Planet JH 8.26.15 by Planet Jackson Hole

JACKSON HOLE’S ALTERNATIVE VOICE | PLANETJH.COM | AUGUST 26-SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

THE CENTER OF THE

UNIVERSE

JIMMY CHIN’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT, ‘MERU,’ SENDS AUDIENCES TO THE PRECIPICE BY K A RY N GR E E N WOO D

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2 | AUGUST 26, 2015

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JACKSON HOLE'S ALTERNATIVE VOICE

VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 34 | AUGUST 26-SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

COVER STORY THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

Jimmy Chin’s directorial debut, ‘Meru,’ sends audiences to the precipice Cover photo of Renan Ozturk by Jimmy Chin

4 GUEST OPINION 6 THE BUZZ 17 EVENTS 21 WELL, THAT HAPPENED 24 THE FOODIE FILES 28 COSMIC CAFE 30 SATIRE THE PLANET TEAM PUBLISHER Copperfield Publishing, John Saltas GENERAL MANAGER Andy Sutcliffe / asutcliffe@planetjh.com EDITOR Robyn Vincent / editor@planetjh.com ART DIRECTOR Cait Lee / art@planetjh.com SALES DIRECTOR Jen Tillotson / jen@planetjh.com

SALES EXTRAORDINAIRES Jennifer Marlatt / jmarlatt@planetjh.com Caroline Zieleniewski / caroline@planetjh.com COPY EDITOR Brielle Schaeffer CONTIBUTORS Craig Benjamin, Mike Bressler, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Davis, Annie Fenn, MD, Karyn Greenwood, Elizabeth Koutrelakos, Carol Mann, Andrew Munz, Jake Nichols, Ted Scheffler, Chuck Shepherd, Tom Tomorrow, Jim Woodmencey

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August 26, 2015 By Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey

ard to believe we are already into the last week of August! As kids are returning to school, we start to see a drop in the tourist crowd, and we also start to see a drop in temperatures, as well. A couple of days topping 80-degrees earlier in the week sure felt good, especially after what seemed like a cooler than usual August in Jackson Hole. Let’s hope we can stay cooler and wetter, and maybe scoot by forest firefree in September.

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WHAT’S COOL WHAT’S HOT Mornings have been noticeably cooler this past week or so, with a few days dipping down into the nether regions of the 30’s. Average low temperatures this week are in the mid-30’s, therefore, freezing plants is not as worrisome just yet. Although there have been times when we’ve had a deep-freeze in late August, like the 18-degree reading on the morning of August 28th, 1960. That would certainly spell the end for a tomato plant.

Tagging 90-degrees in Jackson during the last week of August is not something we experience very often. There have been some years though when that did occur, like during the year of the big fires up in Yellowstone Park, back in 1988. However, you’d have to go all the way back to the Dust Bowl years to find the warmest temperatures we have ever had here this week, which was 94-degrees on August 29th, 1934.

NORMAL HIGH NORMAL LOW RECORD HIGH IN 1934 RECORD LOW IN 1960

78 36 94 18

AVERAGE PRECIPITATION: 1.2 inches RECORD PRECIPITATION: 3.8 inches (1945) AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 0 inches RECORD SNOWFALL: 0 inches

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GUEST OPINION S hop local, Save big!

Five times the feces? Speak up now to keep Wyoming waters clean BY CRAIG BENJAMIN

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magine you’re on a backpacking trip with your kids somewhere in the Wyoming backcountry. You come across a shallow mountain stream, the kids wade in and start splashing around, you refill your water bottles, wash up a bit and decide to take a break to cast for some cutties in a small pool. It looks like a pristine mountain stream, crystal clear and miles from civilization, but looks can be deceiving. Think about how nearly 88,000 miles of streams across Wyoming might be allowed to have five times the feces in them if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves a Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) decision to reclassify more than three-quarters of our state’s surface waters. That’s right. In most Wyoming streams the DEQ wants to allow up to five times the current allowable concentration of E. coli – the coliform bacteria that comes from human, wildlife or livestock feces and can cause gastrointestinal illness or in severe cases, death. Wait, what? Here’s the deal. Last August the DEQ issued a decision based on a Categorical Use Attainability Analysis for Recreation, which reclassifies nearly 88,000 miles of streams in Wyoming from primary contact recreation to secondary contact recreation under the Clean Water Act. According to the EPA, primary contact recreation includes uses like, “swimming, bathing ... water play by children and similar water contact activities where a high degree of bodily contact with the water, immersion and ingestion are likely.” You know, the typical things we do in backcountry streams. This means that water quality standards on these streams have been weakened to allow levels of E. Coli five times higher than the previous limit. DEQ made this move because they believe that small streams (with mean annual flows under 6 cubic feet per second or more than a half-mile from developed campgrounds and trailheads) are not capable of supporting primary contact recreation and therefore do not need to be protected. DEQ moved forward with this sweeping and dangerous change with hardly any public outreach or site-specific analysis, assuming that most of Wyoming’s hard-to-access streams are not used by folks like you and me recreating in the backcountry – an assumption we all recognize doesn’t hold water. The EPA wasn’t impressed with this approach and the almost complete lack of

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Evidence for the DEQ: Piper and Ryder Benjamin dipping their feet in a small Wyoming stream. But what, pray tell, are the GPS coordinates? public engagement so they asked DEQ to hold a public hearing and “specifically reach out to recreational user groups” before they (EPA) would approve the categorical re-designation of streams. In response, DEQ scheduled a public hearing in Casper on Sept. 16 and offered to accept public comments, via mail or fax (at first DEQ officials said they would only accept public comments provided in person or in writing during that hearing). Seriously, one public hearing and comments only through mail or fax (no emails) for an issue that affects our entire state and potentially puts thousands of people’s health at risk. Nineteen-eighty four called and they want their public outreach strategy back. Making matters worse, through this reclassification process the DEQ has flipped logic on its head. Instead of following EPA guidelines, which suggest the DEQ should show that primary use is unattainable before reclassifying a stream, it is asking people like you and me to submit photos showing people recreating in a specific stream (along with detailed location information, like GPS coordinates) to prove that it’s a stream worth protecting. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I do when I am in the wilds of Wyoming is whip out my phone and start taking pictures, let alone log GPS coordinates. This shift in the burden of proof is both unreasonable and “bassackwards.” So what can we do? Well, if you’re free Sept. 16 and up for a long drive, head to Casper and attend the public hearing for categorical use attainability analysis (don’t they make it sound like a fun meeting!) and

make your voice heard for clean streams in Wyoming. This meeting will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 16, in the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission room in the Basko Building, 2211 King Boulevard in Casper. Not down for a drive to and from Casper but want to have an impact on this issue? You can mail written comments to David Waterstreet, Watershed Section Manager, at 122 W. 25th St. Herschler Bldg. 4W Cheyenne, 82002. You can also send a fax (that’s still a thing people do?) to 307-777-5973. Let the DEQ know they should withdraw their Aug. 20 “Categorical Re-designation of Streams from Primary Contact Recreation to Secondary Contact Recreation.” Tell them a better rule would be to incorporate feedback from a diversity of recreational users and be much more targeted and limited in terms of the streams that will be “downgraded.” Explain how you, your family, and your friends regularly recreate on and in low flow streams more than a mile from towns and more than a half-mile from developed campgrounds and trailheads and ask that they consider this when assessing the rule and adjust it accordingly. If you can, try to include photos of your family recreating in a low flow stream and as much information as you can about the stream’s location. For an easy way to send a letter to the DEQ, visit JHAlliance.org/FiveTimes. If we speak up now, we can protect Wyoming’s streams and keep our families safe. PJH

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THE BUZZ Where there’s smoke... Wildfires burn all around us. How long will we stay lucky? BY JAKE NICHOLS

What’s on fire? On the heels of a hot, dry summer, Washington State has exploded into flames. Towns have been evacuated, three firefighters are dead and for the first time in state history authorities are accepting help from civilians to fight fires. California has at least a dozen wildfires still burning in drought-ravaged regions of the Golden State. More than 11,000 firefighters are battling everything from fast-moving grass fires to 50 square miles of scorched timber in Kings Canyon Park on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Dozens of homes have been lost to conflagrations in timber-rich Oregon. The state’s fires have received less national resources and attention than Washington and California. Without adequate manpower, crews are hoping for calmer winds in central and eastern Oregon headed into this week. Idaho also has multiple fire complexes burning. So does Montana.

INCIWEB

t’s a constant reminder. As the smoke of dozens of distant fires drifts into the valley, we inhale carcinogens and exhale with hope. The ash of conifers, homes and lives lost in wildfires torching our Western neighbors fills our lungs with every breath we take. It’s so close you can taste it.

A fire crew waters parched horses on the Okanogan Complex in Washington. Four geographic areas of the United States are under wildfire preparedness Level 4, or Level 5 (the highest there is). the front lines of a wildfire. Some resources have trickled back to the region but most everything – from engines to air support to hotshots – was deployed long ago to the Pacific Northwest and other areas that sparked first. Demand on national firefighting resources has drained every pool dry. And there’s no end in sight. “There will still be a continual national demand for at least the next seven to 14 days,” Cernicek said. “While we expect some short-term moderation in the weather over [last weekend] in the [hardest hit] geographic areas, long-term assessments indicate that no season-ending or season-slowing events are on the horizon. Fire managers need to prepare for a marathon rather than a sprint.” Four geog raphic areas are under wildfire preparedness Level 4 or Level 5 (the highest there is) – the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, Northern California and the Northern Rockies. That hasn’t happened since 2007. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time. It’s true, USFS has never budgeted more to fight fires than they do now. In 1995, fire comprised 16 percent of the Forest Service’s annual appropriated budget, according to the USFS 2015 Fire Budget Report. Half the agency’s annual budget is dedicated to fighting fires this year. “However, the agency is at a tipping point,” the report warned. Climate change has led to fire seasons that are now an average of 78 days longer than they were in 1970. And the fires are bigger now. The six worst fire seasons since 1960 have all occurred after 2000. Twice as

“Long-term assessments indicate that no season-ending or season-slowing events are on the horizon.”

If things get hot here If something were to pop up right now in the Bridger-Teton or Grand Teton, fire managers would find themselves in desperate circumstances. “The Forest is at ‘draw down’ for fire resources at both management and ground level,” BTNF spokesperson Mary Cernicek said. “We have been doing our best to send resources to critical areas of the country.” In addition to handling information out of the USFS Jackson office, Cernicek has been on

much acreage burns now in an average year than it did three decades ago. Forest Service scientists think that number will double by mid-century. That is if there’s anything left to burn. No amount of money can buy additional help for firefighters risking their lives on the lines in Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. There simply isn’t anything left, not even Incident Commanders. Emergency measures are being taken. The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) is actively seeking military assistance – everything from MAFFs (Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems) to ground firefighters to aircraft – through both National Guard and Department of Defense channels. When those sources tapped out fire managers went international, calling on help from Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With a quiet season in Bridger-Teton so far, nearly every pulaski tool and anyone with a pulse has been deployed west – some on third assignments of the season. Teton Interagency Fire’s Engine 365 is on loan combating the Route Complex fire in California. Engine 4 is in McCall, Idaho. Jackson District ranger Dale Deiter is off to Oregon. So is PIO Angelica Cacho. Even the National Elk Refuge is pitching in. Lori Iverson was shipped to Oregon. Chris Dippel landed in Idaho.

Smokey says BTNF fire prevention specialist Lesley Williams-Gomez normally spends her time educating the public on fire safety, helping homeowners to create defensible space around their property, and patrolling for abandoned campfires. A cool, wet July and chilly start to August lowered fire dangers close to home and had many thinking we’re going to be just fine. Williams-Gomez knows better.

