Boulder Weekly 9.2.21

Free

Every

Thursday

For

28

Years

/

w w w. b o u l d e r w e e k l y. c o m

/

September

2-8,

2021

Nobody wants to work in restaurants; try being kind to those who do

by John Lehndorff

news:

10

boulderganic:

14

New state law aims to provide better jobs and pay for Colorado workers with disabilities

by Jodi Hausen

Colorado has a goal to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2040—is it really possible?

by Will Brendza

adventure:

Boulder filmmakers chronicle the life of MarcAndré Leclerc in ‘The Alpinist’

by Griffin Paul

buzz:

Local author Zoe Hana Mikuta on her debut novel, ‘Gearbreakers’

by Caitlin Rockett

beer:

Novel hemp seed oil extraction method offers new source of plant-based protein that could revolutionize medical supply chains

by Michael J. Casey

departments 8 24 30 31 33 41 43 45

17 21 35

nibbles:

Nobody wants to work in restaurants; that will change dining out as we know it

by John Lehndorff

7

39

The Anderson Files: Dishonest trashing of Biden amid imperial delusions of grandeur Letters: Signed, sealed, delivered, your views Events: What to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do...

Words: ‘The Gift Inside,’ by Steve Elder Astrology: by Rob Brezsny Film: Eddie Muller navigates one of cinema’s most durable genres in ‘Dark City’ Taste of the Week: Frescos Rosa de Jamaica Savage Love: Counseled culture Cannabis Corner: The promise of the plant

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Safe, full capacity dining, and outdoor patio.

Bar open.

l

BEST APPETIZERS / TAPAS

• Best Food Delivery • Best Kid Friendly Restaurant • Best Restaurant Dessert • Best Restaurant Service • Best Cocktails

Open Everyday 5:00 - 9:00pm Happy Hour 5 :00 - 6:30pm

3970 N. Broadway • Boulder • 303.786.9004 DAGABICUCINA.COM SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

3

COUNTY 2021

Please

VOTE FOR US! • Craft Brewery • Bar • Burger • Food Truck (Nomad Food Truck) • Place to Eat Outdoors • Beer Selection

[

]

AUTHENTIC JAPANESE CUISINE

Longmont’s

INDOOR FLEA MARKET

VOTE US BEST FURNITURE/ BEST DECOR

Overall Restaurant FOOD Pancake/Waffle Appetizers/Tapas Pizza Asian Fusion Place to eat outdoors Bagel Place to go on a first date Bakery Restaurant Dessert BBQ Restaurant Service Breakfast/Brunch Sandwich Burger Seafood Business Lunch Sushi Restaurant Catering Take-out Chinese Restaurant Thai Restaurant Donuts Veggie Burger Fine Dining RestauWings rant Food Truck VOTE FOR DICKENS 300 PRIME DRINKS Bar Gluten-Free Menu Best Restaurant , Best Patio Beer selection Ice Cream/Frozen & Best Venue Cidery Yogurt dickens300prime.com Cocktails Indian/Nepali RestauCoffee House rant Coffee Roaster Italian Restaurant Craft Brewery Japanese Restaurant Distillery Kid-Friendly Restaurant Happy Hour Lyons Restaurant Latte/Mocha Mexican Restaurant Margarita New Restaurant Teahouse Niwot Restaurant

Wine Selection CANNABIS Bargains at a dispensary Budtender CBD Products Edibles Flower Medical Marijuana Dispensary Recreational Marijuana Dispensary Selection at a dispensary Wax HOME & GARDEN Carpet/Flooring Electrician Florist Furniture Store Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning Home Builder/Contractor Home Finishing Home Improvement Hydroponic Store Kitchen Supply Store Landscaper Mattress Store Nursery/Garden Center Painter Pest Control

VOTE! BEST TACO / BEST RESTAURANT

216 E. Main St. Lyons, CO • 2785 Iris Ave. Boulder, CO MOJOTAQUERIA.COM 4

I

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

I

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Vote us

Best Seafood

In Boulder East County 2770 Arapahoe Rd #112, Lafayette, CO 720-630-8053 • www.eatreelfish.com

Plumber Golf Course Roofing Contractor Gym/Fitness Center ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE Hair Salon Art Gallery Hospital Bank/Financial Institution Lasik Services Festival/Event Martial Arts Live Jazz Venue Massage Museum Medical Doctor VOTE US FOR Music Venue Nail Salon BEST CANNABIS! Non-Profit Orthodontist Open Mic Physical TheraPlace to Dance pist Place to Play Pool Pilates Studio Place to Wi-Fi Tanning Salon Private School Urgent Care Public School (K-8) Center Public School (9-12) Veterinary Care NOW OPEN DAILY Sports Bar Yoga Studio 9am - 930pm FITNESS & RETAIL 1413 Hecla Way HEALTH Auto Dealer - New Acupuncture Clinic Auto Dealer - Used Barber Shop Auto Service/Repair Chiropractor Bicycle Shop Climbing/Parkour Gym Bookstore Dance Studio Car Wash Day Spa Clothing Store - Children’s Dental Care Clothing Store - Men’s

Clothing Store - Used Clothing Store - Women’s Business Owned/Led by Female CEO Computer Repair Dry Cleaner Farm Gift Store Grocery Store Hardware Store Hotel Independent Business Jewelry Store Liquor Store Music Store Natural Foods Store New Business Optical Store Pet Store Real Estate Group Shoe Store Shopping Center Stereo/Electronics Storage Facility Tattoo/Piercing Parlor Tire Shop Tobacco/Pipe Shop *List of categories Toy Store

subject to change.

Vote For Us • Gifts for any cook • Fun and colorful kitchenware • Specialty foods, local and imported • Gadgets, cookware, and kitchen essentials BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE • Louisville’s one-of-a-kindI kitchen shop

Best Tattoo/ Piercing Studio

565 E. South Boulder Rd. Louisville, CO 720-985-4259 • www.inksmithcolorado.com SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

I

5

• BEST OF BOULDER • BEST OF BOULDER • BEST OF BOULDER • BEST OF BOULDER • BEST OF BOULDER • BEST OF BOULDER • BEST OF BOULDER •

Gallery WINNERS

2021

HOSHI MOTORS

Zoe ma ma

2010 10th St., Boulder 303.545.6262 • zoemama.com

FOLSOM & SPRUCE, BOULDER 303.449.6632 • HOSHIMOTORS.NET

COTTONWOOD KENNELS

7275 VALMONT RD., BOULDER 303.442.2602 • COTTONWOODKENNELS.com

no place like home

3550 arapahoe ave., BOULDER 303.440.9011 • usedfurnitureboulder.com

North boulder dental

North Boulder D E N TA L

1001 North st., BOULDER 303.447.1042 • boulderdental.com

Gunbarrel liquor

6566 lookout rd, BOULDER 303.530.0108 • facebook.com/gunbarrelliquorco/

Taylor moving

1275 Sherman Dr, Longmont 303.443.5885 • taylormove.com

FREE RANGE MOVERS

720.829.7009 • FREERANGEMOVERS.COM

coal creek physical Therapy

315 South Boulder rd, Suite #100, LOUISVILLE 350 Broadway St, Suite #50, Boulder 303.666.4151 • coalcreekpt.com

Publisher, Fran Zankowski Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Editor in Chief, Brendan Joel Kelley Managing Editor, Caitlin Rockett News Editor, Will Brendza Food Editor, John Lehndorff Contributing Editor, Angela K. Evans Contributing Writers, Peter Alexander, Dave Anderson, Emma Athena, Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Sarah Haas, Jim Hightower, Dave Kirby, John Lehndorff, Sara McCrea, Rico Moore, Amanda Moutinho, Katie Rhodes, Leland Rucker, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Ryan Syrek, Christi Turner, Betsy Welch, Tom Winter, Gary Zeidner SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Carter Ferryman Advertising Coordinator, Corey Basciano Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman CIRCULATION TEAM Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer August 26, 2021 Volume XXIX, Number 3 As Boulder County's only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county's most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you're interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@ boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper.

690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO, 80305 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2021 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@ boulderweekly.com) or the comments section of our website at www.boulderweekly.com. Preference will be given to short letters (under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

Dishonest trashing of Biden amid imperial delusions of grandeur

By DAVE ANDERSON

I

n 2020, the three major TV networks, CBS, ABC, and NBC, devoted only five minutes to Afghanistan, according to the Tyndall Report. Major news organizations have pretty much ignored the war in Afghanistan.

“Ask yourself how often Afghanistan has been a lead story for the last twenty years,” Oliver Willis of the progressive watchdog Media Matters for America recently remarked.

“American media is putrid at covering the world and it directly leads to a public constantly surprised by topics and issues.”

New York Times reporter Liam Stack tweeted, “There will be many

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

partisan efforts to spin the Fall of Afghanistan, but after 20 years and four presidents from two parties, the entire U.S. governing class is implicated in this. Every official or DC think tanker or cable news talking head you see on TV today.”

As the war ends, Joe Biden is being lambasted by the entire Republican party, a certain number of prominent Democrats, and many in the Beltway chattering class for withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Architects of “the war on terror” crawled out from under their rocks to growl. Tony Blair said Biden was “imbecilic.” Even Henry Kissinger SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

emerged from his crypt. Nobody mentioned George W. Bush and how he changed his focus from Afghanistan to attacking Iraq. Nobody mentioned his “weapons of mass destruction” lies.

In a Times op-ed, Ryan C. Crocker, who was Obama’s ambassador to Afghanistan and has worked for administrations of both parties, complained that Biden hasn’t shown the “strategic patience” of the kind that has kept American troops in South Korea for more than seven decades.

He says, “Mr. Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. forces destroyed an affordable status quo that could have lasted indefinitely at a minimum cost in blood and treasure.”

That is absurd. Unlike South Korea, Germany and Japan (countries with a seemingly permanent U.S. military presence), Afghanistan has never see THE ANDERSON FILES Page 8 l

7

A CANARY IN THE COAL MINE I was mystified and dismayed to learn that a pelican was found dead in the water at Union Reservoir on August 17. A request was made to have a necropsy completed on the bird but to my knowledge none was ever carried out.

The air quality monitoring report for Union Reservoir for that day showed that the toxic chemicals benzine and toluene were both at high levels. That raises the question of whether it was air pollution that caused the death of the birds, or perhaps the water itself was polluted with fracking waste. I also wonder why the city wasn’t concerned enough to at least do a necropsy on the bird. After all, whatever caused these avian death may be putting the lives of human residents, including children, at risk.

This pelican may be our canary in the coal mine.

The city has installed an excellent air monitoring station, yet there does not seem to be any effective response to its discovery of high levels of air pollution. For example, high readings do not trigger notification to the state health department or initiate a warning to alert residents in a timely and objective manner about the readings.

We shouldn’t fool ourselves. Due to fracking, Longmont has a heavy industrial operation on the north side of Union along with plugged and abandoned wells that may be leaking chemicals into our air and water.

Prudence dictates that we all should be concerned about the pollutants that come along with fracking.

Judy Lubow/Longmont FEED ANIMALS WITHOUT HARMING ANIMALS I was happy to learn there will soon be options available for those of us who want to feed our pets without harming other animals. I’m talking about pet food made from cultured meat. For those who don’t know, cultured meat is grown from cells, without slaughter.

While some companies have been developing these products for human consumption, a Philadelphia-based startup—Because, Animals—has been making them for our furry companions. The company recently debuted its first offering, a cat cookie made from 8

l

cultured mouse meat, at an industry trade show in Las Vegas.

Compassionate voters should urge their legislators to support federal investment in cellular agriculture. This will help bring cultured meat to market faster, at a competitive price, for both pets and humans. Besides the animal welfare benefits, this revolutionary protein is better for the environment and public health.

Jon Hochschartner/Granby TWO SECONDS OF FREEDOM I think of the hundreds of millions of people who suffered unspeakable deaths from ravages of smallpox, bubonic plague, yellow fever, polio, AIDS, and dozens of other viral killers. What would they have given for easy access to an effective prevention method?

And yet many of the most spoiled people who have ever lived on planet earth won’t touch the shot, hating the thought of losing some two seconds of their precious freedom.

