Just One Thing: Gotta try this sparkling water!
The ubiquitous convenience store chain 7-Eleven has an in-house brand of sparkling water called 7-Select. They have flavors like Cherry Lime, Cranberry Raspberry, and Pineapple Coconut. Today, the company is announcing a new bold flavor, with the release of Big Bite Hot Dog Sparkling Water. According to the company, “The Big Bite Hot Dog Sparkling Water combines the delicious and mouthwatering experience of 7-Eleven’s iconic Big Bite Hot Dog into one refreshing beverage – ketchup and mustard included. Gone are the days of alternating bites of a hot dog with sips of a beverage, now those on the go can swap the bun for bubbles.” It sounds so gross that I really would like to try it.
7-Eleven, Inc. Announces the Arrival of New Big Bite® Hot Dog Sparkling Water | 7-Eleven
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I just HAVE to start with this, the day after Easter
Normally this would go in the "Today's Videos" section at the end of the blog but this made me laugh so hard that I wanted to share it early
Today's Guests
John Zakhem is an attorney with Campbell Killing Brittan & Ray who specializes in, among other things, election law, open-meetings law, and the First Amendment. He joins us to talk about his effort to stop the majority of the Loveland City Council from threatening other members of the Council with criminal charges for what the majority claims was an illegal violation of open-meetings laws by the minority in the minority's effort to craft letters to oppose a "controversial state zoning law" bill at the legislature (because if it had passed it would have drastically reduced options for the Centerra South urban renewal plan.) I know it sounds complex but it's really not...
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Greg Lopez is the former mayor of Parker and previously a candidate for governor of Colorado. He has been named by the Colorado Republican Party as the GOP nominee for the special election in June to fill the remaining part of the term for the 4th Congressional District seat vacated last month by Ken Buck.
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(Trying again from Friday with this one)
Danielle Shoots is Managing Director and Founder of DEMI Fund. She's suing Denver after the Fund seems to have been shorted millions of dollars by the Denver government...which seems to be saying it doesn't know where the money is. (I'll try to get a guest from the city after this.)
Taxpayer returns unclear as DEMI Fund sues Denver seeking funds (denverpost.com)
Denver fund for minority entrepreneurship collapses after 2 years | 9news.com
Venture capital fund DEMI sues Denver, alleging violation of contract (denverpost.com)
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Announcement from CO Gov Jared Polis
Governor Polis Announces New Line of Colorado-Themed Shoes | Colorado Governor Jared Polis
Other Stuff
This seems appropriate today: April Fools’ Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes | HISTORY
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This is interesting: The Titanic may play a role in who pays for the Baltimore bridge collapse. Here’s why | CNN Business
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Democrat mantra: Why just manage when you can micro-manage?
Of course this comes from Faith Winter, the worst member of the State Senate, and that's saying something: Weissmann: Dating apps are awful; a Colorado bill will make them worse - Complete Colorado
Online-Facilitated Misconduct & Remote Tracking | Colorado General Assembly
And another terrible idea that will have the effect of reducing the supply of rental properties:
Colorado 'for cause' eviction bill nears governor's desk following Senate vote • Colorado Newsline
Cause Required for Eviction of Residential Tenant | Colorado General Assembly
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It's always like this, but that doesn't mean it won't be world-changing sooner than you think: AI chatbot letdown: Hype hits rocky reality (axios.com)
And the uses for AI will be both fabulous and dangerous: OpenAI Unveils Audio Tool That Recreates Human Voices - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
And see the video below about the AI bluegrass song...
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I need to correct my correction of the other day. At first I said there is no legitimate federal responsibility in paying for the replacement of the Key Bridge in Baltimore. Then I said I was wrong because the road that goes over it is an interstate highway, thus making it a federal responsibility. But I just remembered that states, not the federal government, actually own the interstates. Funding of repair and maintenance of interstate highways is exceedingly complex and I can't say I really understand it after spending too much time researching. It appears that states typically cover most of the cost though recent "infrastructure" bills have the federal government paying the vast majority (i.e. 90%) of interstate highway project costs. In any case, I think it's clear that the federal government should pay more than 0% (maybe a lot more) but also less than 100%.
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I don't say this is proof that there isn't climate change, just as we also shouldn't say that stories about short-term hot weather are proof that there is: Denver weather: When does it usually hit 70 degrees? | FOX31 (kdvr.com)
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He knew he was taking risk when he defected, but the lifestyle he then chose seems like the riskiest possible: A Russian Defector’s Killing Raises Specter of Hit Squads - The New York Times
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Coloradans love their/our dogs: An unconditional love: Saying goodbye to Dasher | Lifestyle | denvergazette.com
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Have you been with AT&T for some years? AT&T notifies users of data breach and resets millions of passcodes | Business | denvergazette.com
Data from 73M current, former customers leaked on dark web, AT&T confirms - ABC News (go.com)
More interesting detail: AT&T resets account passcodes after millions of customer records leak online | TechCrunch
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This is an intense read: ‘I’m 28. And I’m Scheduled to Die in May.’ | The Free Press (thefp.com)
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Using finance to achieve Quixotic "climate goals" was always a bad idea. Now some people are not just figure it out, but shouting it out: UBS Banker’s Frustration Exposes Cracks in World of Climate Finance - BNN Bloomberg
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Today's Videos
Some excellent reporting by 9News about how Denver is trying (and apparently failing) to get illegal aliens to leave here and head to Chicago or New York or, really, anywhere else...
Video from inside shelter shows city official trying to convince migrants to move on | 9news.com
This is really really weird. And I note that he's married to just one of them. There are just so so many questions but I won't ask any of them.
AI-generated bluegrass song about the re-election of Vladimir Putin
AI music is here and scarily easy to make - The Spectator World