“This moisture has allowed our fine fuels like grasses to grow very lush and tall,” she said. “With our nights getting colder, these plants are curing and drying out. They will actually carry fire rapidly now with a little wind. With hunting season coming that adds an extra element of hazard.” Williams-Gomez is especially worried about hotspots like Shadow Mountain – a rugged, heavily timbered area with little access to water. Curtis Canyon and Fall Creek Road also give her sleepless nights. Given the availability of resources now, if a wildfire were to break out it would receive little more attention than monitoring. “If we have a small fire in the middle of the wilderness, that’s going to be looked at differently than a fire that is upwind of a community,” Williams-Gomez said. “Things are tight right now. I commend our interagency firefighters out of the park and forest [service] that have been running and gunning all season, some on their second and third roll, and that gets tiring. But they are committed, and staying strong, and ready to come home and do it right here if they need to.” Williams-Gomez implores hunters to be careful with their fires in the coming weeks and months. “Be smart. Assess the risks. Know the weather,” she said. “Ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to build that fire tonight?’” As for defensible space, it’s probably too late to think about that now. “I think we got a little lax in the years after the Green Knoll Fire,” Williams-Gomez said, referring to the epic blaze that threatened the town of Wilson in 2001. “I think people are more reactive when there is smoke in the air like now. But the time to do it is not when the smoke is in the air. People need to think about it in the spring. We have many contractors in our area that are great at this stuff. We also have federal grants available to help.” PJH

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ROBYN VINCENT

THE BUZZ 2

The Faces of Blair If residents of Blair Place Apartments are forced from the valley, just who do we stand to lose? BY ROBYN VINCENT @TheNomadicHeart The Faces of Blair spotlights vital community members who are reevaluating their place in Jackson after Blair Place Apartments announced a more then 40 percent rent increase.

eske Grave has found herself in the news on a few occasions for her indefatigable work as Hole Food Rescue’s associate director. Ahead of HFR’s first fundraiser, The Planet ran a story last week highlighting her organization’s efforts to rescue 20,000 pounds of food each month from dumpster demise. This jettisoned food is delivered to the plates of hungry people all over the valley, from folks at Good Samaritan Mission to the Senior Center. Today, however, the alacritous 28-year-old is the subject of a different battle, that which concerns her uncertain fate living in Jackson Hole as a Blair Place resident. After two years of work with HFR, Grave is finally collecting a paycheck for her incessant dedication in the nonprofit sphere. The organization not only fights food waste and sates local hunger pangs but it also teaches life skills to people who lean on organizations such as Teton Literacy Center, Climb Wyoming and CES. Indeed, HFR’s future is radiating with promise. Partnering with the Community Foundation, HFR is launching Just Food JH, a two-year project to research the extent of edible food waste in Teton County and to explore new methods of food waste aversion. “We have big plans with Hole Food Rescue in the next two years,” Grave said. “But I am definitely worried about my living situation.” In order to keep HFR afloat and guide its more than 50 volunteers, Grave says living in the same community that

Associate director of Hole Food Rescue Jeske Grave and nursing student Mark Henderson at their Blair Place Apartment. she serves is crucial. “I’m up each morning at 7 texting Ali [Dunford] (Hole Food Rescue’s executive director and founder) about what we must achieve that day,” she said. This includes organizing food baskets, inspecting new donations to ensure food isn’t past its prime, allocating the massive influx of rescued items, working with volunteers, performing “rescues” and writing grants, to name a few. “When there is too much activity at the hub, Ali and I come to my Blair apartment to work,” Grave explained. “If I wasn’t living in close proximity to Hole Food Rescue, I don’t know how I would do this. I am so passionate about this community, so I refuse to be pushed out, but I don’t know who to fight.” Grave lives with her husband Mark Henderson, a second year nursing student. Altruism pumps through both their veins. The duo’s shared belief in the power of community outreach is a cornerstone of their relationship. “We have always thought the best way to connect in the community is to volunteer,” Henderson said. The two met when Henderson was traveling in Grave’s hometown of Amsterdam and have volunteered abroad together. After completing a master’s degree in environmental education, Grave moved to Jackson to be with Henderson and the two resumed their community work, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Teton Botanical Gardens, Friends of Pathways and Teton Raptor Center. “While I was waiting for my green card, I started volunteering to get to know this community,” Grave said. “What I found was that everyone wants to make this a better place.” As Grave buzzes around HFR’s hub and across town, Henderson, a 12-year resident, spends his days studying to become a nurse, an occupation he sought out after a near fatal experience while traveling in Guatemala. “I was deathly ill – the doctors thought I had Dengue Fever,” Henderson remembered. “Somehow, they were able to nurse me back to health and they did it all for free … I was blown away. After that experience, I donated money back to the hospital and I really started thinking about how I could give back and involve myself in global health.” Once Henderson completes nursing school, he says he

wants to become involved with Doctors without Borders. But for now, he’s already taken steps to improve the health of people on the other side of the globe. Recently he traveled to Accra, Ghana, to volunteer with Unite for Sight, a nonprofit that performs free cataract surgeries. Henderson volunteered 15-hour days in stifling, sooty buildings to ensure that almost 400 people were examined and treated each day. After a round of visual acuity tests, doctors would determine who needed surgery based on test results and how entwined a person’s sight was to their livelihood. “After surgery, when they would take the patches off,” Henderson said, “there was an automatic welling of tears in their eyes; I was crying, they were crying. It was very powerful.” It is people like Henderson – volunteers who are on the ground working directly with communities – that have a special opportunity to forge meaningful bonds with the people they help. Grave laments that the more than 50 people who volunteer for Hole Food Rescue are all working-class folks, some who face similarly uncertain fates as her and Henderson. “The people who volunteer for us have three jobs already,” said Grave, whose own juggling act includes working four nights a week at Cowboy Steakhouse. “We are losing volunteers all the time who can’t afford to live here anymore. Two just left for this exact reason.” During a four-hour joint town and county meeting last week, Blair resident Jorge Moreno presented to local officials almost 200 questionnaires completed by Blair residents lamenting their futures and decrying Blair’s decision to steeply raise rent instead of instating an incremental hike. Moreno has spent the last two weeks interfacing with his neighbors to place a human emphasis on the hundreds of potentially homeless people living at Blair. “I never understood the saying, ‘a deer in headlights,’ until recently,” Moreno said. “When I knocked on my neighbors doors I saw that people are shocked. They don’t know what to do, but they are waiting, and waiting and waiting until the last minute and some of these answers reflect that. I don’t know what they are waiting for, but they are afraid.” PJH

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THE BUZZ 3 Teewinot claims two Trio of climbers were offroute when tragedy struck BY JAKE NICHOLS

hree-and-half seconds. That’s how long Tyler Strandberg and Catherine Nix had to contemplate the rest of their lives. Rebecca Anderson saw her climbing friends fall. She called to them from a ledge on the east face of Teewinot Mountain. Her voice echoed off Worshiper and Idol rock towers. Only silence followed. Strandberg, 27, and Nix, 28, fell 200 feet. The Jenny Lake Rangers who climbed to them hours later said they likely died quickly, probably instantly. The trio was attempting to summit the 12,323-foot peak via a popular approach. They had 800 feet to go when tragedy struck. Anderson watched as Strandberg and Nix fell together. Until an investigation is concluded, it is not known what caused the two to lose their grip. Possibly a rock was loosened or one climber struck the other on her plummet to death. What is known is that the climbing party had lost its way. They had ventured from the standard class 4.0 climb, which does not typically require the use of ropes or harness, and found themselves in a much more difficult section. According to Andrew White, Grand Teton National Park’s assistant public affairs officer, the women were attempting to get back to the correct route when Strandberg and Nix fell. Anderson made the 911 call. It was routed through park interagency dispatch. Rangers and medical personnel scrambled immediately into action. They were airborne by early afternoon after receiving the call at 11:15 a.m. An airship short-hauled rangers to the location. As they drew nearer they feared the worst. Two bodies lay motionless on the rocks below Anderson. Rangers

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rappelled from the hovering helicopter and found Strandberg and Nix unresponsive. They were pronounced dead at the scene in consultation with park medical director Dr. Will Smith. Climbing rangers then began the hour-long climb to reach the shaken Anderson. After plucking Anderson from her rock ledge and flying her to Lupine Meadows Rescue Cache at 4:19 p.m., rangers returned to prepare Strandberg and Nix for their ride off the mountain. That would have to wait. Another call came in to dispatch. Doug Lawton, 45, of Alpine, had pulled a huge boulder loose during his hike down Avalanche Canyon just above Lake Taminah. With his leg injured badly, Lawton managed to limp a few hundred feet to an area where the rescue helicopter could be safely landed. Lawton was hauled to Lupine Meadows and later transferred to St. John’s Medical Center. All three women were currently residing in Jackson Hole. Anderson is originally from Louisville, Ky. Strandberg was from Raleigh,

Tyler Strandberg (left), and Catherin Nix (middle), suffered a fatal fall on Teewinot Mountain Saturday. Their surviving climbing partner Rebecca Anderson (right), called 911 from a rock ledge.

N.C., and Nix hailed from Port Chester, N.Y. The news website WyoFile reported recently that more people die in Grand Teton climbing than in any other activity. Data compiled from 1997 to 2014 showed fatalities most often occur when climbers fall unroped on non-technical ascents. None of the three women involved in the mishap on Saturday were using ropes. Fryxell and Phil Smith made the first ascent of Teewinot on Aug. 29, 1929. The route then was much more difficult than today. In 1934, an upper portion of the mountain crumbled into the couloir blocking all attempts to summit that year but eventually making the ascent easier. A full park investigation into the event and rescue is expected by the end of the year. PJH

the latest happenings in jackson hole Visit our website

TetonWyo.org The public meeting agendas and minutes for the Board of County Commissioners and Planning Commission can also be found in the Public Notices section of the JH News and Guide.

pjhcalendar.com

NEWS Cecil Speaks

OF THE

WEIRD

The distress across the Western world in July over the big-game killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe was apparently misdirected, according to veteran “animal communicator” Karen Anderson of Elk, Wash., who told Facebook and Internet visitors (AnimalCommunicating.com) that Cecil and she had discussed his demise and that he was over it. Also, Cecil apparently speaks in formal, graceful English, as Anderson quoted him (according to London’s The Independent): “Let not the actions of these few men defeat us,” said Cecil, “or allow darkness to enter our hearts.” “I am,” he added, “grander than before as no one can take our purity, our truth or our soul.” (Anderson’s usual fee to speak with deceased pets is $75 for 15 minutes, but she did not disclose whether she had a client for Cecil’s tab.)

Chutzpah!

In May, three Santa Ana, Calif., police officers who had just raided the unlicensed Sky High Holistic medical marijuana dispensary were caught on the facility’s surveillance video eating supposedly seized cannabis-infused chocolate bars, and an “internal affairs” investigation was opened. However, in August, the Orange County Register reported that the cops went to court to have the video suppressed. Their familiar legal argument is that the video violates their right to privacy—in that they had purposely disabled the cameras before they began munching the contraband and thus had the requisite “expectation of privacy” that triggers the right. (Possibly, they had missed a camera.) n The mother of three children in Grandview, Mo., suspected that Dameion McBride, 22, had sexually molested her two daughters (ages 4 and 8) and son (age 3), but McBride indignantly denied it, claiming that he is a child-abuse survivor himself, and booked himself on the national Steve Wilkos TV show in May to take a lie-detector test to clear his name. However, he failed the test as to each child and was subsequently arrested. (The Associated Press reported that McBride insisted on a police lie-detector test—and failed that, too.)

The Continuing Crisis

The Litigious Society

The estate of Dr. Rajan Verma filed a lawsuit in July against the Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo, N.Y., after Dr. Verma fell to his death following a concert when he lost his balance sliding down the banister. The estate claims that there must have been a sticky substance on the railing. The estate’s lawyers said that since alcohol was served at the concert, the promoters should have known to take extra safety precautions for banister-riders.

News That Sounds Like a Joke

“Green-fingered residents” can show off their hard work each year at the Quedgeley Show in Gloucestershire, England, entering arrangements of colorful, plump garden-grown vegetables. However, attendance has been off in recent years, reported the Western Daily Press, leaving the show’s future in doubt— until organizers announced that this year, to increase the number of entries, supermarket-bought vegetables could be submitted. n “Number Two, Turn to the Right and Growl”: Magistrates in Ceredigion, Wales, fined Edward Davies the equivalent of about $1,130 in June, finding that it was his dog that bit a teenage girl last October, sending her to a hospital with swelling and bruising. Aberystwyth authorities had set up a formal police lineup of dogs from the neighborhood, and the girl had made a positive ID of Davies’ dog as the perp.

Choice Take away a woman’s right to choose and she’s left to take matters into her own hands.

IT’S PRO-CHOICE OR NO-CHOICE. Paid for by the KCR Coalition for Pro-Choice Kristyne Crane Rupert | www.naral.org.

Least Competent Criminals

Judge Roger Barto, of Waterloo (New York) Village Court, was convicted in August of staging a fake assault on himself to convince doctors to prescribe him pain medication. Officers arriving at the scene found Barto lying on the ground with a shattered porcelain toilet-tank lid nearby from (he said) being smacked on the head by a mugger. However, doctors found an apparent flaw in Barto’s ruse: He had forgotten to actually hurt himself during the “attack”—as medical personnel had found no mark, cut or bruise anywhere on him.

