Blogs

Whenever drug crimes are mentioned, thoughts of imprisonment and other unpleasant consequences arise. It is likely that you are overwhelmed by the potential outcome of a drug-related criminal charge, such as distributing, possessing, or manufacturing. You should not lose hope despite how bad things may seem at first. Criminal defense attorneys can protect your rights and, in many cases, reduce or dismiss your charges entirely.

Read on to find out more about Colorado's drug crime defenses https://duilawfirmdenver.com/the-best-defenses-for-drug-crimes/

Check the link for an expert defense attorney https://duilawfirmdenver.com/drug-defense-attorney-denver/

Facing criminal charges? You've come to the right place. Whether you are arrested for a crime against a person, property or any other offense Emilio De Simone can help.

When you are accused of a crime, it is important to seek out legal counsel as soon as possible.

Visit our criminal defense page here https://duilawfirmdenver.com/criminal-defense-attorney-denver/

Our Google map office can be found here https://g.page/DUILawFirmDenverDenver

Test case integrates R&D, OEMs, contractors and subs to efficiently employ AM processes, expand markets and increase resiliency

Golden, CO –ADAPT, the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies, a research consortium focused on developing technologies to accelerate the certification and qualification of 3D printed metal parts, in cooperation with the University of Utah, has received funding from the U.S. Department of Defense for the first phase of the Mountain West Advanced Manufacturer’s Network (MWAMN). From the approximately $2.7 million in funding, roughly $1.5 million will go to Colorado School of Mines and ADAPT.

“This program creates a new manufacturing platform to advance economic and workforce resilience in response to changes in defense spending,” said ADAPT Technical Director Aaron Stebner. “Enabling manufacturers to efficiently deploy additive manufacturing processes helps diversify their product offerings, expand into non-defense markets, and provide resilient employment and value to their communities and the economy independent of defense spending.”

The MWAMN leverages ADAPT’s existing data infrastructure built with funding from a State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade Advanced Industries Accelerator grant and funds from founding member companies. This data infrastructure will help inform product and material change-overs; create new innovations and diversification; accelerate product development; and reduce reliance on the defense industry while improving the ability respond to new Department of Defense requirements.

Other network members include Citrine Informatics; Carnegie Mellon’s NextManufacturing Center; and the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership organizations from Colorado and Utah, Manufacturer’s Edge and the MEP Center at The University of Utah.

“Additive manufacturing holds the promise of enabling manufacturers to quickly adapt to changing market needs compared to traditional manufacturing methods,” noted Heidi Hostetter, ADAPT industry board chair. “Today, building new parts or switching materials with this technology takes too long. MWAMN is focused on radically shortening that time, lowering costs, and reducing the negative economic impact on companies and communities when defense programs and spending changes.”

Together, members will network past, present, and future defense-supported metals manufacturers directly with advanced manufacturing research and development centers via a centralized, artificially intelligent database. This platform will enable defense manufacturing contractors to efficiently use AM processes to shorten product development cycles, expand product mix, enter new non-defense markets, increasing economic diversification of their businesses along with economic and workforce resilience.

About ADAPT

The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) is a research and development organization dedicated to the creation of next-generation data informatics and advanced characterization technologies for additive manufacturing technologies. ADAPT uses these tools to help industry and government qualify, standardize, assess, and optimize advanced manufacturing processes and parts. Several levels of membership to the ADAPT consortium are available. Founding industry members include Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Faustson Tool, Lockheed Martin, Citrine Informatics. Grant funding from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) was provided to Manufacturer’s Edge and The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership. For more information, find ADAPT on the web, LinkedIn,Facebook, or Twitter.

