Posts tagged talk
Boulder police: Officer’s Shameful Mapleton Neighborhood Pet Elk Shooting – Executive Summary
0March 27, 2013
March 25, 2013This report is an executive summary of an extensive personnel investigation into allegations ofserious misconduct involving Boulder Police Officers Sam Carter and Brent Curnow. Somedetailed information is included, while other details have been excluded to protect informationbelonging to other agencies and/or the criminal case that has yet to be concluded.
FULL REPORT SEE HERE:
Some names have been redacted to protect department members’ personnel privacy rights. Investigative
reports on personnel matters are typically not made public. The decision to release this report
was made in the interest of transparency (to the degree possible) and due to the already public
nature of the incident, the degree of public concern expressed over the incident, and the fact that both officers are no longer with the departmentOn January 1, 2013, at approximately 2255 hours, Officer Sam Carter shot and killed an elk with
police issued shotgun on the corner of 9th and Mapleton while on duty. Officer Carter had
made prior arrangements with off duty Officer Brent Curnow to assist him in loading the elk in
Curnow’s truck for later processing. Officer Carter made no attempt to report that he had
discharged his shotgun or that he had killed the elk. (Officers sometimes have to euthanize
injured animals to prevent further suffering.) Officer Carter did not notify a supervisor, dispatch,
or file any reports about the incident.
On the morning of January 2nd, the department began to receive media inquiries about the killing
of the elk. The department had no knowledge of any officer involvement in the killing at that
time. The department continued to follow-up on reports that an elk had been killed by a Boulder
officer and learned on the evening of January 2nd that Sam Carter had killed the elk. The
department then began a preliminary internal investigation to determine the circumstances and
why Carter did not report the shooting to anyone. As information was developed, it became
obvious that there were serious questions around the circumstances of the shooting and the
actions of the officers involved.
On January 3rd, a formal Internal Affairs Investigation (IA) was initiated against Officers Carter
and Curnow (see attached complaints officially filed January 4th). Both officers were placed on
administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. At about the same time, a
criminal investigation was initiated by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
While information was shared with CPW, the investigations remained separate and distinct. The
goal of the department’s IA investigation was to determine whether Officers Carter and Curnow
had violated any department rules and/or policies. The criminal investigation was left to CPW
and eventually forwarded to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. We did not conduct
a personnel investigation into the actions of Deputy Jeff George. That responsibility fell to his
employer, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
On January 18th Officers Carter and Curnow were arrested and charged with multiple offenses
related to the elk shooting. On the same date, both officers were placed on leave without pay and
given appointments to report to the police department for their formal IA interviews on January BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Report 2/37
21st. Rather than appear for their interviews as scheduled, their attorney Marc Colin appeared
and announced that both officers would resign effective January 22nd. Boulder Police continued to investigate to determine the facts and whether other employees were potentially involved. The department did not find any other violations of rules or policies by any other employees. Some employees had overheard statements by Carter and or Curnow about
wanting to get the elk, or shoot the elk. However, the context in which these statements were
made did not lead those employees to believe either officer would illegally or without
justification shoot the elk. Both officers were hunters, as were other members of the department,
and would often talk about hunting, so this type of conversation did not seem alarming. Often,
job related joking occurs at briefings to start the day, so it is not unusual to hear officers make
statements in jest. As one officer put it, Carter was always making brash statements in briefing
but never did any of the things he joked about. No one took him literally when he said he
wanted to kill the elk. Officer Curnow also reportedly teased a Sergeant about putting the elk
down as he knew that Sergeant was an animal lover.
The elk in question had been around Boulder for many months and was admired by many
officers. Some officers even took pictures of the elk due to its size and beauty. After the
shooting, the officers who worked with Carter and Curnow were shocked, disappointed, and
angry that they would do such a thing.
All of the information gathered during the investigation was provided to supervisors and the
department’s 12 member IA Review Panel, (six community members and six department
members). All reviewers were unanimous in recommending the allegations against Carter and
Curnow be sustained. Chief of Police Mark Beckner agreed with these recommendations and
entered a sustained finding in the personnel files of both Carter and Curnow.
None of the reviewers or panel members believed any disciplinary action was appropriate for any
other officer. The Chief of Police also asked specifically for feedback from supervisors and the
IA Review Panel in regards to some decision making on the part of two other officers. One
involved a post on a Facebook page about the elk and the other involved being more timely in
letting the department know of Carter’s involvement. The consensus feedback was that both
situations were best handled as learning experiences to be addressed through documented
counseling with supervisors. The Chief accepted this recommendation.
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Preview NCAA Colorado/Kansas game–coaches quotes
0March 22, 2013
Linda Lappe, Colorado Head Coach:
On playing their best basketball late in the season:
“I think we are playing our best. I am so excited that we had a chance to play Stanford in our last game. I think Stanford really helps up prepare for the next level, which is now. It was a blessing in disguise – nobody wants to play Stanford because they are so talented and they run their system very well and I think they’re going to do really well in the Tournament. For us to be able to play a top-notch team like that before a long layoff and having to play some really good basketball, it was going to be key for us. We’re going to use a lot of those things we learned from that game. We watched a lot of film after that game. We’re going to take a lot of different things offensively and defensively from that and I think it’s going to help us as we go into the Kansas game tomorrow.”
On Kansas’ experience:
“Kansas has some experience and they have seniors on the floor that start for them that have played a lot of games that have been through the Big 12. They do have more NCAA Tournament experience than we do, but I think last year was their first year and they were able to get to the Sweet 16, so it doesn’t always mean a lot and doesn’t mean everything for sure. Us being home neutralizes their experience in the NCAA Tournament. We’ve tried to keep things as consistent as possible throughout this last week to be able to manage our emotions as we go into tomorrow’s game. Obviously there’s going to be some butterflies and some jitters, but the biggest thing is to make sure you’re cool, calm and collected and playing the way you always play, whether it was playing California, Stanford, or Louisville, or Wyoming, we have to go into this game exactly how we went into the rest of those games. If we do that, I think we’re going to have a high chance of success.”