Recurring Themes

Once again during a police raid of a suspected drug house (this time, in Wood River, Ill., in July), with cops swarming the home and yard, confiscating evidence and arresting occupants, officers had to stop briefly from time to time to answer the front door (10 times during a 90-minute period)—as the dealer’s regular (oblivious) customers continually arrived to buy more heroin. n In the face of a declining military budget, the Defense Ministry of the Netherlands issued confidential instructions to commanders in July that during training exercises, to preserve dwindling ammunition, soldiers should simply shout “Bang, Bang!” instead of firing their weapons. Said a soldiers’ advocate, “Even if you have no bullets, you (still) have to train with your weapon.” n Thinning the Herd: 1. When two men who had been drinking in the apartment of Brandon Thomas, 30, in Conyers, Ga., on July 23 wanted to leave, Mr. Thomas objected. “If y’all are going to drink my alcohol, y’all are going to play my game,” he said, announcing that his “game” was Russian roulette. Minutes later, after spinning the revolver’s cylinder, Mr. Thomas lost the game. 2. Three days later in rural Bell County, Ky., John Brock, 60, asked the Lord once again to certify his righteousness by allowing him to safely handle a rattlesnake during services at Mossy Simpson Pentecostal Church. However exemplary Mr. Brock’s faith had been previously, on that day, apparently, it was found wanting, and he is no longer with us. Thanks This Week to Dan Bohlen, Dan Wasserman, Bryce Jackson and Charles Smaistrla, and to the News of the Weird Board of Editorial Advisors. Read more weird news at WeirdUniverse.net; send items to WeirdNews@earthlink.net, and P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679.

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 11

n Who gets badly hurt playing musical chairs? Robin Earnest, 46, told an Arkansas claims hearing that she broke two fingers and was forced into “years” of surgery and physical therapy over a game that was part of a class at the College of the Ouachitas in 2011 and demanded at least $75,000 from the state. The July hearing was dominated by a discussion of the proper way to play musical chairs because the instructor had ordered three students

to contest one chair—with Earnest asserting that everyone knows it would be two chairs for three people.

Please support keeping abortion safe and legal.

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

On Aug. 1, one of the world’s weirdest border disputes came to an end, as India and Bangladesh exchanged more than 160 “enclaves”—sovereign territory completely surrounded by the other country’s sovereign territory (in principle, making travel out of the enclaves impossible unless the enclave had an embassy or another office that issues visas). In fact, there was one Indian enclave (Dahala Khagrabari) completely within a Bangladeshi enclave that is completely inside an Indian enclave inside Bangladesh.

By CHUCK SHEPHERD

THE CENTER OF THE

UNIVERSE JIMMY CHIN’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT, ‘MERU,’ SENDS AUDIENCES TO THE PRECIPICE BY K A RY N GR E E N WOO D

12 | AUGUST 26, 2015

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

n 2008, world-renowned mountaineers Jimmy Chin, Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk were on the edge of glory. They had struggled for 17 days on Meru Peak – 21,000 feet of the most treacherous climbing in the Himalayas – only to find themselves 100 meters shy of the summit. With dwindling food and fuel, and while watching the sun dip toward the horizon, they made a decision that haunted them for the next few years. Directing a pleading gaze to the sky, Anker rappelled down the face of the mountain in utter defeat. Chin, meanwhile, looked at the camera. “I’m never coming back,” he said. Chin’s first feature-length film – where he finds himself as both a star, and as a co-director along with his wife, filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi – chronicles the trio’s first failed attempt at the mountain in 2008, and the passion that drove the three to return to Meru three years later. This time, they were victorious making first ascent of Meru’s Shark’s Fin, a razor sharp route of granite and ice thought to be an impossible feat. At its surface, “Meru” appears a climbing film, but at its heart it’s a film about the human spirit and the deep bonds of friendship forged when everything is at stake. Ahead of the Jackson Hole cinematic premiere of “Meru” on August 28, The Planet sat down with Chin and his climbing partners to discuss the mountain, the film and the people who grace the silver screen.

CONRAD ANKER BY JIMMY CHIN.

THE SHARK’S FIN

A ridgeline with three peaks, Meru stands, literally, figuratively and spiritually at the center of this film, which takes place on Meru Central, or the Shark’s Fin. Jon Krakauer, a master storyteller and trusted voice in the mountaineering community, helps narrate the film. His description of the Shark’s Fin sends chills down your spine – “The climbing covers the whole spectrum. The upper 1,500 feet of the Shark’s Fin is smooth, it’s clean, it’s nearly featureless. But below that is 4,000 feet of really gnarly climbing. There’s fluted snow – dangerous, exposed.” According to The Alpinist magazine, the Shark’s Fin has rebuffed dozens of climbers, including Anker himself in 2003 when he attempted a “light and fast” approach and was turned back when he didn’t have the gear to climb the last 1,500 feet. In Hinduism, Meru is the center of the universe, the cosmic intersection of heaven and hell. Meru is also the physical headwaters of the Ganges River, the holiest river in Hinduism. Many religious pilgrims travel throughout the Garhwal region in Northern India where Meru is located. On the trails, sadhus, or holy men, often join visitors and climbers like Chin, Anker and Ozturk. It is only fitting

that this journey, a climb that turned into a trial and an exploration of physical, emotional and mental limits, would occur at this place of incredible spiritual meaning. Not one to view cultural differences as stumbling blocks while on expedition in foreign countries, Chin embraces and celebrates the cultures he encounters: “One of the great appeals of these expeditions is the cultural experience and the travel,” he said. “You’re always highly attuned and sensitive to the culture and the people you are visiting. And you are a visitor. But there is so much to learn about perspective on life from people from different cultures. … [In the Garhwal] there are a lot of holy men and sadhus practicing up there and you want to have their blessings. We met with a lot of the sadhus and they are always very encouraging. They kind of get it, they get that you’re on a quest. And so that was really nice when we would get their blessings and they would share these mantras with us for safe passage. And they would say things like, ‘Tell us what you see up there.’ It’s the center of the universe – they’re curious. It’s a big part of why I do expeditions.”

REALIZING A VISION

was out there in the world prior to the film’s release. Chin admits that he did not envision this as a featurelength film until 2011. The realization came when, Chin explained, “there was this moment where Renan gives this incredible monologue, and I thought, ‘Wow, that would be a great ending to a movie.’” Beyond the story of climbing Meru, Chin felt inspired to include the journeys of his fellow climbers in the film. Through the use of intimate interviews, Chin captures Anker’s struggle losing previous climbing partners, including his mentor Mugs, and his indomitable climbing partner Alex Lowe. Chin’s steady and seemingly omnipresent camera also brings the audience through Ozturk’s horrific ski accident here in the valley and his herculean efforts to recover. Chin chose to allow these stories to steer “Meru” toward universal human themes rather than simply a film about climbing. “The mainstream consciousness has a certain idea about climbing that is really far from what I find important and compelling about climbing,” Chin said. “And that’s the friendships and the relationships that are forged when you are having a very shared experience of climbing.” Chin hopes that

Those who have followed Chin, Anker and Ozturk through various medias will notice that some of the footage

“

THE MAINSTREAM CONSCIOUSNESS HAS A CERTAIN IDEA ABOUT CLIMBING THAT IS REALLY FAR FROM WHAT I FIND IMPORTANT AND COMPELLING ABOUT CLIMBING. - JIMMY CHIN

”

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 13

RENAN OZTURK BY JIMMY CHIN.

viewers, both climbers and non-climbers, come away with a sense of the film’s universal themes, which Chin describes as “friendship and loyalty and about the sacrifices you make to pursue your passions and your dreams.”

GETTING THE SHOT

14 | AUGUST 26, 2015

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

Film production, even before Chin envisioned this as a feature film, inherently had its challenges. As a professional outdoor photographer, Chin is not unfamiliar with the struggles of balancing production with climbing. “It’s really important for me, especially on an expedition like this, that production doesn’t impact the climbing,” he said. “There are expeditions I’ve been on that have been based around the production, and that to me has always felt like the tail wagging the dog. I like shooting on the fly and get it in the moment. So there are definitely shots that you miss.” Chin described a moment, for example, that would induce an anxiety attack in a meditation guru: “There could be some epic sunset with Conrad [Anker] on the horizon line but you are either belaying, or freezing, or the camera is not within reach and you are trying to stack ropes and organize gear and

SOLACE UNDER THE STARS BY JIMMY CHIN.

nightfall is coming but you have to get up two more pitches so you can build the portaledge.” And this is the type of scenario where Chin is very clear: “You are a climber first on a project like this, and you have responsibilities.” But the struggle doesn’t end there. With two feet planted on the ground and technology at our fingertips every day, some might easily forget that expeditions come with not only risky challenges, but also mundane ones. Chin points out that on the climb they didn’t have endless power or endless storage. “It’s not like we were backing up our photos each day and clearing our [memory] cards. We had to shoot very carefully and thoughtfully and judiciously. So it wasn’t like we were just rolling and rolling and rolling.” But even when the camera is within reach, and the memory card has space, and the batteries are charged, there is another, possibly even more important element that has to be present as well. The level of intimacy and candor “Meru” audiences experience is oftentimes startling. Instances where, for example, Anker gets choked up recounting the moments following the loss of his best friend and climbing partner, or the bloody closeups of a dazed Ozturk after his devastating ski accident. Chin chalks it all up to the fact that he is filming to document and to share a story. “You’ve got to follow your gut,” he said. “Will it help enhance the story? We are very open and comfortable with each other, so we have a lot of access to the lives of our partners.” Anker added that as a professional climber, “you have to be a storyteller, which means you often have to be in the public eye. Once we understand that and make that decision to do this line of work, then you want to do it the best you can. Working with Renan and Jimmy, who are now friends, was what made it special.” Acting natural in the presence of a camera during intimate moments is a technique a generation of reality TV watchers are familiar (and possibly even bored) with, but it takes only a few thrilling minutes of “Meru” before the audience will appreciate how deeply trusting these three men are of each other.

THE ANTI-EVEREST

Early in the film, Jon Krakauer dubs the Shark’s Fin the “Anti-Everest.” Chin worries that Everest has become the default imagery of a mountain experience for people unfamiliar with climbing culture. “[Non-climbers] think mountain climbing is like Everest. I’ve spent a lot of time on Everest, and Everest climbing is the antithesis of why I go climbing – huge commercial expeditions, fixed lines, fixed cams, Sherpa teams carrying all of your weight, someone else making decisions for you.” The Shark’s Fin, in contrast, is the epitome of climbing for Chin – brutal decision-making, taking-it-to-the-edge risk, and the allure of a coveted first ascent. Decision-making looms large in the film, from the heartbreaking turnaround just shy of the summit in 2008, to the moment-by-moment tension of each strike of the hammer on the “House of Cards” pitch, to the honest and personal revelations in the on-camera interviews.

JIMMY CHIN BY RENAN OZTURK.

The tense and detailed perspective given to viewers was a deliberate move by Chin who describes “Meru” as “an examination of complex decision making, whether that’s around assessing risk or it’s around why people choose to live the lives that they live. “I really wanted to share that perspective of climbing,” he said. And just in case viewers forget and try to compare it to that other mountain, Chin drives home that he wanted to give people a sense of what the cutting edge of high altitude alpine climbing is. “It’s very different than Everest,” he said. It is exactly because of the decision-making process that Chin, Anker and Ozturk are able to do what they do. As professional athletes, they rely heavily on sponsorship to fund expeditions and get them out doing what they excel at and love. Recently, some sponsors have been shying away from what they perceive as risky activities. Clif Bar announced in 2014 that they would be dropping Alex Honnold and the late Dean Potter, citing risks inherent in their sports. The “Meru” audience is quickly versed on how dangerous the activities in the film are when Anker states early on: “high altitude Himalayan climbing is the most dangerous professional sport.” Chin believes that his sponsors’ trust in his judgment keeps him from going down the same path Honnold and Potter had to walk. “[Sponsors] hire you in the first place because they trust your judgment,” he said. “They don’t hire people they don’t trust. So there is a lot of trust in what we do and the decisions that we make. So they believe in and support you.”

UNBREAKABLE BONDS

“I DON’T THINK YOU FIND A MENTOR, I THINK A MENTOR FINDS YOU. I RECOGNIZE THAT NOW AS I GET OLDER.” – JIMMY CHIN

Meru is decidedly not the only wild place with spiritual power and pull. Mountains all over

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 15

DESCENDING TOWARD HOME

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

In “Meru,” three men struggle and fight their way through unimaginable pain and emotional turmoil, but the gratitude and grace they display to each other is immense. And although this is obviously deeply rooted in respect and friendship, it’s also a learning experience. Anker speaks about Mugs, his late mentor who first planted the seed of a first ascent on the Shark’s Fin. Anker believes deeply in the tradition of mentorship. It’s “part of human nature,” he said. “It’s the most elemental level of being a teacher. So we are out there sharing what we’ve learned with the next generations. Our film touches on three generations, Mugs, myself and Renan’s generation.” Anker met Chin in 2000 and says he has relished in watching Chin’s skills flourish. Ozturk, on the other hand, essentially got to know Chin clinging to the side of the Shark’s Fin, it being their first big expedition together. He remembers a lot of optimism from Chin, especially when they were eating the same boring food over and over. Ozturk describes the mentoring he receives from Chin and Anker as ongoing, and it is often just a practice in watching the two interact. Off the mountain, Ozturk says

he learned a lot about how to treat other people. “That was one of the biggest things [I learned] beyond climbing,” he said. In particular, Anker has a saying Ozturk has taken to heart, “Be good. Be kind. Be happy.” “I feel so fortunate for the mentors that I’ve had, and I can’t mention them all, but obviously Conrad has been an amazing mentor on the climbing side, and on the life side,” Chin said, “And shepherding me to become a professional climber. Just showing me how it’s done. Just his attitude and how he carries himself and how humble and caring he is toward people yet how tough he can be. He has just had an incredible impact on my life.” Chin feels a responsibility to the next generation and wants to pass on his experiences, but he points out that hopeful mentees also need to bring something to the proverbial table.“I think you have to put in the time and pay your dues,” he said. “I don’t think you find a mentor, I think a mentor finds you. And I recognize that now as I get older. You see potential in the next generation and you need climbers, or filmmakers, or photographers who have just got a really great attitude and optimism and humility and drive, and you want to help. You want to share experiences with them. You want them to succeed.”

sake of his New York-based wife and young daughter “a couple days a month,” and even draws parallels between the two places. “[They] have a bit of the same energy because there are people who are really passionate and driven,” he said. “Many people are at the top of their game, which is really appealing in a way. And it’s eye opening as well. I think it gives me a nice perspective of my life in Jackson and my work. It makes you realize there is so much out there – architecture, theater, just so much going on.” Of course, there also are stark differences between the two. Revealing a truly Jackson-esque drive for athleticism and the outdoor lifestyle, Chin laments, “the hardest thing about being [in New York City] is trying to stay in shape. I don’t get to run out the door and go mountain biking for three hours or go ski touring for a day. So, I do some running around [Central Park], I go surfing on Long Island or Montauk.”

