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N o r t h D e n v e r NEWS

December 2010

Potter Highlands West Highland Sunnyside Sloans Lake Berkeley

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a voice for the new North Denver

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* * * T I M E S E N S I T I V E M A T E R I A L * * * P O S T M A S T E R P L E A S E D E L I V E R B Y P R O M P T L Y

A WomansVoice fromIraq

see STRUGGLING on page 3

a Wal-Mart heiress and also owns theDenver Nuggets and the ColoradoAvalanche.

Kroenke has made most of hisfortune developing shopping mallswhich include Wal-Marts.

Unlike the Elitchs proposal, theLakeside site will undergo little pub-lic scrutiny, and as Lakeside has justa handful of voters, public outragewill factor little in this process thistime.

Construction is expected to beginearly in 2011, and the site, once hometo the Lakeside Mall, has already been leveled and prepared.

SIGN A PETITION

PLEDGING NOT TO

SHOP AT A LAKESIDE

WA L - M A RT AT

NORTHDENVERNEWS. COM

Six years ago, North Denver ral-lied against the construction of aWal-Mart grocery store at the Elitchsredevelopment, with pickets, post-ers and bumper stickers.

After a lengthy design review

process, in which a communitygroup opposed Wal-Mart proposal,the company gave up. (ed.s note:North Denver News publisherGreen served on the committee, andthe paper broke the Wal-Mart storyoriginally)

But Wal-Mart has returned toarea, this time with a plan to builda super Wal-Mart on the scale of thefacility at Colfax and Wadsworth,and will include a large grocerystore.

The site of the old Lakeside Mallhas been purchased by a companywith strong Wal-Mart ties, owned by Stan Kroenke, who is married to

continued on page SEVEN

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Fathers reading p. 7

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In a nutshell, Happy Cakes gath-ered a group of wedding-servicesvendors located in the Highlandsneighborhood to donate their partof a dream Mile High wedding (justa few examples the winning bridewill select her gown at Anna Be, MileHigh Station will be the venue, Loladonated a bridal luncheon, spar-kly accessories from Kismet, andof course all the decadent wed-ding cupcakes one can desire fromHappy Cakes). In its second year,Hitched in the Highlands has col-lected even more great businesses

like Bella Bridesmaids, El CaminoCommunity Tavern, and Pure Barreto round out the amazing prizepackage.

Happy Cakes is bringing theFUN back to wedding planning byhosting our second annual Hitchedin the Highlands for all those love- birds across the State, said LauraReynolds, Happy Cakes Co-owner.What better way to prove your

The reality show culture hasnt brought much of note to America.But these guilty indulgences haveinspired one very cool North Denverevent.

Ever dreamt of an expense freewedding with all the trimmings?Well strap on your running shoes,and get ready to race to the altar!Returning for its second year, theowners of Happy Cakes, Denversoriginal gourmet cupcake bakeshopnestled in the heart of the Highlandsneighborhood, are again organizingan urban adventure race to win a

$20,000 wedding.

by Guerin Lee Green

Hitched in the Highlands returns

Lakeside Super Wal-Mart newNorth Denver neighbor by Guerin Lee Green

Editors note: Over the years the North Denver News has featured thework of Brian Pinkowski, a Denver attorney, who has spent years in Iraqworking in efforts to build civil soci-ety and democracy. He currently isinvolved in teaching Iraqi lawyers thecraft of writing laws. He forwarded usthis piece from young Iraqi woman,who for security reasons will only beidentified as M.H. This holiday season,the piece invites us to look outside our neighborhoods, and consider the larger world.

About myselfAlthough I dont seem to be an

adventurous woman or outspoken inpublic, for the first impression, I think and feel with great intensity. SometimesI can read other peoples thoughts. Ican feel the agony of people who have been struggling: I cry for the sick andthe poor.

Although I may appear to beweak because I am private I amstrong. I believe I can make a differ-

ence in the lives of people close to meand far away.Although half of humanity is female,

and I am average among my sisters, interms of a lot of things including age, Iam not what I appear, I am different.

I was born into a conservative soci-ety, yet I have been able to think freelyand openly. My small room had awider window than most; I could seemore of the world through it.

When I had my chance, I left mysmall room. I flew through my widewindow, to my university, to my firstprofession, to my capital city, to aneighboring country, and from there, toEurope, and on to the United States.

Yet in a sense I have never left mysmall room, and in a sense Ive donenothing but rebuild it, since I was veryyoung.

