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Potter Highlands • West Highland • Sunnyside • Sloan’s Lake • Berkeley

• a voice for the new North Denver •
CSAP reading scores raise Austin’s Rosie Flores
questions, provide few answers headlines Highland Street Fair
by Guerin Lee Green — 54%. Below the district average
Each year, the Colorado Student were Columbian — 41%, Garden Place
Assessment Program, the statewide — 35%, Trevista-Horace Mann- 35%,
set of tests taken by students in public Cheltenham —31%, Colfax— 29% and
schools better known as the CSAP, Valdez— 9%.
releases in late spring the results of More interesting, however, was
the third grade reading tests. These to take another step with the data.
come out months before the other tests, Edison had 15% of its third graders
and offer a look at student achieve- rated advanced, more than double the
ment, and perhaps, the fallible means state average. Cheltenham had one
of assessing it. student, or 1%, rated advanced. The
We took a look at the performance other schools? Across the board, zero
of North Denver’s elementary schools. students rated advanced on the third
Statewide, just over 60,000 third grade reading test. Zero.
graders took the test. Of them, over Looking at it another way, out of
35,000, or 66% were deemed profi- 547 third graders in North Denver
cient, and 4,168 advanced, 7%. schools, just 13 were advanced, or 2.6%
City-wide, Denver Public Schools and twelve of them were in one school,
students, were 48% proficient, 4% Edison. In terms of the proficient rat-
advanced. ing, 238 of the third graders were
The numbers for North Denver proficient, about 44%, just a few points
elementary schools were a bit more below the district average.
distressing. It seems highly improbable that
The best performing school was nine elementary schools, with some 387
Edison Elementary, where 75% of stu- third graders, would have not a single
dents were proficient or advanced, fol- third graders would rate advanced.
lowed Sandoval — 68%, Brown — 60%, Using the statewide average, 27 third
Centennial —58%, and Bryant Webster graders out of 387 should have been

70 by the North Denver News and break yer heartstrings singer, has
By percentage, 3rd graders
The Highland Street Fair will fea- produced some of roots rock and rock-
scoring in each of the four ture Rosie Flores, the alt-country, roots abilly most famous recording, includ-
categories of the CSAP
60 rock guitar hero, this June 20th. Rosie’s ing those Janis Martin.
reputation as a high-octane rockabilly Critical raves from prestigious
50 and country star is well established, publications such as the Los Angeles
and recent accolades have only made Times and Guitar Player magazine,
her musical bouquet fuller. June 2008 an LA Weekly Music Award for Best
40
Denver found Rosie onstage at the Waldorf Rockabilly Swing Artist, a 2007 cover
Statewide Astoria in New York City, accepting story in the Austin Chronicle, and the
North Denver
30 the prestigious Peabody Award for proclamation of Rosie Flores Day in
her narration of the 10-hour docu- August 2006 by Austin Mayor Will
mentary radio show on the history Wynn was topped off by an induction
20
of Rockabilly, “Whole Lotta Shakin’”, into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in
produced by Lex Gillespie. 2007. She was recently voted as one of
10 The Highland Street Fair runs 10 pm the “Top 75 Greatest Female Guitarists
til dusk, the Saturday before Father’s of All Time” by Venuszine.
0
Day, with three stages of music at 32nd Denver ’s biggest community
%Unsatisfactory
Unsat %PartProficient
PartProf %Proficient
Prof %Advanced
Adv and Lowell. street fair kicks off hundreds of ven-
Flores is known as a great song- dors and great food and cocktails, as
see CSAP on page 2 writer, award-winning guitar player, see FLORES on page 6

City provides two week break

PERMIT NO. 353
U.S. POSTAGE

DENVER, CO

This month
PRSRT STD

on home remodeling fees

PAID

*** TIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL *** POSTMASTER PLEASE DELIVER BY June 6

by Rick Garcia few months. Once a permit is issued,

Have you been thinking about
that home renovation or improve-
ment project but the current economic
situation has left you debating if you
should move on it or not? The City of
Denver can help you make a favor-
able decision to proceed and help
the economy at the same time with
its Home Renovation Bonanza sched-
uled for June 1 through June 15. This
special incentive, supported by the
Denver City Council, will suspend
the construction permit fee for basic
interior remodeling of existing one or
two family dwellings.
North Denver News
North
the homeowner or their contractor has
up to 180 days to complete the work. Denver News
Extensions can be requested, but they
are not automatic. During the next six
months, the city hopes to increase gen- Squeaky Bean p.4
eral fund sales and use tax revenue, so
far lagging 10% from projections.
I encourage homeowners to use 4th of July Parade p.14
local licensed contractors to bid your
project and attempt to buy your job
materials from neighborhood suppli- Hotel Monaco p. 16
ers and vendors. I argued in council
committee to extend this permit fee
hiatus beyond just two-weeks, but Pull-out Summer Calendar
the prevailing sentiment was to keep of Events p. 17 & 18

The fee suspension is intended the fee suspension at two weeks and
Denver, CO 80212

to help with improving home ener- upon evaluation, the City could pos-
sibly re-introduce the program later Dining Detective -
P.O. Box 12487

gy consumption (i.e., efficient water

heaters/photovoltaic systems) and to
add new value to older homes. These
basic home remodel permit fees can
usually rack up a sizable cost for
larger work projects. The City wants
to incentivize homeowners to com-
plete those improvements in the next
in the year. Bridgewater Grill p. 23
This permit fee suspension is our
attempt to locally restart the economy. Denver Foundation’s Annual
The hoped for remodeling boost, cou-
pled with the current Better Denver Celebration p. 25
Bond Program’s implementation of
see FEE on page 9
 Page 2 North Denver News June 5, 2009

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Complimentary valet parking when you join us for these events

Only two North Denver would call “grading on a curve.”

“The entire population of CSAP
be closed or have their staffs fired if
they don’t perform well— has become

schools have “advanced”

reading 3rd graders
advanced, using Denver’s average, 16
should have been.
The math itself is daunting. But the
probability that the nine schools would
have no advanced students is tiny,
according to an actuary we consulted.
Each year, the folks who score
the CSAP re-jigger the scoring scale,
and finding a path through the CSAP
documentation is a thorny thicket.
Essentially, the floor for “Partially
Proficient” is 50% on the test, less than
that earns an “Unsatisfactory.” Score
above 58%, and the student will be
rated “Proficient,” do better than 78%,
and the result is “Advanced.”
According to the Colorado
Department of Education(CDE), which
administers and scores the tests, the
CSAP is not normed, what many
scores is large, and therefore will tend
to be very much like a normal distri-
bution, but again, the scores are not
scaled to be normal,” according to Beth
Celva of the CDE.
The entire statewide score distri-
bution of 3rd grade reading CSAPs is
shown on the chart on this page. Like
most measures of human traits, it fol-
lows a roughly “normal” distribution
or bell curve, centered upon a mean.
High stakes testing— schools can
part of the landscape in Colorado. But
clearly, using and understanding the
data is still a work in progress.
And while the data can describe
where we are at, it doesn’t prescribe a
course for the future and leaves many
questions unanswered.
Among them must be why the
schools in North Denver, while show-
ing progress in getting students to
good enough, aren’t pushing them to
be great.

