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The Wrath of Pod
Adam Carolla rants about politics, his record-setting podcast and a certain plant On the cover: Photo by David Marcus
20 A New Landscape? L.A. dispensaries are seeking to self-regulate—before City Hall does! 22 Divide & Conquer New research suggests cannabis may work to treat bipolar disorder. 26 Small Victory A California court dismantles the feds’ favorite eviction tactic. 28 Hit Man Mike Tyson is definitely not a onehit wonder. 32 Pulp Friction Quentin Tarantino’s body of work has always included our favorite plant. 34 The Aging of Reason New research suggests cannabis can protect the brain from the effects of age and disease. 42 Sister Act Haim’s folk-pop ways catch the fancy of fans and critics alike. 44 Full-On Techno Aussie electro duo The Presets have plenty of digital thunder. 46 Faded Fad Audio Push—the rap duo behind jerkin‘—puts the dance move to rest. 50 Divine Music Zola Jesus is Sacred Bones’ latest success story.
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departments 12
Letter from the Editor
Just say no—to your medicine cabinet.
News Nuggets
Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere—and we give you the scoop—Plus our latest By the Numbers
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Let it snow, let it snow . . . in Encarnación, Paraguay!
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Profiles in Courage
Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a patient near you.
Healthy Living
Lanny Swerdlow teaches you how to ask politicians the best health questions.
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Attorney Meital Manzuri dissects Los Angeles’ competing initiatives.
Our ever-popular sampling of amazing strains and edibles currently provided by your friendly neighborhood dispensary.
From the Vans x Metallica 20th Anniversary Half Cab Shoe to the Waka Waka Solar Lamp, if it’s a cutting-edge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it.
Here are the green-friendly things we saw you doing around town.
LEGAL CORNER
Strain & Edible Reviews
Cool Stuff
SHOOTING Gallery
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Destination Unknown
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GREEN SCENE
The Earth-friendly way to make— and stick to—your New Year’s resolution.
Recipes
Let’s honor the spirit of MLK by enjoying culinary contributions from the South.
Entertainment Reviews
The latest films, books, music and more that define our culture—plus Kevin Longrie’s best Liner Notes ever!
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102 | let’s do this 109 | News of the Weird 8 CULTURE • JANUARY 2013
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letter from the editor
Vol 4 IssUE 7
Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Roberto C. Hernandez Editor-In-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
Managing Editor Lynn Lieu
Editorial Contributors
Dennis Argenzia, Ashley Bennett, David Burton, Michael Carlos, Grace Cayosa, Jasen T. Davis, Stacy Davies, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Christopher Glew, James P. Gray, Lillian Isley, David Jenison, Liquid Todd, Kevin Longrie, Dan Macintosh, Meital Manzuri, Bruce Margolin, Jane Mast, Sandra Moriarty, Assia Mortesen, Damian Nassiri, Arrissia Owen, Paul Rogers, Jeff Schwartz, Lanny Swerdlow
Photographers
Truth or Consequences As you might guess, I spend quite a bit of time reading and looking for information about medical cannabis. Many times, I come across things that catch my eyes (President Obama’s “We’ve got bigger fish to fry” comments); things that really make me think (I recently interviewed a family that says a concentrated, non-psychoactive form of the plant saved their father from brain cancer) . . . and sometimes I read about things that really make my blood boil. It was an article with the dramatic headline of “Legal drugs, deadly outcomes.” It’s a startling, frame-by-frame account of doctors who knowingly prescribed legal (I can’t stress that enough) pharmaceutical drugs to addicts and junkies who were addicted to painkillers. In many cases, the doctors were clearly aware that their patients were addicts and/or were lying about injuries and pains so that they could get their prescriptions filled. The result? People died. Many, many people died. And we’re not talking about Tylenol with codeine here, folks. We’re talking about an epidemic of OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax. Out of a total of 3,733 overdose deaths between 2006 and 2011, nearly half (47 percent, or 1,762) were from drugs for which the victim had a legal prescription. At one point, prescriptions from 71 doctors caused or contributed to nearly 300 deaths.
And yet the Drug Warriors and those that fight medical cannabis “tooth and nail” would lead us to believe that a green plant is the true scourge of society. Our patients suffer from real-deal illnesses, diseases and ailments. I’ve interviewed people suffering from Stage 4 cancer. I’ve made friends with people whose lives are crippled by pain and severe injuries. I know people with Crohn’s disease who say a plant that grows out of the ground provides them with precious relief. Do our patients OD? Let’s check the body count . . . nope. And yet those who oppose MMJ would like us to think that cannabis is the source of addiction, health problems . . . and death. Maybe those people need to pop a “reality” pill because the truth is, the real drug danger—like it or not—lies inside the medical cabinet. Prescription painkiller abuse led to a 129 percent increase in emergency room visits between 2004 and 2009, and a more than 500 percent increase in the number of people seeking treatment for addictions to opioids. And yet we have people who still think the biggest enemy to Western civilization is a plant that has been cultivated by the Chinese since Neolithic times. Make no mistake—medical cannabis is real. Our patients our real. Our industry is truly compassionate. And we have the facts and studies to back us up. And if you, President Obama, really have “bigger fish to fry,” then I’ve got just the “reality” pill for you. Don’t worry—it’s legal where I live. c
Steve Baker, Tony Catalan, Bettina Chavez, Kristopher Christensen, Michael Gifford, John Gilhooley, Fausto Gonzales, Roxanne Haynes, Amanda Holguin, Khai Le, Mark Malijan, PJ Russo, Michael Seto
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THE STATE Court: MMJ patient has the right to raise son
In a case that suggests MMJ patients have parental rights just like everybody else, an appeals court has ruled that a Southern California father (identified only as “Paul M.” in court documents) is to be released from mandated supervision that he was subjected to while his son was under his care. The court essentially said that the father’s use of medical cannabis— for knee pain and arthritis—did not constitute a danger to his toddler son, despite such concerns by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and a lower court. The decision is a “victory for parents who use medical marijuana,” Lauren K. Johnson, “Paul M.’s” attorney, told The Huffington Post. The mandated supervision involved drug counseling, parenting classes and random drug tests. An anonymous tip had initially prompted L.A. County DCFS officials to investigate the matter.
ban in Temecula, according to the North County Times. Until the case is heard, Cooperative Patients’ Services—which challenged the ban—will not be allowed to operate in the city. Both MMJ advocates and opponents have expressed hopes the California Supreme Court will clear up prior, contradictory rulings stemming from Los Angeles, Long Beach and Riverside cases. A Supreme Court ruling, for example, could clarify whether or not cities and other local jurisdictions can ban dispensaries, or merely impose zoning restrictions and other regulations. A ruling in the Temecula case is not expected until December 2013, or possibly not until early 2014, City Attorney Peter Thorson told the Times. Temecula passed its ban in 2006.
Riverside County cannabis group: End federal raids, Obama
A Riverside County MMJ group recently issued a resolution urging President Barack Obama to respect voters in Colorado and Washington, who approved measures last November that legalized the use and possession of cannabis for recreational use by adults 21 and older. The Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Riverside County also delivered a copy of the resolution to the
Riverside offices of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Rancho Mirage). And the club’s central committee demanded that President Obama “end the Department of Justice interference and raids by federal agencies in states with medical marijuana laws,” among other requests. The group takes its name from Mary Jane Rathbun, or “Brownie Mary,” a San Francisco nurse and cannabis activist who was famous for dispensing brownies containing cannabis to seriously ill patients.
THE NATION Senate to discuss state cannabis legalization
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) plans to hold a hearing this year to discuss federal policy in the light of Colorado and Washington’s cannabis legalization. In a letter to Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske, the senator asks for clarification on the issue stating, “How does the Office of National Drug Control Policy intend to prioritize Federal resources, and what recommendations are you making to the Department of Justice and other agencies in light of the choice by citizens
of Colorado and Washington to legalize personal use of small amounts of marijuana?” He goes on to ask, “What assurance can and will the administration give to state officials involved in the licensing of marijuana retailers that they will not face Federal criminal penalties for carrying out duties assigned to them under state law?” Leahy finishes his letter urging to “resolve the differences between federal and state law” and to “end the uncertainty.” He recommends the amendment of the Federal Controlled Substances Act to allow possession of up to one once of cannabis where it is legal under state law.
