Boise Weekly Vol. 21 Issue 46

FEATURE 13

ROAD LESS TRAVELEDHow user-friendly are Boises bikeways?

NEWS 8

COMMUTER REALITIESThe trials and tribulations of bike commuting

ARTS 28

TMP, CNN, HP, OMGLocals caught up in fallout from national story

FOOD 32

ROLLING PICNICBest bets for a bike-bound picnic

Its like a friggin Zen garden. REC 30

LOCAL, INDEPENDENT NEWS, OPINION, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COMVOLUME 21, ISSUE 46MAY 814, 2013

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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. A portion of the proceeds from the auc-tion 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. 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.

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ARTIST STATEMENT: Art Space at the Eagle Performing Arts Center will host an opening reception for The Infinite Vow on Friday, May 10. The installation celebrates Womanhood through symbolic gestures, focusing primarily on the ovary, nest, honeycomb and heart beat. Made possible by generous funding from the Idaho Commission on the Arts.

THE BIKE CRASH KIDIts Bike Week in Boise, which got me to thinking about

a neighbor kid from my childhood. We grew up in the woods outside Sandpoint, and there werent many other kids around, so we had to make our own fun. Most of that revolved around bikes, and my brother and I were pretty tame on two wheelsthe most daring feats involving what seemed like precipitous jumps, but which were probably no higher than 1 foot off the ground.

Well, this neighbor of mine, his idea of a good time was to ride his beat-up old Huffy to the top of a high hill on our dirt road, teeter at the top and pedal as furiously as he could to the bottom. At the magic point, just before the hill started to level off and his speed was at its greatest, this kid would let go of the handlebars and push himself off the seathanging in mid air for a frozen moment as the bike continued racing, suddenly riderless, into the ditch.

For the space of a heartbeat, he was weightless, and I imagine it must have felt like hed never come down as he was propelled up and out into the air, seemingly gaining elevation as the slope of the road fell away.

It was pretty majestic, I remember, until he came down in an explosion of dust and gravel, skidding and rolling across the rocks, wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt. I always expected him to break something, or cry orat the very leaststop intentionally wiping himself out at the bottom of the hill.

But he never did any of those things; instead, hed hit the ground like a meteor and spring back up, blood streaming down his knees, dirt in his teeth and laughing like a maniac.

My neighbor did this at least once every day during the summer, and it was a ritual that he continued until he and his extended family suddenly disappeared from the complex of trailer homes theyd established across the road from us.

It was a weird expression of human will that I dont think I fully understood at the timeand probably still dont get. Something about mortality, or transcendence, or maybe it was as simple as the enjoyment to be found in beating the living hell out of your own body. I have my suspicion that that kid just thought it was fun to fall off his bike, but his brutal commitment was equal parts gruesome and inspiring. Which I guess, if nothing else, shows you just how far you can go with a bike.

Zach Hagadone

NOTE


INSIDENOTE 3

BILL COPE 5

TED RALL 6

NEWS The realities of bike commuting in Boise 8

CITYDESK 8

CITIZEN 12

FEATURE Rough Road 13

BW PICKS 18

FIND 19

8 DAYS OUT 20

SUDOKU 21

DOONESBURY 24

NOISEYo La Tengo 25

MUSIC GUIDE 26

ARTS TMP, HP and CNN caught in ruckus 28

SCREEN The Angels Share 29

RECWant a custom bike? Build it 30

FOODHave bike will picnic 32

WINE SIPPER 33

CLASSIFIEDS 34

NYT CROSSWORD 36

HOBO JARGON 37

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 38

WWW.BOISEWEEKLY.COM

UPGRADE THIS DOODLEA North Idaho third-grader has been singled out as

the Gem States nalist in the Doodle 4 Google competi-tion, in which more than 130,000 students submitted their ideas of what a Google homepage should look like. See her picture and nd out how to vote for it in the competition on Citydesk.

DEAD LETTER OFFICES KILLEDThought the Idaho Legislatures plan to have students

focus on writing cursive was dumb? Well, now the jokes on you. The U.S. Postal Service just cut funds to decipher your gibberish scrawl and smiley face-based handwriting style. Get the full story on Citydesk.

FAST YOGURTThe CEO of Chobani recently said he thinks those

other yogurt companies are lazy and hes fast, which is totally a thats what she said joke waiting to happen. Read all about it on Citydesk.

BOISES BOOBIE POLICETo raise awareness of breast cancer, the Boise Police

Department recently rolled out a police cruiser adorned with a giant pink ribbon. Really. Check it out for yourself on Citydesk.

What you missed this week in the digital world.

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I had a beer in one hand and a Bic Quicky Click in the other when he barges in. Baaaawb! Baaaawb! I need advice, Baaaawb!

Oh for Christs sake, Cope! I grump. What the hell is it now?

Golly, Bob. Is this a bad time? Are you doing something?

Every minute spent with Cope is a bad time, sure as s***. But it doesnt do any good to say Im busy because hell just pester me until he nds out why Im busy.

Its a letter to the paper. Remember that Canyon County 3-year-old who shot her baby brother, all because the poor kids have the rotten f***ing luck to have been born to a couple of f***ing idiots? Then the Sheriff of Loonyland over there tells the media it had to be Gods intervention that saved the babys life. So Im asking him why God didnt do some preventative intervening and keep Ma and Pa Moron from leaving a loaded gun around their babies. And since Sheriff Donahue thinks he has some inside info on divine intervention, I ask him where the f*** God was that day in Newtown, Connecticut.

Holy moley, Bob. Youre not going to say where the f*** was God, are you? I dont know what paper youre writing it to, but I dont think theres one in Idaho that will print something like that.

You just worry about what you write, Cope, and leave what I write to me. Now what do you want? And why is it you always show up about the time I have my happy hour Rolling Rock?

I am deeply bothered, Bob. Im thinking there may be something all gahonkers with my moral compass.

He paused, waiting for me to assure him his moral compass was ne. I didnt say a word. Every second I dont talk is another second he will talk, and that way, hell get what he wants to say over with quicker and then he can get the f*** out of my camper.

The deal is, Bob, I felt really bad for those people who got killed and all torn up from those bombs at the marathon. You gotta believe that, Badger. But two days later, that fertilizer plant blew up in Texas, and it seemed like nobody was paying anywhere near as much attention to that horrible event as the horrible event they were all paying attention to in Boston. Know what I mean? And and

He trailed off and just sat there, staring wistfully at my beer. I ask him if he wants one.

Oh wow, Bob. You got an extra?Once he got a 16-ouncer in his paw, I say,

Cope, isnt it relevant to you that the thing in Boston was an intentional act of murder and mayhem, while the fertilizer plant was an accident?

But thats the thing, Bob. Did you

know there were 270 tons of explodable crap stored in that plant. Two hundred and seventy tons! Same stuff Timothy McVeigh used, except he used only two tons of it. And did you know the plant hadnt had a safety inspection since 1985. Thats almost 30 years slipped by without any serious atten-tion from state or federal agencies. Doesnt that seem like a crime to you? A crime of negligence, for sure. And willful negligence, as far as Im concerned. Its not the same as premeditated murder, I know that. But there are 14 dead people in Texas who probably dont give a darn whether it was intentional or some free-market dumbness that got them so dead.

Yet you watch the news shows, and it doesnt seem their deaths, or the malfeasance that resulted in their deaths, are any where near as important as what those screwy Tsar-naev brothers did in Boston. And dont you gotta wonder how many other uninspected fertilizer plants are sitting around America? How many other factories or storage facilities or chemical dumps are out there, like giant Molotov cocktails waiting for a spark? How many regulatory agencies have had their budgets cut to the bone, and how many inspectors have been laid off while the Republicans try to drown the government in Grover Norquists darn bathtub?

Bob, doesnt this matter to our general health and well-being at least as much as a couple of lunatic Chechens going bozo in Boston?

Cope, its not your moral compass thats f***ed up, its your perspective. Once again, you miss the point. See, its the simplicity of the Boston tragedy the media crowd was drawn to. And its the complexity of the Texas tragedy they avoided. Get it? Pinning down the crimes behind that Texas thing will take months. Maybe years. Even then nothing will come of it but some lawsuits, maybe. And neither the American people nor the news media have the patience to focus on anything that long. Especially when there are no street videos of skulking perpetrators to run over and over, and no manhunts to follow. Those Texans had the bad f***ing luck to be blown up by faceless bureaucratic dereliction, as instituted by anti-government fanatics. Savvy?

Its like terrorism by ideology, isnt it, Bob?

Yeah, it is. Add up all the casualties of bad environmental legislation, bad medical care, bad working conditions and bad gun policy, and this radical Republican bulls*** leaves more Americans dead in a day than radical Muslims could get in a generation. Now, get outta here. I have a letter to n-ish.