On hosting an NCAA Tournament:
“It is a great thing to host the NCAA Tournament. I’m really grateful for our administration, for [Athletic Director] Mike Bohn, for bidding on the tournament. It’s a huge advantage. He believed that we would be in the tournament and that’s why you want to host. You want to give your home school as much of a chance to get out of the first two rounds as you possibly can. I’m so happy that Colorado has been gracious enough, not only financially, but with our resources, our people. Our employees here have done a lot to make this tournament a really good success.”
On playing Kansas:
“It was just a couple years that we played them three times and twice every other year. I think I played them eight times in my career. We feel a very good familiarity with Kansas. I think [Kansas head coach] Bonnie [Henrickson] does a tremendous job with her team. She always has them prepared. She always has them ready. She’s done a nice job of turning their program around. When she got it, it wasn’t nearly what it is now. I have a lot of respect for what she’s been able to do. I know one of our assistants picked her brain asking: ‘How did she do it? How did she turn it around?’ Because when we got the job, it was very similar. I have a lot of respect for what she’s been able to do. Kansas, in general, we know what they’re about. We know that they play in a good conference and we’re just excited to be able to play an old opponent in the NCAA Tournament.”
On Ariel Roberson’s development after redshirting last year:
“Anybody who’s had to redshirt, I would want them to do what Ariel did. That is, she was very engaged. She did her rehab during practice. She made sure she watched. She understood what our team was lacking last year and something she could bring this year. Part of that is consistency. Part of it is competitive fire. Ariel is a competitor and she loves to win. She wants to take big shots. She wants to make big stops on the defensive end. She’s a really good defender as well. What she was able to do was watch and learn and to see positioning and how important that is. People who go from playing to coaching right away, they don’t realize how much they were missing as a player. She had an opportunity to sit and watch and to be able to see all those things that maybe everybody else wasn’t able to see. She used it as an advantage for her. The other thing she did was to continually work on her shot. Even when she couldn’t really bend her knees or do anything like that, as soon as she could stand, even before she could stand, she would sit in a chair and shoot. She did anything she could do, basketball-wise, before she could even be on the court. She kept her touch and I think it really helped her shot. She shot it well this year, better than she ever did in high school. I think she utilized that year to get better at something. She is the one you want every injured player to watch and emulate because she did it the right way and that’s helped her this year.”
FIRST PRACTICE DAY QUOTES – Kansas
Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas Head Coach:
On scouting Colorado:
“Defensively, not only in their numbers because numbers can be deceiving, but when you watch them on film and see how well they play together. They can choreograph some things defensively, but they also play some great position defense. They play really well together. Look at their defensive field goal numbers and they are in the top three in all the team defensive stats in the Pac-12. They play the top of that league tough in one possession games. Watching them on field the numbers make sense. Sometimes you look at numbers and they do not always add up but theirs do. Angel [Goodrich] said it and she’s exactly right. Those pieces that were here two years ago are much improved. Chucky [Jeffery] was good as a sophomore. The Wilson twins were good as freshmen. Those kids have gotten better and that is a credit to their coaching to develop players. Obviously, Arielle [Roberson] is a phenomenal player. We recruited her and thought she would be a great player in our program. Certainly she has done everything that we thought she would be capable of. She plays both the three and the four. She shoots the three and she can put it on the floor. She is a tough kid. Rachel Hargis too, she was long and lanky and that hasn’t changed. From a fitness standpoint her body looks different on film then it did a couple years ago from our game over in Kansas City. The new players since we last played them are really impressive.”
On making the NCAA Tournament:
“We had quality wins over Creighton, Oklahoma and West Virginia and certainly stubbed our toe against Texas Tech. We were disappointed with a couple of our performances down the stretch but felt like we had six wins against the RPI top 60. Like the Pac-12 there are no off-nights in our league. The challenge is to be consistent every night and we knew that we hadn’t done that. We let a couple go at the end of the year. I knew it would be close when I looked at it. I thought there were 14 teams for six spots. I felt that our six wins against the top 60 RPI would speak for itself. At the very end you are splitting hairs. The committee starts to look at it and for us there were some wins that we had to have to get in certainly.”
On familiarity with the venue:
“We have never been to Little Rock and played pretty well there. From a confidence standpoint I see what you are saying. For me I said ‘Bus driver take a left here’ and I knew where we were. We went to dinner last night and I knew were we were. From a familiarity stand point between the two programs it is a wash. They know us and we know them. Chucky [Jeffery] knows our kids that were here. Our kids know her and both sets of twins. They are excited and they should be.”
On Carolyn Davis before and after her injury:
“In the beginning of the year her mobility and lateral movement wasn’t where it had been. Her rim to rim wasn’t where it had been. She is as good as she has been since the injury. Confidence wise she is as good as she has been. She has been more aggressive. She has attacked more with the ball in her hands. The thing she has done so well from the beginning at Kansas is how good she is without the ball early. She works hard and that never really changed. She has never been a real bouncy kid. She still has great hands and catches everything. If she can’t catch it, it is a really bad ball. She certainly is close to who she was last year.”
PLAYERS
Carolyn Davis, Kansas forward
On being nervous before getting into the NCAA Tournament:
“We’re not in there with the committee, so we don’t know what exactly got us in. We played out the season the best we could. We know there were a few games we lost, so we watched the selection show like everybody else, hoping we got in.”
On defending Colorado forward Arielle Roberson:
“She’s a great post player. She got Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. That’s a great honor for her. Luckily for us, we played against a lot of great, versatile post players in the Big 12 so we’ve been challenged with that. I think if we’re able to stay down and contain her on her penetration and guard the three, we’ll be okay.”
Angel Goodrich, Kansas Guard:
On scouting the matchup with Colorado:
“We played them two years ago, so we know some of the players, like Chucky Jeffery, and the two pairs of twins. They’ve grown their game a lot. They were good then, and they’ve gotten better. We just want to play together as a team, and do what we have to do to get the win.”
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Boulder police looking for assault suspect which took place around 4 p.m. on Colorado Ave near 28th
0January 29, 2013
Boulder police are investigating an assault which took place between 4:15 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 in the area of 28th and Colorado.