One lady in Arizona offered to take up arms against any who would force her to be vaccinated. I would venture she has never publicly avowed to do the same for her freedom of speech, press, religion, or her right to live and work where she wants. Freedom from the needle is greater than all of them for her.

Life expectancy in the first decade of the 2000s astonishingly declined for three straight years due to the petulant desire of Americans to treat their bodies however they want. But in 2020, we saw an aggregate yearly decline of anywhere from 14 to 39 times those earlier yearly drops, depending upon ethnicity, according to Virginia Commonwealth University.

Those two seconds of militantly asserted freedom by anti-civic Americans is costing their neighbors dearly.

Kimball Shinkoskey/Woods Cross FARM TO SCHOOL CULTURE Not often do we consider the possibilities that emerge from a school cafeteria.

Most of the time, they’re places where students enjoy a break, eat a meal, and socialize with friends. The cafeteria is, absolutely, all of these things, but it’s also much more as many groups are realizing. Our school see LETTERS Page 9 SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

THE ANDERSON FILES from Page 7

been stable since the U.S. invasion through Obama to Donald Trump, and has been in the middle of a brutal publicly rejected ‘nation-building’ but civil war. created a violent, corrupt and dysThe chairs of the Senate’s leadfunctional state only barely propped ing foreign policy committees (who up by U.S. arms.” are all Democrats) are calling for an In one interview, Richard Bouchinvestigation of how Biden handled er, assistant secretary of state for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. south and central Asian affairs beThat’s good. However, we need a tween 2006 and 2009, said America’s thorough investigation of U.S. interven- mission was incoherent and contration in Afghanistan for the last 20 years. dictory. He explained; No, for the last 40 years. Let’s examine “If we think our exit strategy is to the decisions by the either beat the Carter and Reagan Taliban – which South Korea, can’t be done given administrations to arm and train Afthe local, regional, Germany and Japan. . . ghan mujahadeen and cross border against the Soviets. circumstances – or Afghanistan has never Unfortunately, to establish an Afin December 2019, ghan government been stable since the there wasn’t a that is capable of push to investigate delivering good U.S. invasion and has the revelations in government to the “Afghanistan its citizens using been in the middle of a Papers” published American tools in the Washingand methods, then brutal civil war. ton Post. Using we do not have the Freedom of an exit strategy Information Act (after a three year because both of those are impossible.” court battle) reporter Craig Whitlock Daniel Ellsberg said the “Afghanobtained more than 2,000 pages of istan Papers” are similar to the “Peninterviews with more than 400 key tagon Papers” (a secret history of the insiders — senior generals, Afghan Vietnam war by the Defense Departgovernors, diplomats, aid officials, and ment) which he leaked. Both papers policy advisers — conducted during showed how the government intena federal review of the “Lessons tionally and systematically misled the Learned” in Afghanistan.

American people. He remarked, “The John Sopko, who leads the Office presidents and the generals had a of the Special Inspector General for pretty realistic view of what they were Afghanistan Reconstruction, which up against, which they did not want conducted the review, admitted to to admit to the American people.” the Post that the records show the Joe Biden promised to end AmerAmerican people “have constantly ica’s longest war. He did it. He didn’t been lied to.” promise a happy ending.

Peter Beaumont of the Guardian This opinion column does not says the papers tell a story of “how necessarily reflect the views of Boulder successive presidents from Bush Weekly.

UNLIKE

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

LETTERS from Page 8

cafeterias can be transformed into both the largest classrooms and restaurants in the nation.

From the farmer to the teacher to the school food service director, farm to school programs are a network of stakeholders with each offering unique expertise to benefit the health and education of our students.

Across the country, we are seeing more partnerships form as students selling garden harvest in local farmers markets and local farmers allow students to grow seedlings in their greenhouses. Food service directors and farmers are realizing that few barriers exist to prevent the purchase of local food.

The biggest factor is often the relationship building between school and farmer. It doesn’t only have to be vegetables either, local beef has become more accessible and popular.

As we move into a new school year, there are many ways to get involved.

October is Farm to School Month and many districts will be hosting activities.

In our home state of Nebraska, many schools participate in a Crunch Off, a competition to get the largest number of students to crunch into fresh fruits and vegetables.

For resources on bringing farm to school to your community, follow the Center for Rural Affairs and the National Farm to School Network.

Justin Carter/Omaha

We need Congress to pass comprehensive voting rights reform and we need Biden to step up and put pressure on the Senate to do so by publicly supporting an end to the filibuster. Biden’s stated support for voting rights reform simply isn’t enough.

President Biden, for the sake of my right to vote and the progressive agenda we elected you to enact, urge the Senate to abolish the filibuster.

Anita Fizer/Boulder

FUNDING CULTURED MEAT As coronavirus cases surge to levels not seen since last winter, Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet should get serious about preventing the next pandemic, specifically by funding cultured-meat research. For readers who aren’t familiar with the term, cultured meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. It offers important benefits to public health.

Because livestock are removed from the process of making cultured meat, the danger of zoonotic viruses making the jump to humans is drastically reduced. While the origins of COVID-19 are debated, the fact remains that animal agriculture greatly increases our pandemic risk. Legislators concerned with public health should support federal funding for cultured-meat research.

Jon Hochschartner/Granby

ANDERSON’S GREAT IDEA What a great idea: a $3.5 trillion “investment in the American people!” (see: Anderson Files, Aug. 19) How do we make sure this passes Congress?

Speak up to your members of Congress, senators and representative (202-2243121), reminding them that this is an investment in you and that your vote is contingent on it. Of course thanking President Biden for this initiative (202456-1111) will be a helpful reminder that this is definitely the right course.

Our voices matter, use yours!

Willie Dickerson/Snohomish END THE FILIBUSTER We understand President Biden is busy. But I can’t help thinking about how his support for abolishing the filibuster in the Senate could help him enact his agenda on all fronts. Most importantly, it could help Biden protect Americans’ freedom to vote in the face of relentless attacks on our democracy.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

9

Turning workers’ challenges into workplace assets

New state law aims to provide better jobs and pay for Colorado workers with disabilities

by Jodi Hausen

M

itch Routon has an intellectual disability, but, he says over the phone, he considers himself fortunate. Unlike many people with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) he has a job he enjoys and an income that makes him happy. Routon works at arc Thrift in Colorado Springs where he takes care of the jewelry and collectible cases, helping customers and “whatever else they need me to do.” He enjoys “talking to all the different people,” he says.

He’s had this job for about two years but he formerly worked at a supermarket where he was paid less than minimum wage. “It was tough,” he says. “I could never get a leg up or make the same amount as everyone else.” His former

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARC THRIFT STORE AMBASSADORS

EMPLOYEES with intellectual developmental disabilities work in arc Thrift’s 31 stores throughout Colorado.

10

l

employer was able to pay Routon subminimum wages under federal and state laws because he is disabled. But Colorado state legislators abolished that practice as of July 1, joining seven other states that have enacted similar laws.

According to Colorado’s Inclusive Housing Coalition, nearly 86,000 Coloradans have an intellectual or developmental disability, and about 70 percent are unemployed. The U.S. Census reported in 2019, before COVID, a 3.7 percent unemployment rate for non-disabled workers.

Under a federal law enacted in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression, employers can apply for an exemption from paying minimum wage under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

It’s interesting to note that Roosevelt was disabled—paralyzed from the waist down. The law’s original intent was to incentivize employers to hire people with disabilities recognizing that they are capable of contributing to the workplace and the economy.

The law has been called anachronistic and antiquated by disability advocates who have long been calling for its abolishment.

On the tail of the Great Depression, “it might have been a good plan, particularly in an era when [people with disabilities] weren’t appreciated at all,” says Lloyd Lewis, chief executive officer of arc Thrift, which employs 1,600 people in 31 stores, 350 of whom have IDD. “But the world has changed significantly since then.” Many people with IDD participate in their communities, are employed and contribute to society, he says.

Federal legislators are also seeking to change the law with the introduction of the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, introduced

by U.S. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Virginia) in April and currently cosponsored by 20 Democrats and three Republican members of Congress. But Colorado legislators wanted to get ahead of the federal law.

State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D), who introduced the Colorado law, says she and other disability advocates were concerned that once the federal law is enacted— and she’s confident it will be—it will “flip a switch,” on funding to what are known as sheltered workshops and the support services often associated with them.

Employees and their family members wouldn’t understand what happened, Zenzinger says, and the programs would just disappear overnight.

Sheltered workshops cater to some of the most severely disabled among people with IDD—those historically seen as incapable of working within the traditional workforce. These workshops contract for jobs that are typically manual, repetitive tasks that, under the 14(c) certificate, are stipulated to serve as training for better-paying community-based jobs. But there is no oversight and workers are often paid for each completed piece resulting in workers making significantly less than minimum wage—less than a dollar an hour in many cases.

The proposed federal law will likely shut down BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

these workshops overnight, leaving many workers without the support services they are accustomed to, such as job coaches and attendants assigned to help them at jobs sites with personal care.

Colorado’s law provides for a phasing-out period to allow employers to adjust, although many have already abandoned 14(c). According to U.S. Department of Labor records, only seven organizations in Colorado still hold one of these certificates, affecting fewer than 300 people. The new law will go into full effect in July 2025. Though employers do not seem fazed by the new law, Zenzinger says, family members of disabled adults are.

“Unless there was a transition plan, in some cases, that might put [workers] in jeopardy,” says Lewis from arc, who testified in support of the legislation. “We felt that was important just to make sure that nobody was left in a kind of vacuum because people with IDD, they love to work like everybody else.”

When Lafayette-based disability agency Imagine! began its employment services in 1984, the decision to send workers to community-based jobs rather than open a sheltered workshop was “unimaginable” at the time, says Kim Cortes, director of community and employment services. Imagine! places hundreds of Boulder County-area people with IDD in meaningful jobs. Many of the clients have complex needs and behavioral challenges, so putting them in traditional work settings “allowed them to experience community for the very first time,” Cortes says.

Although some of Imagine!’s clients are currently working under a 14(c) certificate under contracts the agency needs to uphold, its 14(c) certificate expires next year and the organization has been phasing it out since February, Cortes says.

In some cases, Imagine! is making up the difference to meet the minimum wage requirement. Still, she doesn’t believe an increase in employees’ wages will deter companies from hiring Imagine!’s clients.

Even so, Cortes had several fraught conversations with parents who, after being apprised of the new law, were worried about what it meant for their children. “They’d always believed and been told their children can’t work or can only work in a [sheltered workshop] or they think employers won’t hire them,” Cortes says. “Parents can’t believe that their family member can be employed. It’s a total culture shift for them too.”

Broomfield disability advocate Robin Bolduc’s adult daughter has Down syndrome. The fear, she says, is that sheltered workshops will close because they won’t be able afford to keep running. “[Parents] are upset that their adult children will have no place to go during the day,” she says.

“Whenever there’s a change, you’re confronting parents with their worldview of what they’ve been told for 30 years. And in some realms, you’re telling the BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

parents they made the wrong decision” by sending called “busy work.” their children to sheltered workshops.

What Morris noticed about these men is that Bolduc’s daughter doesn’t need a job coach and they were focused and seemingly happy in the has worked in the community alongside non-diswork. Being from the business world, Morris, abled people in the past. Known as integrated whose brother had worked in a sheltered workshop, employment, the arrangement is well supported by saw an opportunity. many disability advocates.

“They probably shouldn’t have been there beBut there are pitfalls to this inclusivity. cause all of them were certainly able to work, they Bolduc’s daughter, who now works at arc Thrift all wanted to work,” he says. “They were put in this in Louisville, has been fired from integrated jobs in room where they were just taking things apart. They the past because hiring managers didn’t understand weren’t being paid or trained or supervised particuher. In one case, she’d eaten another employee’s larly. The idea was to just get them out of there and lunch—she “doesn’t get them working PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARC THRIFT STORE AMBASSADORS and into meaninghave a strong understanding of ful employment.” ownership,” Bolduc Blue Star Recysays. The other clers collects wornemployees, including out electronics at its the one whose lunch five job sites—four she’d consumed, in Colorado, includmade light of it. But ing one in Boulder the manager—not at Eco-Cycle and the one who had one in Illinois— hired her, it should where electronics be noted—fired her are disassembled on the spot sayand recyclable ing there was zero materials are then tolerance for theft. sold for repurposHer daughter “was ing. The company devastated,” Bolduc employs 55 people, says.

