As this campaign progresses, I need your support more than ever. Mick Ireland’s followers and the local newspapers are trying as hard as possible to dispel the facts of my candidacy and my affordable housing proposal. Please be sure to contact me if you need any further clarification on any of the issues.
Likewise, the Aspen Daily News coverage this past weekend of my debate with Mick and Torre was erroneous, bordering on fiction. If you would like a tape of the debate to judge for yourself, please contact me.
If your a local or visiting teen and you need somthing to do, come drop by the Aspen Youth Center, come join us for a movie or a tournament, or just come hang out with friends and watch tv or play Xbox 360.
Event schedule March 26-30, 2007
Monday: 9 Ball tourney (6-7pm) Basketball (6-9pm)
Tuesday: Foosball (6-7pm) Poker Night (6-9pm)
Wednesday: Pool Tourney (6-7pm) Basketball (6pm) Lets Eat! (7:30pm)
Thursday: Dodge ball league (6:30-7:30pm) Madden Night (6-9pm)
Friday: Movie Night
For more information call Amy Philis at 544-4130. The Aspen Youth Center (located inside the ARC).
The mountain resort economy in the West, and by extension the entire country, is as endangered as the Polar Bear but a heck of a lot more valuable.
You could say the ski industry is the canary in the coal mine for climate change. If there’s one business sector that is going to suffer most and earliest, it’s skiing. And that’s not good for the economy: the ski and winter recreation industry in Colorado alone accounts $2 billion in revenue annually and employs fully 8% of the state’s population, or 31,000 people. On a national scale, roughly quintuple that number. That’s why, in response to growing media coverage, scientific consensus, and observed climate changes on our own mountains, we decided to explore the science. In fact, in addition to our own explorations, the cities of Aspen and Park City independently commissioned studies to determine what, exactly, the future might look like, because that information is critical to planning for the future in mountain resort economies. The Aspen and Park City studies focused exclusively on peer reviewed science, and found that the consequences for Aspen were dire—we’d look like Colorado Springs by 2050 and Amarillo by 2100—and for Park City even worse, because they are at a lower altitude.
Two men in our group were in the special forces during the war, meaning they were pretty much on their own living in the jungle with a small squad of soldiers for weeks or months at a time. One of them told me they had the assistance of Cambodian mercenary fighters, who served as scouts, not unlike the American Indians who served a similar function with the US cavalry on the western frontier.
While the good folks of Aspen were spending the weekend worrying about the Hotel Jerome being sold, a small band of 4th-seeded little warriors (specifically, the Girls U-12 Hockey Team) was heading to Denver (a city of 2.5 million), to do battle with the dreaded, undefeated, unbeatable, steroid-enhanced, #1-seededTeutonic Denver Select team-- for all the marbles in the State Championships.
As we drove over the pass towards Denver, my daughter Kyra admitted that she was “sort of terrified” at the prospect of facing this unbeatable foe. I asked what specifically worried her—“Well, other than that they are unbeaten, bigger, faster, meaner, practice 4 hours a day, and there are twice as many of them, nothing much …”
The original script for the “Aspen Soap” is the result of a two month long workshop. The script was generated by improvisational work among it's nineteen participants.
“Aspen is replete with opportunities for satire from the upcoming Mayoral race, to the highway entrance into Aspen, dating, fashion and of course, much more”, says Kent Reed, director of the ensemble.
Reed goes on to say, “We have tried to hit most of the hot button issues that you read about in the papers every day. It is not our goal to beat up on anyone but to examine in a humorous way the effects of living in this very particular and special mountain town. Toward that end, we have assembled a very talented group of actors who have lived the Aspen life from the inside out. It is also our good fortune to have Felicity Huffman’s mother, Grace Huffman and nephew, Joe Trautman in this production."
I heard a story once, a story that made much sense to me... a story that defined my own optimism and willingness to succeed... to keep striving for that brass ring (so to speak). The one I have is 14 carat gold, but its only symbolic. It's so worn now that one can't read the lettering on it, hence... I have much more I want to achieve.
It’s that time of year again. The end of another season for the Aspen service industry. A time when frustration is high, morale is low, and fuses are short. Four months have passed since the slopes opened and tourists began pouring into our quiet little town. We’ve all encountered our share of pompous, condescending vacationers. Under great duress, we’ve often bitten our tongue, forced a smile and done our best to be accommodating. Some of us, however, have had enough. We’ve been pushed over the line. We are passed the point of no return. Simply put, some of us have gone mad.
A friend was confiding in me the other day, saying how he hated his job, his boss, his life, etc, etc, etc. I sat there listening to him and then said to him, "Quit being a pussy, quit your job, do something else and take control of your life." He acted like he was gut shot. He just stared at me for a couple of seconds and then started making excuses as to why he couldn't do that. His boss depended on him, he didn't know what else to do, etc. I shook my head at him and then as any good friend would say I told him quit whining and be a man.