Illinois representative pushes for legalization In the wake of the November election, a member of the Illinois state House of Representatives is pushing a bill to legalize the cannabis for medicinal purposes.
California State Supreme Court to tackle Temecula’s ban The state Supreme Court may end up deciding the fate of a lawsuit challenging a dispensary 14 CULTURE • JANUARY 2013
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U.S. Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) has drafted similar legislation previously, but to no avail. He is confident, however, that he has now secured the votes to approve the legislation when it comes to a vote this month. “Nobody should fear the bill,” Lang told Patch. “This is about quality of life for people.” If passed, Bill 0030 would make Illinois the 19th state to legalize MMJ, including the most recent additions to that list: Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
Arizona attorney ready to fight
Maricopa County Lawyer Bill Montgomery is planning to petition the state Court of Appeals, so that the state’s medicinal cannabis law will be rendered temporarily unconstitutional. According to Arizona Central, his intentions became clear after a Superior Court judge denied Montgomery’s request to stay or suspend the ruling, allowing dispensaries to operate in the state so long as they provide zoning documentation. Arizona has already opened two dispensaries in Sun City and Tucson, with a third licensed for Cochise.
THE WORLD Britain’s Parliament calls for cannabis legalization
After a year-long study, the senior members of Parliament called for the legalization of cannabis. It also suggests looking at decriminalization of drugs such as heroin. The ministers’ recommendation came in a report from Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee. According to the MPs, the UK’s current approach isn’t working. The committee suggests government fund detailed research efforts into “the overall costs and benefits of cannabis legalization,” according to The Sun. The committee also urges Prime Minister David Cameron to set a Royal Commission to review all options before the next election. The year-long study included witness accounts including comic and former heroin addict Russell Brand.
by the numbers
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The percentage of people who think states should determine whether or not to legalize cannabis: 59 (Source: StoptheDrugWar.org)
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The number of deaths in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Diego counties involving prescription drugs between 2006 and 2011: 1,7662 (Source: Los Angeles Times)
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The number of juvenile arrests for simple marijuana possession in California in 2010: 14,991 (Source: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).
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The number of juvenile arrests for simple marijuana possession in California in 2011: 5,831 (Source: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).
The percentage of people who think the federal government should determine whether or not to legalize cannabis: 34 (Source: StoptheDrugWar.org)
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The number of “likes” an Instagram photo of Rihanna holding a large cannabis cigarette generated: 205,000 (Source: The Hamilton Spectator)
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Percentage of people who supported medical marijuana: 83 (Source: CBS News poll)
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The percentage of Democrats who supported legalization: 51 (Source: CBS News poll).
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The percentage of Republicans who supported legalization: 27 (Source: CBS News poll).
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The number of comments an Instagram photo of Rihanna holding a large cannabis cigarette generated: 7,000 (Source: The Hamilton Spectator)
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The fine for cannabis possession (under an ounce) in California: $100 (Source: California Health & Safety Code)
California NORML—which cut its teeth under the name Amorphia when it organized a state cannabis initiative way back in 1972—has been fighting the good fight for decades. And by “good fight,” I mean convincing our government to let responsible adults use a plant for whatever reasons they see fit—be they medical or recreational. Cal NORML was also one of the original sponsors of Prop. 215—so you know it’s got our back! Ready for the next chapter? Join these commonsense crusaders for the “Cannabis in California: Ending the 100 Year War” conference marking the 100th anniversary of prohibition in the Golden State. Among some of the discussions, speeches and panels are “Federal Interference – Will it Continue and Where?” featuring Harborside’s Steve DeAngelo and Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project. Get your learn on.
IF YOU GO
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The difference, in percentage, between these two arrest stats: 61 (Source: Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).
“Cannabis in California: Ending the 100 Year War”
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The number of states that have adopted laws that deny students federal financial aid for one year if they are convicted of cannabis possession: 28 (Source: AlterNet.org).
What: “Cannabis in California: Ending the 100 Year War.” When/Where: Jan. 26-27 at the Fort Mason Center, Conference Center, Building A, San Francisco. Info: Go to www.canorml. org/100years.
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FLASH
Paving a New Way? Two L.A. Initiatives Seek to SelfRegulate—Before City Hall Does! {By Jasen T. Davis} Sixteen years ago, Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, became law in California, allowing patients and caregivers to use cannabis for medical use, providing they had a valid doctor’s recommendation. Since growing cannabis was difficult to do, collectives were formed to help patients acquire their medication safely and efficiently from storefront dispensaries. However, cannabis is still illegal on a federal level, add the fact that Los Angeles’ efforts to regulate dispensaries has been either non-existent or draconian—we are left with a chaotic state of affairs. Some activists are taking matters into their own hands—to counter prohibitionists’ claims that dispensaries are disorganized, unsafe and a hindrance to the quality of life in the City of Angels.
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Last October, the Committee to Protect Patients and Neighborhoods (www.stopthebanla. com) filed its own initiative—The Marijuana Regulation and Control Act—to create a system of selfregulation for dispensary operators before the City Council comes up with yet another oppressive measure of its own—which it is trying as we speak. Yamileth Bolanos, president of The Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance (www.glaca.net), one of the supporters of the initiative, believes that this is the only way to deal with the situation. “We’ve been working with the city for the last seven years,” she says. “We’ve been begging for an ordinance, but they don’t want to work with us because cannabis is still illegal on a federal level.” One key aspect of the initiative is that it would provide limited immunity from legal prosecu-
tion to dispensary operators that followed regulation guidelines and passed sufficient background checks. However, since the initiative only protects dispensaries that have been registered with the city since Sept. 14, 2007, hundreds of other dispensaries would have to close, leaving the remaining number at just over 128. “Limited immunity is a state law that everyone can get behind,” Bolanos says. “Until the Supreme Court makes a decision, we are providing a law that’s on the books that allows dispensaries to stay open and patients to access their medicine in a regulated, clean establishment.” Another initiative—entitled The Regulation of Medical Marijuana for Safe Neighborhoods and
Safe Access—has also been filed. This completing measure seems less stringent than The Marijuana Regulation and Control Act, and it would also supply limited immunity to dispensaries operating according to state guidelines. Cannabis sales would be taxed, and dispensaries would not be permitted to stay open as long as they stay away from schools, ect. Kris Hermes, media specialist for Americans for Safe Access, says he believes that industry regulation is necessary in the absence of any official legislation from the City Council. “It’s been more than five years, and the City of Los Angeles still hasn’t been able to adopt any regulations. Most of the blame can be placed on the city for coming up with unreasonable proposals,” he says. The big difference is that The Regulation of Medical Marijuana for Safe Neighborhoods and Safe Access would maintain the current status quo. “As long as they satisfied the zoning requirements, more dispensaries would be allowed to operate,” Hermes says. “We would like to see as many operating dispensaries as there is a demand being made by patients.” Both initiatives—each targeting the May ballot—aren’t perfect. But something is needed now, Hermes says. “If either of these doesn’t work, I’m not sure what the next option will be,” Hermes says. “We have to have some sort of regulation to move forward from this stalemate so that patients can safely and legally get the medication they need.” c
Patient Protection The Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance, or GLACA, is a group of medical cannabis cooperatives and collectives that banded together voluntarily to protect patients and the community. The alliance has even conducted a “secret shopper” program to determine if local dispensaries are following state regulations as well as GLACA’s own operational and safety protocols. Among these protocols are restriction of membership, careful recordkeeping and public education.
