Wednesday October 17, 2006

Hello, from snowy Denver!
Monday was beautiful, a sunny 70 degrees to be exact, but Tuesday we woke up to colder weather and snow later in the day!
Lidy Nacpil and Asume Osuoka, our guest speakers from the Philippines and Nigeria, respectively, were not at all used to this cold, cold weather but were real troopers. We had made a special trip to a local department store for Asume to buy a warm coat because he's never owned one due to Nigeria’s warm weather.
I'm excited to be in Denver for the first tour stop on the 2006 Global Connections Tour.
The Jubilee movement in the U.S. started here in 1997, when Jubilee 2000 USA was formed.
In 2001, I was privileged to be part of the Jubilee 2000 meeting in Denver where we became Jubilee USA Network. I've been a Jubilee volunteer (recently voted to Jubilee’s Coordinating Committee a few days ago) for six years and that 2001 trip to Denver was my first ever plane ride, so this town holds a special place in my Jubilee life.
One of the main goal’s of the tour stop in Denver is to re-spark interest in Colorado, especially in advance of the 2007 Sabbath Year.

Our local tour coordinator, Jennifer Braga, is keeping us busy!
On Monday we had two “events”: a presentation at the Global Leadership Academy, a private high school in Denver, and a meeting with Senator Ken Salazar's Counsel, David Hiller.
Sen. Salazar voted against legislation that would have authorized the use of International Monetary Fund (IMF) gold sales to finance debt cancellation. We spoke to Mr. Hiller about the experiences of Asume and Lidy, asking him to encourage the senator to retract his position on gold sales.
We are also asking constituents in the three states on this part of the tour (Colorado, Idaho and Utah) to write their senators to support IMF gold sales.
Newmont Mining Company is based here in Denver, and Mr. Hiller smirked when I started discussing gold sales, so we’re in a bit of an uphill battle here, but when the office starts getting a lot of letters from constituents, they may change their minds!
Tuesday, we traveled to nearby Boulder, Colo., but first we took a side trip to the breathtaking Red Rocks Park and Ampitheater. Lidy, Asume and I were in awe of the park’s beauty and the world-renowned performance venue.
In Boulder, we spoke to the Engineers for a Better World student group at the Colorado School of Mines.
The school receives a lot of funding from the state government and oil companies, but many of the students in this group are trying to reconcile their chosen fields with the environmental degradation that occurs with so many mining and extractive industry projects.
Asume was interviewed for Free Speech TV, a socially-conscious TV production company that provides programming to satellite providers and cable companies across the company.
The staff was so friendly and generous, and of course Asume did a great job, so please check out their website and we'll post information about when Asume's interview will nationally air.
In the evening we had a public event at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Even though it was snowy, there was a good turnout and many thanks to Sigma Iota Rho Honors Organization for sponsoring us!
Many of the people who we've spoken with have been very receptive to the debt cancellation issue. They recognize that this is a matter of justice, not politics, so we will work hard to stay in touch with everyone and provide ways for them to take action in the future.
Today will bring an exclusive tour of the newly-opened Denver Art Museum, a luncheon with local religious and activist leaders, and a public presentation at the University of Denver.
Onward we go!
—post by Abbey Fisher, Jubilee USA Tour Coordinator