Platform of Amazing Solutions to Make Denver an Amazing City

Platform

The alphabetical list of solutions below, offered by Jeff Peckman, forms the foundation for making Denver a truly amazing city. This vision is possible to achieve by using a comprehensive package of amazing yet proven, cost-effective solutions. These are not merely ideas, but practical strategies for dealing with various challenges facing Denver citizens and city government.

In many cases these solutions have already been successful in other cities around the U.S. and the world. They are not political sound bites customized by professional campaign consultants. They are real and affordable solutions. They will turn a problem-based economy into a solution-based economy.

Denver needs someone with vision, who can take bold and giant steps, not baby steps, to get proven, affordable solutions into place instead of taking months to talk about it. Jeff Peckman is that person.

President John F. Kennedy shared a grand vision during his speech (video and transcript) at Rice University in Houston, TX, September 12, 1962: 

• "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

Reducing expenditures: Predictable expenses like energy, employee compensation (including health care), and Federal income taxes, can be redesigned and redirected into Denver’s economy in a variety of ways. See “Energy”, “Health Care”, and “Complimentary Currencies”.

Increasing revenue: Complimentary currencies, usable only in Denver, can be created to keep more money and jobs in Denver. Compensation for employees can partially be done in ways that offer a higher quality of life, but are not subject to Federal income tax withholding. This will help increase buying power and sales tax revenue, and expose and reduce the waste of Denver taxpayer’s Federal taxes. A multi-faceted and practical approach to economic development will increase revenues as well.

Cableland – Sell Cableland. It was donated by Bill McNichols to be the Denver Mayor’s residence but mayors have not been living there. Sell it and put the money in the McNichols building (Carnegie Library) to create a modest but dignified Mayor’s residence on the third floor and a “Library of Amazing Solutions”. The final design for the third floor is not yet final and is open for better ideas. The Mayor of Denver can then pay rent for the residence to cover the redevelopment cost. 

The library would have teleconferencing facilities to share amazing solutions between government leaders worldwide. This would honor the intentions of both the philanthropists. It would also create another tourism revenue source, help fund the restoration and redevelopment of the McNichols building, and provide a home for the mayor that will also be a welcome environment for visiting dignitaries in the geographical and symbolic center of city government, much like the White House in Washington, D.C.

Complimentary Currencies – Used for decades in other cities and countries, complimentary currencies can be designed to be spent only in Denver. They can be used to pay part of the wages of city employees, thus increasing buying power, and keeping money in Denver. Some types of complimentary currencies could be made to be not subject to Federal withholding tax. And if such tax is required, then it could be paid in Denver’s complimentary currency so that it would only have value if spent in Denver. This would send a clear message to the Federal government that the public is "Fed up" with the vast amount of waste, fraud, and money-siphoning occuring at the Federal level.
[Read more at: http://www.extracampaign.org/uploads/Transparency_and_fraud.pdf]

Local buying has many times the economic benefit than dollars going out of Denver.  Boulder Currency already exists. See their FAQ page. 
    "What if we could radically change how we interacted with our community in a way that could create a better quality of life, more local jobs and steward our local economy and environment in a way that was sustainable?  We can.
     Thousands of communities around the world are starting their own currencies, creating a flow that connects unused resources with unmet needs.  The purpose of a functional currency is to create a fair and trustable system of trade that allows for exchange of goods and materials in a more efficient manner."

Excerpts from Wikipedia:

“Denver Project” – This is a comprehensive plan that requires a commitment to implementing a bold plan. This is not the time to be timid and uncommitted.

•    "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way."   - Explorer W. H. Murray wrote the above during one of the first Himalayan expeditions

The combined effects of all aspects of the "Denver Project" will raise quality of life so much, that Denver will become more irresistible than ever for residents, visitors, and businesses, thus increasing revenue.

Economic Development – The "Denver Project" will be started to greatly increase the quality of life in Denver, balance the budget, develop more self-sufficiency in energy, health care, and food production, and make Denver a super magnet for innovation, businesses, and tourism. Denver will become a showcase to the world, for the best solutions of every kind. The various goals for economic development will include:

A. Energy - Remove Denver’s dependence on fossil fuel energy within five years and demonstrate to other cities that even nuclear energy is especially unnecessary. Dismantle the power grid within ten years to release thousands of acres of potential infill land. Shift public facilities energy use to 100% renewable energy, and buy it from Denver residents and businesses through locally created renewable energy. Create a “demand pull” to attract energy businesses, and create spinoffs for exporting clean energy technology and “green” products, and clean energy technologies for vehicles as well.