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FLASH
Emotional Response Medical Study Indicates Cannabis May Treat Bipolar Disorder {By Jasen T. Davis}
Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive) is a psychological condition that affects 4 percent of the population in America at one point in their lives. A person with bipolar disorder will experience manic states, where he/ she is euphoric, impulsive, excitable and erratic, followed by depressive states, where he/she sad, negative, irritable and lethargic. Because of these emotional rollercoaster rides that can vary in frequency, duration and intensity, people with bipolar disorder can have many difficulties maintaining jobs and healthy relationships throughout their lives. Proper psychological care—and sometimes pharmaceutical medication—can help sufferers cope with the disease and have normal lives. But evidence now suggests that cannabis may offer help. In a recent collaborative study—“Cognitive and clinical outcomes associated with cannabis use in patients with bipolar disorder”—performed by scientists at The Zucker Hillside Hospital in Long Island, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York researchers determined that the plant could help improve the lives of those grappling with the disorder. The study was recently published in Psychiatry Research Dr. Raphael Braga, of Zucker
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Hillside, led a group of researchers that performed a series of tests on 200 patients suffering from bipolar disorder. Out of these 200, 50 were heavy users of cannabis. The purpose of the study was to compare the results of all the patients’ clinical, neurocognitive tests against each other. The cannabis users’ results were also compared to the other 150 patients. The results? Regardless
of age or gender, patients who used cannabis, when tested for cognitive functioning including attention, processing speed and working memory, showed greater improvement and performed better during the testing than the bipolar patients who did not use the plant. “These analyses indicate an interesting pattern suggesting superior neurocognitive performance
This “data could be interpreted to suggest that cannabis use may have a beneficial effect on cognitive functioning in patients with severe psychiatric disorders.” —Dr. Raphael Braga, The Zucker Hillside Hospital in Long Island
among bipolar patients with cannabis use disorder when compared to bipolar patients without a history of cannabis use,” Braga says. “Moreover, this cognitive advantage is noted in spite of evidence of a more severe clinical course.” Interestingly enough, back in 2010, researchers at the University of Oslo in Norway came up with the same conclusion. In their own study, 133 patients with bipolar disorder who later frequently used cannabis showed improved neurocognitive functioning, including improved attention span, verbal fluency, logic, learning and memory. Clinical research also indicates that cannabis may be useful in treating schizophrenia and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Braga says that there is still a lot of research to be done. Researchers even suggested one possible goal of identifying a method of treatment that mimics the positive effects of cannabis “These data could be interpreted to suggest that cannabis use may have a beneficial effect on cognitive functioning in patients with severe psychiatric disorders,” reports Dr. Braga. “We hope that the results from our study will help guide and encourage future large studies and help further elucidate the multifaceted associations and possible impact of cannabis use in bipolar disorder.” c
How do you know if you have a bipolar disorder? Check with your doctor, but be aware of some of its classic symptoms. Dramatic and unpredictable mood swings is a red flag for mania, according to WebMD. Excessive happiness, racing thoughts—plus anxiety, irritability and suicidal thoughts—are also warning signs of depression.
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FLASH
The Right Ruling A COURT case suggests the feds cannot force landlords to evict dispensaries {By Philip Dawdy} In what has to count as one of the biggest court rulings concerning medical cannabis in California this past year, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled last month that the landlords of Harborside Health Center’s Oakland facility could not evict the world’s largest dispensary. The judge found that Harborside was following the Golden State’s MMJ law and that the landlord has no power to enforce federal law “I think it was tremendous victory,” says Steve DeAngelo, Harborside’s executive director. “The ruling protects Harborside and every other dispensary in California that’s stated its purpose
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on its business license.” California dispensaries have been plagued over the past year with repeated efforts by the state’s four U.S. Attorneys to shut them down by threatening build-
ing owners with seizure of their property unless they kick out their tenants. The method has succeeded in shuttering hundreds of dispensaries in California, particularly in the Los Angeles area. Civil
Paradigm Shift In regards to the Harborside case, one longtime cannabis defense attorney thinks he detects a shift in judges’ thinking. “I see a trend among some judges that they are just fed up with marijuana cases,” says Jeffrey Steinborn, a NORML board member and Seattle-based attorney whose defended cannabis cases for 40 years. “They see what’s hurting society and what isn’t and marijuana isn’t harming anyone. In the old days, they usually put their thumb on the scales of justice against us just because it was about pot. That’s changing. I’m going to take an optimistic posture on this one.”
forfeiture threats have also been used by U.S. Attorneys in Colorado and Washington in recent months as well, resulting in dozens of closures in those states. In Harborside’s case, Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for California’s Northern District, said in a July statement that the move was “part of our measured effort to address the proliferation of illegal marijuana businesses.” By Haag’s yardstick, Harborside was too big to not be illegal under California law, so she would use federal forfeiture laws to fix that. Harborside’s Oakland and San Jose locations made a reported $27 million in revenue in 2011. Last July, Haag’s office began civil forfeiture proceedings against Harborside’s two landlords, who responded with eviction orders. Harborside took their landlords to court and, for the moment, would appear to be able to continue operations in Oakland. In the San Jose case, Harborside recently lost a ruling in that case and will now take it to trial next year. But now it appears there might be a chink in the feds’ approach given the Oakland outcome. If they cannot make threats against landlords turn into evicted dispensaries, then they have to turn to other methods for going after the state’s dispensaries, or maybe even give up. And, if the method doesn’t work in California, then how would it work in Seattle and Denver? We’ll soon know if such optimism is justified. The week after the Oakland ruling Harborside was back in court in a complicated case involving the City of Oakland, the two landlords and the federal government. The feds are trying to stop Harborside from selling cannabis while the civil forfeiture proceedings are underway, the landlords are still trying to evict Harborside and Oakland is asking the judge to force the feds to halt all legal actions against Harborside and others in compliance with state law. A hearing in the case was held on Dec. 20. The judge’s ruling should come early this year. c
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BUZZ
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There are two types of performers that a smart ass is better off not heckling: comedians and ear-biting boxing champs. Nevertheless, the so-called “Baddest Man on the Planet” has had a few such moments with his new one-man show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth. “I was on stage and someone started talking, and I didn’t know what it was,” recalls boxing icon Mike Tyson. “It was someone saying, ‘I’m going to kill you.’ That was on Broadway.” Iron Mike has not had to deliver any Michael Spinks-like takedowns as of yet, but it doesn’t mean he won’t. “It depends on what mood
I am in and how I woke up that day,” he laughs. “I might do one of those rock ’n ‘ roll dives out into the audience. You never know.” In reality, a Tyson 2.0 has emerged that seems more inclined to avoid conflict. In recent years, the notorious fighter has returned to the spotlight with appearances in The Hangover movies, Entourage and the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen, among others. Upon seeing Chazz Palminteri’s acclaimed one-man production of A Bronx Tale, Tyson found his new calling. He wanted to emulate that same format but with his own largerthan-life tale. The autobiographical Undisputed Truth debuted last April
with a six-day run at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and followed with a Broadway production in August. His wife Kiki Tyson wrote the show, and Spike Lee directed it. Following these two successful runs, a national tour was announced. “It is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions, my life, when I explain the story,” says Tyson of Undisputed Truth. “I am sure people understand about loss and victory and triumphs and mistakes and heartbreak—everything you have to experience to be a complete human being and to function in this world.” Tyson also made sure the show didn’t gloss over any of his worst moments.
He continues, “My wife, who wrote it, tried to sugarcoat it at first. I had to explain that the people know this guy, not the guy you fell in love with. She had to write it down as I explained it to her, the kind of guy I was back then.” Tyson even compares the one-man show to stepping into the ring. “I have the same anxieties, the anxiety of failing,” says Tyson. “Whether it is a fighter or an entertainer, when his name gets announced, the only person he hears is the person who is not applauding. He does not hear the 50,000 who are. The doubt, the fear of being a failure is there.” c www.tysononbroadway.com
“Biggest Regret”
Mike Tyson racked up an impressive 50 professional wins, but it would have been 51 if the boxer didn’t test positive for cannabis following his TKO of Andrew Golota. During the conversation, Tyson says he had smoked to calm his nerves before the Detroit-area fight in 2000, admitting he did not expect Golota to quit after just two rounds. Tyson has a long history with cannabis, even saying in 2010 that his “biggest regret” was not smoking with old pal Tupac Shakur, who was murdered in 1996 after the Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. When asked about a new Mike Tyson strain of medical cannabis, he even corrects the record by stating, “There has always been a strain called Mike Tyson, even when I was fighting in Baltimore.”
