Denver, CO

Things are changing in Denver, Colorado. It’s a New Year and one thing can be certain this year: there’s going to be some big changes.

Changes that are in the process of taking place:

+ Upcoming presidential election. A new president is (usually) a big change. In fact, the biggest issue in the NH democratic debate was between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards and who would be the biggest agent of change. They didn’t get around to discussing how they would make change happen, mind you.

+ Foreclosure rates are rising. Variable interest rates are causing problems for people.

+ Gas prices are rising and will continue to do so. A blue-ribbon panel of Ritter’s is proposing an additional 12 cents more a gallon at the pump, as well as $100 more each year to register vehicles.

+ Spending seems to be slowing. Few retailers sold as much as they were expecting this holiday season.

How will Denver handle change? Leave your thoughts and feedback.

To see what Ron Paul is all about, please visit his website

Join the Ron Paul Revolution!

Merry Christmas Denverites! I hope we all take tomorrow to relax and spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. And I think we can all agree that this is something we don’t do enough of. So enjoy the day off tomorrow and make it count; be a good father, a good brother, a mom, an aunt, etc.
How’s the quote go? ‘We never regret the things we do, but we may regret the things that we do not do.’ In this fast paced, work driven day and age, it seems it would be far better and wiser to have the regrets of ‘I should have worked more’ instead of ‘I should have loved more, laughed more, been around when my kids were still kids, etc.’
Merry Christmas

Please come to an important Town Hall Meeting
Curbing Foreclosure Rates

Monday, January 7, 2008
7pm - 8:30pm
Standley Lake Public Library
8485 Kipling St. Arvada, CO 80005

A letter from Colorado House of Representative Debbie Benefield:

There has been an alarming increase in home foreclosures nationwide, including 1.7 million foreclosure proceedings between January and August of this year alone. The Colorado Division of Housing reports that foreclosure filings in Colorado have increased 110% since 2003. A state record high of 28,960 foreclosures were reported during the first nine months of this year. According to mortgage research company RealtyTrac Inc., there were 6,425 filings in November, or one for every 320 households.
Home foreclosures have a devastating effect on those families who lose their homes. But there are also far-reaching implications for surrounding neighborhoods, communities, and states. As the value of foreclosed property declines, support for public services such as police patrol and fire protection must come from other sources, including schools, parks and recreation, or public works. Families left without homes, decreased economic activity, and the extra strain on our vital resources must be addressed.
The State of Colorado is taking proactive steps to reverse this alarming trend, working to stabilize and even decrease the foreclosure rate. The Department of Real Estate recently enacted an emergency rule change which restricts prepayment penalties on mortgage loans. The rule change is a result of coordinated efforts by legislators, Governor Ritter and state agencies to curb the growing foreclosure crisis in Colorado. During the coming months, several legislators are holding a series of town hall meetings on this issue.

I will be hosting our area’s town hall meeting on January 7th. Part 1 of the meeting will be devoted to exploring how foreclosure impacts middle-class Coloradoans, to explain the details of the rule change and to discuss what more can be done. During Part 2, foreclosure counselors will be on hand to take questions and explain the assistance services available to interested participants. I encourage you to attend and invite family members, neighbors and friends to come with you.

Sincerely,
Debbie Benefield
State Representative, House District 29

As promised, here is my young and amateur evaluation of the presentation (of both sides representing the opposing viewpoints) at CU Boulder by John Ashcroft.

For John and supporters: Professionalism. In any public speaking event, it is utterly important to display professionalism. Supporters of Ashcroft and his message braved the Boulder crowd to show up in mass and hear what another fearless leader has to say. Ashcroft presented his message in a professional appropriate manner for a public forum and presentation. Those who were actually interested in what he had to say, listened and added applause at all the appropriate moments. There was some grumblings of disapproval in the crowd after displays of opposition, but it wasn’t like any fights were breaking out. Mr. Ashcroft, however, proved to be extremely sensitive to the remarks, questions, and demonstrations of the kind of people you expect in Boulder, the people who don’t like the John Ashcroft’s of the world. I think the best approach for Mr. Ashcroft would be to laugh off their remarks and move on the next subject; instead he answered insults with insults, and was no better off in my eyes than those who disrupted his speech.

