FIRST OFF, LET'S TALK ABOUT MEMORIAL DAY Although it's always nice to thank those who have served our nation, Memorial Day is about those who paid the ultimate price to protect our freedoms. Originally known as Decoration Day, it began after the Civil War to honor Union soldiers who had died during the war. It was actually inspired by the way Southerners honored their dead. After World War I, it became a day to honor all who had died in military service and its name was changed to Memorial Day. Many people visit veterans cemeteries and decorate graves on this day. Unfortunately too many people have no clue why they have the day off, so spread the word! Chris Boyer from the wonderful Honor Bell Foundation sent along these events that are taking place on Memorial Day:
Colorado Freedom Memorial:
Saturday, May 27 10:00 to 11:30
Springhill Community Park 756 Telluride St., Aurora, CO
Veteran Ruck for PTSD Awareness:
Saturday, May 27 12:30 to 6:00
105 West Brewing Company 1043 Park St, Castle Rock, CO 80109
(This is the finale for Michael Conners 105 Mile Ruck!)
Flags for the Fallen:
Sunday, May 28 9:00 to 11:00
Ft Logan National Cemetery 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236
VFW Kansas City BBQ Society Cook Off:
Sunday, May 28th 2:30 to 3:30
Douglas County Parade Grounds 500 Fairgrounds Rd, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Ft Logan Memorial Day Honors:
Monday, May 29th Memorial Day 11:00 to 12:00
Ft Logan National Cemetery 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236
IT'S FOODIE FRIDAY! And we are going full barbeque edition to get you ready for your day on Monday. I've invited pretty much everyone in the newsroom and even Leland Conway to join me and The Wine Yogi Kristal Alfonso to taste some BBQ, side dishes, and even some of that Dr. Pepper Float ice cream from Bluebell (Thanks, Bluebell for dropping that off, it's sold out EVERYWHERE) so join us at 2 for that. Find ALL the info about the wine and dishes we're talking about by clicking here.
IS SOCIAL MEDIA BAD FOR KIDS AND TEENS? The Surgeon General just issued a warning about kids and teens using social media and the connection to depression and anxiety and I've got a Psychologist specializing in Teen Tech Addiction named Dr. Gregory Jantz who is the author of “#Hooked: The Pitfalls of Social Media”. He's on at 12:30 to talk about how social media affects the mental health of teens and whether or not social media is tied to suicide in teens. Buy his book here.
PRE-ADDICTION IS WHEN IT'S TIME TO STEP IN The concept of "pre-addiction" is new to me, but the actuality is not. I know I've had friends that I watched move into addiction but I was ill-equipped to do anything to help. Pre-addiction is real. It's before someone hits the so-called "rock bottom" but either the person involved with substances (alcohol or drugs) knows it's taking over, or a family member or friend recognizes it. And that is the time to talk about it, before it's too late. Steve Carleton is the Gallus Medical Detox Centers Chief Clinical Officer and a licensed clinical social worker and a certified addiction specialist who is going to offer some tips for what to do if you see it coming. He joins me at 1.
RECYCLING IS BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!! You know if you listen to the show that recycling is the biggest boondoggle of all time, but now a comprehensive study shows it actually be quite BAD for the environment. Read this:
The peer-reviewed study led by Erina Brown, a plastics scientist at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, found that up to 13 percent of recycled plastics become microplastics, tiny particles smaller than five millimeters that pollute air and water, if wash water from recycling plants is not filtered. Brown and her team studied wastewater at a mixed plastics recycling facility in the United Kingdom and found it could produce up to 6.5 million pounds of microplastic per year.
"The findings are certainly alarming enough that it’s worthy of far more investigation and understanding of how widespread of an issue this might be," said Anja Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy.
It's peer reviewed even! In the meantime, throw all plastics in the trash. Better they are contained in landfills than in our water.
WHEN WILL CASA BONITA RE-OPEN? This is getting really entertaining. Internet sleuths decided it would be re opening yesterday, but not so far. Could it be today? It is Matt Stone's birthday and the reason Kyle and his friends went to Casa Bonita in the 11th season of South Park. Read this for more.
BATTLEBOTS DIDN'T GO THE WAY I'D HOPED As I was rooting hard for local robot Copperhead, but they couldn't quite get it done last night. You can go see Copperhead at Nature Box Pet in Aurora (13740 E. Quincy Ave at Quincy and Parker) if you're a nerd like me (I literally took pictures with it). You can also read this cool story about them from Westword. NEXT YEAR, TEAM!!!