16 | AUGUST 26, 2015

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

the world mesmerize the people who see and visit them. Chin has never been immune. He moved from college into his car to be closer to mountains in Montana, California and, eventually, Jackson Hole. He recalls that it took “just that first tram lap” to convince him that this valley was special. But beyond unparalleled access to skiing, Chin recalls that just as he connected with climbers in Yosemite Valley, he had “found his tribe” here in Jackson. “Jackson draws a certain type of person,” he said. “It’s Wyoming, it’s out there, it’s not near any city. You are really committed to living in the mountains when you move to Jackson. And people push it, they’re really driven, they’re really passionate about the mountains. That’s what really drew me there.” Chin admits that he also calls New York City home for the

RENAN OZTURK LOOKS OVER THE EDGE FROM ONE OF THE HANGING PORTALEDGE CAMPS. PHOTO BY JIMMY CHIN.

But even in a place with skyscrapers instead of mountains, Chin has found at least one exciting thing. “Just eating here is an adventure,” he said. Living a life filled with more than 200 days of travel per year due to jobs that take Chin all over the world, it’s not a surprise that it’s the stillest moments that he remembers most fondly from the Meru expedition. “There are these really quiet moments when it’s beautiful out, there isn’t a lick of wind, and you’re in the portaledge in your sleeping bag with a hot water bottle and all the gear is organized for the next day, and you’re exhausted so it doesn’t last very long, but you get to lay in the portaledge with the door open looking out over the Garhwal Himalayas hanging off a wall at 20,000 feet. It’s kind of an absurd setting, kind of like hanging out in outer space. You get to actually appreciate where you are, and that’s a very special experience.” PJH

THIS WEEK: August 26-September 1, 2015

WEDNESDAY 8.26

n Vinyl Night 9:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free. 307-733-1500 n Walking Tours 10:30am, Center of Town Square, Free. 307-733-2414 x 213 n Yoga on the Lawn 5:30pm, Healthy Being Juicery, Free. 307-200-9006 n Young Naturalists 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3654 n Youth Camp: Meet the Masters 9:00am, Multi-Purpose Studio, $50.00 - $280.00. 307-733-6379

THURSDAY 8.27

n Alive@Five: Tunes on Thursday wih LeeLee Robert 5:00pm, Village Commons, Free. 307-733-5898 n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Auditions - Red Herring 7:30pm, Riot Act, Free. 307-2039067 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3392 n Bear Safety (Moose) 4:00pm, Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3399 n Campfire Program at Colter Bay 9:00pm, Colter Bay Amphitheater, Free. 307-739-3594 n Chris Jones 8:00am, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00. 307-733-2207 n Coffee with a Ranger 7:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Crystal Sound Bowl Experience with Daniela Botur 12:00pm, Intencions, Free. 307733-9290 n Fables, Feathers, and Fur 10:30am, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Free. 307-733-5771 n Grand Teton Kids 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Grand Teton National Park Weekly Trails Volunteer Day 9:00am, Grand Teton National Park, Free. 307-739-3379 n Homewood Suites by Hilton Chamber Mixer 5:00pm, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Free. 307-201-2309 n Hunting Film Tour

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 17

n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n Madelaine German 7:00pm, Mangy Moose, Free. 307-733-4913 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n Modern Dance Class at Dancers’ Workshop 6:30pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Mountain Town Lounge at The Mangy Moose 8:00pm, Mangy Moose, Free. 307-733-4913 n No One Left Behind Foundation Fundraiser 5:00pm, Teton Pines, $100.00. 307-752-5590 n Pilates Mat Classes at Dancers’ Workshop 8:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Salsa at Dancers’ Workshop 7:00pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 6:30pm, Jackson Hole Playhouse, $19.00 - $60.00. 307-733-6994 n She Rides Dirt Group Ride 6:00pm, RidetheTetons, Free. 208-354-7669 n Solar Astronomy at Peoples Market 4:00pm, Snow King Resort, Free. 307-413-4779 n Songwriter’s Alley Open Mic 8:00pm, Haydens Post, Free. 307-734-3187 n Stand Up Paddle Boarding Lessons for Adults 8:30am, Rendezvous River Sprots, $100.00. 307-739-9025 n Summer Speaker Series 6:00pm, Teton County Library. Ordway Auditorium, Free. 307733-9417 n Tavern Trivia 7:00pm, Town Square Tavern, Free. 307-733-3886 n Tech Tutor 10:00am, Teton County Library, Free. 307-733-2164 ext. 218 n Teton Topics 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Tipi Demo 9:00am, Colter Bay Amphitheater, Free. 307-739-3594 n Town Square Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free. 307-733-3316

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

n Alive@Five: Teton Raptor Center 5:00pm, Village Commons, Free. 307-733-5898 n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Auditions - Red Herring 7:30pm, Riot Act, Free. 307-2039067 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Bluegrass Wednesday with PTO 6:00pm, Cafe Genevieve, Free. 307-732-1910 n bootybarre® at Dancers’ Workshop 5:30pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Chess Club for Grades K-12 3:30pm, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free. 307733-2164 ext. 118 n Chris Jones 8:00am, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00. 307-733-2207 n Coffee with a Ranger 7:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Family Night Video 9:00pm, Colter Bay auditorium, Free. 307-739-3594 n Growing Through Grief 4:30pm, Eagle Classroom, St. John’s Medical Center, Free. 307-739-7482 n Guitarist Marco Soliz at Jenny Lake Lodge 6:00pm, Jenny Lake Lodge, Free. 307-733-4647 n The Impacts of Winter Recreation on Wolverines 6:00pm, Teton County Library, Free. 307-733-9417 n Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Signature Wine Tasting Held in Conjunction with People’s Market 4:00pm, Base of Snow King Mountain, Free. 307-201-2309 n Jackson Hole People’s Market 4:00pm, At the Base of Snow King, Free. n Jackson Hole People’s Market’s Bike-In Movies 8:00pm, Snow King Ball Park, Free. n Jackson Hole Rodeo 8:00pm, Jackson Hole Rodeo Grounds, $15.00 - $30.00. 307733-7927

Compiled by Caroline Zieleniewski

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

18 | AUGUST 26, 2015

MUSIC BOX Euphoria meets Canyon Euforquestra brings funk, Afrobeat to last Concert on the Commons BY AARON DAVIS @ScreenDoorPorch

band that has produced its own music festival for 14 years is bound to be the ambitious, savvy type. The quintet Euforquestra has been hosting “Camp Euphoria” with the likes of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Wood Brothers and Jeff Austin Band, among many others. And they’ve been trekking through Jackson almost that long. The funky soul of Afrobeat-reggae of Euforquestra (pronounced yoo-FOHR-keh-struh, think “euphoria” meets an “orchestra”) has been coming to the valley since 2008. In those days, the band was closer to an orchestra—seven or eight-piece unit adorned with multiple percussionists and horns. Euforquestra’s fifth full-length studio album, “Fire” (2014), was possible due to a successful Kickstarter campaign, which also helped secure producer and keys player Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident. Among the studio guests on the album were Kim Dawson of The Motet and Elliot Martin of John Brown’s Body. On this set, the Iowa City-born, Ft. Collins-grown ensemble strays from the Afro-Cuban, Samba and soca beats in favor of neo-funk with blistering horns and a loose, easy-going party feel. They formed while attending the University of Iowa, which played an influential role in their music study and the initial five years of the band’s career, during which they labeled their sound as “Afro-Caribbean-barnyard-funk.” Ex-percussionist and founding member Matt Grundstad and bassist Adam Grosso traveled to Cuba to study the music, but it was their formal education that planted the seed that would become the concoction of folklore that combines drumming, dancing and singing. Since then, the evolution of the pocketand-groove sound has traveled to nearly one thousand shows

Concert on the Commons hosts the heavy funk of Euforquestra to close out the free summer series at Teton Village. and added a dub element to its toolbox. Opening the show is Jackson’s Canyon Kids, an indie-folk rock duo that often stages a full band version of what they do best, which is delivering engagingly hooky songs with lush vocal harmonies, and hitting you with arrangements that allure with folksy styling before unleashing the ambient rock attack. (The duo version also will be playing 7 p.m., Thursday at the Mangy Moose and 5:30 p.m., Monday at Hatch Taqueria). Sunday will mark the end of Concert in the Commons series. Euforquestra with Canyon Kids, 5 to 8 p.m., Sunday at Concert in the Commons in Teton Village. Free, all-ages. JacksonHole.com.

End of Summer Rager It’s been a Sneaky year, per se. That is, for Sneaky Pete & the Secret Weapons – the local funk-groove-dance-folk sextet that has done well for themselves locally and in the region. They even had a glimmer on the mainstream radar as they

watched their first album, “Breakfast,” debut at No. 5 on the Jambands.com radio chart. For a band that rarely plays the same song the same way at any given show, the push to tour and grow a following in the spirit of the late 1990s-driven jamband scene is not only smart, but readily attainable with such an infectious head-bobbing sound. And while the jamband scene has been diluted with negative connotations over the last several years, the music-centric community at-large still remains intact and in search of the next Weapon. Catch them before they hit the road for a few weeks through the Northwest. Cap summer off with a bang. Summer Sendoff, a.k.a. “End of Summer Rager” with Sneaky Pete & the Secret Weapons, 10 p.m., Thursday at Town Square Tavern. $5. 733-3886. PJH

Aaron Davis is an award-winning singer-songwriter, journalist, multi-instrumentalist, frontman for bands Screen Door Porch and Boondocks, and founder/host of Songwriter’s Alley.

For complete event details visit pjhcalendar.com. n Yoga on the Trail 10:00am, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Free. 307-733-5771 n Youth Camp: Meet the Masters 9:00am, Multi-Purpose Studio, $50.00 - $280.00. 307-733-6379 n Zumba at Dancers’ Workshop 8:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, Free. 307-733-6398

FRIDAY 8.28

SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH 10:30am - 3:00pm

Bottomless Mimosas & Bloody Marys $15

•••••••••••

HAPPY HOUR

1/2 Off Drinks Daily 5-7pm

•••••••••••

Monday-Saturday 11am, Sunday 10:30am 832 W. Broadway (inside Plaza Liquors)•733-7901

- -- -

- -

Under- New Ma-nagemen -t!

