Mark Smiley, Author at Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle

Shopping Script At The Bookies Brings Happiness Home For The Holidays

by Mark Smiley | Nov 20, 2017 | Feature Story Bottom Left

More And More Shoppers Bookmark This Independent Bookstore As Tranquil, Helpful And Bursting With Gift Ideas

Hey holiday shoppers, are you feeling overwhelmed? Are kids and chaos erupting from your shopping cart? Feel like collapsing on the couch with a glass of wine and waving the white flag of defeat?

As holiday shopping peaks in the big chain stores and begins to combine with parking headaches, road closures and congestion, much of the Cherry Creek shopping district is expected to reach paralysis. This year more than ever shopping is experiencing more than its share of killer plot twists. That’s why Glendale’s 45-year-old independently owned bookstore The Bookies is such electrifying news: It’s filled with stories, games, craft kits, gifts, plots and twists in all the store’s fun nooks and crannies.

For decades The Bookies has been the byword for inviting, comfortable and relaxed shopping during the holidays or any season. Like a good book, customers keep coming back to make sure they’ve read the last bit correctly. Or maybe missed something special. Regular shoppers tell the Chronicle, “Once you’ve been to the store it’s like getting to the end of a book and wanting to flip it over and start at the beginning again.”

Helpful Staff

After not being greeted and unable to find help in the Valley’s growing list of corporate stores, it’s the helpful, hands-on approach of The Bookies’ staff that’s so exceptional.

As we perused the aisles along with a multitude of customers and kids in tranquil, relaxing surroundings, it is the selection and incredibly helpful staff that is so noticeable. The staff is respectful to everyone who walks through the door and enjoys helping both kids and adults. Moreover, beyond being knowledgeable and quick to provide assistance and advice, they seem to enjoy what they’re doing. Nowhere else will you find comparable or as consistent customer care and concern.

As the Valley’s street and store traffic started to clog with befuddled customers, the employees took the Chronicle on a walk through The Bookies shopping intersections to give shoppers a peak at the dazzling gift options:

Jaw-Dropping Gifts

The Bookies is much bigger than it appears on the outside and they seem to have everything from puzzles and toys to games and books. They have stickers and crafts projects and neat little gizmos, not to mention the newest pens, pencils and coloring utensils.

To get the season started be sure to pick up a supply of Table Topics for when holiday guests arrive or to keep holiday parties and family gatherings going. They’re wonderful discussion starters for all ages.

To help speed up your holiday shopping and be confident in the purchase, gift-giving ideas are arranged by age so the gifts won’t be abandoned shortly after they’re opened. Your idea list is fine-tuned by age and so you won’t forget toddlers, older children or the old timers:

Ages Three & Up

Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty: Great for stocking stuffers with names like Evergreen, Ornament, Icicle and Gelt.

Twister Tracks: Youngsters can design their own track and send their LED racecar cruising. Kids can easily change the direction and shape of the raceway.

Ages Four & Up

Snow White: This fairytale puzzle game introduces young children to logical thinking and can be played in two different ways. Best as gifts for ages four and five.

Soggy Doggy: Kids race around the board washing Soggy Doggy in the bathtub. But they have to be careful; if he shakes water it’s back to the start.

Ages Six & Up

Roller Coaster Challenge: Single player game in which the player twists and turns their mind in an attempt to solve 40 different roller coaster challenges of varying difficulty. When the player believes the challenge is solved they give the car a push and watch it glide down the track to the finish line. Has easy, medium, hard and super hard levels of play.

Bellz!: Compact travel pouch game that can be taken anywhere. Players use the magnet wand to pick up the 10 bells in their color. The first person to complete the task wins. Fun but tricky!

Ages Seven & Up

Whipple Craft Creations: Youngsters have fun decorating a two-tier cake, cupcake, ice cream, macaroons and other yummy treats. Everything needed to craft your own fancy collectibles. You’re your own pastry chef but remember they are for display only.

