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APRIL 9, 2020

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

news:

Community organizers and activists adapt to gathering restrictions by Angela K. Evans

Why have gun sales surged in Colorado amid the coronavirus? by Matt Cortina

boulderganic:

Social distancing as seen from space, captured by Colorado-based MAXAR Technologies by Angela K. Evans

18 22

adventure:

Boulder endurance athlete hopes to run Bolder Boulder with the help of Geo the dog by Angela K. Evans

buzz:

Historians can’t predict the future, but they can measure how much we have — or haven’t — grown from our past mistakes. by Caitlin Rockett

boulder county events:

feast:

What to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do by Boulder Weekly Staff

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The Anderson Files: Misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic Letters: Signed, sealed, delivered... your views News: Local tech accelerators and investors talk COVID-19 News: Oil and gas execs ask for bailout, RTD asks for assistance and more News: CPW proposes plan to increase cougar killing for at least the next decade Food/Drink: Food news and what to try this week in Boulder County Astrology: by Rob Brezsny Words: ‘Tell me again’ by David Rawson Savage Love: Kink questions Cannabis Corner: Half of the nation’s pot users stocked up for the shutdown

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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Publisher, Fran Zankowski Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Editor, Matt Cortina Senior Editor, Angela K. Evans Arts and Culture Editor, Caitlin Rockett Special Editions Editor, Michael J. Casey Adventure Editor, Emma Athena Contributing Writers, Peter Alexander, Dave Anderson, Will Brendza, Rob Brezsny, Paul Danish, Sarah Haas, Jim Hightower, Dave Kirby, John Lehndorff, Rico Moore, Amanda Moutinho, Leland Rucker, Dan Savage, Josh Schlossberg, Alan Sculley, Ryan Syrek, Christi Turner, Betsy Welch, Tom Winter, Gary Zeidner SALES AND MARKETING Retail Sales Manager, Allen Carmichael Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Sami Wainscott Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Advertising Coordinator, Corey Basciano Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman Graphic Designer, Daisy Bauer CIRCULATION TEAM Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer Cover, Dave Russell @ Buffalo Heart Images April 9, 2020 Volume XXVII, Number 34 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. © 2020 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.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

estminster-based MAXAR Technologies has been tracking the spread of coronavirus around the world using its four lowEarth-orbit satellites. First launched on rockets through the United Launch Alliance in 1999, (and again in 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2016) these satellites have created a 20-year record of the world from space. They have captured fires, floods, deforestation, glacial regression, military operations, wars, refugee migration and other world events. Now, MAXAR is focused on the economic, social and medical impacts of the pandemic as public spaces shut down and people stay home (Denver International Airport, I

seen here, has emptied out, for instance). In 2021, MAXAR plans to launch its next series of satellites, known as Legion, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. More information can be found at maxar.com.

APRIL 9, 2020

Misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic by Dave Anderson

he Trump years have been a long, bad LSD trip directed by David Lynch. Then COVID19 arrived and we feel like lonely figures in an Edward Hopper painting looking out of our windows at a world which resembles a Stephen King novel. Life is weirdly quiet and there are few people outside. Medical experts warn us that an invisible homicidal monster lurks among us. Unfortunately, too many people don’t listen to medical experts. They are influenced by powerful interests who can be quite anti-science. In particular, the religious right and corporations, which trash science when it endangers their profits (like the fossil fuel industry promoting climate change denial). In the COVID-19 crisis, the worst influencers are Fox News and other pro-Trump media. Comedy Central’s The Daily Show broadcast a salute to “heroes of the Pandumbic.” It is a three-minute montage of prominent right-wingers dismissing the threat of COVID-19. Some 77 professors and teachers of journalism and communications have signed an acerbic open letter denouncing Fox News’ coverage of the coronavirus crisis, describing it as “a danger to public health.” Led by Columbia Journalism School professor Todd Gitlin, the signatories urge Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son, company CEO Lachlan Murdoch, “to help protect the lives of all Americans” by ensuring the network airs information “based on scientific facts.” They say Fox News is a trusted source of news for many Americans and that the average age of their viewers is 65. People in that population are at the greatest risk from the pandemic. The signatories note: “But viewers of Fox News, including the president of the United States, have been regularly subjected to misinformation relayed by the network — false statements downplaying the 6

prevalence of COVID-19 and its harms; misleading recommendations of activities that people should undertake to protect themselves and others, including casual recommendations of untested drugs; false assessments of the value of measures urged upon the public by their elected political leadership and public health authorities.” The academics point out that this misinformation has had an alarming impact: “...According to a YouGov/ Economist poll conducted March 15-17, Americans who pay the most attention to Fox News are much less likely than others to say they are worried about the coronavirus. A Pew Research poll found that 79% of Fox News viewers surveyed believed the media had exaggerated the risks of the virus. 63% of Fox viewers said they believed the virus posed a minor threat to the health of the country.” The signatories acknowledge that Fox journalists have done “solid reporting” about the pandemic and that the network has more recently interviewed medical and public health professionals. However, viewers get confused: “...When the statements of knowledgeable experts are surrounded by false claims made by pundits and politicians, including President Trump — claims that are not rebutted by knowledgeable people in real time — the overall effect is to mislead a vulnerable public about risks and harms.” Now Trump is holding daily press briefings about the pandemic which start off as circus-like MAGA campaign rallies with the customary lies, misinformation and bullshit. But also feature actual important information by medical experts, particularly Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is America’s leading authority on infectious diseases, having served six presidents of both parties. Fauci avoids wounding Trump’s fragile ego by challenging see THE ANDERSON FILES Page 7

APRIL 9, 2020

Time for social distancing

This is a time of social distancing. To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, it is recommended that we avoid large gatherings and maintain a distance of six feet from other people. It is understandable, therefore, why many people are choosing to hike in the OSMP and are going off trail. Or is it? Springtime is a time of bird songs, baby foxes and new green growth. It is also a fragile time. Hikers that go off trail could disturb or destroy the biome. Some of the open space areas may not be able to sustain the recent onslaught. This is a time for social distancing as well as a time to work together. The word ME has flipped and has become the word WE. We are a part of, not apart from, nature. If you chose to hike in the OSMP during this crisis (or anytime), please stay on the trails. Let’s be able to look back at this time as a time when we were able to stop the coronavirus and protect open space. Kristen Marshall/Boulder

concern for their employees, many of whom must keep up with dangerous slaughter speeds and stomach unethical, revolting practices. Many slaughterhouse employees become mentally unwell, even suicidal, and workplace safety records indicate that U.S. slaughterhouse employees are three times more likely to suffer serious injury than the average American worker. Approximately two slaughterhouse workers have a limb cut off by machinery each week. Others lose an eye or suffer from fractured fingers, second-degree burns or head trauma. And now they have to worry about becoming infected with COVID-19 as well. The meat industry isn’t likely to change, but we can, by going vegan. Meat and other animal-based foods aren’t essential. Let’s enjoy healthy vegan foods, and retrain meatpackers to be an important part of the growing vegan food industry. Visit www. PETA.org for more information and a free vegan starter kit. Heather Moore/PETA

Wake-up call

Venom

After 10 workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant tested positive for COVID-19, about 1,000 other employees walked off the job, because slaughterhouse workers are forced to work in crowded, filthy conditions — without safety gear — and aren’t given sick pay to self-quarantine. This just reinforces my decision to eat only vegan foods. Slaughterhouses are sick, unsanitary places that typically don’t show I

Were I a political cartoonist, I would draw Donald Trump as an alarmed cobra wearing a long red tie, beady-eyed, hood flared and poised to lash out with a limited but venomous vocabulary at any perceived threat. It is no wonder Congressional Republicans live in constant fear of him. Robert Porath/Boulder see LETTERS Page 7

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

THE ANDERSON FILES from Page 6

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) wrote to Trump urging him to appoint a “senior military officer” as a “czar” to coordinate a federal response to the crisis and to use the Defense Production Act to increase production, procurement and distribution of medical devices and equipment. Schumer desperately wrote, “America cannot rely on a patchwork of uncoordinated voluntary efforts to combat the awful magnitude of this pandemic. The existing federal void has left America with an ugly spectacle in which States and cities are literally fending for themselves, often in conflict and competition with each other, when trying to procure precious medical supplies and equipment. The only way we will fix our PPE [personal protective equipment] and ventilator shortage is with a data-driven, organized and robust plan from the federal government. Anything short of that will inevitably mean this problem will remain unsolved and prolong this crisis.” Trump responded to Schumer with his usual vindictive personal insults. Goddamn it. The president is an uncontrolled petty and vicious moron. This sociopathic buffoon is going to kill us all. This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

LETTERS from Page 6

Voting by mail

Voting by mail should replace voting at the polls in it’s entirety. The two institutions that can definitely be trusted is the County Board of Elections and the U.S. Postal Service. The money saved by eliminating the need for poll workers could be used to offer free postage on the envelopes used to vote by mail. The person voting would also have more time to consider what they are voting for and would not be confined to the hours of the polling place. It would also prevent unwanted entry to schools and churches from anyone trying to harm someone. In addition the voter would not be harassed by someone trying to place unsolicited campaign literature into their hand. The additional revenue would boost the Postal Service and perhaps keep it afloat until we as a country are able to vote online. Voting by mail would solve the registered voter problem. Joe Bialek/via internet BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

End housing crisis

As the affordable housing crisis looms, evictions rise and wages remain stagnant, we can take action to make a difference (‘Taking initiative,” News, Feb. 27). Since rents have risen over 60% and wages only 6% since the 1960s (according to a Harvard study), it is not surprising millions of Americans are rent burdened to the point of eviction or choosing between rent and food. Currently there are proposals in Congress for a renters’ tax credit, more affordable housing to be built and minimum wage raises. This is a multi-pronged approach to battle a crisis that leads to evictions, hunger and homelessness. Our voices can turn this around by asking those who represent us in Congress to pass these and other initiatives. Our calls, letters and visits to our senators and representatives can help end this crisis. Willie Dickerson/via internet I

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the president’s false assertions without specifically mentioning Trump. Fauci has cheered up many Americans who desperately want the truth, even if it is horribly grim. He has also enraged some rightwingers who feel he is part of a secret cabal opposing Trump. An analysis by the New York Times “found over 70 accounts on Twitter that have promoted the hashtag #FauciFraud, with some tweeting as frequently as 795 times a day.” These folks were alarmed at a 7-year-old email Fauci sent about Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state. He praised Clinton for her stamina during the 2013 Benghazi hearings. Meanwhile, Trump claims he is a “war time president” fighting COVID-19. He seems to be surrendering. Trump and other Republicans are using the crisis to push a far-right agenda attacking labor unions, environmental regulations and abortion rights. Trump definitely doesn’t feel the federal government has any responsibility to help out ordinary Americans in our worst public health crisis in 100 hundred years. He has refused to issue a stay-at-home order for the entire nation, insisting that governors make their own calls. Instead of government coordination, he is counting on big business to help us out.

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APRIL 9, 2020

No reason to stop organizing

found multiple periods “There’s very little that will ever stop us from tryof heightened benzene ing to get these wells shut down,” Nelson says. levels around the area. “Some of us have been working on this for [a long The decision to shift time] so this is just another hurdle to get over.” the gathering online ORGANIZING IN CRISIS MODE was a no-brainer. “It just came down utside of the Immigration and Customs to all of the health concerns with COVID,” says Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Aurora, Patricia Nelson, whose son goes to the school. “We’re operated by the GEO Group, cars line the street. all about health and safety and so I think it would Drivers wear face masks, passengers raise fists of solihave gone against our cause if we had held the rally darity out the windows. Kids with posters demanding in person.” the release of their parents stand through sunroofs. Activists are currently seeking at least 1,000 sigOther posters taped to the sides of vehicles ask ICE natures for a petition to shut down the wells, initially to “release them all.” A few people are scattered on the planning to ask parents in the pick-up line at school sidewalk, all wearing masks, all trying to stay far away for their support. from each other. Due to school cloIt’s risky to be here, in a time of stay-at-home sures, however, it orders, but it’s necessary for these folks. They have has also moved loved ones and community members still detained online. inside, and they’re concerned that ICE and the GEO “It’s an appeal Group aren’t taking necessary precautions to keep to the agencies that detainees safe as COVID-19 spreads. (ICE has should be protectstopped reporting on numbers within the organization ing our children. testing positive for the disease.) Like CDPHE, the “When this crisis started happening, we really COGCC and the had to think about the disproportionate impact governor himself, that it would have on folks that we have been orgabecause all of these nizing with for months in that facility,” says Ana agencies act at his Rodriguez, a community organizer for immigrant discretion,” Nelson justice with the Colorado People’s Alliance (COPA). says. “These past few weeks have really been all about lisThe response tening to what they’re sharing with us, exposing the from the State, she says, is that they have no legal situations they’ve been put in and mobilizing to grounds to shut down the drilling site, but that’s not help get as many of them out as possible and good enough for the folks affected by it. improve the conditions in there for the ones that Even though students are no longer going to the might never be let out.” school, there are still plenty of families, like Nelson’s, Representing a diverse group of people — multiwho live in the area. racial and multigenerational, with a variety of legal “The wells are statuses — COPA’s DAVE RUSSEL @ BUFFALO HEART IMAGES still active so the mission is seeking possibility for conracial justice tinued exposure is through communistill there. There’s ty-led organizing. no air bubble That means field around the school organizers are usuthat keeps everyally out knocking thing there,” she on doors, talking to says. “At the same people outside of time, it’s difficult to grocery stores, focus on this one meeting with peothing when there ple in their homes are so many other to hear their needs. things that need Now, all of that has attention right now, to be transferred as far as people not being able to pay their rent, peoonline, using new digital tools to try and help spread ple losing their jobs. It’s a balancing act now.” their message. For example, Rodriguez says, they’ve Still, nothing will stop these groups from constarted working with texting tools that have been tratinuing their fight, even if everything has to be ditionally used to engage voters in political activism. done through email and over Zoom right now. Their For the immigrant justice team especially, tenacity is unyielding. Rodriguez says, the last few weeks have been all

Activists adapt to gathering restrictions

by Angela K. Evans

oulder County is a hotbed of political and social activism. From the Rocky Flats Truth Force protests of the 1970s and ’80s to the 4/20 rallies at the University of Colorado a decade ago to the anti-fracking fight of recent years, community organizing is a long-held institution in these parts. In the last several weeks, however, large gatherings have been COURTESY 350COLORADO banned and statewide stay-at-home orders have gone into effect in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But that’s not stopping organizers from continuing to draw attention to the issues. As the world changes around them, activists adapt. Homeless advocacy groups from around the state have joined together, asking the courts to intervene and ensure that the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) protect the homeless community from COVID-19. Activists have been rallying outside the immigration detention center in Aurora from their cars, honking their horns and demanding the release of detainees. Environmental groups are still sounding the alarm over climate change and figuring out how to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. At the same time, many understand how overwhelming and stressful this time is, so most groups are prioritizing connections as they adjust plans, hoping people draw on the strength of their community in these trying and isolating times. Here are a few of their stories. RALLYING ON ZOOM or organizers behind a recent demonstration at Bella Romero Academy, the video conferencing technology Zoom has become a rallying tool. On Friday, March 13, 1,800 people viewed the digital rally and press conference, calling on Gov. Jared Polis and state officials to halt operations at the Extraction Oil and Gas production site that sits just 1,200 feet from the school in Weld County. It came on the heels of a report from 350Colorado that

