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Hulk for President - Support the Green Party Candidate!

Posted by Alek on August 25, 2008 at 11:00am

With the Democratic National Convention in full swing, most of the attention is on Obama, Clinton, etc. However, lets not forget the Green Party and its candidate - Support the HULK for President;-) Puny Humans would be well advised to vote for the Big Green Guy because "you would not want to make the Hulk angry as you wouldn't like him when he gets angry"

Olympics - The People

Posted by Peter Wayne on August 20, 2008 at 12:30pm

Part of the Olympic experience is not only view the events, but also meeting people. There were many folks I met who were family and friends here to see and support their athletes. I spoke to a couple of Aussie’s at a boxing event. They were part of a special Australian group of Olympian parents who pooled together to make their trip arrangements and be with one another. At the women’s marathon starting line, some friends of the New Zealand runner, Liza Hunter-Galvan, were there to cheer on their athlete. Seeing my camera, they requested that I email them some photos. Fortunately, I was able to get a few shots of Liza to send on. The entire media staff from the tiny country of Cameroon stayed at my hotel. I spoke with some of them at breakfast and learned their facilities are quite sophisticated. They had a few video camera people and would satellite transmit to the Cameroon TV stations nightly. They also had radio commentators and newspaper journalists giving full reports on their teams progress every day. Sitting behind me at a basketball game was an American Ex-patriot and his family. He has been in Beijing for the past 10 years. His job is organizing student exchanges for Americans to study in Beijing. He felt that doing cultural and educational exchanges has contributed greatly to stabilize our countries relationships and has contributed to China opening it’s doors to the world. Finally, there were all the hospitable people of Beijing that I met. They are a proud and very helpful people. Taxi drivers who plowed through traffic refused our tips on the meager $5 fare they charged. A young Chinese couple spotted me in a struggle to find a taxi on my first day, and guided to the subway to get me home. Exploring the back neighborhoods of Beijing (called ‘hutongs’), people smiled at my western physique and were gratuitous enough to allow me to photograph them. The Beijing Olympics demonstrates that China want to be part of the world. As we all know, the government has much to improve on human rights and personal freedoms for its people. But as they open their door bit by bit, these hard political stands have greater potential to soften. It will be interesting to see how the Olympics might accelerate this process. More Olympic Photos BELOW: My photographer friend Ali showing a Chinese girl a photo he just made of her.

Olympics - Inside the Birds Nest

Posted by Peter Wayne on August 18, 2008 at 10:00pm

Last night, I attended the track and field events (formally known as ‘athletics’) in the National Stadium also known as the ‘Birds Nest’. The 91,000-person stadium is massive. Just circulating around the structure once is like walking two miles. The open air structure leaves for spectacular views of the Beijing skyline and the Olympic Green Village. The obtuse concrete pillars are architecturally interesting as they form complex web shapes of the stadium. My seat was mid-field, on the 5th of 6 tiers. The enormity of the venue could be felt form this central location. However, it was difficult to feel part of the event itself, as the athletes were just tiny figures view from hundreds of feet away. Two enormous monitors were at either end of the field to see the activity up close, but this was the equivalent of sitting at home in front of the TV. The tactic at this event, as well as others, is to do whatever it takes to get a better seat. The idea is to scope for empty seats up front, then pounce upon them just at the moment the event begins. At one point, I was fortunate to get to ground level, next to a group of rowdy Ethiopian fans. Ethiopia won the men’s 10,000-meter run. To say they were overjoyed is an understatement! More Olympic Photos

Olympics - Ticket Challenge

Posted by Peter Wayne on August 17, 2008 at 2:21am

Tickets for the Olympics have been challenge. If you did not think ahead like me, you’ve got to scramble in a number of different ways to get them. My first try was to check the standard web sites. www.cosport.com is the official distributor of Olympic tickets for USA, Australia and the European Union. These were sold out. Next was on line auctions on e-bay, were I obtained a couple of pairs for under $100. No too bad.Upon arrival is when it got interesting. It is illegal to sell tickets for greater than face value. The local folks have interesting way of working this. Most ticket seller hang out and certain entrances to the Olympic Village. They don’t really advertise this, you have to find them. Being as discreet as possible, you approach someone who looks like they have tickets to sell. After asking, they stare at you for a couple of minutes determining if you might be with the authorities. If you pass the test, they tell you what events they have and what they are asking. Then, the negotiation begins. When the price is agreed, money is collect by a second person and the tickets are handed over by a third person. The sellers purposely spread things out in case they are caught. I chose not to purchase by this method, as the prices were totally unreasonable.Surprisingly, cosport.com started releasing tickets during the Olympics. By going to their web site, a limited number of tickets were being released each day at face value! The only hassle was to pick up in person at an office building in downtown Beijing. It the equivalent of downtown Denver in terms of distance and convenience, but at least I got tickets at a reasonable price.Then, just as surprisingly, the site stopped posting tickets. Who knows what’s going on?This morning was a free event to view the woman’s marathon. The race started and doubled back through Tiananmen Square providing two chances to view and take photos. Tonight I will be at the track and field events (officially known as ‘athletics’) in the massive Birds Nest Stadium.

