Boise Weekly Vol. 18 Issue 42

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FEATURE 11 MUSIC POLICE Musicians, venues and the enforcers of the beat CITIZEN 10 CITIZEN RETURNS First up: Stephen Covey, success maker and extreme organizer BUSINESS 21-27 LAISSEZ-CARE BW’s new business section delves into higher ed, venture capital, greentech and more FOOD 39 CASANOVA PIZZERIA Now that’s amore “When they sold the company ... they got nice bonuses, but I got zero. It is a horror story.” BUSINESS 25 LOCAL, INDEPENDENT NEWS, OPINION, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM VOLUME 18, ISSUE 42 APRIL 14–20, 2010 FREE TAKE ONE!

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Transcript of Boise Weekly Vol. 18 Issue 42

  • FEATURE 11

    MUSIC POLICEMusicians, venues and the enforcers of the beat

    CITIZEN 10

    CITIZEN RETURNSFirst up: Stephen Covey, success maker and extreme organizer

    BUSINESS 21-27

    LAISSEZ-CAREBWs new business section delves into higher ed, venture capital, greentechand more

    FOOD 39

    CASANOVA PIZZERIANow thats amore

    When they sold the company ... they got nice bonuses, but I got zero. It is a horror story. BUSINESS 25

    LOCAL, INDEPENDENT NEWS, OPINION, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COMVOLUME 18, ISSUE 42APRIL 1420, 2010

    FREETAKE ONE!

  • 2 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 3

    PUBLISHER: Sally [email protected]

    Office Manager: Shea [email protected]

    EDITORIALEditor: Rachael Daigle

    [email protected] & Entertainment Editor: Amy Atkins

    [email protected] Editor: Deanna Darr

    [email protected] Editor: Zach Hagadone

    [email protected] News Editor: Nathaniel Hoffman

    [email protected] Writer: Tara [email protected]

    Calendar Guru: Josh [email protected]

    Listings: [email protected]: Jay Vail,

    Annabel ArmstrongInterns: Jennifer Spencer

    Contributing Writers: Jeff Barney, Bill Cope, Jennifer Hernandez, David Kirkpatrick,

    Ted Rall, Anne-Marije Rook, Lora Volkert, Jeremiah Robert Wierenga

    ADVERTISINGAdvertising Director: Lisa Ware

    [email protected] Executives:

    Meshel Miller, [email protected] Strong, [email protected]

    Justin Vipperman, [email protected] Weigel, [email protected]

    CLASSIFIED [email protected]

    CREATIVEArt Director: Leila Ramella-Rader

    [email protected] Designer: Adam Rosenlund

    [email protected] Contributing Artists:

    Derf, Mike Flinn, Steve Klamm, Glenn Landberg, Jeremy Lanningham,

    Laurie Pearman, E.J. Pettinger, Ted Rall, Joshua Roper, Tom Tomorrow

    CIRCULATIONShea Sutton

    [email protected] to Shea Sutton to be

    a BW driver.Man About Town: Stan Jackson

    [email protected]: Tim Anders, Mike Baker, Andrew Cambell, Tim Green, Jennifer

    Hawkins, Stan Jackson, Barbara Kemp, Michael Kilburn, Lars Lamb, Brian Murry, Amanda Noe, Northstar Cycle Couriers, Steve Pallsen, Patty Wade, Jill Weigel

    Boise Weekly prints 30,000 copies every Wednesday and is available free of charge at more than 750 locations, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current

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    ISSN 1944-6314 (print)ISSN 1944-6322 (online)

    Boise Weekly is owned and operated by Bar Bar Inc., an Idaho corporation.

    TO CONTACT US: Boise Weeklys office is located at 523 Broad Street, Boise, ID 83702Phone: 208-344-2055 Fax: 208-342-4733

    E-mail: [email protected] www.boiseweekly.com

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    EDITORIAL DEADLINE: Thursday at noon before publication date.

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    Deadlines may shift at the discretion of the publisher.

    Boise Weekly was founded in 1992 by Andy and Debi Hedden-Nicely. Larry Ragan

    had a lot to do with it too.

    BOISE WEEKLY IS AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER.

    BW STAFF

    COVER ARTIST

    SUBMIT Boise Weekly pays $150 for published covers. One stipula-tion of publication is that the piece must be donated to BWs annual charity art auction in November. Proceeds from the auction are reinvested in the local arts community through a series of private grants for which all artists are eligible to apply. To submit your artwork for BWs cover, bring it to BWHQ at 523 Broad St. Square formats are preferred and all mediums are accepted. Thirty days from your submission date, your work will be ready for pick up if its not chosen to be featured on the cover. Work not picked up within six weeks of submission will be discarded.

    ARTIST: Grant Olsen

    TITLE: Constellation Series - Cygnus (The Swan) #4

    MEDIUM: Wool/wool blends

    ARTIST STATEMENT: This comes from a series of patches I have been working on as I build toward creating a woolen planetarium.

    MIND ALL THE BUSINESSJust after Business Editor Zach Hagadone took his post

    at BW, a few staffers and myself sat around the newsroom and tossed out ideas on what to call our new monthly business section.

    We struggled with a name, and the more we struggled, the larger lead the humorous, though ultimately inap-propriate, None-Ya Business began to take. As youll see when you turn to Page 21, None-Ya Business got the boot along with all the other bad ideas, and we went simply with Business.

    As tempting as the humor might have been, None-Ya implied exactly the opposite of our mission in this new sec-tion, which is to make business news your business. Its not business news for the business industry. Its business news for the bus driver, techie, stay-at-home mom, blogger, bank teller, ight attendant, trash collector, butcher, baker and candlestick maker. And, yes, the small business owner.

    Business is where youll nd trend- and issue-based reporting written with Boise Weeklys audience in mind. In this months edition, youll read a hyperlocal take on the rise of for-prot colleges in Boise that examines whether the degree is worth its cost, a cost that is often funded in part by federal dollars. Also taking center stage in this rst edition of Business is the tech industry. From venture capitalism in the cleantech startup scene to the rise of tech incuba-tors, sandboxes and accelerators, Hagadone pries open an industry that many believe is Idahos best hope for economic recovery. Sorry, governor, but its not animal husbandry.

    Send your thoughts, letters and tips on the new section to [email protected], and while youre at it, log on to Electionland, BWs online voting guide created by the people, for the people. At Electionland, you can get primed for the primaries by asking any candidate any question in the contested state and Ada County races. Then well do our best to get them to answer. Exercise your right to ask tough questions at electionland.boiseweekly.com.

    Rachael Daigle

    NOTE

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    INSIDEEDITORS NOTE 3MAIL / MONDA GAGA 5BILL COPE 6TED RALL 7NEWS The biz of private prisons 8Healthcare: Allred vs. Otter 9CITIZEN 10FEATURE The music police 11BW PICKS 16FIND 178 DAYS OUT 18BUSINESSBusiness meets education at for-prot universities 21Hatching new tech ideas 24Venture capitalism in the cleantech industry 25Does localism work? 26SUDOKU 29NOISEA chat with Killola 31MUSIC GUIDE 32ARTS Reviews: BCTs Namaste Man, Ballet Idahos All Italian Program 34SCREEN The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 35MOVIE TIMES 36RECThe dangers of breaking the longest-ight record 37FOODCasanova Pizzeria 39BEER GUZZLER 41CLASSIFIEDS 42HOME SWEET HOME 42NYT CROSSWORD 44FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 46

    WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    RESURRECTING THE MIXTAPEThe RX is holding a mixtape contestwhich you enter

    not on a cassette, but on a CDin celebration of Record Store Day on Saturday, April 17. The perfect compilation wins a $50 gift certicate, a few Record Store Day special releases and a wristband to get into the exclusive Josh Ritter in-store that night. Details at Cobweb.

    PAPER OR PLASTIC?A group of local convenience store owners is getting

    rowdy over credit card swipe fees, which they say have tripled in the last ve years making plastic-based transac-tions the second most expensive cost of doing business behind labor. And guess what? As the consumer, they argue, youre paying about $400 a year just to swipe your credit and debit card.

    THE WORD FROM THE ROADCheck in with Finn Riggins at Tour Mode as the band

    makes its way up the East Coast. In a post dated April 9, the band shares a batch of videos shot in a rad old YMCA in Chattanooga, Tenn. And dont forget, if youre a local band and youre hitting the road, contact BW A&E Editor Amy Atkins at [email protected], and you can blog about your tripcompletely uneditedat Tour Mode.

    What you missed this week in the digital world.

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 5

    MAIL

    A BETTER APRIL FOOLS STORY

    Given the unease the last two years April Fools jokes in the BW have caused, heres one that would have been better and well timed.

    Do a story about how Gov. [C.L. Butch] Ot-ter and the Republican legislation care more about Idahoans than they do the Republican Party.

    Brian Lind, Boise

    DAWN OF DIGITAL IN POLITICS?

    While I have been

    having an enormous amount of fun running for governor, I feel the May 25, 2010, primary will be a watershed moment in political history (not Idaho political history, but Amer-ican political history).

    Just as television af-fected the 1962 presidential election between Kennedy and Nixon, I believe the In-ternet (Facebook, Twitter, e-mails, blogging, texting, etc.) will alter the outcome of many Idaho elections. Suddenly the playing eld has been leveled.

    While I dont expect to get more than a few votes

    myself, I do expect May 25, 2010, to be the new dawn of American political thought.

    Vote early and vote often.

