Have you ever walked around Boulder and spotted something so outrageous that it could be described solely as “Only in Boulder?”
Well, the CUI‘s Chelsea Shettler does and has drawn out some of the funniest things actually seen around town in her weekly comic. If you see anything interesting, hilarious or outrageous take a quick cell phone picture and send it to tips@cuindependent.com.
Contact CU Independent Graphic Artist Chelsea Shettler at Chelsea.Shettler@Colorado.edu
]]>Collins, a 22-year-old senior communications major, was one of seven from the group that went to Heartland Regionals two weeks ago. Left Right TIM took first place in the competition against 14 other collegiate teams, sending them to nationals in March.
Left Right TIM members from left, Rachel Van Gordon, Josh Scott, Nick Collins, Alison Banowsky, Derek Poppe, Corey Garretson and Blair Britt in front. Left Right TIM will be traveling to Chicago to compete against teams from around the nation. (Courtesy Left Right TIM)
Every year, the Chicago Improv Festival holds the College Improv Tournament, which attracts collegiate improv groups from all over the country. This year, 126 teams competed in 16 regional competitions across the country. Of the original 126 groups, 16 will go on to compete in the national competition in Chicago.
Left Right TIM has gone to regionals for the past three years. They got third place their first year, second place the next year, and first this year.
“We’re all super excited [to go to nationals], even the team members that couldn’t come to Kansas City,” Corey Garretson, 21-year-old Spanish and Portuguese major and one of the members that went to regionals, said.
“We’ve kind of set a new benchmark for Left Right TIM, winning regionals, where hopefully we can get to Chicago every year from here on out,” Collins said.
The group made it clear that going to nationals was a win-win situation, regardless of the outcome.
“[Even] if we don’t [win], we saw 15 more of the best groups in the nation bring their own style, and we can only learn from that, and make friendships,” Collins said. “Hopefully these are the people [out there] when we try to do it professionally, when we go to these different theaters in different parts of the United States. It’s these kids – these same people — that we’re going to be running into, that we’re maybe going to be in improv groups with down the line.”
For Left Right TIM, tournaments always mean meeting new people and seeing other improv groups. Although the group does compete, the members like to focus on the non-competitive parts of the festivals.
“I’ve never been to Chicago, really, so I’m just super excited to be there for the weekend and check it out with a bunch of other comedians,” Josh Scott, a 23-year-old english and geology major who also went to regionals, said. “Whether we win or not, I don’t really care. That’s not true, I would love it if we won, but only because that would make the trip that much more fun,”
The improv group has a lot of support in Boulder, which was clearly proven from the updates on their Facebook page to the response to their win at regionals.
“As the seven of us were celebrating by ourselves in the hotel, we kept getting text messages and Facebook updates and stuff,” Scott said. “People were really excited. I think maybe even more excited than we were.”
After nationals, Left Right TIM has two other trips planned for the rest of this semester. The group will head to the Fracas! Improv Festival in Los Angeles in April, and they will road trip through Minnesota, Chicago, and Indianapolis this summer. Collins said the trips let the group focus on networking and learning rather than competing. The festivals also allow each member to work on their individual style.
“We have our own unique spin on improv comedy. I think it’s a really progressive, cutting-edge form of entertainment that’s getting more and more popular, because there are no rules to what you do,” Collins said. “After our performance [at the Fracas! Improv Festival in Los Angeles], people were coming up to us and saying ‘I love this Boulder improv, it’s so cool.’”
The group, which celebrates its four year anniversary later this month, is always looking for new ways to push its potential and innovate its shows. Rather than focusing on competing, the members keep their minds on performing and entertaining their audience.
“Improv being competitive, I think, is completely against what improv comedy is all about. The pillars of improv are supporting and accepting and saying yes and working with others,” Collins said. “When we’re put in a competition, there’s that mindset where you kind of want to be above and better and have a certain type of swagger about you. But my understanding of improv comedy is not at all that.”
Left Right TIM will compete in Chicago on March 10 against 16 other teams from across the nation. Fans can view the live stream on College Improv Festival’s website.
Left Right TIM performs every Friday night in Hale 270 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $3.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ainslee Mac Naughton at Ainslee.macnaughton@colorado.edu.