Define Defense now offers 4 week self defense courses on Fridays from 5-6pm. In these 4 classes, we go over:

- Self defense on the floor against a standing attacker
- Self defense against sexual assault
- Self defense against grabs, chokes and other forceful attacks
- Effective striking
- How to avoid dangerous situations
- How to maximize your chances of escape
- How to use pepper sprays (and other defense sprays)
- Vital points, body language and other proven methods to get yourself into safety

The next self defense course will take place on these dates:
October 26th
November 2nd
November 9th
November 16th
Every attendee will receive an information packet. If you cannot attend all 4 consecutive classes, you can use your remaining class(es) during the next course dates.

The price for the full program is only $75.
If you want to reserve a spot, please send us a message or register here. Spots are limited!

This program combines all of the most effective and realistic ways to defend yourself against any dangers that may occur. We focus on prevention as well as protecting yourself and others. In this course, you will learn how to deal with a crisis situation, mentally as well as physically. Everything we teach is relevant to real situations and applies more realistic training methods for improved results. 

I'm sure you've heard or read about the 20 year old CU student who got ticketed for falsely reporting an attack on University Hill. You can read more about it here.

Her initial story was that she was walking alone when she was grabbed by a 200lbs. knife wielding man. After a struggle, she got away with some minor scratches.

Doesn't add up does it? It may be possible if she was very lucky and the attacker only had the intention to scare her with the knife but did not plan on actually using it. It is definitely possible if she acted and overwhelmed her attacker (you want to take away the attacker's confidence, therefore the Golden Rule of self defense: ACT CRAZY). However, if a 200 lbs. man was wielding with a knife, it would be extremely hard to walk away the way she did. Not just for her but for anyone, including me!

False reports are unfortunate and prevent law enforcement from investigating real crimes. For example:

The armed robbery which turned fatal for Todd Walker (March 2011)

The gunmen who robbed multiple people and sexually assaulted a woman (August, 2011)

A gunman outside the Boulder Community Hospital (April, 2011)

Bank robbery in North Boulder (September, 2011)

CU campus robbery (January, 2012)

Sexual assault attempts (October, 2011)


Does this mean Boulder is an unsafe or bad place to live? Absolutely not! However, as in every big town (and college town), you need to be aware and more importantly, not be naive. Not everyone is trustworthy, you need to be cautious and use common sense. 

After all, things happen and you don't control everything or everyone. None of the above victims ever thought this would happen to them but unfortunately it did. We should all try to keep ourselves and others safe. There are many ways to do this but the first step is to realize bad things do happen. Being prepared doesn't hurt. The last thing you want to do is putting yourself in a situation in which bad things can happen.

As a self defense instructor, I spend a lot of attention to all aspects of self defense. It is not simply about the techniques and how to get back to safety but it's also about preventing, scanning, communication (verbal and non verbal), knowing vital points and very important: your mental state.

My wife pointed out an article about self defense a few weeks ago and Linda Fairstein (a former sex crimes prosecutor) addresses a few very bad choices that turned for the worst.

- Kenia Monge from Denver was planning on going to college to become a crime scene investigator so she was an intelligent woman. When she left her friends to go to the restroom when partying, she never came back. Travis Forbes was found guilty for the murder of Kenia. She made one mistake but it cost her and her family dearly. It is very important to use a buddy system when leaving the group, no matter how close or easy your destination is.

- Holly Bobo, a 20 year old student was kidnapped outside her Tennessee home. It seems like Holly did not resist enough, at least not in the initial part of her kidnapping. Traces of resistance were found but it was probably too late. If you feel unsafe, draw attention to yourself. It will lower your attacker's confidence and other people may be able to assist or call 911. Do whatever you can to draw attention and target vital points to maximize damage and pain. Please note that every situation is different and everyone's response is different. When there are weapons involved, it is also a very different scenario so this response may not fit all situations!


- Paula Sladewski had a fight with her boyfriend in a club, it came to a point that her boyfriend was thrown out and she stayed. When she left later, cameras show a man was following her. She didn't make it and up to this day, there is no suspect. Paula made the mistake of making a decision based on her emotions at that time. This affected her safety and it turned for the worst. Always be careful and don't take risks, even if you are upset.