The female victim told police she was walking alone on eastbound Colorado toward 28th St. when she says she was grabbed from behind by an unknown male. The male grabbed her with his arm across her neck.
The victim was carrying a pepper spray-type canister in her hand at the time of the assault, and she was able to spray her attacker in his face. The suspect then hit the victim and yelled as the victim struggled to get away. The suspect fled the area. The victim called police and received medical treatment at the scene for injuries sustained during the attack.
The victim believes the suspect is a white male who was wearing a gray-colored, baggy sweatshirt with a dark blue or black knit stocking cap.
There were three bicyclists crossing the street in the area at the time of the attack who may have witnessed the incident. Police would like to speak to them to see if they can provide details about the suspect and the assault. Police would also like to talk with any motorists or pedestrians who may have seen the incident.
Police are working to identify the suspect. He may have red or watery eyes, and he may have had a distinct odor of pepper spray on his person or clothes last night.
The case number is 13-1199.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jeremy Frenzen at 303-441-1890. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
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Bomb threat, “Hit List” closes Niwot High
0January 11, 2013
from the Longmont Times-Call via Huffington Post
Niwot High School in Boulder, Colo. is closed Friday as authorities investigate a threat to blow up the school and a 30-name “hit list.”
A threat that the school would “blow on the 11th” was found scrawled on a bathroom Monday and made public Tuesday. Officials decided to close the school when the threat escalated upon Thursday’s discovery of the threatening hit list filled with students’ names, The Longmont Times-Call reports.
Parents were notified of the decision and investigation in a letter Thursday. Deputies are using dogs to comb the school for bombs, and the school is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone with information about the perpetrator.
“We made a recommendation to the school district that they don’t have school on Friday for safety reasons, for the students,” Cmdr. Rick Brough of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office told KUSA-TV. “It gives us more time to do an investigation and see if we can identify who is responsible, and whether the threat is credible.”
Schools across the country are still on high alert as parents nervously sent their children back to class after the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook school shooting. Districts nationwide have tightened security measures and increased campus patrols, and hypersensitivity to any unusual activity or perceived threats have already resulted in numerous lockdowns.
“Ten years ago this wouldn’t have been a problem, and now it’s a real problem. And my child’s name is on the list, and it’s very concerning,” parent Ellen Ross told TheDenverChannel. “I just really hope that the parents talk to their kids and try to find out what is going on because some child knows. No child does this and doesn’t tell anybody. I really want the parents to talk to their kids and find out who’s doing this.”
Weekend activities, including a girls’ basketball game and wrestling tournament, have also been canceled, KDVR reports.
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Woodyard’s skills and dedication make him a team leader
0January 10, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Five years ago, linebacker Wesley Woodyard
was fighting for a roster spot as an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky.
This season, he fought for a Pro Bowl berth as one of the AFC’s most productive linebackers. Through 15 games, Woodyard is one of just four AFC players with at least 100 tackles, a sack and an interception. He’s set career highs in almost every category this season, including his three interceptions and four sacks.
“I’m trying to continue to work on my craft and get better every day,” Woodyard said. “My teammates believe in me, and I’ve just been having fun out there this year. Not worrying about anything, just going out there and playing football.”
Wesley Woodyard is a team leader
He’s already earned some hardware this season, taking home his first career AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award after becoming the first player in team history to post one sack, one interception and one forced fumble in the same game during Denver’s 34-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 8.
As he’s gotten more time in the starting lineup, Woodyard’s confidence and comfort level have grown.
“Whenever we step on the field, we expect to win and we know we should win every game we play,” Woodyard said. “That confidence just seeps out of everybody’s pores in the game. You actually smell that confidence in the game. It’s not being overconfident, it’s just having fun and enjoying the game.”
While his season might have caught some people off guard, Woodyard’s teammates knew what he was capable if given an opportunity.
“It was only a matter of time,” cornerback and fellow team captain Champ Bailey said. “It’s all about opportunities. Most guys make the best of them and he’s one of them. I’m happy for him because I’ve seen how much he’s grinded away and worked up to this point.”
Linebacker Von Miller saw first-hand how hard Woodyard worked on the practice field and in their position’s meeting room.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Miller said. “Since I’ve been here, he’s been making big-time plays, doing big-time things, so for him to come out here and have the type of season that he’s having isn’t a surprise at all.”
UNDRAFTED UNDERDOG
In 2008, 253 players had their names called during the NFL draft, but Woodyard wasn’t one of them. Despite earning first-team All-SEC honors during his final two seasons at the University of Kentucky, where he led the conference with 10.6 tackles per game as a senior, Woodyard went undrafted.
He joined the Broncos as a free agent and immediately opened eyes with his work ethic and playmaking ability.
“I came in my rookie year and I just wanted to give them my all and have a shot to play the game that I love to play,” Woodyard said. “It was just exciting. It was a lot of hard work and determination. I just stuck by myself and believed in myself.”
He has played double-digit games in each of his five seasons, but still remembers where he started his career.
“I keep that chip on my shoulder,” Woodyard said. “I never take anything for granted. Always work hard and outwork whoever is out there beside you. It keeps me humble.”
After starting his rookie season as an undrafted free agent, he finished the year as a team captain. Woodyard has held that position ever since to become just the second Bronco in franchise history to serve as a captain in his first five seasons with the club, joining Hall-of-Fame running back Floyd Little with that distinction.
“I just lead by example,” Woodyard said. “I don’t like to talk a lot, I just like to go out there and do it the right way and do it the way I’ve been coached to do it. Do it the way my teammates depend on. That’s going out there and playing hard-nosed football until the end of the whistle every snap.”
Having climbed from the bottom of the depth chart to a starting role, Woodyard serves as a living example for the college free agents that join the team each summer fighting the odds for a spot on the roster.
“It gives me the opportunity to be on that same level and talk to them and tell them what they need to do and what they should do,” he said. “For the most part, they listen to me and they look up to me and they always seek out advice.”
In 2011, cornerback Chris Harris began the year as an undrafted free agent and has emerged as a starter this season.