I never did nish that letter. Cope dropped his beer on it and everything Id written so far ran down his pants. F***ing idiot.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE TERROR Can Badger Bob really say that?

BILL COPE/OPINION


Guantanamo is complicated. Everyone says so. Everyone is wrong.

Mainstream media pundits dont get it. They suggest a lame hodgepodge of solu-tions: a few repatriations here, a few extraor-dinary renditions there, maybe convincing some allies to take the victims of our stupid war on terrorism. Immoral and idiotic.

All of the detainees can, should and must be released. Here. In the United States.

I dont nd myself saying this very often, but President Barack Obama is nally talk-ing about doing something right. Granted, he let ve years pass before he took the problem seriously. Still, better late than never.

Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe, he told a news conference. It is expensive. It is inefcient. It hurts us, in terms of our international standing. It lessens cooperation with our allies on counter-terrorism efforts. It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed.

When Obama became president, there were 245 prisoners at Gitmo. Now there are 166. Ofcials worry that the experience may have radicalized them. How could it not?

The horrors are just beginning to come out. A Spanish investigation found soldiers have abused Gitmo prisoners with blows to [the] testicles, detention underground in total darkness for three weeks with depriva-tion of food and sleep and waterboarding.

Few Americans are aware of how the vast majority got there. Mostly, they were sold like slaves: Afghan warlords and Pakistani tribesmen sold anyone they could nd to the CIA and the U.S. military for bounties. Hun-dreds shipped to Americas new gulag were

at the wrong place at the wrong time. As for the rest, the majority were never a threat to America. Their jihad was against the govern-ments of China, Pakistan and Yemen.

The 166 survivors can be classied into four categories:

Eighty-six have been cleared for transfer or release but cant be sent back home be-cause they might be tortured or killed.

The Obama administration considers 47 too dangerous to release, but cannot prosecute them because there isnt enough evidence. Twenty-four are prosecutable but no one can say when a trial might take place.

Six have been charged and three convicted in the kangaroo court military commission system invented by George W. Bushs legal team to prosecute unlawful combatants.

All 166 should be offered the choice of a ticket home or permanent residency in the United States. Under the American system of justice, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. These guys clearly cant be proven guilty, and the three that were found guilty obviously didnt get a fair trial.

Would some of these ex-Gitmo victims join the ght against the United States? Maybe. After all, 60 percent of American ex-cons reoffend.

Still, youve got to think that in a country full of cameras, with overfunded intelligence agencies and countless domestic police, it shouldnt be too hard to set up the former prisoners with jobs, phone taps, GPS track-ers and two or three agents each to follow them around.

Can you imagine how pissed off the al-Qaida guys would be?

CLOSING GUANTANAMOObama needs Travelocity

OPINION/TED RALL


Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, J.C. Porter rides the ride.

Im a transportation access provider, said Porter, who, as Boise States assistant director of Transportation and Parking Services, helps oversee one of Idahos largest parking sys-temsmore than 7,000 spaces for motorized vehicles. But our supply is low and demand is high.

And while a steady stream of commuters walked into Porters transportation center to obtain a new parking permit or dispute a cita-tion, just a few feet away stood Porters chief source of transportation: his bicycle.

My wife and I have three kids, ages 2, 5 and 11, and Im happy to say were a one-car family, he said with a big smile. We have quite a few people in this department bike.

Porter and his colleagues know the nancial constraints of parking on campus as well as anyone: A Boise State parking permit would set them back $174 per academic year. A parking permit for the campus Lincoln Garage (attached to their ofces) costs $377.

No, I dont buy a permit, said Porter. I did the math: By owning a second car, it would cost my family $9,000-$10,000 a year. The people who come into our ofce routinely say, parking costs so much. Theyre right. I work in parking and I oversee permits but I

dont buy one.Each morning, Porter straps on his back-

pack and negotiates his six-mile bicycle com-mute from southeast Boise.

Right now, there are about 23,000 students; add to that about 2,500 faculty and staff. What were learning is that about 20 percent of our people are currently commuting by bike. I must admit, I was pretty surprised by that number, said Porter. To have nearly 5,000 cyclists is pretty impressive. And that number is only going to go up.

Five years ago, Boise State polled its popu-lation to ask how many owned a bike.

It was about 70 percent. But then we asked if their bike was in working order and nearly half said no. Most said it would take about $20 to get their bike in working condi-tion; you know, something like a at tire or a brake that needed to be xed, said Porter.

Which is when the Boise State Cycle Learn-ing Center came into the picture. The cycle center is a short walk to the Boise State Rec-reation Center and directly across the street from the student union.

The model were using for the CLC isnt really found anywhere else in the United States, said Porter, whose job includes over-seeing the center. A lot of similar facilities are student-run at most universities around

the country. But we thought that it needed to have the consistency of full-time staff to keep it moving forward.

And while the cycle centers roster includes as many as 10 student employees, its super-vised full-time by a Boise State Transportation and Parking Services employee. More impor-tantly, Porter said, is that the center is on a path to be a self-sustaining nancial success.

To get it off the ground, the center was funded through a partnership of the University Health and Recreation Services and the Trans-portation and Parking Services, he said. Our plan was for it to be self-sustaining within ve years, and it looks like that will happen soonerprobably three years. So, hopefully, that will happen sometime next year.

Inside the CLC, supervisor Brian Ohlen oversaw a busy afternoon shift of mechanicseach in front of a suspended bicyclesimilar to a densely packed auto repair garage.

In September and October, we were doing up to 500 tube changes in a month, he said.

A tube change costs $9 at the CLC: $4 for the labor, $5 for a new tube. A basic bike tune-up has a price tag of $40. A more complete tune-upwhich includes a thorough cleaning of the drivetrain and a fresh pack of greasecosts $65.

We even offer maintenance classes

Aprils unemployment rate for college graduates was 3.9 percent.

POINT A TO POINT BHow Boise State is driving the Boise away from cars and toward bikes

GEORGE PRENTICE

NEWS

CITYDESK/NEWS

CAP? CHECK. GOWN? CHECK. RESUME?

Congratulations graduates. Now, about that job.

The class of 2013 is about to ood the nations waiting rooms in hopes of a job in-terviewthose critical minutes when theyll try to convince an employer that his or her long wait for that perfect employee is over. The problem, of course, is that the waiting room is already crowded with millions of others, with a lot more experience, waiting their turn to prove worthy of employment. And those who have waited the longest have learned the recessions toughest les-son: to take the jobany job.

Youve got a Ph.D. ipping burgers, Idaho Department of Labor spokesman Bob Fick told Citydesk. There have been a number of analyses of the labor force in the last two years that indicate people are more than willing to work beneath their skill level because thats the only job they can get.

In 1990, nearly 80 percent of Idaho jobs were in the service sector. Now, Fick said, that number has grown to 85 percent.

The average pay for a service sector job is about $10,000 less per year than the average pay in goods production, he said.

But 2013 graduates have reason for some encouragement.

Theres more optimism than last year, said Debbie Kaylor, Career Center director at Boise State.

Kaylor told Citydesk that more than 2,000 students walk through her centers doors, looking for help in landing that ever-elusive job interview. The center coaches thousands more in crafting resumes and interview techniques in outreach programs throughout the school year.

And our spring career fair was the larg-est in four years. We had over 80 employers and more than 1,200 students, she said. During the worst of the recession, we had some years when less than 50 employers showed up, and there was a bit of hopeless-ness from some students. Its still not an easy job market, but this year I sense that students are more optimistic.

And new statistics indicate that a col-lege degree still means something in the 2013 job market. The New York Times reported May 4 that college graduates have weathered the recession with remarkable resilience, registering a 3.9 percent job-less rate in April, compared to the overall national unemployment rate of 7.5 percent.

The kind of job a college graduate can get and the pay they get, marked up against the debt theyve rung up trying to get that degree, all plays into what the real value of that degree is, said Fick.

George Prentice

Brian Ohlen, Coordinator of the Boise State Cycle Learning Center rolls out of one of the universitys so-called bike barns.

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where we cover just about everything for one hour a week for ve weeks, said Ohlen. And those are free.

One of the mechanics, Clayton Wangbichler, has been working at the CLC since its doors rst opened.

How many tune-ups have I done? Wangbichler had to think about that for a moment. Denite-ly hundreds; 200, 300 or more.

Over in the corner, perched on still another rack, was Wangbi-chlers own bike.

Im graduating in two weeks and then Im putting my bike on a plane and ying back to Boston, he said. Thats where Ill be meet-ing up with a friend of mine, from Peru, and were going to spend about four to ve months riding across the United States.

But its the more casual cyclistsomeone who needs two wheels for a day or two, possibly a weekthat is the target demographic for CLCs bike rental program.

