In past years, the Christmas holiday season may have been a time of great anticipation and excitement … but this year, the prospect of facing the holidays without your loved one may cause anxiety and dread.You are not alone.Here you can connect with support, encouragement and advice to survive the holidays.Saturday, November 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon the Northwest Church of Christ will be holding a seminar entitled “Surviving the Holidays” by Griefshare. The building is located at 5255 98th Avenue in Westminster at the corner of 98th and Sheridan Blvd.Pregistration is requested. Please call 303-466-8414. Check-in, receiving materials and a continental breakfast will be at 9:30 a.m. The cost for the seminar is $5. Scholarships are available. Child Care will be provided.For more information go to www.griefshare.org/holidays. This site helps you:• Discover practical, stress-reducing ideas that will help you face the holiday season• Find a Surviving the Holidays event near you• Find out how to begin receiving daily, encouraging emails written for people who are grieving• Discover why it’s still possible to celebrate this holiday season• Learn more about the GriefShare program
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Posted by Tracy Cravens on October 15, 2009 at 10:00am
LONGMONT THEATRE COMPANY SEEKS KIDS FROM 4 TO 19Come one, come all. The elves are busy at Longmont Theatre Company getting ready for a stupendous, tremendous, fantastical Christmas celebration; and all they need is YOU! LTC is proud to announce auditions for it’s 2009 Childrens’ Christmas Show, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” This heart warming, hysterical funny and disaster filled show needs kids and lots of them. Any child/teen interested between the ages of 4 and 19 can audition at LTC’s annex on October 24 and 25. And what would you be auditioning for? How about six of the meanest kids in town.The Herdmens smoke, steal, and lie? How about a very frustrated pastor? No, then how about all the lovely gossipy ladies at the church discussing the Pageant’s progress. Or any member of the family of the poor director? Details and the audition form are available at www.longmonttheatre.org. Information from Sharon Kirby-Cole, Director 303-682-9282.Longmont Theater Rehearsal Space, 314 Main Street, Longmont COSaturday, October 24, 2009, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and on Sunday, October 25, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.No appointment needed, but please complete the on-line audition request form before the audition date. http://www.longmonttheatre.org/All roles available. See below for descriptionsCold readings from the script. If the actor does not yet read, he or she will be asked to perform in a short skit at auditions.Non-Equity only, no pay, no fee.Bring resume, and a list of all conflicts for evenings and weekends between October 26 and December 21, 2009.Also, upon check-in at auditions, the parents must provide information on any medical condition, and sign a form acknowledging behavior and rehearsal requirements.
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Posted by Tracy Cravens on October 15, 2009 at 9:30am
Auditions for Spoon River AnthologyThe Odd Fellows Lodge, 434 Main Street, Longmont CO 80501Saturday, October 24, 2009, or Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 11:00 am until we are finished. Acting, Singing, Dance. Auditions are cattle call - please arrive at 11:00 am. Also, complete the on-line audition request form before the audition date. www.longmonttheatre.orgAll roles available. See below for descriptionsA prepared monologue, either comic or dramatic, no longer than 1.5 minutes. Selections from the script are preferred. No material from other media, including film or television, and no rhymed verse.16 to 32 bars from the traditional folk genre. No material from Broadway musicals, or from other music genres. The director and musical director will be specifically listening for your ability to handle traditional material.Be prepared to learn and demonstrate some basic folk dance steps with the other auditioners.Non-Equity only, no pay, no fee.Bring resume, headshot, and a list of all conflicts for evenings and weekends between October 26, 2009 and February 14, 2010.