B. Health - Integrate more cost-effective and affordable local holistic health care for city employees and the public. This will help fill the void created by exiting hospitals, and keep more health care dollars and jobs in Denver. Expand opportunities for cultivating and processing many of the thousands of medicinal plants used in traditional health care systems for better and more cost-effective health care.

C. Wealth retention - Develop complimentary currencies, useable only in Denver, which keep more money and jobs in Denver. Also compensate employees in ways that offer a higher quality of life, but are not subject to Federal income tax withholding. This will help expose and reduce the waste of Denver taxpayer’s Federal taxes.

D. Space - Make Denver more appealing as the home for the Aerospace Clean Energy Manufacturing and Innovation Park for the 7,000 jobs NASA is bringing to Colorado. Work more closely with the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology in technology transfer from the Federal government. Explore the potential opportunities for Denver to have a “spaceport” like New Mexico’s. Space is not only the final frontier, it will become the biggest market and driver of the global economy.

E. Agricultural Hemp Economy – Denver can take the lead in "growing" a diverse, plant-fiber based, economic engine.  Read: "The Weed that Can Save the World."  Agricultural hemp is probably the best source for this new economy and the Agricultural Hemp Initiative is making great progress with legislation in the political arena. Kenaf is another fibrous plant with great promise.

Hemp and the Economy [From Hemphasis.net]

"Hemp has well over 50,000 industrial uses; most of which are discussed on various sites on the worldwide web. We believe that if hemp were legal to grow in America, it would have a positive ripple effect on the economics of this country. Hemp has an estimated $500 billion annual potential worldwide market, because anything made from trees, cotton or petroleum can be made from hemp, and usually better than from what it's made from now.

Reader's Digest and Popular Mechanics in 1938 hailed hemp as the first billion-dollar crop. In America alone, the hemp industry has grown from $5 million in 1990, to $50 million in 1995, to about half a billion dollars in 2002. The clothing industry has picked up on the usefulness of hemp cloth. Walt Disney Co, Esprit, Calvin Klein, Adidas, and Vans are all importing hemp for clothing and shoes. Many designers are calling hemp the "fabric of the decade".

Hundreds of businesses are selling imported hemp products in the U.S. Why should all the profits go overseas, when hemp can be grown and processed right here in America?" Read more

Gates Rubber Company, founded in Denver, gained fame and fortune by creating a v-belt for radiator fans made from hemp twine covered with rubber. This quickly replaced hemp rope that had been used for the same purpose. The abandoned Gates Rubber industrial building in South Denver could again become a major economic engine by launching hemp-based industries. These new businesses could create a wide range products based on fibrous plants, such as hemp and kenaf. These plants can make building materials, furniture and other home furnishings, medicine, fuel, paper products including currency, and even food products, as just a few of the 50,000 uses. This would be a clean industry centerpiece to the redevelopment of the abandoned Gates industrial site. Denver could lead the nation in this common sense economic development project.


F. Food - Support more local food production like GrowHaus in Denver and Growing Power, Inc. in the Midwest. Get more local organic food into Denver schools.

Education – There is no real lack of resources for quality education and no excuse for failing education. Schools and colleges around the U.S. and the world have found affordable and innovative ways to inspire students to almost miraculous levels of achievement. It is crucial that proven strategies are used to reduce the stress level of students and develop their brain functioning. This will give them a proven advantage in learning and academic achievement in an atmosphere virtually free of bullying and drugs. See "Stress Reduction" below to learn about brain damage from stress and drug use.

The relationship between the City and DPS is adequate. There is no need for the mayor to take over Denver Public Schools. The city’s legal responsibilities are already specified. But the city’s opportunity to help DPS achieve more with less is vast.

