HuffingtonPost.Com Posted: 12/03/2013 12:43 pm EST | Updated: 12/03/2013 12:57 pm EST
Pot Plant
It looked like a done deal, but a controversial decision by the Denver City Council that would have banned legal recreational marijuana use in public view on private property went up in smoke Monday.
One of Denver’s city council members reversed his original decision on the marijuana use ordinance, citing concerns about private property rights and the enforceability of the ban which appeared poised to pass just last week.
“It’s setting a false expectation up,” said Councilman Albus Brooks, who flipped his vote on the ban. “Because we’re not going to address this issue. We don’t have the resources to do it.”
Now if the ordinance becomes law after a final vote next Monday, Denver residents will be allowed to smoke pot anywhere on their properties whether they are in their homes, in their backyards, or on their front porches in plain sight of their neighbors. If pot smokers are at someone else’s house, they would need permission from the owner of that property.
Previously, smoking marijuana in public view could have amounted to about a $1,000 fine.
The sudden reversal of the front porch pot ban came as a surprise, since council members had just voted in favor of the ban last Monday and had been expected to take a final vote to make the ordinance law.
“This has been like a pingpong game,” said Councilwoman Susan Shepherd, according to The Denver Post. Her reversal amendment against the ban passed 7-6. Read more…
With the legalization of the sale of marijuana coming into effect in Colorado on January 1st, everyone in the Centennial State has been getting ready for the bloodshot eyes of the nation to be on them. In that spirit, the Denver Post has hired a marijuana editor, and their introductory interview with him is pretty amazing.
Ricardo Baca, who covered entertainment and music for the newspaper for the past twelve years, will be taking over the post. He seems pretty excited.
Does he smoke weed?
“The short answer: I’ve covered concerts for a living over the last 15 years. That means hanging out with musicians, working with people in the industry, attending music festivals in Austin and the Coachella valley and New York and L.A. So yes.
Will he share the “beat” with the other reporters in the newsroom?
My colleagues who first approached me about this job told me that I will have access to reporters throughout the newsroom, and the entire staff knows that this is our biggest initiative for the coming year. Best of all, the staff wants to be involved because we’re all professional journalists and this behemoth of a story is the real deal.
Will there be a marijuana critic?
We are absolutely hiring a freelance pot critic. And a freelance pot advice columnist. And a freelance video game writer. What we’re doing here is covering cannabis culture and news from a professional, journalistic and critical point of view. If you think you have something to offer: rbaca@denverpost.com. Read more…
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From Forbes.Com SPORTSMONEY 11/26/2013 @ 11:59AM $24 Million Investment In DraftKings Should Shake Up The Daily Fantasy Sports Space
“The biggest news in the daily fantasy sports space to date was the $11 million in Series C financing received by market leader FanDuel in January. It demonstrated that despite lingering concerns regarding the legality of such offerings, major venture capital firms including Comcast Ventures are willing to invest hefty dollars into these start-ups in order to capture the continual growth in the world of fantasy sports. Today’s announcement by FanDuel competitor DraftKings reiterates the implied security that venture capital companies must maintain, because the money keeps pouring in.”
“Boston-based DraftKings, Inc. has just declared that it closed a $24 million Series B round of funding led by Redpoint Ventures, with participation by GGV Capital, Atlas Venture, and BDS Ventures. This great source of financing comes only 6 months after DraftKings closed a $7 million Series A round led by Atlas Venture (also involved in the new round). Combined with the $1.4 million in seed capital DraftKings received in April 2012, the company has secured a total of $35 million from outside sources (DraftKings’ Series A remained open and ended at more than $10 million in funding). A very impressive number for a company that has been in existence for less than 2 years.” read more…
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Torres Mexican Restaurant
1597 So. Federal Blvd.
Denver, CO 80219
PH: 303-934-8857
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”
Confucius
I know the extent of my ignorance. My knowledge of the rules of English grammar is not 100%, and I know that for a fact. Sure, it doesn’t matter for the 99% who either don’t know any better or just don’t give a damn! But the grammar meanies know all the rules and, by gosh, they’ll call you on it. So I’ll write away, blissfully unaware of my grammatical errors, hoping the reader will be able to understand what I’m trying to say. The grammar patrol can go end themselves with a preposition.
