August’s Picks

A Daily Dose of Diversions

The Best Mix Tape Ever

Heading back to school was always tough for me. No surprise, I’m sure it was that way for most kids. Three long months of endless days and warm nights sure made the dungeons of school days loom ominously in September. So, as my gift to your children, dear reader, I have created the ultimate Back-to-School mix.

Surrounded by Entertainment

It was a dreary Tuesday evening, and I had just finished a longer than usual nine-hour day working with kids. I wanted nothing more than to sit down on my comfy sofa, drink a beer and zone out. A friend invited me to head out and join him and a couple of other friends nearby in Boulder. As I put my feet up on the ottoman, I erased his voicemail message and declared the day done.

8 Questions with Taran Van Hemert

Taran Van Hemert is a poster child for local art students. The budding animator (and recent graduate of the Denver School of the Arts) was one of last year’s finalists for the youngARTS program, a capstone initiative of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Out of approximately 8,000 applicants each year, around 150 finalists get selected for a week-long arts submersion program in Miami.

Editor’s Picks

Your Ultimate Guide to A&E

French’s 5

In honor of iPhone 2.0, five new iPhone applications you can’t do without. And, because I’m a cheapskate, these are all free...

Challenging Element: Sweet Corn

One ingredient; 24 hours

Corporate Success

Ever wonder if chain restaurants can really pull off the one-of-a-kind feel and have good food? Yes, yes they can. This has been proven by few, a small list including Woodlands, an American grill in Westminster’s Orchard Town Center.

Politically Incorrect

You might remember the frenzy that stirred back in 2007 when Blue Parrot thought of changing the name of its beloved Wopburger to something a little less, well, offensive.

Restaurant Rumblings

Tasty tidbits from the dining world

August Letters to the Editor

I am going to burn every drop of gasoline I can afford. I am not recycling (try and make me). I am going to use lots and lots of electricity, and I hope I can produce enough refuse to pile higher than Mt. Elbert, and, I sincerely hope you don’t like it. A global warming denier and proud of it.

Just a Moment, Mr. Obama

Any minute now, Barack Obama will pull up at the door of our Erie office in stretch limo with American flags sticking out from the corner, flanked by Secret Service, looking for me. We’ll then walk across the street to the magazine’s “executive boardroom” at Old Town Coffee, grab an Americano and talk about the world...

Trains Shouldn’t Head in Reverse

The Independence Institute is a great source when you need someone to argue against a tax increase. If it’s a tax, the Golden-based think tank loathes it.

Dire Straights for St. Vrain

After already seeing 85 positions, mostly teachers, slashed last spring for budget reasons, St. Vrain School District officials knew they would enter the 2008-09 year thin, then eight additional admin positions were chopped last month. That means a stretched district will be made to do more with less...

Blue or Red?

The Democrats certainly saw this coming, which is why they figured holding their big hoo-hah of a party in Denver was a strategic move: Colorado is locked in a dead heat between liberals and conservatives. A successful party could set the tone for the fall election season, which is very important given recent polling...

Take Out the Trash

Apparently some people care about who is picking up their garbage. Superior officials picked Waste Connections to start collecting trash throughout the city, ending the need for residents (outside of Rock Creek, which already uses Waste Connections) to pay private contractors. The theory is that streamlining the process will lead to more recycling and a lower cost to residents...

Spend Money Wisely

It appears Adams County School District President Vicky Marshall and Treasurer Kevin Massey should be worried about their jobs. Restore Our Schools, a political issue committee formed to oust the aforementioned school officials, turned in enough signatures to the county clerk to force a recall vote...

Check Out the Orchard Town Center

When strolling through Town Square, you’ll think you’re feeling deja vu. In reality, you’ll swear you are in Denver’s popular Northfield Stapleton district. Built by the same folks, the Orchard has the benefit of being a whole lot closer...

Easy to Hide

It’s a whole lot easier to run from the law when nobody recognizes you. Which is why we’re giving Brian Bonsall a good chance of staying out of jail despite Boulder County issuing a warrant for his arrest. Don’t recognize the name?...

Moon Yang’s Alter Ego

The Incredible Hulk. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Batman. Superman. Iron Man. Spider Man. The duality of man is such a common literary device that metaphors for it have become cliché. Every coin has two sides, they say, and the American mythos is so heavily based on the idea that it has become nearly impossible to grow up here without a sense that we all have a secret identity and a hero lurking within. Or maybe a villain.

Democratic National Convention Survival Guide

Sure, you could hide in some peaceful mountain town like Nederland when the Democrats take over Denver later this month. But that’s no fun—head downtown Aug. 25-28 for the over-blown show befitting only of a presidential race. History will be set, and we’re here to fill you in on what’s happening so you can sound intelligent when trying to fight your way into Barack’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field.

Recreate a Mistake

The year was 1968, and everything sucked. The Vietnam War was in full metal jacket mode. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Riots erupted at the Democratic National Convention and Richard Nixon captured the White House.

The Super Delegate

Consider Pat Waak’s first leadership experience a trial by fire, or better yet, a trial by train. Thrown into first aid triage with a group of Bandeirantes (Brazilian Girl Scouts) she was teaching through the Peace Corps, she was called to a train wreck.

Far From the Party: A Republican Fights for Her Political Life

Unseating a Republican in a decidedly Republican district would usually be an exercise in futility. But in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, Betsy Markey is forcing incumbent Marilyn Musgrave to fight for her political life. Again.

School of Style

Sarah Carr was always dressed to impress on the first day of school. Yellow Scene’s personal shopper joyfully relived those days by helping dress our four students for this year’s Back to School Fashion section.

School of Style

Sarah Carr was always dressed to impress on the first day of school. Yellow Scene’s personal shopper joyfully relived those days by helping dress our four students for this year’s Back to School Fashion section. Once They're Dressed, Keep Your Kids Busy There’s no point in your kids sitting home each afternoon now that they’ve been officially styled by Yellow Scene Magazine. Give...

Transit Catch-22

It’s painful, not to mention infuriating, to pay more than $4 a gallon for gas. And with no end to the madness in sight, the best fix for this robbery at nozzle-point is to jack the price up at least another 10 cents. Or even better, 25 cents a gallon.

I’m Spartacus

It’s a safe bet that when the school bells ring this month, every student in Tony Tolbert’s class will show up on time, sit down and behave. What else is there to do, when your high school science teacher is a hulk like superman, who can handle the freakish beasts of American Gladiators and still have time to dissect a frog? Who cares that Tolbert was a cheerleader in his younger days?

Party On, CU

For the last few years, University of Colorado officials have been extremely happy with the Princeton Review, because the annual list didn’t include the Buffs among the top party schools in the nation. After years of being associated with beer kegs and bongs, there were no complaints from administrators when CU dropped off the Review’s party radar a few years back...