A new technology exists that improves learning and teaching environments in schools. One teacher who implemented the trial program reported:

        "I got the program loaded on my computer at school. Wow!!! It really has had the most wonderful and positive effects on me and the children in my class. I find that it is effortless to be calm, patient and loving with my children. At the end of the day I used to feel exhausted. Now I feel energized and capable of having a productive life after work. The effect on the children has been amazing. They work more quietly and productively. The atmosphere is sweet, peaceful, playful and inspiring. What a terrific combination. I love it!” - Littleton, CO School Teacher

This transformed classroom environment did not result from months of meetings with stakeholders, or expensive consulting contracts, renegotiated teacher contracts, research studies, or committing enormous new financial resources. It took only five minutes to download the program on a computer. At the request of Jeff Peckman, the primary developer of this program has offered it to all Denver schools at no cost, at any time, just as a demonstration of efficacy.

Additionally, all stakeholders in education should read the amazing story of CIDA in South Africa that Jeff Peckman helped at an early stage:

http://www.extracampaign.org/Amazing_Solutions.html#Education_stories  

Read how the poorest youth in South Africa swept a college level international competition in Microsoft Excel and Word, even though they had learned the applications only by typing on a photocopy of a keyboard. After reading about CIDA the newly inspired stakeholders in education should come back to the table to discuss innovation in schools and how to achieve more with less.

Energy  - Key goals of the “Denver Project” with respect to energy will be to:

a.  Remove Denver’s dependence on fossil fuel energy within five years by implementing the best clean energy technologies. The city can use incentives like “feed-in tariffs”, and any other incentives or financing strategies that will achieve the goal.

b.  Shift public facilities energy use to 100% renewable energy, and buy it from Denver residents and businesses through locally created renewable energy. Work with other major energy users like DIA, Denver Public Schools, the downtown Denver Business Improvement District, Denver Tech Center, etc. to do the same.

c.  Demonstrate to other cities that even nuclear energy is unnecessary by becoming energy self-sufficient. The need for this achievement is now critical and urgent for the whole world. Denver can be the clear leader in this area.

d.  Make it possible to dismantle the power grid within ten years to release thousands of acres of potential infill land for urban redevelopment of housing, parks, recreation, neighborhood businesses, and food production.

e. Create a “demand pull” by committing Denver to a strategy of aggressive implementation of clean energy production and use. This investment will attract energy businesses, and create spinoff businesses for exporting clean energy technology for buildings and transportation, and “green” products.

Environmental Quality – Effective, yet very affordable, technologies exist to improve environmental quality to a higher degree not commonly known to be possible. Natural resources such as air and water are so polluted or at risk of pollution that Denver’s economy and livability are negatively impacted. These unhealthy conditions can be reversed.

[Photo: Jeff Peckman with Earth Day Founder John McConnell and his wife Anna]



AIR - Air pollution can cause or aggravate asthma in children. Asthma attacks are possibly the biggest reason for missed school days which means parents must miss work. Air quality can be improved to a level that is well within EPA thresholds for less cost than what the fossil fuel industry donates to influence politicians in Colorado.

An innovative technology has already demonstrated that ozone and other pollutants are held close to the ground by what could be called an “electrostatic trap”. This trap is created by the inherent chaos of man-made electrical power grids composed of high-tension power lines, building wiring, and everything in between.

A test of this technology improved air quality by over 40% within 80 days in Los Angeles. It removed the chaos from the man-made electromagnetic field and the pollution was released into the upper atmosphere where nature’s air-cleaning process could operate without disruption by the trap.

WATER - Over 200 restaurants, spas, and hotels in Europe have integrated subtle water revitalization technologies that are known to improve any use of water. That is because this type of technology is so popular that many Europeans would rather go to these establishments than comparable ones simply because of the superior water quality. The city of Taos has already seen impressive results in reducing costly chemicals needed to maintain acceptable water conditions for a public pool. This type of technology can be implemented for the entire city of Denver at minimal cost relative to the benefits.

EMF Pollution - The entire population of Metro Denver is constantly bombarded by excessive electromagnetic radiation from various sources. People who are more sensitive to it feel noticeable discomfort or worse. Children in schools are especially susceptible. Their health and academic achievement suffers as a result. Fortunately, much of this problem can be fixed affordably and quickly. The transformation in the school classroom (see “Education”), began within minutes of implementing the technology.


Waste Management - Edmonton, Alberta is allegedly number one in North America for waste management and according to this video, recycles over 99% of its waste.  Rick Mercer puts a comedic spin on it in this 6 minute video. Loveland, Colorado has a subscription service for collecting lawn debris. It is likely that multiple strategies will be used to increase recycling in Denver without unfairly burdening residents. 


