that we see a final comp plan before the end of …

If you want to change the way people respond to you, change the way you respond to people.  -Timothy Leary

Wage Peace: the non lethal weaponry solution
Bee keepers use puffs of smoke to pacify angry insects.  If the U.S. Military hopes to win their current struggles against justifiably enraged insurgents who have had their homelands wrongfully invaded then we need to apply a similar non-lethal strategy to the arena of Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond if necessary.  It’s debatable, however, if the goal is to win the deceptive “war on terror” or …

I didn’t intend to open a brewery that only served beer above 8.0% alcohol, it just kind of happened. My beers and the guest taps tended to be strong this winter. All these years living in Wyoming, I always wanted the beers that were tough to get – the ones I had to travel to Belgian or the coasts to taste. So I had to open a brewery and make them myself (dare to dream). And this winter I think I’ve shown the local distributors that there is a market …

There are some hundred billion galaxies, each with, on the average, a hundred billion stars… ten billion trillion.  In the face of such overpowering numbers, what is the likelihood that only one ordinary star, the Sun, is accompanied by an inhabited planet?
-Carl Sagan

There is no greater “drug free” reality shift then experiencing your first UFO sighting.  Mine was back in 2003.  A reassuring voice was sensed inside my head that calmly said “go outside, go outside” and so I did.  It was in the evening an hour or so after …