F 8

APRIL 9, 2020

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

about crisis response. For two years, COPA has been the Fennica icebreaker from traveling to Shell working to ensure more accountability and transpardrilling sites in the Arctic. More recently, he’s ency from the ICE detention center in Aurora with continued his work with Frack Free Colorado, hope of eventually getting it shut down. Extinction Rebellion and is a community educaNow the COPA team is fielding a lot more tor for Colorado Rising. calls from concerned community members, those But his usual tactics don’t quite work under who are worried about loved ones being held in the current stay-at-home orders. detention, and leveraging relationships with local, “A lot of the way we exercise our power is state and federal elected officials to try and presthrough getting people together, gathering the sure ICE to release more detainees. masses and large demonstrations, getting people “It’s definitely been more hectic for us for the into the streets to express ourselves,” he says. past few weeks, with the need to respond swiftly to “It’s definitely an adjustment, and we have to these moments of crisis to ensure that we’re putadapt a little bit.” ting pressure where it needs to be, that we’re colBut he’s already seeing the effectiveness of laborating with many organizations to make sure changing tactics. For example, on March 5, we’re on the local indigeCOURTESY OF BOULDER COUNTY 350COLORADO same page nous and with our environmendemands for tal activists our communigathered outty,” Rodriguez side the says. Canadian Ensuring embassy in mental health Denver in support for solidarity community with the members and Wet’suwet’en organizers is First Nations also a focus Tribe in right now, British Rodriguez Columbia, says, as many who are people feel opposing a isolated and afraid. “We recognize that all our new natural gas pipeline through their anceswork is incredibly vital and our community relies tral lands. But there was already talk of social on making a difference that comes from our distancing, Gormley says, and so in addition to organizing; we also have to recognize that our the live gathering, about 50 supporters flooded own mental health is impacted by this crisis.” the embassy phone lines. Eventually, the It’s something Rodriguez admits she personConsular General came out and listened, ally needs to be aware of, as she’s having a diffipromising to take the group’s concerns back to cult time finding a work-life balance, as she now his government. A win in Gormely’s estimaworks from home. It’s easy to respond to emails tion. while brushing her teeth, text people back while “We can’t allow [the pandemic] to stop comshe’s making her coffee, get lost for hours on her munity organizing,” Gormley says. “In the short computer creating digital tools for people on her term it’s a wrench in the works and an obstacle team. to overcome, but in the long term it’s going to “I can’t relate to anybody on the internet saydiversify our tactics and give us more tools to ing, I have all this free time now and so I’m work with and also be more inclusive to folks.” going to bake some bread,” Rodriguez says. “I’ve The biggest challenge has been moving several been so busy I haven’t stopped.” nonviolent direct-action trainings online that But the work is worth it, she says, as this is were previously scheduled along the Front Range, also an opportunity to reshape the world. in mountain towns and out on the Western Slope. As Rodriguez says: “We have to keep fightGormley has been busy organizing calls on Zoom ing, we have to keep going.” where people can still split up into break-out groups, do roll playing and discuss strategies. The NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION new format also gives folks a way to interact with azz Gormley has a long history of communi- and comfort each other, despite isolation, as well ty organizing and nonviolent direct action in as plan for the future. support of climate justice movements, start“We are going to take this as an opportunity ing back in 2012 with Boulder County’s oil and to organize for more large-scale actions when this gas drilling moratorium. In 2015, he drew interis all said and done, when this is in the review national attention as he and others from mirror,” Gormley says. “But in the meantime, it’s Greenpeace hung for 40 hours from the St. Johns forcing us to be creative about other ways we can Bridge in Portland, Oregon, in an effort to stop interact and exercise our power remotely.”

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

APRIL 9, 2020

CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY

e had to switch gears pretty fast, because we have lots of events that are in person,” says Micah Parkin, executive director of 350Colorado, which was organizing a full week of actions in celebration of Earth Day, April 22. “At the national level, as this pandemic broke out, everything had to shift. Very quickly we realized it would be very irresponsible to organize anything in-person, even before all the stay-at-home orders.” Instead, the national 350.org is hosting a 72-hour livestream event called Earth Week Live, with speakers from around the country, as well as local breakout sessions so folks can hear from organizers in their area. Each of the three days has a focus, Parkin says: Strike, led by the youth organizers behind national climate strikes; Divest, targeting JP Morgan and Chase, Liberty Mutual, Blackrock and pension funds that invest in fossil fuels; and Vote, focused on engaging voters, particularly young people, to support climate champions running for office. Plus, 350Colorado is working on banners for balconies, signs people can display in their windows, even bandanas to cover people’s faces, to show their support. “People are still out walking their dogs, and people want a way to visibly show that they care and to take action during Earth Week,” Parkin says. 350Colorado still has plenty of other active campaigns as well, like continuing to call for a fracking ban in Boulder County. The group is quickly creating toolkits with sample emails, sample social media posts and talking points for people to write letters to the editor for their members and partner organizations. “People are still reading articles, they’re taking action online, they’re on social media, so we feel like those are the ways we’re needing shift at this point in time and engage people.” 350Colorado is also concerned that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is continuing to permit oil and gas projects while at the same time postponing public rulemaking as required by SB 181 that’s intended to protect public health and safety. “There is a concern that not having a physical presence that we’re not going to be able to make our points as easily and will it be easier to ignore the actions that we take online,” she says. Still, the group is circulating an online petition in hopes of drawing that attention instead. “We’re doing all we can and certainly we need watchdogs more than ever right now,” she says. “This is really important that we’re all pulling together during the pandemic at least online to call for the governor and these other state departments to stop allowing any fossil fuel activities that are worsening the air pollution that’s making us all more vulnerable to COVID-19, both for contracting it but also for worsened outcome.” For 350Colorado, this pandemic just makes the work is more important than ever. see ORGANIZING Page 10

ORGANIZING from Page 9

“Sadly, we know this is not the only thing that we’re going to be facing that is going to be very stressful because of the climate crisis,” Parkin says. “This is kind of a test run for more crises we have coming our way unfortunately.” THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ALL THINGS s the state legislature was setting the budget this spring, the Colorado Education Association (CEA) had a variety of activities planned to engage with elected @2019 DARRAL FREUND/NEA officials. Already, the group had been organizing lobby days at the Capitol, where educators from across the state were meeting with legislators. For CEA’s day of action at the Capitol on March 19, thousands of people were expected in Denver, and school had been canceled in many districts across the state due to a lack of substitutes, as many teachers had already called out for the day. It was all meant to draw attention to statewide education funding, or lack thereof. “We have some of the worst statistics in the country, with educator pay, per pupil funding, we were really going to raise the awareness around the fiscal realities that Colorado faces in K12 funding,” says CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert. In recent years as many as 17,000 demonstrators have rallied at the Capitol with CEA in support of education issues and funding. Unfortunately, this year, the event never took place. At first, CEA canceled the live event in favor of a virtual meeting, as people were advised not to gather in large groups. Eventually, the entire thing was canceled as schools shutdown. “For pretty much the majority of our teachers, they had to overnight flip a switch from face-to-face teaching to a remote or distance learning environment,” Baca-Oehlert says. Still, CEA traditionally has an active membership and people aren’t really slowing down even in this current crisis. “We’re still seeing a lot of people that are active and engaged and in some ways there’s more energy now more than ever because it’s so heightened for people and the needs are so urgent that people really are participating in these different venues,” she says. On April 8, CEA held a press conference to release an online petition signed by more than 2,400 educators asking the governor to do more to help Coloradans pay their rent and secure unemployment. Likewise, it asks for stronger distance learning poli-

cies, stable education funding moving forward and pay for all school employees around the state. Technology and internet access have been large issues, not just for students and families but also educators. Training is also an issue, as teachers are having to quickly adapt to a new format of teaching. There are also financial needs, as many educators lost supplemental income, or their partners have lost jobs. “Interestingly enough, this environment in some ways has connected us more in a way. We’ve been more connected with some of our community partners and labor partners, it’s really drawn us together with a common focus,” she says. “We’re seeing the interconnectedness of all of these issues.” When the legislature reconvenes, BacaOehlert says CEA will continue to press for the education budget. In the meantime, “We’re making sure that our legislators are still hearing from educators and that perspective and voice is shared because there are a lot of impacts that are happening,” she says, as statewide assessments have been canceled and teacher evaluations are being GARY WOCKNER paused for the year. CEA is still meeting with state legislators, sending emails and making phone calls. The group also helps to host virtual town halls so elected officials can still hear from educators. “I would say the activism and coming together is still happening,” Baca-Oehlert says. “It’s just happening in a different way.” THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS s environmental activists, we only have a certain spectrum of what we can engage in to try and make a difference, and community organizing is one of the components,” says Gary Wockner, executive director of both Save the Colorado and Save the Poudre. “Even groups like mine that aren’t on the streets rallying, we still have big turnout when there’s a decision-making process.”

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For years, Wockner’s groups, along with others, have been fighting Northern Water’s proposed Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP), which would create a new reservoir north of Fort Collins by diverting water out of the Poudre River. When it became clear at the end of March that scheduled public hearings for the project in May and June might now be virtual, Wockner immediately began organizing to get the Larimer County Commissioners to push back the timeline. “Because there were likely going to be hundreds of people, because it’s extremely controversial and it’s been 17 years in the making, we felt very strongly that we wanted in-person public comment and not a virtual [meeting,]” he says. Plus, many people concerned with the NISP project are older or retired, Wockner says. “We were going to challenge Larimer County if they didn’t change the timeline because it prejudices who is able to provide public comment if you turn it all into a digital phenomenon that is more accessible to younger people.” A lot of these supporters are more conservative, and not your typical social justice activists, Wockner adds. But they are concerned with protecting their neighborhoods and their quality of life. They are also the people most at risk for COVID-19, according to the CDC. “This pandemic creates different challenges for different types of communities, whether it be minority communities, young people or its older people,” Wockner says. The County Commissioners received more than 500 emails asking to postpone the hearings until they could be done in public. It’s been pushed to later in the summer, assuming people will be more comfortable with gathering in large groups by then. “In this kind of situation, a delay reflects the kind of democracy we want to have as opposed to something we squeeze through because there’s a pandemic,” Wockner says. Financial support is also a concern for Wockner, as nonprofits like his are always vulnerable during economic recessions and stock market plunges. And yet, in the name of saving the economy, the Trump administration has stopped regulating polluters. “So, at the very same time that environmental groups are being weakened for their inability to organize and raise money, Trump is using this to BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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303-604-6351 consolidate power and gut environmental regulations,” Wockner says. Despite having to adapt, as certain traditional organizing strategies are no longer available, Wockner says there is still a lot activists can be doing right now. For example, legal avenues are still possible and several lawsuits he’s involved in are still making their way through the courts. GUN SAFETY AT HOME n March 6, about 400 volunteers with Moms Demand Action gathered at the Capitol in Denver for a day of advocacy. If the event had been planned just a week later, it would have most likely been canceled. “We just got in there before they shut the Capitol down,” says Nicole Liabraaten, the lead organizing for the Boulder chapter of the national grassroots organization that promotes public safety measures to prevent gun violence. Since then, the group has continued with email follow-ups and letter-writing campaigns to elected officials, as well as its work supporting local, state and federal candidates who represent its platform in the midst of this election year. “The national focus is not on anyone’s pet issue right now,” Liabraaten says. But, “When there is an opportunity to speak about our cause, we make sure to email our volunteers and give them an action list that they can take from home.” No pressure though, she assures. As a group of mostly mothers, volunteers with the group now have their children at home all day and many

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also have full-time jobs. The group has been sensitive to asking too much of their volunteers right now. “Our message to everyone in this first month [has been] take care of yourself and your family first,” she says. “Everyone understands that if nothing happens for a month, the movement doesn’t go away, the intention is still there. But we all have these other priorities now.” At the same time, the group is especially concerned about gun safety and increased gun sales, although Liabraaten is adamant the group supports the Second Amendment. “With increased gun sales, there is increased risks especially to vulnerable populations,” she says, including women facing domestic violence, children who are at home more, and teens at risk of suicide and other mental health challenges. “Our message has really been about safety. … If you feel like a gun is going to make you and your family more secure during this unusual time, then you should also be purchasing a gun lock, storing your weapon locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition.” National Gun Violence Prevention Day falls on June 5 this year, and Moms Demand Action Boulder usually gets support from City Council and hosts a gathering in recognition of gun violence victims. This year, Liabraaten says she’s not sure what will happen. But she is asking the question: “What are the small steps we can do while we’re socially isolated to be better prepared to come back strong?” I

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Plugged in

Local tech accelerators and investors on how the coronavirus pandemic will affect the local tech startup community

by Matt Cortina

ou’ve streamed dozens of movies and TV shows on various platforms. You’re using Door Dash and Uber Eats to get food delivered to your home. You (a) know what Zoom is, (b) used it a million times in the last three weeks, and (c) are starting to hate it. We’re exploring the world and connecting with friends, family and coworkers via technology more than ever amid the coronavirus pandemic, and so there may be the perception that these are boom times for tech companies. For some, sure. But for the greater ecosystem of tech startups, of which Boulder County is a vital part, times are as uncertain as they are for other industries. According to Boulder County venture capitalists and tech accelerators, funds available to tech startups in the U.S. will be limited over the next few months, or longer, as investors wait out the economic uncertainty. “This is the roughest environment I’ve seen in my 25 years of working in finance,” says Jason Searfoss, chief financial officer of Boomtown, an accelerator in Boulder. “My hope is that the economic situation takes the shape of a V, where we have a steep decline and ... come out of it with a significant and positively sloped bounce on the other side.” Many tech investors, particularly those with larger portfolios, have turned their focus to their existing investments, hoping to protect and nurture those companies, instead of risking funds on new startups. “On balance it’s tough times because those angel investors, those people with money, are looking at their mutual fund balance and saying, ‘Woah, I just lost a lot of money,’” says David Brown, founder of Techstars, a Boulder accelerator. Data from Startup Genome indi12

cates as much 50% of tech funding has contracted in China since the start of the pandemic. Though it’s not an apples-to-oranges comparison of how funding will be affected in the U.S., those in the industry are preparing for the impacts of the downturn. “Companies raising in the near term will likely see two key negative impacts for their funding plans. First, less investors at play, as a number have pulled back from the market,” says Tom Humphrey, a partner at Boulder’s Access Ventures, a venture capital firm. “Second, companies will also face an easing off on valuations as their market conditions and forecasts worsen.” Too, for accelerators like Boomtown, the stay-at-home orders have limited collaborations between entrepreneurs. Whereas in the past, Boomtown paired different startup teams with one another in 12-week cohorts based on complementary skills, now everything’s moved online. “These creative collisions, as we call them, happen very naturally when teams are in a confined space,” Searfoss says. “Those conversations happen very naturally; you can spin to the side or turn around and ask somebody something. Or you can overhear a conversation at the water cooler. Put smart people in the same room and good things happen.” Galvanize, a co-working space in Boulder that caters to people in tech and offers ongoing education classes, APRIL 9, 2020

has switched to an online model temporarily, offering some free classes to those interested in learning coding, software engineering and more. “Whether people are facing unemployment right now, or are reevaluating their career or personal goals, we see the demand for upskilling and reskilling, and for Galvanize’s immersive programming, to continue to grow,” a Galvanize spokesperson said in an email. Some investment firms/accelerators say this might change the types of companies they look to invest in — certainly anything that improves telecommunication or health care work is getting extra attention, for instance, while other companies, like those in travel or that rely on in-person contact, might get less attention. But there is a silver lining in all this: Recessions are a great time to start a business. The list of tech companies that launched during the dotcom bubble burst and the 2008 recession reads like a startup hall of fame: Facebook, Uber, Pinterest, Venmo and Dropbox to name a few. “Every investor will tell you that a downturn is a really good time to be starting or growing a business, and that competition for talent tends to be less, there tends to be fewer competitors in the market, marketing dollars go farther,” says Seth Levine, managing director at Boulder VC firm Foundry Group. I