Food Safety – The “Denver Project” would encourage collaboration with all stakeholders in safe food to grow and provide more organic food for Denver restaurants, grocery stores, and schools. In 2002 Jeff Peckman authored Oregon's Measure 27 to require labeling of genetically engineered food and inform consumers about its potential hazards. Measure 27 garnered endorsements from many of the most well-known heath, environmental, farming, and political organizations, such as:

Center for Ethics and Toxics, Center for Food Safety, Democratic Party of Oregon, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, U.S.A, Harry McCormick – Oregon Tilth Founder, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Rural Action, Oregon Tilth, Organic Consumer’s Association, OSPIRG, Pacific Green Party of Oregon, Provender Alliance, Sierra Club (Oregon Chapter), Sir Paul McCartney, The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods, 20/20 Vision, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington Biotechnology Action Council

Local food safety is especially important since the Obama administration appointed one of the most notorious lobbyists, Michael Taylor of Monsanto Corporation, as America’s “Food Safety Czar” in July 2009.

According to SourceWatch.org, “Over twenty thousand Anniston residents were part of the suit which resulted in a $700 million fine. On February 22, 2002, Monsanto was found guilty of ‘negligence, wantonness, suppression of truth, nuisance, trespass, and outrage.’ Under Alabama law, the rare claim of outrage requires conduct ‘so outrageous in character and extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency so as to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in civilized society’. The settlement of the case, however, included ‘no admissions of wrongdoing’ by Monsanto”.

Read more about the lawsuit at:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsantos_Global_Pollution_Legacy

Read more about Michael Taylor’s history at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/youre-appointing-who-plea_b_243810.html
You're Appointing Who? Please Obama, Say it's Not So!

Health Care – The “Denver Project” will integrate more cost-effective and affordable local holistic health care. This will help fill the void created by exiting hospitals, and keep more health care dollars and jobs in Denver. The abundance of natural and holistic health care modalities provides new opportunities for sustainable new urban communities, better health, and reduced health care costs, including for city employees. Residential areas can now include employment centers that allow clean and green health care institutions to co-exist with urban living that is healthy, pleasant, convenient, and cost-effective. In these “mission-oriented” villages, people can learn, work, shop, dine, and enjoy life with less time and cost for transportation.

CU Medical School and St. Anthony’s hospital sites can become major centers of highly cost-effective natural and holistic health care practices that can improve health at far less cost. These centers can also collaborate with growers and processors of “non-narcotic” medicinal plants, and with organic gardeners. They can also have a mutually supportive relationship with all people in the healing arts throughout metro Denver.

Toxic pollution of all kinds still permeates our society and bodies. It is especially a problem for children. Natural, holistic health care offers superior treatments for many serious health conditions. For example, there are simple herbal massages and organic dietary regimens that can almost completely eliminate even the most toxic chemicals, like PCBs and dioxin, from the human body. Nothing in modern medicine can achieve such spectacular results. In fact, much of modern medicine causes hazardous toxicity in people. This is far more preferable and cost-effective than dealing with the diseases these toxins can create.

Thousands of new jobs associated with these natural health care enterprises will be labor intensive and do not require extensive training. [See my history with natural, holistic health care at “Amazing Solutions”]

Homelessness - To help end homeless quickly, the “Denver Project” will build on the success of Denver’s Road Home by adding even more innovative solutions, as part of my “Denver Project”, for dealing with the multi-faceted problem of homelessness. The comprehensive plan for economic development will also increase funding available from the public and private sectors.

The CIDA project in South Africa is an example of quickly achieving miraculous success starting with nothing but inspiration, imagination, innovation, conviction, and persistence. Every homeless person and homeless assistance supporter should read about CIDA, and also read the more complete story at: http://www.extracampaign.org/uploads/Miracle_Education_-_CIDA_in_South_Africa.pdf

Input and support from other champions of effective programs for the homeless will continue to be invited. These include:

    - Chet Sisk, Denver author and homeless advocate, who teaches paradigm-shifting principles that he used successfully in homeless shelters to help break the cycle of homelessness. Chet has been an advocate for homeless people for 10 years.