The article focussed on these three situations that were caused by a certain decision. Other people doing the same actions may be fine and many other decisions will also turn out to be the wrong one. Should you lock yourself up and don’t take any risks? No but take calculated risks and please use common sense. It’s better to be safe than sorry. In my mind, every person should take a proper self defense course and know the basics (not because we teach these but I believe things can happen and you should be able to help yourself if needed).

We teach self defense classes 4 times a week and offer punch cards to give our clients the freedom to choose their own times. We focus on every aspect of self defense and make sure you leave with a strong basic knowledge and skill set. All levels and ages are welcome. More info about our self defense classes and workshops here.


By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com

I'm sure you've heard or read about the 20 year old CU student who got ticketed for falsely reporting an attack on University Hill. You can read more about it here.

Her initial story was that she was walking alone when she was grabbed by a 200lbs. knife wielding man. After a struggle, she got away with some minor scratches.

Doesn't add up does it? It may be possible if she was very lucky and the attacker only had the intention to scare her with the knife but did not plan on actually using it. It is definitely possible if she acted and overwhelmed her attacker (you want to take away the attacker's confidence, therefore the Golden Rule of self defense: ACT CRAZY). However, if a 200 lbs. man was wielding with a knife, it would be extremely hard to walk away the way she did. Not just for her but for anyone, including me!

False reports are unfortunate and prevent law enforcement from investigating real crimes. For example:

The armed robbery which turned fatal for Todd Walker (March 2011)

The gunmen who robbed multiple people and sexually assaulted a woman (August, 2011)

A gunman outside the Boulder Community Hospital (April, 2011)

Bank robbery in North Boulder (September, 2011)

CU campus robbery (January, 2012)

Sexual assault attempts (October, 2011)


Does this mean Boulder is an unsafe or bad place to live? Absolutely not! However, as in every big town (and college town), you need to be aware and more importantly, not be naive. Not everyone is trustworthy, you need to be cautious and use common sense. 

After all, things happen and you don't control everything or everyone. None of the above victims ever thought this would happen to them but unfortunately it did. We should all try to keep ourselves and others safe. There are many ways to do this but the first step is to realize bad things do happen. Being prepared doesn't hurt. The last thing you want to do is putting yourself in a situation in which bad things can happen.

As a self defense instructor, I spend a lot of attention to all aspects of self defense. It is not simply about the techniques and how to get back to safety but it's also about preventing, scanning, communication (verbal and non verbal), knowing vital points and very important: your mental state.

My wife pointed out an article about self defense a few weeks ago and Linda Fairstein (a former sex crimes prosecutor) addresses a few very bad choices that turned for the worst.

- Kenia Monge from Denver was planning on going to college to become a crime scene investigator so she was an intelligent woman. When she left her friends to go to the restroom when partying, she never came back. Travis Forbes was found guilty for the murder of Kenia. She made one mistake but it cost her and her family dearly. It is very important to use a buddy system when leaving the group, no matter how close or easy your destination is.

- Holly Bobo, a 20 year old student was kidnapped outside her Tennessee home. It seems like Holly did not resist enough, at least not in the initial part of her kidnapping. Traces of resistance were found but it was probably too late. If you feel unsafe, draw attention to yourself. It will lower your attacker's confidence and other people may be able to assist or call 911. Do whatever you can to draw attention and target vital points to maximize damage and pain. Please note that every situation is different and everyone's response is different. When there are weapons involved, it is also a very different scenario so this response may not fit all situations!


- Paula Sladewski had a fight with her boyfriend in a club, it came to a point that her boyfriend was thrown out and she stayed. When she left later, cameras show a man was following her. She didn't make it and up to this day, there is no suspect. Paula made the mistake of making a decision based on her emotions at that time. This affected her safety and it turned for the worst. Always be careful and don't take risks, even if you are upset.

