A Denver Death Examined

I was particularly moved by Denver Post reporter Karen Auge’s story about the death of one homeless man and the efforts to uncover his backstory.  What probably made people notice this death is the photo of a trio of maintenence workers on the 16th Street Mall who were trying to revive him.  To the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless each of these lives matter but how often … Continue reading A Denver Death Examined

Relaxing in New York City

If you’re looking to chill in New York City head to Times Square.  Times Square?  Are you kidding?  One of the busiest, most chaotic places on Earth.  Trust me.  We were just there and everyone was relaxing.  Mike Leonard of NBC’s Today Show has the story.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32082122#32082122 For more information on Vicky Collins visit http://teletrendstv.com. Continue reading Relaxing in New York City

Yosemite: From Farm to Table

During the Clinton Administration there was a move to green up the national parks.  One of the mandates was to source food locally.  Today one of the most successful examples of this is Yosemite National Park.  All the concessions are run by Delaware North and it has chosen not to go with commodities but rather to buy the produce, meats, eggs and dairy from local … Continue reading Yosemite: From Farm to Table

Africans on Obama

NOTE: THIS IS A REPRINT OF A BLOG FROM 11/27/2008 FOLLOWING BARACK OBAMA’S ELECTION.  IT STILL RINGS TRUE AS HE PAYS HIS FIRST POST-PRESIDENTIAL VISIT TO ACCRA, GHANA IN WEST AFRICA WITH FIRST LADY MICHELLE AND DAUGHTERS SASHA AND MALIA OBAMA. Our Ugandan driver picked us up from the airport in Entebbe on November 9.  We were barely down the road before he asked us who we … Continue reading Africans on Obama

United Breaks Guitars Encore

As of this morning at 9 a.m. MT, Canadian Dave Carroll’s video “United Breaks Guitars” has had over 1.3 million hits on YouTube and the singer/songwriter says “it’s been a whirlwind.”  He has received a deluge of emails, a flood of Facebook friends, requests for gigs and interviews, and even a call from Oprah’s people to be a guest on the show.  “Every musician wants to get … Continue reading United Breaks Guitars Encore

United Breaks Guitars

For anyone who has ever had a nightmare flight on United Airlines and was unsatisfied with their customer service, you will enjoy this video.  United did not care about Canadian Dave Carroll after they broke his Taylor guitar when his band, Sons of Maxwell, was going to a gig in Nebraska.  So he wrote a song.  A scathing song.  A very scathing song. Thanks to YouTube, United … Continue reading United Breaks Guitars

Vacation in Afghanistan

One year ago I was in Beijing, China for a three month gig working at the Olympics.  In November 2008 I headed to Kampala, Uganda again to do more television production work for BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org) then immediately after a quick trip to Delhi, India for a wedding.  No exotic destinations this summer but I’m hungry for an overseas trip.  I’m already thinking about what to do … Continue reading Vacation in Afghanistan

Michael Jackson Dies

Say it isn’t so!  Pop icon Michael Jackson dies of a heart attack at age 50.  So much music left in him.  Too young to die.  I remember how excited we were hopping in big buses 25 years ago on July 16, 1984 and going en masse from Wichita to Kansas City for the opening night of his Victory Tour.  We anticipated it for weeks.  … Continue reading Michael Jackson Dies

Fighting for Neda

Blessings to Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi, who has courageously offered to represent the family of Neda, the young woman shot by snipers during a protest on the streets of Tehran.  Perhaps she will also represent the parents of Kaveh Alipour who were told they must pay the Iranian government a $3000 bullet fee to retrieve their slain son’s body.  I am gratified … Continue reading Fighting for Neda

River Jordan: Conflict and Cooperation

In the Middle East, water is a source of conflict and an opportunity for peace. From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and all along the River Jordan there is a need for cooperation over water. In the mountain aquifer under West Bank settlements there is conflict over its allocation. In fact, the World Bank just issued a report finding huge disparities in … Continue reading River Jordan: Conflict and Cooperation