We currently have 22 cruisers in circula-tion and were denitely going to increase that total next year. Plus, we rent out these really nice Fuji mountain bikes, said Ohlen, point-ing to two full racks of rentals.

The nicer mountain bikes can be rented by the day ($25 for students or staff, $35 for general public), a three-day weekend ($40-$50) or for a week ($80-$100). The more utilitarian cruisers can be rented (by students and staff only) for $30 per week, $50 for the summer, $75 for a semester and $125 for a year. The rental includes helmet, light and lock and access to one of Boise States so-called bike barns.

Bike barns are no-frills, key-card secured walk-in lockers, tucked into each of Boise States parking garages.

Only $25 for the year, said Porter. And heres the bonus: Well give you six days of free parking in the garage for those days that you absolutely need your car for that special appointment. Its that extra incentive to get people to ride their bike more often.

Porter doesnt see Boise States bike culture as an island unto itself. In fact, hes been spending even more of his time with ofcials from the city of Boise and the Ada County Highway District, which manages most of the countys roadways.

Right now, were working on the Boise Bike Share Program. Were really trying to get that off the ground, said Porter.

The BBSP, which requires federal funding and ultimate approval from the Idaho Depart-ment of Transportation, would introduce a eet of 120 bicycles at 12-14 bike stations throughout Boises downtown core and the campus, and would be managed with an approximate annual operating budget of $350,000. The bike-share stations would be strategically spread out by distances of no more than 1,630 feet (approximately one-

quarter-mile). Each bike would be equipped with GPS technology so that users can nd and return bikes to open stations. Special kiosks would also be set up at special events to encourage usage.

Picture this: You commute in from Eagle and lets say you need to get to a meeting across town or you want to go somewhere for lunch. Its that extra mile that you want to travel, said Porter. It would be so much easier to swipe a card and grab a bike.

Porter told Boise Weekly that a yearly BBSP membership, with unlimited access to a bike, would cost approximately $75-$100.

Were thinking about concentrating on a three- to ve-mile radius of the downtown core, he said. Best case scenario, well see this next year, probably next summer.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter says the city is working with the Central District Health Department, the lead agency in developing the bike-share program.

Its just one of the many cycling projects that we have under way, Bieter told Boise Weekly.

Bieter isnt a David-come-lately when it comes to two-wheel commuting.

Ive been walking or biking to work in downtown Boise since I graduated from law school in 1986, he said. Biking was most helpful during my years in the Idaho Legis-lature because I could save time by biking right up to the Statehouse steps and avoid parking further away. For many years, I rode a Schwinn Typhoon that my parents gave me when I was a child in the 1960s. I still ride a Schwinn, but a newer model.

Having a mayor who bikes to City Hall is music to Peter Kageyamas ears. The author of For the Love of Cities and keynote speaker at the Downtown Boise Associations April 30 State of Downtown event, told a packed ball-room at the Boise Centre that more bikes in a downtown core is a key economic indicator.

And most cities dont see that, said

Kageyama. Its not just about the car. Clearly, you guys have already bought into this; Boise seems to be very bike-friendly. Keep it up.

Bieter told BW that he sees the rising number of cyclists as an excellent barometer on the overall health of our community.

From a public policy perspec-tive, biking is a net positive in virtu-ally every category, said Bieter. And increasing the number of bicyclists ultimately saves money for our community.

Porter said downtown busi-nesses, which usually look rst at parking for motorized vehicles, might want to consider a newer model to include some more space for bikes.

A lot of business owners say, Oh, please dont take my parking away. Well, one parking spot is one customer. But if you put some bike parking thereand one space for a car is equal to a lot more spaces

for bikesthere are a lot more customers who could park right outside your door, said Porter. We have a few end-of-trip parking placeslike our bike barnsin Boise. But more would be great.

Matt Edmonds, senior transportation plan-ner with the Ada County Highway District, told Boise Weekly that there are abundant opportunities to encourage more downtown two-wheelers. In particular, he said when and if ACHD begins transitioning downtown Boises unpopular crazy quilt of one-way streets into two-way streets, there would be greater opportunity for better bike lanes.

One of the examples were looking very hard at is 11th Street. That street can take you all the way, by bike, down to the river. Pos-sibly, we could make that two-way and create a nice north-south bikeway, said Edmonds. Jefferson Street is another example. If Jeffer-son were two-way, you could ride all the way east and west through downtown.

But he offered a word of caution.If we were to go in tomorrow and change

all of those one-ways into two-ways all at once, nothing would move. It would be a mess, he said. So the timing is important. Maybe you do one or two at a time. And we think 11th, 12th and 13th are doable. Maybe Third and Fourth streets are possible because they have lighter trafc.

And the more bicycles and the fewer cars heading toward Boise State, the better, accord-ing to Porter.

Were getting more and more days where we simply dont have the parking, he said. Last September, we had a BYU football game, a concert at the Morrison Center and it was a school day. So a lot of people tried their bike for the rst time. A lot of people told me, That was the push I needed.

Porter said hell push and pull, whatever it takes, to bring fewer wheels on campus.

That day in September, we had 70,000 people and 7,000 parking spaces, he said.

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As Boise Weekly went to press, clipboard-toting volunteers were conducting the 2013 Bike Count, which in previous years counted 1,154 cyclists (2007), 1,232 (2008),

2,574 (2010), 5,470 (2011) and 8,666 (2012).

8


A conversation with a friend really led to you adopting three kids?

It was at a time when I was just re-ally questioning the honest measure of my worth. Whats the rest of my life going to be like? And I just couldnt see myself playing golf every day. It was such an awakening for me. It was the best thing Ive ever done in my life.

What drives you in your current

campaign?I think this represents the greatest

operational absurdity Ive ever seen. Most of these processes are done manually. They take their time moving one piece of paper to one desk and the next, and by the time it works its way through all these hands, somebody forgot to sign something and it has to go back and start at the beginning. And meanwhile, a child has lost a year of their life.

I dont know how many orphanages youve been in, [but] people wouldnt in many cases board their dog in these places.

Its just awful. I think its a human-rights is-sue. I think every child has a right to belong in a family.

Whats the solution?Most of the delay could be reduced, espe-

cially with all the technology thats avail-able. A rst critical step would be a really solid civil registry program.

But if you make it faster, what about

safeguards?Nobody wants to put a kid in an at-risk

situation. We dont want a reckless system. Im advocating for a better system that has greater safeguards and greater transparency. Im just looking for an efcient system that recognizes that every day matters in the developmental life cycle of a child.

You point to the Hague Convention

on Intercountry Adoption as a major impediment.

Its great in ideology and its very poor in function, because its asking many of these

countries to implement things that are difcult for them to do because of the limited resources, and theyre not getting enough direction.

So, can it be changed?Treaties can be ratied at any time and

modied and improved. Many people associate international

adoption with the problems of Idaho mis-sionary Laura Silsby. Do you think that hurt the cause?

I think that people saw it for what it was worth, which was an isolated incident of reckless irresponsibility. But that gets all the attention.

Foster Friess, a wealthy born-again

Christian conservative, helped fund the lm and is sponsoring your march. Do you see yourself as part of an evangelical adop-tion movement?

No. Our effort is based solely on a sense of responsibility. Its not tied to any ideology. This is about a sense of human responsibility by adults to give children an opportunity to thrive and prosper and grow up to be who theyre supposed to be. If you go back to the families who are adopting, theyre not all Christians.

Foster gives away a lot of his money to make this world a better place.

Youve said new legislation might be in-

troducedthis monthon this issue. What are your goals?

I think weve got to put this into a de-partment that has concern for child welfare maybe creating a new department that is really advocating for children.

What about all the kids in the United States who need to be adopted?

I dont think our sense of responsibility should be contained or conned by borders.

But what about more in-country

adoption?Im for it. Weve got to have a broad-

based, comprehensive set of solutions to get children into families.

Do your beliefs include allowing gays

to adopt?Im not advocating for any set of socio-

logical agendas other than a child should have a family and then as we continue this conversation, society will determine what is and isnt appropriate in terms of a process and how we dene this.

But if gays were interested in joining

your movement, would they be welcomed?This door is open. Everybody can get on

this bus.

How does your business background inform you?

Weve got to look at this in entrepreneur-ial terms. We only look at it in bureaucratic terms right now. And social entrepreneurism has been applied in many other situations where weve had social issues that have typically been run by the public sector that have been lethargic and ineffective.

And what about the lessons you learned

from football?What I learned as a quarterback is you

learn to keep moving the chains. You keep getting rst downs. And you embrace those incremental successes. And thats how this is going to happen. This walls not coming down with one swing of the bat. Were go-ing to have to be at this a long time.

Do you follow the Vandals football

team?I do. Theyre not doing so well. But

theres always next year.