Part of that is the belief that the economy will turn around. Searfoss from Boomtown is “cautiously optimistic” the rebound will improve as quickly as it declined. “Right now, even when you’re locked indoors, prepare for when we come out of this thing,” he says. “When we do, the economy is going to take off like a rocketship.” And different from previous recessions is the abundance of “dry powder” — cash reserves kept on hand by a VC firm — that wasn’t available in the Great Recession, fueled by years of fundraising, Humphrey, from Access Ventures, says. As such, “Venture is less susceptible to the swings and emotions of the public markets,” he says. So, what should tech entrepreneurs be doing right now? “It’s a good time to hunker down and to build a product,” says Searfoss. “The challenge is that we teach our teams not just to build a product. Don’t go develop some elegant product unless you have a firm understanding and grasp of the problem that you’re solving with that product. To understand and really embrace the problem you have to have a significant number of customers. Find out what those problems really are, and dive deep into those problems. Find out if your future customers are going to be willing to pay for a solution to these problems.” Levine, from the Foundry Group, says wait, if you can, and be prepared for the economy to turn around and learn the lessons this pandemic has taught us. “Right now is not a great time to look for funding,” Levine says. “People are in crisis mode. But once we’re past that, I would encourage them to go and pursue their ideas. I think they need to have a really good pitch, and just understanding both themselves and potential investors for why their business can be successful through a downturn and particularly a downturn form a virus. People have a lot of things on their mind about how this might affect business for a year or years. You have to acknowledge that as part of the pitch. ... Don’t ignore it.” BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

JOEL DYER

Oil and gas execs ask for bailout

he Trump administration met with oil and gas companies on April 3 to discuss how the federal government could benefit the industry during the coronavirus. The oil and gas industry has asked the federal government to end royalties for oil and gas culled from public land, extend permits and leases, and further reduce environmental enforcement, according to the Center for Western Priorities (CWP). The EPA recently announced it would “temporarily” suspend enforcement of fines for industry polluters. “The oil industry has spent the last decade racking up debt at a breathtaking pace and now they’re asking taxpayers to bail out their bad business practices,” CWP

Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement. “The oil industry’s wish list is shameless — rip off taxpayers and leave communities vulnerable to even more contamination. But with a former oil lobbyist in charge of the Interior Department, they will likely get what they want.” Jayson O’Neill, spokesperson for Accountable.US, lamented the fact that much of these bailouts for the industry would come from taxpayer money. “These big oil and corporate CEOs are clearly more important to President Trump than millions of Americans now living in a state of constant worry — over the president’s inadequate response to our crumbling economy and his epic mismanagement of this public

n light of the coronavirus causing thousands of Boulder County residents to lose all or part of their regular income, the local court system said it will not hear any eviction cases until after May 31. Landlords will not be able to evict any tenants for any reason until that time, including nonpayment of rent. The City of Longmont recently provided guidance and advice for landlords and tenants to comply with the order: “Communicate early and often to discuss the financial realities and discuss an arrangement workable for both the housing provider and the tenant. Some options may include a payment plan, temporary rent reduction (if possible), early termination of the lease without penalty, substitute services for rent, or other creative solutions.” The decision comes amid initiative efforts in Boulder to mandate all tenants who find themselves in eviction court have access to an attorney.

espite calls from park officials and law enforcement to shut down U.S. National Parks to visitors amid the coronavirus, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has encouraged people to visit by waiving entrance fees. The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a group of 1,800 retired, current and forBOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

senators, Big Oil and extractive corporations come first,” O’Neill said. “This crisis revealed their true values and it’s not the American people nor the communities that would get the short end of the stick at a time when they simply cannot afford to if Trump and Bernhardt acquiesce.”

RTD gets $232 million in assistance

Boulder County Courts will not hear any eviction cases until June

NATIONAL PARKS EMPLOYEES CALL FOR CLOSURES

health crisis,” O’Neill said in a statement. Research from the Western Values Project and Accountable.US, found that lawmakers helping advocate for the oil and gas bailouts have received $14 million in contributions from the industry. “It’s crystal clear that for these

ith decreased ridership due stay-at-home orders, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) hailed relief in the form of more than $232 million as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed on March 27. Fare collection has been suspended on all buses and trains across the RTD system, and it has implemented other service changes to meet the lower demand. RTD has experienced about a 60% decline in ridership over the last few weeks, providing about 139,000 trips each weekday, compared with 347,800 trips this time a year ago. “The agency is working to quantify the effects the pandemic is having on its ridership and solidify actual ridership figures. For comparison, transit agencies across the United States have reported that they are experiencing a drop in ridership ranging from 45%-80%,” RTD said in a press release. The CARES Act funds do not require a public match, and RTD can spend them on a reimbursement basis: “The funds can be used for any operations costs associated with COVID-19, including expenses related to protective equipment, cleaning supplies, salaries and any other operating costs,” the agency wrote in a statement.

mer employees of the National Parks Service (NPS), says the policy has turned U.S. National Parks into “potential epicenters of coronavirus infections.” Seven NPS employees have tested positive for the virus. The ire expressed by the Coalition is exacerbated by Trump’s meeting with oil and gas executives, outlined above. “This meeting further proves that the current I

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administration ... cares less about America’s public lands, the ongoing health crisis posed by keeping America’s National Parks open, and the National Park Service employees who have been put at risk because of this decision — than they do about their former business partners and friends in the oil and gas industry,” said Phil Francis, executive chairman of the Coalition in a statement. I

Taking stock

Why have gun sales surged in Colorado amid the coronavirus, and why did the state deem gun stores ‘essential’ businesses?

by Matt Cortina

n April 2, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced that it had received 25,468 background checks for gun sales in the previous week — a 227% increase from the same time frame in 2019. It’s indicative of a trend as old as the United States — in times of crisis, be it financial, political, health-related or spurred by gun violence itself — Americans buy guns. That people have bought more guns in less time than almost ever before — the numbers are just shy of sales in the month after the Sandy Hook shooting and Obama’s reelection — is indicative of a widespread belief in Colorado and elsewhere that guns equal security. And the trend sheds light on why the State of Colorado and the federal government have determined gun stores “essential” businesses; that is, they are allowed to stay open, along with grocery stores, hospitals and energy utilities. WHY DO GUN SALES SURGE IN TIMES OF CRISIS? ou’ve likely heard some version of the joke about why Americans bought 1.9 million guns in March: What are you gonna do, shoot the virus? But, of course, the spirit of that joke belies the real fear people have now and the real sense of security they get from owning a gun. Jennifer Carlson, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Arizona, who wrote a book about the social implications of gun ownership, Citizen-Protectors, says buying a gun in a time of crisis is spurred by one of three things: Fear that the government will ban them or they’ll become scarce; a belief

that buying a gun is a political statement; or the fear of social collapse. The gun sale spike during the coronavirus can be attributed in large part to that last idea, Carlson says. “They’re buying a gun because they’re scared of crime,” Carlson says. “What does that mean? It can mean I’m afraid of becoming a victim. It can mean I’m afraid that if I do become a victim, the things that are placed in society like the police won’t be functioning.” Michael Hammond, legislative counsel at Gun Owners of America, one of the country’s largest pro-gun lobbying groups, agrees. “People correctly see that as a result of the coronavirus requirements currently imposed on law enforcement, it’s less likely police would be available to answer the middle-of-the-night 911 call when they hear someone moving on the first floor of their house,” Hammond says. There is merit to some of that argument. In Detroit, for instance, over 150 police officers are off-duty, including the police chief, because APRIL 9, 2020

they’ve contracted coronavirus. “This is already a place that is strapped for policing. When you add coronavirus to the mix, I think that’s where the insecurities are coming from,” Carlson says. But the belief that guns offer protection doesn’t necessarily align with data. There’s plenty of statistics to bear that out — here’s but one: The Annals of Internal Medicine concluded in 2014 that having a firearm in the home, even when it’s properly stored, doubles one’s risk of becoming a homicide victim and triples the risk of suicide. But that’s par for the course, Carlson says. “This is not just gun people, Americans in general do not use stats to inform their feelings about crime,” Carlson says. “Crime can be going down and Americans will say crime is going up.” Carlson points out that’s because crime is localized and uneven — even if national or regional numbers indicate crime is going down, if you’ve had violence or disruption in your community or your home, you’re more likely to feel threatened. And turning to guns in moments I

like these is hardly unprecedented in this country. “Guns have always played a role in how Americans confront insecurity and the unknown. This is not new. The specifics are new and novel and feel like we’ve never been here before, but the fact is this is not historically unprecedented. ... Whether we like it or not, in the U.S., we live in a society with over 300 million guns. When you have a context where people are feeling insecure and the collective security apparatus is on the verge of collapse — whether it’s objectively right or wrong — [guns] are tools at the disposal of Americans.” So guns, data notwithstanding, are viewed as tools for security. And Kris Brown, president of Brady: United against Gun Violence, a gun control advocacy group, says the coronavirus has triggered our collective biological response to threats. “This is to me fight or flight. We’re all human beings and where we go — it’s like being a tiger on the savanna — is to attack or to a place of safety, and so many people, because of NRA marketing ... it’s just the idea of having the gun that gives a sense of security like a blanket to a kid,” Brown says. WHY ARE GUN STORES ‘ESSENTIAL’ BUSINESSES? ederal guidance, though not a mandate, is that gun stores should be deemed “essential” and allowed to stay open even as other seemingly essential businesses shutter or deal with revenue-hampering mandates. That’s the result of a concerted effort by the gun lobby and years of political deal-making. “Our director of federal legislation was negotiating with the White House,” says Hammond of GOA. “He was in the White House, and

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

we knew I think a few days before the [day] that it happened exactly what the White House was going to do.” Some states, like Michigan and Vermont, have deemed gun shops non-essential. Others, like California, have left the decision up to local jurisdictions. Still more have walked back their non-essential designations after lawsuits from the gun lobby. Colorado, with its surging background check numbers, has determined gun stores are essential. When asked why, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment wrote to Boulder Weekly: “We have to balance the needs of the public with public health and safety. None of these decisions are easy. We ask that all Coloradans comply with the order to protect those most vulnerable.” The decision is baffling to some, considering that other Consitutional rights like freedom of assembly and right to a fair and speedy trial are being curbed in order to combat the coronavirus, and as other rights swayed by political winds, like abortion, have been deemed non-essential in some states. “We’re defecating on the entire Constitution,” Hammond says in jest. “That certainly is good news. It makes us feel good that we’re not the only ones that are having all of our god-given rights shredded.” But Hammond adds, not in jest, that personal protection, in the form of gun ownership, is fundamentally essential. “This happens in some form 1.5 million times a year: someone uses a gun or a threat to use a gun in order to avert a crime,” Hammond says. “If you’re the one who is lying there and considering whether you or your family is dead, that’s a pretty essential question.” (The Centers for Disease Control found that guns are used in self-defense between 500,000 and 3 million times per year.) That gun rights advocates have gotten what they want amid coronavirus is the result of a well-organized effort within the gun community that was organized and ready to BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

“If you listen to trustworthy people in

the administration, and by that I mean Anthony Fauci, we will have an immunization against coronavirus, but there is no immunization for that new unloaded and unsecured gun you’ve brought into your home.” — Kris Brown, president of Brady: United against Gun Violence

push for its rights, Hammond says. “I think the gun community has become by necessity a community that is sensitive to impingement on their rights, and we know how to reach them,” he says. “I’m not sure we know how much we can reach people who feel their rights to assemble are being infringed on.” But the motives of that organized community are questionable, Brown, from Brady, says — that it’s more about selling guns than protecting Constitutional rights. “They view it as a sales bonanza. In the meantime the people who are rushing to buy these guns are putting themselves at risk,” she says, citing the long lines of people wrapping around gun shop corners and the lack of appropriate training. But part of the reason why the gun lobby is able to push through initiatives like making gun stores “essential” is because there’s not as organized an opposition, and Carlson says it’s because Americans have ambivalent views about gun I

ownership — about 70% of Americans don’t think we should ban handguns, according to a recent Gallup poll, even though far fewer actually own them. Certainly that number is the result of years of marketing from the gun lobby, but it underscores the fact that the majority of Americans are OK with widespread gun ownership (with the critical caveat that two-thirds of Americans want stricter gun laws). “We tend to think because our political debate is so vociferous on this that the two camps are really defined, but there are a lot of people who are not really sure, so something like this would push them [to gun ownership],” Carlson says. THE LASTING IMPACT egardless of your thoughts on guns, whether they provide security and if they should be deemed essential businesses during the coronavirus, the impact of increased gun ownership is likely to be long-last-

APRIL 9, 2020

ing, Brown says. “At some point in the future, if you listen to trustworthy people in the administration, and by that I mean Anthony Fauci, we will have an immunization against coronavirus, but there is no immunization for that new unloaded and unsecured gun you’ve brought into your home,” Brown says. “The reality is that a gun is much more likely to kill or injure someone in your home than protect them.” And given that statistics indicate guns in homes increase the rate of suicide and homicide, Brown is concerned in a time of job loss and emotional distress that instances of suicide, domestic violence and accidental homicide will increase. “That’s not me being apocalyptic or being a bogeyman. That’s the fact of reality of life in America today,” she says. Complicating matters is that if a background check for a gun sale is not completed within three business days, the sale must proceed. Some states, including Colorado, have told gun stores to delay purchases until background checks are completed even if they go over the three-day limit, but it’s not a mandate. “The whole idea of our background check system is gun stores are the last line of defense to ensure that sale is lawful. We don’t want this transaction to be rushed. They shouldn’t be rushed,” Brown says. And the problem is likely to get worse, Brown says. “The FBI ... has limited resources to conduct the checks. If you’re in a situation where the surge of requests is overwhelming gun stores and the federal and state background check system, that creates a delay or backlog of checks to be processed. When that delay builds up, which it will over time, then some of those checks won’t be cleared within the 72-hour time frame, which means the sale can proceed by definition. It just builds up and every three days, it increases. “It doesn’t matter whether you have a clean record or whether your record is riddled with felonies,” Brown continues. “It’s a big problem.” I