- -

- • The Grill is Open! HAPPY- HOUR: 4 ---7pm, Mon --Fri -

750 W. Broadway • 307.739.9891

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 19

n Alive@Five: Wild Things of Wyoming 5:00pm, Village Commons, Free. 307-733-5898 n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Andy Tyson Benefit 6:00pm, The Spud, 208-3542727 n Ballet Workout at Dancers’ Workshop 9:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Bear Safety 3:30pm, Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center, Free. 307-7393654 n bootybarre® at Dancers’ Workshop 9:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Campfire Program at Colter Bay 9:00pm, Colter Bay Amphitheater, Free. 307-739-3594 n Celebrating National Parks 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center Auditorium, Free. 307739-3594 n Chainless Bike Series 3:30pm, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Free. 307-732-3632 n Chris Jones 8:00am, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00. 307-733-2207 n Free Friday Wine Tasting 4:00pm, The Liquor Store, Free. 307-733-4466 n Friday Night Bikes 5:00pm, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, $10.00. 307-733-2292 n Friday Night DJ 10:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free. 307-733-1500 n Guitarist Byron Tomingas at Jenny Lake Lodge 6:00pm, Jenny Lake Lodge, Free. 307-733-4647 n Ian McIver 10:00pm, Town Square Tavern, Free. 307-733-3886

n Jackson Hole Rodeo 8:00pm, Jackson Hole Rodeo Grounds, $15.00 - $30.00. 307733-7927 n Jackson Hole Summit 9:00am, Hotel Terra, $49.00 $449.00. n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n Jazz Night 7:00pm, The Granary at Spring Creek Ranch, Free. 307-7338833 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n Nature in a Nutshell 1:00pm, Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center Courtyard, Free. 307-739-3399 n Papa Chan and Johnny C Note 6:00pm, Teton Pines Country Club, Free. 307-733-1005 n R Park tour 4:00pm, Rendezvous Park, Free. 307-733-3913 n Scott Bikes Demo Weekend 9:00am, JHMR Bike Park, 307733-2292 n Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 6:30pm, Jackson Hole Playhouse, $19.00 - $60.00. 307-733-6994 n Slow Foods in the Tetons: Connecting Eaters to Local Producers 12:00pm, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n Stargazing at R-Park 9:00pm, Rendezvous park, Free. 1-844-WYO-STAR n Teton Valley Farmers Market 9:00am, 60 S Main Street, Free. 208-354-2816 n Town Square Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free. 307-733-3316 n Trance Dance at Dancers’ Workshop 8:30pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00. 307-733-6398 n Wendy Colonna & Friends 8:00pm, Haydens Post, Free. 307-734-3187 n Wildlife Encounters: Dustin Van Wechel 4:00pm, Trail Side Galleries, 307-200-1622 n World’s Finest 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free. 307-732-3939 n Yoga & Clinical Psychology (15 Hrs) 6:00pm, Inversion Yoga, $50.00 - $225.00. 307-733-3038 n Young Naturalists 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

6:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, $15.00. 307-733-1500 n Jackson Hole Summit Hotel Terra, $49.00 - $449.00. n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n Karaoke 9:00pm, Virginian Saloon, Free. 307-739-9891 n Major Zephyr 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free. 307-732-3939 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n Obagi Luncheon 12:00pm, Jackson Whole Family Health, $50.00. 307-733-7003 n Open MIc Night in the Gallery 7:30pm, Grand Teton Gallery, Free. 307-201-1172 n Photography Fundamentals 6:00pm, Center for the Arts, $120.00 - $145.00. 307-7336379 n Pilates Mat Classes at Dancers’ Workshop 6:00pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Pool Tournament 7:00pm, The Virginian Saloon, Free. 307-739-9891 n Public Solar Astronomy 12:45pm, Elevated Grounds Coffehouse, Free. n Senior Day at Jackson Whole Grocer 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 6:30pm, Jackson Hole Playhouse, $19.00 - $60.00. 307-733-6994 n Storytime 10:30am, 11:00am, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free. 307-733-2164 n Summer Sendoff with Sneaky Pete & the Secret Weapons 10:00pm, Town Square Tavern, $5.00. 307-733-3886 n Tech Tutor 10:00am, Teton County Library, Free. 307-733-2164 ext. 218 n Teton Topics 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Toddler Time 10:05am, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free. 307733-2164 x 118 n Town Square Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free. 307-733-3316 n Walking Tours 10:30am, Center of Town Square, Free. 307-733-2414 x 213

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

20 | AUGUST 26, 2015

EK! E W LAST

ALIVE @ FIVE

For complete event details visit pjhcalendar.com.

Free family programs on the Teton Village Commons from 5-5:45

TUESDAY

Second Nature brings you an evening of storytelling with live animals and interactive activites.

WEDNESDAY

Hawks, eagles, owls and falcons take center stage on the Village Commons. Enjoy a unique, up-close, arm’s length learning experience with live birds of prey presented by Teton Raptor Center. www.tetonraptorcenter.org

THURSDAY

LeeLee’s “Cowgirl Jazz” show incorporates a little bit of Jazz, Blues, Western and even Rock! www.leeleemusic.com

FRIDAY

Wild Things of Wyoming brings an interactive and engaging experience about the animals who make Wyoming their home. www.wildthingsofwyoming.com

307.733.5898 | TETONVILLAGEWY.ORG

Pass Bash, Saturday, 11 am rendezvous atthe Stagecoach Bar Tents will be set up in the front yard of The Stagecoach, where riders can catch shuttle rides and learn about biking Teton pass. Center, Free. 307-739-3654 n Youth Camp: Meet the Masters 9:00am, Multi-Purpose Studio, $50.00 - $280.00. 307-733-6379

SATURDAY 8.29

n Adult Oil Painting 10:00am, The Local Galleria, $25.00 - $80.00. 208-270-0883 n Ai Weiwei film screening 8:30pm, National Museum of Wildlife Art, n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Axis Gymnastics Open House 10:00am, Axis Gymnastics, Free. 307-732-2947 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3392 n bootybarre® at Dancers’ Workshop 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Campfire Program at Colter Bay 9:00pm, Colter Bay Amphitheater, Free. 307-739-3594 n Chris Jones 8:00am, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00. 307-733-2207 n Detectives of the Past 10:00am, Mercill Archaeology Center, $5.00. 307-733-2414 n Grand Teton Kids 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Jackson Hole Farmers Market 8:00am, Town Square, Free. n Jackson Hole Rodeo 8:00pm, Jackson Hole Rodeo Grounds, $15.00 - $30.00. 307733-7927 n Jackson Hole Summit 9:00am, Hotel Terra, $49.00 $449.00. n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer,

Free. 307-733-0450 n Live Music 7:00pm, The Virginian Saloon, Free. 307-739-9891 n Lobster Fest #3 1:00pm, Streetfood at the Stagecoach, 307-200-6633 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n Nature in a Nutshell 1:00pm, Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center Courtyard, Free. 307-739-3399 n Scott Bikes Demo Weekend 9:00am, JHMR Bike Park, 307733-2292 n Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 6:30pm, Jackson Hole Playhouse, $19.00 - $60.00. 307-733-6994 n Stand Up Paddle Boarding Lessons for Adults 8:30am, Rendezvous River Sprots, $100.00. 307-739-9025 n Teton Adaptive Sports Overnight Scenic Float 9:00am, South Fork, 307-4139440 n Teton Topics 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Town Square Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free. 307-733-3316 n World’s Finest 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free. 307-732-3939 n Writers in the Environment 9:00am, Grand Teton National Park, Free. n Wyatt Lowe & The Mayham Kings 10:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free. 307-733-1500 n Yoga & Clinical Psychology (15 Hrs) 12:00pm, Inversion Yoga, $50.00 - $225.00. 307-733-3038 n zumba at Dancers’ Workshop 9:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398

SUNDAY 8.30

n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Bear Safety 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3392 n Campfire Program at Colter Bay 9:00pm, Colter Bay Amphitheater, Free. 307-739-3594 n Celebrating National Parks 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center Auditorium, Free. 307739-3594 n Concert on the Commons 5:00pm, Village Commons, Teton Village, Free. n Guitarist Byron Tomingas at Jenny Lake Lodge 6:00pm, Jenny Lake Lodge, Free. 307-733-4647 n Hospitality / Industry Night 9:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free. 307-733-1500 n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n Lower Weightlifting Seminar 9:00am, Targhee CrossFit, $100.00. 970-379-2431 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n NASCAR in HD 6:00pm, The Virginian Saloon, Free. 307-739-9891 n Nature in a Nutshell 1:00pm, Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center Courtyard, Free. 307-739-3399 n Scott Bikes Demo Weekend 9:00am, JHMR Bike Park, 307733-2292 n Stagecoach Band 6:00pm, Stagecoach, Free. 307733-4407 n Taize 7:00pm, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Free. 307-733-2603 n Teton Adaptive Sports Overnight Scenic Float 9:00am, South Fork, 307-4139440 n Whole Hog Roast & Live Music 5:00pm, Q Roadhouse & Brewing Co., Free. 307-739-0700 n Yoga & Clinical Psychology (15 Hrs) 12:00pm, Inversion Yoga, $50.00 - $225.00. 307-733-3038

Trumped up comedy New sitcom and presidential candidate share common ground BY ANDREW MUNZ @AndrewMunz

“I

The ‘Difficult People’ audience is perhaps more discerning than Trump’s followers.

(800) 458-RAFT

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 21

tasteless. If you don’t know why that joke could even be remotely funny, “Difficult People” isn’t for you. The show’s uncompromising approach to mean-spirited comedy is certainly unique in that we haven’t seen a comedy show with such an unfalteringly pessimistic perspective on life. Occasionally we may have one or two characters in a sitcom who don’t see many positives to life and make fun of those who do, such as Al Bundy (“Married with Children”), Dr. Perry Cox (“Scrubs”) and Sofia Petrillo (“The Golden Girls”). “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” might take the cake for cynical prowess, but with the characters’ level of selfishness in “Difficult People,” people who have seen the show quickly board the Love It or the Hate It train. The Blue Ivy joke had quite a few people riled up, calling for Amy Poehler and Hulu to cancel the show and apologize. But so far there has been no official response from either party on the outrage. In searching for Poehler’s general comedy philosophy, I stumbled across an episode of “Today” where she was talking about her memoir, “Yes Please.” One of the hosts remarked on the rise of mean-spirited comedy, and Poehler began shaking her head. “Yeah, I’m not really interested in that kind of stuff,” she said. “That’s not really my jam.” Klausner, the writer and star of “Difficult People,” has created a breakout role for herself. Being a fan of her podcast, I love that she’s willing to say things that others won’t, but I occasionally get annoyed with her “no fucks” attitude and cheeky criticisms of society. While I would say I laugh at a good 75 percent of the jokes in “Difficult People,” I feel like most people have gone too far into the deep end of political correctness to enjoy that type of comedy. Sometimes the funniest jokes are those relevant to the current age, and Klausner’s fearless wit hits a lot more bull’s-eyes than family-friendly home runs. Not everyone in the room is going to love it. But there’s a big difference between writing a TV sitcom and running for office, and unfortunately Donald Trump hasn’t figured that out yet. Trump’s twisted humor may be winning him points among his delusional followers, but the difference between him and Klausner is that he’s telling tasteless jokes to a more forgiving audience. PJH

Whitewater Trips

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don’t, frankly, have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time, either.” Oh, Donald Trump. America’s favorite belligerent, racist, gin-soaked uncle twice removed. His flapping gob provides our nation with so much humility and wisdom, all of which is fueled by privileged indifference and moral principals built on the general practice of being a raging dickmunch. With all the bones that man has been thrown in life, it seems somewhat uncouth to toss him yet another. But I’ve got to hand it to him. Trump might have a point. Recently, comedy writer and host of the podcast “How Was Your Week?,” Julie Klausner teamed up with Amy Poehler to produce a sitcom for Hulu called “Difficult People.” The premise focuses on two apathetic late-30s New Yorkers Julie Kessler and Billy Epstein (played by Klausner and Billy Eichner, respectively) as they attempt to become famous comedians while criticizing every single person they meet. If it sounds bare, it is. The show (now four episodes in) hasn’t really found its footing yet, mostly because it spends so much time making its characters look crass and awful that there’s very little reward for the viewers. While some jokes land like a stake in the ground, others are as uncomfortable as making eye contact with your dog while he’s doing his business. For example, the pilot episode hits the ground running with Klausner’s character posting a joke on Twitter, saying she “can’t wait” until Jay Z and Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy, gets older so R. Kelly can pee on her. The joke backfires and her Twitter followers begin lashing back, telling her the joke was

NYLON.COM

WELL, THAT HAPPENED

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

22 | AUGUST 26, 2015

ELIZABETH KOUTRELAKOS

GET OUT

Ode to Delta Fostering appreciation for a Teton gem via forced participation BY ELIZABETH KOUTRELAKOS

was 10 years old the first time I laid eyes on Delta Lake. Cal Ripken had just broken the record for most consecutive games played, baseball season was in full swing and my mother banished me to a summer in the Tetons. The trail itself seemed slightly miserable to someone of my stature. Short, tired legs and steep long switchbacks were a recipe for disaster. The last time my parents forced me to go on the Trail of Doom, also known as the AmphitheatreSurprise Lake trail, I ran away. After getting back to the house, I hightailed it down the highway. I told the cop who picked me up what terrible parents I had, how they forced me into a life of slavery and subjected me to carry my own food and hike absurdly long distances. He promptly returned me to my mom, who was also unsupportive of my complaints. The next time we journeyed as a family to this dreaded trailhead, I pleaded with them, begging them to find some shorter way up. “Isn’t there another thing to see up here?” I

