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Pikes Peak Ski Area is a Boulder Fraud case.
Nov 12th
John Ball is Boulder latest flim flam man since Jared Polis
The Resort at Pikes Peak was never going to open. According to the state of Colorado John C. Ball tried to sell securities illegally. They put a stop to him on the Pikes Peak Deal.
In his previous most recent deal gone bad, Ball also managed to skim all of the money out of Eller Industries, a Boulder based broadband company according to two of it’s main stock holders. That company was a pink sheet penny stock company which never produced anything, yet took investors for millions according to sources close to that company. Ball came in to help raise money for a second round, but sunk Eller further in debt. “He got paid, we lost everything” they said.
Pink Sheet stocks are notorious shells used to defraud investors. Companies like Eller were made famous in the movie Bolder room.
There are also questions about John Balls credentials not only as a businessman but as an engineer. Local media have covered this story with a lot of high hopes failing to see that the Pikes Peak Ski resort is just another stock scam.
There have been anonymous posts put up about Ball concerning another Ball company called Running Eagle. According to Scam Book Ball has taken loans out for this company and not repaid them.
Some Eller Industry Boulder stock holders who wished to remain anonymous told Boulder Channel 1 news on Friday that ” John Ball is a fake”. Much of Balls Linked in information could not be verified either.
Boulder Police, District attorney and Colorado Attorney General refused to comment on their investigations into John Ball fraud allegations, but one assistant AG did say “Our office gives theses kinds of cases the highest priority. It is the Lions share of our work. You would be amazed at the number of shady investment deals our office see.”
Actually, we wouldn’t. Boulder has been notorious for scams since Horace Greeley pitched a handful of bad investments concerning railroads in the 19th century. Boulder has seen its share of Gold and coal mine investments go bust too. We’ve had Oil well dusters for over 100 years. The Penny Stock scams of the 1980’s saw companies like NBI go bust. We had huge banking scandals in the 90s. The 2000’s saw Dot bomb busts such as Jared Polis billion dollar loser Blue Mountain Arts on line. It was sold to EXcite but 1000’s of small investors lost millions to Polis in the Excite stock deal. Polis walked away clean, even a hero, but Excite stock holders were ruined.
Some Boulder Billionaires scoff at Polis stock deals including Bob Greenlee former city council member and investor of numerous successful media ventures. Greenlee started the famous KBCO 97.3 in the 1980s. He sold it and then started other Radio stations, bought and sold media properties as well as restaurants and casinos. He has made a lot of people rich and has few losses in his portfolio. He happens to be a conservative Republican compared to Polis radical leftist leanings. Does this suggest that all leftists are crooks and republicans are ethical ?? Not by boulders standards. Leftists can do no wrong in Boulder. Alls fair in Startups and Stock scams There seems to be an ethics difference between those who run successful thriving companies Like Greenlee and Boulderites who create bad stock deals from the beginning.
Jo Pezzillo lost investors money in Go GaGa an ill conceived internet radio station. Pezzillo still prances around Boulder like a God, but he’s another guy with a losing track record with other peoples money. In his case he took some of Greenlees money as well as other VC money, but Go Ga Ga was a dud from the beginning. It is when the public is duped that scammy investments hurt most. Pezzillo still pushes himself in social media as a successful entrepreneur, but his records show a list of Start up failures including Metafly. Pezzillo represents hundreds of scammers who hustle money in Boulders coffee shops
VC’s can weather losses. But not everyone with money should be a VC. Current Start Ups pushed by Tech Stars have had their share of dry holes too. It is always the investors, the little guy, the husband and wife who put their hard earned money in these companies with hope of riches only to lose it that makes us wonder about Boulders start up craze.. Right now Brad Feld and David Cohen are Boulder darlings in the tech startup world. They are worth millions, but their high risk startups are funded by investors. Investors that Feld and Cohen have groomed into becoming Venture Capitalists. It is all a bit quirky. Will Tech Stars blow up too leaving investors burned?? The odds are in that favor.But Boulder always loves a good financial scandal and we never learn from them.
Our advice is watch your wallet and open investment accounts only with the most conservative of houses. Most of Boulders rich use Well Fargo Brokerage at the main branch on the Pearl Street mall. They have been in business there since the gold rush days and they don’t make wild investments.
In the end John Ball is in good company here in Boulder. He is just less skilled at conning investors.
Boulder Attention Homes is our only Youth Shelter
Nov 11th
November is Homeless & Runaway Youth Awareness Month. Get Involved!
Did you know that at least 1,500 youth and young adults ages 12 to 25 are homeless in Colorado right now? A Point in Time Study in January 2012 found 165 unaccompanied youth homeless on just one night in Boulder County.