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BOULDER COUNTYâ€™S INDEPENDENT VOICE

CPW proposes plan to increase cougar killing in state for at least the next decade by Rico Moore

plan proposed on March 13 by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) could result in the killing of more cougars. The plan proposes a change in the numbers of individual cougars that can be killed by hunters relative to models of how many cougars could exist in an area. CPW released its draft plan after an increase in cougar sightings and conflicts with people. It is based on an assertion that killing cougars might also boost mule deer populations. Though it doesn’t justify the premise that killing cougars reduces conflict, the CPW states it needs to “further evaluate” it. CPW is proposing the Glenwood Special Management Area (Glenwood SMA) near Glenwood Springs, where it will ask the Parks and Wildlife Commission (PWC), which directs CPW actions, to authorize higher cougar-kill quotas than the rest of the Western Slope. With regard to this area, CPW wrote in an email that, “maintaining a stable lion population in [the SMA] is not a management objective.” A DUBIOUS PREMISE The plan is a result of CPW’s West Slope Mule Deer Strategy, approved in 2014. The plan directed CPW to develop a new cougar management strategy “incorporating mule deer survival considerations.” The strategy also served as justification for the Piceance Basin and Upper Arkansas River predator control plans, which increased the killing of cougars in those areas supposedly to determine if it would increase mule deer populations. While CPW has not released results from either of these publicly funded studies, it does note in its proposed draft plan that “efforts to reduce lion predation impacts to mule deer are likely to be expensive and the effect, if any, is likely to be BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

relatively short-lived.” Some critics assert CPW is more focused on appeasing hunters and ranchers who believe in predator control, especially since much of CPW’s funding comes from the sale of fishing and hunting licenses. “What it’s turned into is wildlife commerce, not conservation,” says Brady Dunne, a cougar advocate and biologist. John Laundré, a cougar biologist, says policies like CPW’s proposed plan actually cause more cougar conflicts than they eliminate. Laundré says game agencies like CPW “have to say, ‘Look, what we’re doing is we’re trying to provide sporting opportunities for a small percentage of the hunters to begin with, and a much smaller percentage of the population ... a hunting opportunity to trophy-kill cougars,’ because there’s no other reason to do it.’” Cougar hunting licenses represent 0.3% of total hunting licence sales. Meanwhile, 36,389 deer were killed by hunters in 2019. CPW states in its draft document that when hunter demand for mule deer is high, cougars can be perceived as competitors, taking away hunting opportunities. However, determining how many deer can be killed by hunters versus cougars, “is not a decision that science can make. It is a value-based decision, which must be left to evaluation in the social, and not biological, realm.” Laundré’s research found that increased cougar hunting has actually been shown to increase cougar populations in some areas and that cougar hunting had no appreciable impact on deer populations. In fact, he found that in some cases, when more cougars were killed, there were fewer deer. THE PROBLEM WITH CALLS The draft plan would also allow for the use of electronic predator I

calls, which is currently illegal. These are small devices that can be operated by hand or remotely, and contain several recorded sounds of prey animals in distress, often paired with a visual attractor, like a shiny object. They’re effective, but the Boone and Crockett Club, a nonprofit that advocates for ethical hunting, does not consider them an example of fair-chase hunting. Electronic calls also make it difficult for hunters to determine the gender of the cougar they kill until it’s too late, which is consequential because maintaining a strong component of adult females in cougar communities is critical to sustainability. Electronic calls are being proposed not only in the Glenwood SMA, but also in the Uncompahgre Plateau and other areas of the state. HUNTING SEASON CPW further proposes adding cougar-hunting seasons in the Glenwood SMA concurrent with other hunting seasons. This would mean the cougar-hunting season would begin Oct. 9, instead of Nov. 18. That would be detrimental according to research by Connor O’Malley and others, who found that “delaying mountain lion hunting until November would avoid the denning period for 85% of dens.” In other words, it could destabilize the cougar population. Increased cougar hunting of adult females has been shown to increase the orphaning of cougar kittens and subadults, who are more likely to either die because they can’t survive on their own or become more likely to attack livestock or people. KILL QUOTAS CPW’s cougar kill quotas propose the percentage of adult female cougars killed be 22% of the total cougars killed annually, and a threeyear average of 17% for all cougars killed by people. These quotas are at the higher limit of what CPW’s own research indicates will cause cougar populations to decline, and therefore APRIL 9, 2020

destabilize cougar communities. CPW researcher Ken Logan found that a 15% cougar kill quota resulted in an actual kill average of approximately 16% of the population, which was subsequently “associated with a substantial population decline in three years.” Despite this, CPW states in an email that its thresholds are “not designed to lead to ‘substantial cougar population reductions’”and that the quotas are backed by numerous citations in the plan. Harvest rates for the first three years, after accounting for humancaused mortality, are likely to be about 11-15%, CPW said. But Logan’s research indicated that an 11-12% cougar kill quota stopped cougar population decline and stabilized that community of cougars. Research from CPW’s Mat Alldredge aligns with Logan’s work, stating, “The ability of individual cougars to learn to exploit these environments with minimal human–cougar interactions suggests that maintaining older age structures, especially females, and providing a matrix of habitats, including large connected open space areas, would be beneficial to cougars and effectively reduce the potential for conflict.” Yet CPW proposes increasing the scale at which kill quotas are determined, claiming that if many cougars are killed in one area, a nearby area will serve as the de-facto source to replenish it. But researchers show this approach may not accomplish population reduction and would alter cougar communities’ age structure and organization, with younger populations of cougars actually preying selectively on mule deer. Public comment on the plan ends April 30, with a public presentation on Facebook on April 16 from 3-8 p.m. The plan will likely be voted on at the PWC meeting on May 6-7 in Grand Junction, though it’s unclear if COVID-19 will push back this vote. Comments can be submitted to the PWC at dnr_cpwcommission@state. co.us. I

Social distancing seen from Space Colorado-based MAXAR Technologies is tracking public spaces as the coronavirus spreads across the world

by Angela K. Evans

APRIL 9, 2020

t’s Monday around noon, and from space BOULDER as seen from space Boulder appears eerily quiet. The red brick of on April 6, 2020. Pearl Street Mall is clearly visible, void of its usual lunch crowd. Broadway and 28th Street are clear of traffic. Cars are difficult to spot, save for a few scattered in mostly empty parking lots. The sports fields around the University of Colorado stand out, vast empty patches of green, despite the warm weather and spring air. It’s April 6 and Boulder is a few weeks into its battle with COVID-19 — most businesses are closed; people ordered to stay home. All over the world, social distancing and quarantine policies seeking to slow the spread of the virus are visible from space. Places usually crowded with people are empty: St. Peter’s Square in Rome was bare on Palm Sunday. Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Tiananmen Square in China and the Piazza del Duomo in Milan appear the same. Airport parking lots are empty, but rental car lots full. Grocery stores are still rather busy. Side streets and city parking lots in Los Angeles are full of cars, but the notoriously busy freeways are clear, signs of commuters staying home. “We’re trying to find what places has life been unchanged. And that’s a tough one,” says Stephen Wood, senior director of the MAXAR News Bureau. “I haven’t really found a whole lot of places like that.” For the last 20 years, MAXAR, based in Westminster, has been sending its low Earth orbit imaging satellites into space and taking pictures all around the world, every single day. There are currently four working

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no place that I don’t think this hasn’t touched at this point. — Stephen Wood, senior director of MAXAR News Bureau

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satellites covering 3 million square THE LOCATION kilometers a day from 400 miles OF Leishenshan Hospital in up in space. Every 90 minutes, Wuhan, China, each satellite makes a full orbit before coronavifrom the north to south, snapping rus, taken on photos as the Earth spins beneath Aug. 3, 2019. The same site is it. Most MAXAR images are capshown below tured between 10:30 a.m. and after construcnoon local time, hoping to take tion, taken on April 4, 2020. advantage of good lighting and minimal clouds that time of day. “On every orbit we have a plan of what images we want to collect. We are constantly adjusting it,” Wood says. “It’s automated to an extent but there’s also manual intervention that will happen when there’s a breaking event or crisis, and obviously we’re dealing with plenty of that right now.” Wood and his team first started tracking the impact of the coronavirus in January in Wuhan, China, although it was a bit tricky, he says, as it’s often cloudy in that part of the world. The city quickly began visibly shutting down, and a strict quarantine was put in place. As the streets emptied, hospitals in previously vacant lots began rapidly appearing to treat the onslaught of sick people, giving the outside world a clear picture of how quickly the disease spread. “The imagery is extremely well suited for monitoring and measuring changes that are happening on the Earth,” Wood says. “Part of our whole premise is to have this imagery available and on the shelf before anybody even asks us to take a picture.” MAXAR has myriad projects it’s regularly working on: tracking geopolitical crises for defense and intelligence partners, base-mapping for autonomous driving vehicles, supporting NASA’s climate change program, and surveying the aftermath of natural disasters to help local and federal officials respond, for example. “We operate on a push-pull system,” Wood says. “Sometimes, it’s something that nobody’s asked us for, but we catch it. It could be something dramatic like crowds or demonstrations or military activity or natural disasters that we happen to catch. ... The other flip side is that we receive requests all the time and so we were constantly juggling those things that we’re pushing out as well as the way that we need to respond to the inbound requests.” Right now, he says, both his team and customers alike are concerned with tracking the economic, social and medical impacts of the pandemic. It seems like the whole world is shutting down for the most part, Wood says. Busy marketplaces in see MAXAR Page 20

APRIL 9, 2020

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Africa have slowed, large populated ABOVE: Palm Sunday at St. Peter’s Square in metropolises in India like New Delhi, Rome on April 13, 2003. Calcutta and Mumbai are showing signs of national lockdown. Miami beaches BELOW: The square were empty late last month despite conwas completely empty on Palm Sunday this cern that spring breakers were going to year, April 4, 2020. flock the area in defiance of national guidelines. Even North Korea has all but stopped its trading of coal and other resources with China, something international sanctions have failed to do. But it’s not just the absence of activity that’s catching Wood’s eye. More testing sites and field hospitals are popping up around the world. Large tents are filling stadiums in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Lagos, Nigeria. Cars are lining up at testing sites outside stadiums in Florida, Maryland and New Orleans. A field hospital recently popped up on the edge of New York’s Central Park, the white geometric shapes appearing as a stark contrast to the green fields on one side and skyscrapers on the other.

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Become More Than Just a Drop in the Bucket “To me some of the more striking ABOVE: A field hospital in ones have been places that I’m super New York City’s Central Park, taken on April 6, 2020. familiar with, like Denver International Airport,” Wood says. “There’s a differBELOW: Downtown Denver ence when you’re seeing something from is completely empty on March 24, 2020. an overhead perspective and then when you’re able to actually walk around on the ground and see that right up close.” During the 2013 Boulder County flood, for example, Wood, who lives in Niwot, would scan the satellite imagery of the floodplain, brown waters swirling through Boulder, Longmont and Lyons. Then he’d go out to help clean up neighbors’ homes, his feet walking around the area he had just been observing from hundreds of miles above Earth. But even the flood doesn’t quite compare to our current moment and the visible changes that can be seen from space. “This is global, there’s no place that I don’t think this hasn’t touched at this point,” he says. “And that makes it by itself more complicated and more expansive than any crisis I’ve ever dealt with before.”

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APRIL 9, 2020

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND

he day the stay-at-home policies were announced in Boulder, Michael Stone was at Whole Foods. He had his new 2-yearold yellow lab, Geo, with him and they were nine days into training with Guiding Eyes for the Blind. But as he was waiting for Melissa Smith, the field rep who was facilitating the training, she called to say she wasn’t coming. In-person contact was no longer advisable. “I was completely and utterly panicked,” Stone says, knowing he somehow had to get from Whole Foods, to his physical therapy appointment back to his cycling shop, Colorado MultiSport on Canyon Boulevard. He took a deep breath and the team started out. “And all of a sudden I got extremely emotional because I realized that I had been walking through these streets with such a degree of fight or flight and under so much stress just getting around town,” Stone says. “You learn to really bond with your dog quickly when you see what they’re doing to keep you safe.” It took Stone a long time to warm up to the idea of a guide dog, afraid that it would mean just another loss of independence. The endurance athlete has competed in more than 200 races, including 17 Ironman competitions, over the last 20 years. He’s an avid cycler and trail runner when he’s not racing, even as he’s had to adapt to gradual vision loss due to a degenerative eye disease. “With any kind of physical challenge, you become very weary of giving up more of your independence,” Stone says. “The idea of having a dog to me meant more dependence, not greater independence. And I couldn’t have been more wrong. She’s a ticket to independence.” After years of resisting, Stone was inspired by friends and colleagues, people like Thomas Panek, the president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, for example. The New York nonprofit trains dogs as companions for people, and it is the only program in the world that trains running guide dogs. Panek ran the New York City Half Marathon in 2019 with a relay team of guide dogs, and it was on the trails where Stone says he first really noticed he needed a guide. Living in Dakota Ridge, Stone has been running the trails in North Boulder solo for years. But as more and more people moved to the area, that all has changed. “There’s a lot to navigate. In the old days when it was just me out there, it didn’t really matter as much, but now it’s heavily trafficked,” he says. “Every day, even the easiest runs were becoming treacherous. I was having all these close calls and I realized that I needed [help].” On Sept. 8, 2003, Stone was first diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, which causes most people to lose their peripheral vision first, slowly moving toward the center. For Stone, his central vision was the first to go, and the dis-

A Boulder six-legged team endurance athlete hopes

to run Bolder Boulder with the help of Geo the dog

APRIL 9, 2020

by Angela K. Evans

ease has been working its way out ever since. “Nothing that can slow it or stop it,” he says. “Basically everything is dependent on how much light and where the light is. The brighter it is, the less I see. I can see close distances and movement at very close distances so we’re talking about a few feet. And that’s generally in an inside controlled environment; outside it becomes a lot less and that distance just seems to be getting shorter and shorter.” The diagnosis was not necessarily a surprise, as Stone had been struggling with his vision since he was about 5 years old. Stone grew up in Chicago, where he says he was terrified of team sports even though he desperately wanted to play. He had a hard time following the ball, once even getting hit in the face with a pitch while attempting baseball. “People just kind of took me as uncoordinated,” he says. “It’s always funny that I’m linked with these super humans that live in Boulder that are Olympians and professionals, but that’s not how I see myself. People assume that I’ve been kind of a jock my whole life and one of those uber athletes. The truth is I identify more with beginners and people who don’t have a tremen-

dous amount of confidence.” As a kid, he buried himself in music, eventually becoming physically active through martial arts, skiing in Colorado with his family and rock-climbing, which brought him to Boulder in 1997. Once he got here, he says, he quickly adapted to the athletic lifestyle, purchasing his first bicycle within a month. His first running race was the 2000 Bolder Boulder. “It was a game-changer for me,” he says. “I’ve done over 200 races since then; nothing compares to that experience.” From there, Stone picked up swimming, quickly becoming a triathlete and competing in his first triathlon in 2001. It was during his first Ironman, six months before his diagnosis, in New Zealand, that his vision problems caught up with him, and he missed a turn in the middle of the race. “I remember the marshal in his awesome Kiwi accent, said, ‘What are you, blind?’,” he says. “And I became really concerned because, for whatever reason, I didn’t see him and I either went straight or left when I should’ve gone right.” By that time, he had already given up skiing (navigating the trees was too difficult) and rock climbing (discerning holds on varying shades of rock became impossible). He wasn’t going to give up triathlons as well. “I learned how to compensate, and I was kind of like the Forrest Gump of the vision-impaired world. I just kept on doing it,” he says. “I wasn’t particularly aware of how I was riding a bike or running or swimming. I just sort of railed my way through things and to some degree still do.” But the vision loss has kept progressing, exponentially, which has huge consequences for Stone and his athletic lifestyle. In 2013, for example, he was racing an off-road triathlon (Xterra) in I