At one time in her youth, the author had to be cajoled to reach vistas like this. was open to anything that cut down on the distance and amount of time I spent amongst the hordes of flies and mosquitoes. My mother had something up her sleeve, I just wasn’t sure what. After passing the three-mile junction, we continued toward Amphitheatre Lake, but went off one of the switchbacks onto a small social trail. I felt excited, thinking we were almost done hiking. We wrapped around the ridge until we got to a boulder field. The large swath of rocks was a mystery to me and boulder hopping felt like a nice break from the dredges of a hot trail. The field of rocks, though slightly intimidating, was soon over. As we crested the hump, a milky blue pool of water soon filled my line of sight. My mother informed me that we had reached our destination, also known as Delta Lake. We soaked in the views of Mount Owen and the Teton Glacier as we munched on some cheese and crackers. I settled in for an afternoon nap while my father decided to “find” a way to Amphitheatre and Surprise lakes. He disappeared long enough for my mom to start worrying. Something started falling above the grassy ledges above us, and it sounded big. In the midst of concern for my father’s life and the prospect of having to return to the switchbacks, I heard someone singing from above. It was the man

His melodic voice was singing the tune “Free Falling” and no one was laughing except for him.

who had helped me come into the world. His melodic voice was singing the tune “Free Falling” and no one was laughing except for him. Apparently he had slipped on the grassy ledges, saving himself from the rocks below by grabbing onto a small tree. Looking back at this period of my life, I now know a couple of very important things. First of all, my parents weren’t trying to torture me, per se. It was more of strange version of nature boot camp in an attempt to make me like hiking. Secondly, Amphitheatre and Surprise Lakes can possibly be reached via Delta Lake, but careful route finding is necessary. In recent years, it seems quite apparent that the amount of people venturing to this lake has increased exponentially. The small social path that we could barely make out is now a wide eroding corridor of mountain wanderer traffic. The once grassy knolls alongside the lake have also been trampled into brown patches, and a significant amount of new age snacks such as goos and Shotblock wrappers also seems to be growing. It is great that people are getting out to see this place more. It’s hard to turn down epic views of Mount Owen and a real live glacier that is melting fast, but still existent in some form of reality. I can see myself setting records into my old age for consecutive times I’ve ventured to places like this. Perhaps other families are also subjecting their children to such measures in hopes that their youngsters will someday appreciate the surrounding beauty. PJH

For complete event details visit pjhcalendar.com.

RABBIT ROW REPAIR WE SERVICE THEM ALL …

Phakchok Rinpoche, Monday, 7 pm at the Pink Garter Theatre “Everything changes, nothing stays the same. How can we be OK with that?”

MONDAY 8.31

TUESDAY 9.1

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: SALES@JHSNOWBOARDER.COM

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 23

n Adult Oil Painting 7:00pm, The Local Galleria, $25.00 - $80.00. 208-270-0883 n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Ballet Workout at Dancers’ Workshop 9:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3392 n Bluegrass Tuesday with One Ton Pig 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Bar, Free. 307-732-3939 n Build your own free website 3:00pm, Teton County Library Computer Lab, Free. 307-7332164 n Celebrating National Parks 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center Auditorium, Free. 307739-3594 n Coffee with a Ranger 7:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Crystal Sound Bowl Experience with Daniela Botur 12:00pm, Intencions, Free. 307733-9290

4 2 8 0 W. L E E P E R • W I L S O N • 3 0 7 - 7 3 3 - 4 3 3 1

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

n American Indian Guest Artist 8:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Bar J Chuckwagon Supper 5:30pm, Bar J Chuckwagon, $24.00 - $34.00. 307-733-3370 n Bear Safety (Moose) 4:00pm, Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3399 n bootybarre® at Dancers’ Workshop 5:30pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Campfire Program at Colter Bay 9:00pm, Colter Bay Amphitheater, Free. 307-739-3594 n Canyon Kids at Hatch 5:30pm, Hatch, 307-203-2780 n Coffee with a Ranger 7:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Grand Teton Kids 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Hootenanny 6:00pm, Dornans, Free. 307733-2415 n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n The JH Chorale Rehearsals 7:00pm, Music Center in the Center for the Arts, Free. 585872-4934 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n Monday Night Baseball The Virginian Saloon, Free. 307739-9891 n Phakchok Rinpoche 7:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, $15.00. 307-733-1500 n Pilates Mat Classes at Dancers’ Workshop 8:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Story Time 1:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free. 208-787-2201 n Strength Circuit Class at Dancers’ Workshop

7:15am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Teton Topics 11:00am, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Town Square Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free. 307-733-3316 n The WYNOTTS 7:00pm, Mangy Moose, Free. 307-733-4913 n Young Naturalists 1:30pm, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3654 n Zumba at Dancers’ Workshop 9:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398

n Disc Golf Doubles 5:30pm, Disc Golf Course, $3.00. 614-506-7275 n Geologists of JH: Magnetism, Magmatism and Ice at the South Pole 6:00pm, Teton County Library Ordway Auditorium, Free. 307733-2164 n Grand Teton Kids 4:00pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Guitarist Marco Soliz at Jenny Lake Lodge 6:00pm, Jenny Lake Lodge, Free. 307-733-4647 n Hip Hop at Dancers’ Workshop 7:00pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Indian Arts and Culture 1:30pm, Colter Bay Visitor Center, Free. 307-739-3594 n Jackson Whole Grocer Hatch Chile Fest 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free. 307-733-0450 n MELT at Dancers’ Workshop 12:10pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Miller House Homestead Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free. 307-201-5433 n Nature in a Nutshell 1:00pm, Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center Courtyard, Free. 307-739-3399 n Open Mic Night 9:00pm, Virginian Saloon, Free. 307-739-9891 n Photography Fundamentals 6:00pm, Center for the Arts, $120.00 - $145.00. 307-7336379 n R Park Tour 12:00pm, Rendezvous Park, Free. 307-733-3913 n Stackhouse 7:00pm, Mangy Moose, Free. 307-733-4913 n Toddler Time 10:05am, 10:35am, 11:05am, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free. 307-733-2164 x 118 n Town Square Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free. 307-733-3316 n Walking Tours 10:30am, Center of Town Square, Free. 307-733-2414 x 213 n Yoga at Dancers’ Workshop 6:30pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $12.00 - $16.00. 307-733-6398 n Yoga on the Lawn 5:30pm, Healthy Being Juicery, Free. 307-200-9006 n Zumba at Dancers’ Workshop 8:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, Free. 307-733-6398

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

24 | AUGUST 26, 2015

ANNIE FENN, MD

THE FOODIE FILES

Centenarian secrets How to eat (and drink) your way to 100 BY ANNIE FENN, MD @jacksonfoodie

he first thing you’ll notice about Norm, my friend’s dad who turns 80 this month, is the twinkle in his eye and the bounce in his step. And that he is a dapper dresser — if he were to wander into Mountain Dandy, he would surely make it onto the style blog. After being invited to Norm’s 80th birthday dinner last week, I racked my brain for days thinking of a fitting gift for such a cool guy. Then I remembered that Norm is a bit of a foodie. There’s nothing he loves more than sitting around a table with family and friends sharing good food and wine. I figure a guy like Norm has a good chance of making it to his 100th birthday, so I packed a gift bag full of the foods associated with longevity, as identified by the National Geographic “Blue Zones” project. Ten years ago, Nat Geo fellow Dan Buettner identified these so-called Blue Zones — longevity hot spots around the globe — where an inordinate number of people are living to 100 and beyond. Five Blue Zones have been identified and extensively studied: the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, the Seventh-day Adventist community in Loma Linda, Calif., the islands of Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia in Italy and Okinawa in Japan. Not only are these Blue Zone centenarians living long, they are living extremely well without diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, or many of the other scourges of old age. In fact, they are still having fun — many still work, have an active social life and exercise each day. And as one 102-year-old Sardinian noted: “We always make love on Sundays.” So just what did I put in Norm’s gift bag? First, I should tell you that although a list of 44 foods have been identified that are associated with Blue Zones longevity, it’s not just about eating the right foods. As you may suspect, a myriad of other lifestyle factors are associated with those who don’t just live long but thrive in old age. Let’s take exercise, for example. The harder and more frequently you exercise, the longer you’ll live, right? Not exactly. At least that is not the case for the longest living men on earth, those from the rugged mountains of Sardinia. Even

(From left to right), Spices such as cayenne and cumin are associated with longevity; ‘Blue Zone’ centenarians eat a mostly plant-based diet; chickpeas roasted with olive oil, cumin and cayenne pack a tasty, nutritional punch (get the recipe below). though the Sardinian farmers exercise the hardest, laboring exhaustively in the fields, they are typically outlived by the shepherds, who slowly walk up and down mountain slopes each day. Although the farmers were very fit from lifting and hauling, Buettner suggests that they did not live as long because of all the inflammation their bodies accumulated. This makes me feel good about choosing to amble up the switchbacks of Snow King instead of working out at one of the many killer exercise classes in town. There’s good news for us mountain dwellers, though: After working as a shepherd, the second most highly associated factor for reaching age 100 in Sardinia was the hilliness of the terrain. According to Buettner, “The steeper the terrain, the longer you tended to live.” You can probably guess that it’s not just what you eat but how you eat that is associated with longevity. Blue Zone centenarians don’t gulp down their food as they sit in front of the television, nor do they snack all day or eat while they drive. They eat at a leisurely pace around a table with family and friends. They ingest 20 percent less calories than most Americans — and are mindful to stop eating when their stomachs are only 80 percent full. They eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon and early evening. And they almost always drink wine with meals — not a lot — but an average of one to two glasses per day with friends and/or with food. That’s why the first item I chose for Norm’s gift bag was a bottle of good red wine. Blue Zoners tend to cook everything in olive oil, so I threw in a bottle of that too. I included a bag of chickpeas, a staple of the Ikarian and Sardinian diets, and a bag each of almonds and walnuts, both associated with lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. And a box of blueberries to help fend off dementia, making sure they were organic to avoid the pesticides that are associated with oxidative stress on the brain. (See “Your Brain on Blueberries” in The Foodie File archives at planetjh.com.) There was a bag of coffee beans and bags of green tea – both have been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory properties. If I’d thought to use a bigger gift bag, I would have filled it with vegetables – fennel, shiitake mushrooms, bitter greens, sweet potatoes, and kombu as well as fruits like papayas, avocados, tomatoes, lemons, and squash. I’d have given Norm a supply of whole grains, like brown rice, farro, barley, and oatmeal and more legumes, like lentils, fava beans, black-eyed peas, and black beans. A bottle of local honey and a selection of anti-inflammatory spices – cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and paprika – would round out his longevity pantry. The world’s longest living people don’t eat a lot of what makes up the bulk of the American diet: meat, cheese, cow’s milk and refined carbohydrates. They do eat meat and eggs

in moderation sourced from animals who are free-roaming, such as goats, chickens, lamb and pigs. The bulk of their diet is sourced from vegetables and fruits, and when they eat bread, it is sourdough or 100 percent whole wheat. I did have room to tuck in a small box of chocolate truffles from Oscar Ortega’s Atelier. Dark chocolate contains flavenoids, memory-boosting antioxidants that are also associated with cardiovascular health. Even though centenarians in the Blue Zones don’t eat many sweets, they make an exception during celebratory feasts – and Norm’s 80th birthday was definitely an occasion for celebration.

Crispy Spicy Chickpeas

At last Saturday’s Farmers Market on the Town Square, I gave out hundreds of samples of these crispy snacks as I talked about brain-healthy foods with Dr. Martha Stearn, director of the St. John’s Medical Center Cognitive Health Department. A great source of folate and magnesium, chickpeas are thought to boost memory and learning, enhance sleep and are associated with longevity in many cultures.