Frequency Distribution 3rd Grade CSAP

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
1 23 45 67 89 111 133 155 177 199 221 243 265 287 309 331 353 375 397 419 441 463 485 507 529 551 573

Southwest Gardens Where in

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is Lulu? Denver’s favorite doggie, Lulu,
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month.

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303-423-5606
June 5, 2009
Two decades on, Big Head Todd
still rocking Colorado
by Guerin Lee Green
It was the Wednesday night before
Thanksgiving, 1986. Boulder was dead,
dead, dead, most of the campus had
fled home for the holiday. I head-
ed down to the University Memorial
Big Head Todd and the Monsters and
Mohr return to Red Rocks June 6
Center, to the 3.2 bar in the basement
(oh, the days of 3.2 beer) with Grant
Beck and Joel Smith of the Boulder
band Feedback. We were going to
check out a band somebody had seen
at some party— Big Head Todd and
the Monsters. Now, this wasn’t the Big
Head Todd -- guitar hero and song-
writer -- that most people know. This
was Todd Park Mohr, still picking up a
sax to rip a solo off, with mostly R&B
covers and Stevie Ray Vaughn tunes,
shyly fronting a band that Colorado
would come to love. There were maybe
six people in the audience that night.
Skip ahead twenty-two years. My
four year old son has to pee. Having
just navigated horrible Chicago traf-
fic, I pilot the rental car to the parking
lot of a social club, scene of a spirited
shuffle board game, where he can vio-
late laws prohibiting public urination.
We’re just a few blocks from the subur-
ban Chicago home of Big Head Todd
Eat, Drink & Dance
www.TheGreekFestival.com
North Denver News Page 3
and his family, and we’re headed for a
sleep-over, but he can’t wait. Post-pee,
we pull into a driveway, and find the
erstwhile rock star engaged in fixing a
child’s bike and tending a grill.
It’s been a long trip for Todd— sell-
ing out Red Rocks, dates on
the David Letterman Show,
platinum record sales, set-
tling into legend status as
the biggest name to come
Mondays at El Camino
out of Colorado in nineties.
Yet, he’s the same player 15% of sales go to benefit
who played the basement of
the UMC, became Boulder’s
favorite band, and is still at
it, reveling in a new role as
Edison and Brown
parent of two boys, while
touring, writing music and Elementary Schools
having authored a thought-
ful podcast.
It’s amazing to watch
Todd playing with kids,
including mine. As the adults
North Denver’s Fresh Food
drink wine, Todd is Kung-Fu
Panda’ing with my son. My
kids have no idea who Todd
New Mexican Roadhouse
is. Just as they don’t actually
understand when Cousin
Billy is on the radio (my wife
Salsa’s, green chile, guacamole
is Billy Corgan’s cousin), and
Todd Park think it’s a typical experi-
ence, they don’t quite relate
and desserts made fresh daily
to Todd as anything other than
a father, even though they’ve seen him
on stage at Red Rocks.
And through my son’s eyes, I get
to see one of my favorite artists, the
same way I saw a young guitarist two 3628 32nd Ave (at Meade)
decades ago. It is powerful testimony
to the nature of time and perspective.
Denver, CO 80211
720-889-7964
Mon-Thurs 4-Midnite
Big Head Todd and the Monsters info@elcaminotavern.com Fri 4-1 a.m. Sat 11-1 a.m.
hit the stage a Red Rocks on June 6, elcaminotavern.com Sun 11-Midnite
in what has become a rite of summer.
Bales Custom Gardening Services
The band, who has toured relentlessly
for two decades, crafted a sound that,
more than any other single source, has
defined the Colorado music scene.
The musical adventure continues
for Todd. “Over the last six months
we have been playing a lot with horn
sections. Red Rocks is lots of fun, with
a five piece horn section. I’ve always Quality
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LIKE A GREEK
GREEK FESTIVAL
June 19-21, 2009
Page 4 North Denver News June 5, 2009

Cyndeth Allison
North Denver Notions
“Off to a good start,” Lisa says, avid gardener and will
when she spies the red-gold dog sitting be involved in manag-
by the patio fence of the Squeaky Bean. ing that.
Now open at 3301 Tejon, it was formerly Ballen has a long history in the
Café Mondo, formerly Lucia’s, former- restaurant business, including being a
ly Highland Grounds. The whole ‘hood partner at Solera. He’s also done con-
has been awaiting this struction and has worked
moment for months
and months, and we’re
Squeaky Bean closely with an interior
designer. He’s used all
ready to embrace it. - off to a his skills in creating the
On this afternoon,
three days after open-
good start Squeaky Bean.
The décor is comfort-
ing, folks already look able, with soothing col-
settled on the patio, and there’s that ors and soft, sound-absorbing surfaces.
retriever. He’s reinstated the early-twentieth
“But there’s no water bowl,” I com- century ambiance, but with a modern
plain. Hardly are the words out of twist. The original tile floor remains,
my mouth when the owner, Johnny and he’s exhumed some of the old
Ballen, drives up and begins unloading pharmacy signs. The counter feels as
boxes from his
SUV – tea and
other supplies
– and brand
new water
bowls for the
dogs. Johnny
explains that
the Squeaky
Bean is a work
in progress.
Right now
they’re offer-
ing pastries in
the morning
and a limited
lunch menu.
They ‘re clos-
ing early in
the afternoon.
Over the next
month or so,
he intends to
open earlier
and stay open
late, add-
ing a regular
strength compassion hope innovation expertise
brunch menu,
and dinner.
To bring
this vision to
reality, he’s
As seen in
hired chef Max
US News & World MacKissock.
Report Magazine North Denver Johnny Ballen and the Squeaky Bean Spritzer. Photo by Cyndeth
Top Hospitals 2008 r e s i d e n t Allison.
MacKissock
has been chef
at some excellent Denver eateries. homey as your own kitchen - baskets
Originally, his role with the Squeaky of lemons, limes and artichokes share
Bean was as a consultant, but he became space with an old hand juicer.
so enthused by Ballen’s vision – Italy He’s paid attention to every detail –
meets San Francisco – that he decided coat hooks under the bar, frosted glass
to come onboard. on the lower parts of the windows so

A Triple
MacKissock plans an evolving that the people inside aren’t sharing
menu. When I whined about losing my their table with the people outside, a
already-favorite artichoke sandwich, high shelf in the kitchen holding jars

