Wednesday November 10, 2010 - New York City trip

I am still writing for the Examiner. Since I published my first article with them in September 2010, I have had 16,500 readers. I have two columns:
http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/christopher-sharits-m-ed
http://www.examiner.com/john-hickenlooper-in-national/christopher-sharits-m-ed

The great news is that John Hickenlooper won so now I have the national Colorado Governor column. Cool! In addition, my subscribers went way up as did my fan list. The Board of Education in Jefferson County follows my online learning column which is pretty cool. They send me emails of support which is real nice of them. I'm starting a portfolio of supportive letters and emails. I've already got over a dozen. Oh yeah, and one hate mail which I also printed out for my portfolio.

In December 2010, I will add three more weekly columns with a separate publisher and I should begin my work with the Spanish publisher before the end of the year.

I have pushed back my expected publication date of my book to March 2011. I just don't have it where I want it yet. Between now and then I will start fielding publishing agents, but if I fail to find an agent or publisher, I will probably self-publish on Lulu.com or something. I can have it available as an e-book by Spring and then a hard cover by end summer 2011.

Looks like the transition from manager/salesman to writer is complete. Later this afternoon my wife and I will catch a plane to NYC for three days of meetings and VIP museum tours. And, on Thursday night we are going to the Broadway musical Addams Family with Nathan Lane. Very excited. I'm sure I will fly home with yet another writing contract. Thank you Lord. I get it. Now make it rain money. Cool. Love you!

Thursday October 21, 2010 - writing assignments

I have two columns and maybe more writing assignments after tomorrow.
Right now you can read my Online learning column at http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/christopher-sharits-m-ed

And my National John Hickenlooper Examiner column at http://www.examiner.com/john-hickenlooper-in-national/christopher-sharits-m-ed

Sorry, too tired to go on. Took too much time writing gubernatorial debate summary http://www.examiner.com/john-hickenlooper-in-national/quick-recap-of-the-oct-13th-colorado-gubernatorial-debate

Thursday October 7th, 2010 - Colorado elections

Well, I thought it might be fun to rattle some political cages by suggesting that online education threatens the public school system. Everyone likes to call themselves the education God, but the truth is that their true colors come out when you ask them something of particular subset of education. I have found my interviews with the Colorado candidates interesting and revealing. Bob Kinsey is old school. He hate texting. Paul Fiorino supports the integrated model. and Buck, Tancredo, and Hickinlooper's camps have contacted me and I may get a few more responses in the morning.

Here is the story that kicked off my series on the politics of online education...
http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/does-online-education-threaten-the-k-12-colorado-public-school-system

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/the-politics-of-colorado-online-education-u-s-senate-candidate-bob-kinsey

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/the-politics-of-online-education-colorado-gubernatorial-candidate-paul-fiorino

Saturday October 2, 2010 - The baby made me sick

I don't feel good. Here are the last two stories I wrote for the examiner

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/the-online-education-strategy-for-colorado-s-unemployed

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/free-online-college-education-for-colorado-public-high-school-students

Wednesday 29th 2010 - Self publishing

A friend recommended that i look into Lulu.com which is a self-publishing site. Check it out. I think I may do that. At least for the e-book. Now, I really want to finish the book. I'd like it to be available by Christmas or the spring. I don't suppose it would matter too much. ASAP. I'll stick to that.

I have, to date, written 18 articles for examiner.com. The last three are listed here...

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/denver-s-automotive-service-pros-are-using-online-training-for-ase-certification

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/csu-s-online-green-building-and-leed-prep-certification-program-begins-today

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/csu-s-online-green-building-and-leed-prep-certification-program-begins-today

Saturday September 25th, 2010 - First Chapter of my book Positano

Today I had to go through the first ten chapters and rewrite them to reflect the past tense due to the devastating  fire I create in chapter 16. I basically wrote all day so this is today's entry. Let me know if you like it. I'll post some more every once in a while.

Chapter One

Suicide. It runs in my family. It runs through my blood. Merely speaking the word sends shivers down the backs of anyone within ear shot. They are watching me; always watching me. I don’t know what they expect. It is all around me. You hear it on the news every day. I talk about it with my therapist twice a week. It’s as much a part of me as I am a part of it. They tell me not to think about. My mom says, “Honey, don’t talk about it. Let it go.” She might as well say don’t breath. Suicide. There, I said it again.