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BUZZ
Unchained Reaction Quentin Tarantino’s new hit . . . sounds very familiar {By David Jenison}
Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino smoked cannabis in France. At least that is what the famed director told Howard Stern during an interview in 2009. Apparently, Pitt even handed Tarantino a Coke can to use as a smoking device after giving him a chunk of hash. Fans of the Tarantino-penned True Romance would say that sounds familiar. In honor of Tarantino’s new hit Django Unchained, we compiled a list of the top cannabis scenes from his films, starting with Mr. Pitt’s sweet inhale: In True Romance, the perpetually stoned Floyd (Pitt) smokes cannabis out of a homemade bong crafted from a Honey Bear bottle. We’re not saying this helped Pitt’s career, but he did follow with the star-making Interview with a Vampire. “I’m carrying the weed in one of those little carry-on bags,” says Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) in a classic line from Reservoir Dogs. He was describing how he nearly got busted taking a marijuana brick into a train station. In the same Reservoir Dogs scene, Mr. Orange recalls the great cannabis drought of 1986 when “people were living on resin . . . smoking the wood in their pipes for months.” Pulp Fiction features a Bruce Willis/Ving Rhames scene in a pawnshop (think Deliverance) in which all the clocks are set to 4:20 p.m., a subtle reference to 420. “Tell me again about the hash bars?” asks Jules Winnfield (Samuel Jackson) in a classic Pulp Fiction scene with Vincent Vega (John Travolta), who had just returned from Amsterdam. Remember when George Clooney & Co. first entered the Titty Twister in the Tarantinopenned From Dust Till Dawn? The house band, Tito & Tarantula, is playing “Angry Cockroaches” with the oft-repeated charge to “fumando marijuana.” Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) is a reoccur-
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ring character in Tarantino films who utters multiple cannabis references, including this From Dusk Till Dawn gem: “Them damn burritos ain’t good for nothing but a hippie, when he’s high on weed.”
Ordell Robbie (Jackson) calls two characters “a couple of Cheech and Chongs” in Jackie Brown. Bridget Fonda and Robert DeNiro play these characters meaning that, yes, the Raging
I don’t need pot to write, but it’s kind of cool.
Bull hits a bong on screen. In that same scene, Robbie lectures Melanie Ralston (Fonda) that smoking too much will rob her of ambition, to which she responds, “Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV.” Lastly, enjoy these words of wisdom from Ms. Ralston to Louis Gara (DeNiro): “Coughing’s good! It opens up the capillaries. You know, when you cough you’re pulling in air, or in this case, smoke, into parts of the lungs that don’t normally get used. So, coughing’s good, it gets you higher.” Tarantino said he doesn’t smoke on the set, but in an interview for the December issue of Playboy, he offered up this creative tidbit: “Say you’re thinking about a musical sequence. You smoke a joint, you put on some music, you listen to it and you come up with some good ideas. Or maybe you’re chilling out at the end of the day and you smoke some pot, and all of a sudden you’re spinning a web about what you’ve just done. Maybe you come up with a good idea. Maybe it just seems like a good idea because you’re stoned, but you write it down and look at it the next day. Sometimes it’s f@#king awesome.” Tarantino, who had recounted smoking cannabis at a rave on the Great Wall of China in an earlier Playboy interview, adds, “I don’t need pot to write, but it’s kind of cool.” c
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BUZZ
Vital
Function New research suggests cannabis compounds can slow the degeneration of brain functions {By Jasen T. Davis} The usual stereotype perpetuated by the mainstream media, modern entertainment and government-sponsored propaganda is that if you ingest cannabis, your brain will fry like an egg in a hot pan. As this narrative dictates, we would certainly never expect that any living thing afflicted with a degenerative brain condition could possibly improve its condition after being exposed to cannabis. But that may not be the case. Dr. Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, of the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn in Germany, conducted a scientific study that indicates cannabis might be effective for maintaining normal brain functioning in mice suffering from degenerative brain conditions caused by old age and disease. The study, “The endocannabinoid system in normal and pathological brain aging,” was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, the oldest scientific journal in the English-speaking world. Bilkei-Gorzo’s study found that when the cannabinoid systems in healthy mice were activated, an antioxidant type of “cleanse” resulted, which removed damaged brain cells. This also enhanced the mitochondrial function within the brain cells, resulting in more efficient cognitive functions than before.
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Mice—particularly white albino lab mice—are frequently used in laboratory experiments because of the species’ genetic similarity to humans. In previous experiments performed on mice by others, synthetic versions of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been used to stimulate cannabinoid receptors, leading to regenerative results similar to Bilkei-Gorzo’s study. Laboratory mice that have been genetically bred to lack cannabinoid receptors have shown rapid, degenerating brain functions as they age, specifically as a result of damage done to the hippocampus, an area responsible for memory and other vital functions. Eliminating certain cannabinoid receptors “leads to early onset of age-related memory decline, similarly affecting both reward and aversion-driven learning,” Bilkei-Gorzo wrote regarding other mice-cannabinoid experiments conducted prior to his own. Previous studies have also suggested that cannabis can play a
role in healing the damage done to the brain from disease and old age by reducing inflammation. This is of great interest to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses that can affect brain tissue. “Cannabinoid system activity is neuroprotective,” Bilkei-Gorzo says. Using cannabis compounds “could be a promising strategy for slowing down the progression of brain aging and for alleviating the symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders,” he adds. Another scientist involved in Bilkei-Gorzo’s study, Dr. Gary Wenk of Ohio State University, comments, “I’ve been trying to find a drug that will reduce brain inflammation and restore cognitive function in rats for over 25 years; cannabinoids are the first and only class of drugs that have ever been effective. I think that the perception about this drug is changing and in the future people will be less fearful.” Naturally, more research—on humans, preferably—needs to
Cannabis compounds “could be a promising strategy for slowing down the progression of brain aging and for alleviating the symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders.”