Ages Eight To Adult

Kingdomino: Game of the year winner in Germany. Players build their 5 x 5 Kingdom connecting dominoes and crowns. Strategy and luck make every game different.

Slapzi & Snapzi: A fast matching, card slapping picture game that now has an ex-tension. Snapzi will make the original game even more fun and challenging.

Cat Crimes: Using logic players try to figure out which cat committed the crime. There are 40 quick mysteries culminating in an “expert” level challenge.

Sock It To Me: Fun and funky socks for kids and adults that make fun gifts. Cool designs including holiday choices to unleash the person’s inner super hero.

I Love Colorado Puzzle: A holiday gift the entire family will enjoy putting together. The 1,000 pieces feature iconic Colorado scenes from the past.

Book Ideas For Kids

Yak & Dove: A funny, charming book about complete opposites written by Kyo Macleak and beautifully illustrated by Esme Shapiro. Yak has fur and Dove has feathers. Yak is polite. Dove is ill mannered. Story whimsically captures the highs and lows of friendship through three interconnected tales of two very different friends.

Her Right Foot: A splendid nonfiction picture book for kids by Dave Eggers that casually conveys a powerful message about the Statue of Liberty. About more than history or art, what the book discovers in the Statue’s right foot is a message of acceptance. Book conveys an important, timely message for the times in which we currently live in a fun and fascinating way.

Wishtree: By Newbery Award author Katherine Applegate, this is a moving friendship story that tackles anti-Muslim bigotry. The instance of hate is when a boy carves the word “leave” into their tree. The author crafts it into a sweet story laced with factual information about trees and animals in short chapters with illustrations.

Turtles All The Way Down: Another young adult classic from author John Green that will resonate with today’s teenagers. In the beginning this novel seems like a conventional mystery. But as you continue it’s clear the author’s main focus is the teenage friendships and love interests, but with a twist in the telling.

Prisoner Of Azkaban: This is the third installment in the Harry Potter series and is darker, more complex and thus will appeal to older kids. Harry is back at Hogwarts Scho

ol of Witchcraft & Wizardry with Ron and Hermione. JK Rowling’s words improve with each book while her characters remain funny and realistic.

A Journey Through A History Of Magic: For aspiring witches and wizards or any Harry Potter fan this 20th Anniversary book is a perfect gift. Created to support the British Library’s Potter exhibition, it is a romp through the history of magic from alchemy to unicorns, ancient witchcraft to Harry’s Hogwarts.

Adult In Season Books

The Rooster Bar: Former attorney and bestselling author John Grisham’s newest legal thriller takes the reader inside a law firm that’s on shaky ground. A trio of students are attending the for-profit law school seeking to escape debt by exposing a ba

nk and the law school scam but will have to leave the school short of graduation.

Code Girls: Research and interviews by journalist and bestselling author Liza Mundy bring to life the fascinating story of how 10,000 young women recruited by the Army and Navy cracked the German and Japanese military codes. Riveting reading reveals the courage, service and accomplishment of these women during World War II.

Milk Street: For chefs, foodies and those who enjoy good food on your holiday list this book is the perfect gift. It has more than 125 recipes arranged by type of dish. They teach a simpler, bolder, healthier way to cook. Moreover, cooking will become an act of pure pleasure rather than a chore.

Grant: For those on your holiday list that love history this is an ideal gift, bringing to life one of the most underappreciated presidents. Prizewinning author Ron Chernow gives a rich and sensitive portrait of Grant from West Point cadet to civilian failure to triumphant general, written with honesty.

Gift-wrapping is complimentary at The Bookies during the holidays and throughout the year. Located just two blocks east of Colorado Blvd. on Mississippi, this is your perfect shopping script for bringing happiness home for the holidays. Information: 303-759-1117.