My apartment where I live is notlarge, my small room rests within it;in that sense I am a woman within awoman: a woman of two identities.

Why have I traveled? What haspushed me into the wider world? Warhas put wings on me, how people liveto deal with war has made me fly. Whydo people fight?

I come from a barely big country,only twenty seven million people livethere, yet there seems to be not enoughland and not enough oil, not enoughclay and not enough fruit for people toown and sell, make and eat what theywant without cheating each other forwhat exists, for not disputing the boun-ty of a great land, or, even, the bountyof a great religion.

War framed my youth. War boxed

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Opinion and Comment

Despite the horror with whichthe war party has received theWikiLeaks dump of secret diplo-

matic cables, at least some of therevelations were cheered. Thosewho have been agitating for anattack on Iran were pleased tosee cables apparently reportingthat the heads of Arab states alsofavor war.

As the New York Times putit, The documents seemed toshow several Arab nations, nota- bly Saudi Arabia, Irans rival forinfluence in the Persian Gulf, dis-playing such hostility that KingAbdullah repeatedly imploredWashington to cut off the headof the snake while there was stilltime.

This has created much relief

in the bomb Iran community,since until now it appeared thatIsrael was the only foreign coun-

try lobbying for an attack. But,editorialized the Times, As thecables show, the administrationhas been under pressure from both Israel and Arab states toattack Tehrans nuclear programpre-emptively.

The Times at least shouldhave written alleged nuclearprogram, since the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency, whichinspects Irans nuclear facilities(it is a signer of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), has repeat-edly certified that Iran has divert-ed none of its uranium to weap-ons production. Moreover, 16U.S. intelligence agencies agree

What is Real SchoolReform?by Ed Augden

Are the current, and previous,reform measures planned for north-east Denver Public Schools (DPS) trulyreform or just measures designed toperpetuate and enhance the authori-tarian governance structure in placein Denver and elsewhere for over 100years? That structure is part of anold paradigm meaning that schoolsare best run by a single, strong,

administrator rather than a collabora-tive governance body that representsall stakeholders students, parents,teachers, building administrators andcommunity members. Democraticreform would be bottom- up ratherthan the current top-down, especiallyat the school building level.

Senate Bill 191, enacted in the 2010session by the state General Assembly,is representative of the authoritarianmodel, which also lends itself to cro-nyism. Among its provisions are twothat focus on retaining current teach-ers, hiring new ones and principaland teacher evaluation. The principal,with input from two teachers, will,

according to SB 191, determine whatteachers are retained and who will behired. Also, the principals evaluationis partly determined by how the fac-ulty evaluates the principal. In manydistricts, such practices have becomecronyism. Principals with additionalauthority to hire without union ruleswill likely hire those teachers mostlikely to go along with the princi-pal. Thus, what has been practiceis now law. Certainly, there are ethi-cal administrators who have and willavoid such practices. But SB 191 doesnot prevent that practice. It likelyencourages it.

According to research compiled bythe Harvard Family Research Project(HFRP), only meaningful participation

by all stakeholders (previously men-tioned) in relationships based on trust,parental leadership and influence inthe reform process, shared author-ity and accountability between schooland community can create and enactauthentic public school reform. Sucha model necessitates a fundamen-tal change in the school governancemodel from authoritarian to a (repre-sentative) democratic one. Supportorganizations can be created to assistparents to develop the essential skillsto participate in creating the gover-nance model and administering it.

DPS Board of Education andadministration have not followedsuch a policy. Public meetings serveonly to inform and answer questionsfrom community members. Citizeninput into policy development is notencouraged except to endorse old andnew policies. Interested individuals orcommunity organizations have, essen-tially, no role in formulating schoolpolicy. To be sure, there are organi-

zations such as A+ Denver that existto rubber stamp and enhance DPSauthoritarian policies and procedures.Commentary (Sun., Nov. 21, 2010,Denver Post) by John Hereford, chairof the Turnaround Committee of A+Denver, well represented this authori-tarian paradigm. Hereford and, appar-ently, A+ Denver, conclude that DPS needs to significantly increasethe pace of turnarounds, implementthem with strong school principalsThats the same paradigm, the samemindset, utilized to enact reform.Consistently and predictably, it pro-duces the same results.