be done. Even the abstract for the study acknowledges this: “In preclinical models of neurodegenerative disorders, cannabinoids show beneficial effects, but the clinical evidence regarding their efficacy as therapeutic tools is either inconclusive or still missing.” c
Being Mindful Aging is a fact of life—and
it affects our brains, too. Once you pass 60, it’s not uncommon to experience declines in concentration, focus, judgment and memory. This may also signal the onset of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Also, as we age our brains decrease in weight and volume, likely the result of a loss of neurons and brain fluid. Keeping your brain busy as you get older (sign up for a class, learn something new, take up a new hobby) can help keep those nerve cells healthy. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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BUZZ
Cannabis may not be the only organic substance with health benefits. Psilocybin mushrooms—you may know it by a more popular names: magic mushrooms or shrooms— have been shown to contain an active compound that may be a treatment for anxiety in terminal cancer patients and help with addiction. While rumor has it that the mushroom may have been used since prehistoric times—they’ve been depicted in rock art—and that many cultures have used it in religious rites, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) has been studying a synthetic version of the active psychoactive compound in the mushrooms: psilocybin. While the studies are not complete, early research in the ’50s and ’60s showed that it might help fight addictions and ease end-of-life fears, according to a recent Time.com article. Today, scientists have treated over 150 volunteers in 350 drug-trial sessions. According to the article, “like previous psychedelic experimenters, today’s volunteers often report profoundly mystical experiences” and in some studies have reported after use that they no longer considered themselves as overly anxious or worried people. Currently, the studies on tobacco addiction and alcoholism have just begun with encouraging results. c
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BUZZ
Colorado and Washington cannabis users, you can relax . . . for now. In the first public airing of his views since these two states approved measures legalizing the use and possession of cannabis by adults 21 and older, President Barack Obama said he had “bigger fish to fry” during an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC News. “It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it’s legal,” he told Babs. But the presidents’ statements sound vaguely familiar . . . remember how back in 2008 Obama made an election promise not to “use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state laws about medical marijuana”? What ever happened to that? In any case, the Prez acknowledged the age-old conflict that continues to hamstring cannabis rights for patients and caregivers across this country: state MMJ laws and the federal government’s Controlled Substances Act do not see eye to eye. “This is a tough problem, because Congress has not yet changed the law,” Obama told Walters. “I head up the executive branch; we’re supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we’re going to need to have is a conversation about how do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it’s legal?” Methinks we’re going to need more than “a conversation” about this, Obama. c
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BUZZ
In a state that legalized medical cannabis 12 years ago—and tried to legalize it for recreational purposes in 2010—this should come as no surprise: an academic institute devoted to the plant. Again, not surprisingly, the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research is located at ground zero: California’s primo cultivating region. The institute—located at Humboldt State University—“seeks to improve the economic, social, physical and environmental health of individuals and communities through the interdisciplinary scientific study of marijuana,” according to its website. The First Annual Speaker series kicks off this month with Dr. Monica Stephen (of Humboldt’s Department of Geography) and her “Data Shadows of the Underground Economy” talk slated for Jan. 29. c
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TUNES
Sibling
Riffery
The three sisters in Haim are just maintaining a family tradition
{By Liquid Todd}
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are all asked to name their three favorite artists. And when I say Este (bass), Danielle (vocals, lead guitar) and Alana (guitar, keyboard) come from a musical family I don’t mean their parents liked music and there were a couple of old guitars laying around the house. Their father put drumsticks in their hands when they were only 3 months old and they all can play the drums. “On weekends it was all practicing. We called it ‘Haimtime.’ Saturday and Sunday. We couldn’t hang out with our friends,” Este recounts. “We had a super-close family and our dad was, like, ‘Why would you want to hang out with your friends when you have sisters. Why would you leave when you have sisters to hang out with in the house?’” And they played together—
Say What?
You can stop searching for that perfect three-Jewish-sistersfrom-the-Valley band because Haim is here and it is—quite simply—a whole lot of fun. The group plays catchy, retro rock with great skill and seem to throw itself into pretty much every situation with an infectious mix of anything-goes enthusiasm and spit-take humor. I got a chance to talk to Haim in New York City and instantly fell in love with these three California girls who charmed my socks off without breaking a sweat. The Haim sisters are from a very close-knit, musical family that doesn’t seem to have the usual sibling rivalries and petty disputes—especially when you consider how much time they spend together. Also, most musical acts with siblings or teenagers are cloying and contrived but Haim come off as genuine and un-manufactured which seems to have caught the attention of its growing legion of fans as well as cynical, jaded music journalists like me. And I’m not the only one who has noticed. The girls just made the BBC’s Sound of 2013 list—voted on by UK music writers and industry insiders who
“Dear Denver: I’ll be seeing you lots more often this year . . . “ —Kevin Smith, @ThatKevinSmith
and not just in the living room. With dad on drums, mom on guitar and the sisters playing everything else they started touring with their family band, Rockinhaim, when Alana (the youngest) was only four and kept at it for almost 15 years. “We performed about once a month. Our first show was at Canter’s deli,” Alana says. “We played all covers—songs our parents loved . . . like the Eagles.” In the five years since their split from the family (which Danielle jokingly describes as “amicable”) the Haim sisters spent some time apart—Este graduated from UCLA and Danielle toured with Julian Casablancas from The Strokes—but in 2010 they came back together to record their first EP, Forever, which they released as a free Internet last year. Haim’s major label debut on Columbia is scheduled for a spring release. “We just started writing our own songs and we found out that it was really fun,” Danielle says. “We’d never really tried it before because we had this band with our parents and we were playing all these cover songs that we just grew up to love.” c haimtheband.com
Big Score
The
The video for the band’s first single, “Don’t Save Me,” alternates between the Haim sisters performing the song and playing a three-onthree basketball game on a darkened court with three huge guys who can dunk and aren’t afraid to throw a few dirty elbows. Hilarity—and a bloody nose or two—ensue. Trying to decipher the latest video invariably leads us to wonder if mind-altering substances were involved, but the girls of Haim claim to not indulge, although they don’t hesitate to state their support for legalization. “I pass on grass . . . I pass it to my friends. I’m diabetic and it just makes me get the munchies so I can’t do it,” Este says. “It’s fine though,” Danielle says. “It’s a plant. It comes from the ground. If you’re responsible. Do it.”
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TUNES Only the Best
For his CULTURE interview, The Presets co-founder Kim Moyes shared his views on cannabis, saying he supports MMJ. “If you need it, I guess. I’m sure it can calm a lot of people’s nerves and also probably split a lot of people’s personalities. Everything in moderation!” In fact, The band’s crew grew curious about things it had heard about the Golden State’s cannabis. “Someone in the crew was telling me that California has the best [cannabis] in the world. Is that true?” Yes, it’s true, Kim.
All the Right Moves Electro duo The Presets loves to scare us with “kids gone wild” {By Liquid Todd} Sydney-based duo The Presets recently returned to America to tempt dance floors and alt rock-radio playlists alike with its third studio album, Pacifica. After touring for a couple years after the release of 2008’s Apocalpyso, the band decided it wasn’t in a hurry to get to work on a follow-up album. “We kind of finished touring the last record and we’d been touring for about five years straight really so we kind of wanted to have a couple months off,” said co-founder Kim Moyes. “We had kids. We moved houses. We built studios. A lot of things were going on. Then we kind of got back to it. You can’t force these things.” For The Presets’ first single in four years the band decided to release techno-stormer “Youth In
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Trouble,” its take on the media’s obsession with trying to scare the crap out of adults with images of “kids gone wild.” Moyes calls it a “stadium track loaded with irony.” “We really wanted to write a full-on techno track and I’d been deejaying this song a few years ago called “Total Departure” which used this audio trick called a Shepard tone,” Moyes says. “We wanted to bring that into a song.” Named after the Californian cognitive scientist who invented it, Roger Shepard, a Shepard tone is a sonic barber pole; a tone that seems to go up (or down) infinitely without actually going anywhere. “So we wanted to do something like that technically,” Moyes continues. “And a few things were going on in the media like the London riots and the typical thing