Racial Profiling Lives On: Denver Police Refuse To Implement Audit Recommendations

by Mark Smiley | Nov 20, 2017 | General Featured

by Glen Richardson

Denver Police have not implemented any recommendations from a 2016 audit meant to help officers avoid racial bias in patrol duties, a follow-up report in September 2017 finds. Denver Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien, CPA, made his original recommendations in a January 2016 audit of police operations, including updates to biased policing policies and demographic data collection.

“It’s important for Denver Police policies to protect and serve all people equally,” explains Auditor O’Brien. “There is no way to tell if officers are stopping people without bias regarding race, gender or age if officers choose not to document demographic data.”

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Racial profiling refers to the practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Criminal profiling, generally, as practiced by police, is the reliance on a group of characteristics they believe to be associated with crime. Examples of racial profiling are the use of race to determine which drivers to stop for minor traffic violations or the use of race to determine which pedestrians to search for illegal contraband.

Secret House Surveys

The previously agreed-upon recommendation involved communicating with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for options on how to utilize the Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT). This tool could help officers evaluate the effectiveness of community policing efforts over time. Instead, Denver Police said it conducted other surveys to get input from staff. The Denver Police Foundation also conducted an independent community survey. Auditors were unable to see these survey results or the contents of the survey. Denver Police shared no information regarding the independent survey, which the Denver Police Protective Association (PPA) keeps for internal purposes.

“We cannot assess whether either survey met the spirit of or captured content similar to the CP-SAT survey,” the follow-up report says. “As a result, we consider this recommendation as having not been implemented,” the report concludes.

Other recommendations the department previously disagreed with included updating its Biased-Policing Policy to include an annual assessment of collected demographic data, and requiring officers to collect data for all pedestrian and traffic self-initiated contact. Currently, officers only collect this data for encounters that lead to a citation, arrest or street check.

Double Standard?

Within weeks following the auditor’s report, an overwhelming majority of Denver police officers say they have no confidence in the ability of Chief Robert White to lead the department. In a news conference on Oct. 24 Denver Police Protective Assn. President Nick Rogers announced than a survey of 582 union members yielded a 94 percent “no confidence” vote.

The vote, according to PPA, reflects a perception by the rank and file officers that there exists a lack of transparency within the police administration and a double standard applies to conduct of high-ranking members of the police administration,” Rogers told the conference.

When asked if the union had ever issued a “no confidence” vote before. Rogers replied, “Never.”

PR Policing Policy

The police department has long touted its community-oriented policing philosophy. Denver Police first incorporated community policing into its operations in the 1980s. However, without demographic data from police encounters there is no way to ensure community-policing efforts are effective or equitable. The department says it has communicated with stakeholders, including community leaders, about ways to collect more information. However, there is no plan in place at this time for collecting personal data from individuals about interactions with police.

The Department of Public Safety has not implemented any of the recommendations made in the Police Operations — District Patrol audit report. Accordingly, Auditor O’Brien has determined that the risk associated with the audit team’s initial findings has not been mitigated.

Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien, CPA, has more than 40 years of auditing and accounting experience and strives to bring greater clarity, transparency and accountability to Denver’s city government for its residents. Elected in 2015, he is distinguished from his predecessors by being an actual professional auditor. He is a licensed Certified Professional Accountant and holds the designations of Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Global Management Accountant.

On To Greener Pitches: Celebrating Hannah Stolba And Carmen Farmer

by Mark Smiley | Nov 20, 2017 | Glendale City News

by John Arthur
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale

GLENDALE, CO – OCTOBER 7: Glendale Merlins Women vs Berkley All Blues at Infinity Park on October 7, 2017 in Glendale, Colorado. (Photo by Seth McConnell)

As Glendale prepares for the 2018 launch of Major League Rugby, the town also honors its storied history of attracting talented players. Two veteran Glendale ruggers, Hannah Stolba and Carmen Farmer, announced at the final home match at Infinity Park in October that they would hang up their cleats at season’s end. Even in retirement, however, both of these exceptional players intend to remain involved with the sport and with Glendale.

