IT'S TIME TO SHARE WITH THOSE WHO NEED OUR HELP Colorado Gives Day is a pretty big deal and if you'd like to participate you can always go their website and scroll through to find something you might like to support OR you can just use my handy list. These are organizations that I have personal knowledge of and support because they are doing something wonderful, helping someone with a hand up, or serving a group of people I think deserve it. They are all organization which I believe use your money very wisely. I've put a link to the Colorado Gives Day site so you can donate to each with the "Click Here" link although a couple are NOT part of Colorado Gives because they are too new but I put a link to donate on their own personal sites, though they are all registered 501(c)3 non-profits so your donation is tax deductible. They are:
STEP DENVER I've got Paul Scudo from Step Denver on the show today. They help men struggling with addiction, many of them homeless, get their lives back through a program of work, sobriety, and accountability. Simply one of the best organizations around. Click here.
THE COLORADO WOMEN'S ALLIANCE FOUNDATION I am a board member for the Colorado Women's Alliance and this is our charitable arm. The Foundation focuses on inspiring, training and mentoring women to encourage them to become more involved in civic leadership and the political process. Click here.
ABOUT FACE RADIO This is an internet radio station that lets veterans have their say on their own podcasts. This was started by our fave Of The Day guy Rob Williams with some other great veterans and I personally have given them money in the past year to get this thing off the ground. This one is close to my heart because it combines two things I love dearly: radio and veterans. Click here to donate.
THE OTHER SIDE ACADEMY This is another residential drug and alcohol treatment center but they also help women. They also require sobriety and work for their people. Click here.
CHILDREN'S DIABETES FOUNDATION This one's name doesn't quite match what they do, as they focus on Type 1 diabetes which is NOT the lifestyle related diabetes. They help kids and adults who have Type 1 diabetes with all sorts of things from clinical trials to programs to support families living with a diagnosis. They do wonderful work and we are so lucky to have something like the Barbara Davis Center here in Denver. Click here.
OPERATION EQUINE This program is different than a lot of horse centric programs in that it isn't necessarily about riding, though riding does take place. It's about using horses to help Military members and veterans and first responders connect with their families and themselves. Read more and donate here.
MOTORCYCLE RELIEF PROJECT This is another veterans organization that takes veterans on motorcycle rides as a way to facilitate discussion and healing with other veterans. Click here.
INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE My friend Jon Caldara and his ragtag group of misfits are the reason our income tax rate just went down. They do incredible work trying to keep Colorado from turning into California and I use their website CompleteColorado.com every day in my show prep. Click here.
LATE ADDITION: HAPPINESS THROUGH HORSES I interviewed Kim Swaney on my show about the way her organization is helping teens and families using horses. Great organization and wonderful founder! Click here to donate.
Just so you know, not one of these organization asked me to do this. I just know and believe in them and their missions so much and I know it can be hard to find someone to trust to donate to. I hope this helps!
A GERMAN STUDY SHOWS THE COVID VACCINE KILLS PEOPLE As I've tried to during the entire pandemic, I am committed to bringing you the most up to date studies on covid, the pandemic and vaccines. Obviously this is really significant and I'm wondering how much play this is going to get in the US. German scientists studied 25 people who died unexpectedly after vaccination using autopsy results. Five patients who died suddenly and unexpectedly after getting the Covid vaccine died from lethal vaccination-associated myocarditis. Germany no longer recommends a vaccine for anyone under 30. We need to be doing this research in the US but instead the drug companies are trying to get this shot approved for babies. Yes, I'm sorry I ever endorsed the vaccine now. No, I still think the Died Suddenly movie has too many things that are just wrong to be accurate.
THE GEORGIA SENATE RUNOFF IS TODAY And another Trump candidate seems poised to lose. Hershel Walker is down in the latest polling and it really will be determined by who shows up, as women voted for Warnock and men voted for Walker in the general election. As control of the Senate is no longer at stake, I'm guessing voter enthusiasm, at least for Republicans, may be muted. Without that to inspire them some may choose to pass on voting for a clearly inferior Republican candidate at all. It's not like I'm hoping he loses, but Walker would not be a great choice for the US Senate, much like John Fetterman wasn't a good choice, although Dems don't care about brain power apparently.
AURORA HAS A NEW INTERIM TOP COP And Art Acevedo was sworn in yesterday as Aurora tries to find a new permanent chief even though no one is applying. I'm going to invite him on the show to see what he's about as he's going to be here until "well into next year" according to the news.
WE ARE NOW #1 IN PORCH PIRACY And I HATE the cutesy term "porch pirate" as if someone with an eye patch is better than a common thief which is what these people are. This is a good column on a new law designed to increase the penalties for this blatant theft.
A HIKER TRIGGERS AN AVALANCHE And this kid from Indiana is lucky to be alive after sliding forty feet after he left a trail and triggered the snow slide. Be ready for anything in our winter weather!
