Boulder's Big Black Lie

Boulder's former Deputy Mayor Lisa Morzel

Here's part of the video of the May 3, 2011 Boulder, Colorado City Council meeting when they gave up their longtime resistance to the proposed Jefferson Parkway and gave their go-ahead to start plowing up the dirt at Rocky Flats, the former town-sized nuclear bomb factory 8 miles South of Boulder, in trade for a deal for more open space land.

Then-Deputy Mayor Dr. Lisa Morzel, a volcanologist working for the USGS, misrepresents what the background level of plutonium is in our area.

Dr. Morzel says "Background levels are 35 picocuries [per gram of soil]"  It's easy to find online (or from any expert) that the real background level is .04 picocuries (for example, see here, under 3. Rocky Flats.) She says this to misleadingly show that the federal government's claimed cleanup level of 50 picocuries per gram is almost to background level, when it is actually 1250 times higher! (50 divided by .04) 

Both Dr. Harvey Nichols and Dr. Leroy Moore, likely the most knowledgeable people in the world about Rocky Flats, asked Dr. Morzel for a correction, but she refused to do anything until I made this webpage. She claims she finally made a correction late during a council meeting about a year after this lie, but angrily refused to tell us which meeting and at what time so that we can confirm that from video.

 The truth is crucial, because these plutonium particles are the optimum size (down to tenths of a micron, at least) to stay in the air and be distributed beyond the weapons plant  (even without the Flats' regular 80 MPH winds, dust devils and occasional tornadoes) and to be possibly inhaled and retained in people's lungs. Plowing through this dirt is a reckless gamble. Cancer would be a likely risk for many road workers, and possible downwind in the Denver metro area. 

It's impossible to detect Plutonium with a Geiger radiation meter under field conditions as compared to in the lab. See here. So nobody can know what radiation levels exist where they're digging down.

It's not too late to stop this atrocity! Just a few days ago the town of Superior, just downwind of Rocky Flats, filed suit for a real Environmental Impact Statement. I urge anyone in the world -as you are all potential victims- to contact the Boulder City Council and demand they redo their decision on the basis of actual science, not lies: council@bouldercolorado.gov  Or call them:

Mayor Matt Appelbaum- 303-499-8970
Deputy Mayor Lisa Morzel- 303-815-6723
Suzy Ageton- 303-442-5726
Macon Cowles- 303-638-6884
Suzanne Jones- 720-633-7388
George Karakehian- 303-218-8612
Tim Plass- 720-299-4518
Ken Wilson- 303-999-1931

The movie No Water to Waste is about the whole development plan, especially the water element.  The Plutonium part starts 20 minutes in.

For background here is the complete, uncensored Rocky Flats Grand Jury Report

Plutonium was a rare trace mineral on earth until it was first produced in quantity by mankind in 1945,  expressly for more efficient atomic bombs. It can burst into flame on contact with air and is a heavy metal poison as well as being highly dangerous when in direct contact with mammalian tissue. A single particle lodged in the lungs will radiate the cells next to it for the rest of one's life; after decades cancer is likely.

If the City Council wants to make the same decision, with the deadly health implications, they should do it on the basis of facts, not ignorance or faith in federal misinformation. Remember that far less egregious lying in the so-called "Climategate" emails was a main factor in the public turning against climate science, and the US blocking a treaty to stop climate catastrophe. Millions will die as a result.

This is just one reason why I've come to regard Boulder as a world center of greenwashing. More to come...

Evan's Pet/House-Sitting Service.

Howdy.

I´ve been house/cat/dog/bird/guinea pig/rabbit/turtle/chicken-sitting for 2 1/2 years. This has given me the freedom to explore some of North America's best wilderness-see my new movie at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W56rffQHYVs

I've lived in Boulder 33 years and have great references. I've been pet-sitting twice for environmental lawyer Melinda Kassen's family and dog-sitting at the super-comfortable Net Zero Energy home of Synergistic Building Technologies' Larry Kinney and Wyncia Clute. Awhile back I stayed with longtime Boulder friend and Olympic Marathon medalist Lorraine Moller and her builder husband Harlan Smith. I lived twice in the '80s with Boulder's reknowned yoga master Richard Freeman. Many remember me as Evan from Heaven the not-so-tight-rope artist. More at my new website EvanRavitz.com

I always leave a place better than I entered it. I love animals and am good with plants too. I don't usually charge unless you have more than one dog or there's some difficulty like your place being far from town and you don't leave me a car. (I sold mine 22 years ago and bike everywhere.)

I´d also consider other situations like:

I could be someone's personal trainer in trade for a room. I've
practiced yoga daily for 30 years, taught in Guatemala, and recently
completed Richard Freeman's month-long Teacher Intensive
http://yogaworkshop.com/richards_teaching/2010_ti.php I lead serious
backpacking trips http://evanravitz.com/paradise in Mexico's difficult
Copper Canyon. I've been going barefoot when possible since 1965 and
have climbed the Arapahoe Peaks and 1st Flatiron that way, among others.