Boulder Advaita Satsang ~ Friday, September 26-28 ~ Sundance and Katie, Authors, Free Spirit, Awake Joy

Posted by Katie Davis on August 16, 2008 at 11:00am

You are invited to Advaita Satsang with Katie Davis, author, Awake Joy and Sundance Burke, author, Free Spirit. They are residents of Maui and travel worldwide to share their message of conscious freedom and causeless joy through spiritual awakening, enlighenment, mediation, non-duality and Advaita.In 1982, Sundance awakened with Satoshi (Osho) and Sunyata, named the Rare Born Mystic by Ramana Maharshi.In 1986, Katie radically and spontaneously awakened without practices or teachers. Sundance and Katie met in 1988 and spent 12 years integrating the profound realization. Since 1999, they have been traveling to share with others in the form of Advaita Satsang.In 2004, Eckhart Tolle encouraged them to write their books and they just published in February 2008.More information, event testimonials and free videos, television and radio shows with slideshows at www.KatieDavis.org and www.SundanceBurke.org.Sundance and Katie will begin sitting 15 minutes early and you are welcome to join them. Please arrive early and enter in silence.Boulder Advaita Satsang, Friday, September 26, 7:00-9:00 pmVenue: Community United Church of Christ, 2650 Table Mesa, Dr., BoulderOptional donation $20 at the door.Contact Pat Dorsey, (303) 817-3472 or louisvillmt@msn.comBoulder Advaita Satsang, Saturday, September 27, 6:00-8:00 pmVenue: Community United Church of Christ, 2650 Table Mesa, Dr., BoulderOptional donation $20 at the door.Contact Pat Dorsey, (303) 817-3472 or louisvillmt@msn.comBoulder Advaita Satsang, Sunday, September 28, 4:00-6:00 pm7257 Siena Way, Boulder (Directions at www.KatieDavis.org/Schedule.html)Optional donation $20 at the door.Contact Attila Kassa (720) 480-9646 or attila.kassa@comcast.net

KUNC Boulder Translator Hit By Lightning

Posted by Robert Leja on August 15, 2008 at 4:00pm

Greeley Colorado, August 15, 2008 An overnight lightning strike has knocked KUNC-FM’s Boulder translator off the air. The translator, which broadcasts KUNC’s programming at 99.9 FM to Boulder County as a supplement to the station’s main broadcast signal at 91.5 FM, will be off the air until the equipment can be repaired by the manufacturer.The translator signed on one year ago, when relocation of KUNC’s main transmitter resulted in weaker reception to some areas of Boulder and the surrounding communities.Repairs are expected to be completed sometime next week.In the meantime, many Boulder residents can still hear KUNC at 91.5 FM, online at KUNC.org, or on cable at 101.7.KUNC offers national and international news provided by National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Radio International, along with local news coverage, and Diverse Music programming that blends jazz, classical, acoustic, singer-songwriter, and world music featuring regional, national, and international artists.KUNC serves listeners along the Front Range at 91.5 FM and 99.9 FM in Boulder, with translators also serving Breckenridge, Buena Vista, Dillon, Estes Park, Holyoke, Julesburg, Leadville, Steamboat Springs, Sterling, Vail/Eagle, Walden, Wray and Yuma.