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Beaver Creek when he began bumping into things on his left side, quickly becoming aware of his deteriorating peripheral vision. Now, he’s basically lost all functionality in his left eye and the right one is quickly catching up to it. Since then, he’s mostly raced with human guides, people giving him audible clues to properly navigate courses. For the Ironman and two half-Ironman races he’s competed in more recently, he has to be tethered to a guide and ride a tandem bike, which he doesn’t particularly enjoy. This year, he began Nordic ski racing, competing in the Alley Loop in Crested Butte at the beginning of February. He had plans to also race the American Birkebeiner at the end of February and even his first biathlon, but the coronavirus has cut his season short. Not only were some of these events canceled, he also found out he was finally getting Geo after nearly two years of waiting and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. “I did not want to take any chances of getting sick and then not being able to get her,” he says. Stone got Geo at the beginning of March, already welltrained. “She came to me with nothing but skills and I was the ultimate neophyte. It was me that needed to be trained,” he says. With her guide harness on, Geo can navigate Stone through city streets and mountain trails, adeptly assessing the current situation and adapting in a split second. He used to stick to routes he knew well, but now there’s more freedom to explore other parts of Boulder with Geo’s help. Whereas before, he might wait for several cycles at a stoplight to make sure it was safe for him to enter the crosswalk, now “all of a sudden I’ve got this dog that says, Nope, we’re going.” And she moves fast, keeping pace at about four miles an hour when she’s walking and running a seven-minute mile, Stone says. On the trails, Geo’s trained to run on the left, against traffic so to speak, so that she can easily navigate around other hikers going in both directions. And she guides better than auditory directions from friends, Stone says. But on a normal day, Stone says, he walks about 10 miles from his house to his bike shop and running errands around town. Geo needs to have energy for all that, so he tries to space out running with her, giving her breaks when he can find friends to run with instead. “I want her to have a long, healthy life,” he says. “In the end, we’re a team so I certainly don’t want to run her into the ground.” The plan was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first race by running with Geo at this year’s Bolder Boulder over Memorial Day, but the event has been rescheduled for Labor Day for now. Regardless, Stone hopes to start racing with Geo soon. “It’s been humbling and illuminating all at the same time,” he says. “It’s amazing putting all your trust into these four-legged wonders in an effort to become a six-legged team.” BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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APRIL 9, 2020

He who looks in the crystal ball...

arge-scale crises — like a global pandemic, for instance — have a way of exposing society’s vulnerabilities; like a UV light on a crime scene, our transgressions come into view. This is what COVID-19 has done: It’s shown us our crimes. In the United States, “the system” is broken. Our consumerdriven economy is built on the backs of wage earners who rarely have savings accounts or health insurance. There is no national standard for paid sick leave or a universal income that can fill the gaps when disaster strikes. Millions are homeless as local governments ask us to shelter-in-place. But we’ve been here before. The bubonic plague, smallpox, cholera, the influenza pandemic of 1918, HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS, ebola — the world is no stranger to microscopic wars that lay bare our inequities and prejudice and greed. While looking back on health crises of the past doesn’t give us a crystal ball to the future, it does give us a chance to reflect on who we’ve been, a yardstick by which to measure how much — or how little — we’ve grown. If you ask historians whether we’ve changed, you could sum the answer up as, “Kind of, but not really.” “The kind of tensions that we are living through now, between controlling an epidemic and engaging in economic activity, appear in almost every historical epidemic,” says

Historians can’t predict the future, but they can measure how much we have — or haven’t — grown from our past mistakes

by Caitlin Rockett

APRIL 9, 2020

Elizabeth Fenn, a historian at MEDICS WORE masks to avoid the flu CU-Boulder who focuses on the at U.S. Army hospital, early American West, epidemic Nov. 19, 1918, Army disease, and Native American Hospital No. 4, Fort and environmental history. “If you Porter, New York. look at the cholera epidemics that afflicted East Coast cities, especially New York, in the 19th century, you will see that initially, mercantile interests would try to suppress news of an epidemic. They’d try to do anything they could to keep commerce flowing in order to basically continue economic viability. And eventually there would be enough pressure, thanks to the devastation of the epidemic, that some stores would close down or regulations or quarantine would be imposed, and businesses would have to essentially suck it up for a while. But it happens again and again in these epidemics.” The current president himself took to Twitter on March 22 to proclaim, “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself,” (adding a sense of urgency by writing the message in all caps) the “problem” being a highly contagious, sometimes deadly virus, the “cure” being physical distancing that slows down the economy. History is not on Trump’s side. Research by Sergio Correia and Stephan Luck of the Federal Reserve and Emil Verner of MIT found that during the influenza pandemic of 1918 (the xenophobically dubbed “Spanish” flu), American cities with the highest number of deaths also tended to suffer the most economically in the long run. “The fatality rate was highly dependent on public policies,” The Economist wrote of the study. “The authors estimate that cities which imposed tougher-than-average restrictions suffered 560 deaths per 100,000 people, on I

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average, compared with 730 per 100,000 elsewhere. They also found that governments which implemented stricter policies, such as banning public gatherings and shutting down churches and schools, fared better than those which pursued more lenient ones.” Today, some workers — those deemed essential, like grocery and liquor store employees, not to mention health care workers — face an absurd choice: losing money by choosing voluntarily not to work, or working to pay the bills and risking their health. Speaking with Denverite in an April 6 article, Chris Martinez, head of the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado, said the local construction industry (deemed an essential industry during stay-athome orders in Colorado) is mostly Latino. Research backs this up, with the National Association of Home Builders reporting that immigrants made up one-fourth of the construction industry in 2016. This says nothing about undocumented workers, who often work with no benefits packages, no paid sick leave or health insurance. If these undocumented workers fall ill and cannot work (or if they cannot work because of closures in industries like food service), they are entitled to no money from the recently passed federal stimulus package, even if they’ve paid taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). “In the 1930s Depression, Mexican immigrants get essentially pushed out and really strongly encouraged to leave, including people who have citizen children,” says Vilja Hulden, a labor historian at CU-Boulder. “Certainly that’s something that hasn’t changed all that much.” While the Great Depression was a different type of crisis than our current pandemic, its roots were planted in the flu pandemic of 1918. Susan Kent, a CU-Boulder historian who wrote a book on the subject, explains that the 1929 stock market crash “was a symptom, not a cause, of depression that already existed.” “We had depression in the agricultural sector by 1919 all around the world,” she says. This was partially due to the winding down of the war effort, but Kent believes the death of 50 million people worldwide from the flu epidemic that occurred concurrently with The Great War played a role as well. “I have to think that when you take [50] million people out of the market, out of the consumer market, you probably have a pretty significant impact on the amount of food that’s being purchased,” she says. “We don’t have the data [to back that up], but logic would tell me that the impact [would have been] pretty significant.” We’re still a long ways off from knowing the final BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

that they perceived had infected them, so it became the French disease or the Spanish disease or the Italian disease. Fenn says that during the cholera epidemics in New York and in other cities on the East Coast, Irish immigrants were a particular target for racism and violence. “When [the bubonic] plague erupts in Hawaii and San Francisco in 1900,” Fenn says, “whites targeted the Chinese community and blamed them for bringing plague into their midst. And the thing is, these diseases, they don’t distinguish between ethnicity, they don’t distinguish immigrants from non-immigrants. They are race blind. But they aren’t poverty blind. They do have a predilection for circulating in crowded conditions. That’s the nature of epidemic disease.” Many have projected hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will bring about labor reform, like a national policy for paid sick leave, and work-adjacent policies like a universal income for times of crisis and untethering health care from employment. But Hulden, the labor historian, says that labor-reform progress of the death toll from COVID-19, but we’re already A PERIOD PHOTO past has taken on a two-steps-forwardof a poster issued by seeing its impact on the agricultural industry. one-step-back kind of pace. Alberta’s Provincial Seasonal temporary workers from Jamaica and Board of Health “In 1917 there’s a massive strike Mexico were delayed from traveling to Vermont alerting the public to wave and the [United States] governfor the harvesting season, according to the 1918 influenza ment has to have war production going epidemic. VTDigger. While these workers made it two at the same time,” she says. “So ... weeks later, they still had to subject themselves there is more government support for to international travel during a pandemic. Closer some fundamental labor policy, support to home, in Greeley, health officials are contemfor labor unions, so [workers] don’t strike. A lot of the plating closing the JBS meat packing plant — which progressive reformers at the time, they were excited employs hundreds of Somali-Americans — over health about that. They [felt like] the war [was] an opportunity safety as workers have fallen ill with COVID-19. for us to push through these reforms. While race doesn’t play a role in which industries “But then after the war, what happens? Well, are deemed essential or not, racial inequality is thrown there’s a massive strike wave in 1919 and the represinto stark relief when we see who suffers most during a sion of that is just incredible. The amount of firepower crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. “‘It’s a racial justice and police work that the government puts behind issue’: Black Americans are dying in greater numbers repressing that is quite extraordinary,” Hulden says. from Covid-19,” reads a headline in The Guardian; sim“That continues into the 1920s, and labor’s weakness ilar takes on that theme are found in The Washington in the 1920s of course also contributes to growing Post, NBC News, ProPublica and more. inequality that then contributes to the start of the Great Then there’s blatant racism. “Asian Americans Depression.” describe ‘gut punch’ of racist attacks during coronaviThe Depression, Kent believes, got a helping hand rus pandemic,” wrote PBS; “Anti-Asian hate continues from the 1918 flu pandemic. But she takes that panto spread online amid COVID-19 pandemic,” reported demic’s reach even further into World War II. Al Jazeera. In early 1919, President Woodrow Wilson contractDonald Trump, again during a press conference, ed the flu. The virus was rampant in Paris at the time, referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus.” “This business about blaming others for an epidem- where Wilson was meeting with other heads of Allied ic is predictable,” Fenn says. It just happens every sin- states to negotiate the terms of the peace treaty that gle time. When syphilis erupted in Europe for the first see HISTORIANS Page 26 time in 1493, every country named it for the country I

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APRIL 9, 2020

would officially end The Great War. “The prime minister of Great Britain and the premiere of France are insistent that the peace treaty imposed on Germany be harsh — really harsh,” Kent says. “They want to cut [Germany] off at the knees and never allow them the resources to take Europe to war again.” Wilson stood firm behind the progressive stances he took when he drafted the peace treaty principles in his Fourteen Points: free trade, open agreements, democracy and self-determination. “He resists all the way down the line [France and England’s] attempts to make this a punitive peace [treaty],” Kent says. “And then he gets sick with the flu and he is laid up for roughly a week to 10 days.” “It was a disease called encephalitis lethargica, which occurred after influenza a few years later and then disappeared. [A] sequel to influenza,” historian John Barry told radio station WBUR. “And Wilson got it. He had been standing absolutely firm in the peace conference prior to getting sick. After he got sick, people were saying that they had never seen him like that. He was paranoid. He couldn’t remember an hour later what had been discussed an hour before.” When he emerges from his sick bed, Kent says, he’s in no condition to stand firm against the French and British heads of state. “They impose on Germany this very harsh peace [treaty] that Wilson says to his aide, ‘If I were Germany, I would not sign this,’” Kent says. “And it’s the peace treaty, the first Versailles treaty, that helps to create the conditions in Germany that will give rise to fascism.” These are the types of reverberations that global pandemics can have. I

Today, in the SOLDIERS from Fort Riley, Kansas, ill with United States, influenza at an emerour president gency hospital ward refuses to wear at Camp Funston a mask, saying circa 1918. at a press conference, “I just don’t want to be doing — somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know, somehow I don’t see it for myself.” Will his actions lead to World War III? No one can say, nor can we say definitively that Wilson contracting the flu in 1919 led to the harsh economic conditions that begat World War II. But what historians can say is that leadership has mattered in the past. For three years under President Herbert Hoover, Americans suffered at the onset of the Great Depression. It wasn’t until 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected, that the country began to turn the tide by implementing sweeping social programs and labor reforms. Looking to the future, Kent has a bold, and blunt, statement. “I’ll be crude, and I would ask you to be careful in terms of quoting me here,” she says. “If the Trump administration is reelected and stays in office, we are up shit creek. The government has to be rebuilt and it has to be rebuilt on the backs of people who are knowledgeable, who respect science, who respect individual rights, who are honorable and not putting in place a system that’s designed to benefit them personally. All of this, all of our survival, it seems to me, depends on November.” BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

What to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do...

VIRTUAL EVENTS BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF

If your organization is planning a virtual event of any kind, please email Caitlin at crockett@boulderweekly.com. CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY COMMUNITY CREATIVITY CONTEST – HOME TOGETHER | JUNTOS EN CASA, HOMEWANTED.ORG/GET-INVOLVED/ HOME-TOGETHER-EN

ome Wanted, a collaborative which aims to develop policies to fund affordable housing in Boulder County, is currently hosting the Home Together project — a community-wide creativity contest. Draw. Write. Sing. Cook. Share a story. Choose a format (visual art, storytelling, photography, songwriting, video, multi-media or any means of expression) and use your creativity to share what being Home Together means to you, your family, your neighbors and your community. Collected submissions will be published as a digital community storybook, documenting our shared experience of being Home Together during this uncertain time. Submissions will be unveiled at a Community Facebook Live Ceremony. Submissions are due April 30, with a community unveiling in May. Contact danica@trestlestrategy.com, 303-579-6221.

THEATER BOULDER ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY’S GHOST LIGHT SERIES. ONGOING, AT BETC’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

ETC’s Ghost Light Series is brought to you by staff, members of the artistic ensemble, and friends of the BETC family. The first installation is a two-minute version of ‘OSLO’ — a Tony Award-winning play dramatizing the true-life, back-channel peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization — using a model set and the artistic director’s son’s rubber dinosaurs. It’s a reminder to laugh... and support the arts.

ART LONGMONT MUSEUM VIRTUAL CONTENT:

MUSEUM OF OUTDOOR ARTS GOES VIRTUAL.

he Museum of Outdoor Arts brings its exhibitions to your home with a handful of virtual tours from some of its recent shows including last year’s whimsical, immersive ‘Natura Obscura’; Dorothy and Mel Tanner’s light sculptures from their ‘Then & Now’ exhibit in 2017, Joel Swanson’s linguistic explorations in ‘Polysemic,’ and more. Visit MoA’s website for access to movies from the museum’s film program as well.