Attention Homes – a 47 year-old Boulder non-profit organization – is the only youth shelter in Boulder County. In 2012, the organization will serve more than 500 boys and girls in day and overnight shelter. November is Homeless and Runaway Youth Awareness Month.
On Thursday, November 15, Attention Homes will bring together 40 community and business leaders for the inaugural Sleep Out for Homeless Youth presented in partnership with First United Methodist Church of Boulder.
Participants will be spending the night sleeping outside on the lawn in downtown Boulder between Attention Homes’ office and the First United Methodist Church, near 15th and Spruce Street. They have pledged to each raise $1,000 for Attention Homes from friends, family and colleagues through their own online fundraising page. Sleep Out is expected to raise more than $40,000 to support Attention Homes’ homeless and runaway youth services.
Claire Clurman, Attention Homes
Phone: 303.447.1206 x125 cclurman@attentionhomes.org
Community Leaders Sleep Out To Raise Awareness for Homeless Youth
BOULDER, Colo. – On Thursday, November 15, Attention Homes will bring together 40 community and business
leaders for the inaugural Sleep Out for Homeless Youth presented in partnership with First United Methodist Church
of Boulder. Attention Homes – a 47 year-old Boulder non-profit organization – is the only youth shelter in Boulder
County. In 2012, the organization will serve more than 500 boys and girls in day and overnight shelter. November is
Homeless and Runaway Youth Awareness Month.
Participants will be spending the night sleeping outside on the lawn in downtown Boulder between Attention Homes’
office and the First United Methodist Church, near 15
th
and Spruce Street. They have pledged to each raise $1,000
for Attention Homes from friends, family and colleagues through their own online fundraising page. Sleep Out is
expected to raise more than $40,000 to support Attention Homes’ homeless and runaway youth services.
“The number of homeless youth in our community has increased by 166% over the past three years,” says Jim
Rianoshek, Executive Director of Attention Homes. “Sleep Out is an opportunity to raise awareness about and
funds for this critically important issue. By taking part in this event, these community and business leaders will
glimpse what life is like as a homeless youth by exposing themselves to weather and the uncertainties that come
from living on the streets. Our hope is that as they return the next morning to safe and warm homes, their jobs and
families, they will share a message of awareness and support for these local kids that need our attention and help.”
Sleep Out participants will arrive the evening of November 15
th
at First United Methodist Church and take part in a
simple meal donated by Pasta Jay’s before preparing to sleep out. Early the next morning, a light breakfast donated
by Illegal Pete’s and Moe’s Bagels will be served before departing back to work and home where participants are
encouraged to not shower or change in order to further heighten their connection to the experience of being
homeless. Award-winning photographer and multimedia/video producer Dana Romanoff will be recording the event.
Participants include:
Amanda Boyle, Marketing Team Lead, Google
Rev. Pat Bruns, Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Boulder
Mary Estill Buchanan, Former Secretary of State of Colorado
Andrew Clurman, Chief Operating Officer, Active Interest Media
Larry Dennis, Founder, Dennis Printing Service and President of the Board, Attention Homes
Tina Di Scipio, Broker Associate, Prudential Real Estate of the Rockies
Steve Disbrow, Golf & Baseball Coach, PE Teacher, Boulder High School
Neil Di Muccio, Shift Supervisor, Starbucks
Jon Dorn, Senior VP, Outdoor Group, Active Interest Media, Editor-in-Chief Backpacker Magazine
Clay Evans, Contributor, Daily Camera
Fairview The Royal Banner Newspaper
Jeff Foltz, Attorney, Hensley and Kennedy PCAttention Homes I 3080 Broadway, Suite C I Boulder, CO I 80304 I P:303.447.1206 I F:303.447.0623 I www.attentionh omes.org
Deb Gardner, Boulder County Commissioner
Ann Goldman, Co-Founder, Front Range Source
Katie Green, Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Manager, Attention Homes
Jim Hayes, Senior Vice President, Van Gilder Insurance
Kevin Kelley, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Advisors
Rusty McCoy, Broker, RE/Max of Boulder
Jim McMaster, Software Engineer, Google
Chris Nelson, Executive Program Manager, Attention Homes
Rachel Overton, Residential Program Supervisor, Attention Homes
Jim Rianoshek, Executive Director, Attention Homes
Tara Sheahan, Co-Founder, Conscious Global Leadership
John Sheldon, Community Leader
Mark Spiegel, Co-Owner and Project Manager, Bowes Spiegel Architects
Paul Smith, Partner, Bryan Cave, LLP
Don Stensrud, Principal, Fairview High School
John Tayer, President, Public Affairs Center, LLC
Will Toor, Boulder County Commissioner
Ryan Van Duzer, TV Host, Adventurer, Filmmaker
A few Sleep Out spots are still available. To learn more about how you can participate go to
www.attentionhomes.org for information on how to sign up.
