HDJ Online Journal

Panamint Range, Death Valley

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Cumulus clouds of hard blue edge snag on high tabletops of rock, unravel. Water-poor, they won't travel farther, won't baptize tourists stranded on the valley floor in a broken-down VW bus. The valley's little more than a bowl of sand radiating heat even as the sun sets. We pray for a savior to repair our broken radiator. Nothing else to do, we watch the sky, the clouds. Because of them the peak's unsure, it cultivates a hide-and-seek relationship. Looking up, even with both feet planted on the ground, it's hard not to fall dizzy. Trick of clouds, motion and light, everything seems to rise, but tectonically speaking, this valley's a graben. It drops imperceptibly toward earth's core, but takes us along minutely, measurably, farther from heaven.

That Place Where Land and Sky Meet

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Cam's car crawled away from The Plaza, towards the edge of the earth, where clouds stacked up on the horizon like waves. That's how it was in Santa Fe. The clouds all hovered by the horizon instead of directly overhead, like something exciting might happen at that place where land and sky meet.

These clouds were dark and the traffic was slow. Cam's hangover was gone, and his body was tired and warm in a malleable way. Sex with that girl from the bar had been sweaty and long and loud, not like it was the first time with Joan. They did it in Joan's apartment in Chelsea, three weeks after they'd met. He had fumbled with Joan's bra and fumbled with the condom. They had to shift several times to make their bodies meet, to find those perfect places where they fit. When it was over, Joan asked, "Did you . . . ?" and he asked, "Did you . . . ?" and they both had, and they might even had at the same time, but it was too hard to tell and that made them laugh.

The traffic crawl stopped. Cars pulled over to the side of the road. People stood on the mesa and stared. An accident, Cam thought. Something violent. Something red. But there was no panic reflected in their faces. No fear. Just a weird amber glow. Cam pulled over and stood with the others at the side of the road.

Something actually blurred the line where the land and sky met, a sweep of clouds, like a giant wave that even the craziest surfer wouldn't ride. Near the earth it was purple and black, malevolent and dense. As it rose to the sky, it lightened into grey, then turned periwinkle, then white white. The ferocious clouds swirled into foamy loop after loop. But what everyone stared at was the light: One beam streaking through all that black and purple and grey, shining on a lone piñon tree. You could see nothing else around it - no dirt, no adobe or cars or roads. Just one tree glowing gold.
"God light," whispered the woman standing next to Cam.

It was dark in Manhattan. If Joan was looking out her window, if she could somehow see through the buildings and the lights and smog, she still couldn't see this sky. Cam held his cell phone in front of him. He faced it toward the swirling mess of purple and grey, and snapped a picture. He typed in Joan's email address and hit "send."

Cam turned away and got in his car. With sunglasses shielding his eyes, he continued home while everyone else stood and stared.

HDJ Interview: Nate Ronniger

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Nate Ronniger creates fun, colorful oil paintings that create a story board. Ronniger lives in Arizona where he solely focuses on fine art painting. Below you will find an insight to Nate's personal style, influences and life.

Tyler Roemer (TR): When did you first start in the medium of oil painting?
Nate Ronniger (NR): I was fortunate to begin oil painting in high school. It gave me a three year head start in becoming acquainted with brushes, canvas and stretching.

TR: Have you painted in any other mediums other than oil?
NR: I have used watercolors and acrylics. Those mediums were part of my education and learning process. I never used them for long periods of time. Occasionally, I still use design markers for constructing sketches, but oils will always be my primary medium.

TR: What inspires you to paint?
NR: My inspiration can come from anything, but most often it comes from architecture, designers, movies, photographs and books. For instance, my latest series of paintings includes designer chairs by Panton, Eames and others. They are so well designed, it is inspiring to compose an entire still-life around the lines, colors and shapes of these chairs.

TR: I see that your subjects consist on figurines such as Playmobil® characters and other fun creatures. What made you decide to step away from landscape painting and create these fun pieces?
NR: It is difficult to differentiate yourself as a landscape artist. That subject matter has been mastered and explored many times. I was just experimenting with some objects that seemed interesting to me and it stuck.

