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Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
Jessie Hanson
January 8, 2020
This story begins, like many radical Boulder tales, on Pearl Street. Outside of the Into The Wind toy store on Saturdays you can find several young men spinning colorful toys at mind-boggling speed. …
This story begins, l…
This story begins, like many radical Boulder tales, on Pearl Street. Outside of the Into The Wind toy store on Saturdays you can find several young men spinning colorful toys at mind-boggling speed. This is the BoCo Yoyo Club, founded in 2014 by Steve Knabe and Hunter Momberger. The club has met every possible Saturday for more than a year now. They gather on Pearl Street, and rock everything from yoyos and kendamas to spin-tops. If you haven’t heard of these toys, check out the club for some free and unique entertainment. Wanting more than their Saturday meet-ups, Hunter and Steve dec…
Joe Inclan
February 10, 2023
As you may have heard, Boulder County's most recent emergency warning systems test was Monday evening. Boulder's flood season stretches from April through August, and that means the emergency warning …
As you may have hear…
As you may have heard, Boulder County's most recent emergency warning systems test was Monday evening. Boulder's flood season stretches from April through August, and that means the emergency warning systems need to be tested regularly. Flash floods are no joke, but neither are the 30+ sirens of Boulder County's outdoor warning system. Following World War II most cities and towns in the United States incorporated siren alarm systems for civil defense. These were originally intended to warn civilians of impending air raids, hence the colloquial term "air raid sirens". These systems remained …
Joe Inclan
June 7, 2022
I often hear Boulder being hailed, and sometimes scorned, as a place of liberal thinking. But many fail to acknowledge the influence of Eastern ideology on the culture of Boulder. The Buddhist culture…
I often hear Boulder…
I often hear Boulder being hailed, and sometimes scorned, as a place of liberal thinking. But many fail to acknowledge the influence of Eastern ideology on the culture of Boulder. The Buddhist culture in Boulder is quiet, perhaps due to its dynamic history. It began with the exile of the Dalai Lama after the failed uprising of Tibet against the People's Republic of China in 1950. Following the failed revolt, China issued the 14th Dalai Lama, and therefore Tibet, an agreement called the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. This document cemented Tibet as a permanen…
Joe Inclan
June 4, 2022
What on earth are we talking about today? Only the coolest festival in Colorado. Every year thousands gather in Nederland to celebrate our state's most famous frozen grandpa with games, beer, music, a…
What on earth are we…
What on earth are we talking about today? Only the coolest festival in Colorado. Every year thousands gather in Nederland to celebrate our state's most famous frozen grandpa with games, beer, music, and coffin races! Did we mention most events are free? A little backstory first: Back in 1993 it was discovered that Trygve Bauge and his mother Aud were storing Trygve's grandfather with dry ice in the shed behind their unfinished house in Nederland. They wanted the body cryonically frozen in the hopes that someday grandpa would be resurrected by future technologies (nanobots, etc.). The only …
Joe Inclan
March 18, 2022
You can find the same business models in all major cities, but the real interests of a community can only be unearthed by digging through their non-profit and/or nongovernmental organizations. Here ar…
You can find the sam…
You can find the same business models in all major cities, but the real interests of a community can only be unearthed by digging through their non-profit and/or nongovernmental organizations. Here are a few of Boulder's which we felt touched on some key interests of this city as a whole. Boulder’s BCycle AboutBoulder has a 3 year history with BCycle, and for good reason. This NGO brought “bikeshare” to Boulder. They now have 39 stations around the city with a fleet of 275 bikes. Simply buy a pass and you’ll get access to unlimited 30-minute bike rental sessions until the pass ex…
Joe Inclan
August 27, 2021
Boulder County commissioners have approved the use of unmanned flying aircraft aka "drones" over Boulder County's open spaces. What does this mean for you? Boulder County has approved the use o…
Boulder County commi…
Boulder County commissioners have approved the use of unmanned flying aircraft aka "drones" over Boulder County's open spaces. What does this mean for you? Boulder County has approved the use of unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS for short, on/above Boulder County property. The craft may take off, fly, and land on city-owned public lands. But not just anyone can fly their own craft over Boulder. Only UAS working on pre-approved agricultural and scientific research projects will be permitted. The hope for the UAS is that they will improve the yield of locally grown crops. Agricultural …