44 of whom have a “The issue is not disability and who integration,” Lewis start at minimum adds. “The issue is, wage at all their opare management erations. The compractices sufficient to pany has never held guarantee successful a 14(c) certificate, outcomes? There’s Morris says, noting bad management in he wasn’t aware of sheltered workshops it when he founded and in integrated the company that environments.” switched from a So, it’s no for-profit organiwonder that parents are concerned and why some, zation to a nonprofit after a few years. According like Bolduc’s daughter, are content working in to Blue Star’s 2020 annual report, the company environments where many workers have IDD and brought in $2.4 million in earned income. Blue those who don’t are trained to understand and work Star’s employees have, on average, been with the effectively with them. They aren’t sheltered workcompany more than six years. The industry average shops and employees are paid on the same pay scale is significantly less, Morris notes, and he’s been regardless of disability status. traveling around the world to train other recyclers Employers, legislators, and the general public to replicate his model. are only beginning to recognize the assets people Lewis, of arc Thrift, agrees with Morris’ assesswith IDD can bring to the workplace. Generalizament. “People with IDD love to help, love to work tions aside, many people with IDD enjoy and thrive in teams, are very positive, they love to contribute doing the manual repetitive tasks often conductand they really inspire their fellow employees,” he ed in sheltered workshops. They also tend to be says. hardworking and reliable, says Bill Morris, who Bob Lawhead, policy advisor for Colorado founded Blue Star Recyclers in 2009 after seeing see DISABILITY LAW Page 12 four autistic men in a day program doing what he l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

11

DISABILITY LAW from Page 11

Developmental Disabilities Council, appreciates what arc Thrift and Blue Star Recyclers provide, but he’d like to see more people with IDD in customized integrated jobs alongside non-disabled workers.

In the 1980s, Lawhead says, about 75 percent of the employees of a sheltered workshop where he worked wanted to be there. But people got the experience of working outside it, so when it closed in 1996, 99 percent of the clients chose to work in community settings. Providing people’s choice yields better results, he says. Sheltered workshops are contracted to do specific jobs with the same group of employees, “But not PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLUE STAR RECYCLERS everyone in the workshop is capable or interested in the work, so productivity is low,” he says. Getting people jobs that interest them and matches their skillset is a win for the employee and the employer.

One of the highest hurdles for integrated employment is a scarcity of job coaches and direct care attendants, advocates say. Most are not paid much more than the person they are helping—little more than minimum wage. Without these supplementary employees, workers with IDD may not be able to fully integrate.

In 2019, before the effects of COVID-19 set in, there was a 45 percent turnover rate for job coaches, Lawhead says. Now it’s nearly impossible to recruit people.

“That’s why parents’ concerns [about the law] are well-founded,” he adds.

Lawhead serves on an advisory board with the Colorado Office of Employment First and says the office expects to release a report this month of findings and recommendations regarding these issues.

The new law also changes how Medicaid funding is allocated for people with disabilities. Under Colorado’s former Medicaid rules, families determine how to use a capped amount of funding for supported living services including job coaching. This left many parents of a disabled child having to choose between job coaching and medical care or other supplemental living services (SLS), such as personal care or assistive technologies. For many, job coaching wasn’t feasible under this scheme given their child’s needs. The new law removes job coaching from the SLS cap and provides job coaching dependent on need, opening the doors for more people with IDD to get community-based jobs.

This is an exciting development for disability advocates. Some even see it as the dawn of inclusive workplaces with people of all abilities.

Fred Hobbs has been Imagine!’s director of public relations for 16 years and says the organization serves as an employment facilitator for some of the most challenged workers.

“I don’t want to lose my job,” he says with a smile. “But I dream of a day when these sorts of services aren’t needed anymore.”

And though Routon is thrilled about the new law, he says there’s more that needs to be done. “Employers can’t keep treating their employees like less than what they’re worth,” he says. “I would like to see all 50 states end sub-minimum wage. We have some serious work to do.”

12

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Progress on the roadmap

Colorado has a goal to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2040—how far along the path are we, and is it still achievable?

by Will Brendza

H

ow environmentally sustainable is Colorado?

There’s no succinct way to answer that question without throwing a lot of percentages and statistics around. According to recent reports from commodity.com, this state uses the 11th most solar energy in the country, and the ninth most wind energy.

According to the U.S. Energy and Information Center (EIC), it’s ranked as the 21st most environmentally friendly state.

And according to Governor Jared Polis’ Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy by 2040 and Bold Climate Action plan, Colorado has big plans to wean itself off fossil-fuel energy use, replacing it with renewable sources, and drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the coming years.

That will, indeed, require “Bold Climate Action.” More than 88 percent of

14

l

the state’s energy still comes from some form of fossil fuel, according to the EIC. Clearly, Colorado still has a long way to go before reaching its climate goals.

Fossil fuels are so deeply entrenched in this country, this state, our lives, and our economy that it won’t be easy or expeditious to remove them completely from our energy usage, according to Jeff Logan, the associate director of energy policy and analysis at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

But, experts like Logan believe it’s achievable—even if the target is ambitious.

“I think it’s possible,” Logan says, of the 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 goal. “The challenges are not so much technical, but political and social.”

He explains, we already have all of the technological requirements to switch completely over to renewable sources of

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

COLORADO USES THE ninth most wind energy in the country, and the 11th most solar energy— but there’s a long way to go to 100% renewable.

energy and to do it fast. However, decarbonizing things from cement production to airplane fuel will be complicated and require significant investments from people, businesses and the government.

Changing our ways will be harder than simply implementing the technology that’s already there, he says.

“Shutting down coal plants as quickly as possible is probably the most important thing to do,” Logan says. That would create cascading sustainability effects on energy usage across the state, he explains—suddenly, homes, businesses, electric vehicles, and anything else powered by the grid wouldn’t be burning coal for its energy. “[It’s] hard to say if that’s the lowest hanging fruit, but it probably is,” Logan says.

And Colorado is reaching for it, according to the EIC. In 2010, 68 percent BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

of Colorado’s net generation came from coal-fired power plants—by 2020, that had come down to just 36 percent. That trend will likely continue, as Xcel has promised to be delivering 100 percent renewable-based electricity by 2050.

Still, Colorado’s largest source of energy isn’t renewable. According to the EIA’s estimates from 2019, Colorado uses over twice as much natural gas energy as it does coal. And natural gas usage has been steadily on the rise since 2017, according to EIC’s data— which leaves a lot of ground to cover by 2040.

The biggest consumer sectors in Colorado are (perhaps not surprisingly) transportation and industry—accounting for 29.3 percent and 27.6 percent of the state’s energy consumption respectively. Following that is residential-use accounting for 24 percent and commercial-use, accounting for remaining 19.1 percent.

And only 11.3 percent of all that comes from wind, solar, or other renewable sources.

Enter: Governor Jared Polis’ Roadmap to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2040 and Bold Climate Action plan.

“This is our plan for creating a pathway to 100 percent renewable energy in our state, creating good green jobs that can never be outsourced, and saving people money on electricity,” Governor Jared Polis said in a press release from 2019. “The roadmap is not just about a vision, but includes concrete steps that will help us reap the economic benefits of renewable energy, curb pollution of our air, and fight climate change.”

The roadmap describes the state’s progress towards these goals to date, and lays out how the Polis administration is working with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of Colorado to expedite our transition to renewable energy. It also describes the recently passed HB1261, which sets economy-wide targets for reducing Colorado’s GHG emissions—by 26 percent by 2025 from 2005 levels; by 50 percent by 2030; and by 90 percent by 2050.

The document also details the

steps the Polis administration is taking to modernize Colorado’s PUC; grow “green jobs” and save consumers money; promote energy efficiency; increase the amount of zero-emissions vehicles and improve commuting options; ensure a just and equitable transition to renewable energy for

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

all of Colorado’s residents; and build more zero-emissions buildings over the next 20 years.

All of which will be necessary if Colorado wants to do its part to avoid climate disaster, Logan believes.

“If we’re going to succeed in stopping climate change or stopping

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

the worst that could happen, we’re going to need a big change in the way that people behave. And it’s hard to imagine how that’s going to happen,” Logan says. “It’s going to be hard, but I think Colorado has great potential to do it compared to many other states.”

l

15

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE

The tip of the spear

Boulder filmmakers chronicle the life of Marc-André Leclerc in ‘The Alpinist’

by Griffin Paul

W

hen was the last time you did something adventurous without posting about it? Can you remember? Much of the modern climbing world unfolds in plain sight. Notable and celebrated. With the debut of climbing at the Tokyo

now and then, however, the tip of the spear falls out of view and the evolution of a sport happens completely under the radar. Imagine Tony Hawk spinning a 900 that nobody was there to witness, or

ON THE BILL: THE ALPINIST, 7 P.M. Tuesday, September 7 (and more theater showings thereafter) Century Boulder, 1700 29th St., Boulder.

but neglecting to seek recognition for what they’d done.

capture a period of groundbreaking climbing progression and share it with free-spirited approach to mountaineering was both the triumph and trag-

see ALPINIST Page 18

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

17

ALPINIST from Page 17

and questions remain about just what happened.

But The Alpinist is a celebration of Leclerc’s life. The directors tracked Leclerc to the Canadian Rockies for an Robson, a towering 2,200-meter (7,200-foot) sea of rock, ice and snow. The journey continued to Patagonia where, in the culmination of a year’s worth of training, Leclerc raised the bar with a winter solo ascent of the 950-meter (3,100-foot)

MARC-ANDRÉ LECLERC was a solo alpinist, climbing alone and un-roped on some of the most daunting mountain faces on earth.

inspiring—a snapshot of intrinsic motivation.

Leclerc captured on film us a glimpse into his inspiring world and vision of adventure. Leclerc’s specialty was solo alpinism, the art of climbing alone and un-roped on big, wintery and unpredictable mountain faces. While solo alpinism is highly dangerous, in some circles it’s regarded as one of the purest forms of the craft. It’s an expression of, in Rosen’s words, “dedication, mastery and years of practice, judgment and preparation.” In the film, always-thoughtful Leclerc describes his alpine excursions like a game of chess, where the combination of skill, experience, intuition and decision-making play a pivotal role in the day’s outcome. Drawing on perspectives from a host of notable figures like closest friends and family, the filmmakers investigate this cutting-edge alpine climbing equation; they weigh ability, aspiration and incalculable environmental variables. To complement these expert voices, the audience is pulled directly into the action with segments that pay close attention to small details that illustrate the nuance of difficult climbing on rock, ice and snow—the creak of an ice tool on tiny rock ledges or the crunch of crampons on fragile ice. Shots of vast and rugged terrain offer reminders of the mind-boggling settings that Leclerc sought out for his adventures.

Leclerc—the experiences that shaped him and the people who helped along the way. At

made the leap into home-schooling, teaching in the mornings and exploring the local woods in the afternoons. Over the years spent outside as a boy (often alone), Leclerc’s self-reli18

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

GET OUTSIDE & ENJOY FALL Walking, Running & Trail Shoes

IT’S NO WONDER

Comfortableshoes.com

had a hard time keeping up. Leclerc

In store • Online • Curbside

on spending every ounce of energy turning their dreams into reality.

ance, connection to the outdoors and appreciation for adventure grew deep roots, setting the foundation for the man he would become.