The article focussed on these three situations that were caused by a certain decision. Other people doing the same actions may be fine and many other decisions will also turn out to be the wrong one. Should you lock yourself up and don’t take any risks? No but take calculated risks and please use common sense. It’s better to be safe than sorry. In my mind, every person should take a proper self defense course and know the basics (not because we teach these but I believe things can happen and you should be able to help yourself if needed).

We teach self defense classes 4 times a week and offer punch cards to give our clients the freedom to choose their own times. We focus on every aspect of self defense and make sure you leave with a strong basic knowledge and skill set. All levels and ages are welcome. More info about our self defense classes and workshops here.


By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos onYouTube.com/DefineDefense ! Define Defense offers training in: - Modern Martial Arts - BJJ & MMA - Self Defense - Strength & Conditioning - Personal Training

I'm sure you've heard or read about the 20 year old CU student who got ticketed for falsely reporting an attack on University Hill. You can read more about it here.

Her initial story was that she was walking alone when she was grabbed by a 200lbs. knife wielding man. After a struggle, she got away with some minor scratches.

Doesn't add up does it? It may be possible if she was very lucky and the attacker only had the intention to scare her with the knife but did not plan on actually using it. It is definitely possible if she acted and overwhelmed her attacker (you want to take away the attacker's confidence, therefore the Golden Rule of self defense: ACT CRAZY). However, if a 200 lbs. man was wielding with a knife, it would be extremely hard to walk away the way she did. Not just for her but for anyone, including me!

False reports are unfortunate and prevent law enforcement from investigating real crimes. For example:

The armed robbery which turned fatal for Todd Walker (March 2011)

The gunmen who robbed multiple people and sexually assaulted a woman (August, 2011)

A gunman outside the Boulder Community Hospital (April, 2011)

Bank robbery in North Boulder (September, 2011)

CU campus robbery (January, 2012)

Sexual assault attempts (October, 2011)


Does this mean Boulder is an unsafe or bad place to live? Absolutely not! However, as in every big town (and college town), you need to be aware and more importantly, not be naive. Not everyone is trustworthy, you need to be cautious and use common sense. 

After all, things happen and you don't control everything or everyone. None of the above victims ever thought this would happen to them but unfortunately it did. We should all try to keep ourselves and others safe. There are many ways to do this but the first step is to realize bad things do happen. Being prepared doesn't hurt. The last thing you want to do is putting yourself in a situation in which bad things can happen.

As a self defense instructor, I spend a lot of attention to all aspects of self defense. It is not simply about the techniques and how to get back to safety but it's also about preventing, scanning, communication (verbal and non verbal), knowing vital points and very important: your mental state.

My wife pointed out an article about self defense a few weeks ago and Linda Fairstein (a former sex crimes prosecutor) addresses a few very bad choices that turned for the worst.

- Kenia Monge from Denver was planning on going to college to become a crime scene investigator so she was an intelligent woman. When she left her friends to go to the restroom when partying, she never came back. Travis Forbes was found guilty for the murder of Kenia. She made one mistake but it cost her and her family dearly. It is very important to use a buddy system when leaving the group, no matter how close or easy your destination is.

- Holly Bobo, a 20 year old student was kidnapped outside her Tennessee home. It seems like Holly did not resist enough, at least not in the initial part of her kidnapping. Traces of resistance were found but it was probably too late. If you feel unsafe, draw attention to yourself. It will lower your attacker's confidence and other people may be able to assist or call 911. Do whatever you can to draw attention and target vital points to maximize damage and pain. Please note that every situation is different and everyone's response is different. When there are weapons involved, it is also a very different scenario so this response may not fit all situations!

- Paula Sladewski had a fight with her boyfriend in a club, it came to a point that her boyfriend was thrown out and she stayed. When she left later, cameras show a man was following her. She didn't make it and up to this day, there is no suspect. Paula made the mistake of making a decision based on her emotions at that time. This affected her safety and it turned for the worst. Always be careful and don't take risks, even if you are upset.

