SandBoxBlogs: Durango Telegraph "Digging deeper with the Hohokam"

Jim Mimiaga:
"Everyone has heard of the Anasazi, the intrepid Native American people who flourished between 500 A.D. - 1200 A.D. in the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.

But who’s heard of the Hohokam? These southern neighbors predate our trademark Anasazi (now called Ancestral Puebloan), and new proof shows both cultures intermingled, sharing different skills, maybe playing an ancient ball game and surely swapping recipes for venison stew.

Now visitors can travel back in time to a pre-colonial block party at the Anasazi Hertiage Center’s newest exhibit, “Pieces of the Puzzle: New Perspectives on the Hohokam,” on display through Oct. 31.

The Hohokam (pronounced he-ho-kem) occupied what is now central and southern Arizona and are known for their impressive irrigation works, mysterious ball courts and unique pottery and jewelry skills.

Little is known about this ancient Southwest culture as much of it was, and still is, buried beneath the pavement and urbanization of Phoenix, the population center of the Hohokam. But since more intense study began in the 1980s, a fascinating story has emerged, including a link to the Anasazi of the Four Corners..."

(Read more?  Click title)

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Timing of Easter linked with lunar cycles"

Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY — When my son asked me a few days ago why the date of Easter changes every year, I could only answer him partially, thanks to one of those random bits of information that my dad passed along to me at some point.

I knew only that Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, but I wasn’t sure exactly why or how that date was set, and Dylan’s question was pretty darn logical, as he wondered why we celebrate a very specific event (the resurrection) on a different day each year.

Even before doing a little research on the web, I told him that Easter has roots predating the Christian mythology of the resurrection, as a celebration of spring and fertility following the vernal equinox. As the Earth started to turn green again, ancient people knew there was relief from the long hunger days of winter...."  (Read more?  Click title)

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Ice tracker"

All credit:  Bob Berwyn

SandBoxBlogs: Red State "I Am a Real Democrat, Therefore I Now Vote Republican"

(See previous post and public commentary here)

A must read classic.  Now archived over on Red State.

'colegrayson':
"This I do know.  I know that my whole life I have believed in the power of our people.

I support reasonable safety nets, but personal empowerment.  We can’t allow our country to become a bread line; we must prevent a collapse into complete dependency.  But even at this point, Obama does not truly care about jobs.  In this new bill he proposes more spending on unemployment extensions, but could that spending not go directly to the SBA, or works programs?  No I don’t want these people to starve but blast it I want them to get out of bed.  We have lost our excellence and drive towards excellence.

In order to be a Democrat you have to capitulate to social permissiveness, to political correctness, and nanny stating.  Democrats I grew up with were largely socially conservative, economically populist, and went to Church.  They did not mock God, like many currently do, and they respected our rights to worship.  We now live in a society that publicly respects Ramadan more than Christmas, Muslim more than Christian, and even the Attorney General, while stating tacitly blacks can’t be guilty of a hate crime, used the power of his office to defend a Muslim teacher from being fired for taking time off to worship.  Try getting the teacher’s union to back you up when you miss work for a church bake sale.

But really America, look around.  Who are the givers?  Do you see latte fueled hipster liberals working food banks?  Or is it almost always the good folk from Church, who constantly give of themselves to help their neighbor, as the Bible teaches, and who want only in return the chance to slip a Psalm in your pocket, and to invite you to listen to the Word.

I respect your right to follow a different faith but I require you to respect mine.

I had to detach myself from the rhetoric and see for myself the empty lip service the Democratic Party had become.  With each passing day I feel better about myself, more in tune with God, and am a nicer person.  My Wife has seen this.  My friends have too.  I don’t beat the Bible, and I am surely no Saint.

But when faced with a choice of amoral narcissists, who say one thing then do another, educated to the point of idiocy, confident only the sound of their own words, or good hearted farmers, and mechanics, and churchgoers who I have seen selflessly give of themselves for the benefit of others, what side do you think I should stand by?.....

......I am and will always be a certain type of Democrat. Some call me Southern or Blue Dog, but I will support equality, and defense, and doing right for my country.

I will support fair tax policy, and respect for God, and human decency.

I will work to reduce abortions and provide safe streets and good schools.

I prioritize paychecks before excuses and excellence over mediocrity.

I believe in the brave men and women of our Armed Forces and feel they deserve more respect.

I believe the Government has grown oppressive, and burdensome, and needs to be reduced.

I believe the poor should be fed first through their earnings, so they can someday cease to be poor, and then only if needed through welfare, with some kind of incentive attached, be it labor or educational.

But most of all, I believe in you.  It is for these reasons, that this certain type of Democrat, is now a Republican.  God Bless all....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: The Atlantic "How to Turn Republicans and Democrats Into Americans"

Mickey Edwards:

"Angry and frustrated, American voters went to the polls in November 2010 to “take back” their country. Just as they had done in 2008. And 2006. And repeatedly for decades, whether it was Republicans or Democrats from whom they were taking the country back. No matter who was put in charge, things didn’t get better. They won’t this time, either; spending levels may go down, taxes may go up, budgets will change, but American government will go on the way it has, not as a collective enterprise but as a battle between warring tribes.

If we are truly a democracy—if voters get to size up candidates for a public office and choose the one they want—why don’t the elections seem to change anything? Because we elect our leaders, and they then govern, in a system that makes cooperation almost impossible and incivility nearly inevitable, a system in which the campaign season never ends and the struggle for party advantage trumps all other considerations. When Democrat Nancy Pelosi became speaker of the House, the leader of the lawmaking branch of government, she said her priority was to … elect more Democrats. After Republican victories in 2010, the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said his goal was to … prevent the Democratic president’s reelection. With the country at war and the economy in recession, our government leaders’ first thoughts have been of party advantage...."  (Read more from this archived article?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: SandBox Astrology "Basic Chart Terminology"

The opening of the door into my understanding of astrology was done for me over twenty years ago by a 65 yr. old woman, who lived in a very obscure rural setting in Delta, Colorado.  Barely 5' tall, almost crone like in her features.  Keen, sharp eyes with a wit and finely honed pen to go with.  A no nonsense, no whining attitude on life, Sara.  I loved her so dearly and there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her.

The 'kind' of astrology I use is uniquely my own and is a mix of many schools of study and thought.  So, as we take a look at some of the terminology and interpretations I use, please take the time to read through them even if you are familiar with astrology.

Natal chart
As unique as your biological DNA, your birth chart is like a blueprint for the lifetime.  As though God stopped the heavens for a nano-second and snapped a picture of the heavens and gave you your very own map. The theory is that the chart is the 360 degree circumference of the earth.  Your exact moment of recorded birth, your exact place of birth (latitude and longitude) and your date of birth provide the numbers for the mathematical calculations to calculate your natal/birth chart. 

And here is where most people begin to get confused.  The natal chart is a fixed energy for you in the lifetime.  But the Universe did not stop at the moment of your birth.  Its universal movement continually transits in a counter-clockwise motion around the earth (i.e. your natal chart in the theory of astrology).  The geometric (just like laying out each shot in a game of billiards) patterns of the universal transits around 'your earth' charts the cycles and rhythms of the lifetime. 

