"Mexican-Americans wearing the green and celebrating St. Patty’s Day?" the Con Man blogs of a visit to Denver. "What a glorious sight up and down the avenue—Blake Street in this case—and a strong sign that the Union is still standing. We are, after all, Americans first, last, and always—or so we liberals like to think.... But there’s some dark doings in the Republic these days. Texas textbooks want to eliminate the Enlightenment and Thomas Jefferson while they’re at it. Tyranny and anarchy are jumbled up as if they are the very same thing. Guns and ammo have never sold better, with the vague notion that the holders of same may have to use the weapons against the federal government. The Tea Party seems to hate everybody."
Set in ancient Egypt, Aida is both a heartbreaking love story and an epic drama full of spectacular crowd scenes. Violeta Urmana stars.
"Over the past forty years," writes Post blogger Sue Gray. "Palestinians have continuously demonstrated nonviolent forms of opposition to the occupation and theft of their land. "
Posts filed under 'United Post'
A family fatality afforded us the chance to stumble upon the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Denver—a wonderfully morbid coincidence for an Irish-American like me and the fatal party herself. I say stumble in part because everyone was sober in the A.M., which might explain why the powers that be start the festivities in the morning.
A wonderful thing happened on the way to the parade, a matter of pure happenstance. As we waited for admittance to Snooze, near Coors Field, people of all kinds started floating by wearing the green. No doubt one or two Irish-Americans or even plain Irish were in the mix, but the vast majority of those heading to the parade were variegated in the extreme, with a large percentage Hispanic.
Mexican-Americans wearing the green and celebrating St. Patty’s Day? What a glorious sight up and down the avenue—Blake Street in this case—and a strong sign that the Union is still standing. We are, after all, Americans first, last, and always—or so we liberals like to think.
Continue Reading March 17th, 2010
ASPEN HIGHLANDS—Around here—and throughout the skiing world—it is known as “The Bowl.”
Highland Bowl hangs there above you wherever you are in Aspen, and if you’re a skier the shadow is longer still. The purity of it here at the peak of Aspen Highlands is all but beyond description, and even if you don’t dare hike it and then ski it, you can see the human ants bent over by their tools of ignorance, crawling to their destiny at the top
As I’ve improved as a skier during seven winters in Aspen, I have looked upon The Bowl as something that I would put in my pocket whenever I was ready. I was (and remain) a fool, completely underestimating what was to come when my name was called. That day came Saturday in celebration of my friend Matt’s birthday. He was 37 and I’m not but neither of us had tried the inevitable. We had never hiked The Bowl.
Continue Reading March 7th, 2010
This past Saturday signified the 18th anniversary of the pivotal moment when my life forever changed. Eighteen years ago a freak somersault on Snowmass Ski Area shattered four vertebra splintering bone fragments into my spinal cord and robbing me of the use of my legs. It is almost as if eighteen years ago I took my last breath in one realm as I transitioned into a different body—an ethereal body intertwined with my physical self. My angels looked over me as I settled into a form that felt still, incomplete, imprisoned, and half of the woman that I used to be. Yet as I lay immobile in starched white hospital linens, and while my heart grieved for the loss of my legs, my spirit somehow rose to the occasion, determined to be undefeated and to soar in the imaginings of my mind. I believed in possibility then…and eighteen years later I still believe. A divine light has protected and guided me along my path and in turn I’ve allowed my light to shine from within. While I still have unfulfilled dreams and aspirations, I am the woman I am today because of this journey. I refuse to allow myself to be paralyzed in my mind but to seize my inner strength, endurance and resilience to overcome. I will never give up in pursuit of quality of life. I accept where I’m at right here, right now…and with gratitude in my deepest self, I live with hope for what the colors of a new dawn shall bring tomorrow.
Continue Reading March 6th, 2010
A man in blackface in this brave new century would invoke the wrath of our culture writ large. When the tape of a blackfaced act originating in Australia was seen in the United States, the revulsion was immediate, calling to mind Al Jolson singing “Mammy” in blackface nearly a hundred years ago.
But what about seeing a black man in whiteface?
What about seeing a black President of the United States in whiteface?
And what if that insult emanated not from a meaningless talent show down under but from the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) official fundraising presentation.
Continue Reading March 3rd, 2010
Why can’t we be more like Canada?
They host the Olympics like they mean it. They smile. They play hockey and penalty-kill. They honor the indigenous people in their midst without trying to wipe them out. And they have the Canadian Mounties.