Joe Inclan
April 12, 2016
With warmer weather gracing us after a deeply cold winter we are sure Boulder residents are ready to get outside. Let's take a look at a relatively new sport Boulderites are practicing, and where you …
With warmer weather …
With warmer weather gracing us after a deeply cold winter we are sure Boulder residents are ready to get outside. Let's take a look at a relatively new sport Boulderites are practicing, and where you can do it in Boulder. Slacklining is a sport invented at Camp 4 in Yosemite back in the 1980s. It is similar to tightrope walking but, instead of a rope, the person balances on a piece of flat, tubular webbing. In warmer weather it is a fairly common site at local Boulder parks and on the University campus. Usually a group of people will be gathered around a rope, which is suspended between two…
Joe Inclan
February 10, 2016
Did you know one of the best ways to run a pirate radio station was devised right here in Boulder? Brace yourselves for a tale of determination, censorship, gestapo tactics, and global inspiration. …
Did you know one of …
Did you know one of the best ways to run a pirate radio station was devised right here in Boulder? Brace yourselves for a tale of determination, censorship, gestapo tactics, and global inspiration. The founder of KBFR (Boulder Free Radio) was a man who called himself "Monk". He had purchased a load of Low Power FM radio broadcasting equipment in 2000, with the expectation that the Federal Communications Commission would grant him a license. He soon found out that changes to FCC regulations meant that no one in the Boulder area would be given licenses for radio broadcasting. Monk had the equ…
Joe Inclan
January 26, 2016
A religious survey conducted in any major city around the US will generally reflect the religious inclination of the state in which they are located. But what about a notable lack of religious affilia…
A religious survey c…
A religious survey conducted in any major city around the US will generally reflect the religious inclination of the state in which they are located. But what about a notable lack of religious affiliation amongst residents? Today we will skim the surface of Boulder's relationship to religion, and how the prevalence of nature might be an alternative to religious fulfillment. According to a gallup-poll released in 2013, Boulder was just shy of the least religious city/metropolitan area in the US. It was bested only by Burlington-South Burlington, VT. Both cities had 17% of their popu…
Joe Inclan
December 16, 2015
In light of the recent tragedy in Colorado Springs, we would like to discuss some shootings that took place in Boulder County. Then we will share some thoughts on why shootings explode into social …
In light of the rece…
In light of the recent tragedy in Colorado Springs, we would like to discuss some shootings that took place in Boulder County. Then we will share some thoughts on why shootings explode into social consciousness and then, just as quickly, expire. Despite it's consistently high rankings on "best places to live" lists around the country Boulder is not free from violent crimes, nor from shootings associated with them. Whether it is the police pulling the trigger or regular citizens the effect on the community is the same. There is no time to brace for a bullet. There is no consolation to t…
Joe Inclan
December 2, 2015
Huge buzz is going around about John Hickenlooper's declaration that Colorado will openly become a foster home to Syrian refugees. Tens of thousands of people could enter the US as they flee the rec…
Huge buzz is going …
Huge buzz is going around about John Hickenlooper's declaration that Colorado will openly become a foster home to Syrian refugees. Tens of thousands of people could enter the US as they flee the recent escalation of violence against civilians perpetrated by ISIS. Many agree with this policy of open borders, and many detest it, but today will simply be an observation of how Boulder, CO has handled, and continues to handle, its immigrant population. Speculations about the future of Boulder's foreign policies are left to our readers. Boulder, as almost anyone in the state could tell you, …
Joe Inclan
November 18, 2015
The Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions union stated that about 100 CU Boulder employees will be staging a protest and march on the Boulder campus this Thursday, November 5th. Their goa…
The Colorado Workers…
The Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions union stated that about 100 CU Boulder employees will be staging a protest and march on the Boulder campus this Thursday, November 5th. Their goal is to reach the office of CFO for the Boulder campus, Kelly Fox, to deliver a petition demanding higher wages. This protest was sparked by Fox's rejection of a wage increase proposal from the Housing and Dining Services officials. The officials proposed $15 hourly wages. Fox postponed a decision on the wage increase for Housing and Dining, and asked her team to evaluate the possibility of w…
Joe Inclan
November 4, 2015