    Pete Peterson, Boise

    HUNTING NOT THE ANSWER

    Re: Predator and Prey (BW, Feature, April 7, 2010): As an advocate for liberation of nonhuman animals from human inter-ference, the most ethical, compassionate approach is to ban all human hunting and killing of free-living animals. All other strategies to manage populations are an excuse to perpetuate the senseless slaughter of living, feeling individuals. Thank you. Peace and love unto all beings.

    Mark Wiesenfeld,Norfolk, Virginia

    S U B M I T Letters must include writers full name, city of resi-dence and contact information and must be 300 or fewer words. OPINION: Lengthier, in-depth opinions on local, national and international topics. E-mail [email protected] for guidelines. Submit letters to the editor via mail (523 Broad St., Boise, Idaho 83702) or e-mail ([email protected]). Letters and opinions may be edited for length or clarity. NOTICE: Every item of correspondence, whether mailed, e-mailed, commented on our Web site or Facebook page or left on our phone systems voice-mail is fair game for MAIL unless specifically noted in the message.

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK

    YEAH, LETS JUST KILL OFF WHOLE SPECIES . . . NOT! idahoYO2, boiseweekly.com on Predator and Prey, April 7, 2010

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    The whelps who put BW together have asked me to ll in for Cope again, seeing as how hes maddern a gunny sack full of tomcats over that April Fools story they ran two weeks ago. I been telling you Copes an idiot, havent I? He swallowed it. Hook, line and sinker. Even had a column all ready for print in which he called the people run-ning Boise a bunch of conscience-deprived creeps. Never occurred to him that a report on how the city was selling the oldest cem-eteries in town for ritzy condo space just might be a joke. He spent two days trying to get someone from the Mayors Ofce to return his calls, which was never going to happen as long as he was shrieking his fool head off into their answering machine. Hes lucky his ass didnt get tossed in the county hoosegow. I dont care who you are, you cant threaten people that youre coming over to their house to dig up their dead pets.

    When he found out it was all a joke, it got even worse. He calls me up and says, Bob, I feel like I been sucker slugged right in the gut by those Boise Weekly brats! How could they make a joke about disin-terring family members? How could they do that? Havent they ever lost anyone?

    I says to him, Cope! Grow the hell up! Who do you think you are, anyway, thinking you can tell people what they can make jokes about and what they cant? And if youd read the story carefully instead of piddle farting over it like some Internet surfer bum, youd o known within a few paragraphs it was a joke. And now you got your indignation all in a wad because they pulled one over on you.

    No, no, thats not it, Bob! They fooled me a little, yeah, and it took a while for me to catch on, but thats not the point. It was disrespectful, what they did. It was disre-spectful and tasteless and showed no sensitiv-ity. How do you think those people felt who have loved ones buried in those cemeteries?

    First of all, maybe not everyone who read it was as gullible as you, dippy. And secondly who are you to talk? How do you suppose all those Sarah Palin fans feel every time you call her a skanky ditz? How do you suppose all those Glenn Beck fans feel every time you call him a snorting sack of rancid lard? How do you suppose all those teabaggers feel every time you call them rumbling scum? If you want respect, Cope, you got to show a bit of it yourself. Havent you ever learned that?

    He went quiet, then he whispered into the phone all spooky like, Et tu, Badger?

    ULater on, he went down to the BW ofce

    and told everyone he couldnt work with such a irreverent lot of vacuous eloihis words, not mineand threw his Boise Weekly bumper sticker on the oor like he thought it was going to smash or some-

    thing. If he doesnt get all pissy and stomp out of somewhere at least once a year, his arteries clog up.

    But hell get over it. In the meantime, they asked me to ll his column space. So I thought this would be a good learning opportunity, as they say in the kindergarten trade, especially since Cope isnt the only one whose boxers ended up in a clump over that cemetery story. BW got dozens of calls and comments and such, saying how cruel, offen-sive and irresponsible the joke was, and that theyd never, ever pick up the paper again.

    So then, citizens of Boise, what did we learn from this tiny tempest in a teapot? Do you suppose anyone learned that they ought not believe every goddamn thing they read?

    Dont count on it. The reaction would be funnier than the joke if easily fooled folks werent getting snagged all the time and over bigger issues than some old graveyards in Idaho. Certain sorts are so convinced the government is out to screw them, theyll believe any thing any lying sonofabitch says on the subject. For instance, how many of you Republican morons swallowed ithook, line and sinkerwhen you read some Internet slop about President Barack Obama being a Muslim commy Anti-Christ who wasnt even born in the United States and hates white people so much that hes secretly plotting with all his fellow nazis to destroy America? (Hold on. I can answer that for you. Roughly a third of you Repub-lican morons believe that.)

    But back to this cemetery joke. There will continue to be a few hysterics who wont let it go. Outrage hoarders, I call em. For a while, theyll continue to contact BW about what a bunch of insensitive jerks the staff is. But eventually, a fresh crop of out-rage will pop up somewhere, and theyll go hopping off down a whole new bunny trail.

    Yet the fact remains, none of them would have found anything to bitch about had they used both their eyes and their brains when they were reading the story. They soaked up the picky little details, and the absurdity of it all sailed right over their heads, that Boise ofcials would even con-sider selling off our most heritage-crammed cemeteries in secret. Its like if I phoned you up and told you there was an alien space-ship from the Seventh Dimension hovering over your hot tub, and its sort of pretty with all those blinking lights and funny shapes, and ... oh yeah, I almost forgot why I called ... it abducted your kids two hours ago ... and the rst thing you do is call the cops and demand they issue an Amber alert. Then you get mad at me when you nd out you were fooled.

    Tell you what, folks ... you dont have to think it was funny or even proper. But you do have to quit telling everyone else what they shouldnt be laughing at.

    FOOLISH KERFUFFLEBadger Bob digs into BWs cemetery plot

    OPINION/BILL COPE

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 7

    NEW YORKOne year ago, I was red.Not laid offred. Everyone knew there

    would be a bloodbath. Management tried to keep it secret. But we knew.

    When it came, I knew there was a good chance Id be on the death list. It wasnt rocket science: My boss didnt like me.

    I worked three days a week for a company called United Media, which syndicates comic strips like Dilbert and Peanuts to news-papers. It is owned by E.W. Scripps, a media conglomerate based in Cincinnati. My title was editor of acquisitions and development. I recruited cartoonists and writers, worked with them to craft their features, then edited them after they launched. It was fun. It was also hard. On several occasions, I was pressed to do things I thought were unethical, things that screwed cartoonists and writers. As a cartoon-ist and writer myself, I refused.

    My reviews were mostly positive. But I was given two bits of negative feedback: I didnt seem to care about forms. And I sided with the talent rather than the company.

    I began to suspect the axe was going to fall months earlier, when Lisamy bossdithered about, then refused to approve, my travel to the San Diego Comic-Con. Sure, times were tight, especially in the media business. But other execs were getting their travel approved.

    Lisa harassed me. She gave me impossible tasks with no chance of success, assigned me to menial tasks previously left to junior editors and insulted me during staff meetings. Youve heard the euphemisms: Downsizing. Rightsiz-ing. Me, I was part of a reduction in force.

    I had been red from other jobs. They say getting laid off is better than being red

    for cause. You qualify for unemployment benets. It looks better to future prospective employers. Getting laid off isnt personal.

    True, if theres anything worse than hav-ing to have a job, its losing one. Somehow, though, how they re you matters.

    If theres a moment that calls for honesty, its ring someone. If Lisa had said: Ted, its like this: I dont like you. I cant work with someone I dont like. I used to trust you and your judgment, I used to appreciate what you did, but Ive changed my mind. Its over. Youre red. Go home, I would still have had that hole-in-your-stomach feeling, but I would have respected her.

    Scripps is a cheap company. The previous year, a perfect evaluation earned a Scripps worker a 4 percent raise. Next came a pay freeze and a lie: a pledge not to lay anyone off. The severance offer was four weeks pay.

    I ipped through the lengthy severance document. Among the provisions: I could never work for another media company the rest of my life. If Id signed it, writing this column would be a breach of contract.

    There was a deadline to sign. As it ap-proached, Carol from HR e-mailed me. We talked by phone, and when I went into the of-ce, I told her about the media company pro-vision. Would they delete it? Its a reduction of force, she replied. We cant change it.

    But a reduction of force isnt a legal term, I said. It doesnt mean anything. You can delete that section if you want to. She refused. Dont worry, she said, we wouldnt enforce that part. She seemed surprised I didnt trust them. Six months later, Scripps bought the Travel Channel for $181 million.

    ITS IMPERSONALAnatomy of a corporate layoff

    TED RALL/OPINION

  • 8 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    PRIVATE POLICE

    POWERSLawmakers concerned about lawsuit, violence

    at private prisonNATHANIEL HOFFMAN

    Violent beatdowns at the privately run Idaho Correctional Center appear to have subsided in recent weeks, in the wake of a class-action lawsuit against the prison and shakeup of prison leadership, according to documents obtained by Boise Weekly.

    The prison reported 17 inmate-on-inmate assaults in January and 15 in February, according to a tally of incident reports led with the Idaho Department of Correction. But there were only nine assaults reported in March and only four since warden Phillip Val-dez and assistant warden Daniel Prado were replaced on March 17.

    A spokesman for Corrections Corporation of America, the Nashville, Tenn.-based com-pany that manages ICC, Idahos largest prison, has repeatedly declined to comment on the situation at the prison, citing the lawsuit.

    But Idaho lawmakers are troubled by the levels of violence and accusations in the Ameri-can Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that assaults at ICC were perpetrated with the full knowl-edge ofeven collusion byguards.

    If those things actually happened at ICC, I was not aware of it and I dont think any-body in the Legislature was aware of it, said Republican Rep. Leon Smith of Twin Falls, co-chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. If its proven that they did those things, then they are going to pay big penalties.