    - David Lynch, film director and founder of the David Lynch Foundation. Mr. Lynch has launched a major fundraising effort to help teach a highly successful stress-reducing technique to the homeless, at-risk youth, Native Americans, Veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and prisoners. All homeless assistance programs will be more successful when homeless persons have the ability to rise above the negative effects of acute and chronic stress. Lynch has also attracted film directors and visionaries in the entertainment industry, such as Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, Russell Simmons, and Martin Scorcese, to his fundraising efforts. 

A key part of the “Denver Project” plan to end homelessness will be to highlight the staggering amount of fraud and waste in the Federal government. See more at: http://www.extracampaign.org/uploads/Transparency_and_fraud.pdf 

Job Creation – [Same as “Economic Development”] The “Denver Project” will greatly increase the quality of life in Denver, balance the budget, and make Denver a super magnet for innovation, businesses, and tourism:

A. Energy - Remove Denver’s dependence on fossil fuel energy within five years and demonstrate to other cities that even nuclear energy is especially unnecessary. Dismantle the power grid within ten years to release thousands of acres of potential infill land. Shift public facilities energy use to 100% renewable energy, and buy it from Denver residents and businesses through locally created renewable energy. Create a “demand pull” to attract energy businesses, and create spinoffs for exporting clean energy technology and “green” products, and clean energy technologies for vehicles as well.

B. Health - Integrate more cost-effective and affordable local holistic health care for city employees and the public. This will help fill the void created by exiting hospitals, and keep more health care dollars and jobs in Denver. Expand opportunities for cultivating and processing many of the thousands of medicinal plants used in traditional health care systems for better and more cost-effective health care.

C. Wealth retention - Develop complimentary currencies, useable only in Denver, which keeps more money and jobs in Denver. Also compensate employees in ways that offer a higher quality of life, but are not subject to Federal income tax withholding. This will help expose and reduce the waste of Denver taxpayer’s Federal taxes.

D. Space - Make Denver more appealing as the home for the Aerospace Clean Energy Manufacturing and Innovation Park for the 7,000 jobs NASA is bringing to Colorado. Work more closely with the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology in technology transfer from the Federal government. Explore the potential opportunities for Denver to have a “spaceport” like New Mexico’s. Space is not only the final frontier, it will become the biggest market and driver of the global economy.

E. Agricultural Hemp Economy – Help create businesses around the 50,000 uses of hemp, as proposed by Henry Ford in the 1930’s. Denver can take the lead in "grow" a diverse, plant-fiber based, economic engine..
Read: "The Weed that Can Save the World." Agricultural hemp is probably the best source for this new economy and the Agricultural Hemp Initiative is making great progress with legislation in the political arena. Kenaf is another fibrous plant with great promise. [See more at "Economic Development" above]

F. Food - Support more local food production like GrowHaus in Denver and Growing Power, Inc. in the Midwest. Get more local organic food into Denver schools.

Medical Marijuana – Medical marijuana is a temporary step to relieve pain and suffering. Healthier, cost-effective alternatives are available that don’t cause brain damage. This damage is shown under “Stress Reduction” below. MMJ can be used to launch non-narcotic medicinal plant growing, processing, and use, and to create a non-MJ, hemp-based economic engine.

Dispensaries and growers of medical marijuana have been the subject of a lot of controversy and proposed regulation. They came into being as a means to reduce extreme suffering of those with intolerable pain and debilitating if not terminal diseases.  Here are two views on this:

a. The MMJ dispensaries should be treated with respect and welcomed at least as much as pharmacies and certainly better than liquor stores. We should give adequate attention to access, and strict enforcement of regulations, to ensure those who are prescribed MMJ as a medicine are not burdened more than they already are.

Liquor has not been designated a medicinal substance by Colorado voters, and Denver citizens do not pay sales tax on prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. Why not level the playing field and tax all prescribed pain relievers and other medicines imported to Denver from out-of-state, and bought in drug store chains headquartered out of state? Or better yet, stop taxing MMJ and find another way to get revenue than by gouging people in agony and pain.

b. The proliferation of MMJ dispensaries prompts the question, “Why are so many people in so much pain?” A task force should be formed to explore what other proven health care modalities can prevent or cure these terrible diseases. It would include a review into reports of activities at any level of government and industry that are causing some of these diseases. It would also include an investigation into reports that the U.S. Government has deliberately withheld from the public, effective and affordable treatments for cures to cancer, AIDS, and other serious diseases and disorders.

c. Sticking these suffering people with the extra burden of more taxes on MMJ, totally lacks compassion and common sense. That is what Doug Linkhart proposed with a 6% tax added to the 7.72% sales tax already paid for MMJ and what Chris Romer wanted to do with an excise tax on MMJ like liquor sales. It's a backwards mindset of career politicians. Something is wrong with this picture.