I don’t want to die. I know I have a long and beautiful life ahead of me. I have a girlfriend and my life is rebuilding, but, still, it’s there. They don’t understand the difference of awareness and honesty as opposed to the verb. It is an irrefutable part of me. It’s forever in my core. I can’t stop it. The very act or thought of suicide is lurking deep in the dark damp recesses of my mind where no one dares to travel just waiting to strike.

I know the road to death. It is littered with hopelessness, isolation, humiliation, hate, loneliness, loss, and confusion. That night; on that night I felt all of those things. By God’s good grace and caring hand, I failed, but I can’t erase that moment. I hear the gentle waves lapping up the black pebble beach. Swish; swish goes the deep blue sea below me. My crying eyes burn with every salty gust of warm wind. The moon is so beautiful vicariously hanging above the shimmering and endless water. I’ve slowed my panting and I take one final deep breath. I slowly close my eyes and let one foot free. I’m not scared. I can do it. One more step as I felt my body lunge forward and my last foot slipping off of the earth and dangling in the wind as I slowly spin around seeing the surf then the sky then back to the earth.

Pain. I was paralyzed with pain. It hurt to hear, but I could hear. I could hear the ghosts swarming around me speaking in Italian. Then everything went black. I rose again and painfully opened my eyes. I was in a blindingly white room with the rhythmic sound of beep, beep, beep. I couldn’t swallow. Something was in my throat. I could move my arms or feet. They were being held. It hurt to flex my fingers. I realized I was in a hospital. The rhythmic beep was now in a chase as it quickened into a beep beep beep, then I heard people rushing into the room; again speaking in Italian. Then an angel bent down to my ear and said, “It’s going to be okay poor bambino. Just sleep. You’re safe.” My eyes grew blurry and I feel into a half consciousness. I could hear people, then black.

How can I forget that? Seriously; how does one forget that? I’m writing this story today because my therapist said it would be good to write it down and then throw it away. I’ll write the story because I need to. I’ll write the story because I can. I just hope; no I pray, I beg for peace. I just want some quiet. Is that too much to ask?

Sometimes when that moment of terrifying reflection subsides, I wonder what it would have been like to die. Was it as painful as living? Does your light just gracefully fade or do you hang around a while like ghosts in movies? What is heaven really like? I’m sure it’s not like sitting on some stupid cloud looking down at all of the fools. It has occurred to me that I could have gone to hell. That’s what the Catholic Church says. If you take your life into your own hands and deny God’s will you have committed a mortal sin again God. So then I wonder what hell could be like. I seriously doubt that there is any fire involved. Maybe you are cursed to revisit all of your sins and watch the world around your crumble over and over again for all eternity. That would really suck.

I was raised in the church. I’ve been told that God is a loving God and he doesn’t give you more than you can handle. That’s wrong. I couldn’t handle it then and I can barely handle it now. Maybe God does love me. Maybe Jesus died for my sins. Maybe God saved me. Although I live in fear, I am much better than I was two years ago. I’ll go with the God loves you thing, because it comforts me.

I’m free to talk about my new found faith, but not about death. About a year ago I felt compelled to start an anonymous blog. I called it “Suicide Interrupted” and I didn’t use my name or anything that could connect me to this poor soul. However, I did mention it to my best friend and he felt he had to tell my parents and they told my therapist. I tried to explain that the blog was an homage to death, but they put me back into the hospital. They took my clothes; they took my shoe laces and they checked in on me every 15 minutes. For the first 72 hours I didn’t see anyone except for my parents and nurses. I was there for a week. In some weird way, the mental ward is a comforting safe place. They tell you when to eat, when to sleep, when to do anything, but it’s safe. I still wouldn’t recommend publishing a blog. 

Friday September 24th 2010 - Spam, scams, and viruses article

Examiner article by Christopher Sharits 9-24-10

Defend yourself against computer viruses and online scam artists

Right now there are thousands of online predators sitting in dark damp basements just waiting to ambush you and your computer’s hard drive. They come to your home and work through email or offers that really are too good to be true.

Whether it’s a suspicious email or a promotional website or even a quick talking phone solicitor, you can learn some simple and easy ways to identify and repel the onslaught of threats from The University of Denver’s Technology Services'Network Security website -http://www.du.edu/uts/security/ .

