Meet Evan! Evan works for Enigma Escape Rooms on Pearl Street! Escape rooms lock you in a themed room for an hour while you and your group scour the room for clues to find your way out!  Stop by 1426 Pearl Street any day Wednesday through Sunday and see if you can find your way out of the mad scientists laboratory!  Read More

  Meet Bongo the Balloon Man. Bongo is a self-taught balloon artist who has been creating masterful balloon animals for the youth of Boulder for over 31 years! You might recognize his familiar face from one of your recent strolls down the Pearl Street Mall as he has had his spot at the Peppercorn storefront for 28 years! Bongo, is a pillar of the Boulder community and epitomizes the culture of this city.  So, cheers to you Bongo and many more years of balloon animals to come.  Read More

At the edge of town – Photo by Hagen Hamilton  Read More

Photo Credit: Colin Murchison  Read More

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”.... Read More

You will learn how Boulder’s iconic Flatirons formed. Turns out, Boulder was once beachfront property. The Flatirons are Boulder’s favorite portion of the Fountain Formation, a geological formation of mostly red sandstone. This sandstone, more appropriately called “arkose” gets its color from the pinkish feldspar contained it it. This red rock makes up the Red Rocks of Morrison and the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. The Fountain Formation stretches from Colorado Springs all the way to Wyoming. The reddish color is due to the concentration of feldspar in the sandstone,... Read More

We are almost 2 weeks away from a new year! Stop and think about it. You have had 12 good months in 2017 of challenges, tests, and successes. What do you want to accomplish during 2018? As I contemplate what I would like to manifest in 2018, I have a few guidelines. These guidelines protect from overwhelm. They also help me organize my goals.   Keep goals simple and measurable. Use astrology and numerology, as it is easier to match up what comes easier with your effort. Make certain these goals align with your values – you want to take action in ways that are important to you. Make sure... Read More

Meet Carlos Alvarez-Aranyos.  Carlos is a local business owner, world explorer, and entrepreneur.  Carlos is originally from the Dominican Republic but is truly a citizen of the world. Carlos has traveled all over the world and could be in the running for the next “Most Interesting Man in the World.”  Some of Carlos’ adventures include a motorcycle ride to the Arctic Circle, serving as a judge for a Miss USA contest, and a trek across India in a rickshaw.  He has held jobs working for the U.S. Department of Defense under the Obama administration, and that’s just scratching... Read More

This article may come at you a little late this year, being that Thanksgiving was last week, but it is never too late to be thankful, or dankful this season. I normally like to use this column as an outlet to bemoan about something that most people would bend over backward for. It can be fun to sit back and air my grievances about the weed industry, after all, it is the landscape I see every day. Fortunately, the industry I work in is hot right now, so it affords me this outlet. No grievances today though, just love. I am dankful for all the amazing growers out there. Indoor farmers and outdoor... Read More

Over the years, researchers have tried to determine the cause of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Previously, researchers believed that amyloid was one of the proteins thought to cause the disease.  With new discoveries about the mysteries of dementia, there is a new culprit in the debate about what may cause dementia. Amyloid protein is thought to build up in the brain normally throughout life, but, at night, when we’re sleeping, particularly when we get into deep sleep, the protein gets cleared from the brain. Researchers are investigating the possible link between obstructive... Read More

Calm days in Boulder – Photo by Hagen Hamilton  Read More

Scientists have talked for years about the impact global climate will have on our planet.  Some are even speculating that, at this point, there are some things that have happened as a result of the changing climate that are already irreversible. For example, mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months may already be a foregone conclusion. Did you know that global climate change is having an impact on your health now? Some scientists say that impact may also be irreversible. Catastrophic weather such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes,... Read More

Recently, a technology that edits genomes was used in China to genetically modify pigs.  The result for the consumer would be pigs that are better adapted to cold weather while carrying around 24% less fat.  The technology, called CRISPR, an acronym for clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,  has two components. First, CRISPR is essentially scissors that cut DNA.  The other component is RNA, remember that from your high school biology class?  RNA transmits biological information throughout the genome.  The RNA leads the scissors to the a precise string of compounds,... Read More

It’s that time of year – the sun comes up a little later; goes down a little earlier and you need a jacket or sweater to combat the slight nip in the air. Fall brings with it the promise of rain and cooler temperatures. Its rhythms remind us that it’s time to turn inside, ruminate and care for ourselves. Take advantage of the change of season to make some changes to your routine; following the rhythm of the seasons, makes us less likely to get sick. At the beginning of fall, temperatures are finally starting to drop, making it the perfect opportunity to go outdoors. Take advantage of... Read More

Are you an intuitive eater?  Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy based on the premise that becoming more attuned to the body’s natural hunger signals is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight, rather than keeping track of the amounts of calories or other dieting methods. Also known as wisdom eating or conscious eating,  intuitive eating relies on your ability to know your body and understand when you are hungry and full. To be successful at intuitive eating, there are some principles that have to be followed to adapt to this way of life. Eat when you’re hungry. Easier... Read More

Offline October is a challenge for people to give up social media for the month of October to support teen suicide prevention.  Recently, the Littleton community has experienced a number of teen suicides and they are trying to address what they believe is one of the contributors – social media. The challenge is meant for people to realize the importance of  human relationships and the happiness that can come from direct human interaction. ​Consider these statistics about teens and technology: Teens check their phones 157 times per day Teens spend 4 hours on their phones per day Teens send... Read More

It’s long been known that improving your physical fitness is associated with living a longer life. Studies show that past age 65, your walking speed at your natural pace is a surprisingly reliable predictor of survival. The study looked at the natural gait speed of more than 34,000 participants age 65 and older from nine previous studies. These studies followed outcomes for 12 years or more, in which time almost half of the participants died. They found a consistent effect of how long people lived and whether they had a faster or slower gait speed. Those who walked naturally at 2.2 miles... Read More

Mindlessly scrolling through our social media feeds when we have a few spare minutes is not the best habit when it comes to our collective psychology. The American Academy of Pediatrics has evaluated the potential for negative effects of social media in young kids and teens, including cyber-bullying and “Facebook depression,” but the issue impacts adults as well. There’s some good evidence that internet addiction may exist. A recent review of earlier research on the psychological characteristics, personality and social media use and found that it is plausible to speak about “Facebook... Read More

Whether from your garden, the farmer’s market or the grocery store shelf, fall produce is fresh, seasonal and happening now!  Eating healthy may seem harder come fall, when your favorite summer produce dwindles and the choices seem fewer and, perhaps, unfamiliar. Take advantage of the opportunity and think outside the box in your fall food preparation. Most fall produce can be prepared in a number of tasty ways and all of the produce mentioned here is grown locally. Brussels sprouts are exceptionally rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Sprouts are a good source... Read More

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, are calling for senolytic drugs to make the leap from animal research to human clinical trials. Senescence refers to biological aging and senolytic drugs are designed to selectively kill the cells that cause aging. As we age, we accumulate senescent cells, which are damaged cells that resist dying off but stay in our bodies. They can affect other cells in our organs and tissues. Senescent cells play a role in many age-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, most cancers, dementia, arthritis, osteoporosis and... Read More