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Posted by Dana Alford on October 13, 2009 at 5:08pm
Single family home sales are, generally, way off from last year. That said, there are price ranges where real estate sales are in fact ahead of 2008. A study done by Dagmar Alford of Options Realty shows where and is available city-by-price at www.OptionsRealtyLLC.net/market-statistics.asp. Highlights include:Boulder’s home sales in the $800,000 and $900,000 price ranges were off year-to-date September, only 14% and 5% respectively. Overall Boulder’s sales volume is down 40% from last year.Broomfield’s got signs of strength. The $100,000 sales are up 58% ahead of 2008 and the $300,000s are 22% ahead of last year. Overall Broomfield is only off 7% for the year-to-date from last year.Home sales in Lafayette’s $400,000s and $500,000s are ahead of 2008: by 9% and 43%. Overall Lafayette’s volume is 24% behind 2008.Longmont home sales are off in all price ranges except the $900,000s, which was even with last year, and the greater than $1 million, which is ahead of last year.Louisville’s $300,000 and $400,000 home sales are ahead of 2008 by 14% and 8%. The $600,000s and $700,000s are even with last year. Overall Louisville is off 9% from 2008.Superior sales are only off 4% overall and the $200,000, $300,000 and $500,000 price ranges were strongly ahead of 2008 by 27%, 25% and 31% respectively.Dagmar Alford, CNE, ABR can be reached at 720-352-8285 or Dagmar@OptionsRealtyLLC.net.
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Denver-based behavioral hospital offers tools to make insurance providers a partner on the path to recoveryEating disorders became one of the many mental illnesses now due the same benefits as medical and surgical treatments, as the U.S. Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 took effect on Saturday, October 3, 2009. Eating Recovery Center (www.eatingrecoverycenter.com), a behavioral hospital providing comprehensive and sustainable treatment of eating disorders, offers individuals seeking treatment advice to maximize their access to benefits – whether they’ve had these benefits all along or are newly covered.“Your medical insurance provider can be a valuable partner in your path to eating disorder recovery. The key to building this partnership lays in doing your homework before you enter treatment,” explains Dr. Kenneth L. Weiner, founding partner and medical director of Eating Recovery Center, who was instrumental in passing Colorado’s parity law. “This means gaining a thorough understanding of your insurance plan and choosing a facility and course of treatment that best align with your benefit structure.”The U.S. Parity Act, which became law on October 3, 2008, requires those group health plans with 50 or more employees who choose to provide mental health benefits to provide the same coverage as medical and surgical benefits. According to Eating Recovery Center, an eating disorder center in Denver, understanding these new insurance benefits boils down to asking a few simple questions, including the following.1. Does the insurance company cover mental health treatment?2. Does the plan have different benefits for inpatient versus outpatient courses of treatment?3. Are there limitations on the number of days a patient can stay in treatment or the level of care he or she can receive?4. What are the plan’s deductibles, co-pays and expected out-of-pocket costs?5. Will the plan waive limitations on mental health treatment for serious mental illness, biologically based illness or parity diagnosis?Many plans will waive limitations for serious mental illnesses such as eating disorders. Once an individual seeking treatment has gained a thorough understanding of their benefits, exploring treatment options is the next important step.“Before choosing a treatment facility and determining a course of treatment, it’s important to see how several elements, including length of stay and level of care, will match up with your benefits structure,” explains Weiner. “It’s also important to understand if the treatment provider is an in-network or out-of-network provider, or if they will work with your insurance plan to contract a single case agreement.”Eating Recovery Center explains the distinction among the three different types of providers.• In-network providers: These facilities are in an insurance company’s network of service providers and will be subject to in-network insurance benefits. It’s important to compare the course of eating disorder treatment an in-network treatment team recommends with the insurance plan benefit structure to determine the best plan for the patient.• Out-of-network providers: Typically, an out-of-network provider is subject to more insurance limitations and less coverage. Though portions of an out-of-network provider’s service may still be covered as described in an insurance plan, it’s important to note that this type of provider can balance bill a patient for any treatment the insurance company does not cover. Eating Recovery Center recommends working with an out-of-network provider to determine total expected out-of-pocket expenses prior to entering treatment.• Single-case agreements: A single case agreement is a contract between an individual patient's insurance company and treatment provider, which allows that patient to be treated as though he or she has in-network benefits. Insurance providers who offer single-case contracts will review potential agreements on a by-patient basis. Oftentimes, the treatment facility will facilitate this process on the patient’s behalf. Before entering treatment, patients should ask the center if this is something they are willing and able to do. It’s important to note that the agreement is specific to the current episode of care and does not apply to care outside of this treatment episode.“By doing this important research, you’ll minimize stress, avoid the unexpected, and maintain an upfront understanding of your treatment throughout the recovery process,” explains Weiner.