CRAIG JUNTUNENAdopting a new mindset to serve some of the globes neediest

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At only 43, former University of Idaho quarterback and U of I Hall of Famer Craig Juntunen retired after selling a successful human resources rm, spending the next several years hanging out on ski slopes and golf links.

But following an inspiring conversation with a friend who had adopted a child from Haiti, Juntunen, then 51, and his wife adopted three children from the impoverished nation. Now, seven years later, Juntunen is on a mission to reform what he sees as deep problems in the international adoption system.

Hes the producer of a documentary, Stuck, about three families desperately trying to get their adopted children out of their home countries. According to the lm, the aver-age wait time for an international adoption is 33 months, the average cost is $28,000 and adoptions are down 60 percent in eight years.

Boise Weekly spoke with Juntunen when he brought his lm to Boise as part of a 62-city bus tour leading up to a Friday, May 17, march in Washington, D.C. While in the nations capital, Juntunen hopes to present a petition with 1 million signatures to members of Congress, asking for reform of international adoption policies.


ROUGHROAD

Biking in the Treasure Valley sometimes requires bravery

and imagination

ANDREW CRISP

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Hill Road between Gary Lane and 36th Street6

Though this section has dened bike lanes, they arent wide enough to compensate for the high car trafc, poor lighting and rough road conditions resulting from construction and debris from the Foothills. They are factors that have made this region deadly for cyclists in the past. Homeowners and road crews in the area are also known to ll the bike lane with trashcans or construction equipment, forcing cyclists into the road. The closest bike shops are more than a mile south on State Street.

Hill Road between 36th Street and Hyde Park

Though this is a high-trafc area, this section of Hill Road features uncommonly wide bike lanesup to 10 feet widemaking for a safe ride. Considering the high trafc, the lanes would be better served with a concrete barrier, as well as an occasional sweeping for debris. Thankfully, bike repair is available in Hyde Park.

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Hill Road West of Gary Lane

Though it lacks shade and is technically reserved for pedestri-ans, not bikes, the section of Hill Road east of Horseshoe Bend Road features wide, smooth paths separated from the road by a concrete barrier, making for a swift and safe bike ride that is one of the best in the city. West of Horseshoe Bend Road, the paths are more erratic, uctuating in sizein some places measuring less than 1 foot wide. There are also no streetlights west of Horseshoe Bend Road, and no nearby bike shops, but plenty of goatheads.

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North Eagle

Road to East

State Street

On Eagle Road/Highway 55, things were much less pleasant. The volume of trafc was high, and moved at high speeds, forc-ing bikes to alternate between riding on the sidewalk and a street-side median of varying width. Conditions were most uncomfortable while stopped at intersections, where trafc was busiest. However, when lights were green, which was often, cruising was consistent.

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Eighth Street to Greenbelt to North Garden Street

Boises Eighth Street, as one of few north-south routes connecting the North End to the Boise River Greenbelt, is one of the busiest corridors for cyclists. Riding on the two-lane paved pathway proved easy, albeit popular, including over an old railroad bridge adjacent to the Con-nector. After turning onto North Gar-den Street, there was light vehicle trafc but no bike lane.

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West Emerald Street/ West Executive Drive to Cloverdale Road

While they dont begin until the intersection with Orchard Street, Emerald Streets bike lanes are surprisingly nice. The width of bike lanes varies through the high vehicle trafc area surrounding Boise Towne Square mall, and the Interstate-184 overpass is harrowing. But the paths take a rider all the way to an abrupt end at Cloverdale Roada strip scheduled to receive bike lanes during a project to widen Cloverdale Road, according to the Ada County Highway District.

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by Andrew Crisp and Josh Gross

North Cloverdale

Road to East

Fairview Avenue to

Julius M. Kleiner

Park in Meridian

Cloverdale Road has no real consistent bike lanes, forcing cyclists to use the car turn lanes to get to Fairview Avenue, which also has no bike lanes. From North Records Way past Julius M. Kleiner Park, the quiet street had a bike lane, which didnt continue at the parks entrance on Eagle Road.

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While the volunteer counters keep adding bikers to the total, the valleys infrastructure isnt making it any easier to get around, thanks to a patchwork of bike lanes, road shoulders, sidewalks and even gutters.

Overton said the numbers have yet to reveal a full picture of how missing com-ponents of the network affect ridership.

I would love to have a clearer picture of that, said Overton.

What is clear is that theres a discon-nect between Boises reputation as a bike-friendly city and the reality of some of its infrastructure. To see just how friendly to cyclists the City of Trees can be, Boise Weekly sent a team of reporters on bikes to trek a 30-mile route criss-crossing Ada County. (See the results of the trek on these pages.)

Much of the countys 220 miles of bike lanes are along busy arteries like Overland and Ustick roads. Ada County Highway District plans to install more bike lanes along those routes, piece by piece, as the agency widens existing roads,

according to Matt Edmond, the agencys senior transportation planner.

He said ACHD strives for 5 feet of clearance on the shoulders of roadsachieving 8 to 9 feet on Boises Hill Roadbut added that isnt always pos-sible.

Sometimes people see a stripe on the side of the road, its not necessarily a bike lane. It may just be a fog line with either a foot or even six inches of asphalt to either side, certainly not a bike lane. And some of our bike lanes are a little bit narrow, Edmond said.

In the case of widening Franklin Road, ACHD ofcials opted not to install bike lanes because lanes already exist along Emerald Street to the north. There are other challenges, too. One of the most popular routes for cyclists, the Boise River Greenbelt, isnt managed by road plan-ners at all.

There are more cyclists on the Green-belt than there are on the bike lanes, and the Greenbelt is the responsibility of Boise Parks and Rec, and they really think of

North side of the Boise River Greenbelt from Julia Davis Park to Warm Springs Golf Course to Bown Crossing

Barber Park Across Bridge to Parkcenter Boulevard to Baggley Park

East Pennsylvania Street to Parkcenter Boulevard

Cut through Springhill Suites parking lot to con-nect to South Boise River Greenbelt, through Boise State to Friendship Bridge

If not connecting to the Greenbelt via Eighth Street, Boises Third Street, though lacking bike lanes, is a low-trafc route for cyclists looking to connect to Julia Davis Park. Along the north side of the Greenbelt, cyclists nd numerous other users until the path veers inland through Warm Springs Golf Course. Though the path degrades as it runs along Warm Springs Avenue, the dedicated bike-way runs all the way to the under-construction Marianne Williams Park and Parkcenter Boulevard bridge.

Greenbelt connections allow crossing the Parkcenter Bridge, but because a portion of the Greenbelt on the south side of the river is limited to walkers, cyclists ride a path adjacent to Parkcenter Bou-levard. At Baggley Park, minimal signage directs cyclists to funnel down East River Run Drive.

The paved cycling path abruptly transitions to a bike lane, with no signage to direct cyclists. An unintuitive left turn off East River Run Drive leads to the tree-lined Pennsylvania Street, adjacent to private backyards. While comfortable, a sign indicating cyclists should turn right where Pennsylvania rejoins the Parkcenter path would have been helpful.

Before the intersection with East Mallard Drive, there are no signs pointing users to where they can reconnect with the Green-belt. We cut through the parking lot adjacent to the Springhill Suites Boise Parkcenter, before rejoining the Greenbelt. From there, riding was easy, eventually dropping below the South Broadway Avenue bridge, past the Boise State University campus and back into Julia Davis Park or Boises Eighth Street.

North 15th Street through Boises North End

Fewer cars and trucks travel 15th Street than other routes, mak-ing the ride relatively quiet. The roads wide bike lanes run next to ample sidewalks.

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Road construction equipment occasionally blocks bike lanes and forces bikers into the main road.

On some area roadways, like here along Cloverdale Road, shoulders are nearly nonexistent.


themselves not as a transit agency, but curators of a parks system, Overton said. Sometimes there are communication gaps.

Margaret Havey, vice president of the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance, worked with Overton on the bicycle counts. She also works for the Idaho Trans-portation Department, measuring vehicle trafc. She said hav-ing data on ridership affects which roads receive bike lanes.

You denitely need evidence in the form of counts, some-thing thats methodical and reliable collec-tion. Otherwise, its anecdotal, and when it comes to allocating any kind of public money, its going to be hard to make that case for any kind of changes, she said.

The prevalence of cyclistsindicated largely by the bicycle countshas local planners scrambling to create a more complete

network to help riders get where theyre going. Cy-

clists regularly cite inconsistenciesthe varying width of bike lanes, a lack of connectivity, busy roadways and conicts with driversas black marks against biking more.

Edmond envisions more bikeways, roads with a higher level of comfort for riders.

Some use the term bike boulevard. Portland, Ore., uses the term neighborhood greenway. I just like the term bikeway, said Edmond.

Comfort correlates with the amount of vehicle trafc and trafc speeds, according to Edmond. Bikeways are placed along routes with a higher level of comfort, meaning fewer cars and reduced speeds.

