Met up with Grand Junction's Annie Whiteley, Top Alcohol Funny Car Racing Champion

After a light dinner at Tequila's on North Avenue in Grand Junction last night, my husband and I crossed the street to look at what appeared to be a car show in the Teller Arms parking lot. Wishing we had a camera with us, we asked if they were going to be there the next day. We were told no because they're race cars showing before a big race Saturday night at the Western Colorado Dragway (Grand Junction).



Annie Whiteley with part of her 3200 hp Alcohol Funny Car.

Race? What race? That certainly explained why the cars we were looking at had cages inside them and parachutes on the back. There were also dragsters in the lot.

So, this evening, we decided to go check it out. We looked on the dragway's website, Facebook page, even looked in the local newspaper trying to find information on ticket sales, starting times, anything. We found nothing, but our curiosity was growing.

We jumped in the truck, headed to the dragway, figured we'd take a chance. We'd never been to the dragway so had no idea what to expect.

As we drove up the hill, following the signs to the dragway, rounding the corner we were stunned to

My last regular column for the Daily Sentinel and the return of Grand Valley Magazine

This post was published as my last regular column in the Daily Sentinel Sunday, September 16, 2012.

This is my last regular commentary with the Daily Sentinel. Writing a weekly column and publishing a high-quality magazine at the same time is, well, quite unrealistic. Yes, it’s time to bring back Grand Valley Magazine.

I’ve worked in media, directly and indirectly, since high school.

Our cheerleading squad did a fund-raising promotion at a local radio station one weekend, and by the end of it, I practically begged the station manager to hire me. I was fascinated. He gave in, and for more than a year I twisted knobs and pushed buttons for the weekly Top 40 and Denver Bronco football games.

From radio, I moved on to ad agencies, then newspapers, books and magazines. That’s where I discovered the ink in my blood. The in-depth features, rush of a breaking story, ...

Too big to fail; too small to matter

The official reasons for not including third-party candidates in national and local political debates are based solely on those parties’ small size. This idea of too-small-to-matter has become too much of a cliché these days (and not just in politics either).

I, for one, am curious about what these smaller third parties have to say. Do they have platforms? How are their goals and objectives different than the too-big-to-fail parties? Are their ideas in common with or opposed to the big party machines? Might they have solutions to problems that the big machines have been unable or unwilling to solve? Is it possible that those candidates have something worthwhile to say?

It’s bad enough that the voices of the small are drowned out by the boisterous shouting of the giants, but to deny the smaller parties a seat at the political roundtable in a government by the people seems, well, a bit authoritarian.

Perhaps if the other political parties were given the same opportunity to tell their stories and share their ideas as the two behemoths, they...

World-renowned innovator has roots in Mesa County; and I got to interview him!

The opportunity to gain firsthand insight from a world-renowned innovator is honor enough, but to find out that innovator got his start at Colorado Mesa University (then Mesa College) is downright exciting.

Thomas W. Osborn, a virtual rock star in the world of innovators as featured in a new book from Stanford University Press titled Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations, entered Mesa College as a struggling student with attention deficit disorder back in the 1960s.

“The quality of Mesa’s undergraduate education gave me a very good base,” Osborn told me. The encouragement from and “the influence of professors like Drs. Lenc and Putnam and Mr. Perry” helped him build a strong foundation for his scientific interests.

From Mesa, Osborn went to Colorado State University, then on to Oregon State University where he earned a Ph.D. in chemistry and studied the chemical evolution...

Ancient aliens or unfettered human ingenuity?

A series of TV programs aired recently on History's H2 channel called "Ancient Aliens." I listened as countless self-proclaimed alien experts pointed to all kinds of ancient artifacts that defy their idea of our ancestors' capabilities, and most concluded that they must therefore be the work of advanced extraterrestrial visitors. Entertaining thought it was, there was no doubt in my mind that the marvels they pointed to were the work of humans.

