Bitty and Beau’s Coffee: A Social Movement Disguised as a Coffee Shop

By Madelynn Loring, Staff Manager

Colorado welcomed its first Bitty and Beau’s Coffee this past fall. While there are many coffee shops to choose from, Bitty and Beau’s, now open on Pearl Street in Boulder, stands out for a great reason: radical inclusivity. 

Bitty and Beau’s is a coffee chain that started in North Carolina in 2016. Its founders, Amy and Ben Wright, created their coffee shop to combat a very real problem in our communities: over 80% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are unemployed, though the vast majority of them wish to work. Now with over 18 locations across the United States, including the shop in Boulder, Bitty and Beau’s coffee employs adults with I/DD in an inclusive and supportive environment.

Obviously, Bitty and Beau’s is amazing in terms of social justice, but when you are looking for a coffee shop, you are typically more concerned with the coffee, the snacks, and the ambiance. However, I am happy to report that Bitty and Beau’s Coffee exceed expectations on all marks. They offer a wide variety of drinks for coffee lovers, coffee haters, and everyone in between. There are plenty of alternative plant-based and lactose-free milk options as well. They also have a wide variety of tasty snacks to choose from, including cinnamon rolls and a fabulous rainbow bagel.

The best part about Bitty and Beau’s is the community vibes of the shop itself. It is a classy yet cozy spot with plenty of tables and outlets, perfect for study sessions or remote work. The workers, however, are what makes Bitty and Beau’s Coffee the place to be. The customer service is top tier, and you can tell that every drink is made with love. 

One thing to note is that the calling system is a little bit different at Bitty and Beau’s coffee. To make the work accessible to everyone, they use a playing card system to call out when things are ready for pickup. When you order, you receive a laminated playing card. Then when your drink is ready, they will call out the playing card associated with your order. While it is unusual, it is a fun and easy way to pick up your drink (that also protects your privacy.)

Overall, I cannot recommend Bitty and Beau’s Coffee enough. So next time you are looking for a sweet treat or coffee drink that you can feel good about, swing by Bitty and Beau’s Coffee at 1468 Pearl St. Ste 120 in Boulder.

Alexei Navalny: An Exceptional Leader

By Caleigh Montoya, Staff Writer

Alexei Navalny was a Russian opposition leader, lawyer, scholar, anti-corruption activist, and political prisoner. Navalny was Vladimir Putin's main competition for President of Russia. Navalny displayed anti-government demonstrations throughout all of his campaign. Navalny exposed those who were in power that were corrupting his country. Nalvany was a voice for those scared to speak up against their leader. He was unique in the way that he brought all political views together. Liberal, conservatives, and nationalists, all wanted to feel safe and trust their leader and Navalny would give this to them.

Navalny was an exceptional leader who made his way to the top of European politics with his bravery, charisma and fight for his people. What made Navalny special was that he was a human, a man, and wanted to be seen that way, and not seen as a politician. Vladimir Putin was quick to shut down the citizens' love and support of Navalny. In the year following, Navalny was heavily persecuted by the government for speaking up and opposing the government. In 2017, he lost 80% of his eyesight in one eye because an attacker threw an unknown liquid in his face. In 2020, he survived an elaborate poisoning by an assailant on an airplane. These are just recent attacks, but Navalny has had to endure a multitude of violence. 

Putin’s control over Russia has silenced all opposing voices through fear tactics. If these tactics fail, protest participants will be jailed, tortured, or murdered. During the last two decades, Putin has proved himself a ruthless operator. Russia’s violent history coupled with Navalny's perseverance and drive make his political operation very unique. 

Navalny’s fight sadly ended on February 16th, 2024 when the Russian prison said that he had died in their care. Many believe his death was due to an assassination, and not an accident. Navalny’s fight should remind us all to stand up for what we believe in no matter the consequence. His strength should be remembered in that light. 

7 Ways to Practice Peace as A College Student

By Caleigh Montoya, Staff Writer

Finding peace within yourself can be very hard, especially as a college student. Below I have listed 7 daily ways you can practice peace to help manage stress, and to feel some serenity.

1. Meditation: Meditation helps manage depression, anxiety, stress, blood pressure, and pain. It improves sleep, memory, awareness, mindfulness, relationships, relaxation, and attention spans.

2. Breath work: Breath work increases activity, improves focus, helps heal from trauma, improves digestion, increases muscle tone, manages depression, releases toxins, improves self-esteem, strengthens lungs, lowers blood pressure, and increases energy.

3. Gratitude: The practice of gratitude can look different for everyone. It involves recognition of the good things in your life and how they affect your life. Again, this could look like several different things. Practicing gratitude can look like journaling about things that you are grateful for, paying attention to the little things throughout your day, expressing your gratitude to those around you, doing something kind, or giving thanks through prayer.