With an insatiable appetite for adventure and all things climbing, Leclerc dove headof devotion lead to immense progression in his ability. Leclerc displayed masterful craftslong before he crossed paths with another character that transforms his life: professional cultivated as a team in the mountains, and in daily life, is something to behold—they shared all disciplines of climbing). Not one to always reveal his plans, at one point Leclerc, often with

Open Range Competition Teams Summer Day Camps Classes & Private Lessons

Target & Hunting Full Service Retail Pro Shop & Service Recurve & Compound

High Altitude Archery 455 Weaver Park Rd #500 Longmont, CO 80501 720-491-3309

energy turning their dreams into reality.

reminder that life is happening now: not yesterday, not tomorrow, but right now as you read these very words.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

19

A story about kids hunting giant robots in the desert

Local author Zoe Hana Mikuta on her debut novel, Gearbreakers

by Caitlin Rockett

J

ust four years ago I was sitting here sending off queries to publishers,” Zoe Hana Mikuta says from across the table at Trident Cafe.

Mikuta was just 17 then, a senior at Fairview High School

audience. Now she’s 21, a student at University of Washington giving interviews about her debut novel, Gearbreakers (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, June 2021).

“It’s very weird that it’s out now,” Mikuta working on new stuff right now. So it’s a little nerve wracking; my writing style has changed a lot.”

For Mikuta, Gearbreakers was as much an exploration of herself as it was a high-energy dystopian tale of teenagers

ON THE BILL: ZOE HANA MIKUTA— GEARBREAKERS. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 7, Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder. Price: Free, but registration is required, boulderbookstore.net

machines—Windups—it created to spread tyranny (“My kids-hunting-down-200-footmecha-dieties-in-the-desert book,” Mikuta encapsulates on Instagram). The lifeblood of the story is the relationship that forms between seeming enemies: Eris Shindanai, a Gearbreaker trained to tear down Windups from the inside, and Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot.

see BUZZLEAD Page 22

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

21

BUZZLEAD from Page 21

the book and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m straight and I’m fetishizing these sapphic just recently found out I’m bisexual. It was a big thing for me (to come out) for some reason. I was just thinking, ‘I don’t have to come out. My brother didn’t have to come out and he’s straight.’ So I was just waiting for Gearbreakers to drop.”

Wrapped inside Mikuta’s story of fantastical machines in the distant future is a narrative we see unfolding before our eyes today: a world ravaged by fear and greed, crippled by extremism and limited resources.

“It makes sense that, when the times were desperate enough, when the people were frenzied enough, at a certain point we went past praying to deities and started to build them merge with the machines that killed her family years before.

It’s not difficult to see Mikuta’s sand-blown world of Godolia as a symbol of climate change, her feral group of teenage soldiers a representation of the very real children who will inherit the mess we currently refuse to clean. It’s easy to imagine Windups as F-16s, machines built solely to kill, and Godolia as an endless war of ideology.

But Gearbreakers buoys itself in the hope of human relationships. While violence is necessary in Godolia, it’s love that drives Mikuta’s characters, a sense of found family that makes daily bloodshed in a hellscape worth it—there’s a sense that there’s still something worth saving.

I’m working through at that time, or what I’m trying to understand about the world,” Mikuta says.

“There’s a lot about morality and humanity in Gearbreakers, and how we’re kind of assigned these stations in life. It’s really easy to grow up othering people because it creates a very black and white world. But people are messy and complicated, and I really wanted to bridge that gap in Gearbreakers.”

A lot of Gearbreakers was dreamed up in the Fairview library. Assigned to a lunch period with none of her friends, Mikuta would hole up with her laptop in front of a picture window opening onto the Flatirons. Looking back, Mikuta says the goal wasn’t publication, just the comfort of routine, the joy of telling herself a story.

Still, as high school came to an end and college drew near, she reached out to publication houses to see if anyone else might want to follow her steampunk-meets-Hunger-Games narrative.

A week before she started at UW, Macmillan made Mikuta an offer. Her parents had no idea.

“I didn’t tell them I was doing anything along the way,” Mikuta says. “And then I was signing contracts—I was 18. And they’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, let’s be careful.”

Now Mikuta’s apartment in Seattle is stuffed with copies of Gearbreakers, she’s got a sequel, Godslayers, set for publication next year, and her debut novel has been optioned for a possible film. She’ll head back to UW in late September to finish up her studies in creative writing and history of religion.

But she’s still dreaming up new worlds for the sheer pleasure of telling herself a story.

“I’m writing about kids illegally brawling homemade robots in the abandoned underground of Seattle,” she wrote on Instagram, “and it’s literally my job.”

22

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

PUT YOUR

WHERE

More Local Sci-Fi

STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES — ‘MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW.’ CU Boulder English professor Stephen Graham Jones has been churning out literary horror and experimental fiction since the ’90s, publishing more than 20 novels in the last 20 years. His newest work, My Heart is a Chainsaw, follows Jade Daniels, an angry Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies. As Jade drags the reader into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges: One of a scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask—a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves and desperately wants a home.

Jones will speak about My Heart is a Chainsaw at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 2, at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder. Tickets are $5.

Photo: Susan France

IS BUY LOCAL

On the shelf: Sadie Hana Mikuta

‘SADIE,’ BY COURTNEY SUMMERS Sadie’s been dealt a tough hand: forced to raise her younger sister Mattie on her own. When Mattie is found dead, Sadie feels like her own life is over. A mismanaged police investigation sends Sadie on killer. But Sadie’s not the only one searching for answers: Radio personality West McCray has become tracking Sadie’s vigilante journey. Built around shifting pointsof-view, Mikuta says Sadie’s conclusion will linger with you long after you’ve closed the book. She left it on a shelf at Flatirons Coffee at the corner of Arapahoe and 28th, so someone else could happen upon it.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

23

E VENTS

EVENTS

If your organization is planning an event of any kind, please email the managing editor at crockett@boulderweekly.com

18th Annual Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema Season Premiere

6:45-9 p.m. September 3-5, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Tickets: $30

Niwot Jazz Festival

world, curated by a panel of featuring the most cutting-edge work in the realm where dance and cinema collide. Beginning with a live performance by samba dancer Luciana Da Silva (Friday and Saturday only), guests will have the opportunity to experience Threshold, an immersive exploration of the process of healing, viewed in a VR headset. Other live art installations will be available throughout the museum. Grab a loa pre-purchased snack pack and check out video installations

Noon-8 p.m. Saturday, September 4, Cottonwood Square, 7960 Niwot Road, Niwot. Free Featuring straight-ahead New Orleans tango and salsa. The headliner will be DC-based vocal virtuoso Sharon Clark (with Colorado Jazz All Stars) from 4:305:30 p.m. Salsa dance party 6-8 p.m. with Quemando. Bring your own chair; food/ drinks available.

22nd Annual Boulder Creek Hometown Festival

10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, September 4 to Monday, September 6, Boulder Bandshell, 1212 Canyon, Boulder. Free Featuring arts and crafts exhibitors, live performances at the Bandshell, a food court and beer garden, The Great Zucchini Race, the LETR StarLite Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, and much more, it’s time for the 22nd Annual Boulder Creek Hometown Festival.

CommUNITY Music & Arts Festival

Shelby American Collection’s 25th Annual Car Show and Party

3-8 p.m. Saturday, September 4, Shelby American Collection, 5020 Chaparral Court, Boulder. Price: $75 to $85 The hottest car show in Colorado! Meet Aaron Shelby, Allen Grant, Peter Miles, and more. Open bar, ice cream, and dinner included.

24

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

4:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, September 3, Unity Columbine Spiritual Center, 8900 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. Tickets: $10-$25. bit.ly/3jvACSK This family-friendly event will feature an amazing lineup of performances for your listening and dancing pleasure: Selasee & The Fafa Family, featuring Nii Armah Sowah, Wala AmeriGhana Drummers, Afro Dance Nation, Janis Kelly & Global Soul Experience, Sunshine Medley, and Spirit Voices, plus kids’ games, soccer and art activities, a fair trade marketplace and food/drink vendors.

Please bring lawn chairs and blankets for seating.

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Colorado Native: A Native American Comedy Showcase II

8 p.m. Saturday, September 4, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Tickets: $12 Creative Nations along with the Dairy Arts Center present their second installment of Colorado Native: A Native American Comedy Showcase. Host Joshua Emerson comes at you with another stellar lineup of Native comics that includes support from Wolf Brown, George Delgado, Geoff Tice and Shishona Livingston. ShaNae Ross will be headlining the show.

see EVENTS Page 26

Medicine Horse 3rd Annual Barn Dance Fundraiser

6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, September 4, 9143 Valmont Road Boulder.

Tickets: $25-$300. Register: bit.ly/2Y8Vdnz Medicine Horse offers free and low-cost mental health and wellness programs for groups and individuals who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this form of healing. The annual barn dance is the organization’s biggest event of the year to fundraise.

Medicine Horse is seeking corporate/ business sponsors, in-kind donations for the silent auction and generous folks to join this fun event.

Louisville’s Labor Day Parade

10 a.m. Monday, September 6, Pine Street from Via Appia to Hoover Avenue, Louisville The city of Louisville is excited to announce the 85th Annual Labor Day Parade with the theme “Friends and Neighbors.” Due to the temporary closure of Main Street to support downtown dining, the parade route will run along Pine Street, starting at Via Appia and ending at Hoover Avenue.

For more event listings, go online at boulderweekly.com/events BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

25

EVENTS

EVENTS from Page 25

JUST ANNOUNCED

JUST ANNOUNCED

SEP 9 ................................................................................................................ MADDS

OCT 28 .................................................................................................. TCHAMI

THU. SEP 2

THU. SEP 9

88.5 KGNU & TERRAPIN CARE STATION PRESENT

LOST DOG STREET BAND

PICK & HOWL

FRI. SEP 10

FRI. SEP 3

HERE COME THE MUMMIES

TOWN MOUNTAIN SLACKER UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

WELCOME TO BOULDER FEAT. MATT YOUNG & GOGIMAL WED. SEP 8 ROOSTER & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

MINNESOTA VCTRE

MATT HECKLER

HEARTY HAR

SUN. SEP 12

BEATLES VS. STONES A MUSICAL SHOWDOWN WED. SEP 15 CHANNEL 93.3 & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

PURITY RING DAWN RICHARD

FRI. SEP 10 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS

WILD RIVERS

THU. SEP 16 88.5 KGNU & UPSLOPE BREWING COMPANY PRESENT

CIRCLES AROUND THE SUN

LINDSEY LOMIS

THU. SEP 16

SAT. SEP 18

ROOSTER PRESENTS

97.3 KBCO & BOULDER BOOK STORE PRESENT: AN EVENING WITH

RICKIE LEE JONES

MERSIV

SMOAKLAND, SUPERAVE., MEDUSO

THU. SEP 23

FRI. SEP 17

88.5 KGNU & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

DIRTWIRE

CHRISTIAN FRENCH

GONE GONE BEYOND, BLOSSOMN

SAT. SEP 18

ROOSTER & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT: DAYMAKER TOUR

SARAH BARRIOS

FRI. OCT 1

ROOSTER, PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS & TERRAPIN CARE STATION PRESENT

FLAMINGOSIS

HONEYBEE

SAT. OCT 2

WED. SEP 22

TSURUDA + CHEE + ESSEKS

YHETI (2 HOUR SET)

IAN EWING

THEATER

‘The Luster of Lost Things.’

September 9-12, Dairy Arts Center, Carsen Theater, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children/ seniors/students, thedairy.org/lost-things It wasn’t like breaking both her ankles last year was a good thing, but it did give Sondra Blanchard theatrical adaptation of The Luster of Lost Things.

“I was really quite laid up,” Blanchard, the artistic director of Public Works my time was to write.”

Over the course of the next couple of months, Blanchard was able to condense the 300-page book by Sophie Chen Keller into a 50-minute play featuring tabletop and shadow puppetry. Public Works Theatre is set to debut Blanchard’s adaptation September 9-12 at the Dairy Arts Center.

A whimsical exploration of human nature and resilience, The Luster of Lost Things follows Walter Lavender Jr., a boy with a motor speech disorder who keeps to himself in his home in an enchanted dessert shop. But when the magic that powers Walter’s life goes AWOL, Walter is pushed from his comfort zone into the streets of New York City, where he crosses paths with an eccentric cast of characters dealing with their own quirks and foibles.

