Q&A with sci-fi author Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson. Neal Stephenson, who visits the Tattered Cover LoDo on Tuesday, October 2 (click here to learn more), isn’t just one of the top sci-fi authors working today. He’s among the best and most interesting current writers in any genre. It was a great opportunity, then, to chat with…

New ratings approach presents challenge to Cruisin’ Oldies

Dear diary… KRWZ/950 AM, known as Cruisin’ Oldies, went live Wednesday, and the station is clearly investing in name Denver talent, including Randy Jay, who got the heave-ho last year amid KOOL’s demo-shifting experiment, and longtimer Hal Moore. But even if the station attracts a sizable audience of boomers to…

Paleontology rules Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries

A diorama of what the Liaoning Forest might have looked like during the time of dinosaurs. Photo by Roderick Mickens/American Museum of Natural History Amazing discoveries are constantly being made in the paleontological field, but China’s Liaoning Forest is yielding some information that’s truly astounding, changing the way we think…

Lost something at DIA? After four weeks, it’s gone forever

The DIA lost-and-found stash. Our friends at Denver International Airport have begun posting videos on YouTube intended to answer questions for folks who’d otherwise be trolling the site for videos of vomiting cats instead of visiting DIA’s own web address, FlyDenver.com. Most of the clips contain extraordinarily obvious information –…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, September 25 edition

Santi White, of Santogold fame. Next stop: the blogosphere. Backbeat Online brings you Q&As with a pair of intriguing acts: Santi White, also known as Santogold, who’s among the most buzzed-about performers currently treading Terra Firma, and Georg Holm of the fascinating Icelandic band Sigur Ros. Additionally, Dave Herrera passes…

Slate: Is Colorado blue enough for Obama?

Not seen in this photo: Mark Udall. Slate.com political reporter Christopher Beam writes this week about the shifting hue of Colorado politics, and whether the newish, blueish tint will be enough for Barack Obama to actually carry Colorado. It focuses on Obama’s reliance — actually, his lack of reliance –…

Lucky Shmuck: Robert “Ice Man” Evans

Choo choo! Alcoholism is a disease. But being a Shmuck? Well, there’s just no excuse for that. And if Robert “Ice Man” Evans ever gets his knuckle head out of his dumb ass, he probably won’t be able to offer one. Evans, a homeless alcoholic who lives in and around…

Denver Police’s “BEAT the crowds” shirt riles up Re-create 68

The shirt created by the Denver Police union. Channel 4’s Brian Maass reports that the Denver Police Protective Association, the union that represents most Denver Police Department personnel, is selling T-shirts that commemorate the protests at the Democratic National Convention in a particularly vivid way. The front of the shirts…

Joe Nacchio appeal: talk about bad timing

Joe Nacchio. When former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio learned that the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals would be considering whether to uphold or reverse his 2007 conviction on nineteen counts of insider trading on September 25, he probably didn’t think a thing about the date. Now, however, the fact that…

Broncos center Tom Nalen’s remarkable battle with his own knees

Tom Nalen. The decision to place Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen on injured reserve, effectively ending his season and possibly precipitating his retirement, was fully expected. More surprising, though, is that Nalen has been able to remain in uniform for so long despite knee problems that have bedeviled him for…

How much does it cost to do other things with Sarah Palin?

Sarah Palin. The pricetags associated with Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s October 4 morning fundraiser in Centennial are mighty steep: $1,000 to attend the breakfast, $2,500 per person to take a photo with her and $25,000 to be part of a “VIP coffee” klatch. But that leaves out a…

Mental health benefit and submachine guns — the perfect combination

Squeeze off a few rounds. It’ll make you feel better. On October 23, the Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network is hosting a wine tasting and auction, with proceeds earmarked to provide mental-health services to insurance-challenged folks in the area. And what’s being auctioned off? Among other things, “a session with the…

How to Catch a Creep

I wanted to know what it was like firsthand — what clients had to endure when entering the Vine Street clinic. So last year, I called the headquarters of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and an employee told me to meet her outside the clinic between 8 and 9…

Last rites on the Rocky Mountain News‘s Twittering

Why is the media business in such terrible shape? Experts and pundits of every description have puzzled over this question for years, but I’ve finally learned the answer: me. Or at least, people like me — misguided, backward, stuck-in-the-dark-ages Luddites who fear new technology rather than see it as the…

Letters to the Editor

“Stabbing Pains,” Lisa Rab, September 11 Cracking a Few Huevos We need a new legal description for some criminal determinations. I like “innocent by reason of illegal residency.” And the journalism profession’ll need a new tagline, too. Instead of “staff reporter,” how about: “Too-PC-to-smell-the-shit-your-brogans-are-coated-with reporter”?  Why all the tiptoeing around…

Planned Parenthood’s scheme to bust abortion protesters

They were fed up. It wasn’t just the giant posters of mangled, aborted fetuses that steeled their determination. It wasn’t the taunting, the yelling, the promises of eternal damnation, the threats from lunatics on ladders. It wasn’t even the need for bulletproof glass at the clinic, or the Kevlar vests…