For proof that turnarounds, as

conceived by DPS, fail, examine theresults of the redesign of North HighSchool. To implement the redesign,the principal was reassigned and thefaculty was required to reapply fortheir positions. Most didnt and thenew principal, other new administra-tors and a new faculty struggled andfailed for two years. Most studentsand parents endured hardship whiletest scores declined, the dropout rateincreased and the student populationdeclined. Then, the principal was qui-etly reassigned to her previous schooland the district ignored the results.North High, even with a new princi-pal, has not recovered from the rede-sign. To date, neither the administra-tion nor the board have acknowledgedthis failure and now intend to embark on a similar, likely destructive andregressive, plan for Montbello HighSchool. Any wonder, many in theMontbello community lack confidencein the districts turnaround strategies?

For true reform to occur in DPS, anew paradigm, a new democratic wayof thinking and acting must evolve.And, a more scholarly approach must

be implemented. Successful reformmust be democratic and based onresearch rather than opinion.

Once more we must be mostthankful to Guerin Lee Green andthe North Denver News for inform-

ing all of us about what DougLinkhart wrote about to them con-cerning the Citys plan under theDenver Public Works Departmentto change how trash pickup will be radically altered in our neigh- borhoods.

Contrary to what Mr. Linkhartsays by the postive tone of hisapproval of this plan, I, my neigh- bors and I think many more of Denver residents will find this pro-posal to be most onerous.

We residents like the way ourtrash is picked up now with thedumpsters and trucks-not peopledoing the work now. One of thereasons this was done in the firstplace because of the many injuriesto the trash workers from liftingthat cost the city MILLIONS-or sothey told us. Were they lying tous then?

Also I remember the trashcans littering the alleyways andmoved often out of place. Anddogs and cats would climb on theand squirrels for food rappers andcans and wind blowing them andcars scraping them and knowingthem over. Also this will NOTstop unauthorized people fromstill putting items in these new

ones to avoid paying their owntrash removal.

We have always paid for this

with our taxes. Now what the cityis doing, under the guise of a bet-ter way is to open the pandora,s box and start a new billing thatwill always only grow once initi-ated. It will be like water bills orgas and electricity bills that havealways grown and they will rip usall off. Also thid billing will costa bunch to implement that theyforget to tell us all about. Andwhat are they going to do with allthe trucks rigged with equipmentto lift trash bins and all the binsand that tax money of ours alreadyinvested? This is a bait and switchtactic the city is using to say it is better when it is far worse and ourcouncil people need to be told wedo not want it-period. If ther wishto work against our will, I say letthey at their own political peril.

It is really just a trashy idea dis-guised is a wrapping paper to hideas best they can what they knowwe will thinks stinks.

Frank Galmish (60 year resi-dent of Denver)3946 Xavier St.

Denver, CO 80212

Letter to the Editor

that Iran is not making weap-ons. Iran says it wants a civiliannuclear capability, but that hasnot stopped American politicians,pundits, and reporters from rou-tinely pretending that a weaponsprogram is in progress.

That inconvenient fact aside,what are we to make of the

apparent endorsement of waragainst Iran by the heads of theArab states? As weve come toexpect with the war partys pro-paganda, theres less than meetsthe eye. Seasoned observers of the region say, the Times not-withstanding, that Arab leaders(not to mention the Arab people)fear an American war on Iran.

But a careful reading of allthe diplomatic cables reportingthe views of Saudi and other Gulf Arab regimes on Iran shows thatthe Times account seriously dis-torted the content and in thecase of the Saudis, ignored thecontext of the cables released by Wikileaks, write journalistsGareth Porter and Jim Lobe. Infact, the cables show that mostGulf Arab regimes includ-ing Saudi Arabia itself have been seriously concerned aboutthe consequences of a strikeagainst Iran for their own secu-rity, in sharp contrast to Israelsopen advocacy of such a strike.They also show the United ArabEmirates (UAE) and Kuwaitexpressing that concern withgreater urgency in the past twoyears than previously.

Porter and Lobe report thatthe Bush-era cables, in fact, showa far more moderate line amongthe Arab officials, with the focusnot on nuclear weapons but onIranian influence in Iraq. (Oncethe U.S. military ended SaddamHusseins Sunni regime, it was acertainty that Iranian-allied ShiaIraqis would dominate any new

government, such as U.S.- backedprime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.)Porter and Lobe write,

Even if [Saudi King] Abdullahhad in fact offered explicit sup-port for a military attack againstIran in the meeting with [Gen.David] Petraeus, however, thatwould not be a reliable indicator

of Saudi policy toward the issue,according to Chas Freeman, aveteran diplomat who servedas Washingtons ambassador toSaudi Arabia from 1989 to 1992and maintains contact with topSaudi officials.

