Middle school and high school students are taught to never plagiarize. When you turn your paper in it better be your work. My then tweenage son forgot the rules and got a big fat zero once. Apparently Colorado GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis missed class that day. Or maybe he thinks politicians should be held to a lesser standard. He is being accused of virtually … Continue reading Politics and Plagiarism
My barista leaned over the counter today. “What do you think of the MSNBC host who said she hoped it was a Tea Party member rather than a Muslim who set the car bomb in Times Square?” His colleague at the cappucino maker edged closer to hear what I had to say. “Well,” I replied, “I wish it was someone from the Tea Party. It actually kind of … Continue reading Politics with my Cappuccino
My husband, Darrell, was beside himself. What’s up with this? We have a son about to enter the Denver Public Schools and here they are banning employees from travelling to Arizona because of opposition to the new immigration law. He was fuming. Don’t they have more important things to worry about (like higher graduation rates?) He even called KHOW’s Caplis and Silverman radio show to vent. I tried to rationalize the … Continue reading Denver Public Schools Takes a Stand
Eddie is one of my very closest friends. We have known each other since we were teenagers and knew of each other even longer. Our fathers were best friends and Polish immigrants who met in London following World War II and came to America on the Queen Mary together. When I lived in Connecticut and Eddie was in New York we hung out together every other weekend. We attended … Continue reading Kara’s Tea Party: Am I Missing Something Here?
This month’s “More” magazine has a series of essays, by influential women authors, about the meaning of home. “A Wanderer’s Retreat” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni really speaks to me. Her writing is flavorful and evocative as chai. Her story about first loving her grandfather’s home, connecting with landscapes after his loss, then finally finding home in her own heart resonates with the wanderer in me and perhaps would even … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Home
Esther Heller tells me she used to be a dancer. She says she won competitions in Paris and Athens and even Kamchatka (although she no longer is certain where that is.) She used to teach dancing in Denver. Waltzes and Polkas and Fox Trots. She did it for free so people could learn to move their feet. But now Esther’s feet have betrayed her. Until … Continue reading Esther’s Last Dance
I’ve spent the last two days in temple celebrating Rosh Hashanah but for some reason this year I’m not feeling it. Perhaps it’s because I only show up for the high holidays and each year it’s the same story of Isaac and Abraham and Hannah and Peninah. My Jewish experience is so limited. Rabbi Mo is at the top of his game with sermons about living … Continue reading The Faith Club
My name is Ka$h (yes, that’s how it’s spelled) and I’m a chow shepard cross. I’m a former pound puppy who was adopted from the Denver Humane Society in October by a wonderful family. I was only a few months old when they got me and was already returned by someone else. When I came to my new home I had issues. I would pee when … Continue reading A Dog Speaks Out On Michael Vick
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
During April I’ve had a photo exhibit running in Studio 13 Gallery in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District. It’s called “How People Live” and is a collection of photographs from the streets and slums around the world that illuminate the diversity of people and the condition of the poor. Photos were taken in Uganda, China, Thailand, India, Brazil, Mexico, and various places in America. Most of the … Continue reading How People Live
Vicky Collins Online 