Broncomaniacs OK, Occupiers a threat

Commentary by Phil Goodstein

The latest Bronco hoopla might be the very worst since the beginning of Broncomania. As much as ever, this is the religion of ruling Denver. The level of hype for a most insubstantial team and topic is a reflection on the essential character of the community. The real issue is to what degree is this completely manufactured and how much is actually popular emotion.

Of course, if the newspapers/television gave Bronco games all the attention they do to symphony concerts, there would be minimal interest. But then if there were nonstop news about concerts, the hall would be packed and the musicians would be celebrities. As it is, the overwhelming defeat of the Broncos was good news. It kept us from being barraged with even more of this. Meanwhile, if budget cuts are urgent, where the does the money come from for the city-sponsored football hoopla?

Football frenzy is not limited to Denver or the Broncos. It is part of our culture. Still, it is also a reflecting of ruling class values. Nobody more revealed this than Richard Nixon. First, during mass anti-war protests, he announced he was ignoring them for watching football. Then, when he actually sought to meet protesters, instead of discussing the war, he talked about football. This is what Nixon and his ilk know and can discuss.

This reflects also on the Occupy movement. It is something that so upsets the system because esblishment powers cannot understand the Occupy movement in the slightest. Besides, we need the occupiers out of the Civic Center so we can have football rallies.

One last consideration: On Martin Luther King Day, the Denver Post had a good picture of the police staring down protesters in the 1960s. Of course, the paper did not note the difference of today. The current police would have on riot gear. If the Occupiers are so dangerous as to force the police to wear riot gear, why are not the police in riot gear at Bronco games and football rallies? The drunken football crowds are far more violent than any of the protesters.

But saying this is banal. The fact that it is not even said or asked is typical of the censorship of our times.

Occupy Denver Solidarity with Oakland Tonight

Tonight - Sunday 1/29/12, 7:00pm, Civic Center Park, after more than 400 arrests last night in Oakland.

Live streaming now at Occupy Oakland

Occupy Oakland riot here now - 4:17 pm Denver time.

4:21 here come the fuzz

4:34 cops running towards protesters

8:27pm OPD haas kettled over 100 protesters in front of YMCA and are bringing in buses to take them away. Occupy Oakland Live has a cool night-vision live stream. Over 4700 people watching online

8:46pm Helicopter shot of city hall arrests being made.

Now this is just dumb, and a waste of time and money

Denver Recycles Presents:

“I HEART My Purple Recycling Cart” Photo Contest

Submit a photo showing your love of recycling in the Mile High City!

 

DENVER, CO ­— January 27, 2012 — As Valentine’s Day approaches, Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Denver Public Works’ Denver Recycles announces a way for residents to “show their love” for recycling with the “I Heart My Purple Recycling Cart” photo contest. Denver residents are encouraged to submit creative photos showing their support for, and love of, recycling; however submissions must share a common theme: all photos must include the signature Denver “purple recycling cart.”

 

With more than 111,000 households choosing to “Go Purple” by recycling paper, bottles, containers, cans, etc., everyday, it is clear that Denver loves to recycle. Now it is your chance to show how much you love your purple recycling cart by submitting a photo that captures this love and creatively shows how your household recycles.

 

Mayor Hancock, Denver Public Works Manager George Delaney and Denver Recycles Operations Manager Charlotte Pitt will select a first, second and third place winner, and the best submittal under 13 years old.  Prizes include four tickets to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, four tickets to Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance (theatre tickets are courtesy of Arts and Venues Denver), Colorado Avalanche tickets and a ParkSmart Denver gift card.

 

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO:

1.    Email your digital photo to DenverRecycles@DenverGov.org by noon, Tuesday, February 14^th

2.    Include your name, phone number and home address in your email

3.    Photos must include your Denver Recycles purple cart, without any permanent markings on it (no stickers, no spray paint, etc.)

4.    Photo should illustrate your appreciation for your purple recycling cart, how or what you recycle at home, etc.  

5.    Digital photo should be a minimum of 500 KB and a maximum of 1000 KB

6.    One photo per household

 

Please note that by submitting your photos you are giving the City and County of Denver permission to post them on Facebook, websites and in other promotional and printed materials. Winners will be notified through their submittal email on February 14, 2012. Also, City and County of Denver employees are not eligible to win prizes, but are welcome to submit photos.