4. Spiritual Practice: Finding a new spiritual wave or even strengthening your current spirituality is a great way to find inner peace. Spiritual practice can enhance our feelings of self, peace, hope, and meaning.

5. Time in Nature: Time spent in nature reduces our cortisol levels, muscle tension, and lowers heart rates. Nature also generates feelings of positive emotions including calmness, joy, reflectiveness, and can increase concentration. It’s always nice to get out of the classroom, the dorm, or the study room and sit outside for a while.

6. Affirmations: Affirmations are a form of positive self-talk and self-empowerment. When you repeat them and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes. Positive affirmations boost self-esteem, decrease stress, rewire the brain’s thinking, increase productivity and movement, and raise happiness levels.

7. Visualization: Visualization is simple but effective. With visualization, you can prepare for events / goals and have the self-confidence to do exceptionally well. You decide what you want and picture that scene. Visualize this daily and you will be prepared and confident when that vision becomes a reality. This helps with self-confidence, preparation, mindfulness, and positive thinking.

Bill to Support Sexual Assault Survivors

By Caleigh Montoya, Staff Writer

Colorado State Legislature has introduced a bill that aims to protect sexual assault survivors when it comes to what can be presented as evidence during criminal hearings. This would eliminate the victim having a previous relationship with the accused as being legitimate evidence. A big part of this bill is to end victim blaming from entering the system. Victim blaming happens when the victim of a crime is blamed for the crime happening. This regularly occurs in sexual violence cases.

Victim blaming disempowers the victim and makes the victim less eager to come forward and speak up about the crime, especially in sexual assault instances. This also adds to rape culture. Rape culture is an environment in which rape and sexual assault thrive. Rape culture is kept alive through misogynistic discourses, objectification, and the romanticization of violence. 

Examples of rape culture look like:

1. Sexually explicit jokes

2. Allowing sexual harassment

3. Victim blaming

4. Normalizing sexual assault with the use of stereotypes

5. Accusing the victim of false accusations

6. Scrutinizing victims stories

7. Sexual pressure on men to engage sexually and pressure on women to not be a “prude”

8. Teaching women how to prevent rape

How we can prevent rape culture and victim blaming:

1. Avoid objectifying language

2. Speak out if you hear joking about rape

3. If someone comes forward about their experience, validate them

4. Let survivors know that it is not their fault

5. Be aware of victims’ physical boundaries

6. Hold abusers accountable

7. Always communicate and do not assume consent

8. Be an active bystander

Choose to Remember

By Austin Price, Editor in Chief

Do you remember any of it?

Do you remember the sleepovers we had?

The sleepovers where we ate bowls of goop made from popcorn, chocolate, and gummy bears. Barely edible, but yet we loved it.

Do you remember our legs aching after pumping so hard on the swing set? 

Our voices hoarse from screaming at the top of our lungs as we swung back-and-forth and back-and-forth. 

Do you remember the days we spent in the water flapping our feet like a mermaid flaps its tail?

Do you remember the movies we watched? 

The fan bases we followed and the heroes we cheered for.

Do you remember the games we played? 

The games where everything could go wrong, but we still had each other.

Do you remember the movies we made? 

Where we acted as amateur filmmakers making our big debut filming each other on our cell phones. 

Do you remember the ice cream we had? 

The giant bowls of gelato that were so chocolatey they were almost bitter.

Do you remember the walks we went on? 

The ones where we could explore everywhere. 

The ones where nothing held us back and we had no fear of anything. 

Because even if there was something to fear, we had each other. 

Do you remember the stage we acted on? 

Writing, directing and acting stories out, using homemade costumes from fabric scraps and scribbling our lines in faded journals.

Do you remember the puppet shows we made? 

Frayed ribbons knotted against our stuffed animals’ necks, leaving them grotesquely hanging from the hallway banister. 

Do you remember the calls we had? 

Where I interrogated you but yet you never asked about me.

Do you remember when your hearts were broken, but I was there to help you heal the entire time?

Do you remember when I was under attack but yet you never came to my defense?

Do you remember the promises we made? 

The promises that we would stick together forever. 

That you would be my maids of honor at my wedding and that I would be yours. 

That we would be unofficial aunts to each other's children. 

That no matter how old we got, we would still have sleepovers, still watch movies, and still play our silly little games 

I guess you don’t remember any of this. 

And maybe that just means I’m crazy. 

But then again, that beautiful blue house still sits on the street named after the tree. 

Haunted with the histories of our childhood. 

The ones that you’ve chosen to neglect after you’ve neglected me. 

Despite your forgetfulness, I hold onto these memories. 