Likewise, the fixed geometric patterns, of your fixed energy natal chart, have a great deal to say and reveal about how you will react as an individual as those cycles occur in your lifetime. 

Always there are at least these two primary energies of fixed and cyclic transits working in  a rhythm that is unique as your physical DNA.

The Zodiac
The theory of astrology is that the same 360 degree circumference makes up the Zodiac Belt.  Similar to an aura of energy wrapped around the earth.   Divided, for mathematical and interpretation purposes, into 12 equal sections of 30 degrees each.  These sections are known as decanates and the individual degrees from 0 to 30 each have their own unique energy and interpretation.  Those...are very old school astrology teachings. 

Everyone has all the signs of the zodiac in their natal chart.  For example, the five personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) can fall in a wide range of signs  and by studying all the energy present and the geometric aspects of the chart along with the degrees they fall in and where they lie in individual houses of the chart; we obtain a very clear picture of the individual person.  It's a fascinating and revealing look at yourself.  I encourage anyone to find an astrologer that you feel comfortable with  and study at least this part of your astrological blueprint.

There is a wonderful Allegory by Martin Schulman that does a very good job of interpreting the base energies of each individual sign of the zodiac.

The houses of the chart  
When you look at your natal chart, it looks like a circle.  Remember that the theory is 360 degrees in circumference. That 360 degrees is divided into 12 sections.  Depending on what type of system of calculation your astrologer uses determines whether or not those are equal sections of 30 degrees each (coincides with the 12 zodiac signs that are 30 degrees each (total 360)) (or) unequal in size. 

I prefer the unequal house system of math calculations because the houses of the chart refer to various parts and aspects of our lives.  If someone has a great deal of personal work to do on themselves in any kind of relationship in the lifetime, it stands to reason that the relationship houses will hold a large amount of activity. If one has successfully (in their view as that is what Karma is pretty much all about, eh?) completed where they wanted to go and achieve in relationships previously; it stands to reason that will not be a focus in the current lifetime.  

When you have your astrological chart read for you, a much more clear and personalized view of your house needs in this lifetime will be seen.  For now, below is a sample of a blank, empty chart and descriptions of the basic values each house holds. 

There are broader and more inclusive interpretations of the houses; the following are just the basic concepts:

See the configuration of a 'cross' in the chart example above?  Dividing the chart into (4) quadrants?  Think of the line that runs across the chart at center as the horizon.

Houses 1 through 6 are referred to as "below the earth" and represent the individual and more mundane parts of the lifetime.

Houses 7 through 12 are referred to as "above the earth" and represent where the individual goes out into the world and forms relationships and broader understanding. 

House of the chart are always in opposing polarity.  The polarity of the 1st house is the 7th.  2nd to the 8th.  3rd to the 9th.  4th to the 10th.  5th to the 11th.  6th to the 12th.  Watch and notice how these polarities compliment and polarize each other as you read through the basic interpretations below.  Can you see the exact polarities in the sample chart above?  They may oppose each other but the mathematical calculations that derive the chart itself will always hold the same amount of space within each polarity.  In other words, the 1st house and the 7th house oppose each other, yet compliment each other by holding yin to yang and the same degree of 'space' to let that yin yang dynamic work itself out.


The 1st house begins at the Ascendant, that degree of the zodiac on the eastern horizon at the time of birth.  The 1st house represents the individual self and where we are independent of others.  Refers to the physical body and indicates ones manner of self expression, character, abilities, ego temperament, focus of desire and appearance.  Also shows early environment.

The 2nd house refers to how we earn our living, what we as an individual do to bring money and possessions into our lives that we have earned or have worked to earn.  Indicates also our attitude toward money, all types of possessions and also gives some clue as to the career path and how we will go about earning or maintaining those things.  Often referred to as the house of earned income, it also shows much about our value systems and how much value we place on the things we possess.  This is also the house of special karmic relationships.  Karma is not payment for issues from other lifetimes as new age or judgemental philosophies would lead to believe.  Karma is balance.  For every action, there is an equal and just reaction somewhere in the Universe and transcendent of time as we humans know it.

The 3rd house refers to your immediate environment, neighborhood, town, city or general locale where you live or spend a great deal of your physical time.  This is also the house representing siblings and friends, close relatives and neighbors.  The 3rd house also  refers to mundane communications as well as short trips and general education.  It is also the house of religion and orthodox forms of religious beliefs. 

The 4th house is the home environment, the roots of the soul and representative of the end of the lifetime.  Symbolically, the individual is born into the home and returns back to the home to pass on. Refers to the mother, ones heritage, family background, culture and social background.  Also representative of land, property and real estate.  Notice in the sample chart above that the 4th and 10th house are part of the 'cross' that divides the chart (the soul's DNA, in theory) into (4) quadrants. 

The 5th house is the house of individual romance with another person and intimate relationships. Also the house of children, love affairs, amusements, gambling, pleasure, fortune, speculation and investment.

The 6th house is the home of our everyday affairs, work, routine, co-workers, duties, obligations, responsibilities and the work environment.  This is also the house of health and physical well being.

The 7th house begins the rise of the chart to "above the earth" and is the polarity of the 1st house.  Where the 1st house is the house of individual self, the 7th is the house of marriage, partnerships of all kinds and any time two or more people are engaged in any type of understanding in a relationship or contractual manner.  The 7th house is also the house of social and mundane justice, our legal and court systems and human law.  Basically, in any affair of life where one is engaged with another person, the energy is ruled by the 7th house.

The 8th house is the opposite polarity of the 2nd house.  In the 8th, we inherit what we have in tangible ways.  Legacies, goods of the dead, inheritance, possessions or money that we share in any way.  Wills, insurance, trusts, regeneration, corporate funds.  The 8th house is also the home of psychic phenomena, ESP, the occult and any type of sensory impressions.

The 9th house is the polarity of the 3rd house.  The 9th is the home of spiritual understanding, Divine justice, justice on physical,social and legal levels, broader and more all encompassing  forms of communication such as philosophy, higher learning and divine guidance.  This is the house of ones faith and trust in a higher power in our lives.  Values and morals are housed here, whereas character is a 3rd house trait.  The 9th also rules foreign affairs, foreign travel and ethnicity.

The 10th house represents the highest mark the individual makes in the lifetime and it's cusp is known as the Midheaven of the chart. It is the polarity of the 4th house which is known as the roots of the soul and our point of origin.  Representative of the career and/or sphere of authority and how we conduct ourselves in the outside world.  We are born into the roots of our soul in the 4th house and we go out into the world and leave our mark in the 10th.  Our ultimate standing at the end of our lives is marked in this house.

The 11th house  is the house of  group relationships, friends, societies, our long range goals and objectives, our wishes, hopes and aspirations and how we set ourselves going about obtaining those through relationships with others. Opposite polarity is the 5th house and the home of one on one intimate relations.

The 12th house  is the natural house of the subconscious mind, mysticism.  Our sorrows, personal anxieties, grief and self undoing that we do not show to just everyone.  This is the house of what we consider to be our personal 'secrets' and private thoughts.  It can also be the house that represents outward challenges that are known or unknown until they show themselves.  This is the house where the individual is most likely to be taken advantage of or confined in some manner by another. 

