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August 21, 2003 1:13 PM

Things to do in Denver When You're Stressed Unemployed meditation teacher Jeff Peckman, apparently having nothing better to do, managed to collect enough signatures to squeak his stress-reducing initiative onto the November ballot. What would he suggest for reducing stress?: Indian Sitar music in public buildings, healthier school lunches, and (surprise surprise) meditation. The Denver City Council thinks it's stupid, which they have expressed in varying degrees of bluntness:
--Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez: "While the ideas behind it are admirable, it would be impossible to implement."
--Council President Elbra Wedgeworth: "With a $70 million budget shortfall, this is not what we should be doing."
--Councilman Charlie Brown: "It's lunacy, it's frivolous, it's fantasy. If you want fantasy, go to Disneyland. These are city offices. We don't sit around holding hands, burning incense and singing `Kumbaya.' We are in serious economic times."
Denver martial arts instructor Ted Fowler scoffs at the proposal, calling it a waste of money and adding, “Well, I don’t listen to Indian satire music either. I’ve got a radio here and I can put on whatever music I like."
posted by Shoeburyness (20 comments total)

im professional.
posted by Satapher at 1:26 PM on August 21, 2003

those people are so stressed you can hear their assholes clenching.
posted by quonsar at 1:26 PM on August 21, 2003

Regrettably I just changed my address and no longer reside in Denver (I live in the burbs) or I'd be happy to vote on this important issues....right after rounding up the people in my polling place, holding hands, burning incense and singing `Kumbaya.'
posted by m@ at 1:27 PM on August 21, 2003

Style tip: use the <small> and </small> tag around the text after "bluntness:" or just put that second half as the initial comments inside the post. (like this)

On topic: I'm sure his ideas would help relieve stress, but I don't believe that justifies trying to kick start his particular profession with taxpayer funds.
posted by insomnyuk at 1:31 PM on August 21, 2003

It's good to know that the Denver politicians know how to completely screw up their city without any help from some wierdo.

The objections to this guy's ideas seem to be based on the fact that they are good ideas, but that it just isn't the way that things are done. Why can't they get their heads out of their arses and try and make their city a better place.
posted by daveg at 1:32 PM on August 21, 2003

Denver? Never fly.

Boulder, maybe. Nederland, fer sure.
posted by COBRA! at 1:34 PM on August 21, 2003

Councilman Charlie Brown: "It's lunacy, it's frivolous, it's fantasy. If you want fantasy, go to Disneyland. These are city offices. We don't sit around holding hands, burning incense and singing `Kumbaya.' We are in serious economic times."

The councilman added, "Good grief."
posted by me3dia at 1:36 PM on August 21, 2003

We can't be reducing people's stress levels! How can we get them to work harder if they're not fearing for their jobs every moment of the day?
posted by Space Coyote at 1:39 PM on August 21, 2003

If its stress reduction you want, why not just legalize pot?
posted by insomnyuk at 1:45 PM on August 21, 2003

A friend of mine who lives in Boulder claims that in one of the smaller mountain towns out there, there's some crazy guy who spends a week in the fall standing in his front yard shirtless and ready to fight all comers. Which sounds like a better stress reliever than any sitar music...

I've got no verification for the shirtless fighting guy, but I've decided that it's true because I want it to be true...
posted by COBRA! at 1:50 PM on August 21, 2003

So MetaFilter's consensus is that these are good ideas being blocked by unimaginative politicians? You guys are further out than I thought.
posted by timeistight at 2:08 PM on August 21, 2003

I can't avoid thinking about Joe Pantoliano in Bad Boys II
posted by matteo at 2:31 PM on August 21, 2003

Well, I don’t listen to Indian satire music either.

Well, screw that guy. I'm a huge fan of "Weird" Panesh Yankovich.
posted by Ufez Jones at 2:51 PM on August 21, 2003

Dudes, I'm Indian and I couldn't listen to Indian sitar music in public buildings.

Number of buildings playing sitar music here in India: zilch.

It amuses me when foreigners put far more stock in our rituals, customs and music than we ourselves do. :)
posted by madman at 2:55 PM on August 21, 2003

and vice versa

baywatch really sucked man.
posted by Satapher at 3:07 PM on August 21, 2003

I think the MetaFilter consensus is taht this guy is an oppourtunistic attention-whore, and the responses from the city officials show that they're unimaginitive idiots.
posted by Space Coyote at 3:21 PM on August 21, 2003

Is it just me, or does the phrase " Indian satire music" smack of a spellchecker gone awry? Go Denver Post.

Of course, it is a lot funnier that way.
posted by stet at 9:22 PM on August 21, 2003

Stet, I think it was a direct quote from the guy... first he said "Is that the thing with the Opera music?" The reporter told him, no-- Sitar music. Then the guy said he didn't care for "Indian Satire music". To me, it seems depressingly like everyone on either side of this issue is as dumb as a sack of hammers. I live in the outlying suburbs, so I can't vote on this. I wouldn't vote for it, even though I actually like Sitar music. The library is closed on Wednesday due to budget cuts and Mr. Sensitive New Age Guy wants the city to spend money on this? The guy needs a smack upside the head. I seriously doubt it will pass, but if it did, I can just imagine good ol' Councilman Charlie Brown getting Hank Williams piped in everywhere, which would probably cause my head to explode a la "Mars Attacks".
posted by Shoeburyness at 7:27 AM on August 22, 2003

I'd vote for Hank Williams if I lived there.
posted by timeistight at 8:57 AM on August 22, 2003

I think "Indian Satire music" is what they used to play on Dragnet whenever Joe Friday encountered hippies. It was played by L.A. studio musicians on this.
posted by timeistight at 9:13 AM on August 22, 2003