TR: Typically how long does it take you to complete a piece? Do you ever leave a piece unfinished and come back to it at a later date?
NR: It depends on size and complexity. A painting can take anywhere from a week to a couple months. I don't ever sit them aside. It's important to keep at it. There is a loss of momentum if I am even to take a break for a couple days, so I usually don't even take weekends until I am between paintings.

TR: What if any are some struggles that you are faced with when painting a piece and having the career as an artist?
NR: Pacing myself for shows is an ongoing challenge. I have to provide enough paintings to present a large collection of never-before-seen pieces, but that can take months. And in the meantime, I cannot sell or show them. So it's a bit of a roller-coaster ride.

TR: In this day in age of booming artists in every facet, how do you create an "original" piece of work that's not labeled cliché?
NR: I don't think much about that when creating them. I draw a lot of inspiration from other artists, designers, media. Everything is derivative in some way. Even a landscape artist is imitating nature. I try to be myself and paint the things that excite me. As long as that is authentic there will always be moments of originality.

TR: Have you won any awards? Where can we find your art today?
NR: I've won many awards, including Western Division Winner for New American Paintings. And my work has been published in Southwest Art, American Art Collector and Desert Living Magazine to name a few. You can find my work at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona and Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, Texas.

TR: Can you give any words of encouragement that will help other aspiring artists?
NR: Work. That's the first thing. It is not an easy job. It takes discipline, and endless hours of solitude. Some of it is marketing, some is networking, but in the end, if you haven't put the hours in, none of the rest of it will sustain you.

For more on Nate Ronniger you can visit his website at: nateronniger.com or e-mail him at: nate@nateronniger.com

Going Green: True Tales from Gleaners, Scavengers, and Dumpster Divers

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Never mind the middle-class trappings-Laura Pritchett is a Dumpster diver and proud of it. Ever since she was old enough to navigate the contents of a metal bin, she has reveled in the treasures found in other people's cast-offs.

For Going Green, Pritchett has gathered the work of more than 20 writers to tell their personal stories of dumpster diving, eating road kill, salvaging plastic from the beach and forgoing another trip to the mall for the thrill of bargain hunting at yard sales and flea markets. These stories look not just at the many ways people glean but also at the larger, thornier issues dealing with what re-using-or not-says about our culture and priorities.

The essayists speak to the joys of going beyond the norm to save old houses, old dishwater, old cultures, old Popsicle sticks and old friendships - and turning them into something new. Some write about gleaning as a means of survival, while others see the practice as a rejection of consumerism or as a way of treading lightly on the earth. Brimming with practical and creative new ways to think about recycling, this collection invites you to dive in and find your own way of going green.

Ways to Prevent Adultery, Numbers One Through Six

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

If your husband wants

to draw you naked,
let him do it.

Don't crawl
away limp-necked,
quivering snowberry

thighs you might think
you have. To him your flesh
is an alluvial tower

he climbs
like a mountain,
each pink smear

a ledge for his hands.
Let him tell you
he wants to carry

you over his shoulder.
If he loves pulp
in his orange juice

don't strain it out.
Think of the ocean
sealed in his skin.

But mostly,
if he is a sun man,
bring him sun,

your arms roping it in
as if holding
a million yellow moths,

their wings lit
like pitch in a forest
still smoldering

in August after
all the trees
have burned to the ground.

Ways to Prevent Adultery, Numbers Seven Through Nine

Forget baking. No man
ever wanted muffins
more than he wanted
to take you fishing. But don't
let his arms

work the oars so swiftly
you miss the nest of gold
finch flicking their sun-
swept world or the muskrat
taking its own time

so seriously. These are
muscles you both
need to stretch, pinch
awake from your swollen
lives. While your

raft scrapes pebbles
and swerves left
to dock against bunched
autumn grass,
plan to pull his face

close so you can watch
a black insect drill
into clay. What will it hurt
to burrow your
hand into his, take

the rod awhile,
cast until you catch
budding crimson,
some scrap of meat
you both can eat?