DENVER ART MUSEUM ONLINE COLLECTION.

iscovery Days @HOME: Weekly videos that you and your family can watch and craft along with. Designed for ages 2-6 with an adult (just like Discovery Days), but older kids may enjoy them too. These crafts involve supplies most people might already have at home, so you won’t have to go buy anything new. Staff post a new video weekly on the museum’s YouTube channel, youtube. com/c/cityoflongmont. Online historic photo collection: Explore the Longmont Museum’s historic collection online in this searchable database. There are more than 5,000 images you can explore that show what life was like in Longmont throughout history, longmont.pastperfectonline.com.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

360 virtual exhibition tours: Check out 360 tours, which allow you to click to guide yourself through current and past exhibits, move your mouse to look around, and, in many cases, even read the labels. These are best viewed on a computer rather than a phone. The museum will share a new exhibit each Tuesday morning on its Facebook page while the Longmont Museum is closed, facebook.com/longmontmuseum. Thursday Nights @HOME: Facebook Live on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. featuring Art & Sip classes, live music and conversations with curators and artists. Simply visit the museum’s Facebook page at this time to start streaming this live content.

ort through the Denver Art Museum’s online collection via department, collection, culture, locale, country or medium.

GET OUTSIDE

ity of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks has updated its trail map to show which trailheads (historically) have the most use and which ones are wider than 6 feet, maps.bouldercolorado gov/osmp-trails see EVENTS Page 28

APRIL 9, 2020

VIRTUAL EVENTS

EVENTS from Page 27 COURTESY OF LEMON SPONGE CAKE CONTEMPORARY BALLET

MUSIC ETOWN RADIO TAPINGS, ETOWN.ORG/ MEDIA/EPISODES

Town continues to share great music and compelling interviews during stay-at-home orders. Recent episodes include music from The Lil Smokies and U.K. artist Jack Broadbent, plus an interview with 17-year-old climate activist Xiye Bastida. COURTESY FACE VOCAL BAND

THE BIG DREAM COLLABORATIVE CONCERT, 8:15 P.M. FRIDAY, APRIL 10, ZOOM.US/J/255068450

alling musicians and performers to join in and share what you wish, and everyone else to just come and enjoy. This project has expanded from just music to include dance, circus and more. This week’s theme: ANIMAL FARM. Interpret as you will. Theme encouraged for all but not required. Donations welcome and encouraged but not required. All money will be split among the artists who sign up in advance. Message Diana Sabree (dianasabreen@gmail.com) to sign up for a seven-minute time slot.

LEMON SPONGE CAKE CONTEMPORARY BALLET DANCE CLASSES, LEMONSPONGECAKE.ORG

njoy a dance class straight from choreographer Robert Sher-Machherndl’s home to yours. Sher-Machherndl will teach modified ballet, contemporary ballet and an all-levels movement classes. One month of unlimited classes is $65, a block of 10 classes in $80 and a single class is $10.

‘THE GHOST OF FREEDOM’ — A LIVE ALBUM BY SILENT BEAR / KAHLIL KWAME BELL DUO, AVAILABLE ON MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS AND FOR DOWNLOAD AT CD BABY. KIDS ecorded Live at the New York Society of Ethical FACE VOCAL BAND ASSEMBLES A VIRTUAL ZOOM MUSIC WITH AMY — ‘BUNNIES Culture concert hall on Sept. 6, 2019, local CHOIR IN PLACE OF THEIR CARNEGIE HALL musician Silent Bear recently released an EP of AND BARNYARD FRIENDS,’ 9 A.M. FRIDAY, PERFORMANCE, SUBMISSIONS OPEN UNTIL stripped down social justice anthems. APRIL 10, EVENTS.R20.CONSTANTCON“There’s a crack in the liberty bell,” the title SUNDAY, APRIL 12, FACEVOCALBAND. TACT.COM track begins, “Where the ghost of freedom rings / There’s a big white house in the center of town / COM/VIRTUALCHOIR hrough live Zoom classes and videos, Amy

ace Vocal Band was slated to make their debut performance at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall on March 29. The vocal rock group was going to bring a 100-person choir in tow from their Face Academy of Music, but the performance was canceled due to public health concerns and social distancing. So Face came up with a new idea — to pivot and call for a digital mass choir performance. Face is enlisting the help of anybody who wants to participate in a virtual choir video performing the iconic hit “From Now On” from ‘The Greatest Showman.’ The project is for everyone. Singers are encouraged to record a horizontal video in a quiet, well-lit room with the lyrics and arrangement provided by Face. Fans and the general public can record homemade videos holding handmade signs, positive messages, smiles, or whatever they would like to showcase in 15 seconds. Submissions are open until Sunday, April 12. For further instructions and a message from the band, visit: facevocalband.com/virtualchoir.

Where a fallen angel sings.” “In this time of crisis, the healing power of music is very important,” Silent Bear wrote in a statement about the EP. “If this music can ease your mind and soothe your soul for a while then the effort and the expense has been all worth it. I extend my prayers to you for good health and protection in these trying times. May you and your loved ones be safe.”

Haywood entertains and educates youngsters with songs, musical activities, puppets, instruments and movement. Suggested donation is $5 a class, $25 for five classes. The next session begins April 13 and runs through May 1. Register at the link above. For extra information or questions, contact Amy Haywood, missamyh@gmail. com, 303-413-1711.

TINKER ART STUDIO ONLINE WORKSHOPS, CLASSES YOUTUBE.COM/CHANNEL/UCVM7PVH5DFABRICATE BOULDER ONLINE CLASSES, 4 SOCLIAU1PFJD2G P.M. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, FABRICATEBOULinker Art Studio started this YouTube Channel to support homebound families and DER.COM/EVENTS

hursday Knit Nights at Fabricate are now online. Drop-in anytime between 4-6 p.m. to join in on lively discussions, stitch demonstrations, Q & As, and an opportunity to connect with others. Please RSVP at Fabricate’s website.

APRIL 9, 2020

children during the coronavirus pandemic. Watch the videos and follow along to complete art projects, learn some new techniques, work with awesome materials, and enjoy creative time each day.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

BOOKS

BARBED WIRE BOOKS, LONGMONT, BOOKSHOP.ORG/ SHOP/BARBEDWIREBOOKS

THE BOOKWORM, BOULDER, BOULDERBOOKWORM.COM THE BOOKWORM’S doors are closed to the public, but book requests can be emailed to boulderbookworm@gmail.com for curbside pick-up or mail.

JUST BECAUSE this 5,800-square-foot corner of bibliophile heaven isn’t physically open doesn’t mean you can’t still get books from there. Kathe is still in the building from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. to answer your calls with questions and recommendations, and you can mosey over to Bookshop.org (bookshop.org/shop/barbedwirebooks) to buy books from Barbed Wire.

JUNIPER BOOKS, BOULDER, JUNIPERBOOKS.COM /COLLECTIONS/CURATED-SETS-OF-3

GET A CURATED SET of three books sent straight to your door. Sets include topics like self-improvement, book-to-TV collections, dystopian, young adult, new literary fiction, middle-grade fiction, illustrated children’s books, mysteries and of course, pandemics.

INNISFREE POETRY BOOKSTORE & CAFE, BOULDER, INNISFREE-POETRY-BOOKSTORE-AND-CAFE.SQUARE.SITE

PERUSE INNISFREE’S recommended poetry books and then purchase them right from its online store.

HEAVY ROTATION

TRIDENT’S STAY AT HOME BOOKS AND COFFEE MYSTERY BAG, BOULDER, TRIDENTCAFE.COM/MERCH

IT’S A TOUGH TIME for independent businesses, but you can help. For just $50, Trident will deliver a bag of mystery books right to your home. You’ll get four to six used books picked by the staff, based on your general recommendation of styles and genre — plus a bag of coffee or tea, your choice. Books will be delivered via bike to Boulder residents when the weather’s good. Those outside of biking distance only pay a $5 flat delivery fee for U.S.P.S. shipping.

n KHRUANGBIN/LEON BRIDGES —

by ANGELA K. EVANS

“TEXAS SUN” Mixing the psychedelic, global funk of Khruangabin with Bridges’ soul-inspired, R&B lyrics, “Texas Sun” carries us on a whimsical journey through vast open spaces — though they may be inaccessible to us currently.

n BILL WITHERS —

“LEAN ON ME” The world lost a legend on March 30 week when Bill Withers died at the age of 81. But this iconic tune reminds us to reach out and lean on each other in trying times, including the one we currently find ourselves in. n BLACK PUMAS —

n BECK —

“UNEVENTFUL DAYS” Beck’s smooth melody and electric beats carry us through these “neverending days and neverending nights,” especially when, “Everything has changed, but none of it feels right.”

n ALICIA KEYS — “UNDERDOG”

“COLORS” This Austin-based duo reflects on the diversity that unites us all, with their fresh, yet soulful sound, making us want to get up and dance, even if we’re home alone.

Off the forthcoming album ‘ALICIA,’ there isn’t a better time for a quintessential empowerment ballad from this allstar as she implores us all to stand together and “rise up.”

see EVENTS Page 30

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

APRIL 9, 2020

EVENTS from Page 29

1135 13TH STREET BOULDER 720.645.2467

WWW.BOULDERTHEATER.COM 2032 14TH STREET BOULDER 303.786.7030

The Boulder Theater and Fox Theatre will be closed and shows postponed through Monday, May 11th, 2020. Please check our websites regarding new date announcements for postponed shows and any additional updates. All tickets will be honored for new dates. FRI. MAY 15 DAB RECORDS PRESENTS

WHISKEY BLANKET, GRIM&DARLING, JORDAN POLOVINA, AND MORE!

FRI. MAY 15

FOUNDER FIGHTS 5 MON. JUN 1 CHANNEL 93.3 PRESENTS

REEL BIG FISH + THE AQUABATS! FRI. JUN 19 97.3 KBCO, PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS & TERRAPIN CARE STATION PRESENT

RJD2

THUR. JUN 25 BUDDHIST ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS

YUNG PINCH

WED. JUL 8

KRISHNA DAS

FRI. MAY 29

BOULDER LIFESTYLE, GRATEFUL WEB & TERRAPIN CARE STATION PRESENT

97.3 KBCO PRESENTS

THE DIRE WOLVES

PINK TALKING FISH SAT. JUL 11 97.3 KBCO & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT

JEREMY MESSERSMITH

THE JERRY DANCE PARTY

SAT. MAY 30

SUN. JUL 12

BARNS COURTNEY

WILDERADO, CHAZ CARDIGAN WED. JUN 3

TOWN MOUNTAIN MON. JUN 22 CHANNEL 93.3 PRESENTS

THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT FRI. JUL 17 88.5 KGNU & WESTWORD PRESENT

KIND HEARTED STRANGERS

FAMOUS MEN, THE DEER CREEK SHARP SHOOTERS SAT. AUG 15 ROOSTER, PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS, TERRAPIN CARE STATION PRESENT

YHETI

FREQUENT, HONEYBEE, THOUGHT PROCESS

97.3 KBCO PRESENTS

RACHAEL & VILRAY PATRICK DETHLEFS THUR. AUG 6

ANDERS OSBORNE + JACKIE GREENE FRI. AUG 7 97.3 KBCO PRESENTS

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM FRI. AUG 21 - SUN. AUG 23

PINEWOOD CONFERENCE SAT. AUG 29

LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER SUN. SEP 13 COMEDY WORKS PRESENTS

DAVID SPADE MON. SEP 14

BEATLES VS STONES - A MUSICAL SHOWDOWN THUR. SEP 24

HEATHER LAND: I AIN’T DOIN IT SAT. SEP 26

FRI. SEP 4

AUGUSTUS

JOE HERTLER & THE RAINBOW SEEKERS, SUNSHINE MEDLEY

SAT. SEP 12

ARLO GUTHRIE

NOBIDE + BIROCRATIC TELEMETRY, SUNFEATHR SAT. OCT 24 PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS: EXIT / REALITY TOUR

MINNESOTA

EASTGHOST, THELEM, THOOK THUR. OCT 29 97.3 KBCO PRESENTS

THE DIRTY KNOBS WITH MIKE CAMPBELL

LAWRENCE WED. SEP 30

PERFORMS ALICE’S RESTAURANT FOLK UKE

WED. OCT 7

FEAT. STEVE KIMOCK, JEFF CHIMENTI, GEORGE PORTER JR., JOHN MORGAN KIMOCK, AND SPECIAL GUEST TBA SAT. OCT 24 97.3 KBCO PRESENTS

LOS LOBOS

THE DRUNKEN HEARTS SUN. NOV 1

OLAFUR ARNALDS WED. MAR 31, 2021 THE CELTIC CONNECTION, 88.5 KGNU & BOULDER WEEKLY PRESENT

THE HIGH KINGS

WESTWORD PRESENTS

SATSANG

n Allene is 80, a widow, and in love for the first time since her husband died. Then she gets her heart broken. What’s an octogenarian with a broken heart to do? Allene’s story is just one of the many heart-warming, funny tales Charles Duhigg explores in Change Agent. Duhigg wrote a book called The Power of Habit, and ever since, people haven’t stopped coming to him with their problems. In each episode of this limited-run series by the New York Times, Duhigg and his staff find very different problems that ultimately have the same solution, from octogenarian romance to workplace productivity to online shopping addictions, nytimes.com/column/change-agent — CR

SCATTERED n Chris Garcia’s dad was a gentleman. When the Cuban immigrant would meet his son’s girlfriends he would say, “Soy Andres, a tus pies”: I’m Andres, at your service. He taught his son how to play baseball, and his craftsmanship skills rivaled those of MacGyver. In 2007, Andres started to act differently — he forgot names and put household items in strange places. Andres Garcia had Alzheimer’s. He passed in 2017, and his final request was to have his ashes scattered off the coast of Cuba. But there’s one problem: His wife, Chris’ mom, has vowed never to return to Cuba. As Chris tries to put his father to rest, he slowly uncovers a story about a man he wishes he’d known better, wnycstudios.org/podcasts/scattered — CR

TERRIBLE, THANKS FOR ASKING n Have you ever had the burning desire to tell someone the unfettered truth when they ask, “How are you?” If so, this is the podcast for you. Host Nora McInerny — well acquainted with grief after the death of her husband — creates a funny/sad/uncomfortable podcast centered on talking honestly about pain of all sorts: grief, addiction, physical ailments, lost love, embarrassment... if you’re a human on planet Earth, you’ll find comfort in this show, ttfa.org — CR

97.3 KBCO & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT

VOODOO DEAD

FRI. NOV 20

JOEY HARKUM, BOMBARGO

CHANGE AGENT

105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS

97.3 KBCO, BOULDER WEEKLY & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT

THE BEEVES, BOOT GUN, BEN HANNA

n Sure, we know Robin Williams. We know about the drugs and the alcohol, about the divorces and the untimely nature of his death. But wrapped up in all of that tabloid fodder was a man who struggled to feel worthy beyond his most recent achievement, a man with two halfbrothers who still sometimes referred to himself as an only child, a brilliant, complicated, sometimes problematic man whose mind and body were hijacked by a form of dementia. Journalist Dave Itzkoff helps host Kristy Westgard flesh out the life of one of America’s most beloved comics, through the drugs and divorces and successes and commercial flops. Combining interviews with Robin’s family, friends and peers with Itzkoff’s deep research and insights, we get what feels like the truest depiction of a man who’d worked his way into countless hearts, us.macmillan. com/podcasts/podcast/knowing — Caitlin Rockett

MELODY LINES, FRED FANCY

FRI. MAY 22

ERIC HUTCHINSON

PODCASTS

WWW.FOXTHEATRE.COM

KNOWING: ROBIN WILLIAMS

FLOODLINES n Vann R. Newkirk II creates an absorbing narrative about an event many of us think of as a natural disaster: Hurricane Katrina. But the disaster that seemed to start in New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005 started well before the levees broke, and endured long after the wind and rain subsided. Floodlines explores race and class and our relationship with nature. With a pandemic currently enveloping every aspect of our daily lives, this thorough reassessment of the disaster of Hurricane Katrina is a prescient warning: Those who’ve pledged to help us sometimes leave us helpless, theatlantic.com/podcasts/floodlines — CR

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

APRIL 9, 2020

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

TV SHOWS

‘SELF MADE: INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF MADAM C.J. WALKER’ — NETFLIX

NOTHING WILL STOP MADAME C.J. Walker as she tenaciously builds her fortune producing cosmetic and hair care products for black women. The series follows Walker (played by Octavia Spencer) from laundry woman to successful entrepreneur, briefly depicting her early life — the last of six children, and the only one born free. Based loosely on a biography by Walker’s greatgreat-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles, nothing will stop Walker in her pursuit, not the competition from another manufacturer, not society’s definition of beauty, and especially not men. She’ll do anything to leave a legacy for her daughter (Tiffany Haddish) and make Madame C.J. Walker a household name. — AKE

Winner of Best Slice! Order Online at cosmospizza.com WE DELIVER TO GUNBARREL UNTIL 2:30AM EVERY NIGHT!

