by Mark Smiley | Jul 24, 2017 | Valley Gadfly
Every month, but especially during the summer, flowers add enjoyment and meaning to our lives and community. Across cultures and time they speak a universal language of enjoyment, respect, appreciation and love. They articulate our underlying need to reach out, to bond, and to express compassion, concern and understanding.
This is the 50th anniversary of San Francisco’s Summer of Love. That era’s Flower Power theme is still relevant and, in fact, is as significant and timely today.
Here is our bouquet of choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to add beauty, vitality and enjoyment to inspire a smile and feeling of joy to each day:
3 Wednesdays blossom with music at the Shady Grove Picnic Series with the Rocky Mountain Jewgrass, The Deltaz, La Pompe Jazz & Atomga at Four Mile Park Aug. 2-23, 6:30 p.m. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 Fashion flowers with an adult and kids Serenity Project fashion show at Wings Over The Rockies Aug. 5-6, 7 p.m. Information: 719-640-7469.
3 Love blooms on stage each weekend as On Golden Pond plays the John Hand Theater in Lowry Aug. 7-28. Information: 720-530-4596.
3 Chill out tasting food and enjoying wine at Cherry Creek North’s Food & Wine along Fillmore Plaza Aug. 12, 6 p.m. Information: 303-394-2904.
3 For a love affair between wine, food and music make Brik on York this summer’s hangout. You’ll enjoy global wines, Neapolitan pizza and Italian-influenced fare in exposed-brick digs. Information: 303-284-6754.
3 Wilting in the heat? Locally owned Cherry Creek Shade & Drapery can keep you cool, offering consultations on sun-blocking shades, screens, shutters plus custom draperies and blinds. Information: 303-355-4223.
3 Enjoy ice cream and the Six Foot Joe & The Red Hot Rhinos concert at The Gardens on Havana Aug. 22, 6 p.m. Information: 303-360-7505.
3 Become a budding collector buying at Artists In August Show at Wings Over The Rockies Aug. 27, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 303-344-0481.
3 Enjoy a bouquet of beer from 20 breweries showcasing their top brews at Glendale’s Bruises+Brews Beerfest at Infinity Park Aug. 27, 12-4 p.m. As the City says, “beer and rugby are better together.” Admission includes a ticket to the RugbyTown 7s tournament (The “bruises” part!). There will also be a few distilleries and a couple of hard ciders available. Join rugby fans and beer aficionados. Information: glendalebeerfest.com.
Each summer flowers beautify nature and the scenic view around us. Flowers have been radiating, exuding and symbolizing peace throughout the millennia. Rooted in opposition to the Vietnam War, the Flower Power movement was centered in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district. Hippies living there were dubbed “flower children.”
The area became the focal point of psychedelic rock music. In the summer of 1965, the Beatles’ hit single All You Need Is Love served as the movement’s anthem.
As you enjoy flowers this summer, consider their ongoing potential to express the best of human character and action. Flowers offer much more than just beauty. They embody our hopes and wishes that transcend place and time. As the First Lady of Flowers Lady Bird Johnson often suggested: “When flowers bloom so does hope.”
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Mark Smiley | Jul 24, 2017 | Feature Story Middle Left
by Daniel Foster, Esq. and Michael Gates, Esq.
Small and mid-size business owners beware, you are in the crosshairs. After the changes in Colorado law in January 2015 opening the door to discrimination suits against employers with fewer than 15 employees, the number of claims being filed by employees against their employers has skyrocketed. Filing lawsuits against an employer has turned into a cottage industry and can be quite lucrative. (Note: if you are an employee of Foster, Graham, Milstein & Calisher, LLP you can disregard everything I am saying!)
The reality is there are many valid complaints an employee can have with his/her employer and in many of those circumstances a rational discussion between the parties can resolve most issues. Yet there are some cases that cannot get resolved and end up in court. Some make sense, many others do not. Small, and even mid-size, business owners know you are struggling to run your operations, pay your bills, fix the copier (again, ugh!), market new business, and somewhere in the middle of all of this you have a disgruntled current or former employee complaining that he/she was treated unfairly, or worse, illegally, by you or one of your managers. If you mix in a highly aggressive attorney and encouragement from friends and family, it can be a recipe for real headaches and financial strain.
