May 19, 2012

SandBoxBlogs: MSNBC "The Real Reason Why Kate Isn't Pregnant"

"...But the real answer may lie in New Zealand, where an obscure committee of lawyers and civil servants is currently rewriting the laws of succession to the British throne.

It seemed so simple when David Cameron arrived at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last October with a proposal to update the rules of royal inheritance in line with modern principles of equality. The idea had originally come from Buckingham Palace; that boys should no longer have precedence in the succession over girls. The throne should go to the firstborn child, male or female.

The assembled premiers of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the dozen other Commonwealth 'realms' who acknowledge the Queen as Head of State all cheerfully signed up to the idea, and New Zealand was assigned the job of turning it into practice. A committee was charged with working out the wording that all the other realms -- Britain included -- would incorporate into their new succession statute.

But the committee is still talking, and until they produce their new wording -- and until every one of the sixteen Commonwealth realms has found time in their busy legislative timetables to get the new law onto the statute book -- the status of William and Kate's firstborn will be in limbo...."
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"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Tree of Mamre "Color-Mapping Of Every US Presidential Election, Ever"

Agreed.  This is very cool.

Click title

SandBoxBlogs: Miami Herald "How to achieve real political reform in Cuba"

Ray Walser:
"What’s the best way to mark the fifth annual Cuba Solidarity Day? If we want to help the long-suffering people of Fidel Castro’s island “paradise,” the answer should be obvious: Shine a light on the repression and tyranny that makes daily life there such a grinding ordeal. Show unflinching support for dissidents and advocates of non-violent change on the island.
That’s what the George W. Bush administration did on the first Cuba Solidarity Day, May 20, 2008. Worldwide efforts focused on political prisoners and the demands for progress and democratic change. That first Solidarity Day attempted to look below the decks of the Cuban ship, boring down to the unrest and unhappiness on the galley-level.
But there’s another school of thought on how best to mark this day — one that encourages “engagement” and leans more on diplomacy than accountability.
Today, thanks to the Obama administration, as well as left-leaning think tanks in Washington and New York, an effort is underway to steer an opposite course — one that moves, incredibly enough, closer to cooperation with the Castro regime. Tossed overboard are demands for human rights, freedom and dignity for Cubans. In their place: the siren song of tourism partnerships and exchanges of academics and musicians.
A fresh wave of Cubans is disembarking on and around May 20 to participate in Cuba’s latest charm offensive. The capstone visit for this round features Mariela Castro Espín, daughter of Raul Castro and an activist for gay and lesbian rights, at the Latin American Studies Association in San Francisco. She will be received with acclaim as a voice of progressive tolerance on issues of individual sexual preference.
The objective of these latest Cuban visitors — salaried employees and privileged members of the regime — is to convince ordinary Americans that Cuba is already on a course to better days. We’re to believe that major economic change is underway, and that small portions of “democratic space,” as the Obama administration fondly refers to it, are being carved out...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: CBS News 5 "UN imposes sanctions on Guinea-Bissau coup leaders"

Edith M. Lederer:
"UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to impose sanctions on the leaders of last month's military coup in Guinea-Bissau and key supporters, demanding they reinstate the legitimate democratic government immediately.

A resolution adopted by the council named four generals and one lieutenant colonel who will be subject to a travel ban. It warned that the council will consider strengthening sanctions by adding an arms embargo and freezing financial assets if constitutional order is not restored.

Those subject to a travel ban are Lt. Gen. Antonio Injai, who read the first communique issued after the coup; Maj. Gen. Mamadu Ture, the deputy armed forces chief; Gen. Estevao Na Mena, the armed forces inspector general; Brig. Gen. Ibraima Camara, the air force chief of staff; and Lt. Col. Daba Naualna, spokesman for the new "Military Command."

The Security Council made clear that other individuals may be added to the list by the committee it established to monitor implementation of the sanctions.

Guinea-Bissau was just weeks away from holding a presidential runoff election when soldiers attacked the front-runner's home and arrested him along with the country's interim president on April 12. They have since fled the country.

No leader in nearly 40 years of independence has completed his term in Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony on Africa's western coast that has long been plagued by coups and has become a major transit point for drug trafficking from South America to Europe....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "The dangers of legalizing drugs"

Zell Zordel:
"I read your article that described the graphic detail of 49 dismembered bodies found in Mexico that were tied to the drug cartel wars which have been happening since 2006.