 

Now that's just crazy! YouTube ad scam?

Did you see the video I posted of the MLK marade?



Shortly after posting, I received this notice from YouTube:


Copyright Info: The Complete 2012 MLK Marade

Your video, The Complete 2012 MLK Marade , may include content that is owned or administered by this entity:

• Entity: Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society Content Type: Musical Composition

What should I do?

No action is required on your part. Your video is still available worldwide. In some cases ads may appear next to your video.

What can I do about my video's status?

Please note that the video's status can change, if the policies chosen by the content owners change. You may want to check back periodically to see if you have new options available to you.

Under certain circumstances, you may dispute this copyright claim. These are:

• if the content is mistakenly identified and is actually completely your original creation;
• if you believe your use does not infringe copyright (e.g. it is fair use under US law);
• if you are actually licensed by the owner to use this content.

I need more information. I want to learn more about the dispute process.

Please take a few minutes to visit our Help Center section on Policy and Copyright Guidelines, where you can learn more about copyright law and our Content Identification Service.

A Google search revealed:

"It's not so much a claim against your video per se; it's a notification that royalties are being collected on behalf of the original artist.
This has nothing to do with not getting permission -- that's a separate issue. Basically, royalties are payable on any public performance of any music registered with the appropriate collecting societies. In other words, if you write a song and somebody gets up on stage and performs it (even a cover), or broadcasts it in a video, or whatever, you can claim royalty payments. You're being compensated for the fact that it was all your work, but somebody else is being paid for it.
This mysterious "Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society" isn't one organisation: it's a generic term for all collecting societies, which collect and distribute money on behalf of artists -- organisations like ACAP and BMI in the US, PRS for Music in the UK, GEMA in Germany and so on.
You don't need to worry about anything, because you're not the one having to pay royalties -- it's YouTube, who have to buy broadcasting licences in different countries in order to be allowed to broadcast music. The "claim" is merely a notification that this is happening. Similarly, if you are at a karaoke bar as a performer, you don't have to worry about royalties and such: that will have been taken care of on your behalf by the owners of the venue or the organisers of the event, who will have had to have bought a licence.
That said, if your video contains any third party material at all, including cover versions (a capella or not), you actually still do need the permission of the copyright owners, quite separate from the issue of royalty payments. If you do not have this permission, then that is a possible case of copyright infringement, and the copyright owners then have the legal right, if they so wish, to order YouTube to take your video down. It doesn't matter if you credit the author or write a disclaimer or make no money from it: it's very likely copyright infringement if you don't get permission (the YouTube Help Center has a whole section devoted to copyright issues).
So, in short, there are two related, but different, issues here:
Copyright: You must get the permission of the original creator of the work you are using before you upload.
Royalty payments: If the original song is registered with a collecting society, royalties on all performances are likely due -- but this is taken care of by YouTube."

I haven't identified anything in the video that might be the culprit. Can you? Comments appreciated. Further reading here.

Update: After posting the above, I continued to research the question and found this Facebook page.
It sure looks like a fake to me. Putting an ad next to your video is the punishment? Reading the 79 comments, I found the suggestion that anyone receiving the notice should go ahead and dispute the claim. That's what I did - clicked through a form and submitted my challenge to the claim to YouTube. To my amazement, the notice next to my video DISAPPEARED WITHIN 30 SECONDS. Gone, gone.
So YouTube sends you a notice of possible copyright infringement and the punishment is that THEY PUT AN AD NEXT TO IT?? Smells like a scam to me. Try disputing it and see if your notice disappears. Please comment.

Occupy Denver livestream at 10:00 am this morning from

Live streaming video here from Obama's visit to Aurora.

Things that make you go hmmm...

(click below to go to article on King World News)
With gold and silver exploding to the upside on the Fed announcement, today King World News interviewed legendary Jim Sinclair, to get his take on where things are headed.  Sinclair told KWN he now expects mainstream entities to enter the gold market.  Here is what Sinclair had to say:  “Today is an important day.  There are many days we talk but this is a mile-marker.  What the Fed did today.  what the Fed did today is they turned on the light of what will be QE to infinity.  Today the light went on with regards to the intentions of the Fed.  They did that for very specific reasons, we have troubles people can’t see and this is one of the ways out.”