“Walter is so brave and observant,” Blanchard says. “Because he doesn’t speak, he notices all these other things about the world, and he’s especially good

TRAILBLAZER TOUR

105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS

ANDY SHAUF + SON LITTLE THU. SEP 23

ROBERT FRANCIS FRI. SEP 24

MON. OCT 4 DISTORTION AND BLUE HEARTS!

BOB MOULD BAND SLOW CAVES

THU. OCT 7

ARDALAN

PAT METHENY SIDE-EYE W/ JAMES FRANCIES & JOE DYSON

SAT. SEP 25

CHANNEL 93.3 PRESENTS: THE MOTION PICTURE SHOW – DIRECTOR’S CUT

PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

HARVE

FRI. OCT 8

THE GOOD KIND FISTS OF THE PROLETARIAT

SAINT MOTEL THU. OCT 14

SUN. SEP 26

MALAA

105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS

MON. OCT 18

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO THU. SEP 30 ROOSTER & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

A-TRAK

107.9 KBPI PRESENTS: THE HUN TOUR

THE HU THE HAUNT

TUE. OCT 19 THE CELTIC CONNECTION, 88.5 KGNU & BOULDER WEEKLY PRESENT: THE HOME FROM HOME TOUR

FRI. OCT 1 GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CO PRESENTS

MIPSO

THE HIGH KINGS

OCT 23 ..................................... JOHN HIATT & THE JERRY DOUGLAS BAND OCT 24 ..................................................................................... DAR WILLIAMS OCT 26 ................................................................... THE DEL MCCOURY BAND

ANNA TIVEL

that is a beautiful message for right now.”

Blanchard’s adaptation will feature three puppeteers—Fabian Vazquez, Dorothy Lee, and Julia Fournier—acting out all of the characters, providing narration, changing shadow screens and presenting front and rear shadow puppetry.

“They are extremely busy,” Blanchard says with a laugh.

The puppets were fabricated by South African master puppeteer and stage veteran Peter Court, who Blanchard met through a Zoom class on Teatro Lambe Lambe, a type of theater meant to be viewed by one person at a time.

The Luster of Lost Things is just the latest installment in Blanchard’s 30year career in theater. And you could say it all started with a can opener while Blanchard was studying clown, mime and melodrama at Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

“One afternoon, one of our teachers basically dumped out a drawer of utensils and said, ‘Pick an object,’” Blanchard says. “And then for several hours we lived with this object, and I picked a can opener. I will tell you, a can opener does not yield several hours worth of personality or puppetry ability.”

But the point was made on Blanchard: “Spend time with each and every object that you have on stage with you, and understand it. Make sure that you master it: discover how it breathes, how it moves. Whatever you bring on stage has to matter.”

— Caitlin Rockett

For more event listings, go online at boulderweekly.com/events

SAT. OCT 2

THE MARIAS OCT 3 .......................................................................................... JULIAN LAGE OCT 6 ........................................................................................ BRASSTRACKS OCT 8 ........................................................................... START MAKING SENSE OCT 9 ........................................................... THE SPONGES & MUZZY BEARR OCT 10 ................................................................................. SHOVELS & ROPE

26

SHAWN CUPOLO

l

2028 14TH STREET NOW FT. MCDEVITT TACO SUPPLY SUPER HEADY TACOS! 303-786-7030 | OPEN DURING EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

STREET

STAY CONNECTED

WISE

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter for events, local news, and ticket giveaways.

Street Wise Mural Festival, September 5-12

Boulder’s mural festival is back with 38 artists painting around the city, and a slew of events to celebrate the power of art. Visit streetwisearts.org to

B GOODALL/UNBOXED PHOTOGRAPHY”

facebook.com/theboulderweekly twitter.com/boulderweekly

tours and more events.

First Friday Drag Show with Venus Victrola

8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, Bus Stop Gallery, 4895 Broadway, Boulder Venus Victrola has performed in the nightlife area for more than six years.

Official Street Wise Launch Party

1-4 p.m. Sunday, September 5, Rayback Collective, 2775 Valmont Road, Boulder Help kick off the weeklong mural festival with food trucks, drinks, and music

by DJ JL Kano and DJ Né. Meet artists from the Street Wise roster.

boulderweekly.com

madelife Artist Pop Up

5-8:30 p.m. Monday, September 6; 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday, September 12, madelife, 2691 30th Street Come out to support local artists of varying mediums as they sell their work while Street Wise muralists paint on the outside of the building.

Art and Activism Panel

6 p.m. Tuesday, September 7, Dairy Arts Center, Grace Gamm Theater, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Cost: $5 GA, $2.50 students, $3 seniors Featuring artist Emanuel Martinez, Lucha Martinez de Luna, and artist and activist Moe Gram. Moderated by Kalya Santalla.

Movie Screening: ‘All the Streets Are Silent’

7 p.m. Wednesday, September 8, The Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder All the Streets Are Silent brings to life the magic of late ’80s and early ’90s

Street Wise Group Show: Opening Reception

6-10 p.m. Thursday, September 9, Bus Stop Gallery, 4825 Broadway, Boulder Featuring original works by the artists of Street Wise Boulder 2021.

Art, Science, Action; Creating Climate Narratives for the Collective

6-8 p.m. Friday, September 10, The Dairy Art Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Tickets: $5 GA, $3 seniors, $2.50 students Talk with local artists, scientists and activists about the intersections of their work, and how to create a collective narrative to initiate change. see EVENTS Page 28

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

27

EVENTS

EVENTS from Page 27

CONCERTS SOULRAY

Thursday, September 2

SoulRay (R&B, funk and blues). 5 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder.

Free.

BuffStreet on the Hill (varying bands). 6 p.m. Hill Parking Lot at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Boulder. Free.

Friday, September 3

Suave Agave (’60s, ’70s covers). 6 p.m. Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt Street, Longmont.

Mountain Reverb (rock). 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. No cover.

Welcome To Boulder: A Back to School Bash (dance). 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Door Price: $15-$25.

REZZ — with Eprom, Kasablanca, Ivy Lab, X&G, A Hundred Drums (dance). 6 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets: $60-$90.

MOUNTAIN REVERB

Saturday, September 4

Welcome To Boulder: A Back to School Bash (dance music). 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Door Price: $15-$25 Tony Trahan & the Blue Krewe (Louisiana roots music). 6 p.m.

Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt Street, Longmont Jack Hadley Blues. 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free.

Roshan Bhartiya: An Evening of Hindustani Music. 7:30 p.m.

Center for Musical Arts, 200 E. Baseline Road, Lafayette. Tickets: $20, children (10 and under) free Said The Sky (dance). 7 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets: $25.

28

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

GRIZ COURTESY OF INFAMOUS PR

Rent Online or In-Store Free Local Delivery

3101 28th St, Tebo Plaza, Boulder

303.449.0516

hbwoodsongs.com

Sunday, September 5

Boulder Friends of Jazz Jam Session (vintage jazz from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s). 1 p.m. Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road. Boulder. Tickets: $2$10—All free on September 5, free to musicians who play.

Nick Crichlow (indie folk). 4 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder.

Ragged Union (string band and bluegrass). 7 p.m. The Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Price: $20—suggested donation.

Jonas Brothers (pop/rock). 7 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets: $69.95.

Monday, September 6

GRiZ (future funk). 6:30 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets: $59.50-$99.95.

Tuesday, September 7

Toad the Wet Sprocket (alternative rock). 7:30 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. Price: $45-$63.

Spoon with Nicole Atkins (alternative rock). 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street, Boulder. Tickets:$35-$39.50.

Jimmy Buffet and the Coral Reefer Band (yacht rock). 8 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets: $55.50$165.50.

Wednesday, September 8

Minnesota with VCTRE (hip-hop). 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Door Price: $20-$25 Bert Kreischer (comedy). 8 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets: $40-$125.

Thursday, September 9

Lost Dog Street Band with Matt Heckler (Americana). 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street, Boulder. Tickets:$15-$18 MADDS (EDM). 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Door Price: $20-$25.

info@co-techpoint.com • 303-848-3738 • www.co-techpoint.com BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

29

The Gift Inside

by Steve Elder Surprisingly dominant the hard world—

Yet the totems within our heads are not lampposts Nothing the word— to the frisson As if we’ve somehow met someone without

seeing and hearing without eyes or ears

Free

our own otherness within us near every reaching evergreen

Water for a Month

Taste The Difference Think all water tastes the same?

See why Eldorado Natural Spring Water keeps winning awards for taste.

Try Eldorado Natural Spring Water Today!

Enter code BW21 at checkout

Steve Elder is in charge of Tea Service at the University of Colorado Law Library.

www.EldoradoSprings.com • 303.604.3000

30

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

BY ROB BREZSNY Call 720.253.4710 ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL 19: Aries poet Anna Kamienska wrote,

“I’ve learned to value failed conversations, missed connections, confusions. What remains is what’s unsaid, what’s underneath. Understanding on another level of being.” In the coming weeks, I suggest you adopt her perspective as you evaluate both past and present experiences. You’re likely to find small treasures in what you’d assumed were wastelands. You may uncover inspiring clues in plot twists that initially frustrated you. Upon further examination, interludes you dismissed as unimportant or uninteresting could reveal valuable wrinkles.

TAURUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20: After studying your astrological omens,

I’ve decided to offer you inspiration from the ancient Roman poet Catullus. I hope the extravagant spirit of his words will free you to be greedy for the delights of love and affection.

Catullus wrote, “Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred; then another thousand, then a second hundred; then yet another thousand.” I’ll add the following to Catullus’s appeal: Seek an abundance of endearing words, sweet favors and gifts, caresses and massages, help with your work, and fabulous orgasms. If there’s no one in your life to provide you with such blessings, give them to yourself.

GEMINI

MAY 21-JUNE 20: Gemini author Elif Batuman writes that

the Old Uzbek language was rich in expressions about crying. There were “words for wanting to cry and not being able to, for loudly crying like thunder in the clouds, for crying in gasps, for weeping inwardly or secretly, for crying ceaselessly in a high voice, for crying in hiccups, and for crying while uttering the sound ‘hay hay.’” I recommend all of these to you in the coming days, as well as others you might dream up. Why? It’s prime time to seek the invigorating release and renewal that come from shedding tears generated by deep and mysterious feelings.

CANCER

LIBRA

SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: Several states in the US have statutes prohibiting blasphemy. Saying “God damn it” could theoretically get you fined in Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Wyoming. In the coming days, it’s best to proceed carefully in places like those, since you’ve been authorized by cosmic forces to curse more often and more forcefully than usual. Why? Because you need to summon vivid and intense protests in the face of influences that may be inhibiting and infringing on your soul’s style. You have a poetic license to rebel against conventions that oppress you.

SCORPIO

OCT. 23-NOV. 21: Everyone dreams at least three dreams per night. In a year, your subconscious mind generates over 1,100 dreams. About this remarkable fact, novelist Mila Kundera writes, “Dreaming is not merely an act of coded communication. It is also an aesthetic activity, a game that is a value in itself. To dream about things that have not happened is among humanity’s deepest needs.” I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because September is Honor Your Dreams Month. To celebrate, I suggest the following experiments. 1. Every night before sleep, write down a question you’d like your dreams to respond to. 2. Keep a notebook by your bed and transcribe at least one dream each time you sleep. 3. In the morning, have fun imagining what the previous night’s dreams might be trying to communicate to you. 4. Say prayers of gratitude to your dreams, thanking them for their provocative, entertaining stories.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV. 22-DEC. 21: In her autobiography Changing, Sagittarian actor Liv Ullmann expresses grief about how she and a loved one failed to communicate essential truths to each other. I propose we regard her as your anti-role model for the rest of 2021. Use her error as your inspiration. Make emotionally intelligent efforts to talk about unsaid things that linger like ghostly puzzles between you and those you care about.

CAPRICORN

JUNE 21-JULY 22: A blogger named MythWoven imagines an “alternate universe where I literally go to school forever (for free) so I can learn about art and literature and history and languages for 100 years. No job skills. No credit requirements. No student loans. Just learning.” I have longings like hers. There’s an eternal student within me that wants to be endlessly surprised with exciting information about interesting subjects. I would love to be continually adding fresh skills and aptitudes to my repertoire. In the coming weeks, I will give free rein to that part of me. I recommend you do the same, my fellow Cancerian.