Anyway, having said that, let’s get down to business.
And the business is Torres Mexican Restaurant on the ¹Federal Strip in Denver, Colorado.
One of (3) Torres' Dining Rooms
From the high-quality, rich-wood dining chairs and cozy booths to the modern, newly remodeled bathrooms—to the respectful and polite servers in their smart, black & white uniforms, this place is all class. And I haven’t said a word about the fishbowl (size) margaritas or the cool bar area with a few booths and tables for dining (my favorite area.)
Traditional Mexican food served unpretentiously, yet respectfully, in a family-friendly, homey restaurant is what Torres is all about. The energy is high; the restaurant is spotless; the owners and staff aim to please, and they do.
The food is classic Mexican: Botanas (appetizers) including NACHOS ($6.75 – $10.05,) CHICKEN WINGS, FRIES, CALAMARI and more; ²FAJITAS: (steak & chicken $13.95,) (de camaron $16.90;) CARNITAS ($12.95,) TAQUITOS (3-pork $8.50,) TACOS (1 chicken or beef $2.10;) and FLAUTAS, BURRITOS, ENCHILADAS, TOSTADAS etc. View Torres’ menu here for all items and prices.
The high-quality chairs somehow remind me of a bull—standing its ground, perhaps due to the sturdiness of the strong, rich wood, and (one can’t really tell from the photo) the fact that the chair-legs and backs are poised like a strong bull.
One of (3) Torres dining rooms
Also on the menu you’ll find: Desayunos (BREAKFAST items ($2.60 – $9.75;) COMBINATIONS ($7.85-$10.60;) STEAK (here’s one of four on the menu:) Mexican T-bone served with potatoes, rice, beans and salad ($17.50;) SALADS; SEAFOOD: for example – BANQUET MARINARO with shrimp, oysters, fish, ceviche and more ($29.15,) or 7 MARES: combo seafood soup w/2 tortillas ($18.95;) SANDWICHES, TORTAS, BURGERS, VEGETARIAN items and DESSERTS are available, such as FLAN ($4.05.)
One of our favorite menu items is the Combination Burrito, smothered with: lettuce, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, shredded beef, ground beef, chicken, chicharones and beans ($6.95.)
Torres' Bar
The little bar is the center attraction serving everything from giant Margaritas ($8) to regular size Margs and pitchers, wines from ($4.00,) and all of the full bar choices, including Courvoisier and Tres Generations. Note the large mounted fish above the bar.
Torres' Jumbo Margarita
On those fair-weather days one can enjoy the patio under an umbrella.
This is a Moon video from The Old Farmer’s Almanac
“November’s full Moon was called the Beaver Moon because it was the time to set traps, before the waters froze over. This Moon was also called the Full Frost Moon.”
Full Beaver Moon – November 17th at 7:16 A.M. Las Vegas Time
Back in the day, whenever the Halloween Season rolled around, I distinctly remember beating the “drum” (the dash on my black ’58 Impala) to the beat of Mel Taylor’s drums on Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s Monster Mash playing on the A.M. car radio.
Luckily the song has withstood the test of time and I’ve been loving it over the years.
I made a Halloween video in 2008 with a few bars of the song as background music and have been sharing it on this popular holiday.
Uploaded on Oct 29, 2008
Have a spooky Halloween: Screaming ghosts with Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s Monster Mash recording in background.
This is the LasVegasBuffetClub’s video
Although this video is five years old, it holds up as well as Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s Monster Mash which has been around since the 60s. One of the best set of drum riffs EVER.
Mel Taylor was the longtime drummer for The Ventures from 1962 to 1996. He was the older brother of Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor. Taylor’s obit in the NY Times said that before joining the Ventures, he was a studio drummer in L.A., and that he was the drummer on Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash.”
The “Monster Mash” single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 20 of 1962.