About Attention Homes:
Since 1966 Attention Homes has provided abused, neglected, homeless, runaway and at-risk youth comprehensive
shelter care and structured, community-based living while teaching them guiding life principles for a successful and
self-sufficient future. Attention Homes operates the only shelter for youth in Boulder County.
CU-Boulder to honor vets through Veterans Week events Nov. 9-17
Nov 9th
The University of Colorado Boulder will honor the nation’s veterans, including CU-Boulder’s own faculty, staff and student veterans, through Veterans Week, beginning with a Nov. 9 Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. in the University Memorial Center’s Glenn Miller Ballroom.
The free, public ceremony will feature guest speaker Michael Dakduk, executive director of the national organization Student Veterans of America. A reception will follow in the UMC Veterans Lounge.
In the Marine Corps, Dakduk was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and to Afghanistan in 2007, where he earned military decorations for distinguished service in combat. He left active duty in 2008 and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he organized student veterans on campus as a chapter of Student Veterans of America.
“We take this time to acknowledge and express gratitude for the sacrifices of those still serving and those who have served so gallantly and selflessly in our armed forces,” said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. “This weekend, we can each take a moment to reflect on how much we owe the silent heroes in our midst and reach out and thank a vet for this outstanding service. The University of Colorado Boulder joins the nation on this one day of the year our country has set aside to honor our veterans and acknowledge the legacy of their steadfast defense of our American ideals, principles and liberties.”
Also on Nov. 9, CU-Boulder will host Military Student Day to assist military service members interested in transitioning from military service to life as a college student.
CU-Boulder is home to about 650 student veterans and 250 faculty and staff vets, according to Michael Roberts, program manager of CU-Boulder’s Veteran Services office on campus.
“The Office of Veteran Services here at CU-Boulder continues to build a robust program supporting our veterans transitioning from the military to college and ultimately to the work force,” Roberts said. “We have a group of committed staff and faculty leaders who are eager to support our student veterans.”
Student veterans can visit the Student Veterans Center in the Center for Community building, room S482. The center serves as a one-stop shop to support student veterans.
One of the most sought-after services is help with the GI Bill, Roberts said.
“Most veterans are taking advantage of this great opportunity they earned while serving our nation,” he said. “The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers all in-state tuition and fees as well as providing a monthly living allowance. In Boulder, it is quite substantial — $1,500 per month while they are in school.”
The CU-Boulder Law School also recently opened the Veteran’s Legal Clinic to help unite the Colorado legal community and students at CU as they work together to develop a support system for veterans across the state.
Mark Fogg, president of the Colorado Bar Association and a Colorado Law alumnus, recognized the need for pro bono legal services in the veteran’s community in Colorado, said Andy Hartman, an adjunct professor and director of the experiential learning program at Colorado Law.
“The bar wanted to have veteran’s clinics in different cities throughout Colorado including Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Grand Junction, and they wanted a program at CU-Boulder and the University of Denver to serve their student veterans and their families,” Hartman said.
Attorneys from the Colorado Bar Association work with student volunteers from Colorado Law to meet with veterans and address some of their legal questions. Neither party is financially compensated for their work, although it affords practicing attorneys and students the opportunity to fulfill their public service pledge to provide legal services that benefit the community.
Kevin Brown, a third-year law student at CU-Boulder and a former attack pilot for the Marines, has a vivid memory of the Veterans Legal Clinic’s first client.
“The very first person that walked into the clinic last November on Veterans Day was a homeless veteran that needed many different kinds of help,” said Brown. “To see a veteran who was homeless and in need and to watch the Colorado Bar Association and the volunteer attorneys come together and work to provide assistance and help to him was inspiring.”
Other campus observances for Veterans Day include:
Nov. 9, at 6 p.m., in Old Main Chapel
The CU-Boulder Veteran Services office will have a public viewing of the documentary “Veterans Day 11.11.11.” The feature-length documentary examines what it means to be a veteran in America through the stories of several men and women vets who served during times of peace and war.
Pat Woodard, the documentary’s co-executive producer and writer; Richard Deki, one of the veterans featured in the documentary; and Suzanne Popovich Chandler, a photographer whose work is featured in the documentary, will be present to interact with the audience during and after the film.
Nov. 14, 6-9 p.m., Old Main Chapel
A public showing of the documentary “The Welcome,” an award-winning film that offers a “fiercely intimate view of life after war: the fear, anger and isolation of post-traumatic stress that affects vets and family members alike.”
Nov. 17, 9 a.m., UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom
The annual veterans pre-game party honors CU’s military families as well as members of the military across the Front Range community. For more information contact the Veteran Services office at 303-492-7322.
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