This vital website will teach you how to protect your system against viruses, spam, and scams. And, when you think you’ve got it all learned, they have an online interactive “Security Self-Evaluation Quiz.”

DU’s threat risk website will give you the information you need to understand the threat, but usually a quick Google search will supply you with a plethora of websites and blogs broadcasting SCAM! A helpful tip is to run a search on the company or offer while you are on the still on the phone with them or before you explore their get rich quick scheme.

Take some time to learn about current scams like the ever popular and constantly morphing “Nigerian scam” or the “Work from Home scam” that viciously lures our unemployed. Check out websites likesnoops.com or scam.com. Subscribe toscambusters.org for free email updates on the latest scams and frequent the Consumer Affairs’ scam alerts.

Knowledge is power. Surf the internet with confidence and security. A little investment in time on the internet can save you from the determined thief.

Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles by Christopher Sharits are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button to the right of the byline.

Friday September 24th 2010 - West Metro Open House news article

 Examiner.com article

West Metro Fire Training Center’s 2nd Annual Open House on October 2nd

The West Metro Fire Training Center in Lakewood, off of highway 285 and Kipling, is having their second annual open house on Saturday October 2nd between 10am and 2pm. There will be hot dogs al a carte for $1 and a $3 lunch with hot dog, chips, and drink. All of the proceeds will go to West Metro’s educational programs.

They will be giving tours of the adjoining fire station #10 and the training center including their online learning and video conferencing capabilities. In addition, they will hold a family education class; demonstrate a commercial burn on the site’s six-story tower; and a rock climb on their brand new climbing wall.

Last year’s open house was held on October 10th in foul winter weather, but they still had between 2,000 to 3,000 guests. Lakewood resident Cheri Sharits said, “It was cold. It was packed. And totally cool.” The forecast for this year’s open house is sunny and 75 degrees.

West Metro Community Outreach Director, Cindy Matthews, said, “We want the public to know how thankful we are for the bonds that paid for this state-of-the-art facility.” In 2007, voters approved a $43 million dollar bond issue that financed the training center and five new fire stations as well as needed repairs at other stations.

Regarding this year’s open house, Matthews added, “The weather will be nice and we are looking forward to a crowd.” Come out and share the day with our firefighters. After all, everyone wants to be a fireman.

Thursday September 23rd, 2010 - Examiner article on bariatric surgery

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/obesity-denver-find-the-facts-and-the-best-denver-surgeons-online

Obesity in Denver – Find the facts and the best Denver surgeons online by me

Losing weight is easy. Consume fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight. Yeah right. Dr. Richard Tillquist from Colorado Bariatric Surgery in Englewood said, “Most people can stick to a diet for up to a year, but very few can stick with it beyond that.”

Take a look around. See any overweight people? Believe it or not Colorado is one of the fittest states in the union. According to The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (CDC), Mississippi is the fattest state with 35% obese (adults) while Colorado is the fittest state with only 19% obese.  

Obesity is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. Childhood obesity is on the rise at an alarming rate. Obesity has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke as well as certain kinds of cancer.

Obviously a low calorie diet and exercise is the best way to lose weight, but for hundreds of obese people in Denver losing weight is more frustrating then I-25 during rush hour. For those people who are experts on losing and gaining back weight, weight loss surgery may be an option.

The first thing that people need to know is theirBody Mass Index (BMI). If your BMI is greater than 40, then you are considered to be morbidly obese and surgery should be considered. Types of weight loss surgery range from the rather invasive gastric bypass to the lathroscopic “Lab-band®” or “Realize-band®.” To learn more about each type of surgery, consult WebMD.com.

There are over 40 bariatric surgeons in Colorado. Check with your health care insurance on plan coverage. Most surgeons can offer or refer you to various financing options. Most insurance will only apply benefits to surgeons with the “Center of Excellence” designation. To find a qualified surgeon in your area, visithttp://www.gastricsurgeon.com/doctors/colorado .

Monday September 20th, 2010 - Governor article published today

Getting to know Colorado’s 2010 front running gubernatorial candidates online

On Tuesday November 2nd 2010, Coloradoans will choose a new state governor. Our state economy is hurting. We are hurting. We need jobs and we need them now. We need to take the lead in responsible energy creation and we need to fix our ailing public school system.

