I'm back from Ecuador and I've got an incredible story.
First I want to thank everyone who sent along words of encouragement, I
really appreciate the support. Things definitely got hectic down there
at times, but overall it was an incredible experience and I came back with material that no other writer in the world has.
I've got an article coming out in the Miami Herald in the next couple
of days, and I'm still sifting through mountains of material for what I
hope will be multiple magazine pieces.
I finished reading “My Year In Iraq” by former Ambassador L. Paul Bremer at almost the precise moment in time when the democratic Iraqi government was instituted with all the trappings—save for the three ministry necessary to keep the country in one piece. My guess is Bremer would have been proud of his dysfunctional children in the Iraqi government, and he would have once more reiterated the need for national security above and beyond all else.
While the new leadership waxed in the Green Zone, some one hundred Iraqis are being killed every week, according to one estimate, with many of those deaths executed gangland-style. A total of 26 Americans died last week, and 23 the week before that. The Iraqi police force is a national disaster, a story of one mistake after another.
You pick up the RFTA bus in Glenwood Springs or Carbondale and its surprisingly empty. As you rumble towards Aspen a few more people climb aboard, but the bus never fills to capacity. It does not even come close. This emptiness despite a recent discontinuation of over half of RFTA’s normal routes.
You grab a newspaper and scan the headlines. “Local Businesses See Profits Plummet. City Council Seeks Solution to Labor Shortage. Aspen Loosing Prestige As Top Vacation Destination.”
The paper is especially thick with Help Wanted ads. Housekeepers, landscapers, workmen, movers, construction laborers, kitchen help, laundry staff and janitors make up the majority of ads.
I was a half mile from the finish of Saturday's ten-mile Ride for the Pass, and finally I'd caught him--the Unicycle Guy. This was my third year for this punishing annual ride of spring for Valley cyclists, and both my first two years, I was narrowly beaten to the finish by Mike Tierney, an Aspen legend who rode on one wheel, with just a single gear. But right then, I was too exhausted and elated to be ashamed of my two wheels and my 14 gears. Finally, I was going to beat this guy.
Consider the credentials of Matthew Zubrod, shifting from his perch at the Ritz-Carlton Aspen Highlands to the brand-new “Dish” where the old Mogador used to be in downtown Aspen. He was in New York City this weekend as one of the Best Hotel Chefs of America for the prestigious James Beard Foundation, the pinnacle of fine dining.
As you might imagine, some amazement will follow any pursuit of Thomas Dolby, due at Belly Up Aspen Wednesday night. There’s his stellar blog to consider with postings that range from a nuclear power plant in Japan to his barely noticeable presence in “Mission: Impossible: III.”
When this program was originally announced, Dick Butera said: “In Aspen, we strive for the best in many things – skiing, restaurants, dance, music – but the schools have been largely ignored by first and second homeowners alike. With the resources in this community, Aspen’s school system should be the finest in the country.”
Gun shooting virginity that is. This past Friday I shot a gun for the first time. It was an assault rifle actually. I went to a bbq on a ranch midvalley. We were several miles back form highway 82. Horses, barn, babbling brook, the works. It was gorgeous.
Israel was fantastic. Did I feel safe? Yes. Absolutely. In fact, after going through Israeli airport security at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv I am more nervous to fly within the U.S. The effectiveness of their security juxtaposed to ours is frightening. They actually interrogate you and have a conversation with you about your visit (e.g. reasons for visiting, have you been to Israel before? Do you speak Hebrew? If you're Jewish, what's the name of your synagogue?) versus blandly asking "did you pack your own bags? Have they been in your possession since you packed them?
If a canary falls dead in the forest from pollution and no one is around to see it, does it mean that the air we breathe is still clean? In other words, how do we convince people to take drastic steps when the ill effects of climate change are hardly visible to the naked eye? Aspen looks as beautiful as ever, the sky. The clouds, the water all appear in excellent shape…so why change?