 

Contemplate, if you will, the laser-machined precision of the intricate block cuts of Puma Punku at 12,000 feet in the mountains of Bolivia, the Nazca lines stretching 50 miles across the top of a high plateau in Peru, 2,000-year-old writings describing Vimana flying machines in India, the monolithic statues on Easter Island in the South Pacific, the light bulb-looking Dendera wall carvings and Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Stonehenge in southern England, and the Antikythera Mechanism with its 29 finely tuned interlocking gears found in an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Crete. The list of mysterious marvels from antiquity is seemingly endless.

Not counting the effects of sleep deprivation, junk food and pharmaceuticals on our modern brains, the brains of our ancestors were probably little if any different than our own. We can never know of all the extraordinary...

Cars, refrigerators, TV sets and nuclear warheads

I intended to write a light piece on how we live in the context of the times, beginning with the industrial complex of the 1930s and World War II, which set the stage for the military-industrial complex of the 1950s that spawned the financial, medical, educational and entertainment complexes of the 1980s that led to the interdependent web of today’s global economy. Whew!

For example, in the 1950s, the automobile, refrigerator and television were key consumer products that supersized our economy and secured a large, robust middle class.

In 1955, nearly 90 percent of the cars on our nation’s roads were American-made, with more than 8 million new cars sold that year. From 1945 to 1985, we paved 42,798 miles of interstate highway and bought 300 million cars. As a result, car-related businesses — from petroleum to drive-through restaurants to tourism — sprang up from coast to coast, while refrigerators redefined domestic life.

“A few years ago it took the housewife 5-1/2 hours to prepare daily meals for a family of four,” Time magazine reported in 1959. “Today she can do it in 90 minutes or less — and still produce meals fit for a king or a finicky husband.”

In a nation of 150 million in the 1950s, there seemed no end to...

The double-edged sword of Colorado's Gallagher Amendment

I never understood that old saying, “All politics are local,” until recently, when one innocent quest for office space brought it to light — a glaring bright light.

I thought with all this empty commercial space around the valley, finding a smokin’ deal on just the right office would be a piece of cake. Not only did I discover that’s not the case, but I got an instant education on something called the Gallagher Amendment in our state constitution.

“At that rate per square foot, the building owner barely covers his taxes,” said Bray commercial real estate agent Sam Suplizio in response to my offer to lease space in a building that’s been vacant for nearly a year. For all the talk about needing to be business-friendly in a tough economy, that sure sounded like a whole lot of...

Leading indicator for our nation's economic recovery? Chicken

The whole Chick-fil-A kerfuffle last month was downright inspiring. All that passion from consumers ready to support or not support a business based solely on what that business stands for! That could be the spark needed to rebuild our stagnant economy. No government assistance needed.

What if all businesses actively touted the causes and values they stand for so that customers and prospective customers could make informed choices to spend their dollars with companies aligned with their own causes and values?

Don’t like socialism? Don’t buy from businesses that sell products manufactured in socialist nations.

Want to support American jobs? Buy only made-in-America products from businesses that sell only made-in-America products.

Want to see small local businesses thrive in our community? Don’t spend your dollars in big-box chain stores that crush the mom and pops with their low, low, low prices.

We have the right to do business when, where, and...

Our community doesn't care about education? Hogwash.

I’ve heard several people say the same thing recently: “This community just doesn’t care about education.” And why? Because last November a majority of voters elected not to support a mil levy override for District 51 funding. I bristled the first time I heard that remark the day after the election, and it still bugs me to hear it nine months later.

First of all, the population of Mesa County is about 147,000 and has about 102,000 registered voters. A mere 21,951 voted against the override while 14,415 for it. And just because 21,951 voted against the override doesn’t mean they don’t care about education.

Of the many different reasons those folks have said they voted against it, not a single one of those was “I just don’t care about education.”

There is simply no evidence to support the claim that “this community just doesn’t care about education.” In fact, the preponderance of the evidence indicates that our community cares deeply and actively about education.

During (and despite) the rough economy, Mesa State College became Colorado Mesa University last summer. That happened only because...

The Olympic Games: Moments of peace in troubled times

I love the Olympics. Summer. Winter. Doesn’t matter. I love the games as a celebration of our shared humanity. The grace, the balance, the beauty, the rhythm and precision, the teamwork, the intensity expressed on human faces — unique faces from all over the world. It’s a showcase for the best of the best in human performance. It’s a time when I can imagine that even the birds in the sky stop pitying our wingless disability long enough to actually grant us a little respect as a species.

