The Romantic Month
Welcome to February, with an extra day this year. My youngest daughter, Amy, turns 5 (actually 20) on Feb. 29. Don’t forget the chocolates or flowers on the 14th, or the one you love will think you’re a jerk, and have proof. Since we didn’t get a January thaw, I’m looking forward to a nice warm-up some time in February.
McCain vs. Clinton = Boring
It will be a depressing general election if it ends up being McCain vs. Clinton. Two old people (even older than me). Yesterday’s generation. Washington insiders. The ultimate establishment candidates. Will they have any fresh ideas, any ability to pull the country together and tackle real problems? I’ve heard a lot of grumbling about McCain among Utah Republicans. If the race was between McCain and Obama, Obama might do better in Utah than expected.
The Governor’s Bet
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman bet big on McCain, and it’s paying off after McCain’s near-campaign death experience in the early going. If McCain is the GOP nominee, there will be massive speculation about Huntsman’s second term. How does “Governor Herbert” sound?
Join a Chamber
The latest issue of Taking Care of Business, the Zions Bank Business Resource Center newsletter, highlights the benefits of joining a chamber of commerce. There are numerous chambers of commerce in communities scattered across the state, with the Salt Lake Chamber being the largest and most active. Regarding chamber membership, Salt Lake Chamber Director of Communications Michael De Groote, says, “You’re joining an association of fellow businesses and helping to protect business, to build the economy and to increase the effectiveness of your own business.
Utah Consular Corps
This week's issue of Global Utah, World Trade Center Utah's newsletter, features a story about the Utah Consular Corps, which rivals those in cities such as the District of Columbia, New York City and Los Angeles in regard to foreign representation, according to Bjorn Ablad, honorary Swedish consul in Salt Lake and first vice president of the Utah Consular Corps. The newsletter also reports that the Governor's Office of Economic Development hopes to use the Sundance Film Festival as a vehicle to attract not only more filmmakers, but more international businesses to the state.
Washington Watch
Top Assignment for Cannon?
Congressional Quarterly: "When it comes time to organize for the 111th Congress, GOP leaders will face tough choices on whether to replace departed moderates in key committee slots with members from the same group, or with more conservative members. ... On Oversight and Government Reform, Christopher Shays of Connecticut, a prominent moderate, has said he thinks he is in line to succeed [Virginia's Thomas] Davis as the top Republican. But he faces a stiff challenge from more conservative members, including Chris Cannon of Utah and Darrell Issa of California."
Today in Political History
Feb. 1, 1790: In New York City the Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time. (Source: NBC5)
Feb. 1, 1861: Texas secedes from the Union.
Feb. 1, 1865: Pres. Abraham Lincoln signs a joint resolution sending the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, to the states.
Feb. 1, 1905: President Theodore Roosevelt creates the Forest Service. Many public lands are shortly designated as "National Forests." (Source: Perspicuity)
Feb. 1, 1960: Four black college students begin a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they'd been refused service. (New York Times)
Wise Words
Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
-- Abraham Lincoln (Source: Quote Garden)
Utah Landmarks
Rock Art in Utah
Utah rock art was described in National Geographic magazine as a "wilderness Louvre," a world-class outdoor art museum. The quality and quantity of Utah's prehistoric rock art is unmatched anywhere. From the mummy-shaped human figures of heroic proportions in the Great Gallery of Horseshoe Canyon to the incised stones from Hogup Cave, Utah's rock art is beautiful and varied.
Rock art is any design on stone. Those which are incised, scratched, rubbed, or pecked into the surface of the rock are called petroglyphs. Painted designs are referred to as pictographs. Occasionally the word petrograph is used as a generic term for both pecked and painted designs.
Who created the rock art? While it is speculated that a petroglyph in the Moab area and a pictograph in Ferron Canyon--both of which may represent mammoths--may represent work by Ice Age artists more than 10,000 years ago, the earliest rock art can be more safely attributed to the Archaic Culture of more recent times. Hunters and gatherers who were successful at harvesting a wide variety of plants and small game animals in various ecological niches, these people were probably responsible for the red-painted, mummy-shaped figures in eastern Utah known as the Barrier Canyon style as well as other (primarily abstract) rock art images found throughout the state. Scholars generally agree that the earliest rock art is at least 2,000 years old.