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he was unsympathetic. “You’ll find a brings the eye down from the high
new favorite,” he said with confidence. ceilings. Even which way the restroom
I imagine he’s right. doors swing has come under his scru-
The vision is a grand one encom- tiny.
passing early-morning coffee, light Lest all this begin to sound too
lunch, and an evening gathering place upscale, keep in mind that Ballen’s phi-
with an eclectic food and drink menu. losophy is “if you can’t have fun going
Ballen himself will tend bar, offering to a restaurant, why go out at all?”
creations such as the Squeaky Bean He’s filled the Squeaky Bean with puns
Spritzer, a delicious (I know, he made and bits of humor – the high chairs are
me one) bright orange concoction with labeled “Jelly Bean”, “Bumble Bean”
a buttery Christmas-green olive. For and “Bling Bean”. The staff wear tee
the morning crowd, he’s contracted shirts that say “Cool Beans” or “we
with Pablo’s for a special blend. I don’t are Human Beans” The windows have
drink coffee, but even I could smell slogans like “It was meant to Bean” and
the difference. People are already rav- “Bean there, done that”.
ing. They plan a grill and rotisserie on Clearly he had a lot of fun putting
the patio, for everything from steaks the place together, right down to the
to suckling pig. “Simply sophisticated name. As soon as the sign went up, I
coffee, cocktails, wine and fare” is the began asking myself what squeaking
way he put it. and coffee beans had to do with each
They’ve even found a vacant lot other. Turns out the answer is “noth-
nearby where they can grow some of ing”. One evening over a dinner of
their own produce, for the freshest pos- fresh-picked string beans, his girlfriend
sible dishes. Ballen’s silent partner is an see BEAN on page 7
June 5, 2009
It’s simply a matter of
interpretation
by Mark Gould
President Obama again stands poised
to make history with the appointment of
Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme
Court vacancy left by Justice David
Souter. Since Justice Souter’s announce-
ment that he would retire, the new
voice of the Republican Party, Rush
Limbaugh, and the “old” voices (Rove,
Gingrich, and Cheney), began their plan
of attack for any nominee selected by
President Obama. Mr. Limbaugh has
since declared Judge Sotomayor as a
“racist” as a way of elevating the con-
versation about the qualifications of a
nominee to sit as a Justice on the United
States Supreme Court. Mr. Limbaugh,
uneducated in Constitutional law, or
any other aspect of the law— except
his arrest connected with his illegal use
of pain killers, fraud, and deception
of doctors to support his drug habit—
spews insults and old, worn, rhetoric
about how our legal system is suppose
to work and the role of judges and
Justices in that system.
Most have heard the term “activ-
ist judge,” and understand that it is a
derogatory term, but cannot explain
what it means. There are two primary
ways that a judge can be activist: 1) not
following the text of Constitution; and,
2) not following precedent (earlier case
law). During the upcoming confirma-
tion hearings, there will be many ques-
tions posed to Judge Sotomayor about
how she interprets the Constitution, and
whether she is an activist judge.
How the Constitution should be
interpreted basically breaks into two
camps. The first is that the Constitution
is a living, breathing document that
was written to last hundreds of years,
adapt to the changing times, and still
provide stability in the law. The second
is the “strict constructionist” approach
supported by the most conservative
member of the Supreme Court, Justice
Scalia. Under this doctrine, judges and
justices should not read any meaning
into words that are in the Constitution,
that the judge must apply the text only
as it is written, and give deference to
what the words meant at the time they
were written. Justice Scalia interprets
the Constitution in a way that is strict,
that is, if a right is not specifically stated,
then such a right does not exist.
Here’s how these different approach-
es play out in cases before judges. The
Fourth Amendment to the Constitution
states that “The right of the people
to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreason-
able searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue,
but upon probable cause, supported by
Oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched, and
the persons or things to be seized.”
So, what does it mean to have a right
to be protected against an “unreason-
able” search and seizure? What was
“unreasonable” over 200 years ago when
the Constitution was written referred
to constables or soldiers from enter-
ing a person’s home. The reason for
the Fourth Amendment was that under
the English Crown, at any given time,
government officials could come into
your house without warning to search
for whatever they wanted. The draft-
ers of the Constitution thought that the
right of privacy was so important, it was
included in the Bill of Rights. However,
it is clear that “unreasonable” is a word
whose meaning must change over time.
Viewing the Constitution as a liv-
ing, breathing documents allows for
the law to adjust to changing times
and advancements in technology. Today,
North Denver News Page 5
instead of a constable coming into your
home, helicopters with heat sensors can
hover above your house and “search”
it to see how many people are in there,
and even track the movements of these
individuals. The Supreme Court has
interpreted the Fourth Amendment to
exclude these helicopter searches with-
out a warrant as being unreasonable.
The drafters certainly did not antici-
pate the internet or email. So, because ����������������
the words “internet” or “email” are
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Another example is the copyright
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If you were to consider the word “writ- ���������������������������
ing” as a strict constructionist, then 200
years ago all “writings” were books
and papers drafted with a quill and
ink. This interpretation would eliminate
protection for all computer software,
computer generated art, photographs,
and other new forms of technology that
fall outside of what a writing was 200
years ago. Again, common sense would
tell us that “writing” is a term that is
subject to interpretation and can be con-
strued to include the way that millions
of Americans write today.
With this background, the most con-
tentious way these two forms of inter-
pretation will play out is in the area of
women’s rights regarding her body and
abortion. On a side note, I think it is
interesting that the Republicans claim
that they are the party that wants to
keep “big brother” or government out
of our lives— except they want the gov-
ernment involved in the most intimate
details of Americans’ lives such as the
BC.qxd 11/24/04 5:09 PM Page 1
bedroom and what conduct two con-
senting same sex adults engage in, and
they want government in with doctors
and their female patients making health
decisions.
Republicans argue that the
Constitution does not provide a “right”
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to privacy. They point to the Second
Amendment that says we all have a
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It has also been defined as “the right
and power to act, believe, or express
oneself in a manner of one’s own choos-
ing.” When the Supreme Court ruled
on Roe v. Wade, in 1973, the Court ruled Rachael Rose MS, LAc.
that privacy, a woman’s right to privacy
in her own body is a part of liberty and Anne Carruth, LAc, M.S.
that the government cannot infringe 303-480-0080
upon that right.
Think about the right to privacy as 2931 W. 23rd Avenue
www.FullCircleAcupuncture.com photo by Jeff Navarro
see INTERPRETING on page 12
 Page 6 North Denver News June 5, 2009

Preparing for the energy rebound Rosie Flores fires

D K
up North Denver
?...
Because oil and natural gas prices
COMMON
will gradually rebound in anticipation
investment banking services within
the next three months. Your financial
ID YOU NOW