DEC. 22-JAN. 19: “I could do with a bit more excess,” writes author Joanne Harris. “From now on I’m going to be immoderate—and volatile,” she vows. “I shall enjoy loud music and lurid poetry. I shall be rampant.” Let me be clear, Capricorn: I’m not urging you to be immoderate, volatile, excessive, and rampant every day for the rest of your long life. But I think you will generate health benefits and good fortune if you experiment with that approach in the coming weeks. Can you think of relatively sane, sensible ways to give yourself this salubrious luxury?

LEO

AQUARIUS

Photograph of the Year depicted lush lupine flowers in New Zealand. The sea of tall purple, pink, and blue blooms was praised as “an elegant symphony” and “a joy to behold.”

What the judges didn’t mention is that lupine is an invasive species in New Zealand. It forces native plant species out of their habitat, which in turn drives away native animal species, including birds like the wrybill, black stilt, and banded dotterel. Is there a metaphorically comparable phenomenon in your life, Leo? Problematic beauty? Some influence that’s both attractive and prickly? A wonderful thing that can also be troublesome? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to try to heal the predicament.

terrain, I found a provocative quote alleged to have been uttered by the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. He supposedly said, “My ultimate goal is to look totally hot, but not be unapproachable.” I confess that in the past I have sometimes been fooled by fake quotes, and I suspect this is one. Still, it’s amusing to entertain the possibility that such an august personage as Socrates, a major influencer of Western culture, might say something so cute and colloquial. Even if he didn’t actually say it, I like the idea of blending ancient wisdom with modern insights, seriousness with silliness, thoughtful analysis with good fun.

In accordance with astrological omens, I recommend you experiment with comparable hybrids in the coming weeks.

(PS: One of your goals should be to look totally hot, but not be unapproachable.)

JULY 23-AUG. 22: In 2016, the International Garden

VIRGO

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: “I often wonder who I am and where is my country and where do I belong and why was I ever born at all,” wrote Virgo author Jean Rhys (1890–1979). I don’t think you will be agitated by those questions during the next eight weeks, Virgo. In fact, I suspect you will feel as secure in your identity as you have in a long time. You will enjoy prolonged clarity about your role in the world, the nature of your desires, and how you should plan your life for the next two years. If for some inexplicable reason you’re not already enjoying these developments, stop what you’re doing and meditate on the probability that I am telling you the bold truth.

All credit cards accepted No text messages

JAN. 20-FEB. 18: While wading through the internet’s wilder

PISCES

FEB. 19-MARCH 20: “If you don’t know what you want,”

writes Piscean novelist Chuck Palahniuk, “you end up with a lot you don’t.” Very true! And right now, it’s extra important to keep that in mind. During the coming weeks, you’ll be at the peak of your ability to attract what you want and need.

Wouldn’t you prefer to gather influences you really desire— as opposed to those for which you have mild or zero interest? Define your wants and needs very precisely.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

31

Beatles vs Stones: A Musical Showdown Boulder Theater September 12th

25% off tickets

Save on local dining, entertainment, retail and wellness. bestofboulderdeals.kostizi.com Go to website to purchase

STREETWISEBOULDER.COM MURAL MAP

ARTIVISM MURAL FESTIVAL & EVENTS Come out and watch 38 mural artists painting all week around Boulder.

Check out the map online at www.streetwiseboulder.com/muralmap Join us for one of the many events, Spray paint workshops and activism panels throughout the week. streetwisearts.org/events ADAM RAIOLA AEROSE ART AMANDA WOLF BUNNIE REISS CHELSEA LEWINSKI CHROMAJ CYA DAVIS DANIELLE DEROBERTS DANIELLE SEEWALKER FEW & FAR BETWEEN GREGG DEAL HIERO VIEGA JASON GRAVES JAYCEE BEYALE JUURI KATILIN ORIN KAILA SPENCER KENDALL KIPPLEY LADIES FANCYWORK SOCIETY LINDEE ZIMMER LYFR MARIA-JOSE LINDO LAWYER & JOSHUA LAWYER MARISSA NAPOLETANO MICHAELA MACASINAG MOE GRAM OG MILLIE PHIL MCKENZIE REMOTE REMIX1 SECRET SKWADRON SHIE MORENO SOFIA RAMIREZ THINH DINH UCSEPIA ZAIDA SEVER

STREETWISEBOULDER.COM 32

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

I

was gonna be a dancer. I was a brunette. Started on my toes and wound up on my heels.

So says Ruth Roman in Tomorrow is Another Day, a forgotten lovers-on-the-lam noir from 1951. Or it would have been forgotten if not for Eddie Muller. He’s the founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation, head honcho of the Noir City Film Festival, host of TCM’s Noir Alley and author of several books on, you guessed it, noir. His seminal text, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, has recently been revised and expanded for a handsome new hardback release. In short, if you have a question about noir, Muller’s your guy.

“As I say right up top in Dark City True, but the allure of noir isn’t so much what it says but how it says it. Take Tomorrow is Another Day, it’s “such a crummy title it’s

TCM

writes in Dark City. “Too bad, since it’s brimming with simple and stylish pleasures, like a jazz standard played hundreds of times—but then you’re amazed to hear it played in a What’s noir to Muller? It’s “There’s a whole retro/vintage culture out there that gravitates to these movies because they recognize the style of that period as being Muller says. “The clothes were better. The cars were better. The how dark and disturbing these movies can get, noir “is a world a lot For Muller, that world is Dark City. it’s all taking place in one big myth-

Down these mean streets

Eddie Muller navigates one of cinema’s most durable genres in ‘Dark City’

by Michael J. Casey

“You expect to run into the same— not just the same characters, but So Muller took that idea and ran with it, constructing Dark City as a guided tour through 13 noir-soaked neighborhoods.

Muller continues. “Here’s what the big crooks live, and here’s where the cops operate. Here’s An approach that makes reading Dark City as fun as watching the movies. Muller gleaned the idea from Geoffrey O’Brien’s The Phantom Empire, a “very heady, very intellectual book, stories and everything actually existed somewhere in this phantom empire? I loved that notion. It First released in 1998 by St. Martin’s Press, Dark City changed Muller’s life. It was a hit, and

ON THE BILL: EDDIE MULLER’S new book Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, takes readers to the darkest places in cinema.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

Then the opportunity to start a foundation to rescue and restore lost and orphaned noirs. Then TCM came and gave Muller a summer full of Fridays for a noir program. Two years later, TCM offered Muller a weekly time slot.

“When I started building Dark City Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, the revised and expanded edition, is available now from TCM and Running Press. Find it wherever good books are sold.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

33

S I M P L E

|

L O C A L

|

FA R M

T O

TA B L E LIMITED

TAKE-OUT AVA I L A B L E

S AT & SU N 9 AM - 2 PM

34

l

TUE-FRI 11AM-2PM

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

TUE-THUR 4:30PM-9PM

l

F R I & S AT 4:30PM-9:30PM

S U N D AY 4:30PM-9PM

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Labored days

Nobody wants to work in restaurants; that will change dining out as we know it

by John Lehndorff

I

A chalkboard sign at the entrance to the Boulder restaurant we sat in announced the establishment was hiring, and that three items had All of this abuse is taking place during the

eating one of those now-absent dishes, and it felt like we were being There was a time a scene like this would prompt a professional dining critic to rip the place a new one, knock its grade down

to go back to “normal,” except for Restaurant employees and owners tell worse stories of bad behavior during their months of enforcing eateries report incidents involving wealthy diners unwilling to comply

The diners next to us began complaining loudly as soon

also an alarming rise in “no-shows” for arrived and they discussed the terrible Yelp

This epidemic of disrespect is not unique to Boulder County,

facial expression made it obvious they There is a complex set of factors that explains why the hell is wrong with people? pandemic raging?

Sadly, this sort of scene

it boils down to one body wants to work in

single restaurant see NIBBLES Page 36

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

35

NIBBLES from Page 35

Contact us for Take Out orders!

C

ooks, waiters, bartenders, and dishwashers are hard to come by. Consequently, some food trucks, restaurants, bars, bakeries, and coffeeshops are only open on remaining staff being overworked, and many of them are new and undertrained.

ed suggestions to the contrary. The bulk of these restaurant workers lost their jobs in the spring of 2020 or had their hours slashed and left the industry. ple to continue working with wounds and burns. Eatery workers labored through nights, weekends, and every holiday (including Labor Day) during the pandemic, yet there

15

VOTED BOULDER’S BEST THAI

YEARS IN A ROW!

LUNCH: Mon-Fri Noon-4pm DINNER: Mon-Sat 4-9pm Sun 5-9pm

1600 Broadway, Boulder 303-447-0273 • khow-thai.com

Given time to ponder their fates in the past year, a lot of restaurant folks left behind a job they loved. They reevaluated their priorities and migrated from restaurant work coming back to the restaurant world.

The result is that restaurants are offering far higher wages, shorter workweeks,

We Deliver!

many takers.

One problem is that rising real estate prices in Boulder County make it almost impossible for people who cook and wait on tables to afford to rent a home here. That situation is unlikely to improve any time soon.

Eatery laborers look ahead and foresee a fall and winter with the Delta variant bringing the virus home to their families. around them, independent restaurants are facing an existential threat amid the steady create a more equitable pay structure. That means customers will pay more for dining out, including 20 percent service charges. Prices for meat and other ingredients have Diners may choose to dine out less, and it might require more of a special occasion when they do. rants, be kind, care about the people feeding us, tip heavily, and leave positive reviews.

We should appreciate the fact that these places are still open at all.

Local food news

dinner daily, including pancake tacos, smoothies, chai, smoked burgers, and salads . . .

Words to chew on

“Cooking is a craft, I like to think, and a good cook is a craftsman—not an artist.

men—though not designed by them. Practicing your craft in expert fashion is noble, John Lehndorff formerly cooked at Spice of Life Catering, Greenbriar Inn, Pearl’s, Potter’s, Good Taste Crepe Shop, Cafe Circolo, and other Boulder restaurants. Comments: Nibbles@BoulderWeekly.com

36

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

We deliver in Boulder At Brooklyn Pizza, we serve the freshest New York style pizza west of the Five Boroughs! Our secret is no secret at all: WE USE ONLY THE BEST INGREDIENTS

Order On-line for Delivery or Pick Up at

BrooklynPizzaBoulder.com

NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Voted East County’s BEST Gluten Free Menu

Hello Boulder!

All of us at Japango are excited to welcome you to dine with us this summer. Our four patios are the perfect place to enjoy all your Japango favorites or you can opt for a great indoor dining experience with enhanced cleaning protocols and our air filtration system to keep you safe. And if you want to order for curbside pick up or delivery, we can do that too. Hope to see you soon!

Daily 11am-10pm | 303 938 1136 | BoulderJapango.com JapangoRestaurant

JapangoBoulder

BOTTOMLESS

WINE

WEDNESDAYS 4-8pm Hours: Wed-Sat 8am-8pm, Sunday 8am-4pm MORNINGGLORYCAFE | 1377 FOREST PARK CIRCLE, LAFAYETTE | 303.604.6351

• BEST PIZZA SLICE • BEST FOOD ON THE HILL • BEST FOOD DELIVERY • BEST LATE NIGHT

38

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Talkin’ terpenes

The liquid intersection of cannabis and beer

I

by Michael J. Casey

f you’ve been following along these past few weeks (Boulder Weekly, Aug. 12, 19 and 26), then you know we’ve been talking to Keith Villa about CERIA Brewing—THC-infused non-alcoholic beer—and his new book, Brewing with Cannabis: Using THC and CBD in Beer. We’ve discussed a variety of topics, from making cannabinoids water-soluble to dosing beers, but there’s one topic that truly bridges cannabis and beer: Terpenes.

“Terpenes exist in hops and in cannabis, but also in fruits,” Villa explains. “So when you smell an orange, or you smell a peach, that smell you’re smelling are terpenes.”

Terpenes are the molecules that convey flavor and aroma in plant material. Take lavender: “You smell lavender, and it leads to a relaxed feeling,” Villa explains.