Another Inmate for the Denver Zoo

The latest "Toyota" elephant added to the animal prison, aka Denver Zoo, (see story here) and earlier blog post here.

Denver Zoo/Charlotte Bassin

Additional opinion here.

The Earth is Currently Being Hit by a Large Solar Flare

3:38 pm - Watch it live via the Aurora Borealis in Sweden here.

New American car purchase becomes adventure

By Dave Felice

Buying an automobile in Michigan isn't much different than in Colorado, but purchasing Chevrolet's newest model where the cars are built adds an interesting and intriguing dimension to getting a new car. And the people who make Chevrolet Sonic are as pleased to be producing the car as I am to own one.

Using advanced techniques and some of the world's largest robotic equipment, members of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 5960 produce the Sonic subcompact hatchback and sedans, along with a new Buick small car, at the General Motors Orion Assembly Center. The huge production plant is set amid rolling hills and lakes between Detroit and Flint, in the town of Lake Orion (OR-ee-uhn).

I read of GM’s plans for Sonic earlier in the year and was waiting for production to begin. Since I would have needed to order the car for delivery in Denver anyway, I decided to make the trip to Michigan. I ordered a crystal-red Sonic LT hatchback with automatic transmission. I picked up the car at the (Wally Edgar) dealership, less than a mile from the production facility, then drove 1550 miles back to Denver.

Read more »

Benzene leaking into Sand Creek? What about the benzene from Lowry Landfill being pumped daily into Washington Park and City Park by Metro Wastewater?

Recent articles have revealed that benzene, a toxic carcinogen, is leaking from the Suncor refinery into Sand Creek in Denver. Steps have been taken to investigate the source and reduce the flow. But records show that benzene is among the many carcinogens being pumped into our parks and lakes in the guise of recycled water.

Metro Wastewater Reclamation District (MWRD) issues permits to allow pollutants to be flushed into Denver and Aurora sewers. After a secret deal (later made public by Westword) between the major polluters (Coors et. al.) at Lowry Landfill Superfund Site (LLSS) and then-Mayor Webb in 1996, a permit was granted by Metro Wastewater Reclamation District to allow over 60 toxic chemicals (including radionuclides like plutonium) to be flushed into Denver's sewer about a mile from Lowry Landfill. Pages 5 and 6 from the current permit, obtained from MWRD by a Colorado Open Records request, are reprinted below. Note that benzene is on the list. (Click to enlarge)

Back in those days, this toxic sewer water mix flowed into the Platte River. When Denver started to recycle it's sewer water in 2004, those contaminants flowed instead to the Robert W. Hite water recycling plant at 6450 York St. There the mix is treated to remove organic contaminants, but nothing is done to remove the toxic chemicals, which flow unabated (through purple pipes) to Washington Park (Grasmere Lake) and City Park (Ferril Lake and Duck Lake).

Remember when they put a rubber bottom under Grasmere Lake? That was necessitated by the fact that this contaminated effluent exceeds the allowable limits of ground water and the lake was leaking into the ground water.

Denver Water steadfastly maintains that these "allowable" limits are safe and acceptable. They even blatantly lie about the plutonium, claiming to have "disproven" the fact that plutonium is in the water. The permit tells no lies.



See also:

Recycling Plutonium: How the EPA is Disbursing Toxic and Radioactive Waste From the Lowry Landfill to the Sewage System and onto CO Farmlands and Public Parks

and for much more type "pollution" into the search box at the upper right on this blog.