Freeman told us that such astatement would fit a pattern of communication with the UnitedStates of ingratiating themselveswith their protector (emphasisadded).

According to Porter and Lobe,the WikiLeaks cables from theObama years reflect even lessinterest in military action againstIran. Officials of the United ArabEmirates, for example, repeat-edly expressed concern to U.S.representatives that an Israeliattack on Iran would destabilizethe region, and asserted thatthe way to reduce Iranian influ-ence would be for Israel and thePalestinians to reach a settlement.Those thirsting for war with Iranhave left those facts out of theiraccounts.

The American people werestampeded into war against Iraqthrough a shameless propagandaand disinformation campaign led

by government officials and facil-itated by prominent newspapers.We must not let the same thinghappen with Iran.

Sheldon Richman is senior

fellow at The Future of Freedom Foundation (www.fff.org) and

editor of The Freeman magazine.

Beware the Campaignfor War against Iran

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Struggling with peace, corruptionmy adolescence. And now, war pushesme far from my mother, sister, and cous-in, from my brother, from my fathersresting place; it keeps me from the loveand the business of my family, and myfamily from the good things of life. War

makes me awkward in the world. Ihave become an awkward adventurer.War taught me to cover myself care-

fully, to be humble and respectful.War has caused me to want to learn

history. I want to know history fromcreation to this moment, as my fingersfall to these keys.

War has not made me want to knowabout science or astrology or the moodsand methods of nature, yet I am inter-ested to know those things. But warhas made me want to know how to keeppeople safe and united. And thats whereI get to learn Conflict Resolution.

What I dont like, what I resist, whatI wish I did not have to learn are the rea-

sons for the difference of the colors of people, for the difference of languages,for the difference of wealth, of healthand of safety.

I see that people are kept like ani-mals, and I want to set them free toroam.

I see that people keep themselveslike animals, and I want them to opentheir cages and let in any visitor withoutfear.

I saw that I dreamed too much of peace and did too little to achieve it,even in my small room, so I came half the way around the world to try to helpthe world to be its beautiful inner self.

I wanted to enjoy art and poetry and

music and colors and water and flowersand food, and leave all of those goodthings to everyone else in the world, before I leave the world. But I saw thatI could not do so without peace. Forwhat are poetry and music and colorand water, bright flowers and goodfood without peace? They are too brief

moments that, really, are just explodingthings, because of war.

How can I be happy when every-thing I hold in my hands is like a gre-nade? I cannot be happy: happiness ispretending. So I forget my happinesswhile I studied Conflict Resolution.

I am an expression of conflict; it iscontinued on page 5

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inside; it is outside; small and large, itis what I think and feel. So I want toknow what it is as would a reporter of the news. I want to know the whatand where, the when, how andwhy of conflict. I want to classifyconflict the way that people classifyanimals: I want a cage for every typeof conflict. If I can do that I can man-age it.

Our class has started me along theroad to mastering the science of con-flict. I have begun to collect conflicts.I have begun to draw maps to conflictsand away from them too. The lines of my maps are historical, methodologi-cal, and ideological. I have begun to

pencil in the services: forms of gov-ernment, associations of governments,non-government agencies that help toreduce conflict. I have met writers tovisit again. I have learned of methodsto study further: I know that a new

road is as much a path to peace as is agood intention. I realize that justice isa high, dry place, and that corruptionis a swamp.

How do we start?After passing her TOEFL exam, my

sister and I had a few moments tocelebrate and to look forward to whatthe bright future might hold for her,as she had been furiously trying, forthe past two years, to apply for theMasters entry exam to study the field

she had been always attentive to. Thisthird attempt wasnt so different thanthe previous ones: she is being rejectedagain because theyd hidden her exami-nation book to give it to somebody elsewho has connection with the higheradministration of the University.

You know it is hopelessness when

you hear the word justice being used by hopeless people just to imply theopposite which is injustice. Being born to such conservative society, yetluckily being able to fly out of mywindow to see the world from differ-ent angle, I had the opportunity toexamine and later realized the kindof world I lived in, yet there is a lotto be seen, and to make sense of some

endemic phenomenaour society had longsuffered, which comesdown as injustice of allkinds. After studyingConflict Resolution,and with the help of

some people I metalong the road, I real-ized that injustice isthe expression of con-flict, no matter to whatlevel conflict exists,and that justice is thekey to conflict resolu-tion, and without itthere is only corrup-tion.