I could also trade childcare. I've been teaching my friends' kids
yoga and tightrope-walking. I worked at Homestar Preschool
http://www.homestarcenter.org/ in Boulder 2004-5 and loved it. I'd be a good
"manny" especially for smart athletic kids. I know the hidden waterfalls & caves
around Boulder almost nobody else does. I tutored math while at Colorado
College.

I could do elder or disabled care. I got a near-quadraplegic washed, dressed and fed every morning for a few of months back in the ´80s, until by force of
will he learned to do without me.

Do you have a shed or garage I could clean out? I'm good at organizing, selling and giving stuff away via Craigslist, etc. I did janitorial work for the Boulder International Hostel http://boulderinternationalhostel.com/ for a couple of years.

I've been earning my living for 3 years as a freelance editor
http://spryeye.blogspot.com/2010/02/evans-editing-service-gets-kudos.html
and am seeking more work. I've done a huge variety of things including computer programming, not-so-tight-rope artistry, photography, solar research, growing organic vegetables, tree trimming, wilderness guiding, moving and construction. More at http://evanravitz.com

I'll consider all offers. Please resend this to other Boulder folks. My email is evan (at) vote.org and phone is 303-923-5918

Thanks and have a great day.

Evan

The Boulder, CO Origin of "Will Work for Food"

Itinerant bicycle mechanic James Bush, an acquaintance of mine, ran out of money while in Boulder during the summer of 1988. He held the original "Will Work for Food" sign on Boulder's famed Pearl St. Mall. Even though many beg for money on the Mall, he was arrested for soliciting without a permit. It took months for City Attorney Joseph Napoleon DeRaismes III (actual name!) to drop the charges. Here's a Boulder Daily Camera news article about a demonstration against this "only in Boulder" smallness and meanness, held October 7, 1988, using photocopies of James' original sign:



Here are some of hundreds of cartoons -and photos- from the last 22 years from this incident:

Spectacular Iridescent Clouds with Panasonic LX3

These are the first really good iridescent clouds I've captured with what people are calling the highest quality compact digital camera, the Panasonic LX3 with an excellent f2.0 Leica lens and a larger sensor than most compacts. This camera is so popular with discriminating photographers that the price is above list price and rising 10 months after introduction, unlike almost all other cameras whose prices fall rapidly...



Iridescent clouds occur when most water droplets are the same size. These were taken from Boulder's Chautauqua Park. Lots more here.

Ralph Nader endorses our Vote.org project!

One symptom of America's increasing inequality is the "star system." Normally, it would be almost impossible for a nobody like me to meet someone like Ralph Nader, America's foremost citizen advocate for over 40 years. I've tried several times over the last year to contact him via his nonprofit Public Citizen. No dice.

Yesterday, because of a Colorado snow/slush blizzard, only 50 attended a talk Ralph gave at CU-Boulder, about Single-Payer Health Care. So I was able to talk to him several times at the small reception following. He was enthusiastic about former Senator Mike Gravel's project for better and national ballot initiatives, which I promote at Vote.org And he recognized that "Vote at Vote.org" was way easier to spread than "Vote at ni4d.us"(Gravel's site) and promised to do so!

Having national ballot initiatives will make Congress more humble, as they've done with Switzerland's Parliament since 1848. When they don't represent us, we'll just make law ourselves. This will lessen the star system -and you can bet The People will reduce income inequality too!

Ralph asked about Mike, who's had a hard time since his glory days, when he single-handedly filibustered until the Vietnam draft was ended, reading the Pentagon Papers into the national record. Mike was targeted for defeat by the military/industrial complex and has been out of office since 1981. I told him Mike's considering moving to Switzerland or Korea to promote the National Initiative, since the media ignores or marginalizes him here, even though he sacrificed his retirement to run for President.

Ralph does have a sense of humor, and curiosity. He wanted to know about my Panasonic Lumix LX3, which is supposed to be the best-quality compact digital camera, and does a decent job of video, as you can see if you click the "HD" for high-definition.

You can see here how the media can make a "nobody" out of a popular entertainer who was voted "Best Activist" by Boulderites. You can see why I've devoted 20 years to this project here.

YOU can help bring government BY the people to the U.S., help restore my reputation, and re-balance inequality some by linking here or sharing this story on social networks:

Sunset after the Boulder wildfire

A wildfire charred 3000 acres just North of Boulder Jan 7 & 8 after 70 MPH winds caused power lines to arc. A spectacular sunset ensued:

Winter beauty near Boulder

Icicle fallen from edge of the Sun Cave

Spring above South Fall

Paper Bird sings down the house at CU-Boulder's Old Main

All 7 of Paper Bird live in the same house and they brought down the house Saturday at Old Main on the CU-Boulder campus. They jammed with Houses, a new band from Denver. How housey is that? Their 2007 debut CD was "Anything Nameless and Joymaking. I met the Birds at my next-door neighbor's party last Spring. Sweet. Opening was John Beacham, followed by Shenandoah.