There goes the neighborhood, again

PCEOC             Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition

We NEED YOUR HELP - There is another expansion attempt as well as an attempt to take other private property surrounding Pinon Canyon.     PLEASE COME TO THE COMMENT MEETINGS NEXT MONDAY, TUESDAY, AND THURSDAY.   Recently the Army released an Environmental Assessment (EA) for theCombat Aviation Brigade (CAB) scheduled to move to Ft. Carson.  This is important since the EA proposes CAB training at PCMS not previously stated.      The proposed action amounts to 22,957 flight hours annually over entire SE Colorado. Estimated flight time of 38-40 helicopters maneuvering over SE Colorado 5 hours per day for 120 days. So much for the peaceful enjoyment of our rural lifestyle and our cultural and biological integrity.   Flights over SE Colorado will include low-level and Nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) training. NOE is defined as:     "flight conducted at varying airspeeds as close to the earth's surface as vegetation and obstacles permit".  In many cases this means flights between 50 and 300 feet over OUR properties, not just the maneuver sites.        Unmanned drones are also part of a CAB and are expected to add significantly to the number of hours of air traffic in our region. PUBLIC COMMENT MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED FOR 6 to 8 pm EACH EVENING: Monday, January 23rd at TSJC in Trinidad Tuesday, January 24th at Otero JR College in La Junta Thursday, January 26th at Crown Plaza in Colorado Springs Please sign the private property airspace rights declaration* and bring with you to submit at the meeting - Please be sure to send a copy to our legislators also! You can download that form from the PCEOC website by clicking on either of these links: www.pinoncanyon.com/documents/Privairspace.doc  (Word version) www.pinoncanyon.com/documents/Privairspace.pdf   (Adobe version) Copies will also be available at the meetings *Numerous courts have ruled in conformity with the 1946 Supreme Court decision that the hyper-adjacent airspace (under 500') belongs to the land and to the landowner.  The attempt by the Army to use this airspace constitutes the taking of private property - but we must advise them that we are 'posting' our property and giving them notice or lose our rights from our own inaction -  If the Army is allowed to create these low fly ways they could perhaps have legal standing to maintain them even if that means curtailing wind power production and limiting private property rights in SE Colorado.

Local Good News

The South City Park Neighborhood Association has overwhelmingly approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rosen Properties for the redevelopment of the old car dealership at Colfax and Garlfield.  The matter now goes to City Council in mid-January for approval of the rezoning request.

 

The developer is planning to put up a building to house a Sunflower Market grocery store and other commercial buildings.

 

In the MOU, Sunflower reserves the right to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week

 

The proposal has already been approved by the Planning Commission.

Preview Colorado Environmental Film Festival

On January 20th, 2012, The Mercury Cafe will host an event to promote the 6th annual festival, including film previews and a music performance by Gabrielle Louise, emceed by Jonny 5 of The Flobots.

The 6th annual Film Festival will be held in Golden, CO on February 23-25, 2012.
CEFF organizes an annual film festival, screening world-class environmental films, and featuring representatives from local and national organizations and companies through topical forums and discussions.

Throughout the year, CEFF sponsors fundraising events for the festival as well as other community activities that will provide forums for individuals to interact with local businesses and artists and find educational resources and accessible solutions for environmental issues.

Read more »

The Complete 2012 MLK Marade

See if you can find yourself. Hint: camera was on the north side of Colfax at Gaylord.

Stop Line Infractions

What with Denver City Council taking up the issue of stop line infractions and their associated fines again, I thought it might be interesting to actually watch traffic to see what people are doing. I set up at 17th and York, which is not one of the 4 current photo locations. I edited out all of the green light passing traffic, and added my own buzzer for those I judged had crossed the line, using the center of the tire as a marker. Note that this intersection has two right-turn-on-red lanes.

17th and York

I noticed some trends:
1. Drivers in the right-turn-on-red lanes hardly ever came to a complete stop before turning. The reason for this is that they can clearly see north on York to determine if it is safe to make the turn on red, and, because of the timing on York, it usually is. I've turned here hundred's of times.
2. Many of the drivers who are not turning stop well behind the line.
3. The first car to stop at the light seems to set the standard for subsequent cars.
4. Many people are driving on under-inflated tires.

When walking, I'm often amazed at drivers who show no concern for the crosswalk and pedestrians. If this is a matter of safety (especially for the blind and handicapped as Councilman Lopez pointed out), let's put these cameras at all stop lights. Of course another issue is whether or not people will actually pay these "fines by mail". If you don't pay, do you think the City is just going to forget about it? City Council should contemplate removing the requirement that these tickets actually be served on the drivers, and thus remove the ambiguity of this so-called "Dumbo tax".