The problem of injustice is all overthe place, because corruption is every-where, it is within individual and fami-lies, groups and businesses, and gov-ernments. The dirty streets we walk inevery day is a sign of corruption. Theexpired product we buy at the grocerystore is corruption. The hefty villa of aProvincial Council member next to ashabby house is a sign of corruption.And, for sure, the shrouded womanwalking behind a man is corruption.

Before my graduation, and through-out all my school communication, Ireally believed I wanted to be a peace builder, in the international sense of theword as attractive as it sounds. It took me a while and some help to rethink

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A voice from Iraq

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Open HeartsOpen MindsOpen Doors

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what peace is and how its made. So Iwalked from interest in internationalaffairs to family affairs, without for-getting my original intention, only todiscover its even greater to deal with because realities or real word insti-gate from underneath.

Conflict is ever nested in my coun-try of birth. There is this endemic politi-cal conflict; there is this never-ending

religious conflict; there is social conflict;there is gender conflict, which impairsthe lives of women ridiculously.

So just like myself, my sister looksforward to democracy, but she wondersif being a woman still handicaps her.She wonders if justice is when onessuccess entails failure. And I wonderif I need to be a big belly politicianin order to build peace. How power isdefined? And who defines power? Willwe ever get over ourselves and acceptcorruption as a reality?

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Standing in front of a room full of people to speak effectively is a skillthat comes naturally for a few people but requires practice for most of us.As the speaker the focus of everyonesattention is directed at you. That pres-sure causes all sorts of things to hap-pen in the human body, some of ussweat, our stomach tight with nauseaor butterflies, our memory goes blank,our hands get cold, our mouth is dryor eyes are itchy. And those are just thephysical responses. Your mind has itsown battle to fight. You may wonderwhat you are doing, fear you wontremember what you have to say orworry about whether your message willreach the audience. Simultaneouslythe experience can feel purposeful,energizing and build confidence inyour ability to communicate.

Ive spent many years of my career

speaking in front of large groups of people. Over time with practice, Igained a comfort level with the respon-sibility. Communicating technical fac-tual information became easy but itwasnt a direct reflection of me. Iwanted to be just as comfortable speak-ing from the heart, so I could sharethe understandings Ive gained in mypath of self-awareness. It felt vulner-able and risky to express my personalexperience to a group, so I signed upfor a class to cultivate these skills. Itwas immediately apparent that theSpeaking Circle I attended was differ-ent than other presentation orientedtraining. There was no requirement

to have materials ready to present, infact it was against protocol to preparecontent in advance or even think itthrough while you were listening toothers speak. The intent of this groupwas to show-up, stay connected to theaudience, be present for whatever your body and mind were experiencing andcommunicate from your heart.

When it was my turn to speak, Iactually didnt have to speak. I couldstand there and say nothing. But Ihad to breathe and make sustainedindividual eye-contact with audiencemembers, no scanning the crowd. Realconnection with each person in theaudience allowed me to develop com-fort while their attention was on me.

With this approach, even though littlepersonal information was shared, I feltlike I knew the audience because I hadlooked into their eyes. Its challeng-ing to stay connected and receive thatattention. Yet the support of a roomfull of people who want you to suc-ceed and are holding space for you tolearn, helps you to relax your body andmind so the heart can speak. It takesdiscipline not to pre-think content youmight share once its your turn andstay available for the person speaking,tuned-in to their eyes and words. Ittakes courage to stand in front of theroom and allow your authentic self to

be seen and heard.Developing the ability to listen and

speak authentically can be appliedthroughout your life. It hones yourskills of presence to your connec-tion with others even in one-on-one orsmall group conversations. It bringsyour awareness to the false fear mes-sages from your body and mind; theanimal aspects of your nature thatset off those physical responses to thethreat of the herd facing you, ready toeat you alive or trample you. It alsoallows you to subtly reflect on whoyou are being for the world. Are youpresenting what you think the worldwants to see or your authentic Self?And if not your authentic Self, why areyou not worthy of the approval andattention that the false Self somehowdeserves? With practice you increasecomfort and confidence in speakingyour ideas and feelings to others. Andwhen you need to get in front of agroup of people to share a message or

just contribute your part to a meetingat work, you can notice your physicaland mental responses to the attention,take a deep breath, remember they arenot true and speak.

