As every college student knows, the price of textbooks is more obscene than anything Larry Flynt could conjure up. But the problem is infinitely more acute for learners in impoverished nations. “International editions of textbooks are generally half the cost of U.S. editions, which is great if you’re in the…
Highway to Hell Playing fast and loose: Luke Turf’s too fast, too furious article (“Rocket Men,” July 13) was as bad as anything I have read this summer — exempting that piece of shit The Kite Runner, as it stands in a league of its own. Feel free at any…
On July 25, over fifty supporters of the Derailer Bike Collective packed into the Board of Adjustment hearing room, where Derailer members Mackenzie Liman, Sarah Graves and Sarah Bardwell explained why Derailer should be granted a six-month delay of enforcement of the April 5 cease-and-desist order. In that order, the…
Certain members of the Denver Post staff continue to grumble about low morale and uncertainty in the wake of a buyout plan that shrunk the paper’s editorial roster by barely half of a targeted 25 positions. (The last item in the June 15 Message column provides the details.) But these…
Last night, the Fray appeared on the Tonight Show for the second time in six months — and just a week after the band was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman. The Fray played “How to Save a Life” — the title track from its debut — with…
Websites allow newspapers to put items online quickly, without having to wait for the presses to roll — and that’s a good thing. But letting the cat out of the bag only works if the cat’s actions are updated in a timely way. Yesterday morning, the city of Parker sent…
His Presidential-ness George Bush is scheduled to visit our fair city tomorrow. What the fuck is Dubya doing darkening our collective doorsteps this time? Why, politickin’, of course. He’ll be in town for a $1000-a-plate lunch in the Cherry Hills home of Charlie Gallagher (of the private equity firm Gallagher…
Crown prince: Thank you for “American Ace,” Jessica Centers’s July 13 story on Russell Enloe. Broadway will never be the same without him. He had a smile that brightened the room and a personality to match. He was a dear friend, and he will be missed by many! I see…
The Derailer Bicycle Collective doesn’t advertise its services in newspapers or the Yellow Pages. There’s no sign in front of the shop. Calls to the main number are returned sporadically, if at all. But for the collective’s eight core members, luring cash-carrying customers through traditional means simply isn’t a priority…
For the past thirteen years, Carolyne Janssen has used her mountain bike to commute from Governor’s Park to downtown, where she works as a graphic designer with Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development. On June 30, she’d had a drink with co-workers in LoDo and was just heading home…
The rumor mill isn’t renowned for its accuracy — but every so often, gossipers stumble upon the truth. That was certainly the case regarding Bias, a youth-targeted project founded last year as a joint venture of MediaNews Group (owner of the Denver Post) and E.W. Scripps (the Rocky Mountain News’s…
Dave Walstrom has streetcar envy. He sees the system in Portland, Oregon, and wants it for Denver, specifically the stretch of East Colfax Avenue between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard that is his fiefdom as executive director of the Colfax Business Improvement District (C-BID). He covets the $1.5 billion in private…
The greatest thing about the place was the phones. They weren’t cordless or modern, but a retro red-plastic take on the classic American telephone, affixed right there to the wall in your booth. There weren’t any salty waitresses to deal with, no debating whether to tip 12 or 12.5 percent…
When the city launched its new 3-1-1 service two weeks ago, Off Limits just had to arrange a face-off between Denver’s non-emergency number and the 24/7 statewide information service, AskColorado. Our early money was on 3-1-1, since we asked AskColorado for the state’s motto two years ago and are still…
Joseph Yacteen, arrested in August 2005 after a crime spree that included three attempted car-jackings and a shooting, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder in Denver District Court on July 18. And how did he plead guilty? With “extreme indifference,” son! But Yacteen’s I-just-don’t-give-a-fuck-swagger should come as no surprise to…
How long should a ten-year-old pay for his sins? Local musician Shea Sweeney, 25, thought he was finally out from under $90,000 in debt he piled up in 1991 as a result of a childhood encounter with a box of matches. This past spring, a panel of federal bankruptcy judges…
During his last appearance in The Message in Westword’s June 29 edition, consumer advocate and self-professed troubleshooter Tom Martino explained that ending a national syndication deal with Westwood One was all his idea. Here’s his original explanation, submitted via e-mail: “I decided that I no longer want to do a…
The fifteen-minute span during which each of us is supposed to be famous has been shrinking ever since Andy Warhol first offered his most memorable bon mot. In contrast, the period for which the once-famous or barely famous must suffer ignominy and embarrassment continues to lengthen, as Ace Young, Colorado’s…
Journalists are often criticized these days for simply disseminating statements made by public officials without critically examining what they’ve said — and rightly so. If the media is to truly serve the public, editorial types must provide analysis, rather than serving as little more than a neutral placard for de…
It’s official. On July 13, a press release sent out under the auspices of Channel 9 president and general manager Mark Cornetta confirmed that the station’s new acquisition, Channel 20, will become an affiliate of My Network TV, a fledgling Fox service, as of September 5. The release offers little…
Those readers who are offended each time a sports story dominates page one of a Denver daily were undoubtedly frosted by the sight of the July 13 Denver Post. The day’s main piece, by reporter Marc Spears, involved the signing of Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony to a long-term contract…
The most contentious development proposal ever to hit the town of Vail was finally resolved on Tuesday, July 10. Voters overwhelmingly approved developer Peter Knobel’s plan to tear down the 37-year-old Crossroads building and replace it with Solaris, a 600,000-square-foot condo-and-retail complex complete with a bowling alley and arcade. The…