continued from page ONE

DID YOU KNOW?...
COMMON
GROUNDS
of a global economic recovery, we’ve
recently increased our recommended
portfolio weighting in Energy to 12%
advisor can also provide the most
recent Edward Jones opinion for these
stocks.
the Community Banks of Colorado
Highland Street Fair transforms 32nd
GROUNDS
IS NOW SERVING A SELECTION
Avenue OF into a giant street party. The IS NOW SERVING A SELECTION OF
from 11%. While the precise timing
cannot be predicted, Edward Jones
Risks F
INE INES
Some of the primary risks of the
W &
event benefits North Denver non-prof- FINE WINES &
believes today’s environment offers L
energy sector include OCALLY B
REWED
declining com-
its. EERS B LOCALLY BREWED BEERS
and Guinness, Families and children aren’t left
an attractive long-term opportunity modity prices (which are (cyclical and of course!) (and Guinness, of course!)
out of the picture—a kid’s zone with
for investors. will affect earnings and the stock
attractions and rides will seek to divert
Crash Follows the Spike price) and adverse legal decisions. In
the diminuative. Family resources and
In recent months, global demand addition, demand is hard to predict
info will be available too, facilitated by
for oil and natural gas has fallen sig- and could change at unexpected rates,
Explore and Discover pre-school. The
nificantly in response to high prices foreign operations can be affected by
space for the Kid’s Zone is gracious-
and the global recession. This fol- political uncertainties and currency
ly provided by the Highland United
lowed the meteoric rise of commod- fluctuations, and regulatoryWE ALSOchanges WE ALSO SERVE FRESH MADE
Methodist
SERVE FRESH MADE Church.
ity prices through mid-2008. Prices
had gotten ahead of themselves and
could affect company operations.
SANDWICHES, For Flores, the Street Fair is her only
Denver appearance this year.
SANDWICHES,
warned of an eventual decline. The
fall was sudden and more substantial
SOUPS, & SALADS
Contact Eric Jasper at the Highlands
Edward Jones office at 303-458-6655
SOUPS, & SALADS
AS WELL AS AS WELL AS
than expected.
Prices Down, but Demand Should tion of your portfolio.***
C
HEESE P
about possible changes to the energy por-
LATES WITH CHEESE PLATES WITH
Rebound FRUITS, & NUTS FRUITS, & NUTS
Demand had been growing for (No, I don’t mean the Baristas!) (No, I don’t mean the Baristas!)
several years, driven mostly by grow-
ing economies in China, among other
countries. Global demand for oil to LIVE MUSIC BEGINS AT 8PM LCIVE
omeM USIC
Join UsBEGINS AT 8PM
at the
decline by 1% to 2% in 2009 after
declining by about 1% in 2008. We APRIL 5 — MATT BIXBY N eighborhood
APRIL 5 — MATT BIXBY ’s
expect demand to gradually improve APRIL 12 — JIM WANSTRATH APRIL 12 — JIMM
Favorite Weeting
ANSTRATH
as the global economy recovers. APRIL 19 — ADAM HILL APRIL 19 — ADAM HILL
Supply Remains a Concern APRIL 26 — STEVE VANDEWATER APRIL 26 — P lace
STEVE V!ANDEWATER
With prices down, production Enjoy one of our
growth has slowed, and investments 1ST & 3RD MONDAYS: BLUES JAM 1ST & 3RD MONDAYSC
traditional : Boffee
LUES JAM
have been scaled back, delayed or WEDNESDAYS: OLD TIME MUSIC WEDNESDAYS: OLD TIME MUSIC
canceled. In addition, OPEC has BY THE POLECATS Drinks
BY THEor a Glass
POLECATS
reduced its production volumes. THURSDAYS: OPEN MIC
(7:30 SIGN UP)
of TWHURSDAYS
ine or: OaPEN
(7:30 SIGN UP)
Pint
MIC of
Supply should decline by 3% in 2009.
As demand picks up, supply will Guinness.
again struggle to keep up. 1ST & 3RD SUNDAY MORNINGS: 1ST & 3RD SUNDAY MORNINGS:
10-12 AM 10-12 AM
Our Advice to Investors
Given our outlook for an eventual Paul Musso It’s a N ew Twist on an
Paul Musso
rebound in the prices for both oil and & his Loop Station & his Loop Station!
Old F avorite
natural gas, you can be bullish on
the energy sector with oil near $50
per barrel and natural gas near $4
per thousand cubic feet. Stock prices
are currently assuming commodity
prices will remain near current lev-
els in the longer term. Long-term oil
prices averaging between $75 to $85 Have You Seen Me?
per barrel, which we base on the addi- sponsored by
tional cost of producing new supply.
Currently, we recommend the follow-
Hi—
This home was originally built for the Coors
ing energy stocks from the Edward family by the four-brother architect family, the come visit us
Jones Model Stock Portfolio:
BP
Baerresens in 1904. The dentils and other details
on the facade show off the fine woodworking
at our new
Chevron skills. neighborhood
ConocoPhillips
Energen* If you can identify where this home is located spot.
ExxonMobil and its architectural style, your name will be
Royal Dutch Shell
Suncor Half
Energy
entered into a drawing for a free dinner at North
Denver's new favorite restaurant, Tocabe. Send
Join us for lunch
or dinner or even
Page Ad
* Edward Jones expects to receive your answers to editor@northdenvernews.com.
Answer and winner will be posted in the July
or intends to seek compensation for
Sunday brunch.

The
The(Fair, FestivalStreet
Highland or Event Name).
Fair.

y
Holly Hartnett

o
A tradition
A traditionininNorthwest
(Community Name).
Denver. Owner

enj
Mon-Sat 11-10 pm
Sunday 10-8 pm
brunch 10-3
venuebistro.com
Eric Jasper
IR Name
Investment Representative
fun. IR Street Address
the 3475 West 32nd Ave
New at 32nd

a r t of IR City, State,
Denver, ZIP
CO 80211
ep
to b 303-458-6655
IR Phone
& Lowell

sed www.edwardjones.com
plea
n e s is Member SIPC
Jo
ard
Edw
June 5, 2009 North Denver News Page 7

Building a safer, stronger bridge Meet us at the

between communities
By Katie Sullivan, Groundwork Denver
Have you ever walked across the
The bridge and pathways pro-
vide the critical connection between HigHlands
street Fair!
bridge at 23rd Avenue that goes over the Jefferson Park neighborhood and
I-25? First you would have noticed city amenities such as The Children’s
that leading up to the bridge was a nar- Museum, REI and the Platte River.
row, shoe-worn dirt path. You definite- The community has completed this
ly would have felt your pulse quicken phase of the bridge project, but the
work is not done.
CDOT has stated
that it will replace
the bridge railings
and include a screen
along the sidewalk
on the north side of
the bridge. Visit us on Saturday, June 20, 2009
We acknowl-
at our booth at the Highlands Street
edge the hard work
Fair. Get the chance to speak with our
of resident lead-
physicians, nurses and midwives. When
ers, volunteers and
businesses who you visit our booth, you can sign up for
worked diligent- a FREE pregnancy planning seminar or a
ly to enhance this FREE Survival for New Moms class with
neighborhood asset your little one!
and foster commu-
We look forward to meeting you and
nity involvement.
The end result of your family!
this project will be
a safer, stronger —
literal as well as
figurative — bridge
between communi-
ties.
Partners includ-
ed: Jefferson Park
United Neighborhood,
as you looked over the rusted railing Groundwork Denver, Councilman Garcia’s
— in some places broken — onto the Office, Lafarge North America, William
traffic below. Jerry Olson, a member Brinkerhoff, Bruce Carpenter, David
of Jefferson Park United Neighbors Berton, A.G. Spanos Companies, Riverside
(JPUN), walked this path many times Baptist Church, RSC Rentals, BikeDenver,
and has made it his mission to improve The Children’s Museum, Invesco Stadium
it for everyone. Management, CDOT.***
Jerry met with the city and State
Bridge Engineers to sort out respon-
sibilities and ownership issues. Then
your neighborhood ent
he worked with the Denver Office of
e r t isem tary
Disability Rights to get ramps installed adv en
at the curb cuts in exchange for a com- accountants! o n this complimation!
ti a ult
mitment from JPUN to build an ADA- Men eceive cons
r t i c
compliant path connecting the ramps -full charge bookkeeping and roprac
and the bridge. The next steps for the chi
pathways included securing a permit - payroll
from CDOT and getting in-kind dona- -sales tax
tions from local businesses such as
Lafarge, RSC Rentals, RealArchitecture
and La Loma Restaurant.
Be ready for tax time!
Groundwork Denver, a non-profit Improve your immunity, energy, and overall wellbeing
organization that works with commu- QuickBooks® experts at Highlands’ Neighborhood Chiropractor.
nities to improve the physical environ- Now offering healing massage.
ment, partnered with JPUN to coordi- law & equity ltd Call today to make your reservation.
nate volunteer efforts for the project.
www.lawandequityltd.com For the first 5 to call — FREE 20 Minute massage and
On Saturday May 30th, a dozen volun-
teers swung picks, loaded wheelbar- 4450 tennyson st. consultation.
Offer good for first time clients and limited to first 5 reservations made in the month of June.
rows, moved 30 tons of gravel fines, 720.201.4975
and built 235 lineal feet of handicap Dr. Scott Evans, DC
accessible pathways leading up to the established 1996 4650 W 38th Ave. Suite 210
bridge from both directions.
www.vidachiropracticstudio.com • 303-433-5433