Harris credits Woodyard’s leadership and example as a factor in his success.
“Just to always continue working,” Harris said about the advice he received from Woodyard. “Any time you see a guy go undrafted it definitely gives you a chance, knowing that you can come from the bottom and start in this league.”
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CAPTAIN
Woodyard has taken that leadership beyond the playing field and into the community.
Named the Broncos’ recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in each of the previous two seasons, Woodyard said he enjoys using his position as a football player to help people.
“I think that’s what it starts with,” Woodyard said. “It’s important that we give back to the community and help out the community that we’re in. I think that’s what our world is missing. We don’t reach out and we don’t help enough people. That’s something with my status of being a football player in the NFL, I take advantage of every opportunity that I can to help out.”
Woodyard even set up his own foundation, 16Ways, which works with at-risk youth. As a team captain, Woodyard has tried to impress upon the younger players the importance of taking the time to be active in community enrichment programs.
“I love seeing guys sign up for them,” Woodyard said about the team’s community events. “I used to be the first one to sign up, now it’s funny, when I come around the corner, now there’s 10 guys that have already signed up for an event. That’s always good. Now there are more rookies at every event than I’ve ever seen.”
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Dinwiddie Shows No Brotherly Love In CU Win
0December 6, 2012
By B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor, CUBuffs.com
BOULDER – Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle and sophomore guard Spencer Dinwiddie are due for a conversation on in-state basketball etiquette, specifically what not to say before a rivalry game.
But their talk can wait – at least for a year.
After he had scored a career-high 29 points on Wednesday night in leading CU to a grind-it-out 70-61 victory against archrival Colorado State, Dinwiddie said his “little brother” analogy of CSU was, ah, misinterpreted.
“I think they took it as disrespect; I didn’t mean it in a disrespectful way,” a grinning Dinwiddie said. “I have a lot of respect for their team . . . but being able to back up the comment with a win is great; they were on my Twitter a lot.”
He was on the Rams just as fiercely as the Buffs started strong, finished stronger and finally put away the visitors before a record crowd of 11,708 at the Coors Events Center.
“What an atmosphere for college basketball,” Boyle said. “It’s a testament to our fans and how they’ve stepped up and supported us.”
The Buffs got better than average road support last weekend at Wyoming, but their effort wasn’t in synch with their backing. The Cowboys won 76-69, and aside from his team’s first loss, Boyle said “the most disappointing thing was all the people who went up there and we let them down . . . we told our guys that we’re representing more than just ourselves.”
That message, as well as one forcibly delivered in Monday’s smash-mouth practice, surfaced in what Boyle likened to “an NCAA-type game” against CU’s rival from up the road.
In dealing CSU (6-1) its first defeat, CU (7-1) went up by 20 points at halftime, but saw that lead dwindle to three (54-51) in the final 6:45 after a 19-5 Rams run. But a 5-0 Buffs spurt and a recommitment to defense kept the Rams at bay; from the 6:45 mark to the final buzzer, CSU hit only one of its last shots (and that was a trey at the buzzer) and never pulled closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Dinwiddie was 8-of-10 from the field (5-of-7 from beyond the arc) and had an “all-Pac-12 kind of game,” said Boyle. Dinwiddie said he was “just hitting my shots . . . it was more about us playing defense.”
As for Dinwiddie’s idle Tuesday chatter about CSU, Boyle laughed and said, “I’ve got to talk to Spencer about that (but) he backed it up . . . we have to be a little smarter. He just believes in himself and his teammates.”
Junior forward Andre Roberson was the only other CU player in double figures. He picked up his fourth consecutive double-double and the 29th of his career, getting 15 points and 14 rebounds.
CSU got 19 points and 14 rebounds from Colton Iverson and 18 points from Dorian Green. The 6-10, 260-pound Iverson might have been Boyle’s biggest nightmare in the run-up to the Rams, but Boyle wisely rotated 6-10 freshman Josh Scott and 6-11 junior Shane Harris-Tunks on Iverson and made him toil for his totals.
Of Scott, Boyle said, “He grew up tonight as a post defender . . . he was totally different from the Wyoming game.” And Roberson said Harris-Tunks “did a great job of being physical against him.”
The Buffs wanted a solid start – and they might have exceeded their expectations. Before the Rams could blink a couple of times, they trailed 9-0.
Roberson opened the scoring by hitting a soft foul-line jumper (2-0), then followed with an angry stuff after a steal/lob pass by Dinwiddie (4-0). If you thought things were going CU’s way, a banked-in trey by Askia Booker – his only points of the first half – made it 7-0. Then a sweet spin by Sabatino Chen sent the Buffs up 9-0.
And this was their warm-up act.
When CSU blinked again, CU had strung together a 20-5 run and was up 20 (35-15). Before the half was over, the Buffs would lead by 25 (42-17). Dinwiddie jump-started and finished that push, burying three three-pointers and hitting a pair of free throws following a technical foul called on Iverson with 5:18 before halftime.
After the weekend loss at Wyoming, Boyle had challenged his team to be tougher defensively and to rebound with authority. The Rams – the NCAA’s rebound margin leader at plus-17.3 – had a 42-30 advantage for the game, including 18 offensively.
Still, the Buffs’ ‘D’ was exemplary; CSU wound up shooting 35.6 percent from the field (21-for-59) and Boyle said he’d take that statistic over a rebounding edge.
“But I want both,” he added.
CU’s second-half challenge was to keep the pedal down, but CSU had other plans. With Iverson powering for four of his team’s first six points, the Rams opened the last half with a 6-0 run and pulled to within 42-28.
Dinwiddie’s turn . . . his free throw followed by back-to-back treys restored a 17-point (49-32) CU advantage. But rolling over wasn’t for the Rams; a 7-0 run pulled them within 10 points (49-39) with ample time – 13:25 – remaining.
After Boyle called time out, Dinwiddie delivered with a spinning layup (51-39) – and a frantic final 12 minutes began for both teams. The Rams closed their deficit to single digits (54-45) on a banker from the left side by Wes Eikmeier.