Check out the upcoming clinics hosted by The Women's Wilderness Institute

Posted by The Women's Wildnerness Institute on August 15, 2008 at 10:00am

REI and The Women's Wilderness Institute are teaming up to share some great clinics in Boulder and Lakewood.What: Goal Setting and Outdoor Adventure for WomenWhen: 9/4/08Time: 7-9 pmCost: FreeWhere: REI BoulderLaunch into fall with a rejuvenation of mind, body and spirit. The clinic will guide you towards identifying, achieving and living your personal goals with specific tools for integrating outdoor activities to enrich your process. Taught by Jody Radtke, program director of The Women's Wilderness Institute, a local nonprofit that offers high quality outdoor adventures and trips for women and teen girls, this clinic is excellent preparation for TWWI’s fall Yoga (Sept. 10-14) and Writing (Sept. 24-28) retreats. www.womenswilderness.org.What: Fall Bike Tune-Up for Women with Heather SzaboWhen: 10/6/08Time: 7-9 pmCost: FreeWhere: REI BoulderJoin professional bike racer Heather Szabo of The Women's Wilderness Institute and Team Tokyo Joe's as she demonstrates the basics of bike maintenance and roadside repair, specifically for women. We’ll also talk about where to ride locally to extend the fall biking season and how to store your bike over the winter so it’s ready to roll for that first spring ride. Heather is on staff at The Women's Wilderness Institute, a local nonprofit offering high quality outdoor adventures and trips for women and teen girls. womenswilderness.org.What: Fall Bike Tune-Up for Women with Heather SzaboWhen: 10/9/08Time: 7-9 pmCost: FreeWhere: REI LakewoodJoin professional bike racer Heather Szabo of The Women's Wilderness Institute and Team Tokyo Joe's as she demonstrates the basics of bike maintenance and roadside repair, specifically for women. We’ll also talk about where to ride locally to extend the fall biking season and how to store your bike over the winter so it’s ready to roll for that first spring ride. Heather is on staff at The Women's Wilderness Institute, a local nonprofit offering high quality outdoor adventures and trips for women and teen girls. womenswilderness.org.

The Large Venues of the Olympics

Posted by Peter Wayne on August 14, 2008 at 7:00pm

Incredibly, there are 30 different venues to house all the Olympic venues. Each is tailored to its' specific sport be it fencing, softball, basketball, etc. Contrary to popular belief, they are not all in the Olympic Village. The venues are scattered mostly in the northern outskirts of the city. It can be quite a challenge getting there, as not even the taxi drivers know exactly where they all are. Fortunately, I was able to snag a special Olympic map at the airport that lays out all the locations. By pointing on the map to the taxi drivers, we get there. However, the areas around the venues are large and no vehicles are allowed within 1 KM. In fact, unless you have a ticket, there is no way you can just stroll around a stadium. I've met a number of American volunteers for the games. They are either ushers at the events or are manning the many information booths throughout the city. Most are students with an Asian background who speak Chinese as their second language. These unpaid volunteers apply about a year before the start date and are selected from a pool of thousands. Today I happened to meet one from my old home state of New Jersey, of all places. Another at a basketball venue was from Baltimore. These English speaking volunteers have been great to unravel some of the confusion on how to get to the venues (ie take subway line X to Y, etc.) Despite the difficulty in navigating, these venues are impressive. Seat position, lighting, venue layout has been well thought out. Getting crowds in and out is very smooth. There are very few 'bad' seats. Finally, I've decided that there is some sort of borderline insanity to all these Olympics. A country spends 4 or 5 years and billions of dollars building stadiums and infrastructure all for just 17 days of intense and tightly scheduled games. It will be interesting to see what Beijing will do with all these venues once the Olympics are done. More Olympic Photos

Landing in Beijing

Posted by Peter Wayne on August 12, 2008 at 11:30am

The new airport in Beijing is as impressive as everyone says. The new terminal 3 is as large as DIA. Beyond the airport, the whole city is Olympics crazed with banners, and signs everywhere. Many people are dressed to the max with Olympic wear. My evening was spent on Tieniman Square. The gate of the square has large Olympic theme diplays. It has become a large gathering place for in and out of towners. Most people were going picture crazy taking photos of friend and family members in front of these various themes. A few Chinese people asked they could have a picture with me. Oddly, I see very few westerners in the Square, which makes me stand out. Getting back to the hotel that night proved to be a bit of a problem. At around 10pm, all the taxi's are occupied. I attempted to share a ride with a couple of guys from Austrialia, but still no cabs. A couple of local university students observed our dilemma, and offered to guide us though the Beijing subway. This was a great boost to navigating the city. Signs are in both Chinese charaters and the English equivalent. Even the recording in the trains are announced in both English and Chinese.Tomorrow morning is the men's bike race, which I hope to attend if not too jet lagged. Til then, see my photos from this evening at 2008 Olympic Photos

A Grande Finale Patisserie featured on Food Network

Posted by Nicole M Hedlund on August 11, 2008 at 11:47am

Louisville business, A Grande Finale Patisserie, is currently being featured on Food Network's new series Road Tasted with the Neelys.This can be seen on the Food Network on Friday, August 15th at 8pm & 11pm MT and again on Sunday, August 17th at 12:30pm MT.Please watch and support your local business!!!