“That’s why people put lavender in their bath, or rose petals, because the smell of the terpenes leads to this relaxed feeling.”

Additionally, those terpenes can lead to anti-anxiety, anti-stress feelings—if you’re into aromatherapy, this should be familiar territory. But for a lot of consumers, it’s brand new.

“Before the cannabis industry went legal, you could walk up to almost anybody on the street and ask them what a terpene is, and they wouldn’t have a clue,” says Rob Kevwitch of Isolate Labs. “Now you could walk up and say terpenes, and people instantly think cannabis, right? And they think that because cannabis has done a good job marketing terpenes for all kinds of different health benefits. When we really look at it, nearly every plant has terpenes in it.”

And terpenes are Kevwitch’s business. He is the president of Isolate Labs in Lafayette, whose sister company, Oast House Oils, specializes in extracting

hop terpenes for use in the brewing process.

“Terpenes are all made from one unit called isoprene,” Kevwitch explains. “It looks like a little stick figure. It’s only a five-carbon atom with a couple of double bonds, but you can literally take that—think of it like a LEGO—and build massive molecules from that.”

As for the process, Kevwitch’s company takes hops and subjects them to “supercritical CO2 processing,” he explains. “We’ll pull all the terpenes; we’ll pull the acids. Basically, all the molecules that are important.”

The result is a bright yellow liquid loaded with aromas and flavors—the ones we talk about when we talk about beers and buds.

“The really aromatic, dank, pungent—whatever you want to use to describe those—you get a significant concentration of those terpenes in cannabis, in hops, and that’s because they’re related, so they make very similar molecules,” Kevwitch explains.

Terpenes also allow Villa the ability to highlight certain flavors and aromas in his CERIA beers.

“We don’t have the taste of cannabis in our beers,” Villa says. “We use the isolates of THC and CBD, which happen to have a flavor of bitterness without the aroma of cannabis.”

He continues: “Grainwave is spiced with coriander and orange peel. And orange peel has a terpene called limonene, which has an orangey smell, and

then coriander has a terpene called linalool, which has a kind of a floral, fruity smell . . . These terpenes from the orange peel and the coriander give [the drinker] a nice relaxed feeling.”

And when combined with cannabinoids, these terpenes help create “the

entourage effect.”

“When you use just one cannabinoid, like THC or like CBD, it can sometimes be hit and miss,” Villa explains. “With CBD, some people will take it and say, ‘I don’t feel anything.’ And others will take it and say, ‘Wow, I feel sleepy.’ And it’s most likely because you need the whole entourage of cannabinoids from the plant to do something.

“With CBD, you need some CBG, CBN, THC, a little bit of those to help CBD do its job,” Villa continues. “That’s referred to as ‘the entourage effect,’ with terpenes and everything, because it really makes cannabinoids work on the body and amplifies what they do.”

As Villa writes in Brewing with Cannabis, “The entourage effect is a major reason why many marijuana consumers are proponents of either full-spectrum marijuana (containing all cannabinoids from the plant) or broad-spectrum marijuana extracts (containing all cannabinoids except THC). Having the presence of many cannabinoids and terpenes is reported to amplify the effects of any positive physiological reactions and mitigate the effects of any negative cannabis experiences.”

Next week: Our series on brewing with cannabis concludes with a few words on non-alcoholic beer and a look to the future.

HAPPY HOUR DAILY - 4pm-6pm

$1 off Well Drinks, Beer and House Wine TUESDAYS - Half of Select Bottles of Wine

WEDNESDAYS

Ladies Night $3 off Specialty Cocktails THURSDAYS - $5 Margaritas Open for Banquets during the day in our private rooms downstairs and upstairs

Locally owned & operated since 2020 HOURS: Tuesday - Thursday: 3pm - 10pm • Friday: 3pm - 11pm • Saturday: 9am - 11pm • Sunday: 9am - 8pm

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

l

300 Main St. Longmont, CO • (303) 834-9384 • dickens300prime.com SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

39

Up to 50% Off Local Dining Discounts

Save on local dining, entertainment, retail and wellness. bestofboulderdeals.kostizi.com Go to website to purchase

40

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

COURTESY FRESCAS, BOULDER

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

TASTE OF THE WEEK:

Frescos Rosa de Jamaica IF YOU’VE DINED at a taqueria or attended a party at a Latin American home, you already know about aguas frescas vored soft drinks bubbling in those colorful counter-top dispensers. Sample a few aguas frescas from local eateries and you’ll But now Charlie and Juan Ignacio Stewart of Boulder-based Green Belly Foods have decided to introduce consumers to the real thing, inspired by the beverages Juan’s mom made from scratch when he was growing up in Guatemala. Their new only three ingredients.

Frescos Rosa de Jamaica Sparkling Drink is a great refreshZinger tea—and modestly sugar-sweetened.

Frescos Tamarindo is a little edgier, the sweetness balanced on offer are Maracuyá (passion fruit) and Piña (pineapple).

The cousins and CU grads already had a following for their green, red, and yellow-hued Green Belly pepper sauces, which Frescos sparkling drinks are available at Avanti Boulder, Blackbelly, Caffé Sole, Carniceria El Cerrito, Rincon Argentino, H Mart, Ozo Coffee, Panaderia Sabor a Mexico, Tierra y Fuego, and Yellow Belly Chicken.

BOULDER FARMER’S MARKET CORN

What to do with too much sweet corn This time of the year is as good as it gets when it comes to Colorado-grown corn. Besides slathering cobs in butter, salt, and pepper, or grilling them elotes-style and freezing bags of kernels, one great way to wallow in fresh late summer corn is to make savory corn pancakes.

This recipe, featuring another seasonal fave—roasted Pueblo chiles—makes six servings, unless you really like them, in which case it’s only three servings.

Colorado Corn Cakes with a Kick 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 4 tablespoons butter, melted ¼ cup cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 4 cups fresh Colorado sweet corn kernels 1½ cups roasted, chopped Pueblo chilies Beat the eggs and milk until blended; stir in butter.

The rustic Gold Hill Inn hosts a Labor Day cookout with live music and food in the backReservations at goldhillinn.com . . . The School

Fold in corn and green chiles.

Using a ladle or an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter onto a buttered or oiled skillet over medium heat. Cook Keep cakes warm on a plate in the oven while you Serve warm with eggs, cheese, or a dollop of sour cream.

slowly stir into the wet ingredients.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Culinary Calendar

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

hands shucking loads of Olathe sweet corn on Sept. 7 and 20. Sign up: tinyurl.com/corn4all . . . If you attend the goat cheese-making boot camp and farm tour on Sept. 26 at Longmont’s Briar Gate Farm, you’ll learn how to make ricotta, chevre, fromage blanc, and feta in the morning and mozzarella and burrata in the afternoon. Registration: theartofcheese.com . . . The 10th Annual Orpheus MeadFest and competition, including honey wine sampling, is October 2 in Golden. Tickets: orpheuspcc. org/site/orpheus-meadfest . . . Learn the very basics of home beekeeping in a class Oct. 6 at The Farmette in Lyons with expert Beth Conrey of Berthoud’s Bee Squared Apiaries. Sign up: lyonsfarmette.com Send information about local food events, classes, festivals and tastings at least two weeks in advance to Nibbles@BoulderWeekly.com

l

41

LOVE YOUR MOTHER when you die.

Now Sharing a Single Vision

Plan your eco funeral with us.

We specialize in: Water cremation that turns your body into a nutrient-rich fertilizer - with no harmful emissions.

(We also offer flame cremation.)

Green burial with no embalming, no cement vault, with a shroud or locally made pine casket.

Contact Karen van Vuuren or any of our staff to find out how to minimize your final footprint.

Dr. Terri Oneby is now a part of the MyEyeDr. network of optometrists.

720-515-2344 info@thenaturalfuneral.com TheNaturalFuneral.com Live and Die Your Values

42

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

1645 28th St Boulder, CO 80301 myeyedr.com | 303.443.4545

Eye Care + Eye Wear. Better Together.

l

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

ROMAN ROBINSON

you to get a divorce, SHRINKS, and you’re still married. Which means you haven’t been coerced into doing anything. And while I wouldn’t describe what you encountered as normal, SHRINKS, there are a lot of therapists and counselors out there who regard preserving and protecting monogamy— its practice by individual couples, its position as a sacrosanct norm—as their chief responsibility.

Now I don’t know whereabouts you live, SHRINKS, but a married couple that sees more than one therapist or counselor in a big city like mine is gonna encounter at least one open to helping married couples negotiate the transition to non-monogamy. But there’s a really simple way for couples like you to make sure you’re not wasting your time on anti-open and/or sex-negative counselors, SHRINK, and that’s to ask the therapist or counselor what their positions are on

BY DAN SAVAGE Dear Dan: Hello! I am a heterosexual man! My wife came out as a lesbian after 30 years of marriage. We have children together and we love each other. Therefore, we’ve decided not to divorce. We visited some therapists and they all coerced us to divorce, even though we really do not want that. We believe that an open relationship would satisfy both of us. I’ve always wanted a threesome anyway! We read some books about opening up a relationship and we feel like we could make an open marriage work.

And we know there are others out there, so we know it’s possible! Divorce is not in our plan.

My questions are: 1. Is it normal fortherapists to force a couple to divorce when the couple does not want that?

2. Can open relationships be awesome relationships?

Shrinks Hereabouts Revel In Not Knowing Shit Dear SHRINKS: Hello! I am a gay man!

My answers are. . .

1. Calm down. Only your wife can force

appointment. bergasting that so many couples counselors think a marriage that isn’t monogamous—or one that has to become non-monogamous for both parties to remain happy in it—isn’t worth saving. The bias against non-monogamous relationships is so insidious that even people whose job it is to help couples they can do that will urge couples to divorce, instead of exploring non-monogamy. Never mind suggesting non-monogamy to a couple that is clearly being failed by—not failing at—monogamy.

OK, now let’s talk about those threesomes. . .

Your wife came out as a lesbian,

SHRINKS, she didn’t come out as bisexual, so it doesn’t follow that you’re in line to have a bunch of threesomes. Even if your wife had come out as bisexual, SHRINKS, that doesn’t mean you hit the pussy lottery and you’re going to be having a lot of threesomes now. Or any threesomes. Maybe you and the wife discussed this, and she wants to have sex with you despite being a lesbian — maybe she’s willing and/or able to grandfather in your dick (grandmother in your dick?) and is looking forward to having threesomes with you and a girlfriend to be named later — but if you haven’t heard that from your wife’s mouth, SHRINKS, you might wanna tamp down those expectations. And if you haven’t heard that from your wife and you’ve been excitedly telling every couples counselor you see about all the threesomes you’re looking forward to having now that your wife is a dyke, SHRINKS, it’s possible that all those couples counselors urged you to get divorced because your wife was sitting next to you on the couch blinking out distress signals.

2. Open relationships can be awesome!

They can also suck! If you’re happy and the wife’s happy and her future girlfriends and/ or your thirds are happy, that’s awesome.

But if you and/or the wife are unhappy after opening the marriage up, SHRINKS, then you’ll either have to close it again or you’ll end up having to take the advice of all those shrinks and end it.

Dear Dan: I’m a 36-year-old woman from the U.K. who currently resides in the Middle East. I’ve been seeing a man my same age who is also from Western Europe. The relationship is rather new and we are still getting to know each other, but we have grown very close. However, he has only managed to come inside me once. regularly and does not have any underlying health conditions. So why does he lose his himself off when he doesn’t? He said he doesn’t know why this keeps happening, but he thinks it might be because he is “too in his own head” to come when he’s inside

me and often loses his erection because of it. I brought up the fact that we reside in the Middle East because, as an unmarried couple, it is impossible for us to seek professional help here. I have tried reassuring him and prolonging foreplay and we have an open dialogue over what we like sexually, all to no avail. Should I give it more time?

Are there any toys we could use that would help? Should I advise him to seek professional help when he travels home for his holiday? I feel helpless when he gets more frustrated with every unsuccessful attempt.