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Posted by iopportune on October 13, 2009 at 12:40am
Iopportune helps undergraduate Students find Internships in Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore & pune & internship for foreign students too. Iopportune Offers internship for undergraduate students from all over India & other countries.Internships HyderabadRead more…
PlayFair Toys believes that kids’ dreams come true when they have the essential skills to make them come true – and reading is one of those skills. Yet many children have no way to develop a love for the magic of reading until they reach school age. By that time it is almost too late to help them. PlayFair Toys wants to change that with a new program to put one quality book a year into the hands of each child in Boulder and surrounding communities, without cost or obligation.Dr. Marilyn Walker, owner of PlayFair, patterned the program after Dolly Parton’s “Imagination Library,” which gives every child in Parton’s home of east Tennessee a book each month until they are five years old. “We don’t have the means to do this monthly, but I wanted to do something with the potential to save someone from a lifetime of illiteracy,” says Walker. “We start by giving them board books from birth through their 3rd birthday, then hardcover books for their 4th, 5th, and 6th birthdays. The books will be gift wrapped to emphasize the specialness of the occasion.”Every child is eligible for the program. The only requirement is to sign up at PlayFair Toys with the child’s name, address, and date of birth, and then come in during the birthday month to pick up the book. A reminder postcard will be sent each year. There is no particular residency requirement – children from any community may participate.The costs of adult illiteracy are estimated at $240 billion each year in lost industrial productivity, unrealized tax revenues, welfare, crime, poverty, and related social ills. As much as 23% of the adult American population is functionally illiterate, reading at no more than a 4th grade level. Approximately 10% of the Colorado population lacks basic literacy skills, and even in Boulder County, which Forbes Magazine rated as the nation’s most highly educated community, about 7% of the adult community is not literate. American businesses lose more than $60 billion in productivity each year to employee’s lack of basic skills. Over 60% of incarcerated adults are illiterate.“It may sound trivial, but if we can make a difference in one child’s life, it will have been worth it,” says Walker. “These are lives we are talking about - the lives and futures of our children. Illiteracy is an avoidable tragedy.”PlayFair Toys, www.playfairtoys.com, is an educational and specialty toy store in Boulder, Colorado that is dedicated to positive child development and education. PlayFair Toys is located at 2550 Arapahoe Ave in Boulder, 303-444-7502.
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Posted by Tracy Cravens on October 12, 2009 at 9:59am
The Longmont Chorale will present "Out of Africa' with Voices and Marimbas"Saturday, October 17, 2009, 7:30 pmCalvary Church - 2101 Gay St, LongmontThe Chorale will perform Africa inspired songs including Betelehemu, Jabula Jesu, O Sifuni Mungu, Freedom is Coming, and Hope for Resolution. Joining the Chorale will be the marimba band, Kutandara.Artist Hanlie Wessels will have her paintings of african animals available before and after the performance. For a sneak peak at them go to http://www.hanliewessels.com/.For tickets call 303-651-7664http://www.longmontchorale.org/http://www.kutandaramusic.com/
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Vibrant Campaign Encourages Coloradoans to Help Each Other Lead Lives of Healthy Eating and Active LivingLiveWell Colorado (http://www.livewellcolorado.org), a non-profit organization committed to reducing obesity in Colorado by inspiring healthy eating and active living, last week launched a statewide campaign encouraging all Coloradoans to challenge each other and their communities to live well. Although Colorado still holds the title of “leanest state in America,” the percentage of overweight and obese citizens in the state is on the rise. LiveWell Colorado, led by a five-year strategic plan, is committed to fighting the obesity epidemic through consumer education and policy and environmental changes.