Denver Comic Con Increases Staff and Programming for 2014

Denver Comic Con and Literary Conference (DCC), a program of Comic Book Classroom (CBC) designed to help promote literacy through pop culture, today announced it will increase its volunteer force for the event by 300 percent and offer 300 hours of programming, up from last year’s 250 hours. The 3rd annual Denver Comic Con, held at the Colorado Convention Center on June 13 – 15, 2014, is expected to be one of the largest in the nation.

“As much fun as it’s been the first two years, we’re always striving to make Denver Comic Con better,” said Dr. Christina Angel, director, Denver Comic Con. “By putting the right people in the right positions we’re streamlining operations, and by adding more panels and speakers we’re delivering a world-class comic con and focusing on some things that set us apart—such as kids’ and under-20 programming.”

DCC promotes community arts and literacy at the con through its more than 300 hours of programming and the CBC Kids Corral, an 8,000-square-foot area providing educational, youth-based programming and fun activities for our younger attendees and their families. The Con is the major funding program of CBC, which applies its curricula in the community through schools and community organizations such as the Denver Public Library.

“Through our own experiences and listening to attendees, we’ve learned a lot during the past two years—and we’re applying what we’ve learned to this year’s Denver Comic Con,” said Dr. Angel. “For example, while lines are a part of any con, we’re working closely with the Convention Center to maximize line flow and adding efficiency to the badging process.”

“We encourage people to get signed up early,” said Beth Kovacs, Denver Comic Con’s volunteer director. “Volunteering with DCC is a lot of fun—our volunteers also have free access to the con the day of their shift—but it’s also a great resume builder for a lot of people. It’s not a surprise that most of the volunteers from years past are returning again for 2014.”

For more information about Denver Comic Con and to purchase tickets visit DenverComicCon.com.

About Denver Comic Con

Entering its third year, the DCC is Denver’s premiere fan experience, covering the worlds of comic books, film, and related media. It is also an extension of and an awareness builder for its parent organization, Comic Book Classroom. For the latest news and information, visit http://www.denvercomiccon.com.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Ice Chamber Hosts 2nd Annual International Kettlebell Competition in San Francisco Bay Area

Ice Chamber, an athletic performance training center in the San Francisco Bay Area, is hosting the 2nd annual West Coast Classic Kettlebell Championships (WCCKC) on Saturday, February 8, 2014. The inaugural competition in 2013 was the first international kettlebell competition of its kind hosted in the Bay Area, and this year’s competition is expected to double in size with over 100 athletes and as many as 500 spectators.

The kettlebell competition will feature international athletes from the USA, Brazil, Canada, Europe, and Australia, including World Record holder Svitlana Krechyk (formerly from Ukraine), the IUKL World’s Bronze medalist Melissa Swanson (USA), and many other World Class athletes, each lifting kettlebells weighing 24kg (53 pounds) or more. During the course of the competition, competitors will lift their kettlebell overhead several hundred times, totaling more than 10,000 lbs in volume.

“We are expecting a great turnout for the competition, especially on the heels of the World Championships in Tyumen, Russia several months ago,” said Steven Khuong, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and co-founder of Ice Chamber. “We’re excited to offer a world class event here in the Bay Area where international champions and beginners alike can compete together, get inspired, and have a good time.”

This year a new event will be added to the competition—a co-ed relay in which athletes will jerk the kettlebells overhead for two minutes before passing the kettlebells on to the next member of the team. The team with the most points—garnered by each repetition—will take home first prize.

In addition to food, music, and prizes, the competition will showcase performances from beginners all the way up to Master of Sport International Class attempts. Absolute male and female champions in each event will receive trophies and prizes from sponsors. Event sponsors include KettleGuard (custom wrist wraps for kettlebell lifters), Athleta, Annie’s Homegrown, Tencue, GU, Benchmark Pizzeria, Better Homes & Gardens Realty, Heroyk, Hylete, Celia’s, Cobalt LLC, Imperial Brands Vodka, Tacubaya, Iron Bell Fitness, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Malimar Skincare, Tileshop Inc., Bolt Keenley Kim LLP, and the UPS Store Berkeley.