The author's state that 47,500 people have perished in drug-related violence so far. It should be pointed out that this does not include the other deaths related to drugs; the thousands of overdoses, suicides, families destroyed, and violent crime that occurs here in the U.S. every year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2009, the number of deaths attributed to drugs exceeded those caused by motor vehicle accidents, killing 37,485. To put that in perspective, the total American casualties in the war on terror to date: Afghanistan: 1,969, Iraq: 4,486. The 18 years of Vietnam, 1957-1975, with a total of 58,156 deaths shows how severe the drug problem truly is.

I am told that drugs are a “victimless crime” by the people that are trying to legalize them. It has been proven multiple times that marijuana is a gateway drug to harder and harder substances.

Government regulation will not make any of these things disappear. We have seen what government regulation has done with regards to alcohol consumption. The Bureau of Justice stated that 73 percent of felonies involve alcohol. What would be the same statistic for legalizing drugs?

We are still talking about addiction fueled crimes here. The only difference is what substance is used. You still have a downward spiral that includes the medical industry on the verge of collapse and the drug cartels still being involved because their product would be cheaper than the highly regulated products provided by the government. This still does not address the other crimes that accompany it, such as human trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping and many others....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Two oil shale research deals clear fed hurdle"

Very well done report from Dennis Webb.  Down and over on the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

Dennis Webb:
".....Both companies have proposed in-situ projects in which kerogen would be heated in place underground to produce oil. The processes would take place deeper than freshwater aquifers, in formations isolated from them, to minimize groundwater impacts.

“RD&D leases provide the opportunity for industry to test and develop technologies to determine whether they can be viable on a commercial scale,” Kent Walter, field manager of the BLM’s White River Field Office, said in a news release. “This critical research, development and demonstration work will also help us answer important questions about the water demands and potential impacts of commercial-scale development, so that we can forge a responsible and orderly path forward if the technology proves viable.”

The environmental review’s release follows the BLM’s recent proposal to sharply reduce overall acreage available for potential oil shale leasing in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Under that proposal, it also would consider issuing only RD&D leases first, with the potential to issue commercial leases later depending on the success and impacts of initial projects....."
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"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Citizen Telegram "Can you fight city hall?"

Isn't Mike McKibbins and his all new Citizen Telegram just terrific?!  

Mike McKibbins and his McKibbin's Scribblin's:
"It may be one of the most overused sayings, especially in politics of the local variety.

But it seems to apply in the case of two former mayors, John Steele and Dave Ling. Neither one of them used it when I talked to them this week, but here it is:

You can't fight city hall.

Their petitions to ask Rifle voters to overturn the City Council's decision to issue bonds and take advantage of very low interest rates on a $25.5 million new water treatment plant were rejected by City Clerk Lisa Cain.....

.......At any rate, time will tell how it all shakes out.But the petition rejection, for some reason, reminded me of last Sunday's episode of “Family Guy.” It's one of my favorite shows and last Sunday (might have been a repeat I missed) had Peter, the main character, joining the Tea Party. He and his friends listened to all the talk of how government is evil and bad. They eventually get the mayor of Quohog (voiced by Batman, Adam West) to disband the town's government and stop all its services.

Mayhem, and hilarity, ensue.

Soon, Peter tells his fellow citizens they need a system of rules and order or they'll go down in flames. He describes the exact same system they disbanded. And that's what the good citizens of Quohog end up with at the end.

What does this episode of “Family Guy” have to do with Rifle and the $25.5 million water plant?

Nothing much, I guess. Other than both dealt with city halls and people who disagreed with how things were handled by their local leaders.

I'm sure neither Steele nor Ling nor anyone else will seriously consider overthrowing Rifle City Hall. This isn't Quohog....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Ruth Whyte's Aspen legacy"

lol.

Tony Vagneur:
"It's one of those stories that never got properly told, and it happened so long ago that not many would care — except for the fact that it involved recently deceased Ruth Whyte, multileveled philanthropist to Aspen.