So, you say, “Thanks Danny for cheering me up, but what’s a small business to do?” Great question! And many of the solutions are easy ones. As I have previously explained, our law firm, Foster, Graham, Milstein & Calisher, LLP, is fortunate to have many exceptional lawyers. One is our partner Michael Gates. Michael’s practice focuses on employment law for small and mid-size businesses and he has some words of encouragement and help for you, as well as an opportunity to learn what you can do, face to face for free. Take it away Michael.
Thank you, Danny. I will give you an example of something vexing many employers right now. In January 1806, John Adams wrote a letter to Benjamin Rush labeling Alexander Hamilton the “bastard brat of a Scotch peddler.” Adams was so fond of this label, in fact, that he used it at least twice more in correspondence referencing Hamilton. Not to be outdone, John Quincy Adams referred to Thomas Jefferson as a “slur upon the moral government of the world.” Something about apples and trees. Even across the Pond, Winston Churchill on Prime Minister Clement Attlee: “He is a modest man with much to be modest about.” Benjamin Disraeli said of William Ewart Gladstone, “[i]f Gladstone fell into the Thames, that would be a misfortune, and if anybody pulled him out, that, I suppose, would be a calamity.” While our friends speaking the Queen’s English may be somewhat more refined, there truly is nothing new under the sun.
Today, employers must deal with a workforce with social media accounts who have been taught they can change the world 140 characters at a time. Every employee has his/her own little platform to announce to the world their views on any topic, including expressions of disagreement with those who do not share their beliefs. The sad truth is that it has become easier and easier to resort to shaming, insulting, and demonizing those we do not agree with on any topic. And, the result can be devastating to employee morale and, in some cases, to the employer’s business directly. Words like “snowflake” have made their way into mainstream public discourse. Social media provides a platform to call people names you would never say to their face, like “stupid” or an “idiot” or even a “special kind of stupid.” We live in a world where we are told we are important and that our views should be expressed, and express them we do. History will judge what we may have sacrificed in the process.
In the meantime, employers have to deal with an ever more outspoken workforce. We have been extremely fortunate here at FGMC to co-exist as conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, religious and non-religious, without resorting to that level of communication. (Though we have not been tested with an admitted Raider fan…yet.) Not every employer is so lucky. The truth is, the level of insults, shaming and demonizing, whether aimed directly at a person or indirectly at a group of people, can and will affect employee morale, productivity, and, in some cases, safety. Political and, even, hate speech are a reality for every employer.
What can an employer do to protect their company when it comes to this activity? What are other landmines that employers face on a daily basis that with a little guidance can be avoided? Sexual harassment, ADA compliance, FMLA, wages, etc. The exposure is significant and most small and medium sized businesses do not have the ability to hire in-house counsel to provide legal advice and direction. Small to mid-size businesses, who have limited in-house human resources capacity, are a particularly ripe target and can quickly find themselves living on the edge and hoping for the best. For the small to mid-size employer, we see a number of easily avoidable, recurring issues/mistakes:
- Properly classifying employees. Perhaps the number one issue for the Department of Labor.
- Tracking and paying vacation time. Many employers are still surprised to discover Colorado considers unused, unpaid vacation as “wages.”
- Failing to have a written anti-harassment/anti-discrimination policy. It will be the first thing the government and employee’s attorney want to see.
- Properly documenting employee misconduct and performance. Many discrimination and harassment suits can be avoided by simple documentation.
- Tracking employee hours. It is easy to let this slide and painful when you do.
- Knowing when, and when not, to offer severance upon termination.
- Policing professionalism in the workplace.
- Failure to address and end inappropriate use of office e-mail and computers. Everyone has a story about an employee who forwards tasteless, racist, or other offensive humor or who uses company computers to access inappropriate material, creating a possible hostile work environment in the process.
