Society & Social Issues
• Hare Hare Hardcore: The Path to Tranquility Runs through the Mosh Pit
Hare Krishnas attracted new devotees in the 1990s thanks to hard-edged melodies of ‘krishna-core,’ a spiritual extension of the ‘straight-edge’ hard-core music scene.
• Colorado to Jurors: We Own Your Mind!
Colorado activist, Laura Kriho was charged with Contempt of Court after refusing to convict a teenager on a non-violent drug charge while on jury duty.
Kriho’s case sparked a nationwide conversation about jury nullification in the 1990’s.
• Homeless in Sloan’s Lake Microcosm of Citywide Problem
The growing unhoused community in Denver includes disabled veterans, families and former foster kids. More are moving into residential neighborhoods such as Sloan’s Lake in order to avoid the dangers of the downtown drug scene. (A sadly evergreen story from 2003.)
Health, Public Policy & Medicine
• Reefer Madness or Kind Medicine?
A look at the early medical marijuana legislation debate in Colorado and the activists who led the movement to legalize medicinal weed, which ultimately paved the way for legal recreational pot in the Mile High state.
• Goodbye Legal High: Death of a Party Drug
A once-popular underground drug, GHB is today prescribed — even to children — to treat a range of health issues. A peek into the lives of early users and the swift legislative moves to outlaw it before making it a profitable pharmaceutical drug.
• FDA to the Rescue: Fighting the Body’s Own ‘Date Rape Drug’
Although naturally produced in the human body, GHB was described in headlines as ‘fatal’ and ‘toxic’ before being outlawed. A look back at the myths and misinformation that preceded the government crackdown.
• Surviving Heroin
At the turn of the millennium, Denver already had an opioid problem that outsized public health measures to address it. It foreshadowed the serious epidemic facing the city now that Fentanyl is on the scene.
History & Human Interest
• Lake Steam Baths: An Old World Way to Let Off Steam
Denver’s Lake Steam Baths sauna is a nearly 100 year-old institution originally built for the local Jewish community’s ceremonial bathing.
Today, all walks of life head to Denver’s last schvitz for an afternoon of unclad relaxation.
• Discover Denver’s Seamy History with Tour Guide, Phil Goodstein
Do you know about Denver’s sordid pre-20th century history? Tour guide, Phil Goodstein imparts the fascinating and sometimes salacious details of this old west boomtown.
Arts & Culture
• Goddess of Prose: Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy’s debut novel, ‘The God of Small Things,’ was a surprise success, winning the 1997 Booker Prize.
An interview dating from the start of her U.S. book tour for the novel.
News piece/profile on the accomplished artist famous for his provocative murals at Denver International Airport upon a the creation of new mural for North Denver’s Federal Boulevard.
• Tattooing for Better Karma: Ink in the Hindu Belt
In the ‘Hindu Belt’ of Asia religious tattoos and even modern ink motifs are a way to gather good karma for life’s next incarnation.
• Art of War: Which Martial Art is the One for You?
Martial arts are a great way to get fit, gain discipline and learn how to defend oneself in the case of an attack. A look at the rise of women warriors with a round up of the different disciplines.
• Denver Art Bus — First Friday Revelry
The Denver Art Bus was a raucous ride on a converted school bus named Cthulhu crashing Denver’s Art Galleries in the best way possible every First Friday.
Music
• DJ Logic Puts a New Spin on Turntablism
Turntablist DJ Logic on his musical childhood in the boogie down Bronx and his genre-melding journey with Medeski, Martin and Wood, culminating in the creation of his acid jazz band, Project Logic.
• Musical Odd Couple: Little Fyodor & Babushka
Zany-punk duo, Little Fyodor and Babushka are an enduring fixture on Denver’s music scene and have taken their act to Burning Man, SWXS, and the Church of the Subgenius annual gathering.
• Bhangra & Hindi Hop Add Desi Flavour to New York Music Scene
After making waves in the U.K., bhangra and other South Asian sounds made their way into the U.S. club scene in the late 90s.
Clipping from The Economic Times.
Science & Environment
• GMO’s: Frankenfood or a Solution?
A look at the early genetically modified food debate and how U.S. deregulation allowed GM crops to market despite public dissent and a dearth of independent safety testing.
• Packing Power: Fuel Cell Manufacturers Seek to Enter the Consumer Market
A FOB piece about advances in fuel cell technology for Emagazine.