It was the closest they had been since 22-13, and they would get to 54-47 on a pair of Green free throws, 54-49 on an Iverson layup, then 54-51 on an Eikmeier layup with 6:45 left. That basket capped a 10-0 CSU run, and Boyle called time out.
Said Roberson: “We were focusing on continuing to get stops. We knew they would come back with a run, that they weren’t going to go away . . . we called a timeout and got everybody to calm down, keep our composure and get back to our defensive rebounding.”
A Dinwiddie free throw at the 6:21 mark finally got CU a point, a twisting lay-in by Booker got the Buffs two more, and a put-back by Scott pushed CU’s advantage to 59-51. They went back up by double digits (63-52) on a drive by Chen with just over 3 minutes remaining.
The Rams never got closer than seven points the rest of the night, and Boyle’s record against CSU went to 4-3 – 2-1 at CU. The word of the day to his team, he said, was “dictate . . . that was on our board in the locker room. Dictate tempo and pressure; let them know they were in for 40 minutes of in-your-face basketball . . . they did cut it to three but we didn’t lose our composure.”
Now, said Boyle, his team must do as it did Wednesday on a more consistent basis. “It feels good because we beat a good team; we knew how good CSU was,” he said. “It’s huge, but we’ve got a big game on Saturday.”
That would be at Boyle’s alma mater, No. 9 Kansas (noon MST, ESPN2). Boyle is 0-3 against the Jayhawks, with all three losses coming in his first season at CU.
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Buffs Fall Hard In First True Road Test
0December 2, 2012
By B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor, CUBuffs.com
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Colorado Buffaloes knew their first true road test of the season would be difficult, but they might have made it harder than it had to be.
Committing 17 turnovers while managing just 11 assists and allowing Wyoming’s inside game – read: Leonard Washington – to dominate, the No. 19 Buffs were overrun by the Cowboys 76-69 on Saturday night in the boisterous Arena-Auditorium.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why we lost this game,” said CU coach Tad Boyle, citing an assist-to-turnover ratio that continues to disappoint, 14 layups allowed (seven in each half) and his team permitting Wyoming to shoot 52 percent in the second half of a game that the Buffs led by two (28-26) at intermission.
Continued Boyle, who watched his team lose for the first time this season (6-1) and only the second time in its last 13 games: “I’m disappointed in our execution in the second half. We have to get better in a lot of different areas.”
The Cowboys’ 6-7 Leonard Washington scored a team-high 22 points – most of them inside as Wyoming outscored CU 30-24 in the paint. The unbeaten Cowboys (8-0) also turned the Buffs’ 17 turnovers, which tied the season high, into 20 points.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Buffs with 24 points and Andre Roberson added 16 and 12 rebounds – his 28th career double-double. CU’s other pair of top scorers – guard Askia Booker and post Josh Scott – accounted for 11 points between them. Booker (16.8 ppg) was held to a season-low six points – a three-pointer in each half, while Scott (14.5 ppg) scored five before fouling out.
Two of Scott’s teammates – Roberson and Sabatino Chen – also fouled out. The Buffs were whistled for 27 fouls to the Cowboys’ 13, a disparity that Boyle believes worked too much on some of his players’ psyches.
“It’s going to happen,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to overcome that. They can get frustrated and bitch about it all they want – it doesn’t change things. The way you do that is with mental toughness and not let it get in your head, get you out of your game.”
Boyle also pointed to a hustle play made by Washington midway through the second half that he believed epitomized the night for the Buffs. It occurred when the Cowboys began pulling away with an 11-3 run. Washington went to floor for a loose ball, corralled it and called time out. Meanwhile, five CU players bent at their waists and poked at the ball.
“He out-scrapped us and got it,” Boyle said. “He ‘beasted’ us last year (16 points in a 64-54 Wyoming win). What you saw with Leonard Washington was a senior who was playing his last time against a team like Colorado that was in the Top 25. He wanted this game . . . he took four or five charges himself. It was in the scouting report.”
The Buffs, said Boyle, failed to play hard, smart or together: “We’ve got guys who have to change their identities from offensive players to defensive players, defensive players to rebounders, screeners, passers – and then let the offense come to you . . . we’ve got a lot of guys on this team who can put the ball in the basket. Not just Josh, Ski, Spencer, Andre – guys coming off the bench can (score). But our mindset right now is not a collective one, not what it needs to be.”
Booker, who was 2-of-13 from the field (one trey in each half), “does not handle adversity well,” Boyle said. “He has to get better when his jump shot’s not going in and when the officiating isn’t bailing him out. That’s the bottom line. He knows it, I know it, the assistant coaches know it, his teammates know it. Until he does, he’s going to be frustrated on nights like this because people are going to start face-guarding him, bumping him, being physical . . . he’s got to figure it out.”
The Buffs, as a whole, have until Wednesday night to figure out how to solve the deficiencies Boyle has laid out for them. Archrival Colorado State (6-0) visits the Coors Events Center in the second game of men’s/women’s doubleheader, and if CU doesn’t improve over the next three days, CSU “will obliterate us,” Boyle said. “They’ve got a toughness about them. You talk about rebounding and defending, look at Colorado State. They rebound and defend. They’re exactly what we need to be, and that’s why they’re undefeated right now. We’ve might have lost a little bit of our hunger now, I don’t know. We’ll find out Wednesday night.”
The 6-10 Scott wouldn’t concede that the Buffs have encountered complacency. “We’re as hungry as ever,” he said. “I know all of us are really competitive, we all want to be the best we can be.”
If they weren’t at their best in Saturday night’s first half, they were close enough to stay competitive. With Wyoming’s largest crowd (8,240) in eight seasons watching, the first half might have unfolded just as CU envisioned. The Cowboys aren’t interested in getting up and down the court, and they made sure the visitors couldn’t. Neither team had a fast-break basket in the opening 20 minutes.
CU did manage a two-point lead in a first half that featured seven ties and eight lead changes, but the Buffs’ 28 points was their lowest first-half output of the season. It was an omen, for CU finished shooting 41.4 percent from the field (24-of-58) for their lowest percentage of the season.