Denver Speaking Circles arefacilitated by professional coach PaulaFriedland information can be found atwww.paulafriedland.com The authorNatalie Cutsforth is a freelance writ-er, entrepreneur, clairvoyant readerand healer. Follow her on twitter atURintuitive and read her blog onaccessing your intuition at http://nat-aliecutsforth.com

Speaking from the Heartby Natalie Cutsforth

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re Here Rev. Dr. Betty BradfordRev. Kerry Greenhill

Open HeartsOpen MindsOpen Doors

A Reconciling Congregation

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December 2010Page 8 N orth D eNver N ews

There are an avalanche of new ath-letic shoes on the market, many makingclaims of miraculous muscle activationor toning effects. The marketing is wall-to-wall. So what to make of all this?

Mind, Body and Sole is a new storein Cherry Creek Mall, which blendsexpertise with the ability to try a newshoe on a treadmill. The shops staff has a more athletic bent than manyplaces hawking high priced kicks, but

their structured approach to walkingyou through the choices and givingyou a chance to run or stride in theirofferings is unique.

The increasing specialization of shoes is an enormous factor in makingfinding a shoe a real task; the real risk of injury stemming from a bad choicefrom something simple like blisters,to ruined ankles, plantar fasciitis andrepetitive motion damage to knees isnot trivial. Getting the right, shoe par-ticularly given the price, will have areal impact in your training.

What sets Mind Body Sole apartis that were creating a community of fitness-minded people centered aroundone of the most critical pieces of equip-ment for any level of physical activityor workout -- the shoes themselves.Our store associates are trained to pro-vide customers with the right footwearto meet their fitness needs, as well asshare information about communityactivities that match their health andwellness interests, and provide motiva-tion and inspiration, said Senior VicePresident-Marketing Will Smith.

As a partner in the health andwellness community, Mind Body Sole

stores feature Local Sole, a section of the store devoted to information aboutlocal fitness activities, classes, causesand groups. Store staff are activelyinvolved in the community and willidentify opportunities and share themwith customers as part of the shoppingexperience.

As for the fancy new shoes, I have been wearing a pair of the new SkecherSRT shoes with the kinetic wedge,that effectively pushes your weight for-ward. They are fantastically comfort-

able, and though I cant attestto any particular fitness virtue,they change your posture whenwalking you cant walk inthem slouched over. Whetherit is early winter stiffness or theshoes, my lower back has beentighter after wearing them, andclearly they are triggering somedifferent muscles from just

walking around. Some aware-ness is required to keep fromrolling an ankle, also probablya good thing for keeping your balance tuned up. All in all, theshoe is worth checking out, JoeMontana not withstanding.

Research NotesWorking out makes you feel young-

er (at least until you wake the next daystiff, sore or worse). In earlier storiesthis year, we have reviewed how the bodys adaptability caused it to literallychange muscle composition throughexposure to exercise. But a recently dis-covered mechanism connects exerciseto anti-aging effect.

New research from Tel AvivUniversity has found that enduranceexercises, like a jog or a spinningclass, can make us look younger. Thekey, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles.

Prof. Dafna Benayahu and her teamat Tel Aviv Universitys Sackler Schoolof Medicine say their findings explainfor the first time why older people whohave exercised throughout their livesage more gracefully. They have discov-ered how endurance exercise increasesthe number of muscle stem cells andenhances their ability to rejuvenate oldmuscles. The researchers hope theirfinding can lead to a new drug to helpthe elderly and immobilized heal their

muscles faster.The muscles and skeleton in our

Getting fit in 2010: Finding newkicks that work for youby Guerin Lee Green

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By Angela Sasseville, MA, LPC,NCC

My office is always busy thistime of year with adults seekingout support to prepare themselvesto spend the holidays with theirparents, in-laws and other relatives.They tell me how much they valuethis time and that theyre gratefultheyre able to spend it with thepeople they love. Then they tellme about the stressful part thatone relative or family dynamic that

usually pushes their buttons. Forsome this may be an overly criticalmother who seems to knit-pick atthem during the entire visit. Forothers its the relative who drinkstoo much and becomes belligerentas the day-long celebration wearson. Or perhaps its the unaddressedtension in the air as the family triesto ignore unresolved conflicts of years gone by.