All rights reserved.  Copyright 2010-2012.   A Ray of Light Publishing Company

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times/Tony Vagneur "Aspen's ageless questions"

Excellent column from Tony Vagneur this week.  Up on the Aspen Times.

Tony Vagneur:
"Those from the '60s and '70s bemoan the changes that have happened to “their” town; those who survived the '90s and '00s are getting nervous about the community they thought they knew; those of us who grew up here in the 1940s and '50s, if we still care, are pondering the same questions...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Housing and the homeless in Aspen"

Isn't that the way of things?

That a government department or agency takes offense and jumps to conclusions without really listening to what the folks are just sayin?

Oh, the plight of the government worker.  It must be tough to take the time to actually read all the facts and look at things from the perspective of 'outside the box'.

Good idea for Erin Smiddy of APCHA to line out the facts for the folks.

Shame she had to do it with the tone of condescending.  Shame that someone like Andy Stone had to encourage and fuel animosity against APCHA with his recent column.

Most folks fully understand that APCHA isn't the bad guy.

The real bad guy is the entrenched power of developers and builders who have been cashing in on the subsidies, tax credits and lower-tier building standards these developments hold.  And the politicians fueled by special interests that advocate it all.

Of course the little guy and the originally well-intended agency are going to ultimately be the only ones left out in the cold.

Too bad the flamers like Andy Stone and the Aspen Times encourage such a travesty of justice and too bad that any government worker becomes so apathetic they can no longer hear what the folks are really just sayin.

Read the rules and regs of APCHA?  Click title.

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Fee waivers clear way for Glenwood Green"

(See related story and public comments here. Research all things Cordillera, Base Village, Four Seasons Vail, Dancing Bear. All employee/affordable housing developments from Aspen to Vail, including who finances them,  in order to begin to get up to speed on the magnitude of how much money is ultimately burdened  (and taken) onto the backs of the folks with these types of boondoggles that your elected leaders keep signing blank checks for.)

When one sets aside the musings of possibility that the problem is both long-term and short-term  memory loss in our council members and community leaders minds.

Sets aside the thought that maybe it's the ideology or personal politics of individual leaders.

Sets aside the thought that maybe time, patience and diplomacy on the folks end, will eventually win.

Sets aside the Pollyanna desire that common sense decisions based on facts not  the wishes, imagination and ideology of our leaders will finally prevail on behalf of the citizens they represent. 

When one sets aside the historical data that shows how many chances various leaders have been given and then cast aside by same;  to gather only historical data, all the facts and offerings and really dig in by actually going to take a good look in person at what their decisions create.

After setting aside all those things. 

One ends up right back at the undeniable conclusion that the folks must be right. 

That no matter what they do, there is no hope that they will be listened to. 

Power, business and political influence will reign. 

Excuses and false justification from community leaders will spin all things off into oblivion with platitudes such as "...we have an open door....we can't please all the people all the time...that's not the way government money works...we did check concerns with a couple of people and think that's enough....we don't do follow through, not our job....".

That layer upon layer of cloudy press and the ill-intent of special interests will fuzzy up all minds for everyone and the endless cycle will just continue to spin.

Yes, the folks must be right.

About what?

That the only way to get anything done that is truly in the best interests of the folks is to keep believing in the elections system. 

Through the power of one vote, to keep flushing away any party politician, on any side of the fence, until they have a majority of leaders who refuse to use an excuse or false justification to cover their tracks.

Unless you are a knowledgeable builder you likely have no idea whatsoever how much money the City of Glenwood Springs has burdened onto the citizens of both Garfield County and COGS with this latest phase in the Glenwood Meadows development.

How 'far' do you think $474,000 (that's just the waived fees) goes in profitability to Macgregor and his cohorts throughout the Meadows development?  Unthinkable that a developers ultimately self-enrichment has just come at the expense of desperately needed education fees for our kids and utility burdens on the backs of our seniors, underemployed and unemployed.

How about when  you add on the "subsidized housing credits" that COGS gave the project early on?  BTW, where are the jobs and the illegal immigration enforcement that should have come first before thinking about building another low-rent, subsidized mass build of apartments?

How about the long-term costs for all the problems that come when you add on the cheapest, slap-it-up-don't-look- back-building, engineering, labor and materials  that is the modus operandi for this developer?

How about when you add on the 'build-it-on-top-of-a-hidden-lake' type of ethics in engineering this developer has already proven with previous phases?  As he slaps up another major core and shell build with COGS never having changed the rules to force him to accountability?  That will last (if we're lucky) the same longevity as the RFTA maintenance facility of less than a decade?  Long after Macgregor is gone?

Glenwood Meadows aka 'The Ghettos'.  As the folks are so fond of calling it.

It's a great question, the one the folks keep asking over and over again.

"Where, exactly, does the money go with all these deed-restricted, affordable housing, subsidized to the developer/owner projects and whose money, exactly, is it?"

Talk about a boondoggle.

Give some cred to Councilman Leo McKinney for not falling for the shills of "2 restaurant owners" who spoke up on behalf of a dead, isolated development and its need for foot traffic.  Big no vote for Leo.  It will be interesting to listen to public comments on that huge change.  Give him some cred for it, please.

And say thank you to Councilman Mike Gamba for steadily staying the course and proving to the folks that he is all that they hoped he would be.

Now, how many more Michael Gambas can you go round up to run in the next municipal election?

John Stroud:
“I've been a supporter of this project … but I'm not a supporter of putting the financial burden on the backs of citizens and [utility] rate payers,” Councilman Mike Gamba reiterated at Thursday's meeting before voting against the waivers. “This project needs to stand on its own feet financially.”

Denver-based Community Housing Concepts, through its development arm, Steele Properties, obtained $11 million in low-income tax credits from the Colorado Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) to build the $14 million project.

Glenwood Green will provide low-cost rental units for individuals and families earning between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income.

Without the fee waivers, the project would have been in jeopardy, said Steele representative Jennifer Cloud at the Thursday meeting.

Cloud offered letters from CHFA, the Colorado Division of Housing and project investors indicating the lack of fee waivers from the city would trigger a review of the project's financing.

“All of them expressed great concern for the financial impact of not having the fee waivers,” Cloud said.

Any delays could also put the project in danger of meeting a June 5 deadline to spend 10 percent of the project budget, or risk losing the tax credits, she added.

“That's more likely to kill the project than any other factor,” Cloud said.

The city's land-use code allows for “partial or total” fee waivers as an incentive for eligible affordable housing projects. City planners recommended approval of the waivers.

Councilman Stephen Bershenyi had previously opposed the full waiver request. But he changed his tune, especially after hearing from two Glenwood Meadows Market Street restaurant owners Thursday night. They supported any incentive to encourage housing development next to the isolated commercial area...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Iowa Republican "Kevin’s Korner: My Last Election, Fisching for Delegates and Darth Cheney"

Kevin Hall:
"Greetings and welcome to Kevin’s Korner … Happy April Fool’s Day. No tricks or traps here … Just sitting back and enjoying some pink slime. We would be honored if you would join us.

The ObamaCare hearings at the Supreme Court seemed to go very well for those of us who don’t believe in the government taking over our lives … Just three words of sage advice, to quote a wise man: Don’t get cocky … We won’t know until June how the vote will go. And the justices can still change their minds before then.