The Buffs encountered early foul problems, with Roberson, Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott seeing their minutes limited after picking up two fouls each. Roberson played nine minutes but still had seven first-half point, tying Dinwiddie for the team lead. Scott and Johnson played 10 minutes each. The Buffs stayed close, even leading on a couple of occasions, in the first 5 minutes of the second half. It didn’t help CU when Scott was whistled for his third foul at the 12:45 mark and went to the bench for 4 minutes. Wyoming went up by six (45-39) on an inside basket and free throw by Washington and two free throws by Luke Martinez.
A Dinwiddie trey cut the deficit in half (45-42), but the Cowboys reeled off an 11-3 run and suddenly were up 51-42 with 9:16 remaining. And in this game, at Wyoming’s pace, a nine-point lead looked pretty cushy. Boyle called a timeout to settle the Buffs.
CU pulled to within five (55-50), but a Washington desperation three-pointer with the shot clock at one second restored Wyoming’s eight-point lead (58-50) at the 5:12 mark.
If the Buffs were going to remain unbeaten, it would be up to their defense. But allowing a full-court pass to Martinez on an out-of-bounds wasn’t the way to finish strong. His layup pushed the Cowboys back up by nine (61-52) with just under 4 minutes remaining – and it was all Wyoming thereafter.
Said Dinwiddie: “We didn’t play defense, plain and simple. They buckled down and made plays and we didn’t make plays.”
Dinwiddie claimed the loud Cowboys crowd didn’t disrupt the Buffs: “I don’t think so . . . we missed some shots, but I don’t think the crowd had much to do with it. The crowd doesn’t change the way the opposing team plays defense.”
Now comes CSU, which edged CU 65-64 last season in Fort Collins. Dinwiddie said Saturday night’s first loss of this season doesn’t make the Rams’ visit to Boulder any more significant: “It’s a big game either way. They’re probably going to be Top 25 now, we might or might not still. It’s our place, they beat us last year and rushed the court.
“They’re our biggest rival. You really can’t set the stage any higher than it already was . . . it’s still going to be crazy. We want to prove to ourselves more than anything (and) get back to the way we should be playing.”
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Boulder police warn parents about two incidents involving suspicious males
0November 6, 2012
Boulder police are warning parents about a suspicious male or males who may be attempting to approach school-age children. Two separate incidents have been reported. No one was injured in either incident.
In the first incident, a 7-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister were walking home from Whittier Elementary on Monday, November 5, when they say they were startled by a man in the area of 24th and Spruce. The boy said the man did not attempt to contact them or follow them, but he reported that he believed the man might have been carrying a gun and/or a knife. The children ran away and told their (mother) about the incident, which occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m.
The children describe the man as:
- Dark-skinned white male
- About 30 years old
- Average build
- Dark-colored baseball hat with a smiley face emblem
A second incident allegedly occurred at 3:45 p.m. in a shopping center located in the 600 block of S. Broadway. A 12-year-old boy said that a man seemed to be following him and attempting to make eye contact with him. The boy was frightened and went to a nearby store to call his mother to come pick him up. The mother reported the incident to police at 8:12 p.m. Investigators were not able to interview the 12-year-old boy last night because he was asleep by the time the incident was reported.
Police are at Southern Hills Middle School this morning to talk to the young man and gather more information about what happened.
He described the suspect to his mother, who shared the description with police:
- Dark-skinned white male
- Dirty blue jeans
- Olive-green colored hoodie
- In his 20’s
- Approximately 190 pounds
- Short dark hair
- Dark blue baseball hat
Boulder police officers are looking for the males, and ask anyone who sees a male matching the descriptions to call 911 immediately to report his location.
Extra patrol and traffic officers are in currently in place around Southern Hills Middle School, the Table Mesa Shopping Center, Whittier Elementary School and the area of the park on Folsom between Spruce and Pearl, where the first incident occurred. Detectives are contacting businesses in the shopping center on S. Broadway to try to obtain possible video of the suspect.
If video is available or if any of the children can provide enough information to complete a composite sketch, that information will immediately be made available to the public.
Police advise anyone who sees anything suspicious to report the activity immediately to police. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Detective Kristin Weisbach at 303-441-4474. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
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CU to host workshop on student identity theft Oct. 10
0October 4, 2012
The University of Colorado Boulder will hold a student workshop with help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on the prevention of identity theft in the college-age population on Oct. 10.
The workshop, hosted by CU Money Sense, is open to all CU-Boulder students and will be held in University Memorial Center room 245 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Students planning to attend should email CUmoneysense@colorado.edu.
Colorado consistently ranks in the top 15 states for identity theft and fraud, with several Colorado cities ranking in the top 10 cities in the nation, according to Erin Foster, communication specialist with CU Money Sense, CU-Boulder’s financial education program for students.
“Our guest speaker from CBI will talk about the real-life impact that identity theft can have on students’ lives,” said Foster. “We want to heighten student awareness about this issue.”
Hazel Heckers of CBI will discuss why students are particularly appealing to identity thieves and what they can do to protect themselves.
Other upcoming CU Money Sense events include:
- “Check Your Credit Report – Drop-in Help from CU Money Sense,” Wednesday, Oct. 17, noon. Email to make an appointment at CUmoneysense@colorado.edu.
- “Living Off-Campus – Everything First-timers Need to Know,” Jan. 24 (time and location to be determined).
- “How to Apply for Financial Aid” (time, date and location to be determined).
For more information about CU Money Sense visit http://bursar.colorado.edu/cumoneysense/.
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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to speak at CU Boulder Sept. 13
0September 7, 2012
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will address the role of public lands in American life at the University of Colorado Boulder on Sept. 13 as part of a conference commemorating the 200th anniversary of the General Land Office.
Salazar’s talk is part of a conference titled “The Nation Possessed: The Conflicting Claims on America’s Public Lands” being held at CU-Boulder Sept. 11-14. The conference is sponsored by the Center of the American West and the Public Lands Foundation.