The article focussed on these three situations that were caused by a certain decision. Other people doing the same actions may be fine and many other decisions will also turn out to be the wrong one. Should you lock yourself up and don’t take any risks? No but take calculated risks and please use common sense. It’s better to be safe than sorry. In my mind, every person should take a proper self defense course and know the basics (not because we teach these but I believe things can happen and you should be able to help yourself if needed).

We teach self defense classes 4 times a week and offer punch cards to give our clients the freedom to choose their own times. We focus on every aspect of self defense and make sure you leave with a strong basic knowledge and skill set. All levels and ages are welcome. More info about our self defense classes and workshops here.


By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com

We have added classes to our popular Junior Tae Kwon Do Program for ages 6 - 11!

For those who can't attend our weekday 4:15 class, we now have evening classes to accommodate your family's schedule.  And as always, Saeng Myong is a NO CONTRACT school!  Membership is monthly, and you can attend as many classes that are available for your rank/age as possible!

Visit Saeng Myong's website for more details and to read student testimonials.  We look forward to working with you!

Often, martial arts is stigmatized with negative actions or behaviors.  This is caused by media, the film industry, certain professional or amateur fighters etc.  However, in this blog article, I would like to prove that this should not be generalized and it does not have to be this way.

Originally, martial arts was developed to increase the chance of survival.  Later on, it started to be used as a sport, in competition, as an art form and more.  Mostly, the code of honor and respect was central and utterly important for the practitioners.  Of course, there are always bad apples and all human advancements are always used for good and bad causes (think about samurais who valued honor vs. ninjas who were spies and mercenaries).

Some of these traditional martial arts styles are still widely practiced but unfortunately are also very outdated.  This will be a ongoing discussion but someone practicing Tai Chi, Karate, traditional Judo etc. will learn many techniques that are simply not functional in a real life situation.  This does not mean however, they are less worthy as an art form or for personal development.  For self defense, these and many more styles are very overrated and sometimes even useless.

On the other side, martial arts has also evolved over the last decades. Think about Mixed Martial Arts.  This is the ultimate competition martial arts form and has proven itself over and over again.  For self defense reasons, it may also not be 100% effective though (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will not work with multiple attackers, an MMA fighter will not know how to defend against a knife or gun attack…)
The issue with this progress is that the self defense aspect is often overlooked and the honor and respect are mostly forgotten.  The ratings have gotten so important that most fighters talk badly about each other and have very little respect left.  There are exceptions, think about Georges St. Pierre, who has very strong values and is also one of the best martial artists and fighters in the world.

Martial arts and fighting overlap each other, no doubt about it.  For me, it is your personal attitude that shows which one you are.  You do not have to be mean or disrespectful to be a good martial artist AND fighter.  Talking badly and insulting others only shows a bad attitude (and fear?)  Honor and respect are extremely important in our facility.  We respect our friends, instructors and teammates.  We push each other and ourselves and test each other during training to become the best we can be.  But there are no egos, disrespect, insults or anything else.

Our clients have different goals.  Some want to become a martial artist to defend themselves, other want to get in shape and others want to compete.  But we only train martial artists… that are really proficient in what they do, whether it is being prepared for protecting themselves/other or testing themselves in competition.  Many martial artists can become fighters but not every fighter can become a martial artist.  You will gain a huge amount of knowledge and skills to reach your goal and at the same time, you will gain friends and have fun.

Define Defense focusses on being the best studio in Boulder and offers a modern approach to martial arts, which consist of the most effective and realistic ways in martial arts.  But we have also not forgotten about honor and respect.  These are values that should never be forgotten.  We don't practice traditional martial arts by any means but these values are timeless.  We train individuals to better themselves and learn martial arts so they can feel safer, better about themselves or compete.  We respect everyone's goals and do everything we can for you to meet those.