KIRSTIE ALLEY DIED And this one hit hard. I've always loved her because she was just so ballsy. She was only 71 and passed after a battle with cancer that only her family knew about. RIP, Kirstie, you will be missed.
COLORADO IS APPLYING TO IMPORT A CANADIAN DRUGS And this sounds wonderful as Canada fixes the price of prescription drugs while Americans pay extra to subsidize them. Colorado has applied to the federal government to allow them to buy drugs from Canada directly. It's a wildly complicated process that includes sending each batch to a third party for "quality" testing, as if Canada is going to give it's citizens counterfeit meds. The real story is buried deep in this story from the Colorado Sun and it's this:
It is unclear when the federal government may decide on whether to approve the state’s application. Colorado is the second state to submit an application to import drugs from Canada. The first state, Florida, has had its application pending for two years and has filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration to move things along. In a response filed last month, the federal government denied that it is dragging its feet on approving Florida’s application.
The FDA is wholly owned by the drug companies and there is a ZERO percent chance they want to cut off their enormous profits by allowing us to buy their drugs on the cheap. This is a pipe dream until we do something about the FDA in general.
GOBLIN MODE IS WORD OF THE YEAR? There is a new word for living in a slovenly lazy way: goblin mode. It's been named Word of the Year by the Oxford University Press and it means, “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations” so being a slob. I'm so sad this is a thing people now aspire to. It's honestly disgusting on many levels.
IF EVERY SOUTHERN STATE COOKED YOUR DINNER This is so accurate it's not even funny.
THE JUSTICES SEEMED TO LIKE LORI SMITH'S ARGUMENT Though reading the judicial tea leaves based on what was asked by whom is often a fools errand. This article lays out the ways the justices seemed to show some sympathy for the website designer's position about being forced to create something to support gay marriage. Justice Neil Gorsuch brought the strongest sentiment when mentioning the Jack Philips case, but again, we won't know what they really think until the Court releases its ruling in June.
DO YOU GET YOUR NEWS FROM FACEBOOK? That may stop if the government passes a bill that would allow news organizations to negotiate en masse with social media companies who share their content. This is a HUGE mistake for local news, as many, many people would never see their content if it weren't for social media. As Facebook mostly shows a preview and you can't read the rest of the story without traveling to the individual sites anyway, I think this is going after the wrong perpetrator. However, a similar law in Australia which resulted in a temporary loss of news on Facebook seems to be working, as Facebook is now paying those news organizations for clicks. We'll see how this shakes out, but putting this into a defense bill is the wrong way to do it.
ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING RECESSION? Not to be a negative nelly, but if you aren't expecting and planning for a significant recession you aren't living right. This column paints an especially gloom and doom picture but I think it's time to recognize how badly the Federal Reserve and government spending have screwed the rest of us. Before you get too angry, we all sat by and let it happen as long as we got our "stimmy checks". We have no one to blame but ourselves and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
HAVE YOU TRIED PILK YET? The drink made famous by Laverne on Laverne and Shirley is now an internet sensation. Here is some video of a morning crew giving it a try. I think I'll pass. Click here to see it.
THIS SLIDE IS NAUSEATING Click here if it doesn't load.
THIS KITCHEN GADGET IS HAPPENING IN MY HOUSE This seems incredibly useful. Click here if it doesn't load.
WHAT IS THIS PIZZA REHEATING VOODOO? Does anyone do this? Click here if it doesn't load.
MAYBE MAKE THE BRIDGES A SMIDGE TALLER? This is from a town that is China's Naples where you can take a leisurely ride in boat powered by a guy who won't fit under a bridge. Click here if it doesn't load.
THE PENTAGON HAS NO CLUE HOW THEY SPENT $2.1 TRILLION DOLLARS And because they are so good at not tracking money, Congress just upped their budget! The Department of Defense just failed another audit SPECTACULARLY and can only account for 39% of their assets. I'm all for a strong defense, but Republicans need to lead on this kind of government waste and yes, it is government waste when they have no clue where the money went. Black ops don't cost 2.1 trillion dollars. Someone has to reign this in.
DO YOU CARE THAT COMMUNITY COVID TRANSMISSION IS HIGH IN SEVERAL COUNTIES IN COLORADO? I honestly don't, though I don't have underlying health issues that puts me at high risk. If you live in these counties, just stay home.
TWO GOOD MORNING AMERICA HOSTS ARE IN A BIT OF HOT WATER After their affair that lead to the breakup of their respective marriages was recently exposed. Amy Robach and her co-host TJ Holmes were off yesterday as a result of the disclosure while ABC News tries to figure it out. Workplace romances happen all the time, my own marriage came from one,but when you're on tv together it can make things awkward. Read more here. What can you? The heart wants what the heart wants.
THE MANNING BROTHERS TAKE OVER THE PRO BOWL GAME The game, which has long been eschewed by top talent who don't want to get hurt in a means nothing game, is being revamped into a skills contest and flag football game in Las Vegas. Now we know that Eli and Peyton Manning will go head-to-head as "coaches" for the game between AFC and NFC players. Read more here.