Capitalism and Inequality

Why the Next Stage of Capitalism is Coming

By Matthew Wilburn King – BBC Future – 26th May 2021 It’s done so much for human well-being, but it’s far from perfect. Will capitalism as we know it evolve into something new? Nearly 250 years ago, the economist and philosopher Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, in which he described the birth of

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Good Morning Europe

Interview on Good Morning Europe – Euronews

Good Morning Europe – Lena Roche, Euronews’ Editor-in-Chief interviews Dr. Matthew King. Why is it so difficult for us to change in the context of COVID19 and climate change?   Story Description – Good Morning Europe Euronews’s Lena Roche has been exploring how changing conditions are changing lifestyles, but not necessarily changing attitudes in this

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Amazon Rainforest

Ecuador’s Kichwa and Rainforest Conservation

Ecuador’s Kichwa implement an innovative approach to rainforest conservation In the face of multiple threats, a group of indigenous Amazonian Kichwa smallholder farmers have organized a cooperative, Ally Guayusa for conservation. Through a unique combination of market-based approaches to conservation and traditional agroforestry practices, they are diversifying their sources of income while protecting the Amazon

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Love

What the World Needs Now is Love

If you need proof that love and creativity equate to resilience, meet Shelbie Rassler. Rassler is the 22-year-old up-and-coming classical composer who produced, arranged, and edited this viral video based on the original music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Virtual Orchestra (1965), “What the World Needs Now.” As of today, over 2 million

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Life without Alcohol

Experiment – No Alcohol, Sugar, Carbs & Coffee

It’s been six years since I started an experiment with no particular end in mind. In 2014, I decided to stop drinking alcohol, quit consuming sugar, carbohydrates, and coffee for a six-month period. Initially, I chose to eliminate these things from my life for two reasons. First, I survived a rare blood cancer (Stage IVB

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Poetry is Alive in Boulder

Poetry Is Alive in Boulder!

One of the few all-poetry bookstores in the U.S. is located right here in Boulder – Innisfree Poetry, Bookstore, and Cafe. By Matthew Wilburn King Brian Buckley and Katherine Hunter opened Innisfree Poetry Bookstore & Café—named after William Butler Yeats’ “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”—in 2010, and quickly expanded the business footprint on University Hill.

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Dragons

Where There Be Dragons

Dragons owner, Reed Harwood, is making what was once mythical exploration a possibility for all kids By Matthew Wilburn King When Malia Obama set out to explore the Andes in 2016, she chose a Boulder-based company, Where There Be Dragons, to guide her 83-day gap year expedition through Bolivia and Peru. Providing unique programs for

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MindTravel

MindTravel: Immersive Music Experiences Outside

Experiences in Community – MindTravel I wept three times on Monday evening. I didn’t know what to expect when I joined MindTravel with the people in this photograph at Realization Point trailhead in Boulder, Colorado. Together, we were a group of strangers taking a unique journey that combined a hike in nature with silence, a

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Romance on the French Riviera: Saint-Paul de Vence, France

Saint-Paul de Vence, France: My wife and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on the French Riviera and in Paris this summer. The experience was filled with sun, art, beaches, culture, great food, and music. The journey was romantic, serendipitous in moments, and it was a delight to spend so much time with the love

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Climate Change

BBC: How brain biases prevent action on climate change.

BBC Future | Comments Analysis | Climate Change | Psychology Cognitive biases that ensured our initial survival now make it difficult to address long-term challenges that threaten our existence, like climate change. But they can help us too. We know that climate change is happening. We also know that it’s the result of increased carbon

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Protect and Preserve Wonderland Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

Op-Ed Daily Camera: Late last year, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks put forward a development proposal for Wonderland Lake, a wildlife sanctuary located in North Boulder, that would have built structures on the water and throughout the sensitive wetland. An overwhelming majority of Boulder’s citizens rejected those plans. Instead, the community vocalized support for

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The Boy with the Biggest Heart.