Meanwhile, our wonderful awful president is caught telling a Russian dictator he can cut a better deal after November since this will be his “last election” … Translation: “Once I’m no longer held accountable by voters, I can dictate whatever I want.” … The U.S. has an insurmountable lead in missile defense technology over the Russians, but Barack would gladly abandon that. After all, Vladimir Putin is so trustworthy...."

(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: LA Times "Democrats give special interests a role at convention"

Matea Gold:
"Organizers have found ways to skirt their own rules and give corporations and lobbyists a presence at the national event in September. The situation reflects President Obama's difficulties in delivering on a vow to limit the influence of money in politics...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "And They Wonder Why Voters Are Angry"

We couldn't agree more that the 2012 Presidential election is shaping up to be a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Which is the last thing America needs right now.  What we needed was true leadership.

Vote anyone  but Barack Obama.  At least get us that far.

Scott Rasmussen:
"As Mitt Romney assumes the role of presumptive Republican nominee, polls suggest a competitive general election matchup between the former Massachusetts governor and President Obama. Typically, both candidates poll in the mid-40s, while 10 to 12 percent remain uncommitted to either side.

Among these uncommitted voters, Rasmussen Reports polling shows that just 22 percent approve of the way the president is handling his job. Seventy-two percent (72 percent) disapprove. As for intensity, just 2 percent strongly approve, and 40 percent strongly disapprove.

At first glance, this seems like good news for Romney. These uncommitted voters will be difficult for the president to win over. But it raises another question: If these uncommitted voters are so unhappy with the president, why aren't they already Romney supporters?

The data suggest that voters are less than thrilled with the choices they'll have in November. The lack of enthusiasm for Romney among GOP voters has been well documented. Among Democrats, enthusiasm for their candidate is noticeably down, as well. Among young voters, for example, just 20 percent strongly approve of the job the president is doing.

Most young voters, of course, will still end up voting for the president just as most disgruntled Republicans will end up voting for Romney. But neither candidate connects well with white working-class voters. Romney has struggled to win over these voters in his primary contests, and Obama lost them to Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries. For many, Election 2012 is shaping up to be another choice between the lesser of two evils...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Sister Toldjah "De Tocqueville foresaw Obama and the Progressive State"

'Phineas':
"My friend Michael Ledeen has a great essay at PJMedia arguing that Obama’s shocking remarks about the Supreme Court and his apparent questioning of judicial review the other day had nothing really to do with the Constitution, since it was all just politics to him, as his walk-back the next day and Eric Holder’s essay for 5th Circuit Court of Appeals showed.

What it was really about, Michael says, was power...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Accuracy in Media "Obama Gives Coal Miners the Shaft "

Cliff Kincaid:
"The notion that President Obama is trying to fire up his “base,” as he prepares for a re-election campaign, raises the question of what constitutes his base. It is becoming increasingly clear that the “workers” he is supposedly concerned about are going to be dismissed or ignored so that wealthy environmental groups can be accommodated.

Consider the words of Cecil Roberts, president of the powerful United Mine Workers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, after EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson made a ruling against coal plants. “The Navy SEALs shot Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and Lisa Jackson shot us in Washington,” Roberts said. Those who missed the news about Jackson shutting down coal plants through executive branch rules and regulations may have been unprepared for the Roberts assault. It was a big story for the media but framed in a way that played down the significance of what is taking place....." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: The Daily Pamphlet "The President of Non-Specifics"

David Pring-Mill:
"...Obama characterizes other politicians as having “three-point plans for two-dollar gas: drill, drill, and drill some more.” And in an ideal situation crafted to Obama’s political preferences, we could immediately switch to alternative energy and he wouldn’t have to worry about disappointing the environmentalists whose votes he needs for reelection. But in the necessitated interim, perhaps it’s better to make temporary environmental compromises than it is to remain in business with Middle Eastern dictators whose beliefs and regimes are antithetical to American values. Instead of contorting our foreign policy and watching gas prices rise, let’s tell dictators to take a hike. Let’s expand U.S. drilling significantly enough to independently enable a realistic transition to alternative energy. Obama has expanded drilling, but not to the required extent. If the history of human progress is any indicator, energy research will plod forward, and out of that process, the next Tesla will emerge with an invention that will eclipse the methods detailed in Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy – but until then, our nation must be prepared and self-reliant.

President Obama’s argument is intellectually dishonest in that it dually misrepresents our national oil resources – (there are 1,442 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil) – and misrepresents the readiness and viability of so-called alternative energy. A half-billion dollar loan from the federal government to Solyndra certainly didn’t produce results.[3] There is a very pernicious edge to government’s eagerness to find and facilitate an alternative energy solution. For instance, government policies of industrialized nations promoted and subsidized bio-fuels. This caused the deaths of nearly two hundred thousand people.[4] Expanded demand for grain harvest increased food prices globally, which resulted in mass starvation amongst the poor.[5] And the U.S. alone spent more than $20 billion on ethanol subsidies.[6]

Barack Obama’s willingness to ignore factual realities and over promise a swift, idealistic solution is reminiscent of past behavior. When he was running for President, Obama said that he would immediately shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, even though doing so struck others as logistically infeasible. It’s now 2012, and Gitmo is still there. “President Obama is still trying to shut down Gitmo as soon as possible, it’s just turning out that it’s not possible,” said Democratic strategist Joe Trippi.[7] This statement is an inadvertent riddle – if someone is trying to do something as soon as possible but they know that it is impossible, what is their ETA on completion?

This is a president who relies upon ambiguity to ingratiate himself with the electorate, routinely offering the semblance of solutions to worsening and very real problems. Barack Obama won election in 2008 after his campaign relentlessly emphasized the non-specifics of “hope” and “change.” After his 2011 State of the Union, Obama was criticized for failing to offer a specific and comprehensive plan for debt reduction.[8] In his 2012 State of the Union address, he utilized more nonspecific rhetoric while seemingly courting centrist and independent voters who have been drawn towards the libertarian ideals being espoused in the GOP primary. The President said, “I’ve ordered federal agencies to get rid of regulations that don’t make sense.” I’ll give the President some credit here – not literal financial credit, of course, given the economic precedent – and assume that this statement was a rhetorical oversimplification of his actual directives. The President’s rhetoric deliberately averts the mention of concrete objectives that, if specified, may have to be pursued...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Great Plains Examiner "Mining the ‘inexhaustible’ source of lignite coal"

Steve Hoffbeck:
"Keeping a home toasty warm brings hefty mid-winter heating bills to the residents of Bismarck-Mandan. But there was a time in our state’s history when people thought there would be enough lignite coal underfoot to provide cheap fuel for hundreds of years.

For pioneers, the heating salvation first came from the forests of trees along the waterways. Enterprising people in Bismarck cut and sold firewood for use in steamboats and for heating homes in the earliest days of the settlement...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Colorado Springs Independent "Stranger than fiction "

Orthographic outrage:

"When some parents objected to a school menu in Methuen, Mass., that offered "KKK Chicken Tenders," the Methuen Public School's Nutrition Department said "KKK" stood for "Crispy, Crunchy Chicken," with the C's swapped for K's. Informed that "KKK" was offensive, a department official said the menu wouldn't be reprinted, but the entry was changed on the school's website to "Krispy, Krunchy Chicken." A parent who'd complained, complained again, saying, "If they're teaching our kids to spell correctly, it should be 'CCC.'" (Boston's WCVB-TV)"

(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "Why shouldn’t Mexico compensate us for illegal aliens?"