“Though Colorado ranks as the nation's leanest state, it's certainly not cause for celebration. The fact that nearly 19 percent of adults in our state are obese is cause for concern,” said Maren Stewart, president and CEO of LiveWell Colorado. “LiveWell Colorado is leading the way in challenging Colorado to become healthier.”Tapping into the creativity of Denver-based Sukle Advertising & Design, LiveWell Colorado will blitz the state this fall with a campaign focused on the theme, “Challenge.” Last Wednesday, the campaign kicked off with a flash mob in three cities across the state. In Denver, Greeley and Grand Junction, more than 100 people stripped down to retro, 1980’s-inspired work out gear and performed aerobics, leaving passersby engaged and amused. View the video here: http://www.livewellcolorado.org/challenge.In addition, citizens will notice billboards that spell “Indulge” in healthy and colorful fruits and vegetables and “Ride” made up of bikes, skis, snowboards and more (view art here: http://www.livewellcolorado.org/challenge); see television commercials that provoke citizens to challenge others to make healthy choices in everyday locations (watch a spot here: http://www.livewellcolorado.org/challenge); and enjoy a delicious array of non-traditional tactics that will ensure healthy competition among friends and family, colleagues and total strangers.LiveWell Colorado’s commitment to promote healthy eating and active living is underscored by statistics that indicate that obesity is a critical issue within the state’s borders. Colorado’s adult obesity rate has nearly doubled since 1995 and, according to a July report by the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, more than one in four Colorado kids ages 10 to 17 are obese or overweight. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Child Health Survey states that 25.8 percent of Colorado children ages 2 to 14 are either obese or overweight.“Through comprehensive research we’ve found that leading a healthy lifestyle is more easily achieved when supported by the people with whom we live and work,” said Stewart. “This campaign is aimed at promoting that message – if we challenge and support each other to live well, we will succeed together.”LiveWell Colorado has funded local community initiatives across the state since 2006 through its coordination with Kaiser Permanente, The Colorado Health Foundation and The Kresge Foundation. The organization became a 501(c)(3) in 2008 and named its first president and CEO, Maren C. Stewart, JD, APR, in April 2009. Today, led by its strategic plan, LiveWell Colorado aims to drive infrastructure changes in Colorado’s communities and encourage organizational and public policies that make healthy eating and active living choices accessible to all Coloradoans.“By coming together as a state, we have the opportunity to support progress and keep Colorado in a leading position of health in our nation.” added Stewart.To learn more about LiveWell Colorado or the campaign, visit http://www.livewellcolorado.org.
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The Adobe Foundation and The Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation today unveiled a new public service announcement called “Plant Inspiration.” The PSA promotes the launch of Adobe Youth Voices, a non-profit that stresses the power of technology to engage middle- and high school–age youth. Adobe Youth Voices provides breakthrough learning experiences using video, multimedia, digital art, web, animation, and audio tools that enable youth to explore and comment on their world. Through their collaboration, the Peapod Foundation and Adobe Foundation have launched two Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academies that will give kids access to use video, dance, music, and art to spark social change in their communities. “As a group, music has given us amazing opportunities. With the Peapod Foundation, we want to give back to inner-city kids so they can realize their potential through artistic and digital expression,” says will.i.am, who grew up in the projects in Boyle Heights, Calif. “Together with the Adobe Foundation, we are giving more kids a chance at a better future.” The academies will incorporate a high-tech curriculum developed by Adobe Youth Voices with the latest professional-grade multi-media production software – including Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 Master Collection Suite, donated by Adobe Systems Incorporated, and professional music studio tools for a state-of-the-art recording facility donated by the Peapod Foundation. In addition to mentoring in the performing arts, youth participants will receive structured multi-media training in video, audio, photography, design and art, enabling them to creatively express their points of view on vital issues and contribute to social change in their communities. The aim of the campaign is to nurture self-expression, creativity, community involvement, and digital literacy among young people — the kind of education these organizations feel is critical for today's youth. “The Adobe Foundation and the Peapod Foundation share a vision for empowering youth to address social issues that directly affect them,” said Michelle Mann, executive director of the Adobe Foundation. “The launch of these two academy sites is just the beginning of our journey. It’s exciting to make such a direct, tangible impact by inspiring youth to demonstrate their potential and take action in their communities.” Visit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ9WFXs34T8) to view the Adobe Foundation and The Black Eyed Peas new public service announcement. Visit http://plantandinspire.org/ to learn more about Adobe Youth Voices.