‘THE MORNING SHOW’ — APPLE T.V.

IN THIS SHARP AND TIMELY DRAMA, a popular broadcast news network is thrown into chaos when one anchor (Steve Carrell) is fired and outed for sexual misconduct. As the network scrambles to right itself, multiple manifestations of the #MeToo movement unfold — women (re)claim and fight over power, men scurry to protect and defend themselves, secrets bubble to the surface, America’s “values” are thrown under a microscope, examined and reexamined. When a new anchor, Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon), fills the empty broadcast seat next to Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston), nothing escapes scrutiny and old rules are thrown out to make space for a reckoning. — Emma Athena

659 30th Street Williams Village Free Delivery 303-447-FAST

‘LINDSEY VONN: THE FINAL SEASON’— HBO

1325 Broadway University Hill Plaza 303-447-1133 (Carry-out or dine-in only. No Delivery)

3117 28th Street North Boulder Free Delivery 303-442-FAST

SINCE YOU CAN’T JUMP ON YOUR own skis right now, you might as well kick back and watch the greatest skier of all time work her icy, highspeed magic in the HBO Sports’ profile documentary ‘Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season.’ The four-time Olympian and World Cup record-holder hurls herself, again and again, down icy slopes at over 80 miles per hour, slaloms with borderline control in between course gates, soars over the crests of small hills, wins and sets records left and right — all as she chases dream after dream. But life and training don’t always go as planned. Over her 18-year career as the U.S.’s best downhill ski racer, Vonn’s ethos has boiled down to a simple message: If you’re knocked down, pick yourself back up, put in the work and come back stronger than ever. — EA

UNORTHODOX — NETFLIX

PLAYING ESTHER, a 19-year-old woman living in an orthodox Jewish community in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, Shira Haas mines the well of emotions that come from the generational trauma of the Jewish people — as well as the trauma of being a woman in a faith that declares their primary function is to birth children. Esther is born into her orthodox life, abandoned by her mother at 3, required to marry a man she doesn’t know at 18, and then bullied by her in-laws when she fails to conceive a child in the first year of marriage. So she makes a bold choice to leave the only world she’s ever known. Primarily in Yiddish, Unorthodox provides brilliant commentary on what it means to be Jewish, female and human. — CR

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE — HULU

CELESTE NG’S BESTSELLING book makes for equally compelling television in Hulu’s adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Set in the late ’90s, the all-American Richardson family is living the suburban dream: four children, large house, few worries. When Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl move into a property owned by the Richardsons, superficially woke Elena Richardson can’t help but pry into the lives of her enigmatic new tenents. Tensions build as the lives of these two families become more and more intertwined, raising questions about what it means to be a “good” mother, the bonds between the family we’re given and the family we want, and whether meaning well is enough to absolve you of your sins against others. Sometimes a bit predictable in plot, there’s still enough emotional resonance, social commentary and ’90s nostalgia in this show to make it worth a watch. — CR

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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

APRIL 9, 2020

MATT CORTINA

TWO BURGERS AND TWO BEERS, $33. The North End at 4580. 4580 Broadway, Boulder, 303-448-1500, northendboulder.com

TRY THIS WEEK:

Two Burgers and Two Beers @ The North End at 4580

Simply put, The North End at 4580 makes one of the best burgers

in Boulder County (in addition to a number of refined new American entrees). As part of its takeout menu, you can order two deluxe burgers — a half-pound patty with hot grilled onions, butter lettuce, tomato and garlic aioli on a fresh brioche bun — with fries and two beers poured from the tap into handy single-serve to-go cups. If you’re looking to dive into those entrees, though, the $80 dinner-for-two option allows you to order one app (maybe cauliflower “wings,” bacon-wrapped dates or quinoa fritters), two entrees (we suggest the braised bison short ribs and farmers vegetable risotta), dessert (we definitely suggest the flourless chocolate torte) and a bottle of wine.

1 n Discount Wine Finds Many local restaurants are opening up their cellars and offering rare wines at massive, absurd discounts for takeout. Here are a few that might whet your appetite. ’14 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, California. Rich in black fruits and seasoned wood, the grapes within were grown on a vineyard started in the 1800s and restored by Francis Ford Coppola. Once $195, now $97.50. Black Cat, Boulder, blackcatboulder.com

’11 Las Moradas ‘Initio’ Garnacha, Madrid. Jammy with a mineral background, and hints of licorice and cocoa. Once $55, now $44. Corrida, Boulder, corridaboulder.com ’15 Proprieta Sperino “Uvaggio” Nebbiolo Blend, Piedmont, Italy. This aromatic 80% nebbiolo blend is grown in a small region in the foothills of the Alps. Once $68, now $44. The North End at 4580, Boulder, northendboulder.com Zenato Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy. A well-rated classic execution of one of the region’s most esteemed wines. Was $44, now $22. Caprese Trattoria, Longmont, capresetrattoria.com

APRIL 9, 2020

n Oskar Blues, Can’d Aid sends water to those in need Longmont’s Can’d Aid — comprised of Oskar Blues, Ball Corporation and Coyote Logistics — recently sent 48,000 cans of water to Food Bank of the Rockies and another 50,400 cans to the Navajo and Hopi COVID-19 relief initiative. The water is particularly critical for those in the Navajo and Hopi communities, as they reside in “food deserts” — there are approximately 10 grocery stores for 180,000 members of the Navajo Nation, and one grocery store for the 3,000 people living on the Hopi Reservation.

BOULDER WEEKLY

Gluten-free in the time of coronavirus

Outrageous Baking making things work with a truly ‘essential’ business for Boulder County

by Matt Cortina

ourteen years ago, Pamela Fletcher was in a position many parents of young children have found themselves in: something weird was happening with her child and she didn’t know what it was. Her daughter was covered in eczema, and not wanting to pump her full of medication, Fletcher started subtracting things from their diet (she was still nursing). Turns out, her daughter had an allergy to gluten and dairy, but when Fletcher looked online for recipes, “there was nothing much” to accommodate their new restrictions. She played around with banana bread and other baked goods, before stumbling upon a gluten- and dairy-free coffee cake from an aunt, and when she tried it in her home kitchen, “It turned out great.” That’s when Fletcher turned her home kitchen innovations into a business — ”the mother of invention is necessity,” she says. Fletcher took her gluten-free quick breads, sliced on a plate, to several Boulder County coffee shops.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

“I brought it into Brewing Market, and the manager there was celiac and was like, ‘Oh my God, we need this,’” Fletcher says. Fletcher and her family were on food assistance and staying home (in an 800-square-foot space) with her daughter meant any extra revenue was welcome. So after word got out about her glutenGRACE LONG free baked goods, Fletcher launched Outrageous Baking, selling sweet breads and eventually brownies and flour mix, all made with gluten- and dairyfree folks (and vegans) in mind. Since, Outrageous Baking has expanded to 30 states, selling mostly in grocery stores, coffee shops, online and at the Boulder County Farmers Market. They’ve grown every year (except one), and Fletcher has done it mostly as a single mom. “I’m really lucky Boulder supported me in a need for a product like this,” Fletcher says. Take a bite of an Outrageous quick bread — chocolate zucchini, pumpkin,

lemon poppyseed — and you realize why it’s been a success. The treats are moist, well-composed and flavor-forward, all feats for gluten- and dairy-free baked goods. “My goal was always to make something everyone would love whether or not you’re gluten-free,” Fletcher says, adding that if her parents in Philadelphia “could like it, I knew it was something everyone could enjoy. I think that’s what led to our success, and we just have a great following of people who appreciate what we do and our commitment to pure ingredients.” Fletcher says the coronavirus has cut her sales in half, but she’s offering delivery of prepared items, including glutenfree flour. She will also have her products available for pickup starting April 15 though BCFM. Providing such products, specifically the flour (made of fine-grained brown rice, sorghum, tapioca, potato starch and xanthan gum), is essential as those with dietary concerns are having a tough time finding ingredients to make food at home. “The population who are allergencompromised, maybe they are unaware of how to get stuff right now,” Fletcher says. “They can go to the store but a lot of people aren’t going to go to the store for something you might need for a comfort food.” And isn’t comfort food what we need right now? Visit outrageousbaking.com to order.

APRIL 9, 2020

Restaurant-hospital partnership exceeds goals

ust one week after the launch of Feed the Frontlines Boulder — a partnership that pays local restaurants to feed frontline workers at Boulder Community Health — the initiative has exceeded its $400,000 funding goal. The program was kickstarted by a group of local philanthropists — Brad Feld, Amy Batchelor, John Goldsmith, Dan and Cindy Caruso, and an anonymous donor — to the tune of $200,000, with an ask for an additional $200,000 from the community. As of press time on April 8, the community has purchased $201,500 worth of meals from local restaurants to be delivered to BCH workers. The initial list of restaurants includes Next Door Eatery, the Big Red F restaurants, Japango, Blackbelly/Santo, Community Kitchen Table, with support from Salt and Frasca. More are expected to join soon, with plans to expand the people receiving meals to those in need at home, and to Denver. Each restaurant supplies 100 meals to frontline workers. To donate meals (the plan is to keep funding coming, with a current goal of $500,000), go to bch.org/ feedthefrontlines.

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Roast 3/4 of the tomatillos in the oven under the broiler until soft and slightly charred (about 10 min.). Then place on counter and cool to room temperature. Once tomatillos have cooled, add all other ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust salt to taste. Bonus: Add 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup chicken stock, heat it up and you have an amazing enchilada sauce.

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Salt’s Roasted Organic Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Almonds and Nutmeg Cream

rom Chef Roy Benningfield of SALT. Make this at home and enjoy a SALT entrée as the restaurant has closed for togo orders for the time being. 2 lbs organic local butternut squash, washed and cut in half 1 lb organic yellow onions, peeled and cut into large dice 1 lb organic carrots, medium diced 4 oz olive oil 2 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp nutmeg 4 oz almonds 8 oz heavy cream Sugar to taste (approx. 1/4 cup) Salt to taste Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash, cut side down, on a baking tray lined with oiled parchment paper for easy cleanup. Roast until tender in the “neck.” Lower oven temp to 250 degrees to toast 34

APRIL 9, 2020

the almonds. Meanwhile, sweat the onions and carrots starting on high heat, then lowering the flame to sweat until softened and not colored. Add 3 quarts of water and simmer. Remove squash from the oven, scoop out the seeds while holding squash with heavy kitchen towel. Scoop out the roasted squash and add to the onion and carrot mixture. Add the cinnamon and half the nutmeg. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Place almonds on a sheet tray and toast in the oven at 250 degrees for 8 minutes, checking every 2 minutes make sure they don’t burn. Let soup cool, then place in blender. Fill the blender only two-thirds full, cover and pulse to start so it doesn’t explode. Continue blending until all the soup is smooth. Finish soup with 3/4 of the cream, salt and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. (The trick to this soup is to create a balance between the salt, the sugar and the spices.) Place the remaining cream and 1 tsp of nutmeg in the saucepan with a pinch of sugar, and bring to a boil. Place the soup in a warm bowl. Drizzle with the nutmeg cream and sprinkle toasted almonds on top. BOULDER WEEKLY

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coming weeks, Virgo. All the hottest action and most valuable lessons will be blooming in the fertile darkness.

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES MARCH 21-APRIL 19: Moses did 40 years’

worth of hard work in behalf of his people, delivering them out of slavery in Egypt. Yet God didn’t allow him to enter into the Promised Land. Why? At the end of his travails, he made a minor mistake that angered God beyond reason. Petty? Harsh? Very much so. I’m happy to say that your fate will be very different from Moses’. Some months from now, when your labors bring you to the brink of your own personal version of the Promised Land, not even a small error will prevent you from entering and enjoying it. And what you do in the coming weeks will help ensure that later success.

TAURUS APRIL 20-MAY 20: Built in the third century B.C., the

Colossus of Rhodes was a monumental statue of the Greek sun god. It stood in the harbor of the island of Rhodes, and was called one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Alas: An earthquake struck the area 54 years after it was finished, knocking it over and smashing it into fragments. Three centuries later, many of the chunks still lay scattered around the harbor. I offer this as a teaching story, Taurus. If there are any old psychological ruins lying around in your psyche, I encourage you to conduct an imaginary ritual in which you visualize throwing those ruins into a big bonfire. Clear the slate for the new beginnings that will be available once the COVID-19 crisis has settled down.

GEMINI MAY 21-JUNE 20: “Argue with anything else,” writes

author Philip Pullman, “but don’t argue with your own nature.” Amen! That’s always good advice for you Geminis, and it will be especially crucial in the coming weeks. A certain amount of disputation and challenging dialogue with other people will be healthy for you, even an effective way to get clarity and advance your aims. (Don’t overdo it, of course.) But you must promise never to quarrel with or criticize your own nature. You should aim at being a radiant bastion of inner harmony and a powerhouse of self-love. Do whatever’s necessary to coax all your different aspects to work together in sweet unity.

CANCER JUNE 21-JULY 22: Like many Cancerians, painter Marc

Chagall cultivated an intimate relationship with his dreams and fantasies. His fellow artist Pablo Picasso remarked, “When Chagall paints, you do not know if he is asleep or awake. Somewhere or other inside his head there must be an angel.” Being a crab myself, I know how essential it is for us to be in close connection with reverie and the imagination. Every now and then, though, there come occasions when the demands of the material world need our extra, focused attention — when our dreamy tendencies need to be rigorously harnessed on behalf of pragmatism. Now is one of those times.