I’m sitting at home in Boulder, Colorado, flooded with tears after reading a story in the Washington Post this morning: “Boy with cerebral palsy made to lie in a muddy creek as a human bridge for laughing schoolmates.”  My older brother suffers a form of Ataxia called Spinocerebellar Type 8 (SCA 8). He’s five years older than

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Ditch racism, embrace Colorado’s economy and diversity

Boulder Daily Camera: On Oct. 4 the Washington Post reported that Linda Dwire was arrested on two counts of bias-motivated harassment after exhibiting racist behavior at a City Market in Rifle. Dwire harassed two Hispanic women who were speaking Spanish in the aisle of the grocery store when she “confronted them over what she believed

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How to Create a Kick*ss Career Path.

Advice to my 30-year-old self. After a visit from death saved my life I’ve been looking in the mirror and writing a series of articles focused on giving advice to myself as a 30-year-old, knowing what I know now. The first four articles in the series built upon each other and included: 2 Words of Advice that

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What the F*ck Should we Do with our Lives?

Advice to my 30-year-old self. After looking in the mirror, I wrote a series of articles focused on giving advice to myself as a 30-year-old, knowing what I know now. The first was “2 Words of Advice that can help us at Every Stage of Life and focused on this advice: “know thyself.”  The second was “How to Practice

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How to (really) Listen to our Hearts: an Exercise.

Advice to my 30-year-old self. After looking in the mirror, I wrote a series of articles focused on giving advice to myself as a 30-year-old, knowing what I know now. The first was “2 Words of Advice that can help us at Every Stage of Life and focused on this advice: “know thyself.”   The second was “How to Practice

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What this Indigenous Mohawk Elder wants us to Know.

As the Mohawk Elder stood strong, his eyes connected directly with those in the room. His gaze was invigoratingly exhausted as if a deep spiritual lamentation were embedded in each word that he spoke. His Anglicized name is Charlie Patton, but he is traditionally known as Otsi’tsaken:ra (Speckled Flower, Bear Clan), from the Kanien’keha:ka Community of Kahnawake,

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This is how to Practice Living in Truth.

Advice to my 30-year-old Self. After looking in the mirror, I wrote a series of articles focused on giving advice to myself as a 30-year-old, knowing what I know now. The first was 2 Words of Advice that can help us at Every Stage of Life and focused on this advice: “know thyself.”  The reason I began with “know

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2 Words of Advice that can help us at Every Stage of Life.

Advice to my 30-year-old Self. I’m looking in the mirror as I write a series of articles focused on giving advice to myself as a 30-year-old. The advice I’m giving is applicable to anyone at any age, male or female. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing about it. Here we

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Eat this and Save the Caribbean’s Coral Reefs.

In May, I was in Miami and had a chance to visit the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, which had an exhibit on coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass ecosystems. As I explored the exhibit, I saw the beautiful and invasive lionfish on display in an aquarium. (Here’s what a lionfish looks like.) Lionfish are native to

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Give Back Yoga Foundation – Philanthropist Rob Schware

In 2008, after spending 23 years serving the World Bank as the lead information technology specialist, Rob Schware was headed to prison. It wasn’t just any prison; it was San Quentin State Prison, notorious for housing some of the most violent criminals in America. The Boulder resident didn’t know what to expect when he first

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What Bono taught me about Human Rights.

Who isn’t familiar with the band U2? This is clearly a rhetorical question, given that loads of people know this band that has been together since 1976, producing albums and epic concerts that have drawn people from around the world—and over multiple generations. I’m headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where U2 is about to open their “Experience

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How Music and Mindfulness helped me find the Key to Happiness.

Why do any of us spend time and energy attempting to live more mindfully? When I ask myself this question, I naturally gravitate to the conclusion: I want to be happy. Inevitably, I then ask: what does it mean to be happy? Is happiness, like mindfulness, intangible? And if we found happiness, would we even know it?