Ways to Prevent Adultery, Number Ten

The local gym is offering
pole dancing classes,
and you're signing up.
Nevermind feminist
studies, the woman telling you
not to be a basin
or a willow branch curving
around something empty
as wind. Yours is a pliant
spine; your rag-like
limbs stitch into scarves,
make ready for floods.
Lean into the breeze, into
the mouth of a river,
into a throat. His eyes
are not what that old
hag is thinking of-they
thicken to syrup
when you stir them.
You can build
a shrine of immunity,
somewhere he'll swim to
again and again.
You arc like a bird
finished molting, no longer
needing wings, the fibered
tracts, or the feathered skirt
of women gathering
about your hips, lips gapped
with language.

More Reading #10 Clean

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

See story from NPR's Morning Edition, May 30, 2008 that MH Noble mentions in her article:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90959034

Recent Timeline for Uranium Mining Issues in New Mexico

2003-2005 Price of uranium begins to rise from below $20/lb. Due to rising prices, several mining companies begin to express renewed interest in bringing uranium mining back to the Southwest, including the inactive Mount Taylor mine and other former uranium mining locations in the Grants, NM area.

Apr 29, 2005 Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley signs the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act (DNRPA) of 2005 into law. The act states, "No person shall engage in uranium mining and processing on any sites within Navajo Indian Country." The ban on uranium mining is largely prompted by the horrible environmental legacy of uranium mining activities on Native lands, including the Church Rock uranium tailings spill in 1979 - the largest release of radioactive waste in US history.

Nov 1, 2006 Navajo Nation hosts the Indigenous World Uranium Summit in Window Rock, AZ. Roughly 300 delegates from 14 countries and Indigenous nations gathered for the summit. The event highlighted the 2005 Diné Natural Resources Protection Act, and called upon delegates to unite in the Navajo Nation's cause to protect their land, water and people from the impacts of uranium mining.

2007 Price of uranium spikes to a record $136/lb.

The Federal EPA conducts a "time-critical removal" of radium-contaminated soil from five residential properties near the former Church Rock uranium mine site near Gallup, NM. The remedial action is a joint effort between the Navajo Nation EPA and US EPA to address contamination from historical uranium mining and milling operations on or near reservation land. (Note: remedial action was long overdue - the site had been inactive since ~1982.) This is one example of the "Exploit and Leave" environmental legacy of the uranium industry in New Mexico.

Mar 20, 2008 In response to a petition submitted by a coalition of Native American tribes (assisted by the Sierra Club), the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office granted Mount Taylor a one-year designation as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP). The temporary designation protects the mountain from exploratory uranium mining until mining permit applications are fully evaluated by tribal groups. Prior to the designation, state and federal agencies were not required to notify or solicit input from tribes when proposed actions on sacred lands were being evaluated.

2009 Public notices published for several proposed uranium exploration and mining operations in New Mexico, including: Rio Grande Resources to re-activate the Mount Taylor mine, Roca Honda Resources for uranium mining near San Mateo, Neutron Energy Inc. for uranium mining near Ambrosia Lake, and Laramide Resources Inc. for uranium mining on La Jara Mesa in the Mount Taylor District of Cibola National Forest. Some of the proposed actions are just outside the boundary of the Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Property designation.

Apr 28, 2009 The National Trust for Historic Places names Mount Taylor as one of the top 11 Endangered Historic Places.

May 15, 2009 New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office holds a public hearing for permanent designation of Mount Taylor as a Traditional Cultural Property. The meeting is highly contentious - 64 people registered to speak in favor of the nomination, 47 registered to speak in opposition.