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Answering increasing demand for specialized treatment of severe eating disorders, Eating Recovery Center (www.eatingrecoverycenter.com), a behavioral hospital focused on comprehensive and sustainable treatment of eating disorders, today announced that it will double its patient capacity, expanding its inpatient facilities from 12 beds to 24. Eating Recovery Center is the only treatment center in the Rocky Mountain region providing extensive inpatient care for severe eating disorders alongside outpatient services.Currently, the center serves 12 patients in overnight inpatient and residential programs and additional patients in partial hospitalization and outpatient programs. Once expansion is completed, the newly expanded Denver eating disorder treatment center and its staff will comfortably accommodate 24 inpatient and residential patients.“Eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness and have increased demand for inpatient programs across the country,” explains Kenneth L. Weiner, MD, medical director and co-founder of Eating Recovery Center. “We feel a responsibility as the only center in the region offering this level of specialized care to completely utilize our space and expand our areas of treatment for severe eating disorders by increasing from 12 to 24 inpatient beds.”With an expected completion date of November 2009, expansion will not go without some rearrangements within the center itself. Currently located on the fifth floor of 1830 Franklin Street in Denver, Eating Recovery Center will relocate its administrative offices to the fourth floor and transition all fifth floor areas to accommodate patient care.“Allowing a patient to begin treatment and step down through different levels of care in the same setting – all with one treatment team – can dramatically increase their chances at a long-term recovery,” explains Weiner. “The Center’s expansion will help us give more people the opportunity to achieve sustainable recovery from their eating disorder.”Eating Recovery Center, the newest Eating Disorder Center in Denver, was founded in October 2008 by renowned experts Dr. Kenneth L. Weiner and Dr. Emmett R. Bishop, who have separately founded numerous other treatment centers throughout the country. Eating Recovery Center proves to be the culmination of the two doctors’ efforts and expertise.
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Rep. Primavera to be Honored by Brain Injury Association35 Years of Work in the Field and Advocacy at the CapitolDENVER – State Representative Dianne Primavera (D-Broomfield) will be honored by the Brain Injury Association of Colorado (BIAC) for her contributions to the brain injury community during an awards ceremony at their Annual Conference on Thursday, October 8th, at 7:30 pm at the Marriott Denver Tech Center.“Dianne has done so much for the brain injury community as a representative in the General Assembly, especially this last session with the passage of three significant bills (SB 5, SB 133 and HB 1026)* that increase access to Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund resources,” said William Levis, President of BIAC. After earning a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling from UNC in 1975, Primavera was a case manager for the Weld County Community Center Board. She later was employed as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and a supervisor in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Colorado Department of Social Services. In 1990, Primavera joined the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury Center as an Education & Training Coordinator.“After decades of working in the field of brain injury, the issue will always be a top legislative priority for me,” said Rep. Primavera. “In 2007, I led the fight for HB1117 which required kids under 18 to wear helmets on a motorcycle.”“I know the lifetime costs of a brain injury are millions of dollars and often this expense is borne by the taxpayer after the insurance runs out. Preventing injury is much more cost effective than the long-term care.”“I’ve had a lot of jobs in my life, but the most meaningful have always been working with people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury,” Rep. Primavera continued. “The triumph of the human spirit is overwhelming; helping and watching these people, including veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, learn to walk again, swallow again, and talk again is testament to their strength and determination. Sadly, traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of these wars.”“I am always happy to promote bills that help people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury; I am honored and touched by the award from the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. I’ll keep on fighting, arm in arm with BIAC!”*Senate Bill 133 increases funding for the Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Fund. The new law is expected to allow 250 more Coloradans to receive critical services, including veterans who have received TBIs in Iraq or Afghanistan.The TBI Program and Trust Fund were created in 2002 to help those affected by severe brain injuries, providing services, research and education.