There are 205 nations with athletes competing in this year’s Olympic Games. In trials and rivalries ranging from individual competitions to team events, the world comes together to compete — honorably and respectfully. The Olympics give us those incredible moments when people around the world cheer together, putting aside geopolitical differences even if only for a few minutes (or for mere nano-seconds at the finish line) to complete contest after contest, awarding medal after medal.

The first Olympic Games date back to 776 BC. According to...

Homeless people with mental illness and substance addiction are homeless by their own volition? Really?

I was so stunned by claims in the Daily Sentinel's editorial "Homelessness and Vagrancy" this morning that I had to write this post.

Here is the part of the editorial that so shocked me: "One group, we believe, are the true homeless. They are families and individuals who may have lost jobs, gone through home foreclosure or lost their homes by other means. They are actively trying to improve their lot in hopes they will soon leave the ranks of the homeless.

"The other group is largely homeless by their own volition. They reject the conventions of society — although they accept its services when it suits them. Many have addictions to alcohol or drugs, or suffer from mental illness, or both. We have chosen to refer to this second group as vagrants."

Really? Addiction is a choice? Mental illness is a choice? First of all, it is obvious that...

Recent national political attention on Mesa County; what's that about?

How is it that Mesa County continues to garner so much national attention? From the nation’s number-one ranking in quality healthcare at the lowest cost to world-class outdoor recreation to a steady stream of presidential candidates, Mesa County is of obvious national importance. In the past four years alone, we’ve had visits from Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Kathleen Sibelius and Mitt Romney, to name a few.

But when I learned that three of the top four political TV ad markets in the nation were in Colorado in July, with Grand Junction at number two (Colorado Springs at number one, Denver at four), curiosity got the best of me.

After an afternoon of phone calls, I learned that Colorado is...

Avalon Theatre is the ballpark of our cultural community

Colorado ranks fifth in the nation for concentration of creative talent. Only New York, California, Massachusetts and Vermont place higher, according to a State of Colorado’s Creative Economy report by the Alliance for Creative Advantage (based in South Carolina).

So significant are the creative enterprises that they comprise the fifth-largest employment sector in Colorado’s economy.

Our cultural amenities are increasingly attracting innovators, businesses and tourists — and they all bring dollars and jobs to our state’s cultural arts destinations. But Mesa County isn’t as high on that list as it could and should be. That’s despite our burgeoning wine country, nationally renowned Art on the Corner program and world-class outdoor adventure opportunities.

How do we engage, capitalize on and ride the Colorado creative wave?

The Grand Junction City Council’s recent decision to add $3 million to the Downtown Development Authority’s $3 million to fund a $14 million renovation of the Avalon Theatre is a bold move in that direction.

Harry Weiss, director of Grand Junction’s DDA, told me back in May that...

Labels are for camp undies and canned goods, not for people

All artists are Democrats. All rich people are Republicans. Only teenagers text while driving. All unemployed people are lazy. Citizens against the war hate America. All children from single-parent homes are destined for a life of despair. All illegal immigrants are draining our resources. All attorneys are sharks. All corporate directors are money grubbers. All Muslims are terrorists. All accountants are boring bean counters. Mesa County doesn’t care about its schools because it voted down a mil levy. People who post about politics and religion on Facebook should get a hobby.

Really? Of course not. Where one sits depends upon where one stands; and where one stands depends upon where one sits.

Even though 99.5 percent of our genome is the same for all humans, it is that...

People-friendly communities require more than sidewalks

I was saddened by the death of the tourist hit by a car while crossing Horizon Drive last month. Welcome to Grand Junction.

Anyone who has walked or cycled along Horizon, Patterson, North Avenue, Broadway, or 12th Street through Colorado Mesa University knows how scary it is to travel those corridors by any means other than by car — and even that’s risky thanks to speeders, texters and multi-taskers.

We’re justifiably proud of our beautiful downtowns, but like most cities in the U.S., our communities’ designs favor automobile traffic over pedestrians and bicyclists.