- Having a legal social media policy for employees.
- Knowing when to use (and to enforce) non-compete agreements.
At FGMC, we focus on employment solutions for the small to mid-sized employer here in Colorado and would be delighted to help you! Being an employer in 2017 is much different than 1997, 2007 or even 2016. There are many traps an employer can find themselves in and it’s critical to know many of these dangers before you fall into them. We encourage all business owners, small, medium and large to join us at our first FREE Employer’s Boot Camp where we will give you many pointers about how to avoid exposure and protect yourself and your business. We will have two lunch sessions at our office – the first on Tuesday, August 22 and the second on Wednesday, August 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each session will be capped at 12 people. We will even throw in the lunch! Please RSVP so we can make sure you have a spot (mgates@fostergraham.com or ndale @fostergraham.com) and reserve your space for either the 22nd or the 23rd today. I look forward to meeting you and discussing your employment solutions.
Danny is a managing partner of Foster, Graham, Milstein & Calisher (FGMC). His practice focuses on personal injury. The law firm of FGMC, located in Cherry Creek, is a full service law firm focusing on: criminal defense, personal injury, real estate, litigation, liquor licensing, construction law, tax/estate planning, bankruptcy and zoning. This article does not create an attorney-client relationship and is for informational use only (what do you expect from an attorney!
by Mark Smiley | Jul 24, 2017 | Editorials
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann was sworn into office a little more than six months ago, but already appears to have lost the trust of her predecessor Mitch Morrissey, the rank and file of the Denver Police, and much of the public at large.
Her handling of the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) scandal involving Police Chief Robert White and Deputy Chief Matt Murray as well as the inmate killing at the Denver Jail has brought into serious question whether she remains intellectually capable of handling the difficult job as head law enforcement officer in the City and County of Denver. McCann gave interviews to the media in both cases, but the interviews raised even more questions than they answered.
The Denver Police had issued a press release accusing Angiella Arnot of sexual assault (along with a now former Denver Police Officer), but she was never charged. Longtime Denver DA Mitch Morrissey sent a letter to Police Chief White highly critical of Deputy DA Matt Maury’s “rush to judgment” in the arrest of an “innocent woman.” Chief White responded to the DA in a two sentence letter declaring he would “look at the totality of the situation and . . . ensure that the appropriate action is taken.”
When the Denver police union asked for a copy of the letter pursuant to CORA it was told that the police department was “unaware of any … electronic or written exchanges responsive to your request.” It was a lie and White and Maury knew it according to the one honest person in the sordid affair, Mary Dulacki, Department of Safety Records Coordinator.
It was an open and shut case of a criminal violation of CORA by the two highest cops in Denver. McCann had promised the voters during her campaign that she would strongly pursue cases of police misconduct. What she meant, of course, was that she would go after the cop on the beat, but vigorously ignore the most blatant criminal conduct on the part of the top echelon bosses. This has always been the modus operandi of the office of the Denver District Attorney. In the early 1960s 47 Denver police officers were charged as part of a massive burglary ring, but not a single higher up in the police department was brought before the bar of justice even though it was impossible that such a huge criminal enterprise could be going on without the implicit knowledge and consent of members of the top brass.
The blatant CORA criminal violation last year was too much for former DA Mitch Morrissey who said he would have definitely brought charges against Deputy Chief Murray and would have strongly considered charging Chief White. The head of the Denver police union, Nick Rogers, has publicly excoriated McCann indicating that the rank and file were losing all respect for her. McCann made matters worse by going on air with Channel 7’s Tony Kovaleski. She embarrassed herself by endlessly and unsuccessfully trying to hide the fact that her chief deputy had strongly recommended bringing charges.
Following that PR disaster McCann was caught red-handed as part of a scheme to hide the fact that an illegal immigrant, Ricardo Lopez Vera, had killed another inmate in the Denver jail. The Denver Sheriff’s Department had hidden him from ICE as part of the city’s widely acknowledged sanctuary city policy. McCann again compounded her error by doing another media interview this time on the The Craig Silverman Show on 710 KNUS where she was eviscerated by Silverman, a former Denver Chief Deputy DA.