As to whether or not this is a "revenue grab", well, of course it is. What else do you expect from a failing government? As I've said before, get used to it.

Occupy Denver Revealed

As you know I've been supporting Occupy Denver since the beginning, with my video work at first and by now about 10 food and supplies trips, one using the now-famous Drive-by Drop Off technique (jk). But I've found the GAs tedious - I'm not a big fan of mic check - and although I've talked to some good people "on the row", I haven't really gotten a feel for it, and I've often been turned off by the antics of druggers and drunks.

So it was with a great hurrah that I discovered "Thick socks and Picket Signs", a blog by Locke in Socks, aka Jo Newton. She is a good writer who is reporting from the ground, aka "The Row". Go to the site and scroll down to read some of her entries and you'll get a good feel for what is going down.

AND...the Occupy Denver townhall meeting held yesterday was livestreamed. Unfortunately, much of it was during the Bronco's game and it went on for about 6 hours. Not very many people are going to watch for that long. But thanks to Rob Witte (rwitte42 at ustream.com) for the effort. It's now recorded and broken into 5 segments for viewing.

So to those complaining about lack of direction and/or intrusive personalities, this is your chance to catch up. That's what I've been doing and I'm actually quite impressed and more hopeful for the future of Occupy Denver.

And don't forget Occupy Denver, the official site which has ramped up recently to full-scale relevance.

Occupy Denver Meeting Livestreaming Now

5:29pm   http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupyden

McKinley's Trail Ride Continues

A Fund Raiser for Wes McKinley

Wes McKinley has reached his term limit this year (4 terms as Representative - this will be his 8th and last year), but he will be continuing his efforts to protect property rights, maintain accountability in government, ensure liberty and justice for all and guarantee the rights of individuals, as defined by The Constitution. Wes is running for County Commissioner of Las Animas County where property rights, environmental protections and western lifestyle values and heritage are issues upon which he will be able to have a major impact.

Please come and support Wes in his next political endeavor.

Milwaukee Tavern
201 Milwaukee St.
Denver, CO 80206
Friday, January 6th @ 5:30 P.M.
Contact Information: Wes McKinley 719-324-9292

What the Occupy Movement is about

Local squabbles should not distract us from remembering what the Occupy Movement is all about. 


Note that the meeting announced below (from OccupyDenver.org) is not at Civic Center Park. This is a good chance to get involved.

Future of Occupy Denver Meeting 1/8

There will be an open forum, town hall style, meeting THIS Sunday to discuss the future of Occupy Denver.

The meeting is open to anyone who would like to come. This includes occupy friends old and new, who are, or would like to be, invested in the future of Occupy Denver. Those that have a voice and opinion to lend and would like to participate in a respectful open dialogue with their peers are welcome.

Details:
Future of Occupy Denver Open Forum
Sunday January 8th
2:30 pm
1201 Sante Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
(this meeting will likely take a long time, plan for 6 hours)

For those interested but not able to make it in person, The meeting will be livestreamed and we are also considering skyping participants in. Due to space constraints, this is likely a good option and is encouraged.
Please contact us if you are interested in the skype option, general@occupydenver.org

Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) News

 

www.denverinc.org

 

HAPPY 2012 TO ALL!

 

 

JANUARY MONTHLY DELEGATE MEETING

 

When: Saturday, January 14, 2012 marks the first delegate meeting for the year!

Where: The Uptown Lofts, 1509 Pearl St (Near NW Corner Colfax & Pearl) Community Room on 2^nd Floor (Above Pizza Fusion)

Parking: Metered parking on street (Handicap stickers: don’t have to pay), behind Tom’s Diner (across from the Lofts) has paid parking

830A – Coffee & Networking

900A – Welcome and INC program begins

Tour of the building project after the meeting

 

 

ANNUAL DINNER RESERVATION REMINDER

 

INC’s Annual Neighborhood Awards Dinner is January 19.  Reservations are required to attend.  Please call or email your reservations by January 9.  dinner@DenverINC.org or call 303.331.9241

 

 

PRECINCT LINES FINALIZED FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER

Boundaries redrawn in response to population changes following 2010 Census

 

(Denver) – All new precinct boundaries have been finalized for Denver. Denver will have 344 precincts, versus the 429 precincts it currently has. The new precinct lines follow state house and senate district lines and also follow the city’s major neighborhood lines.