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The Missing Element of many Modern Marriages.

On March 20th, the equinox signaled spring’s arrival—and with spring, comes love. The vernal equinox is particularly special to me as it’s also my wedding anniversary. This year, my wife and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. We chose this day for our marriage because the equinox signifies balance—day and night are of equal length

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Is This who we Are? {Poem}

When American kids were needlessly gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida because our politicians have continued to fail to address the underlying issues of gun violence in America, I ran into a challenge. I couldn’t find the words to describe how I felt about the incident, nor could I find the language to convey

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Miami? Amsterdam? NYC? San Fran? It’s likely your Favorite Cities are More Vulnerable than Ever.

As climate change increasingly threatens cities with sea level rise, we’re in desperate need for innovative solutions. On Saturday, February 3 the World Premiere of the documentary film, “Ocean Cities: Exploring Our Connection to the Seas” took place at eTown Hall in Boulder, Colorado. The film explores cities, their relationship to the ocean, and the challenges we

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We want a Revolution—as long as Someone Else will do the Dirty Work.

If you’ve never listened to U2, Luciano Pavarotti, and Brian Eno perform “Miss Sarajevo,” I’d highly recommend watching this video and listening to it now. This song was in protest to Slobodan Milosevic’s slaughter of the people in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s—eons ago for younger generations. It only took a few years for him to create the

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Freedom, America, Allies

In Defense of Freedom and our Allies

America’s alliances strengthen our nation and our freedom I’ve traveled to over 40 countries on this planet and lived in five. The only sh*thole is Donald Trump’s mouth. On behalf of America, my deepest apologies to our allies and friends who live, work, fight and struggle in over 120 countries on Earth for the cause

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The Sh*thole President: Donald J. Trump.

I’ve traveled to over 40 countries on this planet and have lived in five. The only sh*thole is Donald Trump’s mouth. His racist comments that African, Central American, and Caribbean nations are sh*tholes should disturb everyone. On behalf of the United States, my deepest apologies to our allies and friends who live, work, fight, and

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How to write a Secret Dream Biography for the New Year.

It’s that time of year to set our intentions, let go of the old, make room for the new, and, of course, make New Year’s resolutions. This year, I’d like to encourage readers to do something different, life changing. Write a secret dream biography. Why? As a cancer patient, I nearly died after being diagnosed

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How to Avoid Social Media Addiction.

Over the last few weeks, there has been more attention focused on social media use and addiction. The attention is the result of several people behind our ubiquitous social media platforms coming forward to talk about the way sites are designed and the impacts of their use. You may have read that Chamath Palihapitiya, former vice

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How to tell if we’re Addicted to Social Media & How to Stop.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and nearly every other social networking platform are designed to exploit our weaknesses as humans. Specifically, they use self-relevant information that promotes our naturalnarcissistic tendencies. They know we have a strong need to be seen, to feel connected, and to belong, so they exploit this fact to keep us coming back. They’re creating addicts. Humans

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My Message to Roy Moore, who rode his Horse to the Polls & Lost.

After Alabama’s special election to replace Jeff Sessions’ former Senate seat, the vote came down to the wire, and the Democratic candidate Doug Jones won by a narrow margin. I’ve never been so excited to use idiomatic expressions related to a horse when writing about politics. So, hold onto your riggin’ and don’t get bucked!

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How to be a Spiritual Atheist.

I have an atheist friend. He doesn’t commit to any religious belief system or institution, yet he considers himself to be spiritual. However, he has yet to find a way to sufficiently explain how he can be both an atheist and a spiritual person. He asked me these two questions, hoping I might help: 1.

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This is why Environmental Problems Should be Blamed on Consumers.

Both consumers and corporations are to blame for environmental problems; however, the burden of addressing environmental problems rests on the shoulders of citizens and consumers. Consumers are to blame for environmental problems because a consumer can choose—or refuse—to buy a product or a service from a company that creates it. Consumers are also blamed because

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Nonviolence: Countering the Alt-Right, Neo-Nazis of America.

