Zach Knaus’ (aka @twodogszk) Blog

A young Broncos fan who was among the many betrayed by Gentleman Jay Cutler has called for a purifying ritual that will ease the pain of Denver football faithful—declaring August to be Jay Cutler Jersey Burn Month.

Ah, the wisdom of children! It was bad enough when Cutler whined and cried his way to a trade to Chicago, but he crossed another line this week by proclaiming Denver fans to be less than passionate boosters.

"In Denver, we didn't have this many fans at all," he said. "We weren't even able to accommodate that many fans [at practice]. That's Chicago Bears fans for you. They're proud of their Bears.

"It's a lot [different]. Denver's like a 6 and Chicago's like a 9," Cutler said during the interview. "It's quite a bit different. Just the fans and how passionate they are, that's probably the biggest difference."

Well, this Denver fan has your 6 right here ... and oh, look at that ... now it's on fire! Jay Cutler may never take notice of this YouTube video and others that may follow, but that doesn't really matter. This is a cleansing fire, meant to burn away the scars and melt the icy shackles that the Bears quarterback has encased around Colorado hearts.

Bathe in the flames, Children, and you will be born anew!

I Believe the Children are Our Future [Slanch Report]
Jay Cutler rates Chicago Bears fans over Denver Broncos fans; Kyle Orton booed at practice [ESPN]

If you happen to be both a Star Wars fan and have a penchant for Far Eastern food, this new gadget might be the right thing for you: lightsaber chopsticks. A Japanese company called Kotobukiya (which also has a US website) is selling three different models.

The red version is aimed at Darth Vader fans for some reason, the green one is for Yoda fans and the blue model is supposedly the right one if you like Luke Skywalker best.

Kotobukiya plans to sell the chopsticks in Japan only at this point (starting in November), but Geek Stuff 4 U lets everybody living outside this country pre-order already (price: $14.42 plus shipping). And yes, you can eat with these things apparently.

I wish I could be so Flucky!!

Oops!!

August 3, 2009

DENVER – In honor of Colorado Day on August 1, Colorado Ethics Watch released a list of Top Ethics Scandals in Colorado History. The list ranges from outrageous to outlandish, and is a valuable reminder of how a government that operates without public scrutiny or accountability can wield dangerous results. The report describes five of the most egregious ethics scandals in our state history, ranging from election fraud to government-sanctioned racial discrimination and brutality.

“Although the nature of corruption has evolved over time, one thing has not changed: government malfeasance by a few public officials erodes public confidence in government as a whole,” said Ethics Watch Director Chantell Taylor. “Like the Coloradoans of history, citizens today should continue to demand transparency at all levels of government and to hold public officials accountable for their ethical lapses. In this way, we can promote a government that puts the interests of all citizens above their own special interests.”

Based primarily on historic news reports and an interview of a local historian, Ethics Watch compiled the following list of top ethics scandals in Colorado history, in chronological order:

Corruption and Fraud in 1904 Gubernatorial Election

The 1904 election for Colorado Governor pitted the incumbent James H. Peabody against Democrat Alva Adams, who was initially declared the winner and sworn into office. After claims of voter fraud, election fraud and various conspiracies, the election was ultimately decided by a manipulative Republican-controlled legislature that forced a swearing in of Governor Peabody, immediate resignation, and subsequent swearing in of Lieutenant Governor Jesse F. McDonald, making Colorado the only state in the union to have three governors in one day.

Ludlow Massacre of Miners on Strike – 1913-14

In the early 20th century, mining company operators wielded powerful political clout and almost completely controlled Las Animas and Huerfano Counties. A 1913 strike turned into violent confrontations supported by governor-ordered Colorado National Guard troops who worked on behalf of the mining companies. On one fateful day in 1914, violence resulted in 25 people dead, including three National Guardsmen and 11 children of striking miners. The 1913-1914 Colorado coal strike was one of the most violent strikes in U.S. history, and the Colorado Senate condemned Governor Ammons’ administration for its role in the violence.

Ku Klux Klan’s Control over State Politics – 1920s

In the early to mid 1920’s, Denver, Grand Junction, Pueblo, Canon City and many other towns in Colorado were controlled by the Ku Klux Klan. The only city in Colorado to reject the Klan was Colorado Springs. From the governor taking direct orders from the Colorado KKK Grand Dragon, to the mayor consulting the Klan when making appointments, the Ku Klux Klan created fear in all those they opposed, including Catholics, blacks, and Jews.