But most of all what they have is a kick-ass national anthem, a tune that says everything about they are—and about what we, as Americans, are not.
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, was bristling with unexpected pleasures for the fan, but nothing compared to the way the Canadian people and their athletes sang “Oh Canada,” the national anthem, on the trips to the podium for the gold medal.
They sang it—they really sang it—the way we Americans almost never do with our “Star-Spangled Banner.” They sang it from the top of their lungs with no self-consciousness to speak of. They were joyful when they sang it.
Continue Reading March 1st, 2010
Who knew? Who knew that Scott Brown’s election to the Teddy seat in the United States Senate would break open the slush of bipartisanship? But hey, as Peter Gammons used to say in The Boston Globe, a guy’s got to eat, and not even a flopper like Brown can avoid the need to vote for jobs in his home state of Massachusetts.
What’s going on here? as Dick Young used to say in the Daily News.
Continue Reading February 23rd, 2010
Source: Aspen Institute
Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, the report of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, is the result of a year-long study to assess the information needs of communities across the United States. The report sets a vision for healthy, informed democratic communities and offers 15 policy measures to help citizens meet their local information needs. This report has received considerable press coverage as well as attention at the Federal Communications Commission.
Continue Reading February 23rd, 2010
Medical consultaion with your M.D. is recommended with any exercise program.
Getting Sleep,
Yes we are livin’ in the USA, and that means in a collective sense, we are the fattest and most sleep deprived post industrialized nation by far. From time to time as Your Personal Trainer, I hear many silly statements, by those who think beyond their biology, our biology as human beings. Silly things, like cleverly skipping breakfast to lose weight, even though the entire health industry, from the A.M.A, dieticians, fitness professionals and weight loss specialists know that one of the most effective ways to gain weight in the form of fat, is to skip breakfast.
Even worse, are those who think sleep is somehow an enemy. I wonder, an enemy of what? What does sleep do; eliminate fatigue, poor decisions, aid in physical and mental recovery? The answer is yes. The next question is why someone, anyone would want to be weak confused and tired instead of having sleep. Oh they wisely tell you, “they have no time too busy to sleep,” or, “they don’t need sleep.” Really? The last time I checked there were 168 hours in a week. So, computing a 50 hour work week and 2 hours on commuting per day leaves 108 hours. Subtract 63 hours per week for sleep (9 hours per day/night) leaves one with 45 hours per week. This leaves more than 6 hours and 24 minutes to do what you want, per day. If one takes 6 hours per week for exercise, one is left with 39 hours of TV, Internet surfing, family time, cleaning, household chores, shopping, eating, bathing and getting dressed and whatever else there is to do. Personally, I find the “I don’t need sleep” and “I don’t have time to sleep,” arguments ridiculous to listen to. When you look at the numbers, which were extremely conservative, they ruthlessly show the excuses to be bankrupt. No personal trainer or health professional worth their salt is going to be a yes man to enable this nonsense.
Most people would serve themselves, their families and communities well by clearing the debris from their egos and hubris concerning silly beliefs such as not needing sleep, and get more sleep, make better business decisions, drive while in a wakeful state and give quality time to those that matter and those that want to matter. In short, for those who actually believe the silly stuff, save it for those who admire the tooth fairy harvesting the money tree. Those who prefer reality and are looking to take meaningful actions to be healthy, should do all that you can to ignore the silly stuff and work with appropriate health professionals for serious plans for your well being and fitness.
Your Personal Trainer
February 18th, 2010
To understand the appeal of the Tea Party movement, a pundit need go no further than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—or whomever, dude.
Continue Reading February 16th, 2010
Edward Troy
If you are Republican;
1) Who proposed it -- not what was proposed. "What" is utterly irrelevant.
2) Make sure you say "no," whether you know or not, what you are saying "no" too.
3) Know the difference between; know no and no know, in the presence of Democrats.
If you are Tea Party;
wun) doo you speak american?
tew) yur a leeder and a leecher (oui) wee hate you. (if you don't get it, this is your party and you can cry if you want to)
If you are Democrat;
1) First find common ground with other parties --
(a) Does the sun rise in the East and set in the West?
(b) If I drop your bowling ball from five feet high on your big toe, will it hurt?
2) Offer spell check to the other parties.
3) Argue with other Dems about including other parties in discussions.
4) Make sure you become reviled, because decisions require consensus and acclamation.
Well there you have it. A brief check list for all who are political!
February 11th, 2010
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