As President Donald Trump defends white supremacists, white nationalists, Neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Alt-Right’s detestable ideology and violent actions, Americans seek alternative ways to resist, protest, and renounce the hate-filled vitriol of the far-right Neo-Nazis in America. The solution is nonviolent action. The candlelight vigil that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia on Wednesday evening

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Memorial Day – Remember This Today.

I do not know a single soldier, intelligence official, diplomat, or public servant who has ever asked their fellow American soldiers, or colleagues, whether or not they are Democrat, Republican, or Independent before standing together in defense of the Constitution of the United States of America, or our shared values. Solemnity is present for anyone

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How a Visit from Death Saved My Life

I knew I was going to meet the angel of death prior to his visit. At first I felt trepidation and angst. I didn’t know what to expect from such a powerful spirit, but I knew that he might be coming to collect me, even if I wasn’t ready to go. I had been diagnosed

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My Ode to Nature: a Message of Love. {Poem}

Nature: When I think of you I’m absorbed; Affection moves me, making me feel alive; Always amazed by my deep appreciation for you, astonished and aroused; Intensely fascinated and free simply because you’re so calming, you fulfill me. With you, I’m giggly and glad, gloriously glowing; Enjoying your good-humor and gracious ways; Gratified by passions

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Tips for Standing Up to a Corrupt and Unethical President.

The Donald Trump fueled Republican assault on ethics is a huge warning sign that Americans should be alert to rampant corruption during the Trump Administration’s reign. The attack on Walter M. Shaub Jr., Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is a frightening sign that the GOP and Trump threaten democratic governance and the

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How Yoga can Reverse Climate Change. Really!

Can yoga and mindfulness really reverse climate change? If you are rolling your eyes just reading this question, read on! It is no longer a matter of scientific dispute that climate change poses real challenges for current and future generations and impacts of the changing climate on weather patterns are already evident in most regions of the globe. Today,

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Eight Ways to Ensure Biodiversity on Earth: Insights from the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Parties to the United Nations (U.N.) Convention on Biological Diversity met in Cancun, Mexico, for the most recent round of negotiations December 2 – 17, 2016. The Biodiversity Treaty seeks to protect and conserve the variety of life on Earth, or what governments, civil society organizations and academics refer to as biological diversity. While in Cancun during the 13th Convention

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The Assault on the White Working Class & their Trump Card for us All.

We are quickly approaching the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Having grown up in a white working class neighborhood dominated by oil refineries, commercial freight trains, landfills and waste water treatment facilities in West Tulsa, Oklahoma, I know the mindset and feelings of the white working class who voted for Trump

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Why President Obama Chose the Wrong Guy for the Supreme Court Job.

This morning President Obama announced his nominee for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. I was asked the following question in relation to this topic yesterday. “Is diversity what we actually seek in a Supreme Court Justice, or is it knowledgeable interpretation of our nation’s Constitution?” Knowledgeable interpretation of our

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Performing in Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare

The Upstart Crow continues it’s monumental 35th season with Shakespeare’s favorite comedy Twelfth Night, or What You Will. The Upstart Crow has been presenting the Boulder community with tremendous works of theater since 1980. Already this season they have performed Arsenic and Old Lace and Juno and the Paycock, now they start the new year

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Can Evolution Save Us From Climate Change?