Music Together® is
a nationwide program
with highly trained teachers and
beautiful, amazing music!
Try a class for free!
Visit our website for
lots of fun information,
class schedules,
video clips, and more.
Located at
4100 Tennyson.
We also do Birthday Parties,
StrollerFit classes,
Signing Smart classes,
Guitar Lessons & more!
Songs • Chants • Dance • Instruments
www.milehighmusictogether.com • 720.366.8655
Squeaky Bean
continued from page 4
mentioned that she loved the way fresh
beans squeak against your teeth – and
a restaurant was born, speaking not
smal l planet
to the coffee, but to his desire to serve
gardens fresh, flavorful fare.
Ballen begged me not to describe
the Squeaky Bean as a coffee shop. He
wants it to be so much more. I get that.
But, coffee shop maven that I am, what
FREE Pansies! matters to me is whether you can get a
with any spring cleanup good cuppa, whether you can settle in
through 5/15 and feel comfortable, whether you’re
going meet your neighbors there (I met
Dream Green: Save Money two during my first hour), whether
with Earth Friendly Designs you can establish relationships with
the wait staff, and, yes, whether there is
www.smallplanetgardens.com water for the dogs. The Squeaky Bean
james@smallplanetgardens.com gets high marks in all these areas. It is,
(303) 523-8377 as Lisa said, off to a good start.***
Page 8 North Denver News
Dixie Darr
North Denver Notions
Living above the store has always
seemed to be the ultimate experience of
urban life. For a couple of years in the
mid ‘80s I had the opportunity to live
that dream. Sort of.
The two-story brick build-
ing at the corner of 33rd and Living
Quivas was built in 1912 by above the
John Varone to house his gro-
cery store on the first floor store
and his family above. This
was a time when North Denver became
an Italian village with immigrants clus-
tering around Mount Carmel Italian
Church at 36th and Navajo. Italian mar-
kets sprouted every few blocks to supply
the neighborhood with olive oil, garlic,
cheese and other traditional products
unavailable in Anglo stores.
Years passed, suburbs grew, city living
fell out of favor, and Highland became a
proud, but blight-
$1.00 ed neighborhood.
OFF
The Varone build-
ing stood empty
with occasional
entrepreneurs try-
ing to make a go
ANY BOOK of various busi-
nesses, includ-
PURCHASE ing a short-lived
health food store.
In 1985, my then-
landlord, Rohn
Mysteries. Non-fiction. Hyde, and his
3931 Tennyson Romance. Westerns. partner purchased
the building for
303-561-4808 All types of books!
children’s
renovation. They
Wed-Sat 11-6
split the upstairs
books too! living space into
Unique Gifts • Book Clubs • Paperback Trade-Ins two one-bedroom
apartments and
offered one to
me. Highland Neighborhood Housing
Services moved into the first-floor space.
In many ways, it was the best place I
ever lived, featuring both the quirkiness
of an old building and a modern inte-
rior. I had a view of the Travel by Train
sign at Union Station and a walk-in
closet with the original travertine floor.
Unfortunately, at the time, I was com-
muting across town to southeast Aurora
to work. I was living above the store, but
it wasn’t my store.
I bought a house in the neighborhood
and figured out a way to work from
home, with no need for a storefront. In
the ‘90s, though, developers started to
renovate some local buildings into “live/
work” units and it became fashionable,
once again, to live in the city. We have
all seen industrial and commercial build-
ings converted into residences and new
buildings modeled after industrial lofts.
I lost track of the Varone building
June 5, 2009
until someone told me it
was now a doll factory.
Doll designer Helen Kish and her
husband purchased the building a few
years ago and set up her
company, Kish & Co. on the
first floor. The couple lives
in the remodeled second
floor. Sometimes the more
things change the more they
stay the same.
One of today’s best-known doll art-
ists, Kish creates fine collectible dolls.
Last month the company hosted a con-
vention of doll collectors and held an
open house at the Kish & Co. studio, so I
was able to visit the old building. It looks
about the same, but with the addition of
large glass-fronted display cases filled
with dolls. The wood-paneled meat lock-
er (called the “meet” locker in Highland
NHS days) now sports a sign asking
“What happened to my meats and pro-
volone? And where did all these little
dolls come from?” The dolls range from a
few inches in height to 16”. They feature
exquisite clothes and haunting, life-like
eyes. My favorite was a tiny cowgirl,
and I also saw a skateboarder, Pinocchio,
a pioneer, Wizard of Oz characters, a
roaring ‘20s bride, and a wide variety
of ethnic dolls. Some are sold through
specialty retailers and some are available
only to members of the Kish Collectors
Society. For more information, see the
website at www.kishandcompany.com.
One of the joys of living in Highland is
watching the continuing transformation,
growth, and rebirth of the old buildings.
I think John Varone would approve.
###
Read Dixie’s blog at dixiedarr.
com.***
June 5, 2009
W h o’s y o u r D a d d y
There are lots of different father
figures. There is the traditional
dad that I grew up with—well,
traditional in the sense that he
brought home the bacon, taught
me to fish, and had a gin martini
every night when he got home
from work but non-traditional
because he had many
tattoos, taught me
to box and rode a
Harley. Then there
are our community
father figures that
we are so grateful
for…like Mr. Auday,
Physical Education
Teacher at Edison
Elementary, Lamar
Sims, Assistant DA
in Denver (also my
daughter’s godfather),
Paul Tamburello,
NW Denver realtor
and owner of Little
Man Ice Cream, and
Peter Heller, author
(and godfather to my
son). These men are
all local men, without
children of their own,
who make a difference
in children’s lives all
over NW Denver and
beyond.
Happy Father’s Day Pops
Merriam Webster
has a definition of
a father that brings home the
point, “one related to another in
a way suggesting that of father
to a child.” Boys are brought up
to be men, to provide, to be a
pillar to whatever responsibilities
that are put in front of them,
be it the family dog or their
first child. Whatever one may
think of traditional gender roles,
there is value in celebrating dads
in whatever capacity they are
currently fulfilling -- father to a
dog, father to an ailing parent,
father to a stepchild, or simply a
good fatherly influence to a pack
of neighbor kids. Step outside
the traditional ideas this Father’s
Day. Appreciate the father who
may not feel like a father but is
behaving like one. It will make
their day and give meaning to the
concept.
So whether you are buying
for your father, your kid’s father,
your uncle, your neighbor or
your favorite father figure, shop
girl is here to help with these
suggestions:
Mouthfuls, 4224 Tennyson
Street, 303-278-2915 www.
mouthfuls.net - Get the pet father
Fashion or Faux Pas?
Do you have pressing fashion issues? Questions? Or just want to talk about
a hot new shop? Drop the North Denver Shop Girl a line at
shopgirl@northdenvernews.com
North Denver News
the gifts that you know he would
want to buy for his pet. It will
make him happy to know that
someone is thinking of him as
a father and thinking that what
would make him happy is to have
that frivolous gift to give his
animal.
Julie Harris Photography,
www.julieharrisphotography.com
or Rosa Latka Photography, www.
roselatka.com - Leave it open and
purchase a gift certificate to get
that father figure in for a photo
shoot with their special person or
animal.
Elitch Gardens Amusement
Park, www.elitchgardens.com -