Who the hell was Ruth Whyte, you ask? If you have to ask, you're still a starry-eyed newcomer with a lot to learn about our town. She was the ultimate volunteer, as evidenced by her election as volunteer of the year for the Aspen Ski Club (she was almost a lifetime unpaid secretary there); she received the highly coveted Greg Mace award for volunteerism, was inducted into the 1996 Aspen Hall of Fame, and during nearly a half-century of promoting Aspen, her smiling mug can be spied in almost every official photograph having to do with the Aspen Ski Club, Wintersköl or the World Cup.

Ruth's first visit to Aspen was in 1952, and before the week was over, she was involved with the ski club, helping organize the national championships being held on the mountain. When Ruth finally came to town for good, she was a fresh-faced graduate of the University of Colorado, hired as the Aspen School District's physical education teacher. Breaking ground as the first woman to hold that job since anyone could remember, the challenges were perceived as steep, but Ruth was an athletic woman with a no-B.S. attitude toward her first job out of college.

That, of course, did not change the fact that several smart-assed elementary kids, including yours truly, put her to the test every time we had class. Clearly, I remember one occasion when, pushed to the limit, she threatened me with some horrible disciplinary action, to which I replied, “You can't do that: My dad is president of the school board.” Fury erupted from her quarter, and only by the quickness of youth was I able to outrun what surely would have been justifiable homicide...."  (Read more?  Click title)


"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Billion Dollar Proposal Aims to Bring Tourism to Montrose"

Wow.

Even Montrose looks like it is standing a chance at blowing right by the tourism marketing and resulting revenues of Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

That puts Vail Resorts being bolder to the east of both, Grand Junction, Mesa County and Powderhorn's snag of minor sports and infrastructure to the west of both and now Montrose, Telluride, Monarch and Wolf Ski Resort to the south all having far greater ability to draw in sustainable, major and regional tourism venues than anything Glenwood Springs or Aspen currently have going on.

Cori Coffin: 
"MONTROSE, Colo.-There are 1,500 miles of recreational playground in Montrose County. "We've kind of adopted a theme of 360 degrees of adventure, 365 days a year," said Richard Harding, a member of the Montrose Citizens for Funding Our Future (MC4FF).

MC4FF is a group that has been working with commissioners for the past three years to create the largest undertaking ever attempted in the county. "(It involves) 141 projects with a billion dollar plus price tag over the next 30-35 years," said Commissioner David White.

The group's goal is to turn the tourism climate around in the county that has a nearly 20 percent unemployment rate.

According to the Department of Local Affairs, Montrose has only 6 percent tourism employment, versus 48 percent in surrounding counties. "If we're able to get up to the same level as those other counties, we're looking at over 16,000 jobs created in the tourism industry," said Harding.

Officials hope to bring new attractions to, as well as revamp existing attractions in Montrose County, such as "the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I mean that's an underutilized asset," said White.

"Montrose County is the only place in the United States that has a National Wilderness Area combined with a National Conservation Area combined with a National Park and combined with a National Recreation Area," added Harding.

Other projects include recreational items such as kayak and rock climbing facilities, "making it an alternative destination to Moab," said White....." (Read more?  Click title)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "No Little Nell for Snowmass Base Village?"

Really?.....that "Related then lost the whole project to foreclosure in the wake of the financial crisis.???

Sure about the red herring of "The Great Recession" being responsible for Pat Smith and Related Cos "losing" the "whole project"?

A forensic investigation of all the money, not just the surface money and surface players to back up that synopsis might not be a bad idea before locking it into yellow ink.

Brent Gardner-Smith:
"SNOWMASS VILLAGE — When Related Companies put Base Village under contract recently, the package of assets did not include the right to brand and operate a hotel as The Little Nell Snowmass.

“The license agreement was terminated in late 2010,” said Jeff Hanle, spokesman for Aspen Skiing Co.

Skico owns and operates The Little Nell hotel at the base of Aspen Mountain and owns the rights to the brand.

The Little Nell in Aspen is one of only three hotels at ski areas in the west that carry both a five-star and a five-diamond rating, along with the Stein Erickson Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah, and the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The stars are awarded by Forbes and the diamonds by AAA, the American Automobile Association.