Adapted from “The Blue Zone Solution” by Dan Buettner Makes 1 ½ cups 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted completely dry, about 1 ¾ cups, or 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight and boiled for 30 minutes, drained and patted dry 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons ground cumin (or more or less, to taste) ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (or more or less, to taste) ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more or less, to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, cumin, salt and cayenne in a large bowl until well coated. Place onto a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Bake until as brown and crispy as you like, stirring every 20 minutes or so, which usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. PJH

After delivering babies and practicing gynecology for 20 years in Jackson, Annie traded her life as a doctor to pursue her other passion: writing about food, health, sustainability and the local food scene. Follow her snippets of mountain life, with recipes, at www.jacksonholefoodie.com and on Instagram @jacksonholefoodie

BEER, WINE & SPIRITS

Rosé roundup Crisp and divine end-ofsummer pink wines BY TED SCHEFFLER @critic1

s summer marches inevitably toward fall, I’m getting in as much warm weather Rosé drinking as I can. Before we know it, we’ll be stoking the fireplaces and cracking open big, meaty, winter red wines. Rosé, technically, is red wine. That’s because it’s made from red wine grape varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and others, including even Malbec. However, Rosé drinks like white wine: It’s typically light-bodied, low in tannins and can be bone-dry and acidic. Rosé is made from black-skinned grapes which are crushed and left to intermingle with the juice for just a short time, usually one to three days. In red wine making, the skins would be

left in contact throughout the fermentation process. With Rosé, the skins are discarded, which also removes most of the tannins from the wine. Generally, the darker the Rosé wine, the longer the skins have been left in contact with the juice, and the more tannic the wine will be. Rosé ranges in color from very pale orange to light purple, and although it’s most popular in France, Rosé is now produced in nearly every winemaking region in the world. Since it is usually drunk chilled, Rosé is perfect for sipping on the deck during the summer months or as an accompaniment to meats and seafood from the grill. But it’s not a wine to ponder or to put away. Rosé is always best consumed within a year or two of its release. Here are a few excellent Rosés to round out your summer. Let’s start in France, where the world’s best Rosés are made. I normally turn to Rosés from Provence when I’m drinking French Rosé. However, I recently came across this nice one from Minervois in the Languedoc: Château du Donjon Rosé Minvervois 2014 ($13.99). Created by the talented winemaker Jean Panis, this 60/40 blend of Syrah and Grenache has strawberry and raspberry notes and an herbal hint. For the price— $7.99—it’s hard to beat La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2014 from Mount Ventoux (the most grueling leg of the Tour de France) in Provence. The 2014 vintage produced an easy-drinking,

IMBIBE everyday Rosé that’s as soft on the palate as it is on the budget. Over in Italy, Negroamaro grapes are macerated for a mere 12 to 24 hours to create Cantele Negroamaro Rosato 2014 ($11.99). This is a light, bright Rosé that, although it’s not from France, is excellent with Frenchstyle bouillabaisse. It’s also a good partner for pasta dishes with cream sauce. You don’t see all that much Rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon, but South Africa’s Mulderbosch Vineyards produces one: Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2014 ($13.99). This salmon-colored Rosé is zesty and acidic, with a hearty mineral backbone. It pairs nicely with chicken piccata. Argentina produces a lot of Malbec, so it’s no surprise that Crios Rosé of Malbec 2014 ($14.99) should be made with it, nor that it would, like most Malbec, weigh in at a hefty 14.5 percent alcohol. (Most of the other Rosés mentioned here are around 12 percent.) So, Crios has a lot of body for a Rosé and is brimming with bright raspberry notes. Try it with roasted chicken or grilled sausage. Closer to home, California is producing great Rosé wines these days. You’d swear Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare ($16.99) was from Provence, given its elegant complexity. Subtle, smooth strawberry and raspberry flavors combined with refreshing acidity make this the perfect late-summer picnic wine. And, three more excellent California

pink wines should be on your shopping list: Lorenza Rosé 2014 ($17.99), Valley of the Moon Rosato di Sangiovese 2013 ($16.95), and Saintsbury “Vincent Vin Gris” of Pinot Noir 2014 ($16.99). Drink pink! PJH

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Local is a modern American steakhouse and bar located on Jackson’s historic town square. Serving locally raised beef and, regional game, fresh seafood and seasonally inspired food, Local offers the perfect setting for lunch, drinks or dinner.

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307.201.1717 | LOCALJH.COM ON THE TOWN SQUARE

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home of melvin brewing 20 craft beers on tap | food til midnight!

Featuring dining destinations from buffets and rooms with a view to mom and pop joints, chic cuisine and some of our dining critic’s faves!

ASIAN & CHINESE TETON THAI Serving the world’s most exciting cuisine. Teton Thai offers a splendid array of flavors: sweet, hot, sour, salt and bitter. All balanced and blended perfectly, satisfying the most discriminating palate. Open daily. 7432 Granite Loop Road in Teton Village, (307) 733-0022 and in Driggs, (208) 787-8424, tetonthai.com.

CONTINENTAL THE BLUE LION ®

Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally FRESH FOOD at reasonable prices, is a always a FUN PLACE to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel RIGHT AT HOME and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit.

$ 13 99

Medium Pizza (1 topping) Stuffed Cheesy Bread

Reservations at (307) 733-4913 3295 Village Drive • Teton Village, WY

for an extra $5.99/each

(307) 733-0330 520 S. Hwy. 89 • Jackson, WY

www.mangymoose.com

CAFE GENEVIEVE Serving inspired home cooked classics in a historic log cabin. Enjoy brunch daily at 8 a.m., dinner nightly at 5 p.m., and happy hour daily 3-5:30 p.m. featuring $5 glasses of wine, $5 specialty drinks, $3 bottled beer. 135 E. Broadway, (307) 732-1910, genevievejh. com.

ELEANOR’S

Breakfast Lunch Dinner •••••••

Open daily 8am 145 N. Glenwood • (307) 734-0882

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Large Specialty Pizza ADD: Wings (8 pc)

A Jackson Hole favorite for 37 years. Join us in the charming atmosphere of a historic home. Ask a local about our rack of lamb. Serving fresh fish, elk, poultry, steaks, and vegetarian entrées. Live acoustic guitar music most nights. Open nightly at 5:30 p.m. Early Bird Special: 20% off Entire Bill between 5:30-6:00pm. Must mention ad. Reservations recommended, walkins welcome. 160 N. Millward, (307) 733-3912, bluelionrestaurant.com

WWW.TETONLOTUSCAFE.COM

Start your day off right. Pick up the July/August issue of Devour Utah

Enjoy all the perks of fine dining, minus the dress code at Eleanor’s, serving rich, saucy dishes in a warm and friendly setting. Eleanor’s is a primo brunch spot on Sunday afternoons. Its bar alone is an attraction, thanks to reasonably priced drinks and a loyal crowd. Come get a belly-full of our two-time gold medal wings. Open at 11 a.m. daily. 832 W. Broadway, (307) 733-7901.

FULL STEAM SUBS The deli that’ll rock your belly. Jackson’s newest sub shop serves steamed subs, reubens, gyros, delicious all beef hot dogs, soups and salads. We offer Chicago style hot dogs done just the way they do in the windy city. Open daily11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Located just a short block north of the Town Square at 180 N. Center Street, (307) 733-3448.

KIM’S CORNER

Go to devourutah.com for pick up locations

Best ski food in the area! Korean and American style, from breakfast sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, Philly cheese steaks to rice bowls and noodles. Something for everyone! Open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At base of Summit Lift between the ski patrol room and the ice rink. 100 E. Snow King Ave. Order ahead (307) 200-6544, facebook.com/ Kimscornercafe.

LOCAL Local, a modern American steakhouse and bar, is located on Jackson’s historic town square. Our menu features both classic and specialty cuts of locally-ranched meats and wild game alongside fresh seafood, shellfish, house-ground burgers, and seasonallyinspired food. We offer an extensive wine list and an abundance of locally-sourced products. Offering a casual and vibrant bar atmosphere with 12 beers on tap as well as a relaxed dining room, Local is the perfect spot to grab a burger for lunch or to have drinks and dinner with friends. Our deck is open! Lunch Daily 11:30am. Dinner Nightly 5:30pm 55 North Cache, (307) 201-1717, localjh.com.

LOTUS CAFE Serving organic, freshly-made world cuisine while catering to all eating styles. Endless organic and natural meat, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. Offering super smoothies, fresh extracted juices, espresso and tea. Full bar and house-infused botanical spirits. Open daily 8am for breakfast lunch and dinner. 145 N. Glenwood St., (307) 734-0882, tetonlotuscafe.com.

MANGY MOOSE Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally fresh food at reasonable prices, is a always a fun place to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel right at home and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit. Teton Village, (307) 733-4913, mangymoose. com.

SNAKE RIVER BREWERY & RESTAURANT America’s most award-winning microbrewery is serving lunch and dinner. Take in the atmosphere while enjoying wood-fired pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts. $9 lunch menu. Happy hour 4 to 6 p.m., including tasty hot wings. The freshest beer in the valley, right from the source! Free WiFi. Open 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 265 S. Millward. (307) 739-2337, snakeriverbrewing.com.

SWEETWATER Satisfying locals for lunch and dinner for over 36 years with deliciously affordable comfort food. Extensive local and regional beer list. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. features blackened trout salad, elk melt, wild west chili

cafe Powderhorn Mall

Snow King Mountain

RICE BOWLS Take-Out!

KOREAN & AMERICAN

Monday - Friday 11am - 3pm

Mon, Tue, Sat 11am - 4pm Wed - Fri 11am - 6pm

970 W. Broadway

100 E. Snow King Ave

307.203.6544

307.200.6544

(ice rink)

and vegetarian specialties. Dinner 5:30 to 9 p.m. including potato-crusted trout, 16 ounce ribeye, vegan and wild game. Reservations welcome. (307) 733-3553. sweetwaterjackson.com.

TRIO Owned and operated by Chefs with a passion for good food, Trio is located right off the Town square in downtown Jackson. Featuring a variety of cuisines in a relaxed atmosphere, Trio is famous for its wood-oven pizzas, specialty cocktails and waffle fries with bleu cheese fondue. Dinner nightly at 5:30 p.m. Reservations. (307) 734-8038 or bistrotrio.com.

ITALIAN CALICO EARLY BIRD SPECIAL

20%OFF ENTIRE BILL

Good between 5:30-6pm • Open nightly at 5:30pm

733-3912 160 N. Millward

Make your reservation online at bluelionrestaurant.com

THE LOCALS

FAVORITE PIZZA 2012, 2013 & 2014 •••••••••

$4 Well Drink Specials

LUNCH

SPECIAL Slice, salad & soda

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MEXICAN EL ABUELITO Serving authentic Mexican cuisine and appetizers in a unique Mexican atmosphere. Home of the original Jumbo Margarita. Featuring a full bar with a large selection of authentic Mexican beers. Lunch served weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nightly dinner specials. Open seven days, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 385 W. Broadway, (307) 733-1207.

PIZZA DOMINO’S PIZZA Hot and delicious delivered to your door. Handtossed, deep dish, crunchy thin, Brooklyn style and artisan pizzas; bread bowl pastas, and oven baked sandwiches; chicken wings, cheesy breads and desserts. Delivery. 520 S. Hwy. 89 in Kmart Plaza, (307) 733-0330.

REAL lemonades REAL strawberries REALLY REFRESHING!

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Under the Pink Garter Theatre (307) 734-PINK • www.pinkygs.com

A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965, the Calico continues to be one of the most popular restaurants in the Valley. The Calico offers the right combination of really good food, (much of which is grown in our own gardens in the summer), friendly staff; a reasonably priced menu and a large selection of wine. Our bar scene is eclectic with a welcoming vibe. Open nightly at 5 p.m. 2560 Moose Wilson Rd., (307) 733-2460.

PINKY G’S

FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT PIZZAS, PASTAS & MORE FRESH, LOCALLY SOURCED OFFERINGS TAKE OUT AVAILABLE Dining room and bar open nightly at 5:00pm (307) 733-2460 • 2560 Moose Wilson Road • Wilson, WY

A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965

1110 W. Broadway • Jackson, WY Open daily 5:00am to midnight • Free Wi-Fi

AUGUST 26, 2015 | 27

HOUSEMADE BREAD & DESSERTS

The locals favorite! Voted Best Pizza in Jackson Hole 2012, 2013 and 2014. Seek out this hidden gem under the Pink Garter Theatre for NY pizza by the slice, salads, stromboli’s, calzones and many appetizers to choose from. Try the $7 ‘Triple S’ lunch special.Happy hours 10 p.m. - 12 a.m. Sun.- Thu. Text PINK to 71441 for discounts. Delivery and take-out. Open daily 11a.m. to 2 a.m. 50 W. Broadway, (307) 734-PINK.

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L.A.TIMES

“MALE BONDING” By Pam Amick Klawitter

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

ACROSS 1. Insignificant disruption 5. Part of a familiar Latin sequence 9. Make very thirsty 14. Those girls, in Guadalajara 19. Start to correct? 20. Riga native, e.g. 21. 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year Stoudemire 22. “There!” 23. Demolish, in Dover 24. 1968 self-titled folk album 25. Introvert 26. __ wrench 27. One whose citations are always on target? 31. “Fore!” site 32. Phishing catch: Abbr. 33. Share with followers, in a way 34. Chaucer works 36. Salon service 37. D.C. team 40. Pathfinders and such 44. Toledo homes 47. Where go-betweens learn their craft? 51. California city with an annual classical music festival 52. Give up 53. __ Palmas: Canary Islands port 54. Shredder 55. Aslan’s land 57. Past curfew 60. “Children of the Poor” author 62. Fund-raising orgs. 63. Civil civil servant? 66. Tree in a carol 67. “__: Cyber”: 2015 spin-off 68. Hammered 69. Dedicated lines 71. Foolhardy 74. Show segment that included shots of New York City? 83. Block brand 84. Med. research org. 85. Come across as 86. Subject of passing concern? 87. Not on edge 89. Some Caltech grads 91. Bar freebie 93. What bar patrons may run 94. Work force breakdown? 98. Flora and fauna 99. Scout shirt feature 100. Up-good connection 101. Hebrew for “skyward” 103. Candidate who opposed NAFTA 105. Researcher’s reference 108. Dallas NBAer 111. Director’s bane 114. Ambiguous packing instructions? 118. Great quantity 120. Ancient Aegean region 121. Florida’s __ City 122. Drummer Van Halen 123. Part of a beach house collection 124. Desilu co-founder 125. Resolve, with “out” 126. Artist Magritte 127. “Our Gang” pooch 128. Rope loop 129. Breton or Gael 130. Awareness-raising TV ads

Feminine or masculine Q: Was I a different gender in a past life? A:

DOWN 1. Root beer that “has bite!” 2. Waikiki wingdings 3. Fighting words 4. One concerned with rhythm 5. Tapered off 6. Nautical 7. Let 8. Paving unit 9. Like some consonants 10. “El __ brujo”: de Falla work 11. Relative position 12. High spot 13. Novelist Hesse 14. Fade from sight 15. “OMG ur 2 funny” 16. Bouncy tune 17. Captain’s direction 18. Sensible 28. Son of Zeus 29. Darn 30. Highly regarded groups 35. Double curve 36. “The Age of Reason” writer 38. No. preceded by a code 39. Excessive flattery 41. Cardiologist’s concern 42. Musical deficiency 43. Some shooters, for short 44. NCAA division 45. Slightly cracked 46. Asian wrap 48. In a slothful way 49. Unheeding 50. Home to billions 52. Rakes 56. Move very carefully 58. Arcade concern 59. Cat Nation people 61. Part of, plotwise 64. Actress Taylor 65. French 101 word 66. Spices (up) 70. Completes 71. Put another hole in, as a keg 72. Gemini docking target 73. Get in a lather 75. 911 situation: Abbr.