Jun 5, 2009 The Cultural Properties Review Committee unanimously votes to permanently list Mount Taylor as a Traditional Cultural Property in the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties. The original nomination was revised to address concerns of some private land owners within the originally proposed boundaries; the Committee cites a 4:1 ratio of written comments in support of the permanent designation. The final designation protects a 344,729-acre TCP. The boundaries roughly follow those of the Cibola National Forest Mount Taylor Ranger District, an area determined by the National Park Service to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and qualified for Federal protection under the National Historic Preservation Act that addresses TCPs.

Jul 16, 2009 The Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE), a coalition of community groups affected by uranium mining and committed to renewable energy development, will host the Commemoration of the Church Rock Uranium Tailings Spill on July 16, 2009 in Church Rock, NM. The event will be held to remember and honor the Diné communities that were affected by the largest release of radioactive waste in US history, as set forth in the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act (DNRPA) of 2005.

Today, the price of uranium is roughly $50/lb.

Extensive remedial actions are still required at many inactive and abandoned uranium mining and milling sites in New Mexico.

Mining permit applications are still pending for several newly proposed uranium recovery operations, some of which are located just outside the boundary of the newly designated Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Place.

Mount Taylor is not a Federally protected place, and is still vulnerable to future uranium mining activities.

What we can do:
1. Demand clean-up of historical uranium mining and milling sites (EPA, NMED, NRC).
2. Support organizations that are working to protect Mount Taylor from uranium exploration and recovery activities (Sierra Club, National Trust for Historic Places, SRIC, NM Environmental Law Center, EDAUM, etc.).
3. Participate in the permit process for proposed uranium exploration and mining activities: submit written comments, request public hearings, attend public hearings.
4. Support research of, and investment in alternative energy sources.

Some Key Players in Mount Taylor, New Mexico Uranium Issues
Regulatory Agencies:
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
US EPA
US Forest Service
US National Park Service (potentially, if listed on National Register of Historic Places)
Navajo Nation EPA, other tribal EPAs
NM Environment Department
NM Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department
NM Department of Cultural Affairs, Historic Preservation Division

Environmental & Native American Advocacy Groups:
Sierra Club
National Trust for Historic Places
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
Southwest Research Information Center (SRIC)
Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE)
Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission
Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM)

Native Tribes:
Acoma Pueblo
Hopi Tribe
Laguna Pueblo
Navajo Nation
Zuni Pueblo

Mining Companies:
Rio Grande Resources Corp. (subsidiary of General Atomics): plans to re-open Mt. Taylor Mine
Hydro Resources Inc. (subsidiary of Uranium Resources, Inc.): site near Crownpoint, NM
Roca Honda Resources LLC: proposed exploration near San Mateo, NM
Vane Minerals PLC: proposed mining near Deer Creek, Catron County, NM
Red Basin LLC: 2 proposed sites (Baca & White Mesa projects) in Catron County, NM
Neutron Energy Inc.: 2 proposed sites (Elizabeth & Marquez Canyon) near Ambrosia Lake, NM
Western Uranium Corp: proposed Treeline project near old Marquez & San Mateo mines.
Laramide Resources Inc.: exploration & proposed mining at La Jara Mesa in Cibola NF

The Hour of the Snake

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

We're coming down from Wassan Peak

in the twilight
when a sharp quick rasp,
metallic in the dry air,
of a rattler stretched across the trail
freezes us in place.

The first of anything provokes wonder,
and J.D. is aroused.
He inches closer than he should,
stares into the lidless eyes, inspects
the latticework of scales.
"I know I can't take it home," he says,
so I have to memorize it."
He wants to touch it with a stick.

Moving again, darker now,
he lurches in fits and stops behind me,
revelling in the encounter,
already reliving it.
"Did you see the way it looked at me?
What do you think it was thinking?"
He can't wait to write about it.

A couple of minutes down trail,
the next snake thrills its warning
from behind a rock and puts
an end to this. Suddenly he's mute,
filled with dread, afflicted
by a horror of the multitude.
For if there are two, there are
more than two. It stands to reason.

When I stop to take a piss,
he stands as close as he can to me.
"Venom," he whispers. "An evil word!"
But his eyes are wide with seeing,
his body poised to act. "Go ahead,"
I gesture. "You go first."