For those in opposition: I do commend each and every one of you for what I view as a noble cause. I hope that others were inspired to learn and educate themselves, to wake up from a television and entertainment and consumerism induced slumber to see that there is much room for improvement for the people of the United States and the world. To accomplish this, however, we must maintain peaceful discourse. I think the opposing ideas of Mr. Ashcroft need to presented in a much more tasteful manner. The two leading women and the several protestors of Ashcroft end up scaring away (I believe) the people they need to join their cause before they can engage them in such a peaceful discourse. Play by the rules and find better and more creative, more understandable ways to market and publicize your objections, your viewpoints, your political stance, and you will gain more supporters. Yelling at political figures (who generally are supposed to be respected even if they haven’t earned it) will often - to use the language of some people at this event - make you look like a crazy person and a hippie.
Take a lesson from Martin Luther King Jr. and from Ghandi, both amazing people who did not try to drown out the voices of those they disagreed with, but instead were able to creatively make their own message more appealing and attractive that their opponents were no longer of interest to the people.

Disclaimer: I am enrolled in a Revolutions and Social Change course at Metro State this fall, under the instruction of an incredible and knowledgeable professor, Dr. Robert Hazan. As an extra credit assignment for this class, I participated in the Anti-Columbus Day Parade. I have attended presentations of both the liberal and the conservative kind at my campus and in Boulder. While my first reaction and thoughts on politics usually side more to the left and border on revolutionary ideas and principles (thanks to Hazanism) I mediate my tendencies with my background in business and believe that, in today’s society, peaceful solutions can be reached through enough discourse and well planned, well-thought out, and well-run strategies and campaigns.

see also Al Gore in Denver

Boulder Colorado, which is only about a thirty minute drive from Denver, 45 minutes by express bus on our RTD system, played host to former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft last night, and About-Denver was there to cover the events.

Boulder is a well-known breeding ground of liberal thought and, I would say, the majority of people in Boulder are quick to rise in protest to certain United States policies and people. The arrival of John Ashcroft was one of these instances.
Scheduled to speak at 7:30 pm at the Macky Auditorium at the CU Boulder campus, Ashcroft was delayed by ten minutes for reasons, I suspect, that were likely related to the protestors who shouted at the former Attorney General as he was escorted from car and to the building. I was not in the parking lot to observe this incident, but Ashcroft made a few references in response to protestor interruptions during his speech. A seemingly sensitive-to-criticism kind of man, Ashcroft had several of his own stinging responses when hecklers interrupted and shouted; one of Ashcroft’s favorite fire to fight fire was asking if, referring to the outspoken women, ‘anyone in the audience need medical attention, that they please receive it.’
Despite being in Boulder, I felt the arrival of Ashcroft and his speech was, for the most part, warmly received. There were small groups spread throughout the audience that laughed, made noises, cried out in protest, accused, etc., but overwhelmingly Ashcroft received applause at the appropriate times.
In the end, I think Ashcroft should be better prepared for a Boulder-like crowd; he had to know what he was getting into, and I don’t think it is right for him to do more than chastise those that are expressing their thoughts. At an event specifically created to hear him speak, it is not fair for the crowd to interrupt him, but his former position of power should not enable him to insult those that do.
Later this week, I’ll make an attempt to analyze the speech and the protestors for effectiveness, and give my ten cents about what each side did right, and what they did wrong (in my opinion).

other political celebrities featured on www.about-denver.com
Al Gore
picture taken from http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/john_ashcroft.jpg

I was reading the paper this morning, as I often do, and came across a terrific story that I’d like to repost for those who haven’t got a chance to read this yet. This story comes from Harvey Mackay’s article on page 4 of the business section, titled, ‘Businesses that work together succeed together.”
Now, I’m not a religious man and am won’t to talk about religion, heaven, hell, etc. But this story has substance outside of religion and does provide a valuable lesson for business as well, as is the aim of most Harvey Mackay’s articles: stories that inspire business practices.
Here it is, only the story part of the article and none of Mackay’s writing thereafter (you should pick up a copy of the News to view the whole article!)