    Democratic Rep. Grant Burgoyne of Boise went even further, likening CCA to the actions of private military contractors in Iraq.

    I believe that it is not appropriate, when it comes to the incarceration of people, that that be outsourced to a private contractor, Burgoyne said. There are certain core govern-ment services that should be carried out by government ofcials.

    IDOC carried a bill through the Idaho Leg-islature earlier this year that gives IDOC Direc-tor Brent Reinke more authority to quell seri-ous disturbances and riots at the privately run prison and to quell affrays and insurrections as well. Several lawmakers noted the timing of the bill, which was introduced just before the ACLU lawsuit was led, but a spokesman for IDOC said there was no connection.

    Our intent with the new legislation is to give the director statutory authority to intervene and quell a serious disturbance, said prisons spokesman Jeff Ray. We cant say what the legislative intent was when they

    used the word affray.An affray is a ght between two or more

    people in a public place. Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU of Idaho, said that the bill is a step in the right direction, but does not affect the lawsuit.

    I think IDOC has stepped up to the plate and they have known that something is going on out there, because the bill is bringing them into compliance with what the federal court will already tell them, she said.

    The ACLU lawsuit details 23 serious as-saults at ICC, going back to November 2006, all of which, the attorneys allege, were prevent-able. There were at least 43 inmate ghts at ICC since Jan. 1 of this year, according to inci-dent reports obtained by Boise Weekly through a public information request to IDOC.

    The Ada County Sheriffs Ofce was called only four times for inmate battery investiga-tions in that same time period, according to public information ofcer Andrea Dearden, though there were other investigations for drugs found at the prison and for an assault on two staff members.U">n]ivv`iii}>i`

    the severe beating of Hanni Elabed, who has led a separate, $25 million claim against ICC and the state. The Ada County Prosecutors Ofce intends to le charges against the inmate who beat him, according to Elabeds brother.U">{]vwV>V>i`i

    Sheriffs Ofce, but deputies declined to inves-tigate a battery report from a ght that may have occurred three days prior. U">]`iii}>i`>

    assault on two prison staff members and for-warded charges to the prosecutor.U">V]`iii}>i`>w}

    with a weapondescribed by prison ofcials as a sharpened edged weaponbut the weapon was never recovered.U`>V]`iii}>i`

    at least three ghts that broke out in separate

    areas of the prison simultaneously.Also since Jan. 1, ICC ofcials discovered

    marijuana four times, bags of homemade alco-hol in a shower, meth and at least two shanks.

    Idaho Gov. C. L. Butch Otter, through a spokesman, declined comment on the ACLU lawsuit, but his attorney, David Hensley, said Otter and IDOC are concerned about staff and prisoner safety at ICC, as at any prison.

    This situation, like any previous situation, warrants our concern, and weve been looking at that, Hensley said.>`n]"ii`>}

    more privately run prisons to be built in Idaho, but faced resistance from the Legislature, in part out of concern that out-of-state inmates would be housed here. Since the privatization L`i`n]`>Li`-age has waned. Hundreds of inmates housed in other states have been returned to Idaho, some now housed in a new wing at ICC. Otter has not revived the idea of allowing privately owned and run lockups.

    The governor has been looking at cost ef-fective ways to address the trends and recently we have seen the trends either stagnant or, in the last few months, weve even seen a decrease, Hensley said.

    But for Hanni Elabeds family, the lack of transparency and public oversight at the private prison is inexcusable.

    Elabeds older brother, Zahe Elabed, said guards put his brother in a cell with white supremacists despite threats against his Arab heritage, failed to notify his parents when he was left convulsing on the oor after being beaten against a wall and stomped more than 30 times, would not allow family visits or provide information on his condition over the phone and were rude.

    I think they need to do away with it, I think its really unfair for any prisoner to be in there now, Zahe Elabed said. You have to be a gladiator to survive in there.

    NEWS

    CITYDESK/NEWS

    ON THE ROAD WITH CITYDESKCitydesk found itself on a family visit to

    Phoenix this past week, reading the New Times and picking up on a familiar name: Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce. Hes the man behind Arizonas annual claim to the title of State with the Harshest Immigration Laws in the Nation. This year it is Pearces measure that allows police ofcers to arrest undocumented immigrants on trespassing charges, among several other xenophobic and bigoted new police powers.

    Phoenix New Times blogger Stephen Lemons calls Pearce bigot boy on his blog, Feathered Bastard, posting pictures of him with neo-Nazis.

    Russell Pearce is also a cousin of Idaho Sen. Monty Pearce, who often cites his cousins experience in Arizona when trying to take the harshest immigration law title for Idaho.

    Well, if the Pearce family could just shift its thinking a tad, theyd nd a much more interesting, productive and humane rivalry in tacos. Thats right, Arizona has got nothing on Idaho when it comes to tacos. We went to the New Times ofcial Best of Phoenix taco joint and found the place somewhat lacking, compared to Boises Best of Tacos, which last year were found at the Chilangos truck, whichironically or notparks outside the Idaho State Capitol.

    Perhaps our superior tacos are indeed playing a role in staving off the more dra-conian anti-Latino legislation that Russell Pearce sends out to his family e-mail list each Christmas.

    But back in Boise, we didnt miss much action. Primary election campaigns continue to pick up steam with candidates slowly checking in with BWs Electionland site (electionland.boiseweekly.com), where readers can pose questions to candidates and vote on their answers. For example, you could ask the three Republicans running for lieutenant governor if they are Sarah Palin Republicans or not and then follow up with something like, What the hell does a Sarah Palin Republican really stand for?

    And BW business editor Zach Hagadone reported that Idaho c-store owners are de-manding credit card processing fee reform:

    Charley Jones, co-owner of the states chain of Stinker Stores, and Pat Lewis, owner of Oasis Stop N Go in Twin Falls, gathered with John Eichberger of the National Association of Convenience Stores to present U.S. Sen. Mike Crapos ofce with a petition signed by more than 24,000 Idahoans urging reform of the nations interchange fee systemcommonly referred to as swipe fees.

    Jones and Lewis contend that the fees, which are a xed fee plus a percentage of the purchase price appended to every credit or debit card sale, are in a seemingly end-less upswing and severely cutting revenues.

    Much to our chagrin, were paying more in swipe fees than we are making in prot, Lewis said. Its a wild animal thats broken loose, Jones added, keeping up the metaphor.

    Its not often as an Idaho businessman that I look to the federal government, he said. But when faced with a gorilla like the card companies, he added, theres no choice but to go to the bigger guyCon-gressfor help.

    Nathaniel Hoffman

    The entrance to the Idaho Correctional Center near Kuna, a state prison that is managed by the private, for-prot Corrections Corporation of America, which is embroiled in multiple prisoner lawsuits in Idaho.

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  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 9

    Health-care reform is poised to get as much attention in the race for Idahos governor as it has on the national political scene. And here, too, candidates are taking some very different approaches.

    Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred believes that rather than ling lawsuits with little chance of success, Idaho needs to work within the system to take back control.

    Allred announced his plan to tackle health care by creating a state-run system at a press conference on April 7. He called out Gov. C.L. Butch Otter for dealing with the new federal law by immediately suing the federal government based on the premise that the law is unconstitutional. Litigation isnt the answer, Allred said, adding that it wont do anything to x the problem. I prefer nding solu-tions, Allred said. I know we can do better than a federal judge.

    This is the rst time Allredthe likely Democratic nominee for the November general election and founder of independent think tank, the Common Interesthas spo-ken out about health-care reform. The delay, he said, was in an effort to wait to see what the federal legislation actually said.

    Understanding the legislation is something Allred said Otter didnt do before turning straight to the lawsuit.

    While calls to Otters campaign were not returned by press time, he has publicly said that he believes a state-run plan would be just as bad and expensive as the federal plan, and he continues to support the lawsuit.

    Otters Republican primary opponent, Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman, released a statement that she supports reject-ing the federal reform act, while opening up private insurance between states to promote more competition and lower premium prices.

    Instead of legal action, Allred points to waivers written into the law allowing for states to set up their own health-insurance systems, which will allow those states to opt out of various aspects of the federal plan.

    Those state plans have to be approved by federal regulators and must provide at least as much insurance coverage, be as affordable and cover as many people as the federal plan. Nor can state plans add to the federal decit. If those qualications are met, states can avoid the mandate for all individuals to buy insurance, the penalty for employers who do not provide insurance, and being part of the health-insurance exchange, among others.

    Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden authored the amendment, allowing states to create their own plans and waive portions of the federal plan. He introduced a similar idea several years ago in his Healthy Americans Act.

    Its Sen. Wydens belief that what works

    best in one state doesnt necessarily work in another, said Jennifer Hoelzer, Wydens communications director. This is an amendment that really gives states room to innovate.

    The amendment has been gaining atten-tion in recent weeks, Hoelzer said, adding that it was intentionally kept quiet during the bill-writing process out of fear that it would be stripped from the nal bill because of the controversy over the public option.

    As things stand, the bulk of health-care reform would not go into effect until 2014, with the state-plan amendment in 2017, although Hoelzer said talks are underway to move the start date up so states would not have to adopt a federal plan and then switch.

    Hoelzer said the amendment offers a more productive way for states to approach health care. Rather than spend the time and energy suing the courts, why not use those resources to innovate something better? she asked.

    While Allred doesnt yet offer any specif-ics, he pointed to health-insurance exchanges set up by both Massachusetts and Utah as examples of states taking control of the issue.

