Gallegos Joins University Prep Charter School Board

We’re pleased to announce that SE2 Senior Associate Olivia Gallegos has been named to the founding Board of Trustees for University Preparatory School, a new charter school slated to open in near northeast Denver in 2011. Those of you who know Olivia know what this means: next time you see her approaching with a sly smile run or be prepared to volunteer or pull out your checkbook.

Happy Belated Birthday Twitter!

So I meant to take the time to wish Twitter a Happy 4th Birthday a few days ago - I mean, the microblogging phenomenon has been there for me from square one (well, more like square two, as it took about a year for the social networking tool to really take off). And it seems I'm not the only one.

Mashable, the social media blog, asked readers to share what about Twitter they're thankful for - a Twitter Thanksgiving, if you will - using the hashtag #thankstwitter4. The responses ranged from finding love to stalking celebrities to "ruining my life by making me think in 140 characters."

One thing I'm thankful for? Allowing me to tweet relevant news stories to the likes of CBS 4 News' Misty Montano. Which is why I meant to give Twitter some generous props on it's 4th anniversary of conception - except I got caught up in what is, to date, my favorite Twitter escapade: the Tweeting of the Story of Exodus.

Apparently, a bunch of rabbis got together, decided to give the season of Passover a social media spin, and created a bunch of Twitter handles to represent the major players of Exodus - Egyptian Pharaoh, Moses and the 10 Plagues all included - to tweet the story of Pesach as if from real time.

Just a glimpse: "TweetTheExodus via @citizensofegypt: Our skin is boiling; turn up the AC! Oh no, that's not helping ... If only Pharaoh provided universal health care..."

To follow the story of the freeing of the Israelites via everyone's favorite 4-year-old social media outlet, check out http://twitter.com/TweetTheExodus/characters

John McCain's New Logo Sizzles

Back in November 2008, John McCain announced plans to run in 2010 for a fifth term as a U.S. Senator for Arizona. And even though I’m happily Coloradan, I plan to do everything I can to support McCain’s senate campaign.

Am I supporting McCain because he knows what it takes to make America secure? Because I think he’s the best man for the job? Or because we could use another Republican in a U.S. Senate seat at such critical time?

Heck no.

I support John McCain because of his new, totally awesome logo. It sizzles, just like my favorite food: bacon. This tells me that John identifies with me, just your typical white, yuppy, college-educated single white female. Not only that, he could care less about those Boulder-livin’, vegan eatin’, Matt & Nat buyin' types.

Move over PETA-sympathizers and left-leaning urbanites. My hog-farming friends and I need some space to fry up a mid-afternoon snack while we wait for the bumper sticker that sports the delicious new logo to arrive in the mail.

Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle is the best newspaper ever

My office colleagues know that – while I am generally easygoing – I am demanding on one point: The office copy of the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle always must start on my desk. I’m so tired to newspapers that bore us with articles about faraway countries with names like Djibouti. The only deficit I’m interested in is the deficit of interesting newspapers.

But the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle is never dull. From the hot pink masthead on down, this is no “Gray Lady” (as The New York Times is known).

So I tore into the February edition with the gusto of a starving man at Country Buffet. Would there be a further exploration of “Dive Bar Divas?” More about the “Cherry Creek Valley’s most notorious former police officer and safecracker?” A return of reportage about the “Female Submission Wrestler?”

(It did not escape my notice that The Denver Post ran stories about the first two of those topics well after the Chronicle's coverage was published.)

Imagine my excitement to see my prediction reprinted that the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle would retroactively get the Public Service Pulitzer for its cougar bar series. There was ace reporter Laura Lief anticipating the feel of the gold medal and Ed Thomas – the toughest editor since J. Jonah Jameson tortured Peter Parker at the Daily Bugle – fearlessly challenging media magnate Rupert Murdoch.

Who says newspapers are dying?