Businesses that work together succeed together
A man was having a conversation with a pastor one day and said, “I would like to know what heaven and hell are like.”
The pastor led the man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the man looked in. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly and appeared to be starving. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
“Can’t you do anything to help them?” he asked.
The pastor said, “you have seen hell.”
Then they went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of delectable stew. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well-nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The man said, “I don’t understand.”
“It is simple,” said the pastor. “It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”

As you may know from reading this blog or staying current with various news sources, the final conversation in our statewide effort to shape educational excellence for all of Colorado’s students will be taking place soon. These conversations have been taking place throughout the state and will be culminating in this final community forum on November 20th. Read on for more information, and please make an effort to attend! Also, click here for my experience and opinion of the education meeting I attended earlier this year

Conversation 2007 Capstone Event
A participatory public forum to create a new “educational compact” in Colorado
In our community conversations, we have heard what people across Colorado believe the goals of public education ought to be, what strategies they believe will help reach those goals, and what our common needs and responsiblities are if we are to acheive them. We would like to share the results of this statewide conversation in one final, interactive forum and get your input on a new “educational compact” that would create a truly excellent educational system in Colorado. We hope you will join the conversation.

Event Info
Bruce Randolph Middle School
3955 Steele Street
Denver, CO

November 20, 2007
6:00 PM Light Appetizers
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Conversation

for more info, please visit http://www.conversation2007.org/

image taken from http://www.nbc11news.com/featuredlinks

So what are we talking about here? (Read the below blog if you haven’t already) Cancer hasn’t always been around as a major cause of death or a major health concern. It used to be we were just worried about chicken pox, small pox, the plague, etc., all diseases brought about by an outside agent of infection: virus. Fleas on rats spread the plague throughout Europe.
The question becomes then, how do we become affected with cancer? As explained in previous blogs, cancer develops from a number of internal and external factors. The environment. Is it possible that the environment industry has created is contributing to cancer? You better believe it.
But what about other consumer products in and of our environment? If a bottled water company can look at it’s materials, materials that are also used in other businesses and products as well, and recognize they may be putting the very customers they seek to provide for at risk of cancer, then what are the other businesses and corporations doing to ensure consumer safety? Are there other products that may have unsafe chemicals and compounds?
I’m no expert in this matter and I do not pretend to be. I am merely doing my part a concerned citizen blogger to keep Denverites informed. The above is really the extent of my knowledge on this topic. I do, however, know enough to seek experts on topics that concern me. One expert source I recently read through and learned much from is the book Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. This book provides instruction and examples of reformulating industrial processes to be safe for workers and consumers. Examples include water entering factories for production use and leaving the factory cleaner and more pure than it went in, as opposed to dumping tons of polluted water as is customary in industry production cycles. This book talks about the everyday products we rely on: computers, children’s play toys, that contain lead and other such harmful components that we don’t need to rely on for technology and other products; there are viable, even cheaper alternatives.
I strongly encourage you to pick up and read this book, as well as The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Devra Lee Davis. Be informed about this and other issues that matter too you. Information is power.

picture from http://www.myhero.com/myhero/go/library/retrieve.asp?id=1092

In order to maintain public and private safety, we have certain policies and procedures, rules and regulations, requirements and such in place to ensure fire prevention to the best of our ability. Should a fire take place in a public building, we have the fire department, fire extinguishers on site, evacuation plans, etc., to minimize damage and danger to humans. These methods fall under a category of treating the fire once it has begun, but it is always better to prevent the fire in the first place.

Cancer.

Cancer is said to affect 1 in 3 Americans. What type or form of cancer depends on the person and their lifestyle or habits, environment that led to cultivate the cancer. Our U.S. health industry recognizes cancer as a concern and there are many organizations in place that are actively seeking a cure and better treatment for most every cancer in existence within our medical knowledge. Millions, perhaps even billions, of dollars are funneled into cancer research each year. But did you know that a fair amount of the cancer research money is provided by the alcohol and tobacco industries? In fact, these same industries started some of the most notable cancer research programs out there. In the world of Public Relations, this is an obvious campaign of trying to position Tobacco and Alcohol as the ‘good guys.’ And, in a way, since they are providing dollars and support for research, these industries have - for years - been taking blame and focus away from some of the greater cancer causing agents (alcohol and cigarettes) and shifting the focus on making it easier for people to live with cancer and trying to cure what their products create.