On Thursday, October 15th Boulder will join the over 140 cities around the world in an experiment to see what 1 minute's worth of eye contact can do. From the looks of the original viral video about t…
On Thursday, October…
On Thursday, October 15th Boulder will join the over 140 cities around the world in an experiment to see what 1 minute's worth of eye contact can do. From the looks of the original viral video about this experiment, it can do quite a bit. The global event is coordinated by The Liberators International. They are a peaceful international social movement based in Perth, Australia that focuses on organizing public demonstrations of peace. Their ultimate goal is to get people to realize that "beyond our differences there is love and humanity". And they are working towards this goal with their si…
Joe Inclan
October 14, 2015
The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a lawsuit against an anti-panhandling ordinance approved by the city of Grand Junction, CO. Last week, the ordinance was found to violate the First…
The American Civil L…
The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a lawsuit against an anti-panhandling ordinance approved by the city of Grand Junction, CO. Last week, the ordinance was found to violate the First Amendment rights of people asking for financial assistance. Even though the ordinance should have applied to Girl Scouts asking donations, street musicians, and Salvation Army bell ringers, the main target appeared to be the homeless population. Attorney Tom Carr proposed that the city of Boulder tweak its panhandling laws in accordance with the recent suit against Grand Junction. These l…
Joe Inclan
October 7, 2015
CU Boulder is infamous for being a party school, which is partly due to the presence of associated Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs). But there are many beneficial aspects to these organizations whic…
CU Boulder is infamo…
CU Boulder is infamous for being a party school, which is partly due to the presence of associated Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs). But there are many beneficial aspects to these organizations which cannot be neglected. Today is Bid day for the sorority houses around CU's campus so let's take a look at the relationship between CU, Boulder, and the GLOs. Any university may accept ties with GLOs if they feel that the school's mission and objectives are compatible with the professed goals of particular fraternities and sororities. Most Greek Life communities hope to foster community, good …
Joe Inclan
September 9, 2015
There are hundreds of items to recommend for Boulder newcomers. Since it's move-in season for freshman I'll focus on some budget friendly Boulder activities. This list has some obvious activities, a…
There are hundreds …
There are hundreds of items to recommend for Boulder newcomers. Since it's move-in season for freshman I'll focus on some budget friendly Boulder activities. This list has some obvious activities, and maybe some a new resident wouldn't know about. Whip out that calendar, and let's get started. 1. Welcomefest (free for students) August 22 @ 5:30pm I know how many times a freshman will hear about "Welcomefest" this coming week, but in all honesty it is a pretty cool show. It's made even better because it's free! CU Boulder puts on a show for new students just because they can, and you …
Joe Inclan
August 19, 2015
After years of trying to worm their way into Boulder, Wal*Mart finally made it in the form of the "Neighborhood Market". But why was it so difficult for Boulder to accept the Wal*Mart subsidiary in t…
After years of tryin…
After years of trying to worm their way into Boulder, Wal*Mart finally made it in the form of the "Neighborhood Market". But why was it so difficult for Boulder to accept the Wal*Mart subsidiary in the first place? Despite the wealth of Boulder, no city escapes the effects of recessions, nor simple aging. I wrote an article about Pearl Street which explained that the pedestrian mall was created in the 1970s in order to help preserve Boulder's aging downtown area. The plan worked, but, it means even the future of Boulder's cultural heart has come into question before. This fear inspires …
Joe Inclan
August 12, 2015
As I'm sure many of you readers have noticed, US 36 has recently added toll lanes onto the highway. This article is to inform you about the new toll lanes, how to use them, and why they exist. The …
As I'm sure many of …
As I'm sure many of you readers have noticed, US 36 has recently added toll lanes onto the highway. This article is to inform you about the new toll lanes, how to use them, and why they exist. The new express tolls lanes are part of ongoing projects which CDOT has been working on openly for a decade. Only the express lane will be tolled, all the other general-purpose lanes will be refinished and remain free to all users. The express lanes are intended for carpool vehicles, Rapid Transit busses and tolled vehicles. If you intend to use an express lane, the fees and billing are handled by E-…
Joe Inclan
July 29, 2015
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