Colfax marathoners rolling in dough
Wondering exactly what has gone into preparations for today’s Colfax Marathon? Some 514 pounds of flour, according to the folks at Panera Bread.
The bakery cafe is providing 3,000 bagels for participants in the first-ever marathon, which spans a 26.2-mile stretch from Aurora to Lakewood.
Along with all that flour, 4 pounds of yeast, 15 pounds of sugar, 63 pounds of sourdough starter and 28 gallons of water are added to the mix.
Once prepared, that adds up to 932 pounds of dough. Good thing runners have 26.2 miles to work it off.
Dim lights spark quip at Xcel gathering
When a power company holds an annual meeting, one thing Gerald Armstrong of Denver expects is a decent amount of light in the room.
At Wednesday’s Xcel Energy shareholders meeting at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Xcel corporate secretary Cathy Hart was calling on questioners waiting at microphones.
The lights remained dimmed in the hall during the Q&A, which followed an earlier video presentation.
When Hart went to call on Armstrong, who was standing at a mic near the back, she fumbled her words when she couldn’t see the big No. 4 identifying what mic he was at.
“Somebody should pay the power bill. It’s awfully dark back here,” quipped Armstrong, a longtime Xcel shareholder.
“Dummies” series offers smart business
The aptly titled “For Dummies” series of books has taught novices about everything from wines to workouts.
The publisher behind the series, Hoboken, N.J.-based John Wiley & Sons, earlier this year decided to tackle a complex business subject: Sarbanes-Oxley, the sweeping corporate-accounting overhaul passed in 2002.
“Sarbanes-Oxley for Dummies,” published in February, provides an “easy, plain-English guide (that) explains all the bill’s provisions and gives you and your firm an effective framework for implementation,” according to the book’s back cover.
Other recently released business books in the series include “Telecom for Dummies,” “Futures and Options for Dummies” and “Starting a Yahoo Business for Dummies.”
Gas-card firm notices odd trends at pump
Ecount, a provider of prepaid cards for gasoline used by more than 1,000 companies, has uncovered an interesting behavior shift under higher gasoline prices.
People, in theory, should make fewer trips, including to the gas pump, as gasoline prices rise. But Ecount has found that users of its cards are making more trips to fill up on smaller amounts.
People using that approach can end up buying more gasoline overall.
Ecount also notes that Friday is the busiest day when it comes to filling up, accounting for 15.6 percent of all transactions.
But the weekend is also when gasoline prices tend to move up. Smart shoppers should avoid the rush and buy early in the week.
Expert: State needs to dust off its Stetson
Colorado needs to focus on its “Wild West” image in order to draw in more tourists – maybe even have locals dress in cowboy boots and hats every Friday.
That suggestion came from Bill Siegel, chairman of well-respected strategic research firm Longwoods International, at the “Colorado Tourism Tomorrow” symposium hosted last week by the Center for Travel & Tourism. His suggestion was met with groans and much eye-rolling by the roughly 100 local tourism officials in attendance.
“I’m not sure that’s our niche anymore,” said Ilene Kamsler, head of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association. “Particularly with all that’s going on here culturally, like the (Denver) Art Museum expansion. That doesn’t say ‘Wild West’ to me.”
“Tattoos” let users design own cellphone
In the highly competitive cellphone world, Cingular is going after fashion-conscious customers with “phone tattoos.”
The tattoo stickers, in plaids, Army camo or white, are designed so users can paste on and peel off a family photo or computer-designed sticker without leaving a mess.
Tattoos are the latest thing after the pink cellphones now offered by several companies, including Cingular and Verizon.
Now your cellphone can be a cool clothing accessory. Why didn’t we think of that?
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