What if we handled fire safety in the same way and only focused on how to treat, control, and contain building fires instead of working on preventing fires in the first place? Shouldn’t there ought to be a strong measure and campaign towards preventing cancers in the first place instead of simply making it easier and more tolerable to live with cancer and that, hey, one day there may be a cure for all this terrible stuff, some of which is a byproduct of poor choices and buying into an evil industry (alcohol and tobacco). An evil industry is, in this sense and in the author’s opinion, an industry that contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths, acknowledges it, but does virtually nothing of their own accord to curb the death they leave behind. Gotta pay the mortgage right? Provide jobs and keep the economy moving, right?

Information assimilated from research and readings in The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Devra Lee Davis

picture from http://www.geneeskundeboek.nl/zoek.cgi?Zoekop=thema&q=Medisch%20Oncologie&taal=en
more to come in this the about-Denver special report: Health Care

some of you may have seen this before, but its worth a second look. WARNING: DO NOT read if you really really enjoy Coca-Cola or other soda pops…

Fun Facts About Water And Coke
by unknown on 10/9/2003 4:16:21 PM
WATER - We all know water is important but read on?.

· 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the
world population)
· In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken
for hunger.
· Even MILD dehydration will slow down one´s metabolism as much as 3%.
· One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the
dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
· Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
· Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could
significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
· A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble
with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a
printed page.
· Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by
45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less
likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

COKE - You´ll never drink it again:

· In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke
in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
· You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two
days.
· To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coke in the toilet bowl and let the “real
thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid removes stains
from vitreous china.
· To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a
crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coke.
· To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coke over the
terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
· To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply Coke to a cloth and let sit on the rusted
bolt.
· To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy
clothes,add detergent,and run through a regular cycle. Coke loosens grease
stains.
· It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FYI - The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its Ph is 2.8. It
will dissolve a nail in about 4 days.

To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), the commercial truck must use
the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.

The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their
trucks for about 20 years!

Still Want To Drink Up?

About 40 percent of all cancers are linked to food, lack of exercise, and body weight, said the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research in the most current and most comprehensive study of cancer to date. This study showed a strong correlation between excess body fat and red meat to increaded risk of common cancers. The conclusion to be drawn from this is, of course, that excess body fat and red meat should be avoided. Taking the results of this study public, the hope of releasing this information and recommendations to exericse more and eat less is that about one third of cancers could be prevented, if appropriate actions were adopted worldwide. This, in my opinion, is a great idea and a good start. But what about the other two thirds of cancer that is not so easily preventable and the other 60 percent of cancer that aren’t linked to food, lack of exercise, or body weight?
There are many factors that can lead to cancer, or any illness for that matter. Among these are: age, genetics and genetic mutation, immune system, day-to-day environment, viruses, etc. The day-to-day environment includes exposure to the sun, second hand smoke or smoking, other forms of radiation, asbestos, work place hazards, etc.
The issue, then, of preventing cancer cannot be focused just on diet and exercise, but how can we reduce the influence on causing cancer from all of these factors?
Deep Rock Water Co. has an answer, or at least an idea. And if nothing else, they have shown themselves to be concerned with their consumer. The Denver company has stopped using it’s familiar 5 gallon bottle for water coolers, because of research indicating that a chemical, bispenol A, in the plastic, polycarbonate, contributes to and triggers early-stage cancer and decreased fertility in lab rats. While there is no direct evidence that the same would be true in humans, the water company decided to make the switch to a safer material, polyethylene terephtalate. Now, you don’t have to understand the technical terms of the plastics and their compounds, I hardly do myself, but what I hope you take away is that many products in use today among ourselves, at home, at work, being played with by children, may not be as safe as we would trust and hope. Some company’s, like the Denver water company Deep Rock, are trying to change this and err on the side of caution to protect their customers. Others, like the International Bottled Water Association, provide only the typical big business response stating they were “not aware of any movement out of polycarbonate” jugs in the industry.
If you ask me, if it’s something that we’re going to drink out of, its better to be safe than sorry.

image from http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lung/lung-cancer-blog.html

Here’s a paragraph that makes the argument for supplements to your already healthy (I assume…) nutritional diet.

