Denver, CO

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

image from http://www.rwm.org/rwm/tf_col.html

If you’re a loyal reader or here for the first time but have read through my previous blog posts, you’ll know that I took the about-denverco.com website to a community meeting about education. This post shall be a reflection on the meeting and my overall feel of the successes of the meeting and where it didn’t work.
First, let me begin by saying this was an incredible experience. If you have not taken the time to participate in your state’s government before, then please do so. You will not forget it. Helping to make decisions, engage in discussions about ideas, these are all things that invigorate me and I think probably do the same for most anybody. For this reason, and because many people are concerned with education in Colorado and the U.S.A., there was a sizeable group of local politicians, educators, parents, grandparents, councilmen and councilwomen, and students at this community meeting.
Issues discussed: How do we improve Colorado education?
It was clear that everyone in attendance agreed that Colorado public schools need improvement. And everyone agreed a good start for this was to do away with CSAP. Another key focus of the meeting was to expand the ways in which we teach, what we teach, and how that information is presented to kids. Basically an overwhelming consensus that our education is too standardized.
Where I felt this meeting was lacking was that we focused much on what the system needed to remove or change, but not in the least on how to change it and what the education system in the future would look like it. The meeting was able to establish what was not working in education and what should work better, but no strategies on how to implement it.

These conversations are taking place around the state of Colorado, in an effort to garnish as much community ideas, support, and involvement about the future of Colorado education. This affects all of us, either because we have kids in Colorado’s education systems, or we care about our state, our nation, and will continue to live here, hopefully as leaders of the free world.
For more info please visit www.conversation2007.org

Rockies are living large this life and have earned a Wild Card playoff berth; things are good for Colorado in this the month of Rocktober. And my sincerest wishes go out to the Rockies and taking this state through some exciting post-season games!
But stepping away from the sports scene (at the risk of offending loyal fans) for a brief moment, I want to inform readers about a unique speaker in Denver, something other than the Rockies that has sadly, been kept relatively obscure compared to the big baseball news.
Al Gore in Denver. Tonight. For some readers this is good, exciting news. For others, it’s a ‘who cares?’ blog post. And for still others, there are more interesting things than politicians, like watching paint dry.
But its not everyday that a former vice president and presidential candidate makes an appearance in your home city. And for this writer, this event is enough to get me out of my pajamas and, putting my thinking cap on, head out to hear what Al Gore has to say.
Tonight’s presentation will be especially useful and interesting if you have been following Al Gore’s spearheaded movement of protecting our environment and doing our part to prevent climate change.
More about tonight with Al Gore:

the Aaron Harber Show airs at 8pm on channel 12 KBDI-TV with the former vice president’s appearance

there was a chance presented in the Rocky Mountain News to win tickets to this event (see, you should all be reading the newspapers!). But that opportunity is over. Tickets may still be available at http://www.harbertv.com., otherwise set your TiVo and plan on recording Al Gore in Denver. Then switch back to baseball!!

stay tuned: the next blog post will be a summary of last week’s community meeting on education

other news in politics: State Senator sues God

Important community meeting tomorrow, read on:

When: Wednesday, Sept. 26th

Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 pm

Where: Westminster City Hall
4800 W 92nd Ave
Westminster, CO 80031

Who will be in attendance: The important figures and leader of our community who have put together this meeting and who will be present: State Representative Debbie Benefield, State Representative Cherylin Peniston, and Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally. And, of course, yours truly: the About-Denverco blog author!

General info: This community meeting is for gathering information as to what Coloradans value and expect from our state education system. Elected officials, the Governor’s P-20 Education Coordinating Council and other stakeholders can use the input in deciding how to move forward with education reform. Come and let your voice be heard! College students, current and future ones, especially should be paying attention to education in Colorado since we have to pay for it…

Try not to miss these types of meetings. We all have other duties of the home and work life, but not participating in our government means we run the risk of one day waking up and wondering where all the things we believed in and once took for granted have disappeared too…

The expectations of our children have changed. No longer are children expected to help out on the farm, to do an entire day’s worth of chores. In many ways, this is a good thing and a sign that life is easier. But what does that leave for the children to do? Not much, and many are turning to the TV set or the gameboy, or the Xbox, the playstation…
Consider how much you spent in the last few months to feed your child’s technology appetite. Did this include a new IPod? How about a new picture/video cell phone? If you bought a new Nintendo Wii, that means your child is getting some form of exercise while gaming, right?
In today’s United States consumer society, the typical American Family is spending between two and seven hours a day in front of the boob tube. Two to seven hours! There exists now plenty of psychological research that shows the ill effect of television, but with the role TV plays in the family—occupying the children and keeping them busy, providing humor and down time, source of movies, and even some educational programs—how do we move away from the TV? And what about the kids without the means to acquire and meet this technology diet plan?
At FusBoxe Martial Arts, we suggest a straight forward martial art workout three to four days a week. With each workout, we provide take home drills and exercises, and the occasional leadership homework project for the children to do. Most everyone will agree that martial arts are exciting to watch on TV and on the big screen movie theatre. But few realize the benefits of training the ancient arts in today’s society.
The benefits are two-fold: martial arts are both beneficial to the body and physical state, as well as to the mind and mental state of each person that chooses this lifestyle.

more about Martial Arts for kids featured in this about Denver blog can be found here and for adults here

this just in from the Assosciated Press:

“LINCOLN, Neb. - The defendant in a state senator’s lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in Douglas County, the legislator claims, because He’s everywhere.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he’s trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody.

Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terrorist threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.”
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The Omaha senator, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, also says God has caused “fearsome floods … horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes.”

He’s seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty.

Suit in protest

Chambers said the lawsuit was triggered by a federal suit filed against a judge who recently barred words such as “rape” and “victim” from a sexual assault trial.

The accuser in the criminal case, Tory Bowen, sued Lancaster District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront, claiming that he violated her free speech rights.

Chambers said Bowen’s lawsuit is inappropriate because the Nebraska Supreme Court has already considered the case and federal courts follow the decisions of state supreme courts on state matters.

“This lawsuit having been filed and being of such questionable merit creates a circumstance where my lawsuit is appropriately filed,” Chambers said. “People might call it frivolous but if they read it they’ll see there are very serious issues I have raised.”

U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf, in an order last week, expressed doubts about whether Bowen’s lawsuit “has any legal basis whatsoever” and said sanctions may be imposed against Bowen and her attorneys if they fail to show cause for the lawsuit.

The Associated Press usually does not identify accusers in sex-assault cases, but Bowen has allowed her name to be used publicly because of the issue over the judge’s language restrictions.

Cheuvront declared a mistrial in the sexual assault trial in July, saying pretrial publicity made it impossible to gather enough impartial jurors.”

gathered from msnbc

Is it just me or does this particular Senator look strikingly similar to Morgan Freeman who stepped in for and played the part of God in the movie Bruce Almighty. Coincidence?

Blogger Note: Obviously, there is and will be a lot of controversy surrounding this particular lawsuit. Religious, political, anti-religious, anti-political, law, etc. Can a man take God to court? Should he be wasting the courts and his own time? What’s the point? What should the religious right do in response? What do readers take away from this?
My thinking is that if he is sincere with the desire to tighten up our law system and put a stop to frivilous law suits, then by all means. This is a great case in point of how screwy our system of law really is, the same system that allows a judge to sue his dry cleaners for $67 million over a lost pair of pants (the pants were later found but the judge was insistent upon demanding redemption, turning down a $12,000 settlement and extending the case until it was finally thrown out. Stupid judge.)

Need I say more?

picture from www.chicagogigs.com website