The piano player on “Monster Mash” reportedly was Leon Russell, however, others report: “while pianist Leon Russell, who arrived late for the session, appears on the single’s instrumental B-side”
Musicians:
Bobby “Boris” Pickett: vocals, bass
Gary Paxton: guitar
Leon Russell: piano
Mel Taylor: drums
Johnny MacRae: vocals
Rickie Page: vocals
This is the entire song – added to video clips – from soulrocket’s channel.
And here’s a clip of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s performing the song on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, October 13, 1964.
THIS IS AN OLDER POST from May 17th, 2013. Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino is now open for business.
Terrible’s Casino to become Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino
By HOWARD STUTZ
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL Posted May 17, 2013 – 10:51am
The cowboy is headed for boot hill.
Affinity Gaming will begin the process next week [May 19, 2013] of renovating the company’s off-Strip Terrible’s Casino at the corner of Paradise and East Flamingo roads to a new name — Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino.
The Terrible’s marquee and signage — including the large Terrible’s cowboy logo — will be removed by the end of the week. The new name and signage should be installed by late June in time for July 7 unveiling.
7-7, get it?
General Manager David Nolan and the new name reflects Nevada (silver) and gambling (lucky No. 7).
“We wanted something that brings back the classic vintage Las Vegas experience,” Nolan said. “The process started a few months ago and we had a lot of ideas. Silver Sevens reflects our goal.”
Nolan oversaw a $7 million renovation of the property’s 60,000 square-foot casino and 327 rooms that was completed in December. He said the changes, including a reconfiguration or the gaming pit, new carpeting and a center bar near the William Hill-operated race and sports book, were part of preparing for the new name.
Hotel rooms received new furniture and bathroom fixtures. A new hospitality suite and a new players club and welcome center combination were added.
The relaunch of the property as Silver Sevens will include a new website and other marketing efforts that will begin on July 7.
[Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino is now open for business.]
Affinity Gaming, which owns a dozen casinos in Nevada, Colorado, Iowa and Missouri, was created following the bankruptcy reorganization of Herbst Gaming in December 2010 read more…
The following video, featuring Amy Nieskens, is from The Old Farmer’s Almanac
The Moon will be 100% full October 18, 2013 at 4:37 P.M. Las Vegas time.
From The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Some Native American tribes referred to this Moon as the Full Hunter’s Moon, as it was the time to go hunting in preparation for winter.
It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long.
This full Moon is also called the Travel Moon and the Dying Grass Moon.
From The Huffington Post The Huffington Post | By Sara Gates | Posted: 10/16/13 EDT
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse 2013: Earth’s Shadow To Fall On Full Moon On Friday, Oct. 18
October’s full moon has a bonus in store for skywatchers this year.
A penumbral lunar eclipse — so called because only the incomplete outer portion of the Earth’s shadow, or penumbra, falls across the moon — is expected to reach its deepest point at 7:50 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 18.
Unlike total eclipses, in which Earth’s umbra — the central region of its shadow — darkens the moon entirely, a penumbral lunar eclipse involves only a slight dimming. Skywatchers should expect to see a much more subtle sight — with a shadow on the lower half of the full moon — like the eclipse pictured below. More from The Huffpost.
All Hail Columbus Day, 2013 by David Yeagley · October 13, 2013 Reposted from David Yeagley’s BAD EAGLE website
David Yeagley is the great-great-grandson of Comanche leader Bad Eagle.
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), who sailed for Spain in 1492, at the age of 41.
Of course, the liberal tradition capitalizes on condemnation and lamentation, therefore, Columbus is a major target. The entire “plight” of the Western Hemisphere is romantically (and immaturely) blamed on the adventures of Cristóbal Colón (1451-1506).
But let’s examine a few major points of interest regarding the man and his times.
1. Columbus never met an American Indian. The Taino and Carib Indians (of the islands Columbus landed on) were Arawak, from Venezuela. American Indian protest is a bit misguided, therefore. After all, it is not Arawak, Aztec, or Eskimo who are named in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States. It is the American Indian. None other.
Yes, Columbus misnamed the people he encountered. Having never traveled east, to the Orient, he had not accurate idea of the what the Hindu people looked like. He initially assumed he has landed on India’s shores.