about how we should be scared of the kids of today—how they’re doing all these crazy things. We just thought it would be pretty fun to poke some fun at the media’s portrayal of the ‘youth in trouble.’” Modular Records has already released the second single, “Ghosts,” which comes with a well-executed trance remix by Adrian Lux and a whimsical bossa nova version by German producer Senor Coconut. Both mixes feature the line “lost my minds in streets of neon” an idea which seems very much a part of this new album. After finishing Pacifica, The Presets spent a few months putting its live show together before hitting the road on a national tour of its native Australia. “We took a couple of songs from the back catalog we remixed
and reworked them,” Moyes says. “Kinda bringing them up to date and spicing them up a bit.” Maybe it’s because the duo takes its time making albums, producing only three in eight years, that it spends so many months on the road supporting them. The band toured for almost five years straight before the last break that preceded the making of Pacifica. “It has its positives and negatives but it’s fun.” Moyes says. “We’ve been touring for a few years now so we’ve got friends all over the worlds. So we get to catch up with them and go to all our favorite restaurants and stuff like that.” Since the band last played American electronic dance music has truly exploded, taking over the mainstream. Fronting a band that has long straddled the worlds of rock and dance has given Moyes a very thoughtful attitude about EDM’s current heights. “These things come and go all the time and we’ve been doing this for long enough to see a few of these things come and go,” he explains. “And it’s all well and good I guess. We just try to stay focused on following our own path and stay true to our own elements.” c www.thepresets.com
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TUNES
New Moves Inland Empire duo Audio Push moveS past the jerkin‘ craze {By Yensil Chung}
Its jerkin‘ days are over, but the Inland Empire’s very own Audio Push still gets down to serious business: making quality music. Despite its recent rise to fame, the group has stayed true to its roots—as shown with the recent release of new mixtape Inland Empire. Group members Oktane and Price Tag show off their versatility as artists with headbopping beats and sick flows, a total 180 from Audio Push’s 2010 hit single, “Up N Down.” Not content to rest on two major hits, Inland Empire is the group’s most ambitious release so far. Group members Oktane and Price Tag give CULTURE the inside scoop behind the IE, their relationship with hit-maker Hit-Boy and cannabis. Who is Audio Push? Oktane: Audio Push is two kids who came out of the IE making amazing music. There’s no real image that we want to project except for fact that we have any lane of music that we choose to have. If we want to make any kind of music, we can make that music. How we dress—whatever it is— that doesn’t matter. We just want people to focus on our music. What is the significance of the title of your new mixtape, Inland Empire? Oktane: This is the city where a lot of people are from, yet they won’t claim it. When they get on, they say they’re from LA. So just being from the IE is the significance of it. Price Tag: It was just us wanting to tell a story on being from the IE. IE is the one of the largest counties, yet nobody who came out from here told a real story of how life is growing up out here so
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we might as well tell a story; that’s what the mixtape is. Your first hit single “Teach Me How to Jerk” became a huge craze. What happened to the whole jerkin‘ movement? Do you guys still jerk? Oktane: I think what people fail to realize is that, for us, it wasn’t a huge movement. It was a way for young people to say, “Yeah, we make music now.” I feel like it’s just a dance—dances get old. We made a song about a dance. That’s it. Price Tag: Everyone else made it become a “movement.” We were never a part of the jerkin‘ movement; we just were the first people to make the song about it. When we were kids, we just liked dancing. We’ve been working so hard to get out of that. We want to show people that we’re not just any artist, we are true artists making quality music, and we’re not just part
of a phase. That’s the image we have been trying to get away from, so no, I’m guessing we’re not jerkin‘. How have you guys grown as artists since then? Oktane: We’ve grown musically in every way, from the way we rap to everything. Price produces; I’m just now starting to make beats. There’s always going to be growth as you get older, as for right now people are starting to respect that. They realize, “Okay, they’re older now and they’re not worried about their jerkin‘” Instead of everyone else trying to put us in a box they are realizing that we are legit artists. The growth is all around.
Is either of you MMJ patients? Do either of you use cannabis? Price Tag: I don’t really smoke [cannabis], but I think its dope for the people that do. Oktane: No, I don’t do it for recreational reasons. I don’t at all. Do you support medical cannabis? Oktane: I support it. If you want to smoke [cannabis] then who cares? I really don’t care. I don’t see any harm to it—cigarettes are much worse than [cannabis], if anything. Price Tag: I think it’s cool. I support it. www.itsaudiopush.com
“Hit” on Their Hands
The boys in Audio Push are currently working with Hit-Maker, the young buck beatmaker who’s handled production duties for Lil Wayne (“Drop the World”) and Kanye West (“Niggas in Paris”), among others. So, what’s that relationship like? “We’ve known him forever—that’s our brother, it’s the reason why we signed with him and the reason why we make music to that next level with him,” says Price Tag. “We’ve known him for so long, and we watched him grow with his stuff. The relationship is there and is there outside of the music industry.”
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TUNES
A Sacred Celebration Photo by Anglel Ceballo
Zola Jesus and record label Sacred Bones offer something for everyone {By Lillian Isley} label’s biggest success stories. She dropped her full-length debut, The Spoils, in 2008 via Sacred Bones, after mutual friends tipped off Braaten to her siren-like vocals, joined by instrumentation that incorporates dark layers of industrial, electronic, goth and pop. “The Spoils was an incredibly conceptual record,” says Danilova, who was interviewed right before the Dec. 21 show. “I planned it all out and it felt very methodical, but at the same time felt very instinctive. I knew exactly what I was trying to communicate.” And all the while, she had the support she needed from her label. “Something that’s very unique with Sacred Bones is their entire appreciation and presentation of music,” she says. “They don’t arbitrarily put anything out; they’ve got to believe in it. Our relationship is so strong, and I feel such trust with them.” The trust goes both ways, but it’s not difficult to trust in Danilova once you get a sense of her passion for music, and for her favorite instrument: her voice, powerful, mysterious and the focal point of Zola Jesus’ music. “Ever since I was very young, I loved making music, but I didn’t
really have any instruments,” she explains. “So I’d just sing, because that was an inborn instrument. When I realized it was something you could actually master, like guitar and piano, I started taking voice lessons.” She was around 8 or 9 years old at the time, and she continues regular training with a vocal coach even now, continually awed by this instrument most of us carry around daily. “You’re born with this ability to make music and to express and internalize and externalize everything,” says Danilova. “It just seems so powerful.” She’s released several more albums, EPs, and collaborations since her debut and is working on
Say What?
They thought the Mayans were right—so they threw a party. That was the logic behind record label Sacred Bones’ fifth-anniversary concert last month at a roadhouse-type venue in the middle of the Mojave Desert, thousands of miles away from Brooklyn, where the label calls home. “We were thinking about all the different ‘exotic’ places [the show] could be at, and the desert seemed like the perfect spot,” explains Sacred Bones founder Caleb Braaten, just prior to the Dec. 21 show. “It being the end of the world, we may as well be in the middle of nowhere.” With the apocalypse overarching everything, the tunes ended up being truly special—which worked out great considering the bill was a sampling of Sacred Bones’ lauded roster and offered something for pretty much everybody: experimental goth pop, Swedish electronica, moody ’80stinged rock—the list goes on. Headlining that night was Zola Jesus, a 22-year-old Wisconsinite (real name Nika Roza Danilova) who is one of the
her next full-length record now. With any luck, Sacred Bones will be around for her and the rest of its roster for a long time. For now, Braaten is just stoked he’s made it this far. “I had no idea how labels worked, or even what a label really was,” he says. “I didn’t even know how distribution worked. It’s all been a real learning experience.” So was she shocked to be celebrating Sacred Bones’ fifth birthday? “Oh, hell yeah!” he laughs. “Are you kidding me? It’s really a feat.” c www.sacredbonesrecords.com
“The so-called War on Drugs has not succeeded in making significant reductions in drug use, drug arrests or violence.” —Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey
Hometown Pride
Sacred Bones founder—and former Denver resident—Caleb Braaten is proud of his home state and its voters, following last year’s landmark marijuana legislation in Colorado, as well as Washington. “It’s wonderful,” he says of the growing national conversation over legalization. “It’s definitely the future. I’m not a marijuana user myself, but I still think it’s ridiculous to criminalize it.”
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Some call them man’s best friend. Some call them critter companions (OK—no one calls them this), but to you and me they’re our pets. And we want to take good care of them. One of the best ways to do so is keep them away from medical cannabis. While it improves the quality of your life, that gram of Death Star ain’t gonna do Fido no good. If your pets ingest cannabis, depending on the amount, they might end up disoriented and have trouble walking . . . or unresponsive. Here are some tips:
NEVER intentionally feed your pet cannabis in any way, shape or form—or force them to inhale smoke. It’s not cool and not funny.
When at a park or other public place, keep pets on a leash. While not common, dogs, for example, have been known to eat cannabis that was left behind or dropped outdoors.
If you think your pet has ingested cannabis, stay calm and contact a veterinarian immediately.
Illustration by Vidal Diaz
Store your flowers so your pets can’t reach and eat them. This includes tables, furniture, the floor, etc. Ideally, keep your meds locked up. Most poisoning cases involve pets eating edibles—so stash those, too!