In 2007, Skico executives were planning on operating The Little Nell Snowmass as a five-star, five-diamond hotel and licensing the Little Nell name to another operator in Jackson Hole.

Today, the Jackson Hole deal is well off the table, and it is unclear whether a Little Nell Snowmass deal will be revived.

“We remain committed to and engaged in Snowmass and look forward to seeing Base Village and the entire resort realize its full potential,” Hanle said. “However, at this time, it is premature to comment on any potential involvement of Aspen Skiing Co.”

After buying Base Village from Skico and Intrawest for $169 million in 2007, with the Little Nell Snowmass deal in place, Related then lost the whole project to foreclosure in the wake of the financial crisis.

The four European banks that now own the asset have reached a deal to sell it back to Related for an as-yet undisclosed price. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year....."
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"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Vail Daily "Edwards' Crazy Mountain Brewery releases summer seasonal"

via Vail Daily:
"EDWARDS — Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, located in Edwards, is releasing its summer seasonal beer: Scenic Route Kolsch. This summertime favorite is a light easy drinking German style ale very similar to a Pilsner.

The debut of Scenic Route Kolsch will take place at Balata restaurant in Edwards on May 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. Crazy Mountain is partnering with Balata's Executive Chef Steven Topple for a sumptuous food and beer pairing. There will be six dishes partnered with six beer styles — including the Kolsch — served at stations located throughout the restaurant. It will be a relaxed, mingling-style atmosphere contrasted with exquisite, fine dining dishes ranging from halibut ceviche to beer poached wild boar sausage to slow braised beef short rib. Tickets are $42. For more information on the Scenic Route Kolsch release party and beer pairing event, contact Balata at 970-477-5353. Advance reservations are required as the dinner is expected to sell out....(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "No John Denver peak — for now"

Oh thank you,  Lord.

Mount Sopris is not going to be named the "Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr" peak.

Andre SalVail:
"ASPEN — Those who were worried about the possibility of one of Mount Sopris' peaks being named after John Denver no longer need to fret.

That's because the organizer of the initiative, J.P. McDaniel, of Littleton, apparently never sent her petition and application to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, according to the federal entity's administrator.

“I talked to her last year and haven't heard from her since,” said Lou Yost, the board's executive secretary. “The last time I talked with her, she said she was working on it and that she didn't realized it was going to cause such a ruckus. She left the impression that we were going to hear from her in the near future.”

McDaniel has not returned messages left on her cellphone by The Aspen Times this week. In July 2011, she was preparing to send an application to the board, along with nearly 3,000 names on a petition in support of naming the eastern, unnamed peak after Denver. In fact, she told the Times in one interview that the packet would be sent by the first week of August 2011....." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Newsmax "Sean Hyman: Facebook Is a Sucker’s Stock"

(See related story and commentary here)

Sean Hyman:
"Facebook is a sucker’s stock.

Why do I say that?

The media hyped it. And the only folks who seem to be itching to snatch it up are the inexperienced stock investors.

All my friends who aren’t stock investors are the ones who were looking to potentially buy it. All of my other friends who have a ton of years in the financial industry all shunned it. It’s simply overpriced....."
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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Eyes without a Facebook page "

Lo Semple's "21-year-old spiritual advisor"  is spot on.

Facebook is not your friend.

The best internet advice that 'SandBox Nanny' has ever been given (this would be advice she herself sought) was from a tech at Google.

Do you know how hard it is to get through to a real live person at Google who will talk on the phone with you?  Trust me, it's near an Act of God.

After a lengthy chat over particulars, here's the advice she was given.  In the form of a story of what anybody who works at his 'techie level' of a juggernaut like Google does to protect themselves personally online:

(paraphrased and not verbatim) '....anybody has access to you.  Everything about you. The best thing you can do is seize before anybody else does, as much personal, family, business or whatever data you can and lay claim to the keywords.....such as name...before my wife and I  even had a child we logged in to every search engine we could and created accts. through free mailboxes on the narrowed down list of names for our future children.  And then seized the social profile abilities on each one....that way, we are in control and protecting the innocent from being hijacked by ill-meaning intent.....early on in my career it was terrifying to see the power of the net just in technology alone....many of us pulled the same controls over our own names and personal life data from our family and business interests.....called our parents and siblings and distant relatives and friends and taught them how to do the same....'.