Much of Utah's rock art has been credited to the Fremont Indians, who practiced a farming-based culture and occupied most of the state between 800 and 1,500 years ago. In the southern area of the state rock art was produced by the Anasazi, also a farming culture, from slightly before the time of Christ to 700 years ago. Numic-speaking groups such as the Ute, Paiute, Shoshone, and Goshute, who replaced or absorbed the Fremont Indians, also engaged in creating rock art. More recently, historic inscriptions were left by explorers, trappers, pioneers, and freighters. (Source: Utah.Edu)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- RealClearPolitics: Columnist John McIntyre, noting the bounce Pres. Bush got in the polls after the 2004 GOP nominating convention, says: "Conventions matter and convention bounces, or lack of bounces, particularly matter in very close elections. Who did Karl Rove and the GOP strategists chose to put front and center on prime-time television for the American people? Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Zell Miller. ... [T]hese four speakers were meant to send a clear message to Independents and moderate Democrats that they were welcome -- and wanted -- in a big tent, majority Republican Party. Starting Tuesday in [Florida] and in California ... with the Giuliani and Schwarzenegger endorsements, the Bush/Cheney baton has been passed to John McCain.
-- The Hill: "A defiant Mike Huckabee said Thursday that there is 'no way' he would drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and he blasted the media for characterizing the race as a contest between Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney."
-- The Politico: "Hillary Clinton thought she had driven a stake through it, but it turns out to be the issue that will not die: She voted to authorize the Iraq war, she refuses to say it was a mistake and she refuses to apologize for it. And Barack Obama continues to whack her for it. ... Again and again, he pressed this advantage Thursday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in the first one-on-one debate between Obama and Clinton."
-- Politics Nation: "A wave of late-breaking retirement announcements have left beleaguered House Republicans swamped in recent days as five members have told House leaders they will not seek re-election this Fall. The announcements bring to 27 the number of open seats Republicans will have to defend throughout the year, and some believe the end is not yet in sight."
Blog Watch
-- At Out of Context, Robert Gehrke reports: "The governor held his weekly get-together with legislative leaders [Thursday] and health care was the main topic of discussion. As Rep. Dave Clark laid out the proposal legislators had been negotiating, Senate President John Valentine offered some insight on the topic. 'That's right, governor,' Clark mistakenly said. 'Not so fast. Wait a few years,' Huntsman joked, a thinly veiled reference to the widely held assumption that Valentine will seek the office when Huntsman's second term is up in 2012. Then everyone had a good laugh at the joke. Almost everyone. Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who is believed to have his own idea of who the next governor should be, wasn't laughing. 'Is that OK with you?' House Speaker Greg Curtis asked Herbert." (For more on the Legislature, see The Senate Site, UtahSenateDemocrats, The Democratic Caucus, Salt Lake Crawler, Educating Utah, Lincoln's Legislative Blog, CoolestFamilyEver, Simple Utah Mormon Politics, and Utah Moms Care.)
Lighter Side
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
-- P. J. O'Rourke, humorist, journalist, & political commentator (Liberty Tree)
Casual Friday
Fishing Report
(Provided by RedRockAdventure.com)
The DWR is encouraging taxpayers to donate to the Nongame Wildlife Fund. Just fill in line 19 on your state tax return. More information.
Ice fishing continues to be good in most areas. Many reservoirs have slush on top of ice, and that problem will intensify during the coming weeks. Ice fishing usually starts to wind down about the end of February. After that there will still be plenty of places to ice fish, but interest wanes as some reservoirs start to open up, and as bug activity increases on streams.
DWR's weekly fishing reports are generally good but are sometimes slow adjusting to changing conditions. For example, right now DWR's hotspots report says fishing is hot on the Weber River, but the Northern Region weekly report says this about that water: "The fishing was pretty slow, with lots of ice chunks and ice edges making it tough to get to the good spots... Pretty slow fishing."
With all this snow and cold, stream fishing is difficult at best. But that will all change in early March...