The City of Grand Junction’s decision to purchase the burned-out Whitehall building on the corner of 6th and White streets is a prime example of commitment to the economic importance of a people-friendly downtown. Fruita and Palisade have nice, people-friendly downtowns too.

The June 10 editorial in the Daily Sentinel supported the city’s decision. “It will either be an indication that people here don’t care about a dangerous, unattractive, charred shell remaining in the core of their city, or a representation of a community’s determination not to let the city deteriorate a little bit at a time,” the editors stated.

Our city centers are success stories. But what about derelict buildings and unsafe areas beyond downtown? Don’t they also merit our “community’s determination not to let the city deteriorate a little bit at a time”? Aren’t city council members elected from districts throughout the community?

We can’t all live and... 

What to do with those empty big-box stores?

I was so happy to hear about enthusiasm for revitalizing North Avenue here in Grand Junction. Intended efforts are clearly under way as reported in the June 3 edition of the Daily Sentinel. The extraordinary transformations of downtown and the Horizon Drive corridors over the past decades were made possible with a lot of foresight and commitment by dedicated members of our community, so the North Avenue project looks promising. But it has three major challenges the other revitalized areas didn’t have.

North Avenue, as Highway 6, is owned by the state. And until recently, the City of Grand Junction has pretty much taken a hands-off approach.

North Avenue is about four miles long, covering considerably more commercial frontage area than downtown and Horizon Drive.

Third, and the point that most...

Hey, what happened to civil discourse for solving our nation's problems?

Is it time for a national chill pill? What has happened to get folks so darned mad at one another? Schoolyard bullying seems to have replaced civil discourse. When did we start fearing rather than celebrating the richness of our diverse citizenry and differing points of view?

I’ve heard way too many vicious, hateful statements over the past few months — in the news, from lawmakers, from acquaintances, some subtle, some in the form of crude jokes, and some just plain ignorant. And a disturbing number came from people in positions of leadership.

Maybe I’m naïve, but I simply don’t understand the growing intolerance in these United States of America. After all we’ve stood for? Fought for? Sacrificed? Wasn’t freedom our goal? And doesn’t freedom include tolerance?

Where are the civil servants willing to at least try to represent all of us? To at least try to work together to solve our nation’s problems. What has happened to civil discourse in the halls of Congress and the Senate?

What happened to the ...

Campaign ad targeting with media quants: Personal and thoughtful or eerily intrusive?

Recently, my husband and I spent a glorious week camping and hiking on a remote mountain, home to 3,000-year-old trees living 10,000 feet above sea level. Oh, and by “remote,” I mean no cell phone or internet coverage for miles and miles in all directions.

The first day was a little weird without the constant stream of online updates and messages tailored just for me (thanks to sophisticated algorithms and media quants), nothing but the sound of rustling leaves, babbling brooks and birds singing merrily overhead. By the second day, much to my surprise, I actually felt liberated, free from the constant tracking, targeting and profiling by a “they” I don't even know.

Every time we use the internet or turn on our smart phones, nearly a hundred data points...

Ignorance of the law is no defense, but should it be?

About 40,000 new state laws went into effect the first of this year throughout the U.S., according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures. With a total of about 16 million laws in the United States, I can’t help but wonder how ignorance of the law is not a valid defense in today’s world.

For a nation that prides itself on being the most free country in the known universe, how is it that we have more laws than any other nation on earth? No wonder there is so much hollering for less regulation since we can’t even keep up with the laws we already have.

Sounds like our political representatives could take some tips from the fashion world. You know...

This is not the 1950s, so can we move on already?

I wasn’t alive in the 1950s, but recent hot news items make a case that we’re either clinging to that decade or drowning in its detritus — no matter how many cute electronic gadgets lie within our reach.

I’m sure it was all fine and good then. Witness all the wholesome American goodness on display in Father Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriet, and Leave it to Beaver. But isn’t it time to move on at least to the next decade already? I’m still looking forward to all that peace and harmony my teenage babysitters crooned about in the 1960s; you know, when peeeeeace will gui-ide the-uh plannet and lo-ove will steer the stars.

Because peace and harmony was the message that seemed to permeate and form my impressionable years, I was pretty convinced...