Olympics 2008 - Away We Go

Posted by Peter Wayne on August 9, 2008 at 8:30am

Naturally, since I am a photographer, I will be taking pictures. I’ll be loading select photos onto MyTown. The album is located at: 2008 Olympic Photos I've uploaded a few shots from my visit to the Olympic Training Center. Watch for some of these athetes in Beijing! I’m hoping that the Daily Camera site is not blocked by the Chinese internet. My backup plan is to e-mail them to my contact at the Camera or use the photo site Flickr.Tickets. Many people have asked me how I’m going to get tickets to the events. I am counting on getting tickets once we are in Beijing. If this is like other Olympics, there should be some available on the street. It is illegal to sell tickets for more than face value. However, just in case, I did scan some eBay auctions and found a pair of basketball and athetics tickets for the ‘reasonable’ price of $35.00 each. They were delivered on time using second day air shipping. Finally, there are at least two events that are free, as they go through the streets of Beijing, cycling and the triathelon.My complements to Duzer (see his blog on this site) who flew from Sweden to Denver, stayed one night in Boulder, then up early to catch his flight to Beijing. He has definitely earned his wings!

National Junior Olympics Omaha 2008

Posted by sp on August 8, 2008 at 4:11pm

Alex Paul from Longmont placed fourth in the Intermediate Boys 3000m with a PR of 9 minutes 3 seconds, and sixth in the Intermediate Boys 1500m with a PR of 4 minutes 13 seconds, receiving medals in both events - this was Alex's first time at a national competition

It's Never Too Late to Start

Posted by Jay Van Loenen on August 4, 2008 at 11:57am

OK, what’s the big fuss? I thought, as I sat there at a stop light with a motorcycle policeman looking directly into my rear-view mirror and therefore my eyes.I was about to find out.Sure enough, as soon as the light turned green, on went his lights and siren.“Great,” I muttered to myself.He casually followed me as I changed into the right-hand lane and turned into a bank parking lot, pulling up behind me as I searched for my insurance card and registration.As he walked up to the window, he showed me the radar gun.Not as bad as I thought, was the first thing through my mind.“Why aren’t you wearing your seatbelt?” he asked“Um, ahh. I just pulled out of Starbucks and was in a hurry. I guess I forgot to put it on,” is what came out of my mouth, though I knew better.You see, I grew up in the seventies and eighties in Wisconsin. My parents had a ’69 VW bug convertible.If you’ve ever been in an old VW, you know how well those seatbelts worked, if they were there at all. There was never a habit put in place for me to get my seatbelt buckled. There was never modeling of proper seatbelt wearing by my parents back in the early days.As I got older, and my parents got different cars, my mom started to insist that I wear my seatbelt while I was in the car with her. It never completely caught on, though.I remember wearing my seatbelt during my driver’s exam (which I took at age 17, because my parents wouldn’t let me get my license until I had a ‘B’ average for a semester), but I thought that it was just a technicality so the tester knew you knew where it was.As I went off to college I heard lots of people talking about how seatbelts save lives, but I never thought about it. I was, after all, still invincible. Even Barbara Mandrell couldn’t convince me with her public service announcements.I left college, and got into the “real world” (no, not the TV show) and saw more and more of my friends being responsible and wearing their seatbelts. I continued to rebel.I started dating a girl and got engaged. She started riding me about wearing my seatbelt. I wore it for her, mostly so she’d stop asking, but also so the beeper in her car would stop.But I still didn’t get in the habit of putting it on when I got into the driver’s seat of my own car.So there I was, lying to the cop. I didn’t forget my seatbelt. I was just an irresponsible adult who had gotten into the habit of being rebellious and not wearing one.The officer took my information back to his bike with him, and I saw him filling out some paperwork.“Pretty unjustified to give a guy a ticket for going seven over,” I thought, while checking my watch to see if I was going to make it to school in time for my first hour class. It would be one thing to be late if I was a student, but I was the teacher…He was quick about it, though, and when he came back to the window he handed me my documents, and tore my copy of the ticket off. What came next was a surprise.“Well, James, you need to slow down through here. But, since I’m on patrol with the ‘Click-it-or-Ticket’ campaign, I’m going to overlook the speeding, and just give you a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt.”Whew. That’s really what I thought right away.He let me go on my way, and I made it to class with a minute or two to spare, and I was relieved that I’d only gotten a seatbelt ticket.Since that time, though, I’ve started wearing my seatbelt more. I’m still not perfect. I forget sometimes. But that’s happening less and less often. I know I need to work on it, and I am.I can tell you one stretch of road where I ALWAYS remember to check for it, though, and that’s right where I got pulled over.Thank you, officer, for getting me to think a little bit more about my safety, and about the piece of mind of my wife-to-be.And thank you, Click-it-or-Ticket campaign, for getting officers to do this all over the state and country. I know I’m safer now, and I’m sure there are lots of others like me.