With many options of places to drink in Boulder, most places tend to have a night of bar specials available. (CU Independent/Josh Shettler)
Thursday:
Pearl Street:
Absinthe House
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Free drinks for ladies until 12 a.m.
The Attic
9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
$3 Fat Alberts
Catacombs
8 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.
$2 well drinks
$2.50 Full Sail drafts
$3 Long Island Iced Teas & Jameson
Old Chicago
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 pints (except rotators)
$2 well drinks
Rio Grande
9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
$4 margaritas
Sundown Saloon
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$1 kamikazes
$3 vodka Red Bulls
Walrus
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Karaoke at 10 p.m.
$1.50 well drinks for ladies
$2.25 select domestic pitchers
The Hill:
The Goose
$1.50 wells until 12 a.m.
2 for 1 Firefly Vodkas
The Sink
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 Jäger shots
$3 Jägerbombs
Friday:
Pearl Street:
Absinthe House
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 wells until 12 a.m.
$3 pints
$3 Jäger shots
$5 Jägerbombs
The Attic
9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
$5 can of Old Style and shot of Jim Beam
Catacombs
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 Shiner Bock drafts
$3 Long Island Iced Teas
Conor O’Neill’s
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$3 O’Dell’s 5 Barrel Pale Ales
The Hill:
The Goose
$3 energy cocktails
$3 Jäger shots
$4 Jägerbombs
The Sink
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$1 wells from 10 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday:
Pearl Street:
Absinthe House
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 wells until 12 a.m.
$3 drafts
$3 Jäger shots
$3 Tuaca shots
The Attic
9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
$4 Long Island Iced Teas
Catacombs
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$2 Long Island Iced Teas
$3 Absolut drinks
$3 Boulder Beer drafts
The Hill:
The Goose
The “Wheel of Fortune” style wheel is spun every 30 minutes to reveal a new special.
Possible specials:
$1 doubles
$1 kamikaze shots
$2 tequila shots
$3 Jägerbombs
The Sink
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$3 wells from 11 p.m. – 12 a.m.
$2 wells from 12 a.m. – 1 a.m.
$1 wells from 1 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Anne Robertson at anne.robertson@colorado.edu.
Hey CU students, I have a question for you: why so quiet?
A sign made by Occupy Cal protestors. Occupy Cal has been in the news recently because of incidents between police and protestors. (CU Independent/Sara Kassabian)
I never knew CU as a politically apathetic environment. Throughout my five years in Boulder, I loved being a part of an energetic, passionate and conscious student body. I loved the protests outside of the UMC. I loved being among students who cared enough to stand up for something they believed in.
Thus, I’m confused about what’s happening — or not happening — on the CU campus.
Maybe that’s because after my own college experience in Boulder, I moved on to law school at UC Berkeley, where the protest spirit is alive. While watching news of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Oakland and police violence, participating in Occupy Cal and again hearing of police violence, I wondered whether the same was happening at my alma mater. It turns out that little is happening at CU. A fledgling Occupy CU took hold yesterday, but few people seem to be joining it or voicing support.
Now, my question is this: why not?
Here’s the thing about social movements in the early stages: they’re ripe for cogent thinking, for idealists, pragmatists, anarchists and capitalists to come together to influence that movement and shape it into something they feel represents them. If you count yourself among the 99 percent, what will you do to shape this movement into one you will join? Or, instead, will you just sit back and wait until the movement evolves to a place where it looks, sounds and acts just like you and it asks nothing in return?
Maybe you’re a critic of the Occupy movement. Most criticisms of Occupy center around two things: its effect and its message. Critics say the movement has no power and no point. But these critics are wrong.
Occupy is a new movement, but it has already caused one major structural change: a significant shift in the public dialogue, away from conservative concerns about the federal debt and toward the more progressive issues that Occupy is focused on, like income inequality.
Blogger David Dayen characterizes this shift as monumental, saying, “The Occupy Wall Street protesters have done more to change the political dynamic in the country in a month than national Democrats have done in 30 years.”
For example, take this summer’s debate about the debt ceiling. In July, as the petty squabbling, heel digging, and finger pointing wore on in Washington, my patience wore thin in California. These politicians, some of whom are my elected officials, weren’t representing me at all. They weren’t representing any of my interests. They weren’t making sure my voice was heard; they were stifling it.