HERE ARE THE THREE DENVER CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES WHO HATE POLICE And if you care about crime in the city, you need to make sure you do NOT vote for any of these idiots.
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE HAVING MORE STROKES And before you ask if it's covid vaccine related, the answer is maybe. That being said this story says strokes in Northern Colorado in young people have been going up for five years, so that pre dates Covid. Know the symptoms and don't wait if you think someone is having a stroke.
FISHING IS THE BEST WAY TO GET STRUCK BY LIGHTNING Which isn't surprising. Also not surprising is that men make up 80% of lightning deaths. Because you fools won't come in from the rain. Read all the ways people have been struck here.
TEXAS TRUMP ALLY IS LIKELY GOING TO BE IMPEACHED Attorney General Ken Paxton has been at the center of numerous scandals over the past few years and it seems even fellow Republicans have had enough. A panel of House members that include three Republicans and two Democrats has recommended he be impeached for his latest scandals. Paxton sued to overturn the 2020 election on Trump's behalf, which we obviously know was unsuccessful. We'll see if the Texas House does the right thing.
DESANTIS COMES OUT SWINGING AT TRUMP And it appears he's going to run to the right of Trump. He spent yesterday attacking the policies of Trump and making clear differences between the former President and the record of conservative leadership he's built in Florida. If DeSantis keeps it on policy and Trump keeps it personal I think DeSantis has a shot here.
AND NOW THE KIFFNESS WITH KITTY CAUGHT A MOUSE I still love these. Don't judge me.
I'LL TAKE A MUSHROOM COFFIN, PLEASE Chuck and I were just talking about what to do with our bodies when we die (we have such conversations) and I told him I don't want traditional burial, I just want to be dropped in the dirt so I can go back to Mother Earth. He would prefer a burial at sea but I'm not sure how to do that. To make my plan even easier, there are now coffins made out of mushrooms to speed the decomposition process along. If you're thinking of cremation, they have an urn that comes with a tree on top. I love this. You can come visit my tree if you'd like someday.
THIS HIGH SPEED RAIL MIGHT WORK Because it's being built with private dollars with maybe a small kick in from the federal government. The line would connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas and the developer is planning to have it open by the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Read more here.
WE'VE GOT A UFO SIGHTING! And now that the Pentagon has released all sorts of ufo stuff we have to take this stuff seriously. It happened over a Marine base, so it could just be the commies, but it COULD be aliens! Read it here!
DUDE. This is nuts. Watch below or click here.
THE TIME TRAVELER DEFENSE NEVER GETS OLD A Florida man (of course) used a unique defense for breaking into a house: he's a time traveler trying to save a family from a future event. Of course he is. Of course.
THIS IS A NEXT LEVEL TAUNT RIGHT HERE Leave it to the Auntie. Watch below or click here.
THIS IS PRETTY ADVANCED JOKE TELLING FOR A TWO YEAR OLD And I'm not kidding. Watch below or click here.
CHAT GPT'S APP IS GOING WORLDWIDE And though I think all this is cool, the speed with which it is being rolled out is concerning. An app for Android is coming soon. Read more here.
NO, ELON MUSK IS NOT ROLLING OUT ROBOT WIVES Even if you see images of him kissing them on the internet. The fake photos and accompanying stories are just that. Fake.
REDNECK ENGINEERING ON DISPLAY And this is actually pretty clever and I'm going to use it. Watch below or click here.
WHAT IS WIFI DOING TO US? This needs further exploration. Watch below or click here.
TACO BELL TRYING TO "LIBERATE" TACO TUESDAY From trademark protections that is. Taco Johns, a longtime competitor, has owned the trademark on the phrase since 1989. If they were smart, I'd launch a campaign declaring that THEY CREATE Taco Tuesday as the best taco joint around (they are not) and have some fun with the defense of their trademark. I love a good brand war. Oh, and Lebron James is doing the ads about it for Taco Bell.
PHOTOS WILL NEVER BE REAL AGAIN With AI doing most of the work now. Watch below or click here.
YOU CAN BUY THE BRADY BUNCH HOUSE! And it's been more than fully restored, it's been made into the actual Brady Bunch house by HGTV. It's available for a cool $5.5 million bucks.
AND NOW, THE CRAZIEST BASKETBALL SHOT EVER This is insane!