Last Chance to Win Jack Johnson Tickets!

Posted by Cottonwood Institute on August 1, 2008 at 3:49pm

The Cottonwood Institute is excited to offer two final ways to receive tickets to the SOLD OUT Jack Johnson Show at Red Rocks on Sunday, August 17, 2008. All proceeds will benefit the Griffith Scholarship Fund and will be matched up to $2,500 thanks to Jack Johnson, the All at Once Community, and the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation! We still have to raise $1,300, so here are two easy ways you can help support our scholarship fund and go to the show:

1. Bid On 2 Tickets Through Our eBay Giving Works Online Auction:

The Cottonwood Institute will auction off 2 tickets to the sold out show through our eBay Giving Works Online Auction, which ends this Sunday, August 3rd, 2008. The bidding will start at $1, so tune up your mouse and get clicking! To place your bid to secure your tickets, Click Here.

2. Donate $25 or More and be Entered into a Drawing to Receive 2 Tickets:

When you make a $25 donation or more to our Griffith Scholarship Fund by Sunday, August 10th, 2008, you will be entered into a drawing to receive two tickets to the sold out Red Rocks show on Sunday, August 17th, 2008. Please consider making your donation through the Cottonwood Institute Facebook Cause. If you don't have a Facebook account, but you would still like to help us reach our goal, please Click Here to make your donation online and enter "Jack Johnson" in the designation section. We also accept checks made payable to: Cottonwood Institute, PO Box 7067, Denver, CO 80207.

Beijing Olympics 2008 - Preparation

Posted by Peter Wayne on July 31, 2008 at 10:30pm

Whenever I travel internationally, I always like to have most of my logistics figured out before arrival. This leaves for more time touring and exploring. Frequently, I visit Europe that has become very easy for international travelers. China, on the other hand, is going to be a bit more challenging. Here is what I’m going to prepare.MoneyEven the latest guidebooks on Beijing say western credit cards are generally not accepted at local merchants and ATM’s. Starting off with some Chinese Yuan seems like a good idea. Luckily, here in Boulder, the Pearl Street branch of Wells Fargo has an international desk. I called ahead to be sure they had Yuan on hand. Turns out the teller has anticipated Boulderites needing Chinese currency, and is keeping it on hand. Since my wife has an account, I saved the reasonable five dollar exchange fee and got a good rate at .157 Yuan to the dollar.I’ve gone further to check out the ATM situation. My ATM card is on the CIRRUS network. CIRRUS is part of VISA, who is a sponsor of the Olympics. They conveniently have a link on their web site to locate ATM machines in Beijing.http://visa.via.infonow.net/usa_atm/InstitutionCandidatesPagingAction.do?startIndex=0Apparently, all 441 branches of the Bank of China have ATM’s that will work with CIRRUS. Well, after I run out of my initial 1900 Yuan, I will give it a try.Cell PhoneThere are other Americans that I will need to contact while in Beijing and I will also need to stay in touch at with folks at home. Beijing requires 900 GSM service, commonly found on quad band cell phones sold in the US. I have a phone, but my service provider, T-Mobile, charges $2.99 a minute! A Search on the internet lists a Chinese cell phone service that has an office in the US. PandaPhone.com will mail me a SIM card for $10. This will give me a local number in China and charge me only .40 a minute for calls back to the US. After getting my cell phone unlocked, I’ll be able to put in the Chinese SIM card upon arrival in Beijing and will be active on their network.HealthA good start for health advisory is the Center for Disease Control (CDC) web site. The CDC has created a special page just for travelers to the Olympics. (http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentOlympicsArticle.aspx)After reading this information, I decided to see one of Boulder local doctors that specialize in infectious disease and traveler’s health maintenance. I will consult with Dr. Brandt at the Boulder Medical Center next week. I need to check on my hepatitis A and tetanus immunizations. Also, I am always concerned about getting sick from food or water. Perhaps Dr. Brandt can recommend a prescription or over the counter medications to bring in case of Montezuma’s revenge!NavigationI’ve printed off the Chinese version of my hotel’s web page to show my taxi driver. I’m not going to expect him to speak English. I also obtained an ENGLISH map of Beijing from Boulder’s Map Gallery.CommunicationFinally, I got a basic learn Mandarin CD and book that I can study on the 12 hour flight from San Francisco to Beijing. Hopefully, I will at least be able to say hello, good-bye, thank you and “Do you speak English?”

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.