    He said that under the amendment, an Idaho plan could have a state-run option that would compete with private insurers and give them incentive to keep costs down. Cost control needs to be the primary focus of any plan, Allred said. The state could also use federal funds to subsidize coverage for low-income residents.

    Allred said he believes that by making coverage more affordable, people will be willing to buy into the program, eliminating the need for the individual mandate to buy insurance. He also supports a voucher system allowing individuals to take the amount their employers contribute to their coverage and put it toward an individual plan in a health-insurance exchange.

    Allred said he doesnt believe his proposal would conict with the Health Freedom Actrecently passed by the state Legis-latureand in fact strengthens the states control and reduces conict.

    While the waiver is years away, Allred said he would use the model created by the Common Interest, in which experts would create a policy brief, then Idahoans would be allowed to weigh in on the various aspects of the plan. Those areas receiving the most interest would become the priority.

    Ideally, Idaho could learn from work done by other states, but Allred said Idaho needs to be ready to take control as soon as possible. Its a plan he calls a long-term, proactive approach to health care.

    We cant just throw more money at it, he said.

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  • 10 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    STEPHEN R. COVEYHighly Effective author on gravity, universality

    NATHANIEL HOFFMAN

    His book sat on my bookshelf for years but I never read it, and now I cant nd it, which violates three or four of Stephen Coveys The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. But after speaking with Covey, Im not sure Id be able to glean from the book what countless busi-ness executives the world over have gleaned, which is a path to spiritual leadership and secrets of a balanced and successful life. I just wanted to talk to him about his iPhone, but I ended up googling celestialized.

    Its Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. What have you accomplished this morning?

    Ive been sharpening the saw. Ive been swimming and biking and briey pondering the scriptures ... Im working on getting a book out called 7 Habits of Highly Effective Parents.

    What will you recommend to parents?Its more of a to-do book. To know and

    not to do is not to know. Thats the idea. So that parents need to come up with a descrip-tion of what kind of parent they want to be and live by it so they have integrity. We have nine kids and 51 ... 52 grandkids.

    Were you a highly effective parent?Oh, I dont know. Its measured more by

    how they turn out. And all of ours turned out great. Theyve all got degrees, theyve all been on missions and were trying to raise a mission-focused family so that all of our grandkids go on [LDS] missionsboys and girls. They learn selessness, they learn self-discipline, they learn teamwork. And they also make a great contribution to other peoples lives.

    In what way?They show how God is no respecter

    of persons. He loves all his children and

    therefore he has a provision to teach about the redemptive power of Jesus Christ to every person whether they learn it here in mortality, or whether they learn it in the spirit world or whether they learn it during the millennium when the savior will be here.

    I taught this to President Bush just before he left [ofce]. He shook his head as I walked in the Oval Ofce, saying, I dont know how the other faiths and nations are going to hear about the redemptive power of Christ, and he didnt know about Peters teachings about the spirit world and how everyone will be able to, even though they are dead, their spirits go into a place where they can receive instruction. He didnt know anything about the Millennium, how the savior will be here for a 1,000 years it will be a terrestrial stateit wont be celestialized until after the Millennium.

    Im not following all of this. What exactly did Bush not know that you taught him?

    He didnt know about the spirit world and how everyone will have an opportunity to hear about the redemptive power of Christ. And he didnt know about the terrestrial 1,000 year period ...

    I guess Im a little surprised to hear you delve into so many religious topics. In my research for this interview Id read that you teach universal principles. Is this lecturing on Mormon doctrine something new for you?

    Yeah, they are universal and they are also timeless. I can teach it in Buddhism. I can teach it in Hinduism. I can teach it anywhere in the world. I usually focus on universal and timeless principles and also how to marshal them in order to be more effective as a leader. Showing that leadership is moral authority, like Gandhi, father and founder of the largest

    democracy in the world and never held a posi-tion. Also, had a great personal visit with Nel-son Mandela and he got his moral authority in prison. Have you seen the movie Invictus?

    Yeah I did. How did your talks with Man-dela and Bush compare?

    I didnt go deeply into the plan of life and salvation with Nelson Mandela. I did with George Bush because he was interested in that, thats the rst question he asked. But Nelson Mandela, he was more interested in forgiveness and compassion and making reconciliation.

    I wanted to ask you about technology and being more effective at work, but since you brought up your religious beliefs, how do you separate your specic religion from what you call universal principles in your books?

    I focus almost entirely on universal and timeless principles like gravity. I try to show that values drive behavior but principles drive the consequences of behavior. I basically, fo-cus more on universal and timeless principles of any culture, any religion, any faith, all around the world. Im not going to be getting into Mormon doctrine [at Boise State].

    Covey delivers the Vox Discipuli lecture on Thursday, April 15, 6:30 p.m., at the Morrison Center. Read more of his thoughts on technology, Wall Street, the knowledge age and chillaxin at boiseweekly.com.

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  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 11

    PERFORMING RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS ON ONE SIDE, VENUES ON THE OTHER, MUSICIANS

    SOMEPLACE IN BETWEENA M Y A T K I N S

    Late last year, pop-culture vulture TMZ.com reported that Taylor Swift, performing rights organization BMI and a host of other plaintiffs were suing a North Idaho bar for playing Swifts music without paying licensing rights. The number of plaintiffs listed in the suit rivaled a happy hour crowdand included the names Warner and Sony, powerful media organi-zations with enough money to squash anyone who ignores the rules like a ripe cherry tomato.

    Across the Web, Swift supporters applauded the move and detractors wanted to know why the hell BMI was going after some small pub in Nowhereseville, Idaho, on Swifts behalf. She was named Billboard magazines artist of the year for 2009, her 2006 debut album was in the Billboard 200 for 157 weeksmaking it the longest-charting album of the decadeand the story of her impromptu tete a tete with Kanye West at last years Video Music Awards spread like a virus. Even Presi-dent Barack Obama chimed in on Wests behavior toward the startled teen. At the very least, all of that attention translates into album and ticket sales and, at the very most, that translates into money cha-chinging into her bank account.

    But thats not the point. Like the answer so many plaintiffs give Judge Judy when she asks why theyre suing their cousins for unpaid cell phone bills: Its the principle.

    Its that idea of principle behind the service performing rights organizations, or PROs, offer. PROs collect royalties on songswhenever they are played or performedand distribute them to performers, authors and composers, from Taylor Swift to some songwriter named Taylor living in the middle of Iowa. Arguing against PROs sounds like an argument against the rights of musi-cians. Arguing for them, however, sounds like a strike against the venues, often small, that pay PROs for the rights to play music. Its a complicated issue with venues on one side, PROs on the other and musicians kind of in the middle.

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    Each country typically has one PRO. The United States has three: ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. PROs collect money from any public venue that plays music registered with them and pays royalties to the songwriter, publisher or performer of that music.

    SESAC is arguably the smallest and least known of the three, but in recent years, has worked at becoming a larger player in the licensing game. SESAC, which stands for Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, was initially established in 1930 to help European publishers with their American performance royalties. Head-quartered in Nashville, Tenn., SESAC has grown tremendously in its 80-year history and now has ofces in New York, California, Florida and Georgia. But, according to Bill Lee, SESACs head of licensing, the PRO has consciously chosen to stay smaller so that it can offer more personal attention to its thousands of afliatesthe preferred term for performers, authors and publishers, who include Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Rush, MGMT and the Avett Brothers.

    While its smaller size and personal atten-tion may set it apart from ASCAP and BMI, Lee explained that one thing sets the PROs apart from each other: A songwriter or performer can only join one organization.

    Its a free-market kind of situation, so the copyright owner or songwriter decides, I think this company will represent my in-terests best. When they do so, the songs that they represent become the repertory of that PRO, Lee said. And those decisions drive the repertory for that organization.

    They also drive the decisions a venue or bar makes on which PRO to license music from, which is really no decision at all. If a bar or restaurant owner, for instance, wants to offer live musical entertainmentor, for a slightly lesser charge, recorded musicto its patrons, it has to pay for that or face possible litigation. Period. The owner can choose only to license music from ASCAP, inarguably the largest of the three PROs, but would have to make sure that only music from ASCAPs catalog is ever played or performed.

    Thats the key difference, Lee said. What happens is that since the PROs rep-resent different songwriters, they represent different catalogs. So most music users deal with all three PROs because by doing so, they then have authorization to utilize all the copyrighted music basically throughout the world. Because while ASCAP, BMI and SESAC only license in the United States, each of us have agreements with all the foreign

    SESACs Bill Lee is happy to offer a lesson in licensing.

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 13

    societies so we actually license their perfor-mances in the United States. So a license with all three, [allows a venue] to use virtually all copyrighted music.

    All three PROs offer any venue that wants to play music a license.

    Its like a library card, Lee said. You can use as much or as little of the repertory as you want, and you dont have to keep records of it. By having a blanket license, a band can come in [to a venue] and play any song that they want and its covered.

    Without these blanket licenses, the venuewhether its a bar, a restaurant or an ice skating rinkis open to lawsuits brought about by PROs on behalf of their afliates in the name of copyright law infringement.

    Under copyright law, anybody who performs music needs permission prior to playing or performing that music, unless it is considered public domain. But chances are very good that any music currently bumping through a popular nighttime venue is not in the public domain. Under the copyright law, listed in Title 17 of the United States Code, works created after Jan. 1, 1978, are pro-tected for the life of the longest surviving au-thor plus 70 years, meaning the earliest they could go into the public domain is the year 2048. Works registered before Jan. 1, 1978, are protected for 95 years from the date the copyright was secured. And anything registered before Jan. 1, 1923, is now in the public domain. So if a venue owner wants to plan his or her playlist around songs like

    1902s Bill Bailey, Wont You Please Come Home or 1913s Danny Boy, theres no need for a blanket license. That might work well at a senior dance, but it isnt going to y at a hip nightclub. So those venue owners buy the licenses.