Its a route on which the vast majority of people who ride a bike would be comfortable, he said.

To illustrate the varying nature of Ada Countys roads, BW selected Eagle Road as a route north from the southwestern part of the county. Eagle Road, also known as Highway 55, features 55-mph speed limits and parts of the road carry more than 30,000 cars each day.

Since Eagle Road is a state highway, it is managed by the ITD. It has neither bike lanes nor sidewalks, but the state has a standard for four-foot shoulders, according to Ted Vanegas, ITD bicycle and pedestrian coordinator.

Instead of bike lanes, were looking at shoulder width, so that biking and walking along that area is a little safer, anyway, he said.

Vanegas said community planners have not yet had a chance to discuss bikes lanes on Eagle Road. But despite striping along the roads shoulder, Vanegas said Eagle Road isnt very comfortable to ride on.

Even the section with stripes; Ive ridden that section myself. You have trucks going 55

mph and its not comfortable at all, he said.Edmond describes roads like Eagle Road as

routes usually taken by experienced cyclists. Highway 55 has a big nice shoulder, but

not everybodys comfortable riding a 55-mph facility, said Edmond.

A more comfortable north-south routemeaning one with lower speeds and less traf-ccould take shape in the form of ACHDs proposed Shamrock Bikeway, a plan unlike other bike routes in town. Shamrock would consist of a bike-friendly corridor along existing roadways and newly paved pathways, extend-ing through residential neighborhoods from DeMeyer Park to President Drive. Plans call for completion in 2015 or 2016, at a cost of ap-proximately $500,000.

The city of Boise requested this a few years ago. A bolder cyclist is going to take Five Mile or Cloverdalesomebody whos not so much would take Shamrock, said Edmond.

As for connectivity, Boise Weekly rst ran into an issue where Emerald Street-Executive Drive meets Cloverdale Road. At the inter-section, sidewalks and bike lanes suddenly vanished, pushing riders into the road.

According to ACHD ofcials, bike lanes are slated for installation when crews widen Cloverdale Road.

This project is programmed in 2016, to widen Cloverdale Road to ve lanes from Franklin [Road] to Fairview Avenue, Edmond told Boise Weekly.

Connectivity issues like this are commonpaths end with little warning in both the eastern and western parts of the county. To give cyclists more direction to appropriate routesand to avoid connectivity issuesACHD began a project to install waynding markers on busy streets. Along the more common cycling routes crossing the valley, crews are installing green and white signs to help cyclists nd destinations. Signs are already in place along Emerald Road, parts of Parkcenter Boulevard and Hill Road.

Were trying to focus them, one: on where people ride, two: to better routes to ride on, said Edmond.

The signs advertise destinations like Hyde Park and the Greenbelt, the best routes to get there and distances to the locationwhether it be two minutes to City Hall or eight min-utes to downtown.

Those are based on speeds of 12 mph, so ve-minute miles in most cases, said Edmond.

In addition, Edmond plans to compile an updated map depicting the difference between high-speed streets like Meridian Road and bet-ter alternatives for cyclists.

Were actually looking at coming up with a better, more user-friendly map on what you can expect from a given route. Whether its high trafc, or low trafc, or speeds, where there are choke points in the system, he said.

For all the criticism of ACHD, Overton believes the highway district has clear goals for better bike infrastructure.

By comparison to a lot of communities in this country, what the Ada County Highway District is doing for bicyclists is really pretty good, said Overton. They have a great plan for adding all sorts of facilities, and theyre re-ally putting a lot of money into it.

Edmond also expressed condence.We will complete those gaps of bike lanes,

Edmond said.

Because of the patchwork of bike lanes, bikers often have to piece together the safest routes they can.2

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THURSDAYMAY 9opera

OPERATINI: MOONSHINE MADNESS

In our short-attention-span society, it can be challenging

to sit through a full-length ne arts performance. We dget and daydream and focus on distrac-tions. Thats why, from early on, the performing arts have been associated with boozeyou didnt think those 19th century opera-goers with their binoculars on sticks were stone sober, did you?

Thursday, May 9, from 6-8 p.m., Opera Idaho embraces that ne tradition with Operatini: Moonshine Madness. Sip a custom mixed drink or martini at Beside Bardenay, snack on ap-petizers and sit in comfort while cast members of Opera Idahos production of Susannahwhich runs at the Egyptian Theatre Friday, May 17, and Sunday, May 19sing a few tunes from the opera, along with some of their personal favorites.

Written by Carlisle Floyd in 1955, Susannah has been regarded as a metaphor for the Red Scare and, more specically, McCarthyism. Set in New Hope Valley, Tenn., the operas titular character is a misunderstood woman maligned, denounced and isolated from her community on account of its jealousy of her beauty.

But dont count on Moonshine

Madness having quite so heavy a theme.

Its a good chance to hear the singers before the show, said Fernando Menendez, Opera Idaho education coordinator.

Tickets cost $20 each or two for $35, and the ticket price includes appetizers, but youre going to have to pony up for those martinis.

6-8 p.m. $20. Beside Barde-nay, 612 W. Grove St., Boise, 208-426-0538, operaidaho.org.

SATURDAYMAY 11beer

PAYETTE BREWING ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Since its taps started pour-ing in 2011, Payette Brewing

BOISE WEEKLY PICKSvisit boiseweekly.com for more events

Danke schoen, baby.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAYMAY 13-15radfahren

BOISE BIKE WEEKWere not pointing any ngers here, folks, but Boiseans could use

their bikes more often. Regular exercise and a balanced diet are the bifecta of health, physical hardiness and beauty, and as much as Boiseans love the great outdoors, it couldnt hurt to love them a little more by jumping on those bikes.

Thats why theres Boise Bike Week, running from Monday, May 13, through Saturday, May 18. Bike-themed events, from workshops to community rides to education programs, pepper every day of the two-wheeled celebration.

Start off Bike Week with the rst group ride of the week, the Twi-light Ride, Monday, May 13, at 6 p.m. The ride gets going at Joyride Cycles in Hyde Park and meanders through Boises North End before nishing at Sun Ray Cafe for pizza, drink specials and tunes by local band Stoneseed. The ride lasts 45 minutes and a signed waiver (available online) and helmet are required.

If mountain biking excites you but you could use some pointers on being a better single-track rider, join the Southwest Mountain Biking Association for a mountain biking intro and skills ride starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at Camels Back Park.

If youre curious about keeping your bike in clean and working order, try the bicycle maintenance class at Boise Bicycle Project Tues-day, May 14, starting at 7 p.m. There, youll learn the importance of regular professional tune-ups, as well as the basics of lubing chains, tightening brakes and keeping moving and sensitive parts clear of debris and grime.

Helmets are required for all events, so be sure to protect that noggin. For a full schedule of events running through the end of Bike Weekincluding the blowout block partycheck the event website.

Monday, May 13-Saturday, May 18, FREE. Various locations, boisebikeweek.org.

Leave your cars at home and celebrate two wheels during Boise Bike Week.

THURSDAYMAY 9bueller, bueller

FERRIS BUELLERS DAY OFFFew high-school students have skipped schooland gotten away

with itquite like Ferris Bueller. In 1986, writer-director John Hughes turned a fresh-faced Matthew Broderick into a lovable truant who skips school and convinces his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) to join him in a Windy City romp.

In Bueller spirit, why not shirk midweek obligations for a night at the movies? Boise Classic Movies gives longtime fans and newbies alike the chance to catch Ferris Buellers Day Off on the big screen at the Egyptian Theatre, Thursday, May 9.

Watch Bueller and company attend a Cubs game, take a trip through a swanky Chicago art museum and joyride in a 1961 Ferrari 250GT California, all before Bueller inserts himself in the middle of a raucous paradejust one of many iconic scenes from the movie. Will curmudgeonly Dean of Students Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) catch the gang in the act? Find out only by watching the lm.

Tickets cost $9 on the Boise Classic Movies website, or $11 at the Egyptian box ofce the night of the show. Beer and wine will be available for purchase for 21-and-older moviegoers. Could you ask for anything more on a Thursday night? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

7 p.m. $9-$11. Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main St., Boise, 208-387-1273, boiseclassicmovies.com.


FIND

RETRO ARCADE PONCHO

Anyone who grew up pumping quarters into an old-school Pac Man arcade game has an unnatural fear of Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clydethe games pixilated ghosts. Though Pac Man would get a temporary reprieve from the endless chase after scarng a power pellet, the deadly demons would always return.

Now its your turn to strike fear into the hearts of disembodied yellow heads. The Retro Arcade Poncho lets you dress up like the shadow-lurking Blinky or the bashful

Inky, while protecting you from being attacked by raindrops.The rain ponchos, made by London-based gift design

company Spinning Hat, are being marketed as a must-have for the festival season. Not only will they keep you dry and free from the mud, but youll instantly be turned into an arcade character.