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Over 65 community leaders in northern Colorado came together this week to discuss sustainability opportunities at the latest in a series of regional roundtables by the non-profit Alliance for Sustainable Colorado (“the Alliance”). The meeting, hosted by New Belgium Brewing Company (an Alliance sponsor), gave representatives from businesses, nonprofits, local and state government agencies and academic institutions the opportunity to exchange valuable ideas. “The folks in northern Colorado are leaders in Colorado’s sustainability movement,” said Janna Six, Education & Outreach Director, Alliance for Sustainable Colorado. “Examples range from the Fort Zed smart grid goals to the Colorado State University research programs to educational outreach of the Sustainable Living Fair, to business leadership of New Belgium.” Participants at the Fort Collins roundtable engaged in rich discussions about which sustainability efforts are working well and which opportunities are ripe for development. Discussions revealed that the leadership in northern Colorado has been key in making sustainability concepts and practices an integral part of the entire community. To move sustainability forward, the group agreed that encouraging local and community-supported agriculture is an objective which would benefit from collaborative leadership. Growing and eating food that is produced locally achieves multiple sustainability goals: offers more self sufficiency of food supplies, keeps closer tabs on food quality, provides green jobs, reduces transportation impacts, encourages protection of open lands, fosters a sense of community, and brings consumers closer to the land so they’ll have a better understanding of related topics like changes in climate. A number of next steps were recommended to expand local food production and consumption . The Larimer Land Trust, CSU Extension Office, and AgriCorps (like the Peace Corps) were recognized as having leadership roles. Other organizations, not traditionally focused on agriculture, suggested valuable ways to expand involvement. For example, Poudre School District buys local produce and sends classes on fieldtrips to urban farms. The roundtables are designed to increase collaboration by engaging regional leaders to share best practices and identify areas where more collaborative efforts might overcome challenges to sustainability at the regional and state level. Hundreds of sustainability leaders are getting plugged into a sustainability network that spans the state. The Fort Collins roundtable was the fifth Alliance Roundtable this year. Other communities that have hosted a roundtable include Pueblo, Durango, Grand Junction, and Steamboat Springs. “The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado Roundtables are a great opportunity to identify priorities that will advance the goals of Colorado’s New Energy Economy,” said Mona Newton, Regional Director for the Governor’s Energy Office. “The information the Alliance is able to gather will provide a fact-based foundation for building sustainable communities across Colorado.” Notes are available from each of the 2009 roundtable meetings. Watch for a summary report to be issued after December 1, 2009. For more information on the Fort Collins roundtable and Alliance for Sustainable Colorado’s statewide initiative, go to http://www.sustainablecolorado.org/programs/outreach.php.
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College Hunks Hauling Junk has gone from a part-time summer gig to a thriving nationwide operation in only five years. This year College Hunks Hauling Junk has been recognized as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies on Inc. Magazine’s 28th annual Inc. 500.“To be acknowledged by Inc. Magazine is a great honor for our company,” said Nick Friedman, President of College Hunks Hauling Junk. “We aspire to be the most preferred junk hauling company in the nation. To be among the most dynamic, innovative, powerhouse companies is a testament to our business model, employees and growth.”Originally founded in 2005 by Friedman and college friend Omar Soliman, this entrepreneurial success reported a revenue growth of over 1,170%. The company ranked 12th in Consumer Products and Services, and second in the Tampa metro area.“If you want to know which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500,” said Jane Berentson, Inc. editor. “These are the ones finding solutions to problems and creating smart systems.”A tribute to their ambition, Friedman and Soliman were previously named “Top 30 Entrepreneurs in America Under the Age of 30” by Inc. Magazine. At only 27-years old, Friedman has been invited to an “Under 35” panel with Donna Fenn, author of Upstarts: How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business. He will share insight on the strategies he’s used to successfully grow College Hunks Hauling Junk at the Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony on Friday, September 25 in National Harbor, Maryland.About College Hunks Hauling JunkThe College Hunks Hauling Junk concept began in 2003. Today, it is a multi-million dollar enterprise that provides commercial and residential junk removal by dialing 1-800-Junk-USA nationwide. As the largest US-based junk hauling company, College Hunks Hauling Junk donates a portion of revenue from every job to a college scholarship program. The environmentally-friendly company continues to make green look good by recycling or donating more than 60% of items collected. College Hunks Hauling Junk focuses on diverting items from the landfill and increasing the amount of donations to non-profits in need.