Facebook is not your friend. 

While I personally believe that a philosophy like it sounds Lo Semple has, that it's best to 'ignore' what's being done on the web to the "news" is not only a cop-out, it's cowardly if what's being classified as a "bitch-fight" even has one shred of ability to harm a community or others.   

I also believe from experience that the web is unfortunately, forever.  A perpetual, tireless and never sleeping giant that permeates everywhere in all human lives.  I also firmly (obviously) believe in the power of one vote.  One voice being raised on whatever the subject matter is eventually making a positive difference in the world.

I wonder what Lo Semple will do with his spare time when he is not outdoors, penning a column or contemplating his navel when and if that "21-year-old spiritual advisor" turns out to be right?

He might be best served to protect all he cares for by following that wise techie guy at Google and his advise.

Lorenzo Semple:
"...My 21-year-old spiritual adviser who has a FB account warned me never to get a Facebook page, ever, under any circumstances. So why do I find myself entertaining the thought of getting a Facebook page, and even worse, buying Facebook stock? It just goes to show that I am desperately clinging to what little sanity I have left......

.......I’m no stranger to the underbelly of the Internet. I used to post on a local news message board using an anonymous name. My user profile stated that I was an athletic blonde 23-year-old locally born Aspen High graduate female skier-chick who liked cooking, cross-country skiing naked, going to bullfights on acid, and kittens. I used to flirt with posters who I thought were male, and then turn sour on them when they showed any interest whatsoever.

It got way too depressing, though, wading through the quagmire of negative posts about local news stories. It was a failed sociological experiment. Ultimately I called the head of the publication and begged them to take the site down. The thing had turned into a viper pit.

When they put it back up with a Facebook-only sign up, I was relieved on a couple of levels. First of all, because there was no way in hell that any of the previous nameless dialogue could be somehow construed as civil or productive, and I was on the lunatic fringe of it all as a willing, albeit fake, anonymous participant. It made me sad that there was an arena in our community for people to spew bile.

Secondly, I had to thank them for saving me from myself. My experience with Internet message boards is that they are a waste of time, and they always end up in a huge bitch fight. I imagine there is a similar pattern on Facebook to some extent. Whenever you read a hateful negative post by someone on the Internet, it’s the equivalent of getting sprayed by a skunk — you carry the stink around with you, and you’re liable to spray someone else in turn.

Can someone explain to me what I’m missing out on by not being on Facebook? I embarrassingly admit I feel a little bit isolated by not having a Facebook account, yet remain recklessly pessimistic about the whole thing. If video killed the radio star, then isn’t it only a matter of time before something new comes along and squashes Facebook like a bug?...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: KJCT News 8 "Inside The Gauntlet'

It's not 'Tough Mudder' (...I mean...who can trump courses designed by British Special Forces, challenged all over the world including our own military and that benefit proceeds to Wounded Warriors?) but the new "Gauntlet" down and over in Grand Junction does sound like a lot of fun.

"GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- On Saturday nearly 400 competitors will see if they have what it takes to challenge The Gauntlet. It's a filthy and formidable obstacle course designed to test your limits. It's the first mud race of it's kind in the Grand Valley. KJCT got an exclusive look as Aman Chabra was invited to test it out.

It's dirty, it's daunting and down right demanding. The Western Colorado Contractor's Association has spent three days building this course. Our own Aman Chabra, along with his challenger were the first to test it out.

"Definitely more than I expected," said Chabra.

Sonya Foster, a member of the The Western Colorado Contractor's Association, says, "The Gauntlet is the Grand Junction area's first mud run obstacle event and we are hoping to make it an annual event for people to come and participate."

The first challenge is a 70 foot climb up a giant hill.

Foster says, "It is pretty steep and when you are coming down it is muddy, so we are going to be shooting water on it to make sure it stays muddy."

Then comes the mud pit. "To be able to jump into it felt kind of good, but then I had to take a few steps," said Chabra.

During the Gauntlet, mud becomes a badge of honor.

Chabra says, "It was just caked everywhere, not to mention the fact that flour gets thrown on you right afterward."

This race is not just about brawn, your brain will also be tested. You have to move a ball through a maze with a wheelbarrow before you can advance...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."