Lake Powell spring striper fishing may be slower than previous years, but fish health and condition will be much improved, according to DWR Biologist Wayne Gustaveson. Bass fishing will continue to be great. Action will start to pick up in late February, and late April will bring the best spring fishing. "Expect bass to spawn the 3rd week of April." Read his complete forecast. For the latest wildlife news and information visit the DWR website.
Outdoors Report
-- Morning News on ski cross competitors and a local athlete competing in the Deer Valley World Cup Competition
-- Outdoor retailers visit Utah in the Tribune http://www.sltrib.com/features/ci_8121887
-- Park City Mountain Resort highlighted in the Morning News
-- Find out about upcoming events in the Morning News’ Outdoor Notes
-- Check out the Tribune’s Outdoor Notebook and Recreation Roundup for sports and recreation activities this week
-- For the latest wildlife news and information and the fishing report visit the DWR website
Concerts
-- “Imprints,” Contemporary Dance Ensemble, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Ragan Theater, UVSC, Orem
-- Interpreti Veneziani, chamber orchestra, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Allred Theater, Weber State University, $15
-- Kathleen Wallace and Rebecca Wilberg, mezzo-soprano and soprano, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall, free
-- Mark Small-Steve Lin Classical Guitar Concert, Friday, 8 p.m., Salt Lake City Recital Hall, 320 E. 200 South
-- “The Crystal and the Sphere,” Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; also Saturday, 2 p.m., Capitol Theatre
-- Peking Acrobats, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah, $19.20-$29.50
-- Utah Symphony, Robert McDuffie, violin, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Abravanel Hall, $12-$48
-- Larry Green, guitar, Saturday, 2:15 p.m., BYU Museum of Art Auditorium, BYU, free
-- Imagination Place Mardi Gras, Saturday, 3 and 4:30 p.m., Brickyard Plaza, $15
-- Murray Concert Band, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Murray High School, 5440 S. State, free
-- Red Hot Rock Club, gypsy swing, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., U. Museum of Fine Arts, U., $12 (832-2457)
-- Seth Kershisnik, Jeffrey Price, Anthony Buck and the Mount Olympus String Quartet, baritone, piano and tenor, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Dumke Recital Hall, University of Utah, free
-- Utah Youth Symphony and Kenneth Udy, organ, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall, free
-- Organ Recitals, every Saturday, noon, and every Sunday, 2 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall
Theater
-- “What the Butler Saw” through February 2, Wasatch Theatre Company
-- “The Robber Bridegroom” through February 4, SCERA Center
-- “Cheaper By the Dozen” through February 9, Heritage Theatre
-- “Crowns” through February 9, Grand Theatre
-- “Don’t Drink the Water” through February 9, Hale Center Theater Orem
-- “Lend Me a Tenor” through February 9, Hale Centre Theatre
-- “Once Upon a Mattress” through February 9, Rodgers Memorial Theatre
-- “Robin Hood” through February 9, Academy of Performing Arts
-- “Forever Plaid” through February 15, Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Logan
-- “Man of La Mancha” through February 16, St. George Musical Theater
-- “Menopause the Musical” through March 2, Rose Wagner Center
-- “My Valley Fair Lady” through March 22, Desert Star Theatre
Museum Exhibits
-- David Kimball Anderson: To Morris Graves Exhibition through February 2, Salt Lake Art Center
-- The 11th Black & White Statewide Art Competition Exhibition, Photography by Randy S. Chatelain Exhibition through March 29, Eccles Community Art Center
-- Bravo! The Tortilla Paintings of Joe Bravo Exhibition, Wasatch Back Student Art Show Exhibition through March 30, Kimball Art Center
-- Masks, Magic, and Mirrors Exhibition through March 31, Natural Revelations: Paintings by Susan Swartz Exhibition through April 13, Utah Museum of Fine Arts
-- Minerva Teichert: Pageants in Paint Exhibition, through May 26, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
Et Cetera
-- First Friday Street Stroll, Friday, 6 – 9 p.m., downtown Ogden
-- Fairview Winter Festival, Friday and Saturday |