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I meander my way from Eben G. Fine Park along Boulder Creek to the Farmers Market on 13th Street. I could have parked closer, but sometimes it’s hard to get a spot and today the weather is glorious, so a walk along the creek sounded perfect to me. Arching boughs of many trees frame the water in shades of yellow and orange along the wooded path, as I make my way, carrying my empty grocery bag. It’s a Wednesday in September and the trail is active with packs of runners and an occasional cyclist. I arrive early and watch the vendors set up the blue and white canvas pavilions. I am grateful that the growers make the effort to come out twice a week, Saturday and Wednesday.I sit in the shade on a green picnic bench while I wait for the fun to begin. I see a man and his dog nearby, and three girls sitting on the grass chatting amiably and a young man with a back pack taking a nap with his hat pulled down over his eyes. I feel strangely nervous about this type of shopping, it’s very personal. I get to meet the people who grew that food that I’m going to eat and I can only hope I don’t violate some unknown etiquette. I’ve been so used to the impersonal shopping that meets me at the grocery store. I can’t see much of the chain of people, plants and animals that brought me my food. There might be a produce clerk but it’s rare that I talk to them. Getting in touch with my food this way has made me more appreciative of the people who grow it and of the food too.My hope is to get more of the astonishing carrots that I bought just last Saturday. I know it’s rare that anyone gets excited about carrots, but I do. I’ve been juicing them for breakfast and they get my day started better than a cup of coffee. I’ve been reading the Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan lately and at least so far it’s pretty depressing. I’m learning about the cost of our conventional food chain not only in the amount of petroleum that is used but also the unsustainability of the our current system.So when I walk the street looking for Honey Crisp Apples and Leafy Dino Kale I can’t help but smile. This food was grown locally and just tastes better. All these people have come out to do something right. They are here to get good food but also to support local agriculture. I remember in my travels abroad, how I envied the Italians their gorgeous tomatoes and I wondered not for the first time how it is possible that Italy has gotten so many things right, especially in the food department. But when I see what is going right at the Farmers Market it makes me proud to live here.I stroll the street and see the Oxford Gardens stand and smile to see the bunches of carrots with the greens still attached. I know they are not open yet but I don’t think Peter will mind if I buy my Carrots early. He charges me $3.50 a bunch which I happily pay. I get four bunches total and put them in my canvas bag. I walk off with the greens poking up out of my bag and feel strangely proud, just buying carrots makes me happy.I’m not a 100% localvore, at least not yet, but with the end of the season coming soon I know I will be shopping at Whole Foods as usual, but next year I will grow more and make it a point to shop the Farmers Market as much as possible. The Wednesday Market ends Oct 7th and the Saturday Market ends Nov. 7th. The more I learn about where my food comes from the more I’m sure I will be found rubbing elbows with a lot more people at the Farmer’s Market.
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Posted by Cliff Richard on October 2, 2009 at 6:23am
After the completion of my graduation degree, I eagerly took admission in MBA thinking that I would do it as I did my graduation. But it was quite wrong when I was assigned to write MBA dissertation. And I realized it that MBA dissertation was the last stumbling block in my way to get MBA degree. I started writing MBA dissertation because I was waiting to get closer and closer to get through MBA and start my professional career. Well, my dreams shattered when I faced the reality. Yes, I admit that MBA dissertation writing made toil till I completed. I almost became a social outcast while I was writing my MBA dissertation. But it really gave me valuable information and experience and I gathered quite comprehensive guidelines while researching through different sources.1. Consider the area of study in which you are most interested.2. Get others’ MBA dissertations to read relating to your MBA dissertation topic.3. Choose the style you would like to follow in you MBA dissertation such as a business plan, report, case study or a blend of these themes.4. Define the topic or problem precisely which you will elaborate in your MBA dissertation.5. Research is the basic tool to succeed in writing your dissertation. Therefore you need to lay special emphasis on 6. research methods. Learn accurate guidelines of qualitative and quantitative research methods.7. Outline the whole MBA dissertation with a logical sequence such as introduction, body and conclusion.8. Finalize what research methodology you would use and what resources your need to do the research.9. Make questionnaires. They are extremely useful to examine and gather good literature and elaborate in the 10. discussion part of your MBA dissertation.10. Collect all the research data and take out the irrelevant data so you can focus only on what is useful and needed.11. It is time to utilize the narrowed down collected data in the discussion part of the MBA dissertation. Here you have to present the assessment of it.12. Under the light of assessment, you need to give possible solutions of the discussed problem.13. The next task is to make a conclusion.14. It is time to revise and edit your MBA dissertation so that you can make it error-free dissertation.15. Write the bibliography in one particular format such as APA or MLA.Make the appendices.I hope these tips will help you complete your MBA dissertation right on time. But you also need to take quick actions. Procrastination will never let you complete your MBA dissertation ever.