“It is a great privilege to host the Secretary of the Interior, along with many other distinguished public servants and influential Western figures,” said Professor Patty Limerick, faculty director of the Center of the American West. “This is truly a ‘be there or be square’ kind of event; for instance, the session at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday — ‘Burning Man Meets Managing Man,’ on the relationship between the Burning Man Festival and the Bureau of Land Management — cannot be missed.”
Salazar’s talk is open only to conference attendees, and people may register for the conference on site at the University Memorial Center’s Glenn Miller Ballroom on Sept. 12 starting at 10 a.m. But several other events are free and open to the public, including two evening events:
– On Sept. 12, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the UMC’s Glenn Miller Ballroom, a former director of the Bureau of Land Management, Bob Abbey, will be interviewed by Timothy Egan, an author and writer for The New York Times.
– On Sept. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the UMC’s Glenn Miller Ballroom, actors Clay Jenkinson and Bryce Townsend will present “The Public Domain and the Public Lands: 1812, 1912, 2112 Re-enactment/Pre-enactment Event with Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and a Visitor from the Future.”
A complete schedule of conference events is available at http://centerwest.org/events/the-nation-possessed/. For information on the CU-Boulder Center of the American West call 303-492-4879 or visit http://www.centerwest.org.
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Boulder police look for suspect, possible witness, in 2011 sex assault
0August 9, 2012
Boulder police continue to investigate an alleged sex assault that took place on July 16, 2011, around 4:30 a.m. in the area of 28th and Baseline.
The victim was 18 years old at the time of the attack, and she was walking alone along the 28th St. frontage road. She told police she was grabbed from behind and then sexually assaulted. Her arm, which was previously broken, was broken again during the assault.
Police are looking for the suspect, who is a light-skinned black male with green eyes and glasses. He is described as being between 18 and 22 years old, 6’0” tall with a medium build. He wore his hair in a 3-inch long light brown afro, and may have had a pick in his hair. At the time of the assault, he wore a purple shirt with neon green lettering, and khaki pants.
Police are also looking for a possible witness to the assault. According to the victim, a blonde, white male in his 20’s may have been walking by at the time of the attack, and may have seen or heard the incident. He may not have realized that a sexual assault was taking place.
Police would like to talk to this potential witness, and are asking him to come forward. Police are also continuing to try to identify the suspect.
The case number is 11-8876.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brian Scott at 303-441-3381. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
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Six puppies test positive for Parvovirus in Boulder
0August 1, 2012
Animal Control offers prevention tips
The Boulder Police Department’s Animal Control Unit is notifying dog owners about potential Parvovirus (also called Parvo) among some dogs in the city.
At least six puppies have tested positive for the virus, and one has died. The others are undergoing veterinary treatment. The infected dogs were in the area of 9th and Canyon, near the library and municipal building.
Boulder’s Animal Control Unit says vaccinated dogs are at a very low risk of contracting the disease. If your dog is not current on vaccinations, there is a higher risk of exposure. Talk to your veterinarian if you have concerns or questions about whether your pet is current on shots.
Parvovirus is a serious viral disease. It is extremely contagious and the risk of exposure is a year-round issue. Parvo is most often an intestinal disease, but the virus can also infect the heart muscles. Sometimes an infected dog doesn’t show any symptoms of the virus, although it generally presents itself quickly (sometimes as soon as 12 hours) after a dog has been exposed.
Signs of intestinal Parvo include:
- Lethargy
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea (usually bloody and foul-smelling
- Fever
- Intussusception– this is when a section of the animal’s intestinal tract telescopes into itself. This is an emergency which requires immediate veterinary attention.
There is no cure for Parvovirus. Veterinarians can give fluids orally if the infection is mild, or subcutaneously (under the skin) if dehydration is more extreme. Anti-vomiting medications, antibiotics and blood/plasma transfusions are also used in treatment.
Parvo is spread by dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces. People can carry the virus on their hands and clothes if they pet an infected dog or touch the leash or collar of an infected dog. The virus can also be carried on the bottoms of shoes if a person steps on feces or contaminated dirt, and can be transmitted from shoes to homes, workplaces and other areas.
The virus can remain “live” for up to seven months, so it’s important to properly disinfect areas which may have been exposed to the virus. Household bleach is the best disinfectant for surfaces like countertops and floors, or the bottoms of shoes. The dilution formula is one part bleach to 30 parts water. (Be careful with fabrics). Never, ever use the bleach solution on an animal. For people who are sensitive to the smell of bleach, there are commercially-available Parvovirus disinfectants which don’t smell as strong.
The best way to prevent your dog from becoming infected with Parvovirus is to vaccinate against the disease. Talk to your veterinarian if you have questions or need recommendations for your pet.
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Population growth unsustainable, says CU prof, and the end will not be pretty
0July 31, 2012
“You cannot sustain population growth. It’s not debatable,” says University of Colorado Boulder Professor Emeritus Al Bartlett. “It’s based on arithmetic. It’s not debatable unless you want to debate arithmetic.”
In an educational video entitled “Population, Consumption, and Climate: A Conversation with Al Bartlett,” the professor reprises themes from his notorious talk on population. Bartlett came to CU-Boulder in 1950 to join the Department of Physics. In the 1950s and today, he notes society and governments view steady growth as the centerpiece of the global economy.
“I got to thinking about the fact that people didn’t really understand the arithmetic of steady growth,” he said. “So I put together a talk. I first gave it in September of 1969 on the arithmetic of growth.”
Bartlett has since delivered that well-known lecture more than 1,700 times to audiences worldwide. He often cites an analogy of human population growth and multiplying bacteria. Using an animation that shows bacteria doubling over a fixed period of time, the video illustrates the arithmetic of steady growth and how quickly resources are depleted as growth continues.
“There will be limits,” cautions Bartlett.
The world population topped 7 billion in March 2012, according to the United States Census Bureau. Bartlett explains that despite the fact that population growth rates in developing countries may be 3-4 times higher than the U.S. rates, a significant problem with population resides in the United States because of high per capita demand for energy and resources.
“The average child born in the United States will have, over its lifetime, 10-20 times the impact on world resources as a child born in an underdeveloped nation,” he says. “So we’ve got to address the problem at home.”