John Hawkins:
"One of the dirty little secrets on our southern border is that Mexico actually encourages its citizens to come here illegally. Not only does Mexico refuse to work with us to secure its side of the border, it’s actually put out comic books explaining to its citizens how to cross into our country illegally. To a barely functional, exploitive nation like Mexico, this is a win/win situation. The illegals who come to the United States send billions back home every year, plus Mexico uses them and their families in the States as a political wedge to try to manipulate our political process in its favor.

That may be all well and good for Mexico, but it’s an expensive proposition for the American taxpayers. So, why not ask Mexico to pay the bills for its own citizens?..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Eagle County Times "Cordillera Litigation Update – April 6th 2012"

Clayton Moore:
"What’s going on with the (now) Class Action Lawsuit involving the Wilhelm Family Partnership and the members of the Cordillera Golf Club?

Well…it was NOT a good day, yesterday, in Federal Court – for the cause of the Wilhelm Family Partnership.

The WFP filed just weeks earlier to move the case to Federal Court (after the lawsuit attained Class Action Status) – that status achieved by a previous ruling from District Court Judge Fred Gannett.  The Plaintiff’s in this case (Golf Course Members, et al) filed with District Court – to get Class Action status.  (Click Here)

Yesterday the ruling from Federal Court was handed down.  The WFP’s attempt to move their Case to Federal Court was rejected by the Ruling of Judge William J. Martinez – a U.S. District Judge.  (Click Here)  This case is now back in the hands of District Court and Judge Fred Gannett...."

(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Steamboat brothers appear in court on heroin charges"

Matt Stensland:
"Steamboat Springs — A preliminary hearing Wednesday and Thursday and recently unsealed documents reveal what police say led to the arrests of two Steamboat Springs brothers accused of dealing heroin. Both men now face a combined 17 felony charges.

Police began their six-week investigation into Jordan Persons, 19, and Elijah Persons, 21, using a confidential source previously arrested on drug-related charges by the Steamboat Springs Police Department. The source then began working with the All Crimes Enforcement Team drug task force...."

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: CBS Denver 4 "Officials Adjust Policy After Man Tries To Pay $160 Ticket In Change"

"Newcomer says city officials thought it over once they found out about the situation and said they now plan to ditch the coin policy. They are working on a plan to borrow the coin counting machine used by the parking services department.

“Although it’s rare that people come in and want to pay with a large amount of loose coins, we want to find a way for people to do that,” Newcomer said.

Ted was finally able to pay his ticket online using his financial aid reimbursement card. He says he’s happy to hear of the change the city plans to make.

“Hopefully more people that are broke like me can pay with their pocket change,” he said...."

(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Pueblo Chieftain "Adult charges against juvies put in judges' hands "

Patrick Malone:
"DENVER — Juveniles will get court hearings in most cases before being charged with crimes as adults, if Gov. John Hickenlooper is on board.
On Thursday, the Colorado Senate gave final approval to a Pueblo lawmaker’s bill that limits prosecutors’ authority to directly file adult charges against juveniles.
A 22-13 vote passing the measure followed hours of debate and failed attempts to amend HB1271, sponsored by Sens. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo, and Tim Neville, R-Littleton.

Giron characterized the bill as a step to assure that decisions that can set the course for the rest of a young person’s life are appropriate..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Half truths and whole lies"

A special thank you goes out to Ken Neubecker of Carbondale for once again his voice of reason alongside his courage to speak in a manner that the apparent deaf just might hear.  The folks think that's called "effective communication".

Ken Neubecker:
"I would like to dispel another mean-spirited rumor. Neither I, nor anyone I know, is on the payroll of any particular wealthy individual. There is no imaginary puppet master pulling the strings of hydro plant opponents.

Most of the people opposing the project are long-term, even lifelong, full-time, hard working residents of Aspen who simply care deeply about these two streams. Many of us initially thought if anyone could do hydro right it would be Aspen. When we started looking more deeply and asking questions we ran into a wall of deceptions. It was very disheartening, and still is. There is nothing new or precedent setting in this ill-conceived project. It’s just another costly and destructive 19th century hydroelectric project. Aspen is hardly being a leader; in fact it is doing the opposite.

Let’s return to an open, civil discussion of the whole and real facts, in a true context of the situation. Deliberate distortions, paranoia and baseless fear mongering do nothing to further the goals of truly green renewable energy that we all share...."  (Read the rest of the letter?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Lottery conservation funds being eyed by veterans’ advocates"

Of course they are.

Open space, parks and rec has been hooked up to the cash cow of lottery and gaming proceeds with zero competition for those funds.

Sinking millions of dollars into one special interest, Colorado would be much better served to follow the lead of other states in the union.

Consolidate all gaming proceeds into one kitty and then divide that up between Parks-Rec-Open Space, K-12 public education, law enforcement and public safety, road and bridge and human services.

It's called fairness and equal sharing  amongst public need entities  rather than the current greed-mongering from Parks, Rec and Open Space.

Interesting to watch again the crossover power between boards and local interests in some of the names that are speaking out against the measure.

Andrew Travers:
"...An effort by state legislators to redistribute lottery funds for conservation grants, and put them toward veterans’ programs, has drawn concern from local open space officials.

The Pitkin County open space department will ask the county commissioners to pass a resolution opposing the veterans initiative next week.

“I don’t believe it’s the solution to the problem, to take funds away from something that is working,” said Barb D’Autrechy, county open space acquisition manager.

State Sen. Suzanne Williams of Aurora and others are gathering support in the legislature to create a new scratch-off lottery ticket to fund additional aid for Colorado veterans and amend allocations of lottery funds. Changing the distribution of lottery proceeds would mean changing the Colorado Constitution, which requires a statewide vote.

Supporters are hoping to place the issue on the statewide November ballot.

Voters have previously supported the parks- and conservation-centric funding model, which supports grants for open space purchases, trail projects and wildlife protection.

Conservationists do not wish to be pitted against veterans in competition for state funds, said Martha Cochran, director of the Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT)...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Coloradoan "New Belgium selects Asheville, N.C. for new brewery"

David Young:
"New Belgium Brewing Co. announced Thursday afternoon it will open a new $175 million brewery in Asheville N.C. over the next seven years.

The decision by the Fort Collins craft brewery, known for such beers as Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat, follows a nearly year long search for a second brewery location to expand its production along the East Coast.

The new brewery is projected to start production of beer in the first quarter of 2015 and be completed by 2020. The brewery reportedly will produce 400,000 barrels a year. It will create an additional 154 jobs to the Fort Collins-based company..." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Basalt trailer park redevelopment outlined"

Scott Condon:
"The redevelopment plans hinge on finding a place to build replacement housing for those being displaced from the 37 trailers and one manufactured home on the property.

“Although the (Roaring Fork Community Development Corp.) is open to the possibility of affordable housing units on the campus site, the logistics of relocating the current residents, what we know about their housing preferences and the costs involved in creating affordable housing units makes it very likely that the required housing will be located on a secondary parcel,” the application said..."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "City looks to the web for feedback"

AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!