    Rocci Johnson, co-owner of Humpin Hannahsa Boise institution for three decades and frontwoman for Hannahs longtime house band, the Rocci Johnson Bandpurchases blanket licenses from all three PROs for a cost of about $5,000 an-nually. Hannahs is only open four nights a week now, but back in the 80s, the place was jumping with live music every day but Sunday. And back in the 80s, their licensing fees cost them closer to $30,000 a year.

    We are charged based on the amount of time that we could be open and utilize music. Like, we open at 3 p.m. and during that time, we have background music, Johnson explained. All of the time we are potentially open, we have to pay for the rights to music. Even if we have the radio playing, any kind of background music that is copyrighted, we have to pay for it. Even karaoke.

    The algorithms that PROs use to deter-mine how much to charge is, in part, what makes some venue owners so angry.

    They charge for occupancy and for number of seats. Then they qualify that by the number of bar stools and other types of seating, Johnson said. Then they have categories of live music. Karaoke is a differ-ent charge and a DJ is a different charge.

    Since the Rocci Johnson Band is almost exclusively a cover band, not licensing music from all three PROs would be legal suicide.

    We do everything above board, John-son said. Were so high prole, we dont want to be caught with our pants down. Weve been in business for 31 years and its better to do things the right way.

    Hannahs did at one point try to talk to the PROs to see about lowering their fees but didnt get anywhere.

    It was like they really dont give a shit, Johnson said. They just stonewalled and told us what they would do to us litigiously if we didnt pay. Do we really want to get caught up in litigation?

    And litigation may come from all three

    directions. When a bar owner brings in a band, he or she probably doesnt know exactly what music they will perform. They may be known for their originals, but slip in a cover of Cyndi Laupers Girls Just Want To Have Fun (ASCAP), Bob Dylans Blowin In The Wind (SESAC) or Lady Gagas Poker Face (BMI) at the end of the night. By paying for a license from all three PROs, the venue is protected, strange as it sounds, from those performers. Those licenses also cover jukeboxes, digital music services, Muzak, satellite radio, DJs, kara-oke and even a business owners personal CD collection if he or she chooses to play it during business hours.

    Kevin Settles, who owns Bardenay, wont allow his employees to play any of their own music in his establishments. He also wont let any band who plays at his Eagle location to play cover songs.

    Weve never had live music [at Bardenay] downtown. But in Eagle, Wednesday nights were a little slow and the co-manager out there loved music and asked if we could please have some live music, Settles said.

    So they started booking bands to play on the patio. And Wednesday night trafc started to pick up. And that caught the at-tention of ASCAP.

    We got a bill for $8,000. Thats when I said were done, Settles said.

    And then BMI started calling. They were calling continually and threat-

    ITS LIKE A LIBRARY CARD, LEE SAID. YOU CAN USE AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE OF THE REPERTORY AS YOU WANT, AND YOU DONT HAVE TO KEEP RECORDS OF IT.

  • 14 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    ening to sue us. I nally had my attorney send them a notice saying that they had to prove we werent complying with the law, Settles said. I told them, You come down and sit on my patio and if you catch a musi-cian playing a song theyre not supposed to play, then we can sit down and talk.

    So Settles had to decide whether to have live music at all; he couldnt justify paying $8,000 for a licenseand that was just to one PRO. So Settles worked up a contract that local musicians are required to sign before they can play guaranteeing all of their music is original, and they dont take requests from customers. Settles makes it very clear to musicians who want to per-form on Bardenays patio: If you cant play all original music, you cant play here.

    Bardenay does have background music playing inside both of his venues, and he pays for Muzak, which has already been licensed by the PROs.

    Music isnt really our thing, Settles said. If we were a regular nightclub, I wouldnt have a problem with it. But were not.

    Jerry Bailey, the senior director of media relations for BMI, which stands for Broad-cast Music Inc., said that he hears a similar argument from venues all of the time. Bailey said that what BMI does by charg-ing licensing fees and/or contacting venues that play copyrighted music but refuse to pay for it, is make sure copyright owners get whats due to them.

    Though a monolith with 6.5 million works in its repertoire from 400,000 copyright owners, BMI is a not-for-prot agency.

    For every dollar we get, 88 cents of that goes to the copyright owners, Bailey said. We run on only 12 percent.

    BMI uses a standard set of formulas and the re-code regulated occupancy number of a place to determine what a venues fee should be, treating all businesses of the same class and category in a like man-

    ner. That means that Bar X with 600-seat capacity and Bar Y with 100-seat capacity both ll out the same form and answer the same questions when they apply for a license. Along with charging based on the kinds of music a venue may offer, venues of the same type are treated the same way and are charged based on what re code says is their maximum occupancy.

    A BMI license runs between $600 and $9,000 annually, Bailey said.

    But $9,000 can be a big chunk of change for a venue that is struggling. So some choose not to pay and hope they arent found out. But PROs have a reputa-tion for using covert practices to try and catch those venues.

    Someone will call posing as a customer and say, Hey, whats going on down there tonight? Weve trained our staff to tell [those callers] everything thats going on, Johnson said. Then, at the end of the conversation, theyll say, This is so-and-so from BMI. So by the end of the conversa-tion, you know youre busted.

    PROs dont just rely on hopefully trip-ping up a savvy server. They look to venue patrons to help them ferret out non-payers as well.

    The Internet is wonderful, Lee said. Most users, most bars, most restaurants, advertise that they will have music. We nd out a lot about music usage from the In-ternet and from newspapers. You go to the entertainment section in a local paper and see what bands are playing at what bars.

    SESAC also has what it calls licensing consultants all across the United States, functioning like freelance eld agents. They work from home and usually cover par-ticular regions, areas near their homes that theyre familiar with. A state with a denser population, like California, will have more eld agents than, say, Wyoming. Those consultants spend their time e-mailing, calling and, on occasion, visiting venues

    Cameron Rafati: If I keep licensing songs to movies, I will be able to replace that old wheelbarrow.

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 15

    that play music, making sure those venues are paying for the rights to use anything in SESACs catalog.

    PROs employ a more high-tech method of determining royalties from radio play to determine what amount stations have to pay. SESAC uses survey systems like Broadcast Data Systems to keep tabs on what radio stations are broadcasting. BDS monitors about 1,400 radio stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They use digital ngerprint technology to report back to SESAC on all of the songs a station has played. The information is then used to determine how much to pay, say, a writer whose song is climbing up the charts and in a radio stations rotation.

    BMI owns the technology that runs Shazam, a music identication program. If youve ever seen an iPhone user hold his or her phone up to a speaker somewhere, and then say, I knew it! youve probably seen him or her using Shazam. BMI has a big building down near its Nashville, Tenn., ofce with banks of screens on the walls showing when a song is being played on the radio. BMI has digital listening stations in large markets across the country (they li-cense approximately 10,000 radio stations). If a station plays a song in BMIs catalog, the writer or performer of that song is go-ing to get a check. Even if he or she is not a well-known performer but happens to get a song on the air.

    Local musician Jeremy Jensen joined ASCAPthe American Society of Com-

    posers, Authors and Publishersabout 18 months ago. His band, the Very Most, has seen some moderate success with their music. Theyve made a couple of charm-ing music videos and recently completed a four-EP deal with Indiecater Records out of Ireland and even performed there. They received positive reviews and are starting to get some attention. So he joined ASCAP. It was a simple process: he went online, paid a fee of around $30ASCAP charges a $75 processing fee for mailed applicationsand in a few weeks, received a membership card in the mail.

    Jensens reasoning for joining was not so much about money. He felt being a member of a PRO offered some cachet.

    You get the sense, when youre inves-tigating how to take your music career further, that youre not anyone if youre not a member of one of these organizations, he said. I guess its like a token of your professionalism to some extent. If you were to tell someone that was seriously consider-ing using some of your music in a commer-cial for example, and you were to tell them that you werent a member of any of these organizations, they would probably think, Oh. You must be really new at this, or something like that.

    Not long after joining, however, Jensen felt that the benets from belonging to a PRO didnt outweigh the injustices.

    I just heard so many horrible things about what they do to venues, he said. I hadnt really gotten much benet out of it,

    and I didnt really want to be afliated with these people that are making the world a worse place to live in. And Im not really getting huge royalty checks anyway, he said. To the best of his recollection, he has received a total of $15.

    So on principle, Jensen went back to ASCAPs Web site and tried to un-join, but couldnt nd that option anywhere.

    Theyre kind of like the maa, Jensen said. They wont accept your resignation.

    That, in a way, conrmed what Jensen feels is the biggest problem with PROs. From something as simple as not offering an opt-out button on the Web site to strong-arm tactics he believes PROs use to collect fees when a venue chooses not to purchase a blanket license, he feels they are contribut-ing to making the world a worse place to live in. He thinks the big guys could do more to help the little guys succeed.

    Jensen doesnt object to PROs trying to make sure performers get paid, of course, but he thinks suing a venue is a lose/lose proposition.

    I think it could more easily go by some-thing like a percentage of prots maybe. Why go after a venue whos not making any money and put them out of business? Jensen said.

    Salt Lake City-based musician Cameron Rafati sees Jensens argument a little differ-ently. But he can afford to.