In addition to the strain on the earth’s natural resources, excessive consumption contributes to climate change because resource extraction, manufacturing, and transportation produce a great deal of carbon dioxide. And, according to Bartlett, “if any fraction of global warming can be attributed to the actions of humans, that’s all the proof you need to say the human population today is greater than the carrying capacity of the earth.”
Population, Consumption, and Climate: A Conversation with Al Bartlett is part of a video series viewable at Learn More About Climate, produced by CU-Boulder’s Office for University Outreach and Landlocked Films.
The Learn More About Climate initiative brings climate change-related information to communities across the state.The website is an online outreach tool that localizes climate change through interviews with leading scientists and everyday Coloradans to explain how climate change is affecting our state. The site also offers resources for teachers, students, policy makers, and community members who want to learn more about this critical issue.
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Sign up for the Citizen’s Police Academy at the Boulder Police Department*
0July 28, 2012
*No criminals allowed
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to be a police officer, or been interested in knowing more about the day-to-day operations at the Boulder Police Department, now is the time to sign up for the upcoming Citizen’s Police Academy course.
Nearly 800 citizens have participated over the years (this is the Department’s 29th Citizen’s Police Academy), and the new session starts on Sept. 5, 2012. It’s free and open to anyone over the age of 18. The course is held over a period of 12 weeks. Students and instructors meet once a week, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Here are a few of this session’s highlights:
- Detectives will discuss cases which have been solved, and talk about some of the ways investigations are handled;
- SWAT Team members will explain what the team does, when it’s called out, and show you some of their specialized equipment;
- Our Crime Analysts will talk about how they collect evidence at crime scenes, how various evidence is tested and how the information is used during investigations;
- The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office will give you a tour of the Boulder County Jail;
- You’ll have the opportunity to ride-along with an officer and gain some perspective about their work in the community;
- The Bomb Squad members will discuss their training and show you the equipment they use to protect them from harm;
- Learn how Dispatch Operators field 911 calls;
- Find out how records are kept, and what kind of law enforcement information is available to the public;
- And, officers who patrol Boulder will tell you about their districts and beats, and share their insights about officer safety issues.
The Citizen’s Police Academy is offered at no cost to allow community members to learn more about police operations and philosophy. Applicants should live or work in Boulder County, and be able to pass a criminal background check. To register, contact Karen MacPherson at 303-441-4325, or macphersonk@bouldercolorado.gov. Registration is open through August 27, 2012.
A graduation ceremony will be held on Dec. 5, 2012. Graduates will be able to join the Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association, which schedules monthly programs and speakers who focus on law enforcement-related topics.
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Cleaning Up the Dirty Words
0June 6, 2012
by Dan Culberson
in Uncategorized
Here’s what gets me.
I’m going to write every filthy, disgusting, dirty word you have ever seen or heard right now: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.
There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?
“What?” you say? “That’s just the alphabet,” you say?
Correct, but it contains every dirty word ever written and every dirty word that ever will be written. You just have to string the improper letters together, assuming you didn’t stop reading when I announced what I was going to do.
Now, what is it with so-called “dirty” words that causes such an uproar? We have all heard them, and many of us have used them. Then, why is it we make such a stink about them when we see them in print or hear them in movies, radio or television?
The reason is that somewhere along the line we made an unwritten agreement that certain words are “dirty” and out of place in “polite” society, and people who use them anyway can get into big trouble.
Lenny Bruce, the controversial comedian who died in 1966 at 40, got into big trouble for being “obscene” on stage. What did he do? He offended society.
Now, what is the problem with dirty words? Is it the content or the form that is offensive?
Well, it cannot be the content, because if one word for the human anatomy or a physical act is considered to be offensive, another word that means exactly the same thing is not. Why is that?
We won’t allow the most common word for the act of love, but we will allow “sexual intercourse,” “coitus,” “copulation,” “hiding the sausage” and “dancing the horizontal mambo,” among many many others.
Why? Because the one word that is shortest of all and has no ambiguous meaning in that context has been banned by “polite” society.
Also, we don’t allow certain slang words for various parts of the human anatomy, but “penis,” “vagina,” “breast” and “anus” are perfectly acceptable. Why?
Although “Saturday Night Live” once got into trouble for saying the word “penis” 23 times in one sketch, after Lorena Bobbitt sliced her husband’s sausage and made all the newspapers, network news programs and late-night talk shows, using any other word would have made the speakers look prudish and foolish.
Wait a minute, however. It cannot be the form that is dirty, either. “Cock” is perfectly acceptable when it means a rooster. “Pussy” is perfectly acceptable when it means a cat. And “tit” is perfectly acceptable when it means in exchange for tat.
So, what’s the big deal with dirty words if the offense is neither in the content nor in the form? Could it be the intent? Do we get offended by certain words only because we believe that the speaker or writer intended to offend us?
But that’s not being fair, nor is it being logical. If we take offense by what we believe was someone’s intent, then are we saying we have the power of knowing what people want to do before they do it? Is that what we are saying?
We are proud of the fact that our Constitution guarantees us the right of free speech. And yet we don’t allow everyone to practice free speech. We censor free speech. Why?
Well, now you’re going to say that something I might say might offend you. But, wait a minute. Something that might offend you will not offend somebody else.
Therefore, are you saying that you are better than those unoffended people and know more than they do? Is that what you are saying?
Hold onto your seats. I am going to offend you. I am going to write the common, four-letter word that means the supreme, gentle, tenderest, everynight act of love. Here it comes: f—. Were you offended?
You have seen that before, haven’t you? People are offended when they see all the letters, but not when the newspaper substitutes hyphens for some of the letters.
What sense is that? You know what it means, I know what it means and the newspaper knows what it means. But somewhere along the line we agreed that we won’t be offended when we see symbolic hyphens.
Why don’t we just agree that we won’t be offended by any word, no matter how s—- it is?
After all, a word is only another symbol for an object or an idea, and we all have the power to make a symbol mean anything we choose.
Now, isn’t that silly?
I rest my case.