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destination unknown
24
Hour Party, People!
by David Jenison
Photo by David Jenison
Encarnación: Carnival Capital of Paraguay
Carnival photos courtesy of Carnavales Encarneacenos
The Mayan calendar might be over, but the Latin American parties are just beginning with Carnival season in full swing. Most people know Brazil is the party’s international hotspot, but the Paraguayan city of Encarnación is the fast-rising new star. Located in the southeast corner of the country, Encarnación is the Carnival Capital of Paraguay with lively parades, vibrant colors and juvenile playfulness. The party is smaller and less pricey, but it is no less excessive. For the festival, Avenida Francia becomes a Sambódromo-style procession with elaborate floats, cerveza-sponsored dancers and half-naked garotas (parade girls) in ornate outfits. Hard-partying crowds watch from the bleachers and luxury boxes as snow rains down like a blizzard. Snow? No, it doesn’t really snow in Paraguay, but it is a local Carnival tradition to blast everyone with lanzanieves “snow spray” that comes in an aerosol can. After the parade, people pile into the nearby clubs with many patrons still covered in fake snow. Visitors usually come prepared for the snow fights, but they better not forget about the Saturday afternoon Water Wars. For several hours, the city engages in a giant water fight, and the local kids gear up like it was a Call of Duty: Black Ops convention. Many fill up water buckets and douse unsuspecting people from rooftops, while
The Lonely Planet guide says the Encarnación Carnival is “much more fun” than Rio, which is quite an overstatement, but it is not an either-or proposition. The three Brazilian hotspots—Rio, Salvador and Olinda—start Carnival on Feb. 8 this year. In Encarnación, however, the party starts Jan. 18 and continues every weekend through the traditional Carnival dates. This means a traveler can start the party in Encarnación, head to Rio for the main event and then keep the liver abuse rolling with the “Ressaca” after-party on Tinharé Island. That tallies up to almost two straight weeks of partying. Paraguay might get its Carnival influence from Brazil, but guess where Brazil gets its smoke? Supplying most of eastern South America, Paraguay is second only to Mexico as the world’s largest cannabis producer. The government has traditionally had a relaxed attitude about enforcement, but the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (read: U.S.A.) is now putting pressure on the Paraguayan government. In other words, traveling patients should be low-key about use and avoid crossing borders with medicine, though finding cannabis in Encarnación should not be a problem. Every party-friendly individual should experience at least one Carnival party, but remember that U.S. citizens need a tourist visa to visit Paraguay or Brazil. c
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water balloons come from any direction, including from passing cars. Adults are even known to wield a mean garden hose or water cannon. Sure, the whole party reeks of frat-house immaturity, but don’t most Carnival celebrations? Encarnación, “The Pearl of the South,” sits on the Paraná River just across the water from Argentina. The city features a modern hilltop neighborhood called Zona
Alta where travelers should stay, while the crumbling Zona Baja is the spot for serious bargain shopping. Encarnación even has a sandy, two-mile river beach with volleyball courts, water sports and swimming areas. A short distance outside of town, the UNESCO-honored Jesuit Ruins are considered the most impressive mission remnants in South America. Even if nursing a hangover, travelers should not miss the ruins.
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profiles in courage
Are you an MMJ patient from SoCal with a compelling story to tell? If so, we want to hear from you. Email your name, contact information and details about your experiences with medical cannabis to courage@ireadculture.com.
Why did you start using medical cannabis? Patient:
John McCarthy
AGE: 30
Condition/ Illness: Psoriatic arthritis
Using medical cannabis since:
Photo by Amanda Holguin
2008
I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, a condition that has no known cure, and the only option I was presented with was taking an injection for the rest of my life that would treat some of my symptoms and had significant side effects.
Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? I had doctors that prescribed me cancer meds that were sometimes used with advanced cases of arthritis, but the relief I get from cannabis is so much more significant and [gives] me a better quality of life.
What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients?
The most important issue/problem facing medical cannabis is educating people on all the benefits that the cannabis plant has and the importance of safe access to lab-tested cannabis for patients.
What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine?
For the people [who] are skeptical, I say, “Walk a day in my shoes.” c
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By Meital Manzuri
Will L.A. Finally Get it Together?
Say What?
legal corner
There “are some benefits to marijuana, and this is more than just anecdotal evidence now.” —Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN
One ordinance and two initiatives compete in 2013 to regulate medical cannabis There are two initiatives that are gathering signatures to be placed on the general election ballot on May 21. Before that, the Los Angeles City Council is trying to get its act together and pass an ordinance in the next couple of months. The city is scrambling to put this ordinance together because it knows further delay will take the power away from the government and be put into the hands of dispensaries and voters (this, of course, scares city officials!). You may ask, what happens if the City Council passes ordinance before May? It would become law, subject to the same referendum that overturned the previous ordinance in late 2012. If enough signatures are gathered to overturn it (which I think is very possible), it would be overturned and the two ballot initiatives would go to the voters to decide the regulation of dispensaries in Los Angeles. What do these measures look like, and how should we as a community react? See below for this lawyer’s opinion. 1. The Marijuana Regulation and Control Act: Allows only for the dispensaries that have been around and filed with the city before 2007. These dispensaries wish to be grandfathered in
and have a monopoly on L.A.’s MMJ industry. This initiative is well written to insulate city officials from acting in a manner that might be perceived as interfering with the federal laws. It restricts access. Since only about 100 of these original dispensaries are still operating, access to medication would be severely limited, thus only about 20 percent of the shops out there would be allowed to remain open. This could have the adverse affect of driving medication back underground to satisfy the demand. It allows shops to stay open based on seniority, rather than merit. In my opinion, as a community, we should select the collectives that operate legally and fairly. This initiative puts seniority above all else, which is not necessarily good for the patient. 2. The Regulation of Medical Marijuana for Safe Neighborhoods and Safe Access: Raises taxes, which is bad news for dispensaries, but it may be that extra percent that drives the public to vote for it. We know that taxing distribution is a public favorite. This initiative allows for more dispensaries and thus access is more readily available. On the flip side,
not having a cap on the number of dispensaries means there will be too many dispensaries It creates merit-based—not seniority-based—awarding of licenses. It does not allow collectives/ growing in residential areas for anything beyond personal use. It allows dispensaries to possess hash but not to manufacture it As always, all initiatives leave the growers out of the picture. 3. The city’s ordinance to be passed by City Council: This is very similar to The Marijuana Regulation and Control Act above, but goes even further to limit access. The worst restriction is that a patient cannot be a member, volunteer or manager of more than one collective. That is akin to the government saying you can only go to one Rite Aid location and don’t even think about Walgreens! Two dispensaries cannot be open within 1,000 feet of each other. Although none of these proposals are perfect, it is time for L.A. to take a stand. And, as you may be able to gather, this attorney is in favor of The Regulation of Medical Marijuana for Safe Neighborhoods and Safe Access. Let’s make sure the people have a voice! c
Attorney Meital Manzuri is a medical cannabis expert, collective consultant and experienced criminal defense attorney. Those with questions about starting a collective or interested in scheduling a free consultation can call (310) 601-3140 or go to manzurilaw.com.
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strain & edible reviews GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Cali Clones OG From The Grove Co-Op in Garden Grove, Cali Clones OG comes across like a sunny day after weeks of rain. There’s an airy cleanness to this newborn indica—a freshness to both its flavor and appearance. The cauliflowershaped buds stand out for their bold colors—vivid Bavarian green and flecks of golden orange, tinged throughout with copper. It has the sharp chlorophyll aroma of fresh-cut flowers—inhale and exhale, and you’d think those flowers were roses. After trying it once, we wondered if Cali Clone OG’s exuberant, exhilarating mental effects were a happy accident—the coincidence of sampling a strain smack in the midst of the holiday season. Everything’s exuberant around the holidays, right? Then we sampled the strain again—same effect. Now that we’ve tried it three times, we’re happy (very happy) to report that Cali Clone OG is one of the most joy-producing strains to come around in years. It’s medicinal laughter in green, and that means it’s just right for treating seasonal affective disorder, panic attacks, PTSD, anxiety and depression associated with severe menstrual cramps.