76. It may be grand 77. Where to see available courses 78. River to the Strait of Tartary 79. Cybersales 80. Partnership for Peace gp. 81. __ de Louisiane 82. 2000s sitcom set in Houston 83. Not even a little cool 84. Big name in sports caps 88. Common way to swear 90. __ Tomé 92. One Direction band member, e.g. 95. Ian Fleming or James Bond 96. Stupefied 97. Veg out 98. Composer of six unaccompanied cello suites 102. Not yet visible 104. Detailed, briefly 106. Front VIP 107. Mindful 108. NFL players, e.g. 109. Game site 110. Bugs 111. “H” on a blue road sign: Abbr. 112. Pang 113. Comply with 115. Year in Sicily 116. Actress Vardalos et al. 117. Moan and groan 119. Pub buy

The short answer is yes. The soul selects the gender that will offer the best opportunity to learn and to contribute in each lifetime and in each period in history. Being male or female never implies the soul is good or bad. Gender is not a reflection of intelligence or wisdom or evolutionary status. Since both genders are equally important in the dance of creation, most souls will experience both genders. Some souls incarnate with the higher purpose of making a specific contribution to the world in a given lifetime or lifetimes. Historically this may have been making a particular discovery in science, opening trade routes, inventing new ways to farm, charting the oceans, revealing the motions of the planets and the stars, building sacred architecture, composing music or participating in law or government. In the past, only men would have been allowed to play those roles and make those kinds of contributions. Therefore, part of that soul’s journey in certain periods in history had to include being male. Today in the West women can participate in most every field of creative endeavor, therefore there is no requirement for a soul to incarnate in the male experience in order to share talents, develop skills and contribute. At the same time, in many parts of the world a soul would still have to be male to ensure the opportunity to advance that culture, if that was its current higher purpose. There are souls who have been predominantly male in other times for whom the next phase of evolution, learning and balance is to incarnate in a female body. And there are souls who have been mostly female, whose evolutionary next step is to experience life through the male body experience. The why, and why now, and why here of that new experience can be a fun puzzle to figure out. If you are curious about your own soul’s history when it comes to gender, here are a couple of questions to ask yourself. Find some quiet time when you will not be interrupted, get comfortable, close your eyes, put aside ideas about how weird or cool it might be to be a different gender than you are right now and allow yourself to reflect deeply as you ask yourself the following two questions: 1.

Do you intuitively sense you have been more male, more female or equally male and female in your prior lives?

What might be the balance your soul is intending you to master by being the gender you are now? Tip: Trust your inner sense for answers and not your mind.

Have fun with this. Remember, your gender is not a reflection of how advanced you are. From a reincarnation perspective, it is an intentional part of your learning software. PJH

Carol Mann is a longtime Jackson resident, radio personality, former Grand Targhee Resort owner, author, and clairvoyant. Got a Cosmic Question? Email carol@yourcosmiccafe.com

WELLNESS COMMUNITY DR. MCKENZIE STEINER, ND Naturopathic Physician drmckenziesteiner.com

Enjoy

Transcendental Meditation Center of Jackson Hole

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE WELLNESS DIRECTORY, CONTACT JENNIFER AT PLANET JACKSON HOLE AT 307-732-0299 OR JMARLATT@PLANETJH.COM

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19) You like to run ahead of the pack. You prefer to show people the way, to set the pace. It’s cleaner that way, right? There’s less risk you will be caught up in the messy details of everyday compromise. But I suspect that the time is right for you to try an experiment: Temporarily ease yourself into the middle of the pack. Be willing to deal with the messy details of everyday compromise. Why? Because it will teach you lessons that will serve you well the next time you’re showing the way and setting the pace. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Are you ready to revise your ideas about how love works? Would you consider re-evaluating your relationship to romance, your approach to intimacy, and your understanding of sex? I hope you will not only be willing but also excited to do these things. Now is a favorable time to make changes that will energize your love life with a steady flow of magic for months to come. To get the party started, brainstorm about experiments you could try to invigorate the dynamics of togetherness. Make a list of your customary romantic strategies, and rebel against them all. Speak sexy truths that are both shocking and endearing. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Querencia is a Spanish word with many nuances. At its simplest, it refers to your favorite spot, a place where you long to be. But its meaning can go even deeper. Querencia may be a sanctuary where you feel safe and authentic, or a situation that enables you to draw on extra reserves of strength and courage. It’s a special kind of home: an empowering shelter that makes you feel that you belong in this world and love your life. Can you guess where I’m going with this message, Gemini? These days you need to be in your querencia even more than usual. If you don’t have one, or if you don’t know where yours is, formulate a fierce intention to locate it. CANCER (June 21-July 22) The art of effective communication consists of knowing both what to say and what not to say. It’s not enough to simply find the words that accurately convey your meaning. You have to tailor your message to the quirks of your listeners. For example, let’s say you want to articulate the process that led you to change your mind about an important issue. You would use different language with a child, an authority figure, and a friend. Right? I think you are currently at the peak of your abilities to do this well, Cancerian. Take full advantage of your fluency. Create clear, vivid impressions that influence people to like you and help you. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Arthur Conan Doyle first used the term “smoking gun” in a story he wrote over a century ago. It referred to a time the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes burst into a room to find a man holding a pistol that had just been fired, along with the fallen body of a man who had been shot. Since then, the meaning of “smoking gun” has expanded. Now it’s any piece of evidence that serves as compelling proof of a certain hypothesis. If you can’t find the cookie you left in the kitchen, and your roommate walks by with cookie crumbs on his chin, it’s the smoking gun that confirms he pilfered your treat. I believe this is an important theme for you right now. What question do you need answered? What theory would you like to have corroborated? The smoking gun will appear. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) At least for now, I suggest you suspend the quest for order and refinement and perfection. The wise course of action is to disengage from your fascination with control, and instead give yourself to the throbbing, erratic pulse of the Cosmic Wow. Why? If you do, you will be able to evolve faster than you thought possible. Your strength will come from agile curiosity and an eagerness to experiment. Do you remember when you last explored the catalytic wonders of spontaneity and unpredictability? Do it again!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) This is the deepest, darkest phase of your cycle. The star that you will ultimately make a wish upon has not yet risen. Your pet monsters seem to have forgotten for the moment that they are supposed to be your allies, not your nemeses. Smoke from the smoldering embers in your repressed memories is blending with the chill night fog in your dreams, making your life seem like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a taco. Just kidding about that last part. I wanted to see if your sense of humor is intact, because if it is, you will respond resiliently to all the cosmic jokes in your upcoming tests. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) According to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, here’s what God says to each of us: “Go the limits of your longing . . . Flare up like flame and make big shadows that I can move in. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Whether or not you’re on speaking terms with the Creator, this is excellent advice. It’s time to give everything you have and take everything you need. Hold nothing back and open yourself as wide and wild as you dare. Explore the feeling of having nothing to lose and expect the arrivals of useful surprises. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The sun and the expansive planet Jupiter are currently making a joyful noise in the sign of Virgo, which is your astrological House of Career and Ambition. This does not necessarily mean that a boon to your career and ambition will fall into your lap, although such an event is more likely than usual. More importantly, this omen suggests that you will influence luck, fate and your subconscious mind to work in your favor if you take dramatic practical action to advance your career and ambitions. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) On August 28, 1963, Capricorn hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of thousands in Washington, D.C. In that address, he imagined what it might look like if African Americans were free of the bigotry and oppression they had endured for centuries at the hands of white Americans. In accordance with your astrological potentials, I encourage you to articulate your own “I Have a Dream” vision sometime soon. Picture in detail the successful stories you want to actualize in the future. Visualize the liberations you will achieve and the powers you will obtain. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) If you have been patiently waiting for a propitious moment to buy a new yacht, pledge your undying love, or get a tattoo that depicts Buddha wrestling Satan, now is as close as you’ll get to that propitious moment, at least for a while. Even if you have merely been considering the possibility of signing a year-long lease, asking a cute mischief-maker on a date, or posting an extra-edgy meme on Facebook or Twitter, the next three weeks would be prime time to strike. Diving into a deep, heart-crazed commitment is sometimes a jangly process for you Aquarians, but these days it might be almost smooth and synchronistic. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Ready for a ritual? Get a piece of paper and a pen. Light a candle, take three deep breaths, and chant “yummmm” five times. Then spend ten minutes writing down the qualities you would like your perfect lover to possess. Identify both the traits that would make this person unique and the behavior he or she would display toward you. Got that? When you are finished, burn the list you made. Disavow everything you wrote. Pledge to live for at least seven months without harboring fixed beliefs about what your ideal partner should be like. Instead, make yourself extra receptive to the possibility that you will learn new truths about what you need. Why? I suspect that love has elaborate plans for you in the next two years. You will be better prepared to cooperate with them if you are initially free of strong agendas.

Go to RealAstrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

REDNECK PERSPECTIVE Hog Island economics Thornhill hedge fund will bring in the dough BY CLYDE THORNHILL

lythe Winters-Paulson, vice-president of ethics with Goldman Sachs, for whom I serve as her Hog Island paramour, is in town for the Reserve Bank of Kansas City economic symposium. She invited me over for an evening of pleasure. When I arrived at her Teton Pines Estate she was already soaking in her hot tub with a cute brunette. “When Linda found out I had a Hog Islander on my play list she insisted I share,” Blythe said. “Linda’s on the Reserve Bank board and has promised to keep me updated on Federal Reserve monetary policy before it becomes public knowledge. I’ll make even more money than when I sold those Greek Bonds to an orphanage endowment.” “From what I’ve heard about Hog Islanders, I’m the one getting a bargain,” Linda cooed. “That’s fine with me,” I said. “Double the bankers compounds my interest.” After an evening of amusement with Blythe and Linda, I kicked back with a Budweiser while the girls talked of leveraged buyouts, insider trading and SEC connections. It sounded like they had so much fun! I decided to start a hedge fund – The Thornhill Fund – to get in on the action. After Linda left I told Blythe my plan. “Hedge funds offer managers opportunity for wealth accumulation,” Blythe told me. “The trick is finding investors. Most hedge funds require $1 million minimum investment. Finding that many people willing to trust a Hog Islander with a million dollars may prove challenging.” “My 2014 GMC Sierra 3500HD Denali with 6.6 Turbo Diesel V8 engine will be paid off in just eight years,” I replied. “That is if I don’t miss any more payments. How much more

SATIRE

financial intellect could one have?” Later that week I gave an introductory presentation at The Pines for potential investors. Using colored pie and bar charts, a method I learned from News&Guide economic columnist Jonathan Schechter, I explained that The Thornhill Fund is structured like George Soros’ Quantum Group of Funds: we make investments in only those opportunities that offer high returns. I began the talk with insight into the commodities market. “With uncertainty in the Middle East, concerns regarding Chinese market contractions and fears the Hoback Junction one ton dually truck market has finally reached a point of saturation, many investors are scrambling to guess the direction of gasoline prices,” I said. “However, the Thornhill Fund does not scramble. I bought two five-gallon cans and filled one with gas for a long position should prices rise. I left the other one empty for a short position in case they fall, win-win!” “We also watch biomedical markets and recently invested in Star Valley Laboratories (SVL on the NASDAQ),” I explained. “SVL recently marketed ‘Kissing Cousin,’ a do-athome blood test to see how closely you’re related to your girlfriend. The market for this product has moved beyond Star Valley into Eastern Idaho and much of Utah. As one enthusiastic customer from Etna said, ‘You don’t want to get married and then find out you’re not related!’” PJH

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