LEO JULY 23-AUG. 22: Is there an influence you’re ready to

outgrow, Leo? Are there teachers who have given you all they have to offer, and now you need to go in search of new founts of inspiration and education? Have you squeezed all possible value out of certain bright ideas and clever theories that no longer serve you? Are you finished with old sources of excitement that have lost their excitement? These are the kinds of questions I encourage you to ask yourself in the coming weeks. It’ll be a favorable time to celebrate the joyful art of liberation — to graduate from what might have been true once upon a time, and prepare for the wide-open future after the COVID-19 crisis has mellowed.

VIRGO AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: Your words of power in the coming

days are simple: deep, low, down, below, dig, dive, and descend. I invite you to meditate on all the ways you can make them work for you as metaphors and use them to activate interesting, nourishing feelings. There’ll be very little worth exploring on the surface of life in the

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

LIBRA SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: Before the COVID-19 cri-

sis arrived, were you ensconced in roles that were good fits for your specific temperament and set of talents? Did you occupy niches that brought out the best in you and enabled you to offer your best gifts? Were there places that you experienced as power spots — where you felt at home in the world and at peace with your destiny? Once you’ve meditated on those questions for a while, Libra, I’ll ask you to shift gears: Meditate on how you’d like to answer similar questions about your life in the future. Once this crazy time has passed, what roles will be good fits for you? What niches will bring out the best in you? What will be your power spots?

SCORPIO OCT. 23-NOV. 21: “Fen” is a word that’s not used much

these days. It means a marsh or a boggy lowland. Decades ago, Scorpio poet Marianne Moore used it in a short poem. She wrote, “If you will tell me why the fen appears impassable, I will tell you why I think that I can cross it if I try.” In my opinion, that’s an apt battle cry for you right now. You shouldn’t be upset if people tell you that certain things are impossible for you to do. You should be grateful! Their discouragement will rile up your deep intelligence and inspire you to figure out how you can indeed do those things.

SAGITTARIUS NOV. 22-DEC. 21: “Goodness alone is never enough,”

wrote author Robert A. Heinlein. “A hard, cold wisdom is required for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.” I think that’s an interesting thought for you to consider during the coming weeks, Sagittarius. If you want your care and compassion to be effective, you’ll have to synergize them with tough intelligence. You may even need to be a bit ferocious as you strive to ensure that your worthy intentions succeed and the people you love get what they need.

CAPRICORN DEC. 22-JAN. 19: Are there any ways in which you

have been wishy-washy in standing up for what you believe in? Have you shied away from declaring your true thoughts and feelings about important issues that affect you and the people you care about? Have you compromised your commitment to authenticity and integrity for the sake of your ambition or financial gain? In asking you these questions, I am not implying that the answers are yes. But if in fact you have engaged in even a small amount of any of those behaviors, now is an excellent time to make corrections. As much as possible, Capricorn, focus on being trustworthy and transparent.

AQUARIUS JAN. 20-FEB. 18: Physicist Edward Teller believed

there is no such thing as “exact science.” And in his view, that’s a good thing. “Science has always been full of mistakes,” he said. But he added that they’re mostly “good mistakes,” motivating scientists to push closer toward the truth. Each new mistake is a better mistake than the last, and explains the available evidence with more accuracy. I suspect that you’ve been going through a similar process in your personal life, Aquarius. And I predict that the good mistakes you’ve recently made will prove to be useful in the long run.

PISCES FEB. 19-MARCH 20: Few astrologers would say that

you Pisceans are masters of the obvious or connoisseurs of simplicity. You’re not typically renowned for efficiency or celebrated for directness. Your strength is more likely to be rooted in your emotional riches, your ability to create and appreciate beauty, your power to generate big dreams, and your lyrical perspective on life. So my oracle for you this time may be a bit surprising. I predict that in the coming weeks, your classic attributes will be very useful when applied to wellgrounded, down-to-earth activities. Your deep feelings and robust imagination can be indispensable assets in your hard work on the nuts and bolts.

Tell me again By David Rawson

I am the tinker-toy derelict in the corn; you are the plucky jalopy in the public pool. I mean to say, meet me in the delicatessen; leave your fender at the bottom. The food court of the mall used to be a tabernacle. There was a metaphor in the ball pit, in the cars crashing into the play area of the new fast food joint, where the four-way stop was replaced with a streetlight. I mean to say, you have one hour until I envelop you, the taste of hours without you on my tongue. We burned from bleach in the hot sun & fled back into the water, prolonging the inevitable when we finally stepped back out. I met you on the beach when I was five; I sang Pretty Woman with my swim shorts to my navel to hide my scars. I went back home to corn & witchcraft called anything but witchcraft. I found you at the Arch three lives later. We did not know who the other was until our thirteenth date, when we both pointed at a TV in a shop window, playing Pretty Woman. We bought the store & made it a bookstore with coffee in the back. Our sons were two crabs named Cuddles & Schadenfreude. To think after all that, we would meet again in the deli near where you skinned your knee. When people ask how we met, we would look at each other & agree on childhood friends. I am in the corn again, remembering the garage in the back of the bookstore, from when this place rented electronics, where we would go to cry when we checked the books & knew it wouldn’t last. Do you agree it’s stupid to slowly crouch away in fear the other will do the same, as if it’s better to make the first move? I had been in Chicago for a doctor’s appointment; we stayed at my aunt’s house. We didn’t have cable, & I didn’t know any movies yet. My aunt noticed I was watching with the sound off & asked, You know that’s a song too? & I asked if she would sing it for me, & I hummed it to myself for two days until the beach when I sang it to you, before we saw a baby shark & everyone left the water. I felt it brush against me. Tell me again about the week after summer school, when your parents took you to the beach after your cat ran away. Tell me again about the time you were driving in the rain & a patch of road was flooded, & you drove into it. Remind me of the books you kept when the store went under. Tell me again what it meant to love when we were defining it together. David Rawson is the author of A Jellyfish for Every Name & Proximity (ELJ Editions). APRIL 9, 2020

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BY DAN SAVAGE Dear Dan: I have a kink/fetish that’s been giving me a lot of anxiety over the last few years. I inadvertently discovered that I’m turned on by big bellies, weight gain, and stuffing. It’s actually been there since I was a little kid, though I didn’t understand it until now. If it’s relevant, I’m a female in my mid-20s, in a heterosexual monogamous relationship. My problem is that I have a lot of trouble getting off without looking at pictures or at least thinking about my kink. I believe the common guidance is, “If it’s not hurting anyone, it’s fine.” But I feel super gross and ashamed. Neither my partner nor myself is large and we both value our health and fitness. I have absolutely no desire to participate in this activity with a real person. Every time I finish masturbating, I feel embarrassed and disgusted with myself. Some part of my brain obviously craves the kink, but the rest of my brain HATES it. I keep telling myself I will stop, but I have such a hard time getting off with other porn (or without porn) that I always return to it. I genuinely enjoy having vanilla sex with my partner. I feel turned on and I have fun. But I’m often not I able to come. It sometimes makes him think he isn’t doing a good job, when in reality he’s doing great and I’m just frustrated with my body. So I guess I’m wondering: Does continuing to watch belly porn reinforce the kink in my brain? Should I stop watching it and force myself to find other ways to come? Should I somehow find a way to embrace the kink instead? —Big Belly Woes Dear BBW: Six years ago I roped Dr. Jesse Bering, author of Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us, into answering a question from a dad who was worried about his teenage son’s sexual interest in Pokémon. (Yes, Pokémon.) Dad wanted

to know if there was anyrealized for ethical reasons, enjoy them thing that could done about through solo or partnered fantasy play his son’s “pathetic” sexual only — is the only realistic option. obsession. Bering That said, some doctors have preexplained that his kid’s scribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibkinks — that everyone’s itors (SSRIs), aka anti-depressants, to kinks — are hardwired. “Nobody knows people who were uncomfortable with their why some people are more prone to kinks. Those drugs don’t selectively eradideveloping unusual patterns of attraction cate kinks, BBW, they crater a person’s than others,” Bering said. libido. Taking SSRIs would ROMAN ROBINSON “But whether it’s a penchant mean sacrificing the vanilla for Pokémon, feet, undersex you enjoy with your wear, or spiders, the best partner on the same altar available evidence suggests with the kink that stresses that some people — mostly you out. I can’t imagine you males — have a genetic want to go down either of predisposition for being these routes, BBW, which ‘sexually imprinted’ during brings us back to embracdevelopment.” ing your kink and coming And once our erotic clean with your partner. imaginations have seized The risk you run telling on something, once we’ve a partner about your kink is imprinted on Pokémon no doubt in the forefront of characters or big bellies or wrestling sinyour mind, BBW, because the conseglets, there’s not much we can do about quences could be immediate, i.e. he might it. Before we’re adults — before we hit dump you. But not telling your partner puberty — our kinks, as Bering put it, are about your kink — and leaving him to “pretty much fixed, like it or not.” wonder why you can’t get off with him but For all we know, the teenage boy with have no trouble getting off alone — isn’t the Pokémon fetish was completely comrisk free either. If he feels inadequate, if fortable with his own niche sexual interhe feels like you’re hiding something from ests. The dad wrote in, after all, not the him, if he feels like he can’t satisfy you… kid. (But if you’re a 23-year-old Pokémon he might dump you. fetishist and your dad routinely invaded So share your kink with your boyyour privacy when you were a teenager friend, BBW, and kinks should always be and heaped shame on you about your presented as crazy and endearing — and kinks, please write in with an update!) But potentially really fun — quirks, not as tragI have heard from people who, like you, edies. You have a thing for big bellies, weren’t comfortable with their own kinks, BBW, you don’t have leukemia. And you BBW, and desperately wanted to know can explore your kinks without gaining what could be done. Most sex scientists weight or stuffing your partner until he and researchers agree with Bering: does. A little big belly dirty talk could help There’s really nothing you can do and you get off with your partner, BBW, and masturbating to the porn that turns you on even the fittest person can push their doesn’t “reinforce” your kinks. You can’t tummy out and create the illusion of a starve out your kinks by refusing to think rounded belly. Have fun! (or wank) about them, BBW, and you can’t pray your kinks away anymore than I Dear Dan: My boyfriend and I live in could pray my gay away. Embracing your San Francisco where we’ve been shelterkinks and exploring them with other coning in place. We are unfortunately unable senting adults — or if your kinks can’t be to shelter together, which means that we

cannot have physical contact, especially since he lives with a parent who’s at heightened risk. (It’s not an option for him to stay with me for the duration.) We’re as frustrated about having to abruptly end the physical aspect of our relationship as you might expect. We go for (distanced) walks during the week, we talk everyday, and we jerk off in front of webcams together but that only goes so far. I was thinking about giving him some of my worn panties for him to do whatever he wants with. My question is this: If I were to wash my hands and be cautious while putting together a pervy care package, is there much of a risk of spreading the virus around by doing this? I’m currently in good health but I know that people can be infected but asymptomatic and we’re being really careful to keep both of our households as safe as possible. Can the virus be spread via pussy juice? —Very Aromatic Gift Dear VAG: COVID-19 hasn’t been detected in vaginal fluids, VAG, so your pussy juice by itself doesn’t constitute a threat. But the virus, which is usually transmitted through the air (by people with the virus coughing, sneezing, or even exhaling), can survive for hours or days on different kinds of surfaces, including clothes. The virus can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard, VAG, which mean it’s the package, not the panties, that are potentially a danger here. If the last person who handled your care package — think the UPS guy who dropped it on his porch — had COVID-19, your boyfriend could wind up exposing himself by touching the box and then his face before washing his hands. But I think you should send him that package — but wear gloves while you pack it, don’t send it overnight (your scent will keep for a couple of days), and make sure your boyfriend immediately washes his hands after opening and discarding the package. Send emails to mail@savagelove.net, follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage, and visit ITMFA.org.

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APRIL 9, 2020

Half of nation’s pot users stocked up for the shutdown By Paul Danish

ile under: “There ain’t no flies on the nation’s stoners.” According to a survey done by a group called AmericanMarijuana.org, 49% of marijuana users purchased extra pot in anticipation of the coronavirus lockdown. The survey covered 990 self-identified stoners. Of those topping up their ganja supplies, 55% said they did so to calm themselves during the epidemic, 22% weren’t concerned about the disease but just wanted to have some pot to chill at home, and 23% feared both the plague and a possible marijuana shortage. Among the 51% that didn’t stock up, more than a third said they weren’t worried about a pot shortage, 29% said they didn’t stock up on anything, and 35% prioritized stocking up on toilet paper, face masks and hand sanitizers ahead of weed. The survey also asked participants which one of several commodities is more important to them than marijuana during the epidemic. Ninety-five percent said food was more important to them than marijuana. (It’s possible the other 5% belong to the minority of stoners who don’t get the munchies when high. It is also possible that the 95% who rated food first were buzzed and chowing down when they took the survey. But we digress.) Eighty-five percent rated hand sanitizers more important than pot; 15% put marijuana first. Eighty-three percent said toilet paper was more important to them than marijuana; 17% rated inhaling ahead of wiping. Seventy-two percent rated marijuana ahead of face masks; 28% put face masks first. And the survey asked participants which of five different activities they would rather do if the federal government imposes a nationwide quarantine. Binge-

watching TV finished first, followed closely by doing hobbies. Smoking weed came in third, ahead of surfing the internet and indoor exercising. (It is widely believed that it is possible to smoke pot and binge watch TV at the same time, but the survey did not explore such “dual use” diversions, or whether getting high made indoor exercise suck less.) Other findings included the percentage of marijuana users who consumed more pot since the coro-

navirus epidemic broke out — 34% — and the percentage of pot smokers who were “worried sick” about the epidemic — 40%. Only 6% of the 990 people who took the survey said they didn’t really care at all about the epidemic (suggesting that there may not be as many clueless stoners as there are sometime made out to be). AmericanMarijuana.org, the survey’s sponsor, characterizes itself as a medical marijuana

APRIL 9, 2020

resources site.

• • • • File under: “Sad news.” The high-CBD marijuana strain Charlotte’s Web was named after Charlotte Figi, a little girl afflicted with hundreds of grand mal epileptic seizures, whose condition wasn’t helped by the existing treatments. Her parents eventually sought out Colorado-based Stanley Brothers, which developed the strain for her. The oil from the Charlotte’s Web strain reduced her seizures to two to three per month. On Wednesday (April 7) KRDO, Colorado Springs reported that Charlotte died of a coronavirus infection. She was 13. • • • • Among the casualties of the coronavirus epidemic are several marijuana campaigns that have been killed off or at least put into a persistent vegetative state. Leading the list is the drive to get the New York legislature to legalize recreational marijuana; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says it is dead for the session. Apart from the unwillingness of lawmakers to focus on marijuana legalization in the midst of an epidemic, several members of the legislature are out after having tested positive for the virus. Also, a petition drive to legalize medical marijuana in Idaho has been suspended, and a petition drive for recreational pot in North Dakota has been put off until the 2022 election cycle. Backers of a Missouri recreational marijuana drive late last month announced there was no practical way they could gather enough signatures this cycle due to the coronavirus lockdowns and the reluctance of people to touch the petition circulators’ pens and petitions.

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