 

By law, precincts may have no more than 1,500 active voters in them. Denver’s new precincts average 670 active voters or 805 total active and inactive-failed-to-vote voters. Larger precincts are located in low-growth areas of the city. In high-growth areas, smaller precincts were created to allow for expected growth in the coming years.

 

Redrawing of political boundaries occurs every ten years, following the federal Census, in response to population and demographic shifts. Congressional districts are finalized first, then state districts, after which counties redraw their precincts.

 

The Denver Elections Division held a public hearing December 1 and received public response on two different alternatives for redrawing precinct boundaries. This was followed by additional discussion with the two major parties. The final plan included a number of changes in response to all feedback received.

 

The new precinct lines will go into effect January 6, 2012, one month ahead of party caucuses. The Elections Division will mail a notification to all voters in mid-January, informing them of their new districts and precincts.

 

Denver City Council redistricting will occur in spring 2012 based upon the new precinct lines. Denver Public Schools will also redistrict in 2012. Maps of the new precinct lines are available atDenverVotes.org.

 

 

 

LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE (LEPC) QUARTERLY MEETING

 

When: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 2:00 PM-4:00 PM (GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada).

Where: Denver Police District One Community Room - 1311 W 46th Ave, Denver, CO 80211

Quarterly meeting of the Local Emergency Planning Committee.  Anyone is welcome to attend these meeting but must RSVP to ensure adequate seating, food and handouts.

RSVP to Pat Williams, patricia.williams2@denvergov.org  by Jan 22nd.

 

 

 

FREE TREES OFFERED TO ALL DENVER RESIDENTS THIS SPRING

 

Applications Due Feb. 15, 2012

 

DENVER, CO  –  This spring only, all Denver residents are eligible for free trees regardless of where they live within the city.  This rare opportunity is made possible by two tree distribution programs: The Park People’s annual Denver Digs Trees street tree program and the City’s Mile High Million tree planting initiative.

 

Any resident of the City and County of Denver can apply for free trees to plant along the street in the public right-of-way.  Additionally, those who have space for trees on the west side of their homes – whether in front, back, or side yards or along the street – are eligible to have trees delivered and planted for them.

 

Availability will be limited, so apply no later than February 15, 2012.  Visit www.theparkpeople.org or call 303-722-6262 for application information.

 

The Denver Digs Trees program is able to offer free street trees to all Denver residents this spring thanks to a partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation Forestry Division and the sponsorship of Xcel Energy Foundation and the City of Denver’s Office of Economic Development.  The Mile High Million’s Trees for Energy Savings program is made possible with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 

DENVER HOMELESS TRANSITION PROGRAM

DHTP exists to provide the offender who is paroling homeless an opportunity to establish employment and residence prior to parole release.

DHTP is a program that serves offenders within 9 months of their release date who would otherwise parole homeless.  The program is a collaborative effort between the Department of Corrections, Division of Criminal Justice, the Denver Community Corrections Board, and the Denver Sheriff Department that provides improved transition and discharge planning for individuals who would otherwise parole homeless to the City and County of Denver. 

DHTP is based out of the Denver County Jail, under the command of Captain Phazaria Koonce.  Two case workers and support staff, work with the community partners and others to assist offenders in preparing for release and in locating both housing and employment prior to offenders’ parole, and in the process, enable participants to access a wide variety of helpful services.

 

Participants have the assistance of the DOC re-entry and Phase I staff in preparing for and securing employment, budget planning, locating housing and other resources, and help participants secure necessary identity documents, etc.

For more information: Susan Herschel, Denver Sheriff Department

Office:  720-865-4035, susan.herschel@denvergov.org

The Naysayer - Jan 2012 - Phil Goodstein

(Click to enlarge or use control+)

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all who visited Denver Direct to give us our best year yet. May we all survive another year in the crumbling empire!