    Almost from the minute Rafati left the protable world of commercial real estate a few years ago to pursue music full time,

    he made a conscious decision to approach his musicand himself as a musicianas a commodity. Joining ASCAP was a no-brain-er for him. Like Jensen, he joined to help his credibility, but also to guarantee that he would get paid if his music was played somewhere. And he made sure his music was played. Shortly after releasing his self-titled debut, Rafati started pounding the pavement looking for avenues to license his songs for television and movies (areas where PROs charge much more for rights). Joining a PRO was an insurance policy for Rafati that hed get paid if someone did pick up his music. Someone did.

    Rafatis song Battles, off of his 2009 debut, was recently licensed for use in the new Tyler Perry movie, Why Did I Get Married Too?, which stars Janet Jackson and is now in theaters. But Rafati is the exception to the rule.

    The case against the bar in North Idaho is still pending. Court documents show that the owner of the bar is choosing to represent himself, but with 23 plaintiffs listedincluding Taylor Allison Swiftthat may not be the smartest course of action.

    It may seem like a strike against the little guy, but its really a double-edged sword. Put simply, some venues say they are get-ting priced out of existence by licensing fees. If there arent any venues, then theres nowhere for a musicians music to be played. But if the venues dont pay those li-censing fees, the musician doesnt get paid. Not even Taylor Swift.

    CONNECT WITH US

  • 16 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    THUR.-FRIDAYAPRIL 15-16

    lit

    MFA READING SERIESIn the past, the Boise

    State MFA Reading Series has brought lit luminaries like Jesus Son author Denis John-

    son and Bright Lights, Big City writer Jay McInerney to the City of Trees. On Friday, April 16, Canadian poet Lisa Rob-ertson will join their ranks. The author of nine books of poetry, including 2001s The Weather, 2004s Occasional Work and 7 Walks from the Ofce for Soft Architecture and most recently, 2010s Rs Boat, Robertson heads

    to the Boise State Student Union Lookout Room for a special reading at 7:30 p.m.

    But before Robertson takes the stage, the Boise State MFA Reading Series will also bring another guestlit agency prez Wendy Weilon Thursday, April 15, to the Stu-dent Union Buildings Simplot Ballroom C. Weil established the Wendy Weil Agency Inc.

    in 1987 in New York City and represents local legends like Anthony Doerr and Mitch Wie-land, as well as NPR darling Sarah Vowell. Both events are free and open to the public.

    Thursday, April 15, FREE, Simplot Ballroom C, 1910 University Dr. Friday, April 16, Lookout Room, 1910 Uni-versity Dr., boisestate.edu/english/mfa.

    SATURDAYAPRIL 17

    mayhem

    TRANNY ROADSHOWWhen ddle-playing

    zine-afcionado Jamez Terry and two-stepping organizer Kelly Shortandqueer began to formulate ideas for a traveling variety act in 2004, they agreed on the following goals: to make transgender issues more fun and less intellectual, build bridges between marginalized com-munities and concentrate on transpeople without focusing solely on their genders. The two amassed an array of self-identied transpeoplesing-ers, lmmakers, puppeteers, dancers, writers, jugglersto create the Tranny Roadshow, a performance group that aims to be equal parts en-grossing and educational.

    The Tranny Roadshow

    swings through Boise for the rst time for a one-night-only performance at the LGBTQ-friendly Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

    One of the bills many eclectic performers is Adelaide Windsomeor Geppettaa multimedia performance artist and puppeteer whos inspired by classic fables and myths, occult symbolism, street art and surrealism. Geppetta will be joined by other artists like Nathen Wurzel, a juggler, street performer and self-described gender abolition-ist; StormMiguel Florez, a Mexican American singer/songwriter and live tranny sex show producer; and Shawna

    BOISE WEEKLY PICKSvisit boiseweekly.com for more events

    Whose chin have your boots been under?

    WEDNESDAY APRIL 14

    rally

    DENIM DAY: RALLY FOR RESPECTMove over iron underoos, according to the Supreme Court of Appeals in Rome, jeans are the

    new chastity belt. In 1999, Italys highest court overturned a 45-year-old driving instructors rape conviction on the grounds that his 18-year-old victim was wearing jeans. Jeans, you ask? Accord-ing to defense lawyers, the victim must have given consent, otherwise her tight jeans couldnt have been removed. In protest, women in the Italian Parliament wore jeans to show solidarity.

    This case really spurred a lot of action throughout the world. Denim is a symbol because of the case, but we hear it all the time, Well, she drank too much or She shouldnt have been walk-ing alone or She was asking for it because she was really friendly, said Kathryn Johnson, com-munications director at Womens and Childrens Alliance. Victim blaming just should not exist.

    Now, as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month, a coalition of local groupsthe WCA, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, Boise State Womens Center, Boise State Gender Rights Network, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Idaho Womens Network, Family Advocacy Center and Education Services, Ada County Victim Witness Coordinators and the Boise Police Victim Witness Coordinatorswill throw on jeans and gather on the south steps of the Idaho Capitol to raise awareness of sexual assault in the community. According to Boise Police Department records, 66 rapes and 95 sexual assaults were documented in 2009 alone. And that doesnt count the victims who never spoke up.

    Were targeting employers, letting them know that maybe they should encourage their employ-ees to come down and hear because they might have been a victim like this before, where they didnt say anything because they were afraid of victim blaming, said Johnson. Thats the mes-sage: victim blaming is a problem in these cases, judicially and socially. Were trying to end that.

    Noon-1 p.m., FREE, south steps of the Idaho Capitol, 208-343-3688, denimdayusa.org.

    Stand up against sexual assault, no butts about it.

    THURSDAY-SUNDAYAPRIL 15-18

    dance

    IDT MOTION PICTURESIdaho Dance Theatre is giving our collective wallets a little breather. On Thursday, April 15,

    IDT is offering Economic Stimulus Night, a pay-what-you-can preview night of the spring produc-tion, Motion Pictures. A full-price version of the performance also runs April 16-18.

    Its a no frills kind of show. We know a lot of people are having a tough time, said Becky Breshears, managing director of IDT. This night of family friendly entertainment consists of both education on modern dance and four performances, featuring two brand new pieces. Co-artistic director Carl Rowes 1 OH 1 is all about movement, said Breshears. He just wanted to play with dancers bodies to see what they can do, she said. Guest choreographer and veteran IDT performer Yurek Hansen will present a piece that deals with the untimely loss of a loved one. Dancers and choreographers will be available after the show for questions and ex-planations of their work. Since 1990, IDT has provided education to the community, including touring to rural areas of the state and the Northwest. IDT provides master classes and work-shops at Boise State as well as outreach to at-risk members of the Treasure Valley. Economic Stimulus Night offers the community an opportunity to contribute to a local non-prot and take in a little culture without breaking the bank.

    Thursday, April 15, 7 p.m.; Friday, April 16-Saturday, April 17, 8 p.m.; Sunday, April 18, 2 p.m.; $14-$28, Boise State SPEC, 1880 University Dr., 208-331-9592, idahodancetheatre.org.

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  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 17

    Virago, songwriter, activist and director of the countrys rst transgender lm festival, Tranny Fest. If youve always wanted to rub elbows with a tranny sex show producer and puppeteer who creates eerie dolls from unwanted sofas, see the Tranny Roadshow.

    Doors at 6:15 p.m., $10, Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 6200 Garrett St., trannyroadshow.com.

    SUNDAYAPRIL 18

    music part two

    GOING FOR BAROQUEFollowing Marchs sold-out

    All Mozart performance, Boise Baroque Orchestra gets a Handel on its nal show of the season with A Celebration of Baroque Vocal Music.

    BBOs season nale is unlike anything the orchestra has previously performed, said Daniel Stern, BBO music director. The programming of this concert is unique because we have selected a number of smaller gems from the Baroque period.

    Baroque music, a style developed in 16th century Europe, gave birth to opera, sonatas and concertos. Stern said music from the Baroque period functioned as an important aspect of religious services.

    Much of the Baroque repertory is vocal music.

    During this period, new music was expected each week for religious services, so Bach and Handel wrote hundreds of cantatas, said Stern.

    The program features music by Handel, Vivaldis Gloria and Bachs Can-tata No. 202 or Wedding Cantata sung by soprano Elizabeth Ashantiva. The piece is played at weddings til this day, said Stern.

    BBO dabbles in Handels religious leanings with I Feel a Deity Within Arm, Arm

    Ye Brave featuring baritone Jason Detweiler.

    Vivaldis Gloria, one of the best-known Baroque vocal pieces, will feature two female soloists and a 20-per-son ensemble from the Boise Master Chorale.

    Take a step Bach in time with the Boise Baroque.

    2 p.m., $14-$18, First United Methodist Church/Cathedral of the Rockies, 717 N. 11th St., 208-343-7511, boisebaroque.com.

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar strikes a pose. Or is he meditating?

    FIND

    MARUCHAN CHEDDAR CHEESE INSTANT LUNCH

    Like many reporters, I am intimately familiar with the board of fare at my local convenience store. Ive eaten oily burritos, wizened wieners and untold cups o noodleschicken, beef, yakisoba, shrimp, you name it. I thought Id seen it all until a colleague turned me on to Maruchan Cheddar Cheese Instant Lunch.

    Her sales pitch was less than appetizing: Its this elec-tric orange color that absolutely does not occur in nature, she said. The cheese powder is clumpy even after you put water on it, and Im pretty sure its nothing but MSG. It is sooo good.

    I was skeptical, to say the least, but when I came to work and found a cup o the cheddar on my deskwith the words Dont judge me written onto the plastic wrappingI knew I had to try it.

    Nuked and simmering under its paper lid, Maruchan Cheddar smells like boiled Doritos. The color is indeed an other-worldly orange, several shades deeper even than John Boehners tan. Flecks of some unknown spice bob among the noodles which, in an exotic break with other varieties in the cup o universe, are at.