(Cue sounds of rioting in the streets, chaos and mayhem everywhere...sobbing women and children....outraged husbands and fathers....)


Again:


Anonymity is a personal choice.

'Tito the Carpenter' and 'John and  Jane Doe' do not want recognition for their ideas and tips to officials and authorities. It's not safe to have recognition. 

It's not feasible in the world of 24/7 publications and media that buys ink by the barrel that are hell-bent on public exposure of anyone they can exploit in a heartbeat. 

They have lives, loved ones, jobs and personal needs that they are protecting. 

They also are voters who 'hire' those officials and authorities with their votes and pay their salaries with their taxes.  Frankly....they are so damn sick and tired of the mess so many of those officials and authorities make of the system, rules, laws and financial resources we have...they have to find a way to speak up.

If they do not, all is lost.  'Paradise' really will be doomed.

If they wanted to be a city councilman, they would be.  If they wanted to work for government, they would.  If they feel they can trust a cop they will go to that cop.  If they don't, then they will not.

Why is it that the simplicity of the 'anonymity concept' is so deliberately ignored in this valley?  Nobody in their right mind goes out and willingly paints a bullseye in center of forehead and opens themselves up to 'Conversations with Mick'.  Not in an environment where power out of control paints those bullseyes at will.

The common folks out here are right.  This isn't about the information or idea itself.  This is about wanting to know who these people out here are.  That is really what every city and county agency in this valley wants.  Is to know who you are before they will act on the public behalf.

What a sad, sad state of affairs that people cannot even give away their information to officials and authorities to use for public good because those same officials and authorities are the ones that have so violated public trust they have an entire sub-culture out here that lives in the shadows.  It really is not worth it in any way to sign up, give DNA and contact information simply so the little guys can show Mick, Rachel, Michael, Mitzi, Joe and Richard where everything from building code problems to tourism problems to crime lie within their own communities.  Here's a news flash:  The folks are giving you information that is great info and you can use that to glorify yourself in your political careers.  The folks want you to have all the credit for the tips or idea.  Run with it!  Knock yourselves out!  If the people wish to join you...they will become a community leader or politician.

Good luck with this new tell-all system, City of Aspen.  Chances are it will be as successful as the Aspen Times  forcing sign up to login, password, ability to post on walls app that "allows" public comments.

See related story here.


To read up on the brilliant new idea the City of Aspen has to 'encourage' citizens to come forward and speak up; click title.


BTW, here's a very interesting tidbit hidden deep by ACRA in this same news story off the Daily:


"It was also announced that Donnie Lee, general manager of The Gant condominium hotel, will succeed Warren Klug as chairman of the ACRA board. Klug, general manager of the Aspen Square condominium hotel, is stepping down after three years at the helm of the ACRA board...."

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "FBI probe is unwarranted"

The Aspen Times is either pumping out blatant 'propaganda' (information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.,the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc., the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.)  (or) they are so absorbed (entrenched, blinded, deaf-mute-blind) in the daily pursuit of community power they have no idea at all what's going on in their city and county.


Hmmmmm.......which could it be??

Hey, it's Spring and off (really off) season!  We've got the Aspen Daily (the only locally owned and operated newspaper in the Roaring Fork Valley....'ZG' is the most famous 'anonymous' avatar around...they're on it!) where we know we can find out the truth.  So take the Times with the usual grain of salt.

As 'jbend' would say:  "Riddle me this...."

1.  Are the Feds really doing a probe??  Lordy, we hope so.

2.  Is that a probe just on the geriatric drug culture of Aspen that is corrupting our youth and inviting violent Mexican Drug Cartels into the area?  Uh...hellllooo Aspen Times....it's a "public corruption and power abuse" probe if there is a probe at all.  Sheesh....

3.  Will the Aspen Times fall under the discerning eye of DEA Special Agent "James Bond" Schrant simply because they are doing such obvious brown-nose style editorial pieces to Big Money, a certain social class in Aspen and the "workers" that fuel that vicious cycle of Aspen culture?

Riddle me this....

To read the editorial on the alleged FBI probe up on the Aspen Times today, click title.

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Craig Daily Press "Quicksilver ‘motivated’ by Moffat County prospects"

Joe Moylan:
"The Niobrara Formation has long been a resource of interest for some of the country’s largest oil and natural gas producers.

After years of research and land plays, companies like Shell, Axia Energy and Gulfport began exploratory operations in Moffat County last spring to determine whether the Niobrara could be the site of the next major domestic oil and natural gas boom.

Quicksilver Resources, a company based in Fort Worth, Texas, also staked its claim in the region, and on Tuesday Danny Mondragon, Colorado project manager for Quicksilver, laid out for the Moffat County Commission one of the most ambitious exploration plans to date.

“Quicksilver is the company to keep an eye on,” Moffat County Commissioner Tom Mathers said after the lunch meeting. “They’re more motivated and hungrier to grow their business.

“Unlike Shell, which seems to move at a snail’s pace because they’re so big.”...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "County to fire off oil shale study critique"

John Stroud:
"...Garfield Commission Chairman John Martin said the resolution came out of a meeting in Vernal, Utah, last week between officials from the affected counties, including Garfield County.

“This is being put forward as part of the tri-state comment period provided in the EIS process,” Martin said. “It is the consensus of the affected counties in the three states.”

Officials from Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties were also involved in the Vernal meeting, he said. The Wyoming counties of Carbon, Sweetwater and Uinta, as well as Uintah County in Utah were also represented.

The meeting reportedly included former BLM Director Kathleen Clarke, who now heads efforts to encourage energy development on federal lands in Utah.

The joint resolution also asks that the BLM's deadline for comments on the oil shale leasing plan be extended at least another 30 days until the middle of June...."  (Read more?  Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit Daily News "Colo. Basin snowpack drops 26 percent"

Janice Kurbjun:
"Snowpack percentages plummeted during March.

Warm, dry weather counteracted Colorado's wet February, dropping snowpack in the Colorado River Basin from 75 percent of average at the end of February to 49 percent at the end of March.

“The boost in snowpack totals across the state was short-lived,” officials with the National Resource Conservation Service said in a press release. Statewide levels are now down to a “paltry” 52 percent of average, a decrease of 29 percent from the 81 percent of average measured March 1. The snowpack drop was the result of well-below average snowfall and precipitation and warmer-than-average temperatures, officials said...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Arctic science probe looking more like witch hunt"

SandBoxBlogs genre is spin.  That is what we do.  We round up the news stories that feel to us as though they pattern into what we hear avatars in commentary all over the nation saying in their posts.  Yes, we focus on our regional demographic quite strongly but here is something you may not yet be aware of.

SandBoxBlogs, a little over a year ago, launched out into other demographics.  The experiment was to see if just by listening to the folks...say....out in the heartland; whether or not we could hear the same or similar patterns within the news they pay attention to.

(whisper...whisper...news flash...news flash...breaking news...news flash....the answer to that curiousity appears to be affirmative...news flash...the folks are pretty much the same everywhere and dealing with similar issues just in different ways....breaking news...news flash...whisper...whisper...gosh, wonder what would happen if our elected leaders and law enforcement authorities were listening fully to what folks are just sayin.....whisper...whisper....) 