Boys are boys, be it big or small.
Give a dad a couple of day passes
to the amusement park to take
another person with him and just
have fun and be a boy as a
reward for him growing into a
good man.
Confluence Kayaks, 1615
Platte Street, 303-433-3676
www.confluencekayaks.com - Get
dad a lesson in kayaking, again,
boys will be boys and boys love
playing in the water.
A New Spirit Wellness
Center & Spa, 4907 W 29th
Ave., 303-477-1652 www.
anewspirit.com – He may never
think of treating himself to a day
of relaxation, but he will love it!
-- Shop Girl
Page 9
We’ve Moved
to 5883 W. 38th Ave.
North on 38th
just East of Harlan
Stop by to see our local artists!
j
303-421-8400
20% off
Any Framing Job
$100 or More
Limited one coupon per customer.
Coupons may not be combined.
5883 W. 38th Avenue
n Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
n
dr amy d rupp
dr lyndsey larson
Good People Painting & Construction
“The Ones They Told You About”
“I hired Good People Painting
for a pretty large job at my Decks & Fences —
condo. They always showed
up on time and took care of Construction & Staining
everything from start to finish.
I would definitely hire them Doors & WinDoWs installation
again.”
Stucco — Repair & Patch
—Tammy Gelfond
Painting — Interior & Exterior
“Good People Painting did
a great job! They were true
professionals—I recommend
them to my friends and family FREE EStImatES
all the time.”
—Karen Stein
Colin J. Murphy goodpeopleconstruction@hotmail.com
720•251•9144 Goodpeopledenver.com
Insured
Fee holiday end June 15
continued from page 1 structure. Those projects are a major
contracts occurring throughout the economic contributor to Denver. The
city, and the recent multi-million dol- City anticipates many of the larger
lar federal stimulus grant money flow- Better Denver projects to get roll-
ing into Denver should help. ing soon, and opportunities will also
Nearly all the federal money will abound for area small businesses seek-
be contracted to businesses and orga- ing design and construction contracts
nizations to carry out building high-
way interchanges, bikeways, airport
runway rehabilitation and energy effi-
in this arena.
The building permit fee suspen-
ciency grants for low-income homes
sion is available starting June 1st so
begin your home remodel planning
and city buildings.
The $550 million bond program,
today. For more information e-mail:
ResidentialPermits@DenverGov.
approved by voters a year and a half Org***
ago, is already underway and will —Rick Garcia represents North
improve and build new public infra- Denver on the City Council
 Page 10
For 129 years,
students have
found a home at
Regis University.
Steeped in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition, Regis University
offers a values-centered education that encourages its
students to become the best they can be – intellectually and
as a person. Like its sister institutions Georgetown and
Boston College, Regis University challenges students to attain
the inner freedom necessary to make intelligent choices
about how they want to live their lives. Lifelong learning has
been the hallmark of Jesuit education for 460 years.
3333 Regis Boulevard | Denver, Colorado 80221-1099
800-388-2366 | www.regis.edu
Holistic Approach to Pediatrics Care
untain Ped
Green Mountain Pediatrics
Mo i Adolescents
Infants, Children & Adoloscents
en
at
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Gre
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Francince Paston, MD, FAAP
255 Union Blvd #120 • Lakewood CO 80228
Phone 303.936.7415 • Fax 303.936.2177
Ten minute drive from Highland and Sloan Lake neighborhoods
Adam DeGraff
North Denver Notions
In an attempt to do something dif-
ferent, something never attempted by
anyone else before, this entire column
will be written during a single song
which is just now begin-
ning to be sung by Jade
Day from Austin Texas on D Note
the D Note stage. I’m doing
the sound tonight, but the Chronicles
sound is pretty dialed in so #46
I can afford to multi-task
and write this column. It is
actually a mutually beneficial thing; the
music is inspiring the writing and hope-
fully the writing will inspire more people
to come hear music. Jade Day sounds like
a mix between The Fray and Radiohead.
The Fray played the D Note back in the
day a few times. They were pretty good
then too. So many good bands, like Jade
Day, come through here. So many, like
the Fray, come from here. We’re in the
import/ export business.
I just erased a whole superfluous
paragraph and the song is now at least
half way through. I’m starting to panic. I
don’t have time to panic. What should I
write about? Quick!
How about the fact that five min-
utes ago we sold a piece of art by Sarah
Bergman. The piece that sold depicted
a scene of bunnies in trees manipulat-
ing human puppets. Reminds me of the
way none of us can escape nature. Might
as well go with the flow. Which further
reminds me of the first lines of a song by
Love & Rockets, “You cannot go against
nature, because if you do go against
nature, that’s part of nature too.”
Sarah’s show will be up at the D Note
through June 15th. Come check it out. It’s
her first show, but she’s already sold sev-
eral pieces. She’s also been invited to put
up two other gallery shows and received
a commission to do a cover for a local
band called Little Dead Things. We love
North Denver News
Dan Schloegel, MD, FAAP
M,TH 8am - 5:30pm
T, W, F 9am - 4:30pm
Sat 9am - 12pm
that we were able to help Sarah open
some doors. That’s a grand purpose.
Speaking of making connections,
the band who is commissioning Sarah,
Little Dead Things, played
the reception of the wed-
ding of Scot and Michelle
Livingston, who met at the
D Note. Scot and Michelle
are often the winners of
our Thursday night trivia.
They partly paid for the
reception at the D Note in D Note gift
certificates they won over the last three
months during trivia!
Oh no, the song is winding down. I’m
lucky it was a longer one, or my experi-
ment would have failed completely.  I
know this looks like sloppy journalism.
You’d like to know that I slaved over this
column for longer than the duration of
a single song. Does it help to know that
the cells in our body perform a septillion
functions in the body every moment. I
just learned that from a commencement
speech by Paul Hawkins my sister-in-
law forwarded me. I’ll insert quote later.
Kind of cheating, I know. Here it will be:
“Each human cell has 400 billion mol-
ecules conducting millions of processes
between trillions of atoms. The total
cellular activity in one human body is
staggering: one septillion actions at any
one moment, a one with twenty-four
zeros after it. In a millisecond, our body
has undergone ten times more processes
than there are stars in the universe.”
For you folks that still wish I was
working a little harder on this column
just pretend that I tricked you, that the
entire conceit is a fiction and I have actu-
ally spent hours writing this column.
Oops, next song is starting. Must stop
now. Come visit us soon. www.dnote.
us***
June 5, 2009
Todd, philosopher, kung fu
continued from page 3 ten a couple of hundred songs. He
we have so much material we can do a
different show every night.” For Red
acknowledges that he can feel hemmed
in by the past.
Rocks, that included musical surprises, “I read the paper every day. A big
new material and unexpected songs.”
Todd is working on new songs for
function of music is to pay attention to
the present. That’s what makes South
an upcoming release. “We just got off Park so great, right? They can make
the road, finished our winter tour in fun of something that happened last
May. I’ve been chilling at home with week.”