The fact that at age 69 she no longer has the mental acuity she once had was dramatically demonstrated when she used the “f” word on air with Silverman. There are only seven words clearly banned by the FCC for which a radio station can be fined for airing and the “f” word is one of them. After over 40 years in public life, DA McCann is well aware of that limitation, but she is apparently unable to control herself.
Some individuals are mentally sharp well into their 90s while others begin to show serious mental deterioration by their late 60s. Obviously, McCann fits into the latter group.
The sad part is she is just beginning her term as DA. Denver has a woeful habit of endlessly re-electing incumbents no matter their infirmities. It can be expected that McCann, at age 80, will still be the Denver DA at the start of the year 2029. The DA’s office will, of course, be a wreck and utterly rudderless. It is said that people get the government they deserve, but even Denver’s severest critics would say we don’t deserve a District Attorney’s office like the one we now have.
— Editorial Board
by Peter Boyles | Jul 24, 2017 | Blasting with Boyles
NEXT MONTH will m
ark 16 years since the Pearl Harbor event of our lifetime — the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the aborted flight that crashed in central Pennsylvania,
What has happened in the aftermath? Since that terrible day, the United States, under three presidents, has found itself locked in war in the Middle East with the saber rattlers now looking at Iran and North Korea.
After the Japanese and Germans surrendered in 1945 and the beginnings of the Cold War, we have been a nation at war. Ask yourself these questions. What have we gotten for it? What’s been spent? What’s been lost?
I used to believe it was the politics of war in the Middle East. We know from reading history British soldiers arrived in southern Iraq to protect the oil from Persia. At that time the United States had no interest in the Middle East or for that matter any imperial designs in that part of the world. We were still dealing with Latin America and banana republics.
We have talked about it many times on my award-winning radio show and here in the column about what the British and French did to the Middle East after the First World War. American soldiers died in Iran during the Second World War. It’s hard to tell young people today but we were helping the Soviet Union and protecting Iranian oil. After that it seems to me we just stayed. Truman accepted the British Mandate for Palestine and it is game on.
Since that terrible day in September, the U.S. has been in involved in five wars in the Middle East. Let’s see if there’s a scorecard.
Afghanistan. I remember people telling me the U.S. was gong to bomb the Afghans into the Stone Age. How is that possible? They’re already there.
The United States has spent a trillion American dollars and thousands of young American lives and what have we got?
It gets worse.
Iraq. Hard to believe but a bigger disaster. George Bush is the worst American president, certainly in my lifetime and, could be argued would catch the blue ribbon with Woodrow Wilson. Is there any question Iraq is worse off than it was in 2003? The death toll will never be known. The cost incalculable and growing.
Libya. We got rid of Muammar Gaddafi in order to create a companion country for Somalia. And, of course how about Yemen? Those Houthi rebels are backed by Iran and Al-Qaeda. How can you not benefit from that?
I know all of you libs want to blame George Bush. You got my vote. He started two wars with no plan, in fact with lies.
Obama, if you’re a conservative, started or continued smaller scale wars. The result is the same.
Tell me, from watching military action and expenditures, have things gotten better or worse in the Middle East in the past 16 years?
Does anyone believe that even more war will create a lasting peace?
In this time period between FDR putting American soldiers in Iran and up to today, with Donald Trump selling billions of dollars of weapons to the Saudi Arabians (see past columns on my love for the Saudis), the Taiwanese, Obama’s Iranian arms deal, is there any case for us to be involved?
The United States should leave the Middle East as we speak.
If you read the history of Ireland you know that terrorism is a consequence of imperial rule and wars. Locals are unable to defeat the imperials so they impart high cost thru terror. Whether it’s Jewish settlers against British, Serbs against the Austro Hungarians, Vietnamese against the French or the crazies on 9/11 — As Peter, Paul and Mary once sang, “When will they ever learn?” When will we ever learn?
Out now.
— Peter Boyles