Stolba was born in Montana, and grew up playing basketball, eventually being awarded a basketball scholarship to Minnesota State University, Mankato. She picked up rugby during the offseason on the advice of a friend, and took to the sport quickly, “I loved it. I fell in love with the game and the challenge and mostly the people. Rugby was much more free form and I enjoyed that.” Before finishing college, Stolba began playing for the Minnesota Valkyries, even touring with the club’s Under-23 team in New Zealand.

After finishing college Stolba moved to Minneapolis and continued playing with the Valkyries for another six years, moving to Colorado in 2011. Among her many accolades, Stolba played with the USA Women’s Rugby Team from 2012 through the 2014 World Cup. Following the 2014 season, she casually mentions that she “thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail” (the longest footpath in the world, the nearly 2,200 mile trail stretches from Maine to Georgia), before spending six months playing and coaching in New Zealand in 2016.

Stolba says she chose Colorado not just for the outdoor lifestyle the state is famous for, but also because of the programming and facilities at Infinity Park. She notes that she still intends to be involved with the game — playing touch rugby and coaching — but that retirement from club play is meant to allow more time for hobbies and hiking. Asked what message she had for Glendale, Stolba was quick to thank the city and its people for their support: “It’s very uncommon in the U.S. to get picked out of a crowd for playing rugby, but we live in this unique pocket . . . thank you, for supporting us the way that you do. It is greatly appreciated from our whole program.”

GLENDALE, CO – OCTOBER 21: Glendale Merlins Women vs San Diego Surfers at Infinity Park on October 21, 2017 in Glendale, Colorado. (Photo by Seth McConnell)

Carmen Farmer was born in Richmond, Virginia. She grew up in the state, attending college at Virginia Tech, where she played collegiate softball. After college she earned a law degree from the University of Maryland and practiced on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, not discovering rugby until some five years later. In an interesting twist of fate, the future Olympic rugby player discovered the sport after a conversation with an Australian while hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Upon her return from Tanzania, Farmer found the Severn River Women’s Rugby Club in Annapolis, Maryland, and walked onto a practice a week later. 2012, her first year playing rugby, the team took second in the National Championships. Two years later Farmer played in the World Cup in France. She notes that during this time she played her first match at Infinity Park, facing a South African team in 2013.

Farmer played at Severn River for three years at the Division 2 level before moving to San Diego, where she trained with the Seven’s National Team. Following the Rio Olympics, she took a job with a Land Trust in Colorado and began playing for Glendale. Asked about what drew her to Glendale, she notes the program’s “rich history and high level of play,” and, with a smile, “the facilities aren’t too bad either.”

Farmer doesn’t have firm plans for retirement, but intends to focus more time on work. Even if she’s not on the pitch, however, she will remain a fan of the sport. Asked for final reflection on her time in Glendale, she extends a sincere thank you to the community for welcoming her during her short tenure with the team: “It has been an absolute pleasure getting to play here, and the support from the staff and the people of Glendale has been second to none.”

Though Farmer and Stolba both spoke fondly of their time in Glendale, the city, and rugby fans everywhere owe acknowledgment to these accomplished players as well. Through their tireless efforts on the pitch, their character, and their passion for sport, they have helped maintain Glendale’s position at the epicenter of rugby in the United States. Past is prologue in RugbyTown USA, and it’s just as bright as the city’s future.

So All May Eat: SAME Café Serves Food To All In A Bistro Like Atmosphere

by Mark Smiley | Nov 20, 2017 | Travel

by Ruthy Wexler

SAME Café’s mission is feeding the hungry. Its name stands for So All May Eat. But the café itself resembles an elegant little bistro, complete with outside dining.

Nothing about SAME Café, at 2023 E. Colfax, says “homeless” or “charity.” That’s the uniqueness of this restaurant, where Cherry Creek residents, suburban folk, busy professionals — and people down on their luck — all get welcomed and well-fed.