the kids, playing a lot of video games, “Sometimes I write storytelling
eating ice cream and chocolate chip songs, but not necessarily all of the
cookies.” Fans can expect a new album time. What I’m interested in is the
early next year. musical quality of the nature of lan-
Todd’s songwriting has forged a guage, rhyme schemes and meter, not
personal bond with many fans. His only meaning and content.”
music seems to encapsulate different It’s not all music for Todd, who is
times and places in a way more tran- constantly reading and thinking. He
sient music doesn’t. Over time creating has spent sometime on progressive talk
that bond has changed. radio, commenting on politics, and Big
Songwriting has “become a lot more Head Todd and the Monsters had a
difficult for me. When you’re young, tune adopted as Hillary Clinton’s cam-
there’s a lot to explore. With time, it paign theme last year. Talking with
becomes more difficult, because I don’t him, you find a sense that his musical
want to write the same song twice.” success has given the luxury of pursu-
And for Todd, the muse is nocturnal. ing a life of the mind.
“The majority of songs I dream. A “I’m really psyched about exploring
chorus or a verse...” is where it starts. philosophy,” says Todd, who for a time
“I’m not so much a lucid dreamer, but was producing a serious, academic-
if it’s good, it’s memorable. I’ve had to minded, philosophy podcast, but he
become patient with myself in terms of stresses that line of inquiry lies in a
song writing. I work every day-- that’s separate channel from music. “I don’t
my songwriting style-- slow and all the think it has a lot to do with music at all.
time. When something occurs in my I don’t think they are congruous.”
mind, I just have to be sure I record it But his music has created an endur-
properly.” ing connection with his Colorado fans.
Recording technology has exploded “A well-composed piece of art, a lot
since Todd first made a record, but that of people can relate to it, and relate at
technology is something he eschews. different times. I’ve tried to be thought-
“I’ve come full circle with that stuff. ful and hopefully that comes through
The best technology is a piece of paper musically,” concluded Todd.
and a pencil. Technology... can be a —Guerin Lee Green
big distraction. If something is good,
you should remember it, it should be
unforgettable.” Todd says he has writ-
07/15/09
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 June 5, 2009
Foreclosures are robbing our
neighborhoods of diversity
By Angela Sasseville, MA, NCC, LPC
I grew up in a very homogenous,
Caucasian community. Everyone came
from the same place, earned roughly
the same amount of money and saw
things exactly the same way. Racial
diversity wasn’t tolerated, let alone
cherished. It was, quite frankly, a bor-
ing and oppressive place to live.
My thirst for diversity was a driv-
ing force when my husband and I
purchased our home and moved to
the City of Denver nine years ago. I
wanted my children to be exposed to
different perspectives and cultures. On
our city block alone there are at least
eight different cultural groups repre-
sented. These friends and neighbors
bring richness to my life. They make
my small home in the city more valu-
able to me than any large home in the
suburbs.
My Italian neighbor frequently
spoils me with his incredible traditional
dishes. A Latina teenager who attends
the local high school enchants me with
the details of her upcoming quincea-
ñera – a significant rite of passage and
celebration in her life. The Nigerian
artist who owns the home next door
brings his native skills and traditions
to the community. A Guatemalan-born,
American-raised professor of psychol-
ogy at the university just down the hill
has mentored me for the past seven
years. Her unique perspective and wis-
dom have made me a better therapist,
and a better person.
On a personal level, interracial rela-
tionships are often marked with beauty
and mutual respect. It’s time now to
bring that love and respect to American
business, to our institutionalized poli-
cies, and in particular, to the current
foreclosure crisis. The Association for
Community Organizations for Reform
Now (ACORN) report that every 13
seconds another family loses its home
to foreclosure! While this is a truly
unfortunate experience for anyone to
go through, disproportionately these
homeowners are people of color.
The eye of the foreclosure storm is
located inside communities of color. It’s
no coincident that Aurora, which ranks
as the local zip code most fraught with
foreclosures. It’s also the area whose
growth since 2000 came from an influx
of Black and Latino residents, accord-
ing to a recent report in the Denver
Post.
Numerous sources confirm that
people of color were sold sub-prime
mortgages at far higher rates than
Caucasian homebuyers. In fact, a recent
report by the Applied Research Center
(ARC) indicates a full 35% of those
who were sold these flawed products
would have qualified for prime loans!
By 2006, 53.3% of these high-cost home
loans were issued to Blacks and anoth-
er 46.2% went to Latino borrowers. In
contrast, only 17.7% of sub-prime loans
were made to Caucasians.
Most disturbingly, banks designed
sub-prime loans with full knowledge
they would fail. Bankruptcy experts
Professor Elizabeth Warren and Amelia
Warren Tyagi report sub-prime loans
were affectionately referred to within
the banking industry as “loan to owns,”
denoting the bank’s expectation of tak-
ing ownership of the very same proper-
www.northdenvernews.com
North Denver News Page 11
ty they were pretending to finance for
the homebuyer. These discriminatory
lending practices have placed a dispro-
portionate number of families of color
in crisis as, even after receiving billions
in bail-out money, banks continue to
collect on these loans. A total of 2.3 mil-
lion homes were foreclosed on in 2008
alone. ACORN reports an additional 8
million foreclosures are expected in the
next 4 years at the current unemploy- P IZZERIA • T RATTORIA • D ELI & M ARKET
ment rates.
But the trouble for my friends and Quick and Casual Dining
neighbors of color doesn’t stop there.
Due to a long standing history of edu-
cation obstacles and discriminatory hir-
ing practices, people of color possess
far fewer assets than their Caucasian
counterparts and are always hit hard-
er by times of recession. In fact, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that
in March 2009 the unemployment rate
for Caucasians was 7.9%, which cer-
tainly isn’t good. Yet for Latinos it was
11.4%. And Blacks are experiencing
unemployment at a full 13.3%!
Hit by an unjust trifecta of sub-
prime loans, fewer assets, and higher
rates of unemployment, it’s no wonder
foreclosure rates are higher for peo-
ple of color. Historically, the primary
source of wealth in communities of
color has been in the housing owned AUTHENTIC TUSCAN RISTORANTE & WINE BAR
by its residents. These assets are now
being siphoned away from families of 4401 TENNYSON ST. 303.561.0234
color and given back to many of the
same banks who created these preda-
WWW.PARISIDENVER.COM
tory loans! In the process, our financial
system is causing families with chil-
dren to become the fastest growing Come be part of Community Table
sector among the homeless as they take
the bailout money and the property in
on Wednesday nights!
What do you want
the process of rampant foreclosures.
It’s the greatest land-grab in decades!
Without meaningful intervention, peo-
ple of color (especially those with chil-
What do you want
dren to support) will no longer be
homeowners. This quintissential asset
against your skin?
of American life will be unobtainable