Parks and Recreation - Public-private partnerships and some paid events are justified in Civic Center Park and Skyline Park but not in neighborhood parks outside of downtown. There is such a high concentration of businesses downtown that joint funding and paid events make more sense there. Events outside of downtown can go to nearby schools with stadiums and auditoriums. Let the schools make the money.

Recreation centers are especially important because they can be used more for preventive health education to help reduce health care problems and associated costs.

The need to balance the city budget is no excuse to reduce funding for parks and recreation. Denver’s elected leaders have failed for many years to implement proven, cost-effective solutions in a variety of areas simply because these leaders did not have open minds and clear vision of possibilities. Consequently, preventable problems increased which required an unnecessary commitment of resources that could have otherwise been used for parks, open spaces, and recreation.

For example, if city leaders would have been as determined to reduce crime and recidivism as they were to build a new jail and get more space for themselves in the City and County Building, jail overcrowding could have been drastically reduced and a new jail would not have been needed.

DIA and the Convention Center were examples of economic development projects that produced income. The new jail is an example of the monumental failure of public officials to apply proven-cost effective solutions to reduce crime, and thereby leave the city with a project that drains resources instead of increasing them. Now the basic wonderful amenities such as parks are at risk of underfunding and reduced access during paid events.

The Denver Project would be able to protect funding parks and recreation centers by solving city problems at less expense. This will be important because new health promoting exercises and programs can be integrated into recreation center programs and help prevent a great deal of costly health disorders.

Public Safety - This is the first responsibility of any mayor. Programs and strategies of unprecedented success in criminal justice already exist. They have greatly reduced crime and successfully rehabilitated criminals.

Brain Fingerprinting, a forensic technology introduced to Colorado law enforcement by Jeff Peckman had been viewed as the future of criminal justice in helping to solve crimes, including cold cases, and increasing national security.

These strategies are also cost-saving measures. They are easily and immediately affordable within Denver’s existing budget. Unfortunately, these have not been employed in Denver to date.

In 2003 Jeff Peckman authored Denver’s Initiative 101 which proposed an innovative ordinance to increase public safety. It was based on decades of peer-reviewed scientific research on increasing public safety by reducing societal stress. The intent was to reduce the epidemic of stress, the major root cause of violence of all kinds. Jeff was interviewed by:

In February 2003, the Denver City Council passed a resolution that encouraged citizens to ask Congress to consider peaceful alternatives for international conflict. But less than six months later, when the Denver City Council was presented with an ordinance proposing peaceful solutions for reducing conflicts in Denver to reduce to crime, many council members were hostile and insulting toward Denver citizens supporting the proposed ordinance. It was a display of extreme hypocrisy that reflected the closed minds and lack of vision of lawmakers.

Fortunately, the same technology that created harmonious and peaceful interactions among the students in the classroom (see “Education”), can be applied to the entire city of Denver without requiring approval by the Denver City Council.

Stress reduction - Many of the controversial issues and problems in Denver share a common cause – the accumulation of stress. Acute and chronic stress negatively impacts students, police offices, city workers, and the health of the general public. The result is excessive crime, violence, bullying, drug abuse, unnecessary use of force by police, poor productivity by city workers, homelessness, and a general weakening of individuals and the community in a wide range of measurable areas.

The photos and comments below mostly pertain to the effects of stress at it relates to violent behavior. That is why Stress reduction is a key component for success overcoming problems and raising the quality of life as a category by itself. Why is this? The central organizer of the life of every person is the human brain. Acute and chronic stress can damage the brain.

Brain damage caused by stress: New insights in brain research (Fig. 1 at left) show that chronic and acute stress can damage the prefrontal cortex of the brain which deals with moral and rational reasoning, and filters impulsive behavior. This brain damage, which can result from the abuse of alcohol and drugs, and neglect and trauma, looks like "holes" in the prefrontal cortex.