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Firm’s Research Concludes That Optimizing for Diversification Outperforms Traditional Risk ApproachGravity Investments (Gravity), a premier financial engineering firm responsible for the Gsphere visual asset allocation platform, today issued a paper on portfolio optimization and the comparative value of optimizing specifically for diversification.The paper, entitled How True Diversification™ Preserves Capital, concluded that optimizing portfolios for diversification provides a positive impact to bear market returns at entirely no cost to bull market returns, resulting in dramatically better performance across a full market cycle. Diversification, not risk, is thus warranted according to Gravity as the focus of portfolio optimization for asset allocation.“We’ve known for some time that True Diversification is a primary enabler of achieving higher returns,” said James Damschroder, Founder of Gravity Investments and the firm’s chief financial engineer. “Now we know precisely why. With True Diversification, there really is such a thing as a free lunch.”Gravity conducted research on 95 actual Registered Investment Advisor portfolios in place between the years 2002 and 2009. The firm examined the portfolios across three time periods--bull market, bear market, and the full cycle, grading each portfolio--using Gravity’s proprietary diversification measurement.IPC, Gravity’s patented measurement of diversification, produces the weighted average of all unique correlations in a portfolio and provides a measurement of diversification specifically tuned to systematic risk. Gravity calls this advancement in the science of diversification measurement and optimization “True Diversification”.The results of Gravity’s research indicated that every extra percent of IPC was responsible for protecting 98 basis points of capital in a down market. By comparison, similar changes in standard deviation showed a much weaker relationship to returns in both bull and bear markets.“Based on these results, it’s reasonable to infer that the traditional practice of using a Markowitz efficient frontier as a menu of portfolios may be of dubious merit,” says Damschroder. “It’s hard to argue the logic of True Diversification when it protects capital in down markets without sacrificing gains in up markets.”Gravity’s innovative approach to portfolio construction will benefit virtually every sponsor of investment product, including broker/dealers, RIAs, insurance companies, mutual fund companies, hedge funds, pension plans, bank trust groups, 401(k) providers, fund consultants, family offices, foundations, and endowments.
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Come join CUSEDS and hear from CU's newest faculty and former astronaut Col. Jim Voss. Doors open to the public at 5:30pm Discovery Learning Center 1B70 (Bechtel Collaboratory) CU-Boulder Campus Facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/jimvoss More information about CUSEDS: http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/CUSEDS/
Photo Courtesy of: Erik S. Keith PhotographyHundreds of Coloradoans Launch LiveWell Colorado’s Statewide Campaign with Coordinated Three-City Exercise RoutineSeemingly spontaneous aerobics astounded lunch-goers across the state today when flash mobs broke out at 12:10 p.m. on the streets of Denver, Greeley and Grand Junction. More than 100 flash mobbers exercised their enthusiasm for healthy eating and active living in each city when they suddenly disrobed to display retro, 1980’s-inspired workout gear and performed a coordinated aerobics routine.LiveWell Colorado (http://www.livewellcolorado.org), a non-profit organization committed to reducing obesity by inspiring healthy eating and active living, coordinated the flash mobs to ignite enthusiasm for the launch of its statewide “Challenge,” campaign which encourages Coloradoans to challenge each other and their communities to live well.The campaign will kick off this weekend with billboards, television commercials and non-traditional, out-of-home tactics.Editor’s note: Video and photos are available for download at http://www.livewellcolorado.org/flashmobs.To learn more about LiveWell Colorado or the campaign, visit http://www.livewellcolorado.org.
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Posted by Deb McNeill on October 1, 2009 at 11:55am
Kudos to you for trying to get this bill through in Colorado! I live in Massachusetts and was the person instrumental in getting our "Cure Breast Cancer" license plate on the road. The special plate fee here is $40 every 2 years. All proceeds from the plate go to Tufts Medical Center in Boston for breast cancer research.
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