to them as the racial wealth divide
against your skin?
grows larger. My neighborhood will
cease to pulse with diversity as banks
repossess my neighbors’ homes and try
to auction them off to the only people
in a position to purchase real estate in
times of recession – Caucasian home- Revolution Uses
buyers who still have sufficient wealth,
employment, and access to credit, or
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Caucasian investors looking to make a
quick buck.
Others Use:
The bill passed by Governor Ritter Perchloroethylene, Decamethylpentacyclosiloxane, Hydrogenated Isoparaffin
in early June is not the bill that housing
and social justice advocates proposed.
Its vague language and loopholes are Now Open in
expected to provide very little protec-
tion for struggling homeowners. So if Highlands Garden Village
we sit idly by our children won’t learn
the cultures, foods and traditions of 38th & Tennyson
their diverse neighbors. They’ll just
witness the capitalistic version of the 303-999-2898
Golden Rule: those who have all the
gold seem to be making all the rules.
To read the full ARC report “Race and
Recession” go to www arc.org/recession.
To preserve diversity in homeownership,
demand a moratorium on foreclosures and
find better solutions contact your local
chapter of ACORN at www.acorn.org or
303-366-6703. Learn more about licensed
psychotherapist Angela Sasseville, MA,
LPC, NCC and her affordable new work-
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 Page 12
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Interpreting the Constitution
continued from page 5
an inherent or “natural law” that is
something that simply goes without
saying. We are all born free. We are
all born equal as human beings. We are
all born with a right to live in our bod-
ies free from government intervention.
That seems natural. It is self-evident,
and you didn’t need to go to law school
to figure it out. This natural law was the
basis of our Declaration of Independence
signed in 1776 which cited “the Laws of
Nature and of Nature’s God. . . .” The
Declaration goes on to say “We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.” This language was put
into the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution because the draft-
ers wanted to make sure that the gov-
ernment would not intrude into the
personal lives of Americans.
Privacy is a part of liberty. Would we
be liberated if the government could tell
us how we can treat our body, tell us
we can’t be fat, skinny, or somewhere
in between?
Think about this in a different con-
text. Say tattoos. With the tattoo making
a comeback and sweeping the country,
would any one of us agree with a law
that says Americans cannot get tat-
toos? Of course not. Why? I argue it is
because on some level we know that our
bodies are ours and that “natural law”
compels us to know that government--
created by us--working for us--does not
have the authority to tell us whether to
get a tattoo or not. Such a right is self-
evident.
But in the context of abortion and
a woman’s right to privacy, it is the
North Denver News June 5, 2009
Natalie Cutsforth
North Denver Notions
“Step into your life with ease and Still feeling the
grace” was the mantra behind the move- physical changes of
ments at Hansa’s Wednesday night cancer treatment and
yoga class. A half-dozen of us breathed recovery Hansa listens
into the awareness of our bodies
and focused attention on where Yoga's to her body’s wisdom, just as
she has consistently advised
our natural ease was relative to healing students; leading classes to
sensations of resistance. Having grace a point of a balance between
spent decades committed to a challenging oneself physically
healthy lifestyle, last year Hansa faced and preventing injury from over exten-
cancer and went through chemotherapy sion. With her guidance, students learn
and radiation treatment. I was interest- to breathe more deeply with aware-
ed to know if her yoga practice helped ness, feel the benefits of physical and
her face the spectrum of physical and mental agility all while elongating the
emotional stress that comes with fight- muscles tight from living a physically
ing cancer. In her gentle human way active life. The doctors are amazed that
Hansa described her experience during in just seven months Hansa is as mobile
treatment, “When I couldn’t move, all I as people usually are two years after
had was breath. To keep full-body slow, going through the same treatments.
deep yoga breath helped bring healing She credits practicing yoga for helping
oxygen to my body.” her return so quickly to full mobility.
In the process of treatment and Hansa has been practicing yoga
your healing, anger and frustration emerged
along with feelings that medical pro-
fessionals hadn’t really listened to her
since 1983 and leading others in the
practice since 1988. She is past pres-
ident of Yoga Alliance, the national
Body experiences and requests. She recog-
nized she wasn’t in alignment with the
doctor she was working. The awareness
organization that registers yoga teach-
ers who pass national standards, and
currently is on the advisory commit-
process learned through the yogic path tee for the International Association of
provided her the tools and strength she Yoga Therapists.
needed to change the healers she was I began practicing yoga with Hansa
working with at that critical juncture. in her north Denver home over a decade
The most profound lesson from the ago, now she has her own studio Prana
PILATES experience was a deep understanding
of what is called in meditation practice
stillness. Hansa reflected that, “All of a
Yoga and Ayurveda Mandala Training
Center located at 3333 Federal near
Highland Park. The class schedule can
sudden stillness instead of being a place be found online http://www.pranay-
of effort became a place of suspension; ogaandayurveda.com/***
to transcend doing and just be.”
Republicans who seek to impose their
extreme, right wing, zealous religious
beliefs upon all of us and ask Justices
on the Supreme Court to read the
Constitution in a way that supports
their religious and moral agenda rather
than protect the right of privacy for all
Americans, including women.
But the Republicans are not being
intellectually honest. They like judges
when they interpret the Constitution
in a way that they like. A review of
the Bush-Cheney torture memos proves
this. These memos show that to sup-
port Bush--Cheney’s torture policies,
they had their lawyers strain to expand
words and interpret the Constitution in
a way that satisfied the ends they were
looking to achieve. Where is the outcry
from Republicans about this expansive
view of our Constitution?
Like the last two national elections,
the Republicans will lose this fight. This with mention of this ad. Offer expires 07/31/08
is a great opportunity for Republicans to
further alienate woman and Hispanics,
and prove to the American people that
they are a party of old, white men bent
on imposing one set religious beliefs on
all of us. They lost the Hispanic vote in
the last election. They lost the female
vote in the last election. So my advice
to Rush, Dick, Rove, and Gingrich, kept
it up, please.
Mark Gould is an attorney living in
North Denver with his wife, Therese, and
their terrier, George. Mark’s practice focus-
es on insurance claims, automobile collision
claims, bad-faith insurance claims, commer-
cial insurance claims, and he also provides
pro bono legal assistance to those who are
unable to afford an attorney. If you have
any questions or would like any reprints of
this article (or others), you can reach Mark
at: 303-832-2393 or mark@markgouldlaw.
com