Paper Bird can be found at PaperBirdBand.com






< jam

John Beacher>

Another stupendous Boulder sunset

More iridescent & glorious Clouds!

Just today at the top of Sanitas Peak overlooking Boulder, CO:

Lots more iridescent & glorious clouds here.

From in front of my apt. in Boulder:

"Doctor Bob" McFarland, MD passes at 79

Robert McFarland died Saturday at 78 of stomach cancer. Bob was the first Medical Director of the People's Clinic and the Founder of the Parenting Place, both in Boulder. He's on the left in the photo.

Bob was fearless in trying to wake people to truths he thought important. Here is my letter to the editor he co-signed, about the passing at 94 of a friend of ours, who's above the ".org" in the photo:

"The world has lost a true friend in Gilbert White, winner of the 2000 National Medal of Science, natural resource adviser to FDR, ecologist before the word existed, president of Haverford College, social scientist and much else he was too humble to mention.

"Gil was a fearless thinker who supported ideas that were before their time, such as the project at Vote.org and ideas that many ridicule or fear, such as evidence that a few people in our government allowed or caused the 9/11 attacks. He's the eldest in the Oct. 21, 2004, Boulder Weekly photo with us, attending a 9/11 Truth event, although we weren't identified. At lunch afterward, he expressed surprise and frustration that the media simply refused to make this an issue in the coming presidential election.

"Gil was pretty sure that 9/11 was treason partly because, when he was working in the FDR White House, he witnessed the congratulatory atmosphere there the day of Pearl Harbor. He believed the government had invited the attack to get people's support to enter World War II, and that something similar happened to get Congress' (not the people's) support for the Bush wars.

"Gilbert could have been a member of almost any elite, but he preferred non-elitists. He believed in giving power to the people rather than keeping it in the hands of any elite. He hoped that when people learned that the government was complicit in 9/11 that they'd demand the kind of participatory government you can help realize at Vote.org. That's why we risk accusations of sullying the dead by writing this.

"Steven Jones, BYU Physics professor suspended for his work with Physics911.net, and Kevin Ryan, fired from Underwriters Laboratories for speaking out, will speak Oct. 29 from 2 to 6 p.m. in CU's Math 100, along with the founder of the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth, Kevin Barrett, Ph.D."

EVAN RAVITZ; ROBERT McFARLAND, MD; PIETER TANS, Phd and MARTIN WALTER, Phd

Bob's memorial service will be Dec. 5 at 3PM at St. John's Church in Boulder
Rest in Peace, Bob and Gil. We miss you.

Boulder Mall Crawl reincarnates on Facebook; reality to follow?

Some younger Boulder natives who missed out on our Halloween Mall Crawl, which was shut down by the City (as were many of us buskers, for awhile) have started a Facebook group
Bring back the Boulder Mall Crawl!

My photos helped inspire them.

Who knows, maybe we can go back in time and fix everything that went wrong in Boulder so that there's no Mall Crawl and very little entertainment compared to when we were the biggest free entertainment attraction in the Rockies and Midwest.

We had International Juggling Assoc. repeat champs Airjazz, future Cirque du Soleil Ringmaster David Shiner, Magical Mystical Michael, Eddie Goldsteini, Kenny Lightfoot and Gogol, Narc Gnarley, Flip Phillip, Johnnie Fox, Dexter Trip, Joey, the World's Largest Midget and so many more... See some here. I was Evan from Heaven, the not-so-tight-rope artist.

Halloween, when the Veil between the Worlds is thinnest...

Life in the wilderness

This was the view from Conundrum Hot Springs, near Aspen, Colorado, the highest in N. America at 11,200', on August 3. The mountain is Castlebra Peak and is 13,820'. You may not like reading white on black, but color photographs really look best on a black background, so just suffer!

I've been spending 1-2 months in the Conundrum area for 8 summers. This started in 2000, on a bus ride back to Boulder from my Croton-Harmon High School reunion north of NYC. Some bike messengers (heavily chained and tattooed) reminded me of the Kumba Mela in India coming up. It's the biggest spiritual festival in the world, with up to 90 million camping at the junction of 3 rivers.

First I fantasized that I'd prepare by working on my yoga in the Himnalayas for the winter. Then I realized I'd freeze and that the Mela is about the best place in the world to get sick. So I thought I'd strengthen myself by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. But why go there when the Colorado Trail starts right in Denver? Finally I realized that I could walk right out my Boulder door and hike local trails to the Continental Divide Trail, which joins the Colorado Trail in several places.

So, in 2001, I hiked 300 miles in 40 days from Boulder to Salida. I decided I'd had enough, and went to the Conundrum area (photos) for another month. I decided I preferred base camping, especially at hot springs, to backpacking. I also decided to spend as much of my life outdoors as practical.

Since then I've started guiding people to 2 pristine wilderness hot springs in Mexico's Copper Canyon -deeper, steeper, twistier and far wilder than the Grand Canyon.