“…the American Health Care System. Health care plans and Medicare are going bankrupt. A growing population of retirees has forced politicians to cut back on health benefits in order to stave off the complete collapse of Medicare. The only way to keep health care costs from bankrupting the entire country is to lower the incidence of disease…

“In 1988 only 0.003 percent of U.S. Health dollars went toward prevention, a figure which hasn’t changed significantly over the past decade. Health care providers aren’t directing their patients to the health benefits provided by nutritional supplements…The massive daily use of multivitamins has been proposed as a method of getting health care costs under control. For example, the National Defense Council Foundation indicates the federal government would save up to $6.3 billion annually by the provision of vitamin supplements to retired military personnel. If all Americans took a multivitamin daily the number of yearly hospitalizations would be expected to drop and the insurance industry would save an estimated $5.5 billion which would result in lower insurance rates. A report in the Western Journal of Medicine suggests vitamin supplements would reduce hospital costs by $20 billion annually.” –article from book The New Truth About Vitamins and Minerals by Bill Sardi, page 22

image from http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/teens/health/healthy_eating/healthy_eating/vitamins_minerals.html

Are you getting enough healthy foods in your diet? Even if you eat well—whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.—you may want to add a multivitamin to the mix. Especially when including a healthy diet of intense exercise, your body will need all the nourishment it can get to rebuild, restore, and heal itself. As the above excerpt illustrates, we need to accept responsibility for our own health and take care of our bodies instead of relying on the American (or any) Health Care System. It is just one more aspect of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Was this health clip helpful to you? What other aspects of healthy lifestyles and educational tidbits would you be interested in reading more about? Leave feedback by submitting a comment below

for more on health care in the U.S., click here for a documentary recommendation

This week begins the about-denver focus on health care and health issues in the U.S. There are far too many to cover in a week, but I’ll try to focus on broad issues concerning many, many people. An example of one is universal health care, something Al Gore briefly talked about during his presentation in Denver last month.

October means Halloween, which gives way to November and Thanksgiving, and not far behind that is December and Christmas. Before you know it we will be beginning a brand new year in 2008! My how time flies…
Today’s post features some Halloween fun for families in the Denver area. Trick o Treating can be cold, requires parent supervision, and means way too much candy for the kids. A great alternative to a night of candy snacking and a way to still have fun with this Halloween holiday could be this:

World’s Best Halloween Magic and Marionette Show
Date: Oct 27, 2007
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Description: Jim Loshbaugh shares his magic and marionettes for this frightfully good show!
Location: Park Hill Denver Public Library
for more info please click here

i have been known to dabble in magic before (OK, honestly, I just know two or three card tricks) and I will try to make it to this sure to be fun and entertaining Magic and Marionette Show. If any of my readers attend, please return to the about-denver blog and to this post to leave feedback about the event. Much appreciated!

picture found at http://free-halloween-wallpapers.com/

also, check out these blog’s for more great ideas of family fun

click here for Creative Mom Cafe featuring a pumpkin craft idea

and click here for useful children’s toys reviews

Thanks for reading and keep checking in! The blogs have been somewhat slow coming lately, but I will return to the normal pace of posting blogs for readers and keeping everyone informed about Denver, CO!

Have you seen the movie picture show starring Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth?
This show was here, live and in person, earlier this month on October 2nd at the Wells Fargo Theater in Denver, CO.

Gore presented his famous powerpoint about climate change, as seen in An Inconvenient Truth, but he included updated information, news, etc. Also in the mix was some of Gore’s politics and what he had to say about certain issues which earned him a standing ovation on numerous occasions, shouts of ‘we need you Gore’ and some members of the crowd pleading for him to run for president.

At the end, Al Gore took a few questions from audience members that had been written down and turned in before the show was underway. The hit question of the night came from an elementary school age girl who asked of Gore, “will there be any polar bears around when I’m older?”

Whether you agree with climate change or disagree and feel that Gore’s movie should be labeled ‘An Inconsistent Truth’ I found - and think others would have to agree - Gore’s passion for politics and the environment to be very moving. Even after years and years of playing his slideshow before audiences and years, fighting for environmental causes, working in politics, it is very admirable to witness his passion and know that this man truly believes in what he is saying.

for another about-denver post featuring local heroes and people with passion, click here