This may just be the most important vote in Colorado’s history. We have three motivated and determined candidates in John Hickenlooper, Dan Maes, and Tom Tancredo. Each purports to have the answers. We hear them on TV; we hear them in the news, but are 30 second sound bites really enough?

Fortunately, today we have the Internet and each of these fine candidates have provided us with thorough and transparent websites. Each of the sites provides easy links to their vision, their qualifications, and their biographies.

You can glean little pieces of their vision and so forth from their commercials, but their websites offer so much more. The voters can read, in detail, their positions on the issues, press releases, news, endorsements, event schedules, and ways to contact the campaign. Each of the sites provides a prominent link to contribute to their campaigns as well as the various ways to volunteer.

Today’s campaign websites have reached a new level of online evolution; the dawn of the social networks. Each of the candidates has been thrust into the virtual worlds of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

As if it wasn’t enough to know about their issues and visions, now we need to know where they are and what they are doing at any given moment. We need to know what they are thinking in 140 characters or less.

Their websites:

John Hickenlooper -  http://www.hickenlooperforcolorado.com/

Tom Tancredo -http://www.tancredoforgovernor2010.org/

Dan Maes - http://www.danmaes.com/

Saturday September 18th, 2010 - Firefighter Article for the Examiner

Today's Examiner article. Rest of day? Play

West Metro Fire Training Center is using online learning to keep you safe

The West Metro Fire Training Center in Lakewood, off of highway 285 and Kipling, is using hands-on as well as online training to prepare our firefighters for the routine call to the very worst emergencies.

It may be the worst day of your life. Whether it is a life threatening or life altering accident or fire, even in our darkest hour, we breathe a sigh relief when we see that fire truck with all of its lights blazing and men and women wearing their protective coats and hard hats round the corner. We trust our firefighters to be well trained and prepared for any emergency that may happen.

On any given day when you pass by the Lakewood training facility you can see firefighters boldly trekking their heavy equipment up the six story training tower or using the Jaws of Life on destroyed vehicles. This training center offers firefighters practical training from tower repelling, rock climbing, office and apartment rescue, to rescue crews and their dogs searching for victims in fallen rubble.

In addition to the practical training, the center boosts state-of-the-art 21st century training classrooms equip with video and computer online training. Students and experienced firefighters can complete online introductory classes to recertification classes online from the governmentFEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to the National Fire Academy (NFA) to emergency training service companies likeTrainingDivision.com.

The training center also facilitates video conferencing from its outlying fire stations. Firefighters can participate and view interactive classes, lectures, and videos from their stations online, thus, increasing efficiency and productivity without removing them from their assigned stations.

The West Metro Fire Training Center expands the traditional on-site training paradigm to the flexibility and individualization of self directed online learning. Through the utilization of modern technology and good old hands on learning, our firefighters remain trained and prepared to protect and serve.

Friday September 17th, 2010 - Today's Examiner post

Senior citizens are jumping on the Internet bandwagon in droves

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as the “baby boomers” hit retirement age, the U.S. senior citizen population will grow by as much as 40% and fully double to 90 million by 2050. In 2005, the Kaiser Foundation’s National Survey of Older Americansreported that only 31% of seniors over the age of 64 had ever gone online as compared to 70% of seniors between the ages of 50 to 64.

Today’s seniors are using the internet to send email, to conduct research (particularly, medical), to keep in touch loved ones, and to take online classes. Indeed, the use of social networking sites like Facebook.com and video conferencing facilitators like Skype.com among the senior population is skyrocketing.

Free programs to educate Denver seniors on the computer and the Internet becoming readily available through senior living facilities like Denver’sMorningStar Senior Living and North American based Holiday Retirement.

Companies like Denver based Modern Senior Technologies (MST) specialize in senior learning. Their entry level programs include basic computer and Internet 101, a full hour class dedicated purely to Facebook, and a course on basic security and virus definitions.  MST Director of Marketing, Mike Fette said that they “additionally offer one-on-one fee based services for seniors looking beyond the basic.”

The Internet continues to grow faster than a speeding bullet and, much like the rest of us, seniors are quickly hopping on the bandwagon. Today’s generations of online seniors are able to access more information and communication than any demographic in the history of man.

Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles by Christopher Sharits are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button to the right of my byline.