Aims Community College Beam Signing Event

On Thursday, January 21st, 2021. Aims Community College held a Beam Signing event for the new Welcome Center. A brisk day, where the hot chocolate was a big hit. The beam was signed by VIP’s, staff, students and faculty. The beam will ultimately be placed near the top of the three-story Welcome Center.

Aims Community College File Photo

Dr. Leah L. Bornstein, Aims Community College PresidentLyle Achziger, Aims Community College Chair of Board of Trustees Dianne Holmberg, Aims Community College, Foundation Board President Arty, Aims Mascot

Aims Community College Communications & Public Information Staff Dave Kisker, President, People United for Responsible Government

Gaslighting: a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own … judgment. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and misinformation, gaslighting involves attempts to … delegitimize the victim’s beliefs.

Over the last year, in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been assaulted with numerous assertions that “it’s just the flu”, “masks don’t work” and even that it’s all a “left wing” conspiracy to emasculate the population by destroying the economy making us all dependent on Big Brother.

Here in Weld County, led by the elected officials, these claims have found fertile ground as the various executive orders that have been issued by Governor Polis have been rejected, with officials instead claiming to protect individual responsibility.

Essentially, the Weld County Commissioners have initiated a COVID-19 “food fight” against the State of Colorado without actually offering any solutions to residents. In fact, Commissioner Scott James explicitly advocated (with his “attack the dial” campaign) that people should attempt to undermine the State’s COVID metrics by having non-infected persons be tested to artificially reduce the infection positivity rate without actually reducing the pandemic risks. https://tinyurl.com/yyfkxjtg

So, how has Weld County actually been doing in addressing COVID-19 infections and deaths? Has their approach actually been protecting residents as effectively as other Front Range counties? Or, is the BOCC merely “gaslighting” in which they try to make us “think” their actions are effective, while actually sacrificing our vulnerable populations?

The following analysis is taken directly from the CDPHE data portal.

Look first at one of the CDPHE metrics that is used to evaluate the status of the pandemic, the “positivity rate”, the fraction of COVID-19 tests that are positive. Despite James’ attempt to falsify the positivity data, the evidence is that Weld County’s COVID management approach falls short, compared to other Front Range counties. The most recent results show that Weld County has the WORST positivity rate in the Front Range, with only Adams County being somewhat similar, while nearby Larimer and Boulder Counties are far better.

Note that one of the frequently offered excuses for the poor Weld County results, that the population is older, is not supported by the information from the Colorado State Demography Office, which shows that Weld’s over 65 population is similar to or smaller than all other Front Range Counties except Adams, with both Larimer and Boulder having a larger over-65 population.

Another metric of interest is the 14 day Cumulative Incidence Rate. Because persons infected with COVID-19 remain contagious for 10-14 days, this rate, normalized for population, is a direct indicator of prevalence--how many contagious persons are in the population. Knowing the prevalence allows a person to choose where to spend their time because they are able to better judge their risk of coming in contact with infected persons.

Again, Weld County has the worse performance in the Front Range, with a Cumulative Incidence of 499 cases per 100,000 people. This means that about 1% of Weld County residents are likely to be contagious, while in Larimer and Larimer Counties, the prevalence is about 25 and 35% lower, respectively. In day-to-day terms, if you are out and about in Weld County, and have significant contact with 10 people each day, you will have approximately a 10% chance that one of them will be positive each day, or about 50% chance in a week. Depending on your particular situation, the reduction in risk by spending time in Larimer and Boulder counties could be significant.

In summary, the existing data on COVID-19 cases demonstrates that despite what the Weld County elected officials would have you believe, their approach is inferior to other counties in the Front Range.

It’s time to end the Weld County gaslighting.