Spinning Hats hooded, lightweight, one-size-ts-all ponchos are also available in other designs, including a fried egg or a pug. You can purchase the Retro Arcade Ponchos online at spinninghat.com for 4.99 British pounds, or locally at the Flying M Coffeehouse for $7.75.

As the package says, no longer will rain mean Game Over.

Tara Morgan

spinninghat.com

FLYING M COFFEEHOUSE500 W. Idaho St.208-345-4320

yingmcoffee.com

Company has made quite a name for itself in the Boise area. The brewmasters made history by being the rst in Idaho to put two of their staple selections in cans, and have since made Payette a go-to brewing com-pany amid the overowing Boise beer market.

To celebrate its second year in business, Payette Brewing is throwing a party with all the trimmings. Start-

ing at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11, food trucks Calle 75 and Rice Works will provide the feast, and brew fans can mingle with the whole crew from Payette while sipping on the brewerys signature beers.

In keeping with the com-panys theme of giving back to the community, theres an opportunity for beer lovers to donate to Team in Train-ing, a nonprot fundraising

program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A $5 donation enters you into a drawing for a rafting trip with the Brew Crew of Payette Brewing, with all proceeds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And if you are feeling nos-talgic for childhood summer carnival days, bring enough dough for the dunk tank. A

member of Payette Brewing will be dumped in water (with good aim) for charity and for fun.

2 p.m. FREE-$5. Payette Brewing Company, 111 W. 33rd St., Garden City, 208-344-0011, payettebrewing.com.

How does your garden bloom?

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

FRIDAYMAY 10foliage

NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAYIdaho Botanical Garden is one of Boises crown jewels.

Not only does IBG host musical gatherings in the summer months, but it is also the permanent home to some of the most beautiful plant life in the state. From peonies and irises to native plants and herbs, the gardens have every variety to suit the botanist as well as the ower-admirer.

Unfortunately, not all of us have the green to see the green. If youre a plant-lover on a budget, mark Friday, May 10, on your calendar. Thats when the Botanical Garden celebrates National Public Gardens Day with free admission from 10:30 a.m. to dusk.

It wont be a casual stroll-through-the-owers affair. IBG staff is planning a full day of excitement for those in search of refuge in the foliage. Jazzy musical performances from Boise Straight Ahead will be the kickoff for the afternoon, starting around 2 p.m. Food truck favorites Rice Works, Saint Lawrence Gridiron and A Cupcake Paradise roll in around 5 p.m., along with Crooked Fence Brewing and Indian Creek Winery to provide staple summer beverages.

Throughout the day, local garden and environmental busi-nesses will provide more information about their work so those of us without a green thumb of our our can stop killing everything in our own yards.

10 a.m.-dusk, FREE. Idaho Botanical Garden, 2355 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, 208-343-8649, idahobotanicalgarden.org.

Boises U.S. Assay Ofcestill standing after all these years.

THURSDAYMAY 9history

IDAHOS TERRITORIAL ARCHITECTUREThe Idaho State Capitol, with its sandstone blocks and

sprawling staircases, is a looker when it comes to buildings. But just as prettybut much less renownedwas the Idaho Territorial Capitol, completed before statehood and demolished in 1919 to make way for the current Statehouse.

In the period between President Abraham Lincolns creation of Idaho Territory in 1863, and before statehood in 1890, came 27 years of construction that left our state with numer-ous treasuressome of which still stand 150 years later.

Historians Dan Everhart, Tricia Canaday and Don Watts helped compile a database of the remaining territorial-era buildings for a lecture titled Building Towards Statehood: Idahos Territorial Architecture. Everhart, Canaday and Watts are traveling across the state in May to deliver lectures about the project in Ketchum, Coeur dAlene, Weiser, Idaho Falls and Boise.

Among those historic buildings in downtown Boise, just a few blocks from the bustle of Sixth and Main streets, stands the Old U.S. Assay Ofce, home to the ofces of the Idaho State Historical Societythe same folks now helping to cel-ebrate the Idaho territorial sesquicentennial.

Everharts presentation will take place in the Hayes Audito-rium at Boise Public Librarys main branch on Thursday, May 9, beginning at 7 p.m. Hell walk visitors through the progression from Idahos earliest, largely utilitarian, architecture through the rise of more ornate styles. While Boise is home to the Old Assay Ofce and the Jacobs-Uberuaga House, elsewhere, territorial buildings still stand in Silver City, Idaho City, Fort Sherman and beyond.

7 p.m. FREE. Boise Public Library, Hayes Auditorium, 715 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, 208-384-4076, history.idaho.gov.

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WEDNESDAY MAY 8On Stage

SOUTH PACIFICBoise Music Week presents Rogers and Ham-mersteins WWII musical. 7:30 p.m. FREE, tickets required. Mor-rison Center for the Performing Arts, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, 208-426-1609, boisemu-sicweek.org.

Talks & Lectures

BATTLEFIELD IN THE NORTH-ERN GREAT BASINJoin Ken Reid of the Idaho State Historical Society for a talk titled Battleeld in the Northern Great Basin. 7 p.m. FREE. Idaho State Historical Museum, 610 N. Julia Davis Drive, Boise, 208-334-2120, history.idaho.gov.

THURSDAY MAY 9Festivals & Events

OPERATINI: MOON-SHINE MADNESSEn-joy an original martini

created by a local master mixologist and arias sung by the cast of Susannah. See Picks, Page 18. 6 p.m. $20, $35 for two. Beside Bardenay, 612 Grove St., Boise, 208-426-0538, operaidaho.org.

On Stage

COMEDY AT THE VARSITY: PETE GEORGE 7 p.m. FREE. Varsity Pub, 1441 N. Eagle Road, Meridian, 208-906-0658, varsity-pubmeridian.com.

SOUTH PACIFICSee Wednes-day. 7:30 p.m. FREE, tickets required. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, 208-426-1609, boisemusicweek.org.

Literature

MOTHER KNOWS BETTER: SENSE AND NONSENSE FROM AMERICAN MOMSBuy a copy of Mother Knows Better, a book of motherly sayings from America and Canada and get it signed by the author. 5:30 p.m. $10. Ber-ryhill & Co. Restaurant, 121 N. Ninth St., Boise, 208-387-3553, mymomisms.com.

THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLDJoin Boise State University Eng-lish professor Jennifer Black for a presentation and discussion of Thousand Pieces of Gold, a book about Polly Bemis, a Chinese servant girl living in Idahos War-ren mining district in the 1800s. For more info or to register, call 208-384-4076. 6 p.m. FREE. Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, 208-384-4200, boisepubliclibrary.org.

8 DAYS OUT

ARTS/REVIEW

FLEETING PERFORMANCE AND VISUAL ART TRANSFORM THE MODERN HOTEL

Boises premier pop-up arts happening, Modern Art, once again squeezed a huge crowd into the connes of the Modern Hotel and Bar First Thursday, May 2.

Milling about doorways, makeshift dance oors, balconies and the buildings courtyard, attendees slowly led through 33 rooms transformed into miniature galleries by Boise artists.

Modern Art is a vastly different experience for artists, who traditionally hang their work in galleries or museums.

Art can sometimes be a quiet experience, where its away from the spectacle, whereas Modern Art is really like a spec-tacle, like going on stage at a rock event, Moscow artist David Herbold told Boise Weekly.

Herbold and his wife, Lauren McCleary-Herbold, transformed the Modern Hotel courtyard with three stations designed for interaction, including a popular letter-writing podium. Art at the event ran the gamut from ceramics to mixed media to performance art, often with an interactive air.

In Room 242, visitors took pen to paper, plastering the walls with speed art, courtesy of the Boise State Drawing and Painting Guild.

A collective called Super Art Soda created an engaging environment in Room 224 with its large-scale installations. A toilet paper sign on the rooms door advertised Sex + Turf War + Religion + Pottery. Inside, one bed was dominated by two pastel-colored walruses, each with sharp tusks covered with barnacle-like airplane turbines.

In Room 107, Tom Bennick formed paper pulp in the rooms tiled shower, pressing out the water to create rectangular sheets of fresh-made paper.

Tod Alans room, 226, was draped entirely in white. Alan sat in the corner of the room in a owing white dress and a mask, surrounded by white walls. Alan held a small square with the word HOW??? and made robotic movements.

Most rooms were a mix of showcase pieces and art avail-able for sale, though some, like the Vinyl Preservation Society in Room 221, served as a place to boogie. DJs in sparkling outts cued up classic dance tracks.

Downstairs, Trevor Kamplain doled out slices of mango in Room 109, which also incorporated music. White posts rising from the bed held collage prints that combined landscapes with cobras, ying saucers and pictures of the pope.