Yes, we lean strong to the right on a number of issues but if you really pay attention you will find that 'SandBox Nanny' is an Independent conservative as are many of our local followers.  Walking a very solid center line once we all come to the table.

There is a great deal of injustice when either the left or the right takes an extreme political view and goes off on a rant.  Oh, how interesting it is to watch the self-righteous cerebral wanderings of the left moonbat extremists up against the dogma of the steady and sure-footed right wingnut!  Lordy, lordy how they can go at it.

Global warming and 'Climategate' can rise to the level of throwing jet fuel onto smoldering embers within the reading of just one article penned by an 'eco-terror pen journalist'.

Which is why so many in our demographic are grateful to have Bob Berwyn, up and over on the Summit County Citizens Voice.  A highly respected environmental journalist who we feel really needs to do more op-ed pieces alongside his great and well balanced reports.

Here's a link from the conservative blow-hards over on the Hot Air Blog on this same story today. 

The nod on the subject goes to Berwyn.

Bob Berwyn: 
"According to PEER, the IG involvement has made scientists leery of criminalizing the peer review process in publishing research.  It has also made scientists who are overseeing research contracts uneasy, as well.  One side-street of the IG investigation looked at a polar bear study by the University of Alberta.  The IG raised issues about how the scientific merits of contracts were reviewed and approved.

Colleagues defended Dr. Monnett’s actions in the Alberta study and in overseeing a sizeable portfolio of Arctic research.  They confronted then-Bureau of Ocean Energy Management & Enforcement (BOEM) Michael Bromwich in asking him to provide some clarity.  Bromwich asked for a review which came back to him in late October 2011.  That review found “inconsistent guidance”, unclear delegation of authority, fear of signing invoices and a host of other impediments to a robust science program unresolved. Bromwich, who just opened a “crisis management” firm, left without addressing any of the requested reforms, leaving problems to fester from continued inattention.

“This seemingly endless review has needlessly disrupted the lives of the affected scientists and their work,” said Ruch, explaining that the IG has consistently refused to lay out specific charges for the scientists to rebut.  “If the Office of Inspector General cannot come to a point after more than two years, how many more years will it take to wrap this up?” Ruch concluded..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Signs of spring"

Credits:  Bob Berwyn and Kim Fenske

SandBoxBlogs: Note from Nanny "Spring Cleaning on the Blog"

Time for a little spring cleaning on SandBox.

By now, followers have noticed the revised version of bringing back the summary page feature.    This is a much easier and faster format of consolidating links to favorite posts and I think we'll let it stick around, at least for now.

With that said, access to the feature will need to be done by you bookmarking the pages on your end beginning Sunday, the 8th of April.  The page links on Home page will revert back to just Contact, Morning Photo and 'Rules, Regs and Worth' .  There are a couple of reasons easy access won't be listed on Home page and the one I will share with you,  is that the summary pages are target specific and those who use them likely have them bookmarked already. Since they are not used by the majority of followers and daily readers; I will use the home page real estate for other items.  Thank you for getting your summary page bookmarks in place prior to the 8th.

The screen format has also been widened again which gives post text a little more room to spread out.  I think you will find the posts are easier to read.

Our affiliate marketing vendors have not changed; we still have the same ones you've grown accustomed to seeing and using.  Thank you for your continued support by purchasing through our affiliates here on SandBox.  The reason some banners are not live on site is because I'm trying a new approach of switching them out through rotation.

Happy Easter weekend, everyone.

SandBoxBlogs: MSNBC PowerWall "The Truth About Google CEO Larry Page: He's Just A Big Nerd Who Loves Technology And Wants To Change The World"

Matt Rosoff:

"Larry Page talked to Bloomberg BusinessWeek on his one-year anniversary of taking over Google's CEO, and darned if we don't like the guy a lot better after reading it...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "Jay Carney on Obama’s Court remarks: It’s the “reverse of intimidation”"

SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "Sandra Day O'Connor's Quest for State Judiciary Reform"

Ryan James Girdusky:

"While the nation is engulfed in the Supreme Court hearings on Obamacare, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has been touring the country – most recently in Greenville, SC – to continue campaigning for her favorite pet issue: abolishing elections for state judges. Her quest, simply put, is to eliminate the right of the voters to decide their judges. She will not sleep, nor apparently let you; as evidenced by her 1am robocall to Nevada voters to gain support on this issue, until the most common method for selecting state judges is replaced by a method that is dominated by liberal trial lawyers.

Currently, 22 states use elections to choose judges, 13 states use the Missouri Plan, 5 use Democratic appointment, and 10 use a hybrid method.

O’Connor bemoans judicial elections, complaining that the amount of money spent campaigning for judicial races is "an embarrassment" to the country. However an empirical study conducted Professor Christopher Bonneau, a respected expert on judicial elections, demonstrates that despite O’Connor’s rhetoric against campaign spending, it is quite valuable to voters. Bonneau's study shows that campaign spending engages and mobilizes voters, and these voters are educated about the candidates and their records. The research rebuts all of O'Connor's bombastic language.

O’Connor prefers a method she refers to as a “merit system” – which many refer to as the Missouri Plan – for choosing judges. She boasts that she helped bring this "merit system" to Arizona as a state legislator. By using this terminology, O’Connor demonstrates her 26 year Washington D.C. pedigree. Naturally, use of the word “merit” invokes good feelings, and one may assume (erroneously) that this method permits those most qualified and deserving a place on the bench. However, nothing could be further than the truth. Just as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would be more aptly titled the Destroy Healthcare, Destroy Small Businesses, and Raise Premiums Act, “merit system” would be more aptly titled “guaranty that liberal judges are on the bench and trial lawyers get their way system.”...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Pueblo Chieftain " First female Pueblo chief judge named "

Jeff Tucker:
"With the impeding departure of Chief Judge Dennis Maes from the 10th Judicial District, Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Bender made two appointments to fill roles Maes is vacating in June.Gov. John Hickenlooper also will have 15 days to choose a new district court judge to fill Maes' vacancy.Maes is retiring at the end of May.

The Colorado Judicial Branch announced Wednesday that District Judge Deborah Eyler has been appointed to serve as chief judge in Pueblo's judicial district. It is believed that Eyler is the first woman named to the post in Pueblo history. That job will commence June 1.

Eyler was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bill Ritter in August 2008 and has served since December of that year.

Eyler had presided over dependency and neglect cases as well as domestic relations and truancy cases...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Denver Post "Colorado lawmaker soon will air issue of school resource officers doubling as immigration police"

State Rep. Roger Wilson  (D-Glenwood Springs) has not accomplished a single thing while in office.

Elected at mid-terms by a very small margin, he was the hope of liberals in the Glenwood Springs area who had just lost Tresi Houpt and Tom Dalessandri at mid-terms 2010.

The sudden interest from Rep. Wilson in the 'Strawberry Days Massacre' story, that led to the war being waged by CIRC and AYUA against regional law enforcement, is transparent at best.

Here's a news flash to Rep. Wilson:

Our SRO's are trusted by the majority of  the latino population of the RE1 School District.  Interestingly enough,  they are mostly all legal immigrants.