Sander Vanacker is the owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts in Downtown Boulder.  www.DefineDefense.com

As you know, there are a lot of different styles of martial arts which you can practice.  Some studios offer a very traditional practice, which is great for the art and philosophy but is not necessarily effective anymore.  Then other gyms offer cardio kickboxing, which is a fantastic workout but martial arts wise you will learn as much as playing Kung Fu video games.  Then there are MMA gyms, a style that has been proven to be highly effective in competition (although that does not mean it is effective in a real self defense situation).  Most martial arts studios will teach you the style that they are proficient in but that may not give you a complete training experience or the best bang for your buck!  

I have met many individuals that practice martial arts and hire a personal trainer or strength & conditioning coach on the side.  Or they practice yoga outside of martial arts classes to improve their flexibility, feel in sync with their body etc.  At Define Defense, we approach martial arts training through a modern way and want to redefine martial arts and self defense (Define Defense, get it?).  

What we do is offer different programs for different purposes:

- Modern Martial Arts for people wanting to learn and practice all the best of different martial arts in a modern and realistic way while getting a great workout (everything from standup, takedowns, throws etc.)
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for all levels and offering a highly effective mix of BJJ and other forms of submission wrestling for a superior ground game
- Mixed Martial Arts: combining Modern Martial Arts and BJJ for individuals who want to learn MMA or compete
- Women's Self Defense without the intimidation of having men around, all the best and most effective ways to defend yourself as a woman

These programs offer different things for different people and are specific to the goal that wants to be reached.  Now, as a client you will learn a lot of techniques, tactics, submissions, strikes and much more but what if you want to get stronger, in better shape, more flexible etc?  That is why all our clients get complimentary Circuit Training and Yoga classes.  These are included in your membership and are taught by certified instructors.  There is no more need for separate memberships, gyms, trainers and costs.  You get a full training package as a member in our studio.  This way, you get a better and more complete training experience without any additional cost.  You will actually save money because you don't have to go elsewhere anymore.   Our membership fees are highly competitive (the best in the Boulder area) and there are no setup fees or cancellation fees.  Our philosophy is to treat others as you want to be treated and we love the community we have at Define Defense.

Sander Vanacker is the owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts in Downtown Boulder.  www.DefineDefense.com

• Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid is not what builds up in skeletal muscles - lactate is.  Biochemist used to believe that the body produces lactic acid which immediately turns into lactate after losing a proton.  Now it has been proven that this was incorrect.

• Cortisol levels go down.  Cortisol levels elevate in periods of stress.  Since training is a form of stress on the body, cortisol gets released.  This unfortunately can be catabolic in long term.  When you do not rest enough in between training sessions, your body will go into a state of overtraining and cortisol levels will remain high while insulin levels will remain low.  Since insulin is a great hormone to build tissues, this may lead to performance and/or muscle loss.  Sleeping is a great way to lower the cortisol levels.

• Increased levels of Human Growth Hormone.  When sleeping, your natural levels of HGH get elevated.  This mainly occurs in the later and deeper phases of sleep so when you cut your sleep short, you are missing out on a significant opportunity to recover.   HGH supports muscle recovery, promotes lipolysis (decomposing fat), stimulates the immune system etc.  No doubt this will aid your recovery and performance.

• Higher testosterone levels.  The more and better you sleep, the higher your testosterone levels will be when waking up.  This gives you mental and physical energy and promotes bone and muscle mass since it is an anabolic steroid.  The body produces testosterone itself in men and women.  The levels differ but women have testosterone in their system and men have estrogen in their body.

Boys and girls ages 6-12 are invited to attend Saeng Myong's Junior Tae Kwon Do Summer Camp July 12-16, 10:30am - 3:30pm. No prior training necessary! Students will practice basic martial arts techniques while making friends, enjoying games and activities and having fun! Cost is $140 per child; please bring a sack lunch all days.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, JULY 9. PLEASE CALL 720-566-0677 TO REGISTER ASAP!