BY TAYSHA MURTAUGH AND REBEKAH LOWIN by Good Housekeeping US

While it may be tempting to think of Valentine’s Day as a modern holiday meant just for indulging our shopping and sugary impulses, this day of heart-shaped festivity actually has an ancient—and fascinating—origin story...or rather, mystery. While we celebrate Valentine’s Day today with DIY Valentine’s Day cards, gifts of jewelry or flowers, and romantic Valentine’s Day dinners, the history of the holiday is actually quite surprising (get ready to queue up those Valentine’s Day Instagram captions with some shocking trivia!). So how did February 14 first come to be considered the day of love? And what›s the origin of Valentine›s Day—and why have its romantic themes persisted to this day? Oh, and while we›re at it, where does the word «Valentine» come from? This content is imported from {embedname}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. As it turns out, nobody really knows the true history behind this storied holiday, nor do any of the theories completely check out. Even historians find themselves arguing over the exact traditions from which the present-day holiday takes inspiration. But we›re sharing as much as we know about the topic, including the murky origin of Valentine›s Day and its interesting history. Its backstory—though not confirmed—is actually quite dark and even a bit bloody. Strange traditions, pagan rituals, and grisly executions abound. If A Valentine’s Day postcard from 1910. UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP / GETTY IMAGES you›re not faint of heart, though, you›ll enjoy learning about everything we›ve compiled here. Who knows? It might even inform your Valentine’s Day wishes!

WHERE DOES THE WORD VALENTINE COME FROM?

The day is named, of course, for St. Valentine—we all know that by now. But why? Who is this mysterious Valentine?

According to The New York Times, it’s possible that the love-filled holiday is based on a combination of two men. There were, after all, two Valentines executed on February 14 (albeit in different years) by Emperor Claudius II, reports NPR. It’s believed that the Catholic Church may have established St. Valentine’s Day in order to honor these men, who they believed to be martyrs. What’s more, it’s possible that one of these men, Saint Valentine of Terni, had been secretly officiating weddings for Roman soldiers against the emperor’s wishes, making him, in some eyes, a proponent of love.

Another story involves the practice of writing love letters to your Valentine. It’s said that St. Valentine wrote the first “valentine” greeting to a young girl he tutored and fell in love with while he was imprisoned for the crimes outlined above. According to The History Channel, before his death, he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” which remains a commonly used phrase to this day. Others believe that St. Valentine›s Day was actually St. Valentine’s Day circa 1800. designated by Pope Gelasius I UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE/UIG VIA GETTY IMAGES in order to replace the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia, a celebration of fertility dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunas, and Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

The feast of debauchery fell around the same time and involved a ritual where an order of Roman priests ran naked through the streets, “gently slapping” women with the bloodsoaked hides of sacrificed animals (yes, really), which they believed promoted fertility. Following this flagellation was a tradition in which men selected women’s names at random from a jar to decide who would remain together for the next year, or, if they fell in love, they’d marry.

However, a University of Kansas English professor, the late Jack B. Oruch, had a different theory, notes the Times: Through research, he determined that the poet Geoffrey Chaucer linked love with St. Valentine for the first time in his 14th-century works “The Parlement of Foules” and “The Complaint of Mars.” Therefore, Oruch claimed that Chaucer invented Valentine’s Day as we know it today. (At the time of Chaucer’s writing, February 14 also happened to be considered the first day of spring in Britain, because it was the beginning of birds’ mating season—perfectly appropriate for a celebration of affection.)

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE VALENTINES DAY?

Whether or not Chaucer can be fully credited, it is true that he and fellow writer Shakespeare popularized the amorous associations surrounding the day. Soon, people began penning and exchanging love letters to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and by the early 1910s, an American company that would one day become Hallmark began distributing its more official “Valentine’s Day cards.” Flowers, candy, jewelry, and more followed, and the rest, of course, is history.

WHAT PART DOES CUPID PLAY ON VALENTINE’S DAY?

It’s not all about St. Valentine! Cupid—that winged baby boy often seen on Valentine’s Day cards and paraphernalia—is another symbol of this love-filled holiday, and it’s easy to understand why. In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. He was known for shooting arrows at both gods and humans, causing them to fall instantly in love with one another. While it’s unclear exactly when Cupid was brought into the Valentine’s Day story, it’s certainly clear why. TAYSHA MURTAUGH Lifestyle EditorTaysha Murtaugh was the Lifestyle Editor at CountryLiving.com. REBEKAH LOWIN Lifestyle EditorRebekah Lowin is the Lifestyle Editor for The Pioneer Woman, covering food, entertaining, home decor, crafting, gardening, and holiday.