    The taste of Maruchan Cheddar isnt experienced on the tongue so much as felt in the adenoids. It heats and ips the stomach like a shot of cheap bourbon, but you wont be hungry for the rest of the day.

    Zach Hagadone

    S U B M I T an event by e-mail to [email protected]. Listings are due by noon the Thursday before publication.

    SUNDAYAPRIL 18

    om

    AN EVENING OF WISDOM AND MEDITATION WITH SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

    One played with the Beatles; one may become a beetle in the next life. It was a celebrity feud of sorts in the early 1990s when the famous sitar player Ravi Shankar and the bushy bearded spiritual leader of the same name butted heads. Fol-lowers of the Indian meditation guide granted him the double honoric title Sri Sri, ending the moniker debacle.

    Now Sri Sri Ravi Shankar brings his philosophy on relation-ships and health and famed breathing techniques to Boise in An Evening of Wisdom and Meditation. The Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values, two of the biggest volunteer-run humanitarian nonprots in the world. After Sept. 11, 2001, the foundation offered New York City residents free stress-reduction courses. Shankar has founded a dozen organizations involved in elds such as science, agriculture and performance art that promote world peace and mind and body connection. If you are 18 or older, explore your mind/body connection (in a non-creepy way, of course) at the Boise Centre. Purchase tickets online at events.artoiving.org/boise or at A Novel Adventure Bookstore at 906 W. Main St. Hurry, tickets are going like mango lassis on a hot day.

    6 p.m., $25-$100, Boise Centre, events.artoiving.org.

    The Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet raises the roof.

    FRIDAYAPRIL 16

    music part one

    ENSO STRING QUARTET Get your classical groove on with the nal Boise Chamber

    Music Series performance featuring the Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet. Formed at Yale University in 1999, the groups career was launched when it won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. The quartets most recent album, 2009s Ginastera, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance. The term enso is from the Japanese Zen painting of a circle, representing chaos, perfection, imperfection and life.

    The performance will feature Bela Bartoks 1927 Fourth String Quartet, Ignaz Joseph Pleyels G minor String Quartet from Op. 2 and Felix Mendelssohns Quartet in A minor, Op. 13. Mendelssohns Quartet is famously known as a musical response to Beethovens death in 1827. If one night of instru-mental bliss isnt enough, catch the fth-annual Boise Chamber Music Series Young Artist String Quartet competitions on Satur-day, April 17, at 9 a.m. in the Morrison Center Recital Hall. The event features performers from Meridian High School, College of Idaho and Boise State. The Enso Quartet will serve as judges.

    7:30 p.m., $20-$25, Morrison Center Recital Hall, 2201 Ce-sar Chavez Lane, 208-426-1216, boisechambermusicseries.org.

  • 18 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    WEDNESDAY APRIL 14

    On Stage

    MINERVA JAYNES SAINTS AND SINNERSMinerva, Selena, Godiva and special guest Victoria woo and wow the crowd with glitzy performances of lip-syncing stardom. Sin is a 21-and-older venue. 8-10 p.m. $2. Sin, 1124 W. Front St. 208-342-3375, www.sinboise.com.

    NAMASTE MANAndrew Weems autobiographical one-man play about his childhood in South Korea, Zambia and Nepal, and his life as an adult in New York City. See review, Page 34. 8 p.m. $12-$32. Boise Contemporary Theater, 854 Fulton St. 208-442-3232, www.bctheater.org.

    Literature

    DROP-IN WRITING WORK-SHOPThe workshop is held twice a month and offers writers of all levels a chance to create and share work in a friendly, informal atmosphere. Authors and teachers Malia Collins and Adrian Kien facilitate the workshops. 6:30-8 p.m. FREE. The Cabin, 801 S. Capitol Blvd. 208-331-8000, www.thecabi-nidaho.org.

    POETRY READINGHosted by the Live Poets. Those interested in reading should contact Van-essa at 208-472-2945 or 208-377-3680. 6 p.m. FREE. Garden City Library, 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City, 208-472-2940, www.gardencity.lili.org.

    THE WRITE TO TELL THE TALEJoin a group of suc-cessful and aspiring nonction writers who learn from guest speakers and from each other through discussion and critique. Show up with something youve written that youre willing to share and be prepared to get the creative juices owing. The Boise Nonction Writers Critique Group meets to share critiques and ideas in a supportive and helpful atmosphere. 7-9 p.m. FREE, Library at Collister, 4724 W. State St. www.sageecosci.com/Writers.html.

    Sports & Fitness

    TRICYCLE RACESThe disclaimer at the beginning of Jackass was about exactly this sort of thing, which is why its awesome. 10 p.m. FREE. The Lobby, 760 W. Main St. 208-991-2183.

    Citizen

    RALLY FOR RESPECTDon your denim to raise awareness of victim blaming. See Picks, Page 16. Noon, FREE. South steps of the Idaho Capitol, denimdayusa.org.

    8 DAYS OUT

    NOISE/CD REVIEW

    THEM CROOKED VULTURES: THEM CROOKED VULTURES

    What do you get when you cross the drummer from Nirvana with the vocalist/guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age and the bassist from Led Zeppelin? The alternative rock super-group Them Crooked Vultures.

    Supergroup-ness aside, TCVs highly anticipated self-titled album debut is clearly not the product of a one-night stand, as the group has been playing live shows for drooling fans for months. Despite their individual histories, these three artists have collaborated to produce an unscripted sound reminiscent of an after-school base-ment jam session. If the instrumenta-tion by drummer Dave Grohl (Nir-vana) and bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) overshadows Josh Hommes (QOTSA) vocals at times, it has to be by acci-dent. Overall there is no singular bias consistently dominating the style of the group.

    The lyrical content reeks of drugs-and-sex themes from 70s rock and roll, but the implied social commentary offers a mod-ern twist. There is nothing in the way of a ballad. These guys are having fun with their fused energy and are more likely to inspire a sweat session at the gym than a romantic dinner for two. Raw song titles, like Interlude with Ludes and Deadend Friends, are unapologetically in your face.

    Previous chart success for all three of the artists in TCV gives them the collective luxury of being able to perform as though they have nothing to prove. The inherent risk is that the result truly is effortless and therefore falls short of earth-shattering.

    Sarah Barber

    Kids & Teens

    MAKE AND TAKE WEDNES-DAYSA science and art program for children ages 6 and older held in The Secret Garden. Learn while having fun. 4 p.m. FREE. Garden City Library, 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City, 208-472-2940, www.gardencity.lili.org.

    THURSDAY APRIL 15

    On Stage

    METAMORPHOSESThe Boise State University Theatre Arts Department is going mythic with Mary Zimmermans Metamor-phoses. The play is presented as a series of vignettes, each one showcasing a different classic Ovid tale. Expect to see charac-ters such as Midas, Alcyone, Eros and more. 7:30 p.m. $9-$15. Danny Peterson Theatre, Mor-rison Center, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, 208-426-3980, theatre.boisestate.edu.

    NAMASTE MANSee Wednesday. 8 p.m. $32. Boise Contemporary

    Theater, 854 Fulton St., Boise, 208-442-3232, www.bctheater.org.

    NUNSENSEA rip-roaring, high-energy musical with ve nuns, plenty of plot twists and a whole lot of laughing. 7 p.m. $8.50-$16.50. Knock Em Dead Dinner Theatre, 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd. 208-385-0021. kedproductions.org.

    TWELVE ANGRY MENThe quintessential juryroom drama. 7:30 p.m. $11 adult, $9 senior and student. Boise Little Theater, 100 E. Fort St. 208-342-5104, www.boiselittletheater.org.

    Workshops & Classes

    BELLY JAMCarolyn Failla of FaillaDrums leads intermediate drumming classes that focus on Middle Eastern drumming for belly dancers. The classes are located at 1717 N. 13th St. in Boise. For more information, e-mail [email protected]. 7 p.m. $10 per class or $50 for 6-week block, www.failladrums.com.

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 19

    Literature

    LISA ROBERTSONSee Picks, Page 16. 7:30 p.m. FREE. Boise State Student Union Simplot Ballroom C, boisestate.edu/english/mfa.

    Art

    BOISE STATE: PAST AND PRESENT RECEPTIONThis reception will be held in honor of the Boise State art metal stu-dents. The exhibition showcases art from both past and present students. Free parking will be available in the Liberal Arts parking lot during the reception. 4:30-6:30 p.m. Boise State Student Union Building, 1910 University Drive 208-426-INFO, union.boisestate.edu.

    Green

    IDAHO NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY MEETINGJoin botanist Ann Debolt for a look at the how-tos of native plant landscaping. 6:30 p.m. FREE. MK Nature Center, 600 S. Walnut St. 208-334-2225, shandgame.idaho.gov.

    Citizen

    NONPROFIT RESOURCE THURSDAYSThinking about starting a nonprot or already

    run one? Learn about free and low-cost resources for funding, volunteers and other support. Meet on the third oor. Topic will be governance and legal issues. 4-6 p.m. Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Blvd. 208-384-4200, www.boisepubliclibrary.org.

    Kids & Teens

    MYSTERIES BY THE RIVERA book club for boys with bestsell-ing author Kristiana Gregory. The group chooses mystery and adventure stories from a reading list and meets monthly for reading, discussion and fun activities. Gregory is the author of Scholastic Cabin Creek Mys-teries and Brontes Book Club. 4 p.m. FREE. Garden City Library, 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City, 208-472-2940, www.gardencity.lili.org.

    Odds & Ends

    BOOK SALE 9 a.m. FREE. Gar-den City Library, 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City, 208-472-2940, www.gardencity.lili.org.