While Modern Art is largely about individual artists, its difcult to point to a single room as more successful than an-other. Its perhaps easier to look at the event as a wholeas a temporary, building-wide installation that disappears each year almost as quickly as it arrives.

Andrew Crisp

Modern Art-ers interacted with a giant, clay covered bed in Room 104.

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View a photo slideshow of Modern Art 2013 at

boiseweekly.com.


Talks & Lectures

BUILDING TOWARDS STATEHOOD: IDAHOS TERRITORIAL

ARCHITECTUREDan Everhart, an architectural historian from the Idaho Transportation Department, presents 150 structures from the Idaho Territory. See Picks, Page 19. 7 p.m. FREE. Boise Public Library, Hayes Auditorium, 715 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, boisepubliclibrary.org.

Odds & Ends

LADIES LOUNGEToss back some cocktails with the ladies of

Boise Weekly and enjoy prize giveaways, drink specials and oh so much more. Visit BWs promo page to get the 4-1-1. 5 p.m. FREE. Willi Bs Saloon, 12505 Chinden Blvd., Boise, 208-331-5666, willibs.com.

FRIDAY MAY 10Festivals & Events

SECOND FRIDAY WILD WEST FIELD DAYGrab your prison stripes and cowboy hat for the Wild West Field Day, the rst in a summer series of Second Friday events. Featuring potato sack races, a stick horse course, quick-draw squirt gun chal-lenge, outlaw toss, guided tours and a scavenger hunt. Last admission at 9 p.m. 6-10 p.m. $3-$5 adults, $3 kids. Old Idaho State Penitentiary, 2445 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, 208-368-6080, history.idaho.gov/oldpen.html.

SNOOZE AT THE ZOO FAMILY OVERNIGHTZoo Boise guides provide families with evening and early morning treks through the zoo to investigate animals, their habitats, behavior and care. Activities, games, art projects and up-close animal encounters are also part of the adventure. Light evening snack and break-fast, and covered sleeping areas provided. For children ages 7 and older, with parent/guardian. 7 p.m. $40-$50. Zoo Boise, 355 Julia Davis Drive, Boise, 208-384-4125, zooboise.org.

On Stage

COMEDY AT THE VARSITY: PETE GEORGE 7 p.m. $8. Varsity Pub, 1441 N. Eagle Road, Meridian, 208-906-0658, varsity-pubmeridian.com.

SOUTH PACIFICSee Wednes-day. 7:30 p.m. FREE, tickets required. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, 208-426-1609, boisemusicweek.org.

Concerts

CARLOS PRIETO MASTER CLASSInternationally renowned cellist teaches a semi-nar. Reserve seats at 208-954-8852. See Arts News, Page 28. 6 p.m. FREE. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, 208-426-1609, mc.boisestate.edu.

FIDDLERS PILGRIMAGE: THE WEISER LEGACY CONCERTThis tribute to the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest and Festival features Squeaky Strings, Rue Frisbee, Chicken Dinner Road and Sedra Bisto-deau. 7 p.m. $7-$15. Boise State Special Events Center, 1800 University Drive, Boise, sub.boisestate.edu.

Literature

DAVID ABRAMS READING AND BOOK SIGNINGBestselling au-thor David Abrams reads from and signs copies of Fobbit, a darkly satirical novel about the Iraq War. 7:30 p.m. FREE. Rediscovered Books, 180 N. Eighth St., Boise, 208-376-4229, rdbooks.org.

Odds & Ends

NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAYCel-ebrate Americas public

gardens, which promote environmental responsibility and conservation with free admission to see the rst buds of spring. See Picks, Page 19. 10 a.m. FREE. Idaho Botanical Garden, 2355 N. Penitentiary Road, Boise, 208-343-8649, idahobotanicalgarden.org.

SATURDAY MAY 11Festivals & Events

CREATE COMMON GOOD POP-UP SHOPVisit the Create Common Good Pop-up Shop for a cheese-making class, face painting, plantings and cultural education. Noon-6 p.m. FREE. Boise 150 Sesqui-Shop, 1008 Main St., Boise, 208-433-5671.

MOTHERS DAY CHARITY CAR SHOWHelp stock up the Star Food Bank at this community event. Featuring classic and antique autos, Mothers Day giveaways, awards, a live band, barbecue and refreshments, Mrs. Star dunk tank, business scavenger hunt, prizes and more. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dona-tions of canned food. Estrella Plaza, 9712 W. State St., Star, momzgarage.com.

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


THE SCHICK-OSTOLASA FARMSTEAD PRESENTS GAR-DEN PLEASURES AND HOME TREASURESPurchase plants, artisan birdhouses, homemade benches and more for Mothers Day. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. FREE. Hidden Springs Village Green, Hidden Springs Drive, Hidden Springs.

PAYETTE BREWING SECOND ANNIVER-SARYCelebrate

Payette Brewings second anniversary with a dunk tank, enter to win a raft trip, listen to live music and get some grub from the Calle 75 and Rice Works food trucks. See Picks, Page 18. 2-10 p.m. FREE. Payette Brewing Company, 111 W. 33rd St., Garden City, 208-344-0011, payettebrewing.com.

On Stage

COMEDY AT THE VARSITY: PETE GEORGE 7 p.m. $8. Varsity Pub, 1441 N. Eagle Road, Meridian, 208-906-0658, varsity-pubmeridian.com.

DOUG BENSONKnown for his weed jokes, this comedian-lmmaker brings his peculiar brand of humor to Boise. 9 p.m. $16-$22. Knitting Factory Concert House, 416 S. Ninth St., Boise, 208-367-1212, bo.knittingfactory.com.

AN EVENING OF COWBOY PO-ETRYEnjoy an evening of cow-boy poetry and Western-themed comedy, featuring local comedian Gabe Dunn and poets Dan Re-ride Smith, Randy Melton and Cliff Shinn. Kick off the evening at 6 p.m. with a Ranch-hand Round-up Dinner for $9. 7 p.m. FREE. Boise Stage Stop, 23801 S. Orchard Access Road, I-84 off Exit 71, Boise, 208-343-1367, boisestagestop.org.

PEEKABOO BONANZASaddle up for burlesque by Glitterati Gals, drag diva Lady Delicious and Velocity Pole Art. 7:30 p.m. $5-$8. Shortys Saloon, 5467 Glenwood, Garden City, 208-378-7363.

SOUTH PACIFICSee Wednesday. 2 p.m. FREE, tickets required. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, 2201 Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, 208-426-1609, boisemusicweek.org.

Concerts

CARLOS PRIETOSee Friday. 7 p.m. FREE. Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main St., Boise, 208-345-0454, egyptiantheatre.net.

Green

TOMATO AND VEGGIE PLANT SALEThis plant sale features 170 types of heirloom and rare tomatoes, as well as peppers, melons, cucumbers, eggplants, herbs and squash. Plants cost $2-$5. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE. Peaceful Belly Farm, corner of Dry Creek and Broken Horn roads, Hidden Springs, 208-345-8003, peacefulbelly.com.

Kids & Teens

CHILDRENS BOOK SIGN-INGAward-winning childrens author AJ Irving signs copies of her picture book, Mamas Purse. 3-7 p.m. FREE. Hastings, 680 E. Boise Ave., Boise, 208-345-9428, ajsbooksllc.com.

Odds & Ends

MAKE A GLASS PROJECT WITH MOMCreate a fused glass project with your mom (or your fa-vorite female). Make a $5 I Love Mom glass sun catcher. Tea and cookies served. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts at $5. Fusions Glass Studio, 347 S. Edgewood Lane, Ste. 120, Eagle, 208-938-1055, fusions-idaho.com.

SUNDAY MAY 12Festivals & Events

JEWELRY FASHION SHOWCheck out the jewelry designs of local artists Amy Bishop, Claire Lee and Debra Barger while enjoying a Mothers Day brunch. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. FREE. Salt Tears Coffeehouse & Noshery, 4714 W. State St., Boise, 208-275-0017, salttears.com.

MOTHERS DAY CELEBRA-TIONEnjoy Free Range Pizza, new release wines from Hells Canyon and Zhoo Zhoo, and fea-tured teas from BeFragrant and Lifespan. For more info or to re-serve a spot call 208-283-1501. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $10-$12. Hells Canyon Winery, 18835 Symms Road, Caldwell, 208-454-3300, hellscanyonwinery.org.

Green

TOMATO AND VEGGIE PLANT SALESee Saturday. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE. Peaceful Belly Farm, corner of Dry Creek and Broken Horn roads, Hidden Springs, 208-345-8003, peacefulbelly.com.

MONDAY MAY 13Sports & Fitness

TWILIGHT RIDEGo on a 45-minute bike ride through the North End

as part of Boise Bike Week. See Picks, Page 19. 6 p.m. FREE. Joyride Cycles, 1306 Alturas St., Boise, 208-947-0017, boisebikeweek.org.