Uniquely Different

I’ve ordered lunch, it looks delicious — but I stand confused. No prices listed, no cash register in sight.

How do I pay? I ask.

“You pay what you want,” smiles the girl at the counter.

After devouring the richly flavored soup (homemade vegetable stock, definitely) and relishing my pizza’s contrasting bites of apple, kale and blue cheese, I wonder: How could a “donation based” restaurant serve such exquisite food — and survive?

The answer, says Executive Director Brad Reubendale, is community. “We have the greatest group of volunteers and customers, who are invested in our success.”

More and more groups now use the café for meetings. Increasing numbers book it for private parties and events. The café’s good intentions toward the community have brought win/win results.

Doing Well

Having supported local farmers, the café now receives so much donated produce, they only have to purchase basic food. They support local businesses — and a local businessman, and their landlord sets their rent below market value.

“What I see over and over, if you trust people to be helpful and intelligent, for the most part, they’ll be that way,” says Reubendale. “People on the poverty line pay a dollar for lunch. Others know this and give way more than the meal’s worth”

“We eat here a lot,” says Laura Mueller, lunching with fellow retired physician Danica Larson. “We want to support their mission. And the food is amazing. So healthy!”

Healthy food — where it all started.

History

In 2003, Brad and Libby Birky were at a crossroads. An IT consultant, he yearned to be a chef. But Birky wanted no part of the late-night restaurant lifestyle, so they researched other options. Both had volunteered at soup kitchens, but the disconnect between those who doled out the food and those who ate it didn’t sit right. And the food was not healthy.

What if a soup kitchen served food so good that people with money chose to eat there, too?

There was one such restaurant, they discovered. After visiting One World in Salt Lake City, the Birkys became 100% committed. Banks refused to loan them money so they cashed in their IRAs. The city’s red tape almost botched the project. But finally, on October 20, 2006, the SAME Café opened.

Something Incredible

The Birkys’ original idea — giving everyone access to good, healthy food — remains the café’s driving force.

People get interested in the café’s mission. They return because of the food. Each day, two kinds of soup, two kinds of salad, two pizzas, and one cookie are offered. Natural-ingredient menus planned by an exuberant chef feature Strawberry Soup, Braised Brisket Stew, Roasted Mushroom and Quinoa Salad.

Tables for two line the walls, but the long table down the café’s center affords an unusual opportunity: eating alongside someone from a very different life. “Something incredible happens when people who have millions sit down next to someone experiencing homelessness,” reports Reubendale.

So Much Change

A volunteer describes when someone who’s been living on the street comes in to eat. “They light up, like, ‘All this nice stuff for me? I’m not looked down upon here?’”

“It’s beautiful. No one brags about money here. No one’s shamed if they don’t have it.”

People living below the poverty line are treated with as much dignity as a wealthy person, says Reubendale. “That’s why we don’t give handouts. If someone wants free food, we say, ‘Here, please eat. Then we ask how they’d like to participate in our community. One hour of work pays for a meal.’

“When someone’s ready, we have a great resource list. A computer they can use to research jobs or housing.”

“So many lives have been changed here,” Reubendale muses. “Not just the hungry. Rich people who needed purpose. Sick people who began eating healthy, then got well…”

People often asked the Birkys how to start a restaurant just like SAME. Now the couple is on a road trip, visiting the 50+ cafés across the country they inspired and mentored.

Talk about change.

Holiday Giving

The café has just created wooden circles that say SAME Café: One Free Lunch.” Think of driving down Speer Boulevard with a bagful of these tokens to give out! Purchasing them provides two good works in one: giving to SAME Café’s mission — and connecting a person in need with a service that could change their lives.

You can buy the tokens with a donation (the café suggests the full price of meals, around $12). Or email brad@soallmayeat.org, who will get the tokens to you.

The SAME Café is open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information visit www.soallmayeat.org.