Of course he wasn’t the first non-American Indian person to land in the American continent. Everyone’s claiming that status these days, like the Chinese, the Africans, the Muslims, etc. (Never mind the Vikings, or even the Irish!) It is a circus of historical theory at this point. What Columbus did was map out a route that could be re-traveled by others, (at least Europeans). For that, he is indeed responsible.
2. As in the case of many great men, men of galactic vision, Columbus was imprisoned by his own government. In October of 1500, nearly eight years to the day since is first Western landing, Columbus, already in chains at the end of this Third Voyage, was jailed in the southwestern Spanish port of Cádiz. He was mocked, and considered, by his own government, a tyrannist in the New World.
His physical sufferings during the Second Voyage, including everything from dysentery to gout and Reiter’s syndrome, to occasional blindness. He lay bed-fast for months, during times which should have been triumphant for him.
The natural discouragement of illness and physical misery, plus the heaven-daring irony which Castile seemed determine to inflict upon it’s greatest hero, must have been nigh unbearable. Only a giant of a man could endure such conflict, personal and physical. – Read more from the Bad Eagle Website:
This is a quick, update post – Patsy’s has been reviewed before (there’s a link at the bottom of this post.) Pardon my grammar, the editor is otherwise indisposed, and I wanted to get this out there. Story by William Carbone
Patsy's Italian Restaurant
Patsy’s Italian Restaurant
3651 Navajo Street
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 477-8910
Mural in Patsy's dining room
Mural on the north-side-wall of Patsy’s: did someone tell me that an itinerant artist painted this mural for food and a room to sleep above the restaurant – or did I imagine this?
“With a history that spans more than 80 years, Patsy’s Italian Restaurant is Denver’s oldest Italian restaurant. Founded in 1921 by the Aiello family, Patsy’s has undergone a few changes over the years but the heart and soul of tradition have remained the same” read more…
One thing that hasn’t remained the same is the food. I’m laying down my cards here, saying that the food is getting better, probably better than anytime in Patsy’s long history – not that I’ve been around for all of those years. I’ve been enjoying the pasta since the 60s. That was when business-men in suits and ties, and secretaries with stiff-hair would drive up from downtown Denver to lunch. So what’s new besides transplants moving into the Lower Highlands neighborhood and joining long-time locals who have been returning to the restaurant, week after week, since the days when Patsy’s was in the center of *Denver’s Little Italy?
It’s 2013, tons of sophisticated transplants are moving to the Lower Highlands and diners are generally becoming more hip to the nuances of restaurants/food. Someone at Patsy’s is doing a good job raising the bar. That would (most) probably be (a relative of Chubby Aiello, the original owner) Ron Cito, and Kim Delancey, the current owners.
The homemade noodles and the other traditional Italian dishes have always been good. The soups, salads and desserts, always good. The bar has always been impeccably, vintage cool.
The food – though still based in tradition – has become more sophisticated. The marinara sauce has been jacked-up, jacked-up with garlic. Owner Ron Cito shared his secret of the great, gastronomic, garlic flavor: he steams the garlic. Other food items are more subtly seasoned, and there are, in addition to standard, old-school favorites, new creative dishes on the menu.
This, in my opinion, is Patsy’s signature dish: Homemade Spaghetti with meatball or sausage, served with soup or salad and bread ($10.75.)
The elegant Italian Fried (Ruby) Trout served with garlic cream spaghetti, soup or salad and bread ($13.75.)
What else is new? The restaurant itself is a time-capsule from the 1920s, definitely not new. The owners and staff are new. The service is generally good, sometimes it’s a notch above good. We do miss “Sherrie,” who was a real asset to the business.
*In the late 1800s and the first half or so of the 1900s the area in Denver between Broadway and Zuni Streets on the east and west and 46th and 32nd Avenues on the north and south was known as “Little Italy”. It was an area of Italian grocery stores and bakeries, community bread ovens, churches, and schools; an area where a new wave of immigrants from all over Italy moved to and where they were comfortable and socially secure in this new country read more…
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