Sure, the debt ceiling mattered, but not this much. Other things mattered, too. I wanted to hear discussion of some — or even one — of the other issues weighing on not just my own shoulders, but also those of my entire generation. I wanted to hear about issues like the skyrocketing cost of college and professional school tuition, or the six-figure student loan debt, non-dischargeable in bankruptcy. I was interested in the increasing role of big money in politics or the decreasing role of government in overseeing the financial sector, or my more-bleak-than-bright employment prospects.
News media didn’t agree. In July, the three major cable news networks mentioned the word “debt” 7,538 times, while tossing in a mention of “unemployment” only 427 times, and “unemployed” a paltry 76 times, according to Think Progress blogger Zaid Jilani.
Then, in September, something happened. A small group of anarchists in New York set up an encampment in the heart of the financial district and called it Occupy Wall Street. Other camps formed across the country, and something changed. Those same three cable networks mentioned “debt” only 398 times over a weeklong stretch in October – a huge decrease from July. Instead, “Occupy,” “Wall Street,” and “jobs” were the new topics of conversation, mentioned a combined 6,394 times.
Instead of focusing on the debt ceiling, news broadcasts focused on the Occupy protests, and the theme underlying the movement: frustration with and rejection of the status quo.
It’s an oft-lobbed criticism of the Occupy movement that its demands aren’t specific. The expression of moral outrage and frustration isn’t enough, and by expressing this moral outrage without also offering concrete policy proposals, the Occupy movement is doomed to fail.
This criticism overlooks a critical element. Before a movement can produce valid, well-reasoned proposals for change, it must first become a movement. If Occupy supporters were to cave in to those criticisms — elect a leader, codify its process, and operate with the formality that they currently are criticized for lacking — then Occupy’s intensity, base of support, and strength would be in jeopardy, because then, it displays the very power structure it critiques.
Instead, protestors should be patient, said Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor and current Berkeley professor.
“With regard to every major social movement of the last half-century or more – it started with a sense of moral outrage. Things were wrong,” he said to a crowd of thousands of protesters on Berkeley’s campus Nov. 15. “The actual coalescence of that moral outrage into specific demands, or specific changes, came later. The moral outrage was the beginning. The days of apathy are over, folks! Once this has begun, it cannot be stopped, and will not be stopped.”
Just like Occupy Wall Street freckled out across the U.S. — becoming Occupy Baltimore, Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Portland, Occupy Denver and Occupy Oakland — I call for the same to happen at CU, and every university with a contingent of students fed up with the status quo. I call on all of us students to occupy the universities we pay for, fight for and live for — occupy, if not with bodies, then with words, ideals and insistence upon change.
Emily Tienken is a former managing editor of the CU-Independent (then Campus Press) and a 2008 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is presently a third-year law student at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall).
Contact CU Independent Guest Contributor Emily Tienken at Etienken@gmail.com.
Gather with friends
Throw your own Thanksgiving dinner party. This is a great way to get everyone together so you don’t have to sit in your room watching “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” by yourself. Choose a house that is big enough to hold your group and one that has a kitchen with enough space to move around. Organize a potluck and ask everyone to bring a dish or a bottle of wine (or sparkling cider for all you under-agers) to share. Read this article for some vegan and gluten-free Thanksgiving recipe ideas.
(Courtesy of DHS Foods)
Fill up
If you’re not up for putting together your own Thanksgiving Day feast, there are a few restaurants around town that host Thanksgiving dinners. Hotel Boulderado is holding a Thanksgiving Buffet on Thanksgiving Day between 12 and 4 p.m. The Buffet costs $37.95 for adults and includes a main course and dessert. Q’s Restaurant will be serving a three-course, fixed-price meal from 3 to 8 p.m. You can also pre-order a full three-course Thanksgiving meal to take home from 4580 for $20 a person. Other Boulder restaurants with Thanksgiving specials include The Greenbriar Inn and the Millennium Harvest House Hotel.
Help others
Put those cooking skills and free time to good use by volunteering with one of Boulder’s many non-profit organizations that cook and serve Thanksgiving dinner for the less fortunate. The Source is looking for volunteers to cook and serve dishes, donate cooking utensils or decorations and help with set up and clean up for their annual Thanksgiving dinner for homeless youth in Boulder.