Lets be honest. For a lot of people there are aspects about theirfamilies that they dont embrace.The combination of familiarity andannoying family patterns can some-times prompt them to say thingsthey would normally filter out or

to behave in ways they later regret.All of this causes an element of stress to follow them home for theholidays.

The truth is that you cant con-trol the behaviors of others but youalways have control over the wayyou choose to handle the situation.If you endeavor to be less reac-tive and more compassionate thisholiday season then set aside a fewminutes to create a new game planto address the stressors in yourfamily:

Step 1 Identify the fam-

ily dynamic or the individual thatpushes your buttons and gets youriled up.

Step 2 Take note of how younormally respond when this situ-ation arises. What do you noticein your body when this happens?Which emotions do you feel?What do you typically say or do inresponse? Is your typical responsecausing additional conflict betweenyou and your partner?

Step 3 Identifyhow you would like torespond. Ask yourself how the most mature,loving and forgiv-ing version of your-self would handle thesituation. Would yourespond the way younormally do? Wouldyou bite your tonguethis time? Or wouldyou simply let theissue roll off your back so that you dontstay stressed out andfocused on the prob-lem for the rest of theday? How would you

like to feel emotionally next time ithappens? How would you like tofeel physically next time?

Step 4 Close your eyes andplay the mental movie of how youwould like things to go. See thesame old annoying problem occur-ring again but this time you seeyourself handling the situation dif-ferently, according to the intentionsyouve set in step 3. Let this movierun through your mind a few times,each time envisioning yourself han-dling the problem gracefully andsuccessfully.

Step 5 When the family gather-ing occurs dont be surprised whenthe same annoying issue arises

again. See it as the opportunityto break your own patterns andimplement your new and improvedresponse. Then return your atten-tion to the joy and beauty of theday.

Angela Sasseville, MA, LPC,NCC is a licensed psychothera-pist and the director of FlourishCounseling, where her staff special-izes in strengthening adults and cou-ples. See www.FlourishCounseling.com or call 303-455-3767 for moreinformation.

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Page 11N orth D eNver N ewsDecember 2010

Metro StateJTOHprogramfills heartsby Renee Fajardo

Essence Montoya grew up ineast Denver. She is now a fresh-man at Metropolitan State Collegeof Denver majoring in biology.Her part time work study job iscoaching other Hispanic high schoolstudents at the Denver Justice HighSchool (45th and Shoshone), analternative school for at risk youth.According to Colorado Departmentof Education statistics, students likeMontoya have already beat theodds. Hispanics accounted for only55.9 percent of Colorado graduat-ing seniors in 2009. A recent NewYork Times article cited a study by the Pew Hispanic Center that

indicated nationally only 16 percentof Hispanic high school graduatesearn a four-year college degree byage 29. The sobering issues of thedisparity between Hispanic stu-dents and their Anglo counterpartsis being seriously addressed bypost-secondary educators nation-wide.

For Montoya one driving force behind her drive to succeed as afirst year college student is some-thing that statistics do not address.It is a deep passion to give back tocommunity that may make the dif-ference.

Montoya is part of the Journey

Through Our Heritage (JTOH)program at MSCD Department of Chicana/o Studies. The unique proj-ect was inspired by MSCD DeputyProvost DR. Luis Torres and hiswife Anna Torres in the late 90s.The premise behind JTOH was tocreate a program that would inspireHispanic college students to gradu-ate and also encourage Hispanichigh school students to attend col-lege.

Our daughters were involvedin high school with Odyssey of the Mind. It is a national programwhere teams compete against eachin academic and scientific endeav-ors. Said Dr.Torres. My wife, whoholds a degree in sociology fromthe University of Washington andgrew up in the small town of Iliff in eastern Colorado. She thought itwould be wonderful if Hispanic andNative American students, especial-ly from schools where extracurricu-lar activities are limited by econom-ic resources, could have a similarexperience but one that was focusedon their cultural heritage.

The benefits of such a programwere evident when Dr. Torres metwith the Denver Public Schools,

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Hispanic Education AdvisoryCouncil in 1997. Committee mem- ber, now Denver city councilwom-an Paula Sandoval, coined the term Journey Through Our heritage andthe rest is history.