Competition Events:
Men: Biathlon and Long Cycle
Women: Biathlon, Snatch, and Long Cycle
Co-Ed: Jerk Relay

Kettlebell Lifting is a national sport of Russia and one of the fastest growing strength sports in the world. The competition will be officiated by the American Kettlebell Association (AKA) and the International Union of Kettlebell Lifting (IUKL), whose officiates will regulate weight categories, rules, and rankings in accordance with the organization’s policies. For more information regarding AKA rules, regulations, and how to pre-qualify, please visit aka-sport.org.

For more information on the 2014 West Coast Classic Kettlebell Championships, please visit IceChamber.com.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

Script for Star Wars Episode VII is Complete

While on a press tour to promote his new TV series Believe, J.J. Abrams confirmed recently that the script for Star Wars Episode VII is complete.

"We're working really hard and we've got our script and we're in deep prep...full steam ahead, y'know" he was quoted as saying.

It was also revealed that Abrams will be shooting the movie on real film and that he will not be using IMAX cameras.

The endless speculation on casting continues, but it's hardly worth mentioning since no-one really knows. Best to wait for some official announcements in that regard.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.

80% of World Leaders Now on Twitter

The Digital Policy Council (DPC) released its fourth annual ranking of world leaders' use of the social media website Twitter.com. DPC's latest report indicates continued but decelerated growth in the number of heads of state on this medium. In 2013, 80% or 4 out of 5 world leaders were using Twitter. This figure represents a growth of 8% over 2012 contrasting sharply with the upsurge of 78% between 2011 and 2012.

Top 10 World Leaders who Tweet

President Obama of the United States continues to occupy the #1 spot, gaining 16 million followers in just one year, due to the president's popularity and comfort with social media. A noticeable upturn occurred during the U.S. government shutdown in the fall of 2013 as Obama, politicians and citizens alike tweeted their frustrations about the situation.

The most dramatic debut was the rocketing ascent of Indonesian leader President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY for short) to the #2 spot. SBY joined Twitter in 2013, and quickly gained 4.2 million followers. As the leader of the most populous Islamic country, SBY shares candid and personal opinions in an effort to strengthen democracy at home and throughout the region.

Venezuela was another big mover, slumping from #2 to #13. The passing of the popular Hugo Chávez triggered the drop, although Chávez's successor, President Nicolas Maduro was immediately accepted, entering the ranking in the Top 15.

The greatest upward movement among the top 10 was that of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. He jumped from #10 last year to #7 in 2013. Sheikh Mohammed's followers increased by 1 million to 2.4 million, an indication that his openness to different cultures and public dialog resonates with UAE citizens and residents who, Sheikh Mohammed says, "continually arise to the occasion whenever approached to contribute to innovative ideas."

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina moved up one spot to #6. Fernández's preference to communicate with the public directly via social media rather than traditional press conferences is prophetic of how leaders will leverage Twitter in the future.

Who are the Holdouts?

With 80 percent saturation among world leaders on Twitter, the profile of holdouts warrants examination.

Political leaders in China, the world's most populous country, remain absent on social media. Twitter has been blocked since 2009, and while China does have its own micro-blogging platform, called Sina Weibo, it is strictly regulated by government censors. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron opened a Weibo account prior to his visit to China in 2013 prompting calls for President Xi Jinping to follow suit.

More surprising is the European democracies that do not utilize Twitter, with Denmark and Sweden as notable examples. In fact, no European leaders are even represented in the Top 10. Perhaps more apparent are the leaders of politically unstable governments who simply shun social media or jumped onto Twitter only to let their accounts go dormant.

Indeed, according to DPC's analysis, 67% of the countries that utilize Twitter were politically stable, indicating that leaders confident in their political legitimacy are most apt to utilize social media.

In 2014, the DPC expects penetration on Twitter for world leaders to rekindle and reach 90 percent, with leaders ultimately realizing how to employ Twitter effectively as a means of strategic communications — an insight seized by Iran's newly-elected President Hassan Rouhani who became active on Twitter in 2013 for international relations even though the site is blocked in his own country.

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Jeffrey Dale Starr is a vodka enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.