Nancy Lofholm:"ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok said he views the issue as more of a local one that doesn't involve his agency.

"This issue exclusively belongs to individual school districts," Rusnok said. "These (school resource officers) are not ICE employees."

"Wilson said he views the underlying issue as one of trust and he thinks there needs to be "a firewall" between immigration enforcement and school resource officers.

"There is a general principle here and it has to do with the trust of school resource officers...They need to be trusted," Wilson said.

Wilson said the earliest he might propose any legislation would be next year. He has not yet set a date for Roaring Fork representatives to come to Denver to lay out their problems before legislators...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Paradise doomed"

lol.

Michael Galvis, Woody Creek:
"David, this “paradise” has been on the road to “doomed and forever cursed” for the past 40-plus years!..."
(Read more?  Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Group's work brings lucky days to some dogs"

Scott Condon:
"ASPEN — A new animal-rescue organization based in the Roaring Fork Valley is following a lean operations model that is proving effective — it's already found homes for 30 dogs this year.

Lucky Day Animal Rescue Colorado relies on volunteers and foster families to take care of pets it saves and to find them good, permanent homes. The tax-exempt nonprofit doesn't have a facility or staff. So the organizers are always on the lookout for donations and in constant need of additional people from Aspen to Glenwood Springs to temporarily take care of the animals..." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Brighter Future Ahead for Horses Involved in Animal Cruelty Case"

(See related stories here and here.)

Danielle Kreutter:
"...In light of this incident and other animal cruelty reports, the sheriff's office has taken a step toward bettering its animal services.

"The sheriff's office sent a second deputy to specialized training in recognizing animal abuse through the State of Colorado Department of Agriculture," Taylor said.

The state veterinarian ranked the horses' health on a scale of zero to 10. He found them to be in the one to two range. These horses were sent to the Spirit Wind Horse Rescue.

"They've been doing really well. They've been putting on weight slowly," said Vendla Stockdale, president of Spirit Wind Horse Rescue.

The rescue will be restoring the horses to good health and will be putting them up for adoption at the end of the summer.

To request to adopt any of the rescued horses, call Beth Keenan at Spirit Wind Horse Rescue at 970-921-5646...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Outdoor bars get approval for middle of Hyman Avenue mall"

Carolyn Sackariason:
"The outdoor bar and restaurant that has been in the middle of the Hyman Avenue mall for the past two summers will be expanded to accommodate two establishments, the city’s Commercial Core and Lodging Commission decided Wednesday.

The entire seating area will be 90 feet long, and will be occupied by Finbarr’s Irish Pub and Escobar, both of which have indoor spaces on the mall to the south and north, respectively. Each establishment will have roughly 45 seats in a 12-by-46-square-foot space side by side.

Last summer, the designated area was smaller and featured Escobar, which shared the space with the now-defunct Parallel 15 coffee shop.

The mall is owned by the city and technically doesn’t allow an outdoor bar in the middle of it, but that was amended a few years ago to try the experiment, said Kathy Strickland, the city’s chief deputy clerk...."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit Daily News "Lawmakers salvage state tourism budget"

Caddie Nath:
"Despite a multi-million dollar dip in revenue, lawmakers proposed a slight increase in the state's tourism budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The bump would bring the budget up to more than $13 million.

An initial proposal from the state Joint Budget Committee will supplement the normal tourism budget with an additional $3.7 million. Without the extra cash, the gaming-tax funded tourism budget will fall to $9.6 million next year from just over $12 million this year and $20 million a few years ago.

“Tourism is such a huge share of our Western Slope economy,” said Rep. Millie Hamner (D-Dillon). “It's critical for us to continue to invest in it.”...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Another strong month for retail sales in February"

Now these numbers.....are finally some numbers everyone should be able to work with!

Nearly double  the new norm.  Surely commentators can express some positive views...at least for February.

John Stroud:
"GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — The city saw its largest sales tax increase in four years in February, based on month-over-month comparisons.

Retail sales were up nearly 7.3 percent in February, compared to collections for the same month last year, according to the city's February sales tax report issued this week.

“That's certainly a number we haven't seen in a while,” Glenwood Springs City Manager Jeff Hecksel said. “February is typically one of our lower months.”

“To see that kind of increase was a big surprise,” he said, especially with the lack of snow this winter for skiing.

Glenwood Springs' accommodations (lodging) tax continues on the plus side as well, up a little more than 16 percent for February. That follows an 8.38 percent lodging tax increase in January....."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Coal mine is key to utility's 'green' goals"

Must be all those Koch campaign donations through Oxbow to environmental activist and 'Fracking is inherently safe' Senator Mark Udall (D-Colorado) that are prompting his brother to support Clean Coal Energy and Methane Capture...

According to Scott Condon, the "unlikely source of a coal mine near Somerset" has his beloved Senator stepping back from his campaign donations scandal with Jon Corzine and taking a second look at what benies the Republicans bring to the table that he can get talked up through Randy Udall.

'That's two scandalous campaign donors for Senator Mark Udall (D-Colorado)', Mr. Condon. 

Who cares?  Is the message Scott Condon needs to hear from the folks today.  Conservatives are for "all of the above" when it comes to energy sources.  "All of the above" includes environmentally conscious.

'EcoTerror-pen' journalists are just so stuck in the past trying to wordsmith disinformation they can't see that undeniable fact.

Congratulations and a special thank you to Bill Koch.

For once again bringing a win-win to the energy (and political) table. 

Nice job, Holy Cross!

Scott Condon:
"Producing power from methane offsets a substantially greater amount of greenhouse gases than production of the same amount of power from wind or solar.

“Holy Cross' methane project, with a capital cost of $5 million, will offer as much climate benefit as $500 million worth of solar,” Udall said. “In other words, it will displace nearly as much carbon as all the solar we have installed statewide to date.”

Worley said Holy Cross officials saw tremendous climate benefits from the project.

“It clearly seemed to us to be a good thing,” he said......

......Holy Cross has signed a second contract recently to fatten its portfolio of renewable energy. It has a deal to buy power produced by a biomass plant proposed in Gypsum by Eagle Valley Clean Energy LLC. The 10 megawatt plant would burn dead trees, construction material and other wood supplies to boil water and produce steam, which spins turbines that produce electricity.

The plant would create a good use for the beetle-kill trees prevalent in the Interstate 70 corridor, Worley said. It would also create up to 40 jobs at the plant while producing reliable, renewable energy, he said. The biomass plant could run 90-some percent of the time and wouldn't be subject to weather conditions, like wind and solar farms...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Too true to be too funny"

While we most certainly do not agree with Mr. Stude regarding Congressman Tipton (R-Colorado); he certainly does hit the mark on a number of his points elsewhere.

Imagine a world of balance when it comes to all aspects of the environment.  Including politics.

Carl Ted Stude:
"What these disciples of unregulated resource exploitation have in common is their failure to understand that moderation in the exploitation of limited natural resources is necessary to sustain the prosperity that they enjoy, and equally necessary to enhance and sustain other people’s quality of life.

The solution to extremism is a combination of ideological balance and understanding of basic principles of natural science and economics. Sadly, the people who have these qualities do not very often stand up in public to make specific proposals for balancing economic development with environmental quality, in a way that benefits the majority of Americans without undue harm to the minority...." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."