According to Dr. Torres, the con-cept was to create a team of MSCDcollege students who would act asmentors and positive role models

to coach local high school teams tocompete in an academic knowledge bowl. The fledgling program hasflourished in the past ten years.

see METRO on 12

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Today JTOH has a team of twen-ty college mentor/coaches whowork in 13 different high schoolsstate-wide. They partner with 15

different non-profits that serve theneeds of Hispanic, African Americaand Native American communities.In addition to hosting three compe-titions for the high school teamson the Auraria campus a year, the JTOH MSCD team also tutor intheir respective high schools, hostnumerous yearly events includinga Peace and Justice Conference,Dia de Los Muertos educationalworkshops, Poetry Slams duringnational Poetry Month in April anda monthly cultural concert series atthe Aurora Fox Theater.

We are a group of verypassionate students. Smiled

Montoya, We look at ourselvesas a family and have a tremendousamount of desire to ensure that notonly do we get an education butthat our brothers and sisters who

come after us will graduate fromhigh school and college. I know Imust be on top of my game at col-lege to help those high school stu-dents who are wondering if theycan make it in college.

Dr. Ramon Del Castillo, ChicanoStudies Department chairman (andNorth Denver resident), pointedout that the JTOH program is morethan just a competition for the highschool teams. It is a way to formcommunity at the college long before the high students come toMSCD and once there a way toensure they have a place wherethey feel they belong. We want thestudents, high school and collegealike, to know that they are valu-able, that their contributions countand that we are backing them 100percent on every level at MSCD.

MSCD Journey Through OurHeritage program is recruiting highschool teams. If you are interestedin more information please visitwww.mscd.edu/journey or call3030-556-3032

Metro program createscommunitycontinued from page ELEVEN

Winter driving preparednessBecause more crashes involving

property damage occur during thewinter months than at any other time,AAA Colorado encourages motoristto prepare their car for winter drivingconditions and to be cautious while onthe road.

Prepare your vehicleMake sure your vehicle is prepared

for winter driving. AAA offers the fol-lowing tips for preparing to drive on

winter roads:Have the battery and charging sys-

tem tested. A fully charged battery ingood condition is required to start anengine in cold weather.

Have the brakes checked to ensurethey work properly and apply smooth-

ly, which helps prevent the wheelsfrom locking on slick surfaces.

Make sure tires are properlyinflated. Under-inflated tires can bedangerous, and may suffer damage.Remember, the air pressure in yourtires will decrease 1-2 psi for every 10degree drop in outside temperature.

Make sure the engine coolant pro-vides anti-freeze protection down tothe lowest temperatures you are likely

to encounter.Visibility is

critical in adverseweather condi-tions. Replaceworn windshieldwipers thatstreak and besure the washerreservoir is filledwith a wintersolvent that willnot freeze.

Carry a win-ter driving kit foruse in the eventof an emergency.The kit should

include a small bag of abrasive mate-rial such as kitty litter, a small shovel,a snow brush, an ice scraper, flashlightwith new batteries, window washersolvent, extra warm clothes, drinkingwater and non-perishable food.

Carry a car charger for your phone.

Program the phone with importantnumbers including a reliable roadsideservice provider that will be able toassist your during inclement weather.AAA members needing emergencyroad service can call 303-753-8800 inthe Denver metro area. Elsewhere inColorado and throughout the U.S. call1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357).

Drive with cautionWhen taking to the road during

winter weather, remember to drivewith caution to help maintain yoursafety as well as that of passengers, fel-low motorists and roadside workers.

Before starting out in snowy weath-er, take time to remove the snow from

the entire car so it doesnt blow ontoyour windshield. Make sure your mir-rors and lights are clear as well.

Allow sufficient room for main-tenance vehicles and plows. Stay atleast 15 car lengths (200 feet) back and,if you need to pass, go to the othervehicles left.

Watch for icy surfaces on bridges,

even when the rest of the road seemsin good condition.If you get stuck in snow, straighten

the wheel and accelerate slowly. Addsand or cat litter under the wheels tohelp avoid spinning the tires.

If your tires lose traction on ice,continue to look and steer in the direc-tion you want to go. If the wheels startto spin or slide while going up a hill,ease off the accelerator slightly andthen gently resume speed.

Look farther ahead in traffic.Actions by other drivers will alert youto problems and give you extra sec-onds to react.

When changing lanes, avoid cut-

ting in front of trucks, which needmore time and distance than passen-ger vehicles to stop.

Dont use cruise control in precipi-tation and freezing temperatures.

Remember that four-wheel drivehelps you to get going quicker, but itwont help you stop any faster.