Veg out
On the other hand, maybe you feel like taking full advantage of this class-free week by relaxing on the couch. This is the perfect time to break out your favorite holiday movies. Check out this list of the “Top 10 Thanksgiving Movies” like the classic “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” with Steve Martin and John Candy and “Home Alone.” If you’re more of a reader, visit the library and get caught up on that long reading list you’ve been putting off since summer. Find more ideas for current reads on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Then, of course, there’s always football and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Natalie Proulx at natalie.proulx@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Multimedia Editor Eric Wang at Jin.wang@colorado.edureporter Jing ge at X.jingge@gmail.com and reporter Yuchen Wu at yuchen1107@gmail.com
]]>Contact CU Independent Multimedia Reporter Erica Lindberg at
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CU Independent photographer Kristy Gustafson explored Fall Fest, an event featuring street performers, vendors, and live music on Pearl St. on Sept. 24, 2011. An all-ages crowd was drawn to the event from kids to college students to senior citizens. She brings back these slice-of-life images.
Click on the first photo to start the slideshow.
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TEDx, an independent version of the TED Talks (available on YouTube), was a conference with 12 speeches and two musical performances about technology, entertainment and design. TED Talks curator Chris Anderson called the independent TEDx events “a conversation about our shared future.”
This notion was evident in all of the talks. Each talk was interconnected and conveyed one common message, summed up in
TEDx host Andrew Hyde makes his opening remarks while a user-created data visualization is displayed behind him. The red graphic behind him represents the traffic on TEDxBoulder's website leading up to the event. (CU Independent/Avalon Jacka)
the program by a quote from Andy Warhol: “They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” Simply put, each presenter asked the audience to do one thing: change the world and do it now.
The evening started out on a heavy note with Leslie Dodson, a Ph.D. candidate at CU Boulder. She discussed the fine line between researching and reporting in developing countries. Daniel Epstein followed with the topic of “Developing Entrepreneurship”, how negative experiences can be the push a person needs to help the world. Despite the weighty subject matter of these two talks, they were both filled with hope for an improved world.
Chef Ann Cooper, director of Food Services for the Boulder Valley School District, riled up the crowd with her stirring speech about improving the food that children eat at school.
“I want to get you guys pissed off,” she said as people laughed and clapped. “We all want to change things, but if you aren’t pissed off, it’s not going to happen.”
Cooper’s speech was filled with hilarious moments and statistics that were enough to make any mother cry. Her passion for her work was palpable, especially when she was shouting sarcastic remarks about her nickname.
“They call me ‘The Renegade’,” Cooper said. “I guess it’s because I want kids to eat broccoli.”
The mood calmed down when Grammy Award-winning Kimya Dawson took the stage. Her rainbow-striped socks brightened her almost severe tone while she sang about taking action rather than acting like you will.
“What do I know?” she said as she took the stage. “I know about being nice and nervous. I know about being brave, so I’m going to sing about that.”
Although Dawson’s lyrics were about social injustices, she kept anger from entering her performance.
Robyn O’Brien, founder of the AllergyKids Foundation, continued the message of action in her discussion on the American food industry’s use of genetic engineering. As a mother of four, she says that she knows that it can be difficult to put ideas into action, but that most times, it is worth the effort.
“None of us can do everything, but all of us can do one thing,” O’Brien said.
The next two presentations were interconnected through passion and learning. Kristen Wheeler told the audience to find their native genius (something that a person is best at) and use that genius to excel in their work. Alex Cruickshank, an early childhood educator, brought this same concept into the teaching sphere and said, “work with the children’s interests rather than fight them.” Because of Cruickshank’s work at her school, TEDx awarded her school a $1,000 check at the end of her presentation.
After the intermission, Jake Nickell, co-founder of Threadless T-shirts, started off the second session. He encouraged the audience to make something every day because what we make is our legacy.
“If your kids ask, ‘what were my parents good at?’ do you want the answer to be ‘watching YouTube videos’?” he said.
Glorianna and Mercina Tillemann-Dick, Denver natives and students at Yale University, had a dialogue about organ donations and the stigmas of an opt-out system. The women brought a bill to the Colorado legislature that they thought would increase organ donations in the state. Although their bill ultimately didn’t pass, they were proud that they had taken a step to change norms, following the theme throughout the evening.