Impeachment of Secretary of State James H. Carr Carr - 1934

James H. Carr was elected secretary of state in 1934 and impeached by the Colorado House just one year later in a 1935 special session for extortion, conspiracy and malfeasance. Carr took a bribe from a wholesale liquor supplier, hired political cronies as auditors in exchange for kickbacks, was guilty of extortion of a car dealer and more. Secretary Carr was only the second person to be impeached since Colorado became a state in 1876.

Burglars in Blue - 1961

In 1961, the Denver Police Department was implicated in one of the worst scandals of U.S. law enforcement in history. At the time, an alarming number of Denver police officers were facing indictments for crimes such as stealing from previously burglarized stores, staging burglaries and safecracking. Ultimately, 54 present or former police officers were implicated in more than 130 burglaries and 47 Denver police officers were convicted as a result of an investigation by Colorado Governor McNichols.

Facial reconstruction technology is great for solving homicides and whatnot but it may have also found a weird, creepy niche in the personalized urn category. That’s right, just $2600 plus a couple good photographs and you, too, can keep your own ashes in your head.

If $2600 is too much for a full-sized reconstruction of your noggin, there’s also a smaller “keepsake” size available for just $600, designed “for holding just a portion of the ashes.” Please note that hair isn’t normally added to the reconstruction although it can be added digitally or you can use a wig. Wow.

Quick note to my family: I’m all for you doing this, should I meet my untimely demise. I’d just ask that you find a picture of me laughing or smiling, not a photo like the one above where the guy looks like he’s watching TV or peering creepily through a neighbor’s window.

Personal Urns [CremationSolutions.com via Neatorama]

The same blue food dye found in M&Ms and Gatorade could be used to reduce damage caused by spine injuries, offering a better chance of recovery, according to new research.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rodents were able to walk again, albeit with a limp.
The only side effect was that the treated mice temporarily turned blue.
The results of the study, published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," build on research conducted by the same center five years ago.
In August 2004, scientists revealed how Adenosine triphosphate, which is known as ATP and described as the "energy currency of life," surges to the spinal cord soon after injury occurs.
Researchers found that the sudden influx of ATP killed off healthy cells, making the initial injury far worse. But when they injected oxidized ATP into the injury, it was found to block the effect of ATP, allowing the injured rats to recover and walk again.
"While we achieved great results when oxidized ATP was injected directly into the spinal cord, this method would not be practical for use with spinal cord-injured patients," said lead researcher Maiken Nedergaard, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
"First, no one wants to put a needle into a spinal cord that has just been severely injured, so we knew we needed to find another way to quickly deliver an agent that would stop ATP from killing healthy motor neurons. Second, the compound we initially used, oxidized ATP, cannot be injected into the bloodstream because of its dangerous side effects."
Back in 2004, Nedergaard's team discovered that the spinal cord was rich in a molecule called P2X7, which is also known as "the death receptor" for its ability to allow ATP to latch onto motor neurons and send the signals which eventually kill them.
Nedergaard knew that BBG could thwart the function of P2X7, and its similarity to a blue food dye approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982 gave her the confidence to test it intravenously.
It worked. The rats given BBG immediately after their injury could walk again with a limp. Those that didn't receive a dose never regained their mobility.
Nedergaard told CNN that there is currently no standard treatment for patients with spinal injury when they reach the hospital emergency room.
"Right now we only treat 15 percent of the patients we receive with steroids and many hospitals question if that even works for that 15 percent; it's a very moderate benefit to only a subset of patients. So right now 85 percent of patients are untreated," she said.
Nedergaard said the research team isn't claiming that BBG can cure spinal injuries, instead that it offers a potential improvement in patients' condition.
"Even a moderate improvement in functional performance of the patient is a big, big event for these patients," she said. "They can control their bladder. If they can just take small steps instead of sitting in a wheelchair all the time, it's a tremendous benefit for these patients," she added.
The dose must be administered immediately after the injury, before additional tissue dies as a result of the initial injury.
Researchers are currently pulling together an application to be lodged with the FDA to stage the first clinical trials of BBG on human patients.
"Our hope is that this work will lead to a practical, safe agent that can be given to patients shortly after injury, for the purpose of decreasing the secondary damage that we have to otherwise expect," said Steven Goldman, Chair of the University of Rochester Department of Neurology.

Coach Hawk was supposed to call me, but unfortunately the call didn't go through.