I grasp tightly, like holding a fishing rod being yanked into the water. 

You’ve been in the depths of the deep end for a long, long time, but I refuse to join you.

I refuse to join you, because I refuse to forget. 

I choose to remember. 

I choose to remember the promises, the songs, the stories, the prayers, the plays, the games, the movies, the food, the swimming, the shows, and most of all, I choose to remember the love. 

So go ahead, forget me. 

Forget how much I meant to you.

Forget the things I did for you. 

Forget the love I gave you. 

But just know that I have and always will choose to remember. 

Music for the Masses: A New Album

By Austin Price, Editor in Chief

Singer / songwriter David W. Jacobsen is an accomplished artist with a menagerie of work to prove it. His latest album, Music for the Masses, was recently released in 2023. With 7 songs, and a listening time of 32 minutes and 54 seconds, Music for the Masses is a mixed genre album that combines humor with contemplation. Jacobsen sings of contradictions, opinions, and reflections through the lens of both a human, and an artist. The album has an unapologetic response to society’s confines and contains explicit topics. However, this raw and somewhat vulgar approach to his music gives Jacobsen an air of authenticity and a tone of realism. According to Jacobsen, “this album is about the contradictions of trying to create music that other people will like that you still like yourself,”. 

David W. Jacobsen was introduced to music at a young age through his friends and family. He began playing guitar in high school. Jacobsen has a unique approach to his music that is based around his understanding of the human digestion of music and tolerance for understanding of art. He explains that he tries to give people something to remember about what they listened to. He says, “Whether it is a lyric, a melody, or a vibe, I try to leave the listener with at least some kind of a hook.  It could be a laugh, a groan, a specific line, or an earworm melody, but I want them to be able to differentiate what they heard,”.  

Music for the Masses starts with a track of the same name. An appropriate opener to the album, the song “Music for the Masses” gives listeners an unfiltered narrative that I’m certain Jacobsen experienced in his own personal reflection. “Music for the Masses” scoffs at the mere idea of creating and recording a track covering the events of the French Revolution, a track that takes slot 5 of the song listing on the album. This song gives a rare view into the creative process of a singer / songwriter and reveals the inner doubts that artists frequently experience. Jacobsen says, “The open track, while clearly satire, is still trying to say something, in the vein of ‘Dance 10, Looks 3’ from the Chorus Line.  I’m going for a bit of humor but also a bit of a middle finger to the world by opening the album with a song that says no one wants to hear a song about the French Revolution and then I include 12-minute prog-rock song about French Revolution or more specifically, the revolutionaries attempt to change how we measure time,”. 

The standout track of the album is Calendrier Révolutionnaire Française. With over 12 minutes of running time and an extensive instrumental opening, Calendrier Revolutionnaire Française is a historical reflection and moral examination of the French Revolution. Jacobsen tells listeners a story in this track and takes us through the intense violence and emotions of a monumental historical event. As someone who’s not particularly interested in the French Revolution, I will say that I certainly learned some things from this 12-minute track. Calendrier Revolutionnaire Française proves to be both entertaining and informative with consistent instrumental backing and easy-to-follow vocals. 

As a self-described indie artist, Jacobsen recognizes that his unusual music may not be for everyone. However, he uses his unique sound to his advantage as an artist and as a storyteller. He highlights contrast and variance in this album, while still maintaining a sense of cohesion between the songs through his sound. Jacobsen’s inspiration for this album comes from an examination of history as he believes that it is hard for artists to always write about themselves and their own experiences. By telling tales of historic roots, Jacobsen is given a never-ending amount of content to pull from. Personally, I hope he covers more historical events in his work as I thoroughly enjoyed Calendrier Revolutionnaire Française and its examination of the French Revolution and the actions of people involved.  

As any artist knows, the job is never done. Because of this, Jacobsen reveals potential projects he’s playing with. He says, “At the moment, I’m working on a collection called “A Tree Falls” which follows from “For Anyone Who Cares to Listen.”  It has less of a cohesive feel and is largely a collection of piano centric ballads.  I also have a collection of songs inspired by works of art that I may do for 2025 depending on whether I’m inspired to do something else,”.  

All in all, I really enjoyed Jacobsen’s newest album, Music for the Masses. As an indie music fan, my interest was immediately peaked by the genre of his music. However, my interest continued to grow as I continued to listen. With his extensive utilization of the piano, humorous and informative storytelling, and personal exposition and artistic reflection, David W. Jacobsen takes listeners on a journey of honesty and enthusiasm in his artistry.  

To listen to Music for the Masses, visit the following links: 

YouTube

Spotify

Pandora 

Apple

Deezer

Click here to explore more of Jacobsen’s work 

Click here to view the lyrics