Astronomer Phil Plait discussed why an asteroid impact would cause more economic harm than ecological harm to the world. Rather than scaring the audience with potential 2012 apocalypse theories, he humorously reassured them that Earthlings have a much better chance of avoiding asteroids than the dinosaurs ever did.
The second musical act of the evening, Denver-based folk musicians Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore, were both emotionally and musically engaging. O’Brien’s strong vocals were stunning and Moore’s guitar-playing worked well with her vocal styling. On top of it all, their lyrics perfectly supported the overall theme of the event.
Meteorologist Joel Gratz spoke about new ways to think about predicting weather.
“We don’t need more accuracy [in weather forecasting],” Gratz said. “We need to improve the interface between meteorologists and you.”
While dancing with an apple to “Lady in Red,” Joshua Scott Onysko, founder and CEO of Pangea Organics, discussed the importance of biomimicry, or innovation inspired by nature. Onysko said this could be useful for packaging goods to improve sustainability.
Wrapping up the conference, Kimbal Musk, co-founder of The Kitchen, a restaurant on Pearl Street, examined the necessity of re-configuring the typical restaurant experience. He talked about fitting America’s fast-food culture while also giving consumers a healthier and more sustainable eating experience.
By the end of the night, I was inspired to go out and do something about the issues I care about. The event had done its job. As Andrew Hyde, curator and host of TEDxBoulder, said at the end of his introductory speech, “My job is to get us here [to the conference]. Yours is to bring us forward.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Avalon Jacka at Avalon.jacka@colorado.edu.
A seller describes her wares at the Gypsy Farm Market. (CU Independent/Stephanie Riesco)
This weekend, classic trucks and booths filled with handmade earrings, clothing, and vintage finds lined The Commons at Boulder Junction for Boulder’s first Gypsy Farm Market.
The Gypsy Farm Market is a collaboration of Firefly Handmade and over 80 artisans and vendors. It was created as a seasonal farmers market that boasts hand-crafted specialties from around Boulder. The market is a caravan of indie artisans who came together in ’50s style trailers and booths constructed from reusable wood, cloth, and other materials.
Allison Bozeman, proprietress of Birddog Press and one of the founders of Firefly Handmade, is excited about the ideas and stories the market can bring to the community.
“It’s really about the stories,” Bozeman said. “You can find out about the person who made the things you’re buying from.”
With artisan markets becoming a trend in cities across the country, Firefly Handmade decided to bring the next level of seasonal markets to Boulder.
“Our original vision was to have a caravan of all different goods giving the appearance that it plopped here and will be gone as quick as it came,” Bozeman said.
The vendors participating in the market are local, and all the proceeds go back into their companies and the community.
“We’re trying to support the community, and a benefit of the market is you’re buying local and helping out the community,” Bozeman said.
Specializing in the makings of handmade creations, vendors lined the walls of The Commons on 3390 Valmont Road. Selling products ranging from letterpress style stationary and antique-inspired jewelry, to the vintage findings of a collector, and the enchanting garden aromas of bath and body products.
For students like Kitty Winograd, a junior English major, the market offered a variety of unique items.
“I really love the stamp jewelry and the originality of the artwork,” Winograd said.
The market isn’t the typical straight-from-the garden fresh fruit and vegetable sale one may find in downtown Boulder each week.
Cameron Hunt, a junior biology major, said he enjoyed the fresh approach of the Gypsy Farm Market.
“This is out of the ordinary, it’s a chance to experience something different,” Hunt said. “Everything is handmade.”
This year the market is partnering with the Center for ReSource Conservation to help promote the reuse of materials in art. Doug Yetman, development director for the Center for ReSource Conservation said he wanted the center to be involved in the farm market because of its initiative.
“Many people in our community are finding ways to reuse materials, and Firefly is trying to find people who do just that, which fits right in line with our mission,” Yetman said.
The market incorporated musical guests Ryan Spearman and Hot Club de Rue Pearl and offered refreshments from Tee & Cakes, Crust Mobile and Comida.
“We really wanted to take the artisan market idea to the next level,” Bozeman said. “With the market you get the whole feel of everyone coming together in their trailers and little booths, it really makes your heart sing.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Crystal Anderson at Crystal.anderson@colorado.edu.
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