If evolution seems to have backed us into a corner when it comes to existential threats such as climate change, does it also offer a way out? The failure of traditional human governance institutions to come to grips with climate change—to perceive the threat, formulate a coherent and flexible response, and then enact it with

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COMMON Foundation joins the NoCo Farm Flood Relief Coalition

October 29, 2013 For Immediate Release: COMMON Foundation joins the NoCo Farm Flood Relief Coalition to support fundraising and relief efforts for farmers, landowners and ranchers. Boulder County, Colo. – October 29, 2013 – As a part of their mutual commitment to local farming communities and the environment the COMMON Foundation (formerly Living GREEN Foundation)

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Halloween Benefit for Colorado Flood Relief

The Entrepreneur’s Foundation of Colorado, the Futurity Foundation’s Living Green Network, and Mocavo are hosting a roof deck bash on Halloween to benefit first-responder families and local farms devastated by the recent Boulder-area flood. Let’s rally the entrepreneurial community together and raise some money for those in need. I’ll be there to support the cause and

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Colorado Flood Relief: Adventure Records and Cuvée 8 Benefit in Boulder

Adventure Records, in partnership with the Futurity Foundation sponsored a benefit for Community Organized Flood Relief Donate Boulder | Mudslingers A project of the Futurity Foundation’s Living Green Network. Lazy Dog on Friday, September 27th @8 pm. The event was a free, public event with all funds raised being donated to Donate Boulder. Donors will receive

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Boulder musicians band together to help community after flooding

The show, happening at the Lazy Dog 1346 Pearl St., Boulder at 8 p.m., will feature Colorado bands Monocle Stache, …And The Black Feathers, Hellburner Cult and Ryan Dart & Grandpa’s Gun. Attend and make a donation to Living GREEN Network and donateboulder.org to get a free copy of Cuvée 8. The Mudslingers and donateboulder.org are

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COMMON Foundation | Boulder Mudslingers

We are Agents of Change for Change Agents. Living GREEN Network, a 501(c)3 project of the Futurity Foundation has raised sufficient funds for the Boulder Mudslingers. We are no longer accepting tax deductible contributions for this awesome group of volunteers. We have acquired the equipment and financial resources they need to finalize their activities as

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McKibben Calls for Divestment in the Fossil Fuel Industry.

There was a flurry of activity at CU Boulder despite the uncharacteristically warm weather Sunday night. Bill McKibben, an American climate activist, author and journalist was in town for his Do the Math Tour. He’s the founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org. In his traditionally accessible style, McKibben presented three numbers that might add

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Sea Grant in Latin America? Adapting the US Sea Grant model of linked applied research, extension, and education to a Latin American Context—Is there a fit?

Marine Policy Journal 31 (2007) 229–238  Sea Grant in Latin America? Adapting the US Sea Grant model of linked applied research, extension, and education to a Latin American Context—Is there a fit? S. Matthew Wilburn, James Tobey, Jill Hepp, Stephen Olsen, Barry Costa-Pierce Received 17 August 2006; accepted 28 October 2006 Abstract This paper explores the

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Sea Grant International – Final Report to the US Department of State

In April 2002 Dr. Matthew Wilburn King, working with NOAA Research’s Office of International Activities (IA), submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Initiative (OESI) to assess the feasibility of adapting the Sea Grant model of linked applied research, extension and education to Latin America

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Sea Grant Internacional – Informe Final al Departmento de Estado

Este documento es el reporte final preparado para el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos para llenar los requisitos del reportaje que se encuentran en el acuerdo entre el DOS y NOAA (IAA #S-OES-03-IAA-001). El reporte incluye una serie de documentos e informes que han sido el resultado de cientos de entrevistas, discusiones regionales,

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15 Books I Often Share

15 Books I Often Share 1) The Rebel – Albert Camus 2) Power/Knowledge – Foucault 3) The Human Condition – Hannah Arendt 4) The Elegant Universe – Brian Greene 5) Buddhism and Ecology – Tucker and Grim 6) The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho 7) Sophie’s World – Jostein Gaarder 8) Spell of the Sensuous –

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Operation Rudolph to Help Needy Kids

Operation Rudolph to Help Needy Kids By Danna Sue Walker Published: 12/1/1994 Last Modified: 4/25/2008  5:43 AM Thanks to Operation Rudolph, some of Tulsa’s neediest children are going to have a holiday that shines as brightly as the red nose of Santa’s favorite reindeer. Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the University of Tulsa and the Tulsa Action Group will

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