Having A Realistic Discussion On Needs Dear HARDON: This is going to sound weird, HARDON, but you need to watch some gay porn with your boyfriend. (If you can safely view it where you happen to be living right now.) In gay porn you’ll also see top fucks the bottom for a while—sometimes for a long while—and then the top pulls out and strokes himself until he comes.

Sometimes you’ll see tops pull out, give their dicks a few pumps, and shove back in. Right now your boyfriend he has it in his head that he’s disappointing you when does what most guys in gay porn seem to enjoy doing—stroking themselves a little during at the end—and he’s got that in his head because you put it there, HARDON, or it was already there and you’ve been reinforcing it.

Here’s how you can help: stop pathologizing him the sex is still a success if he wants to stroke himself now and then during sex; tell him the sex is still a success if he wants to porn stars and many women do; and tell intercourse for whatever reason—including going soft—and eat your pussy instead.

Take the pressure off his dick and his dick is likelier to come through.

Send questions to mail@savagelove. net, follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage, and visit savagelovecast.com.

DINE-IN OR ORDER ON-LINE FOR TAKE-OUT

phocafelafayette.com

1085 S Public Rd. Lafayette (303) 665-0666 Hours: Tues-Sun: 11a-8:30p Closed Monday BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Best Asian Fusion

Thank You for Voting us Best Asian Fusion Restaurant for 7 years! l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

43

• 4,000+ monthly events • Streamlined search • Comprehensive details • Social sharing features 44

l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

Avery Brewery. Photo by Susan France.

l

Food • Drink • Entertainment • Music • Classes • Art • Sports • And More!

Looking for something to do?

Head to Boulder County’s Definitive Guide to Local Events Boulder County Events .com brought to you by BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

The promise of the plant

by Michael J. Casey

C

BD, CBG, CBN, THCV, delta-8 THC, delta-11 THC, the list goes on.

“I think it’s going to just be a foot race to see who can identify these things and patent them,” Keith Villa says.

And it’s a foot race Villa is watching closely. The company he and his wife Jodi run, CERIA Brewing Co., specializes in THC-infused non-alcoholic beer. Currently, they have two drinkables on dispensary shelves: Grainwave Belgian-style White Ale, infused with 5 mg of THC, and Indiewave IPA, infused with 10 mg of THC and CBD. It’s a good place to start, but with a little more research, who knows what other cannabinoids Villa could use in his brews.

“I mean, there are over 100 cannabinoids

federally illegal.

“So there’s been no research really at the university level,” Villa says.

Both Villa and Jodi graduated from CU-Boulder, and they’re counting down the days until CU can put its vast resources and minds to unlocking the promise of cannabis.

“They may discover that certain cannabinoids have anti-cancer activities,” Villa says. “They could patent that and make a fortune for the university.

“It’s going to be a race,” he continues. “Private industry, as well as universities, are going to just have a race to see who can identify these things, patent them and get them into circulation to help humanity.”

thoroughly studied and researched, so people don’t really know what a lot of these things do,” he explains. “They know THC leads to intoxication and inebriation . . . CBD can help you sleep or reduce pain . . . There are some people who have done preliminary research, and they’ve shown, or they think they know, that some of the cannabinoids lead to anti-inVilla points to THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin)—“the skinny cannabinoid”—which minimizes hunger and makes a person feel full and satiated. CBG (cannabigerol) and CBN (cannabinol): “Both leave you really tired and allow you to fall asleep readily,” Villa says. “But there are other cannabinoids that are believed to act like caffeine and give you energy ...

Others, they say, act like Viagra and can help older guys with erectile dysfunction.”

As Villa says, “There’s so much promise with the plant.”

But cannabis is still a schedule 1 drug and

Villa assumes that a large part of the prohibition surrounding marijuana studies stems from other countries following the U.S.’s lead in outlawing cannabis. And Villa hopes that the other countries will continue to follow the U.S.’s lead when it becomes federally legal.

“It’s going to be very fast and furious, and I think universities will start to identify so much about the plant that we just never knew existed,” Villa says. “It will turn out it is a helpful plant.”

TWO LOCATIONS

Fermented cannabis?

Speaking of studies at the university level, back in 2019, the University of California, Berkeley found a brewer’s yeast strain capable of fermenting THC. “Feeding only on sugar, the yeast are an easy and cheap way to produce pure cannabinoids that today are costly to extract from the buds of the marijuana plant, Cannabis sativa,” Berkeley News writes.

Jay Keasling, a UC-Berkeley professor of chemical and biomolecule engineering, adds that the process is both “high-quality” and “low-cost.”

“It is a safer, more environmentally friendly way to produce cannabinoids,” Keasling says in the article.

In this week’s Beer column, we talk to Rob Kevwitch of Isolate Labs about terpenes—a compound found in both cannabis and hops—and a form of hop extraction that isn’t just a modern take on hop utilization in beer but a potentially greener approach to brewing. Is it possible that fermenting cannabinoids might also be a greener approach to cultivating intoxicants?

“Cannabis cultivation is a prime example of an energy-intensive and environmentally-destructive industry,” Berkeley News continues. “Farms in northwest California have polluted streams with pesticide and fertilizer runoff and helped drain watersheds because marijuana plants are water-hungry. Illegal grows have resulted in clear-cutting and erosion.”

And that’s to say nothing of the carbon footprint of indoor cultivation.

“One study estimated that California’s cannabis industry accounted for 3 percent of the state’s electricity usage,” Berkeley News continues. “Indoor grows have caused blackouts in some cities, and energy consumption can add more than $1,000 to the price of a pound of weed.”

NORTH AND EAST BOULDER

20% OFF DIAGONAL

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

WWW.THEFARMCO.COM l

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

45

Already on the floor

Governor Jared Polis writes letter to senators, urging them to put CAOA on backburner while focusing on more pertinent, achievable cannabis legislation

by Will Brendza

T

his July Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Corey Booker (D-N.J.) proposed a new cannabis reform bill called the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). It’s a robust 163-page piece of legislation that addresses almost every issue facing the legal cannabis industry in the US: descheduling the substance, expungement of non-violent criminal records, establishing tax rules, improving industry equity, and transferring regulatory authority of cannabis from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, while the aim of the CAOA is in the right place, the scope of it made many experts skeptical of its political practicality. It is labeled as a “discussion draft,” has been called a “liberal wish list” by some analysts, and was criticized by others as having been “designed to fail” (see: Weed Between the Lines, Jul 22).

“It is close to everything that progressives want while providing little reason for Republican senators to back the measure,” Jaret Seiberg, a Cowen Washington Research Group policy analyst, wrote of the CAOA. That’s what prompted Colorado Governor Jared Polis to write Senators Schumer, Wyden and Booker. In a response letter he sent during a public comment period that ended on September 1, Governor Polis expressed support for the CAOA—despite its limited chances of urged the senators to narrow their scope of focus and

46

l

“I am thrilled that you are bringing forward a long-term, comprehensive solution that deschedules cannabis while enhancing social equity pathways,” the governor wrote in the letter.

efforts on the two biggest barriers to the success of the cannabis industry: banking and IRS Code Section 280E.” These two barriers are the largest hurdles currently facing cannabis businesses, not just in Colorado, but across the nation, according to Polis.

“Congress’ inaction on banking and tax reform is

already been voted through the House.

“The cannabis industry is simply too large to be prohibited from banking opportunities, and the Senate must remedy this harm by bringing this measure up for a vote in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs immediately,” the governor wrote.

Polis then addressed the issue of “IRS Code Section 280E.” Created in the 1980s to prevent drug dealers from writing off expenses on their taxes, today this law prevents state-legal cannabis businesses from deducting in a nearly 90 percent tax rate for cannabis businesses

entrepreneurialism, and perpetuating public health and safety issues,” Polis wrote in his letter.

Banking has been an overt obstacle for cannabis businesses since states like California and Colorado started medicinally legalizing the substance in the 1990s. Because of the Schedule I status of cannabis, any bank who accepts funds from a cannabis business risks losing their charter or license. As such, most dispensaries are unable to access regular banking or credit union services—like direct deposit, checks, or credit card transactions—forcing the vast majority of cannabis businesses to deal in dangerously large quantities of cash. That’s disconcerting when one considers that total domestic medical and recreational cannabis sales topped $17.5 billion, just in 2020.

“Because of antiquated federal banking regulations, almost all cannabis transactions are cash-based,” Polis wrote. “Not only are cash-only businesses targets for crime, cannabis businesses are further disadvantaged compared to other legal businesses by being unable to open bank accounts or obtain loans at reasonable rates.”

The sooner that cannabis businesses can access those banking services, the safer these businesses and their employees will be, Polis argues. The Safe and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which is currently in the Senate under review by the Committees of Jurisdiction, would address this issue. And, unlike the CAOA,

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

l

one of the most lucrative industries in the country.

“The cannabis industry has been stymied by 280E,” Polis wrote. “Congress must swiftly act to pass any measure, a number of which have been introduced in past sessions, to make an exception for legal cannabis businesses from 280E.” Polis urged Senators Schumer, Wyden and Booker to try and push the SAFE Banking Act or the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) through the Capitol with bipartisan support. The CAOA, by contrast, is still just a discussion draft, without any real timeline attached to it.

Senator Booker, however, disagrees that either of those bills should be passed before the CAOA. “I don’t know about other members of the Senate,” Booker said at a press conference. “But I will lay myself down to do everything I can to stop an easy banking bill that’s going to allow all these corporations to make a lot more money off of this, as opposed to focusing on the restorative justice aspect.”

Governor Polis lauded Booker for the CAOA’s restorative justice aspect and many other elements of the draft bill. But, he maintained that more achievable legislation “Legislation to address these [banking and tax] issues has more bipartisan support than ever before and can be passed in the short-term as you continue to work on the details of the CAOA,” Polis wrote.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Happy Labor Day Boulder!

IN APPRECIAT ION OF AL L YOUR HARD WORK

$89

Ounce

Mix & Match

$55

Pick Any Daily Deal!

$89 OTD

1/2 OZ popcorn OUNCE

Mix & Match

2 FOR

$24 OTD NUHI GUMMIES

Mix & Match

$66 OTD QuarterS Cryo Cure Flower $44 OTD Eighths Cryo Cure Flower

$38 OTD

Q-Cup unit

(500MG, 10 Q-CUPS EACH 50MG)

BUY 3 Q-CUP UNITS,

GET A BATTERY

$38 OTD

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CRYO CURE FLOWER SCAN THE QR CODE

Q-Unit Vaporizer Battery

$7.00 OTD PRE-ROLL NUHI SUGAR WAX & SHATTER 4g for

Text JOIN THC to (720) 513-3543 for Deals and Promotions

$56

ORDER ONLINE WITH OUR LIVE MENU

www.thchealth.com

OUR FLOWER OUR QUALITY YOUR LOW PRICES Rec 21+ Happy Hour: Tues-Sat 8-9 am/pm, Sun & Mon all day long!

Mon - Sat: 8am - 9:50pm • Sun: 9am - 9:50pm

537 Canyon Blvd. Boulder, CO 720-532-8664 • www.thchealth.com

ALL SALES VALID 9/2/21 - 9/8/21

last word ALL TOP SHELF BUDS. NO STRAIN RESTRICTIONS. ONE TIER PRICING.

ORDER ONLINE WITH OUR LIVE MENU - WWW.THCHEALTH.COM VALID SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8

537 Canyon Blvd. Boulder, CO • 720-532-8664 • www.thchealth.com • 21+

See our ad below

“Weed Between The Lines” on page 48

While SUPPLIES LAST

9.2-9.8

Save time and skip the line when you pre-order

VOTED BEST MEDICAL DISPENSARY

JOIN US FOR WALLEYE WEEKENDS! Direct to us from Red Lake Nation Fishery, MN

Met Your Soul Drum Yet? HAND DRUMS, DRUM SETS, AND LESSONS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES.

(720) 630-8053 • 11am-9pm

Atlas Valley Center, SW corner of Arapahoe and 95th

www.eatreelfish.com

STORES NOW OPEN-SHOP INSIDE OR CURBSIDE PEARL STREET MALL - BOULDER

HELPINGHANDSDISPENARY.C0M

LYONS

BUDDEPOTDISPENSARY.COM