Letters to the Editor

“Pressure Drop,” Michael Roberts, June 21 Our Daily Dread Michael Roberts’s Westword articles on the downslide of the Denver dailies are on target and apply to all media. Nobody wants to say what is really happening. Since dumping the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the monopolies have risen in America. The public…

Green Day

On a beautiful summer evening several weeks ago, Red Rocks went green. Under a full moon, the socially righteous artist Michael Franti and his band, Spearhead, took to the arena’s stage in what was billed as “the most energy efficient and environmentally responsible event in the history of Red Rocks.”…

Body Art

If you thought pimping your ride with advertisements was an over-the-top way to make some cash, try tattooing your body with advertisers’ logos — for life. Three local twenty-somethings are now offering themselves as the ultimate billboards, with $40,000 securing space on a head, while a cheapskate can get hooked…

Asian Flavors vs. Happy Meals

Ling & Louie’s is a place aimed squarely at families, at young, quote-unquote adventurous eaters with a taste for Asian flavors who want something better than Happy Meals and cheeseburgers when they go out to eat. A restaurant with a kids menu and a liquor license? I’ve got to think…

Fonzi to the Rescue

Sure, there are retrievers who fish kids out of raging streams and poodles who can dial 911. But for sheer canine heroism, it’s tough to beat a German shepherd. Think RinTinTin. Think Fonzi. Local gadfly and erstwhile talk-show host Mike Zinna is best known for fanning flames of outrage over…

Michael Vick: Professional Dumbass

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury for dog fighting. If the charges are true, this guy has to be one of the stupidest human beings of all time. How can you believe that as one of the highest profile players in the most…

A Scripps Shuttering Worries Rocky Lovers

The July 17 decision by overlords at the E.W. Scripps Co. to close the Cincinnati Post and its sister paper, the Kentucky Post, at year’s end has locals wondering if the same fate might befall the Rocky Mountain News, Scripps’ flagship newspaper. Fortunately, such a move is very unlikely in…

Postscript to Honkin’ Tonkin

I think the article in the Viet Nam Times this morning regarding annual motocycle fatalities bears out my observation of how few crashes there are despite the chaos. The article stated that although fatal scooter accidents were up 642 from last year, to bring the total to over 7,100, you’ve…

John Elway to Play Again!

Hallelujah! Elway’s taking to the gridiron again! Denver, you may now erupt into spontaneous explosions of joy. Okay, okay, it’s just a videogame. I know. But it’s a new videogame (meaning shiny graphics!) and it has John Fucking Elway (or at least a janky illustration of him) as the main…

Welcome Back, Potter

Are you excited for the next (and last) Harry Potter book? Voldemort knows I am! Do you miss the old Welcome Back, Kotter TV series? OK, me neither, but this is still pretty funny. It’s exactly what you’d expect from the name, a ridiculous mashup spoof of the two properties…

Honkin’ Tonkin

July 17th, 2007 Riverside Hotel Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon) District 1 Esteemed Editor, If you recall, this whole caper started off two months ago with a bunk tip from a blackjack dealer in Vegas regarding a cousin connection in Iraq. My intention to provide our news organization with a…

Effete Easterners Confused About Crocs—and Geography

Slate, the online magazine known for highbrow pondering of lowbrow culture, has finally discovered Crocs. Meghan O’Rourke weighs in on the comfy-ugly clown shoes in this screed, with all the usual tsk-tsking about garish colors, podriatic caveats, soaring stock prices and I-hate-Crocs backlash among the fashionistas. It’s familiar ground to…

The Real Pornmutter

Staff for Rep. Ed Perlmutter got a big surprise when they discovered that an old campaign website for the Democrat’s successful bid for the 7th Congressional District suddenly began sprouting images like the one above and peddling adult ads with pitches like “Real Sex Dating” and “Watch Gay Movies Online.”…

The Governor, the Emperor and the Media

Did Denver television stations actually underplay a local story that went national? Based on a cursory sampling of broadcast coverage on July 16, the day gun-wielding Aaron Snyder, 32, was killed in the Colorado State Capitol near the office of Governor Bill Ritter, this seems to be the case. Major…

Meat on the Street

The awning keeps cops shady while directing traffic at Bandimere Speedway. I live in Morrison, and during big events at Bandimere Speedway — such as this weekend’s Mile High Nationals — the police are out in force to help direct traffic. Their presence is a necessity, but you know it’s…

Another Goodbye at the Denver Post

Will the last person to leave the Denver Post please lock the door behind them? This question is justified by the recent exodus of staffers from the broadsheet — and while many of the exits have been forced by management decisions, quite a few others have been entirely voluntary, including…

Masters Class

When the Denver dailies tackle the same story at just about the same time, readers who still doubt the papers’ editorial independence years after their business operations were linked by a joint operating agreement may suspect that they’ve been in cahoots. Instead, they’re competing as energetically as ever — and…

Seeds of Hope

The farming techniques of Africa are being handed down from one generation to the next on a tiny farm in East Aurora. Each day, Somali Bantu parents are there with their young children, planting seeds, tending crops or harvesting a small bit of produce. Their profits are meager, but the…

The Matthews Center Rolls Out the Welcome Mat

Putting a stop in the revolving door at Denver county jail is no easy task. But what better way to begin making this effort than with a block party for those not lucky enough to have a strong family or friend to turn to after being released from jail –…

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Memory

OK, this ooo-eee-ooo story by Katy Human on the front page of today’s Denver Post, about research at the University of Colorado into suppressing traumatic memories, raises two important questions. First, if Katy Human writes about stuff just because she thinks it’s interesting, does that make it a Human Interest…