    CHANT MASTER PETER TANORIKIHOExperience chant-ing. 6:30 p.m. FREE. Facets of Healing Wellness Emporium, 717 Vista Ave. 208-429-9999, www.facetsofhealing.com.

    ENGLISH/SPANISH KARA-OKESing along to your favorite songs in English or Spanish with tons of song choices for all ages. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. FREE. Chilangos Mexican Restaurant, 8915 W. Overland Road 208-376-0304.

    THE MERIDIAN SINGERSA group for enthusiastic women who like to sing a cappella in the barbershop style. The ability to read music is not necessary. 7:30-9 p.m. The Music Den, 245 E. Blue Heron, Meridian, 208-724-6311.

    TEAM TRIVIA NIGHT 8 p.m. FREE. Bad Irish, 199 N. Eighth St. 208-338-8939, www.badirish.com.

    THIRD THURSDAY THREAD-BENDERSAll ber-workers and needle-workers of all skill levels who quilt, embroider, knit, crochet, sew or cross-stitch meet to work on projects, combine needlework types and plan programs. Bring a project for show and tell. Hear ideas for a short program color design and participate in some hands-on color exploration. The group is open to everyone. Bring a mug for tea and if you dont have a project, bring your mending, or just attend for inspiration. 6:30 p.m. FREE. Library at Collister, 4724 W. State St. www.boise-publiclibrary.org.

    THE YARN CLUBA place for all the knitters and crocheters to get together and chat. 1 p.m. FREE. Fuzz, 605 Americana Blvd. 208-343-3899, www.fuzzspin.com.

    FRIDAY APRIL 16

    Festivals & Events

    CAN-ACT FAMILY REUNIONAll previous actors and audience members of CAN-ACT are invited for food, entertainment and a special edition of CAN-ACT Jeopardy and CAN-ACT Wheel of Fortune with prizes. 7 p.m. Eagles Lodge, Nampa, 118 11th Ave. N., 208-442-1970.

    On Stage

    MOTION PICTURESSee Picks, Page 16. 8 p.m. $28. Boise State Special Events Center, 1800 University Dr., sub.boises-tate.edu.

    METAMORPHOSESSee Thursday. 7:30 p.m. $9-$15. Danny Peterson Theatre, Mor-rison Center, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane 208-426-3980, theatre.boisestate.edu.

    NAMASTE MANSee Wednesday. 8 p.m. $12-$32. Boise Contemporary Theater, 854 Fulton St. 208-442-3232, www.bctheater.org.

    NUNSENSESee Thursday. 6:15 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. show. $13.50-$37.50. Knock Em Dead Dinner Theatre, 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd. 208-385-0021. kedproductions.org.

    TWELVE ANGRY MENSee Thursday. 8 p.m., $9-$11 adult. Boise Little Theater, 100 E. Fort St. 208-342-5104, www.boiselittletheater.org.

    8 DAYS OUT

    Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

    | EASY | MEDIUM | HARD | PROFESSIONAL |

    L A S T W E E K S A N S W E R SGo to www.boiseweekly.com and look under odds and ends for the answers to this weeks puzzle. And dont think of it as cheating. Think of it more as simply double-checking your answers.

    2009 Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

    THE MEPHAM GROUP | SUDOKU

  • 20 | APRIL 1420, 2010 | BOISEweekly WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

    Literature

    LISA ROBERTSONSee Picks, Page 16. 7:30 p.m. FREE. Boise State Student Lookout Room, boisestate.edu/english/mfa.

    Concerts

    ENSO STRING QUARTETRecent winners at Banff,

    Concert Artists Guild Interna-tional Competition and Fischoff. See Picks, Page 16. 7:30 p.m. $20-$25. Morrison Center Recital Hall, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, 208-426-1609.

    Talks & Lectures

    METRO CONVERSATIONSWake up with an informative networking event. Various Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Boise Associa-tion businesses host this early morning event designed to offer the public a chance to meet one another while discussing things happening within our community. 8-9 a.m. FREE, Moons Kitchen Cafe, 712 W. Idaho St. 208-385-0472. www.boisechamber.org.

    Odds & Ends

    BOISE CAFE LATIN NIGHTSGet a basic Latin dance lesson included in the cover at 9 p.m. and then practice dancing to music by DJ Tomas or DJ Saya. Loosen up with a beer or glass of wine. Empanadas from Tan-gos are served Friday evenings. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. $5. Boise Cafe/Cafe Bellisima, 219 N. 10th St. 208-343-3397.

    BOOK SALE 9 a.m. FREE. Gar-den City Library, 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City, 208-472-2940, www.gardencity.lili.org.

    FRIDAY NIGHT DRUM JAMDrummers are surrounded by the rhythm of the community while drumming, dancing and listening to the beats.. 8-10 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Drum Central, 2709 W. State St. 208-424-9519, www.boisedrum-central.com.

    NOCHES LATINASEvery Friday night, a DJ spins the hottest salsa, durangese, merengue, cumbia and bachata with salsa dancing the rest of the night. All ages. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. FREE. Chilangos Mexican Restaurant, 8915 W. Overland Road 208-376-0304.

    SATURDAY APRIL 17

    Festivals & Events

    CAPITAL CITY PUBLIC MAR-KETDowntown Boises Sat-urday farmers market launches this weekend with produce, art and handcrafted food. 9 a.m. FREE. Downtown Boise on Eighth Street between Bannock and the Grove. www.capitalcitypublicmar-ket.com.

    CONTRA DANCEThe monthly third Saturday contra dance features live music by Robert and Judi with calling by Denise and Gary. The new dancer orientation starts at 7:30 p.m. and the dance is from 8-11 p.m. Couples, singles and children 10 years and older are welcome. Partners are not necessary. The dances are smoke- and alcohol-free. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.boisecontraband.net.7:30-11 p.m. $8 adults, $3 youth (10-18 years old), Broad-way Dance Center, 893 E. Boise Ave. 208-794-6843.

    FASHION SHOWOutrageous costumes modeled by local fa-vorites, hosted by Minerva Jane and Jen Adams with proceeds beneting Boise Pride. Immedi-ately following the fashion show there will be a costume contest. 9:30 p.m. $8. Hijinx Comedy Club, 800 W. Idaho St. 208-947-7100, hijinxcomedyclub.com.

    HOLISTIC WELLNESS FAIREFeaturing alternative practitio-ners, therapists, intuitive, body workers and wellness products. Also: speakers, experiential workshops, music and belly dancing. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $5. Expo Idaho, 5610 Glenwood St., Garden City, 208-287-5650, www.expoidaho.com.

    RECORD STORE DAYMix-tape contest, live music and special

    items. Visit therecordexchange.com for more info or see Listen Here on Page 32. FREE. The Record Exchange, 1105 W. Idaho St. 208-344-8010, www.therecordexchange.com.

    On Stage

    BETWEEN SIX AND EIGHTKick-off event for Alley Repertory

    Theater featuring new six- to eight-minute works in various

    disciplines created over the previous six to eight days, all on the theme of Us vs. Them. See Arts News, Page 34. 8 p.m. $7. Visual Arts Collective, 3638 Osage St., Garden City, 208-424-8297, www.visu-alartscollective.com.

    CABARET 8 p.m. $38. Nampa Civic Center, 311 Third St. S., Nampa, 208-468-5555, www.nampaciviccenter.com.

    MOTION PICTURESIdaho Dance Theaters spring show. See Picks,

    Page 16. 8 p.m. $14-$28. Boise State Special Events Center, 1800 University Drive. boisestate.edu.

    METAMORPHOSESSee Thursday 7:30 p.m. $9-$15. Danny Peterson Theatre, Morri-son Center, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane 208-426-3980, theatre.boisestate.edu.

    NAMASTE MANSee Wednesday. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. $32. Boise

    Contemporary Theater, 854 Fulton St. 208-442-3232, www.bctheater.org.

    NUNSENSESee Thursday. Knock Em Dead Dinner Theatre, 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd. 208-385-0021. kedproductions.org.

    TRANNY ROAD-SHOWMultimedia performance with an

    eclectic group of artists, each one self-identied as transgen-der. Music, spoken word, comedy, juggling, storytelling, puppetry and more. See Picks, page 16. 7 p.m. $10. Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 6200 N. Garrett, Garden City, 208-658-1710, www.boiseuu.org.

    8 DAYS OUT

    Dude Howdy by Steve Klamm was the 1st place winner in the 8th Annual Boise Weekly Bad Cartoon Contest.

    29

  • WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM BOISEweekly | APRIL 1420, 2010 | 21

    Anyone who has watched TV in the wee hours of the morning has likely come across an ad for one of the nations roughly 3,000 for-prot institutions of higher edprivate businesses like University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Insti-tute or Stevens-Henager College.

    The typical narrative: Students in their mid- to late-20s, more than likely non-white and female, wax eloquent about the amazing life changes theyve experienced since enrolling in a program thats put them on the fast track to becoming a dental hygienist, nurse practitioner or computer technician.

    Some of the commercials feature testimo-nials from family members, while others show montages of condent, successful suits giving boardroom presenta-tions, pointing at blueprints or striding before a phalanx of important-looking, paper-shufing aides.

    Regardless, the mes-sage is that no matter how much money you have, how old you are or what your transcript looks like, you have the opportunity to turn it all aroundand with a schedule that ts your busy life.

    It is a vision that has become ever-more attractive as the economy continues to displace hundreds of thousands of workers. The for-prot education industry is booming even as state funding for pub-lic higher ed takes a beating.

    And Idaho has been no exception. Lawmakers approved a 7.8 percent cut to the higher ed budget this year and, in