TUESDAY MAY 14Talks & Lectures

ISLAM: A VIEW FROM THE WESTJoin Idaho Humanities Council speaker Michael Zirinsky for a discussion of Islams recep-tion by European and North American cultures. 6:30 p.m. FREE. Ada Community Library, 10664 W. Victory Road, Boise, 208-362-0181, adalib.org.

TERRITORIAL BUILDINGS IN IDAHO CITYHear Susie

Osgood talk about Territorial Buildings in Idaho City. See Picks, Page 19. 7 p.m. FREE. Library at Cole and Ustick, 7557 W. Ustick Road, Boise, 208-570-6900, boisepublicli-brary.com.

EYESPYReal Dialogue from the naked city

8 DAYS OUT

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Sports & Fitness

ADAPTIVE BIKE FAIRSee what modied bicycles

Boiseans have built for Boise Bike Week. See Picks, Page 19. 5:30-8 p.m. $1. Fort Boise Community Center, 700 Robbins Road, Boise, 208-384-4486, boisebikeweek.org.

STREET SMART CYCLINGGet a one-hour condensed

version of the Street Smarts Cycling Course taught by Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance as part of Boise Bike Week. See Picks, Page 19. 6 p.m. FREE. World Cycle and XC Ski, 1407 W. State St., Boise, boisebikeweek.org.

WEDNESDAY MAY 15Food & Drink

DISHCRAWL YOUR WAY INTO MAYTaste your way through a night of local cuisine at four eateries. RSVP online. Ticket holders are be notied of meeting location via email 48 hours prior to the event. For more info email [email protected]. 7 p.m. $45, dishcrawl.com/boise.

Sports & Fitness

PEDAL POWER POTLUCK PICNIC IN THE PARKPedal to the

park for a potluck as part of Boise Bike Week. See Picks, Page 19. 6 p.m. FREE, boisebikeweek.org. Sierra Club, 503 W. Franklin St., Boise, 208-384-1023.

RIDE OF SILENCEGo on a silent, ve-mile ride in honor of fallen cyclists

as part of Boise Bike Week. See Picks, Page 19. 6:45 p.m. FREE, boisebikeweek.org. Camels Back Park, 1200 W. Heron St., Boise.

WOMENS ROAD OR MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDEMeet at the

Velodrome for a 21.5-mile, two-hour road cycling ride or a 10-12-mile mountain bike ride as part of Boise Bike Week. See Picks, Page 19. 5 p.m. FREE. Idaho Velodrome and Cycling Park, Old Horseshoe Bend Road, Eagle, boisebikeweek.org.

8 DAYS OUT

Check out the entire weeks worth of Doonesbury online at boiseweekly.comselect Extras then Cartoons.


NOISE

NOT FADE AWAY

Yo La Tengo navigates loud and soft over decades-long career

CHRIS PARKER

Most bands are like jump shooters: their limit-ed skills, talent or imagination consign them to repeating the same move over and over again. Yo La Tengo has the opposite problem. Having been proved procient at both loud, crunchy rock songs and more delicate, decidedly indie-pop ballads, the question is, what to do now?

Over its three-decade career, the New Jersey triocomprised of Ira Kaplan on guitar, James McNew on bass and Georgia Hubley on drumshas established itself as a rightful heir to the Velvet Undergrounds throne. The Vel-vets went from the tender beauty of Pale Blue Eyes to the cacophonous thrum of Venus in Furs. Across Yo La Tengos 13 studio albums, the band has displayed similar range.

But this equal-handed spirit is a lot harder to maintain in loud clubs and bars. More often than not, Yo La Tengo will slide in a few quiet-er songs as a change of pace in a rock-oriented set. But on occasion, the band has attempted entire shows of quieter material.

With its latest tour, Yo La Tengo may have hit on the perfect balance.

There is no opening act, explained James McNew, the bands bassist for the past 22 years. Were doing two setsone softer, one louder.

I really like the way it feels, McNew continued. It allows songs we dont play very often to nd a home. Songs that we didnt play at all now have a place. Its interesting because, in the quiet set, I can hear gradations of quiet, where some sound quiet, some are medium and some are almost not-quiet. It creates this new mode. Its like a different thing.

It must be the season for different things, because the band re-corded its latest album, Fade, with someone other than Roger Moutenot for the rst time in two decades. The group went to an old friend: John McEntire, drummer for Chicago-based bands Tortoise and The Sea and Cake.

With more than three years elapsed since the bands last record, 2009s Popular Songs, Yo La Tengo knew it needed to return to the studio, but the band also wanted to keep things interesting.

We just wanted to do something different. Wed known John for a long time. In fact, it seemed strange that we hadnt done anything

with him before, McNew said.But there was a feeling-things-out period. Wed worked with Roger for so long, he

knew what we liked and why. With John, we had to learn how to communicate that, and it really forced us to dene and express what we wantedwhich we hadnt thought about doing at the outset, but it proved to be a very positive experience, McNew said.

Popular Songs featured some of the bands prettiest pop songslike Avalon or Someone Very Similar and the R&B-avored, If Its Truewith the 15-minute skronky guitar freakout, The Fireside, a spacey 11-minute song and a couple rockers. Fade, on the other hand, is cut of one cloth, recalling both the dreamy atmospheric drift of the bands 1997 masterpiece, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, and the hazy, summery tenor of 2003s Summer Sun.

There are all manner of odd, idiosyncratic sounds that stretch across the album, particu-larly in the song introslike the near-indus-trial, rubber-band rhythm of Stupid Things, or the feedback-laden start to the eminently

hummable Paddle Forward. Dotted with sonic detail and enveloped in gauzy melody, its an album that can swath you in comforting warmth or slowly reveal its subtle mysteries, depending on your mood.

Of course, originals are just part of what

the group does. Over the years, Yo La Tengo has developed a reputation for its covers, dedicating albums to them, such as 1990s Fakebook and 2009s Fuckbook (released under the bands Condo Fucks alias). The band even does pro bono work for New Jerseys independent community radio station, WFMU. The group takes part in the iconic stations

annual pledge drive by playing requests to the best of its ability/memory.

Its a blast to listen to, and the band has fun, as well. McNew described it as one of the things that I do which Im most proud of.

This March, Yo La Tengo broadcast live from Berlin, where it was on tour.

They devised a way we could do it. They knew someone in Berlin who had a studio, said McNew. It all came together such that we were able to play and commu-nicate with each other back and forth. I cant believe it worked, and Im so glad we did it. But it is very much like going into a trance. Youre trying to get all this information out of your brain and problem solving while also letting go of that inhibition about making an ass of yourself.

McNew sees the cover song as a form of communicationa signal of community.

When a band plays a cover, it gives me insight into who they are, and its also a feeling like, Oh, you like that song? I like that song, too, he said. It can be a band or a [hip-hop] producer or someone you never met and probably never will, and yet you have that in common. Its a very interesting phenomena and bond.

Though Yo La Tengo has endured in the underground rock scene long enough to become esteemed elders, its not something its members really reect upon. While they appre-ciate the accolades, theyre too concerned with continuing to grow and evolve to spend much time in the past.

Its unnatural to think about our legacy, said McNew. Theres a book that is about us and I thought it was great. I love the writer and I thought he did a good job. We gave him our full cooperation. Yet it felt so bizarre for the book to end. While the book was ending, we were writing Fade, and it is a very strange feeling. I did almost feel like I might die be-cause the book was nishing. So mostly I try to stay now, and stay in the moment.

Yo La Tengo brought in a new producer for its latest album, Fade.

Tuesday, May 14, 7:30 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. show, $20-$40.

KNITTING FACTORY CONCERT HOUSE 416 S. Ninth St. 208-367-1212

bo.knittingfactory.com

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LISTEN HERE/GUIDE

OS MUTANTES, MAY 9, NEUROLUXFew bands can claim to make music so dangerous, its

members become enemies of the state. Brazils Os Mutantes is one of those lucky few.

Formed in the mid-1960sas Brazil was in the clutches of military ruleOs Mutantes combination of American psyche-delic pop and traditional Brazilian music was targeted by the government, resulting in frequent raids during live concerts and attempts to censor the bands lyrics.

Bands like Talking Heads, The Flaming Lips and Of Montreal have cited Os Mutantes as a major inuence. Kurt Cobain allegedly tried to track down the band to get it to re-form while Nirvana was touring Brazil. Beck said it was all he would listen to for years.

Os Mutantes reunited in 2006 to record its rst new album in three decades and hasnt stopped touring since.

Josh Gross

With Capsula. 7 p.m., $15 adv., $20 door. Neurolu

Boise Weekly Vol. 21 Issue 46

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Transcript of Boise Weekly Vol. 21 Issue 46