http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C/L/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2011 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:55:46 MST Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:55:46 MST http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/ski_helmet_legislation_arrives_with/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/ski_helmet_legislation_arrives_with/C582/C582/ Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:50:04 MST Last week, the California legislature advanced a bill that could make helmets mandatory for junior skiers and snowboarders. Not to be outdone, a New York Assemblyman introduced a bill requiring adults to wear helmets at ski resorts in the state. The idea of eliminating freedom of choice from recreational pursuits is clearly (and sadly) gaining traction in certain parts of the country. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/what_does_your_stuff_really_say_about_you/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/what_does_your_stuff_really_say_about_you/C582/C582/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:32:46 MST Should we spend more time thinking about the external costs of the material goods we fill our homes with? And is America’s addiction to consumerism a response to the diminishing role social interaction plays in our day-to-day lives? The Story of Stuff offers a compelling argument for people to re-examine their relationship with consumer goods. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_olympic_dream_sure_beats_tiger_woods_nightmare/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_olympic_dream_sure_beats_tiger_woods_nightmare/C582/C582/ Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:50:19 MST There’s something incredibly real that’s reflected in the efforts of Olympic athletes, who toil in anonymity for a shot at glory once every four years. When Tiger Woods’ apology statement interrupted my Olympic reverie on Friday, the contrast between the joy that accompanies Olympic success and the misery evinced by Tiger’s robot-like performance couldn’t have been greater.  http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/wyoming_schools_anti_hate_program_reveals_intolerance/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/wyoming_schools_anti_hate_program_reveals_intolerance/C582/C582/ Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:25:14 MST Last week in Washington DC, the Senate Armed Services committee held hearings to consider rescinding the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy regarding gay soldiers. At the same time, one Wyoming school district has decided to adopt an attitude most accurately described as “Let’s pretend gay people don’t even exist.” The “No Place for Hate” program doesn’t require the school to raise a rainbow flag out front, or mandate the establishment of gay student groups or even endorse any curriculum. It’s merely an umbrella program to encourage and support tolerance. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/losing_ground_energy_development_on_public_lands/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/losing_ground_energy_development_on_public_lands/C582/C582/ Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:21:20 MST An Interior Department announcement of proposed changes to federal oil and gas leasing policies has brought predictable responses from the right and the left. But the federal government still has done nothing to address the exploitation of public lands by energy companies, or the absence of a forward-thinking domestic energy policy. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/ski_patroller_death_highlights_the_real_price_of_powder_turns/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/ski_patroller_death_highlights_the_real_price_of_powder_turns/C582/C582/ Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:35:00 MST In Jackson Hole, the early-morning sound of explosives reverberating across the valley is a ski community signal that says powder day.  Few ski resorts in the continental United States are as challenging to control for avalanches. It’s exactly what makes the skiing in Jackson so fantastic, what draws the most dedicated ski bums, and why ski patrolling there is such a serious job. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_guatemalan_vacation_offers_a_different_kind_of_education/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_guatemalan_vacation_offers_a_different_kind_of_education/C582/C582/ Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:12:35 MST To fulfill a need for exploration when I vacation, my preference is to find an international destination that might not be on most travelers’ radar. Our weeklong trip to Guatemala offered exactly the kind of rejuvinating cultural experience I was searching for.  http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bighorn_national_forest_resorts_to_user_fees_at_popular_trailhead/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bighorn_national_forest_resorts_to_user_fees_at_popular_trailhead/C582/C582/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:35:08 MST The West Tensleep Trailhead in the Bighorn National Forest ­-- the most popular access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness ­­-- will have a $10 parking fee next summer. I can’t fault forest managers for searching for an additional revenue stream after years of funding shortfalls, but this user fee unfairly targets certain user groups to pay the costs of a larger problem. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/struggling_to_buy_local_and_resist_factory_farming/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/struggling_to_buy_local_and_resist_factory_farming/C582/C582/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:41:50 MST The atrocious state of our industrialized food system, which is dominated by big agribusiness, is nothing new. But even for the well-educated consumer with the best of intentions, it’s much easier to shake our heads, rue the way things are and say to ourselves there’s no good alternative.  I’m doing my best not to bury my head in the sand, but there’s often a disconnect between what my stomach wants and what I know is good for my body and good for the earth. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/what_h1n1_feels_like/C582/C582/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/what_h1n1_feels_like/C582/C582/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:38:39 MST What am I going through? Coughing, fatigue, some nausea, achy joints, headaches and thirst. Not enough to keep me from work. In fact, I’m writing this having just completed laying out the ads for next week’s edition of the Sanpete Messenger.  However, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t rather be home in bed.