Mighty Doughnuts Step aside, Winchell’s and Dunkin‘, there’s a new sweet circle in town. Don’t be fooled by their small size—Mighty Doughnuts are more than enough to suit your medicinal needs. Made by the magical mavens at Mighty Medibles, these doughnuts—available at Garden Grove Caregivers in Garden Grove—contain all the aches-and-pain relief you’ve been looking for. Cunningly crafted from sugar, butter, milk, eggs, flour—and kief!—each of these baked confections is just the perfect size for quick and easy consumption. Add to that the sweet frosting liberally coating each edible and the colorful sprinkles (which offset the herbal palate), this is the type of meds your doctor would prescribe . . . if doctors in California could prescribe edibles. But we digress . . . Mighty Doughnuts are good for patients seeking mid- to moderate levels of body effects without being left anchored to the sofa or left with a cloudy head. About an hour after eating, you’ll feel the effects slowly and gradually ooze (or should we say “ease?”) in—trust us, the kief won’t ambush you. To top things off, these edibles will also elevate your mood—how’s that for sweetening up the life of a patient?
0-0-Swerdlow Medical cannabis patients have a true friend in Lanny Swerdlow, who for years has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of patients and to educate us about the healing properties of our favorite plant. So it’s only right that the strain bearing his name—O-O-Swerdlow, from the Health & Wellness Center in Riverside, in collaboration with PO Genetics—should be so staggeringly good. Pure sativa from the olive-green tips to its amber-red hairs, O-O-Swerdlow buds resemble grapes on a vine—roundish and clustered together, snapping off into perfect singleserving portions. It’s sticky to the touch, honey-sweet to the tongue and a delight to the mind and spirit. Patients who avoid sativas because of their reputation for producing nervous energy need to try this—the effect is both deeply relaxing and mood-lifting at once. This baby also yields a case of munchies that’s positively ravenous, making it outstanding for those undergoing chemo or battling wasting effects. It burns evenly, but not too hot—a hugely important quality for users with respiratory ailments. In total, O-O-Swerdlow is the kind of prescription you’d get if it were designed by a medical professional who really understands the needs of cannabis patients. Like Lanny himself.
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Black Diamond The buds of Black Diamond, a new variety from Varieties For Life in North Hollywood, are dark and diamond-shaped—just as the name suggests. Were they actual diamonds, they would each be worth the value of . . . oh, say, Madagascar . . . because Black Diamond buds are so fantastically big. The bud’s sheer size is just one of its eccentric qualities. The strain is a puzzle palace of color: the enormous nugs are hued dark ash wrapped in a mystery of frosted green wrapped in an enigma of golds and oranges and tans. It feels fluffy and lightweight, but break up the nugs and you’ll be astonished at how long it takes to finish breaking them. The bouquet is tangy as citrus, but the flavor is so unique that we might have to come up with its own word for it. To say it has a spicy bite to it, like nutmeg, really doesn’t do it justice. If the strength of Black Diamond’s effects is any indication, cannabis patients can look forward to a very good winter. This is high-grade medicating, a clean and natural alternative to hitting yourself in the head with a sledgehammer. The cerebral effects kicks in upon exhalation, starting with the sensation of pressure at the top of the brain and ending, hours later, with a feeling not unlike that of a rollercoaster coming to a stop. To cut straight through the metaphor, Black Diamond is an intensely powerful strain. It’s about as potent a medicine as you can get in bud form, making it great for relieving pain associated with post-surgery convalescence, cancer therapies, severe neuropathy and chronic migraines.
Cannaba Relaxed Raspberry Lemonade
Head Cheese
We may be in the middle of winter, but isn’t it always a good time for an ice-cold glass of lemonade? You’d say, “yes” if the lemonade we had in mind was Cannaba Lemonade by Pure Creations, available at Varieties of Life in North Hollywood. This ain’t no Country Time. True to its name, the Relaxed Raspberry flavor that we had the privilege of sampling truly helped us to unwind our body and soul (mostly our body). Packaged in 12-oz., three-dose bottles, each Cannaba comes fully equipped with 3-percent THC— and only five calories for you weight-conscious patients out there. For our field test we sampled about half the bottle. The body effects come in slow and stealthily, encircling each muscle and nerve cell in a soft, gauze-like pain-free glow—not at all jarring or overpowering—that spans beyond the three-hour mark. Stressed out to the max after work? Nerve pain got you down? Bones hurting after some OT at the construction site? Crack open a bottle of Cannaba and let this lip-smackin‘ elixir erase all pain and discomfort. Shake before you drink and watch your dosing—Cannaba is sweet enough to drink strictly for the taste.
If you’re a newer cannabis patient, then you might have missed the stir Head Cheese created when it first hit the dispensaries. A game-changing subset of medicine had arrived: Not only did Head Cheese have its own unique aroma and aftertaste (very much like fine aged cheddar), but it was dramatically different from other strains in its pastel-yellow appearance and dense, crumbly texture. Even the powerful effect was different—a confirmed cannabis connoisseur can spot a cheese strain just by its tingly, euphoric sensations. Soon, Head Cheese and its indica and sativa varieties were everywhere—everyone wanted a piece of it. The proliferation of the strain meant that where you obtained it matters, because not everyone knew how to do Head Cheese right. The people at OPG in Riverside know how to do it right—their 100-percent indica Head Cheese is as noble an example of the strain as you’re likely to find. The buds strike just the right balance of density and moisture, translating to evenburning joints and bowls you don’t have to wrestle with to keep lit. The flavor is like a good Swiss variety of cheese—savory without being too sharp. But, most importantly, what you get is total pain relief, meaning the velvety smooth head buzz is just part of a velvety, warmed-from-within glow. That’s the right prescription if you’re a patient dealing with nerve pain, arthritis, insomnia or migraines, and an even better one for those with chronic back problems.
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Photo by Craig Larsen
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Adam Carolla knows how to take on a challenge. He made a name for himself dishing out relationship advice as co-host of the syndicated Loveline radio program. His forays into television included a home improvement show on TLC, a car show on Speed TV and puppets making prank calls on Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers. He hosted The Man Show alongside Jimmy Kimmel, and he took over Howard Stern’s timeslot when the shock jock jumped to SiriusXM. Carolla competed on Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Apprentice, and last April he actually won the Pro/Celebrity Race at the Toyota Grand Prix. He even wrote several books, including 2012’s New York Times bestseller Not Taco Bell Material, named after the fast-food joint that once shot down his job application. Still, the multi-tasking star truly challenged himself last year when he turned down a sevenfigure radio deal in favor of continuing his own Internet podcasts. This decision was quite a risk, but The Adam Carolla Podcast has proven to be quite a show. The right-leaning, pro-cannabis-rights Carolla— cited by the Marijuana Policy Project as a member of its VIP Advisory Board (composed of “high-profile people who are interested in being involved in and helping the cause in whatever ways they prefer,” according to the MPP)—started the podcast just days after his radio gig ended in 2009, and the inaugural show scored a quarter-million downloads in the first 24 hours alone. Two years later, the podcast reached 59,574,843 unique downloads, which pushed it past The Ricky Gervais Show as the most downloaded podcast in history. It is now officially etched into the Guinness World Records because Carolla decided to look forward with an emerging platform rather than look back with traditional media. Some might call him the white middle-aged P. Diddy, and while he’s not dropping a rap album, Carolla is tackling yet another challenge. He is currently taking his podcast and stand-up comedy—plus his Loveline Tour with Dr. Drew—on the road. Despite racking up the overtime, Carolla peeled away enough time to talk with CULTURE about podcasting, hanging out with Snoop Dogg cannabis and why he thinks people should be able to use cannabis however they want.
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You have taken The Adam Carolla Podcast on the road with live events. How are the live events different than the in-studio podcasts? It is like doing a live stand-up comedy show in a weird way. We are up on stage with microphones. It would be like a four-piece band doing an acoustic show on stage or something of that nature. It is really part live radio and part stand-up comedy show. When we have someone like Graham Parker on the show, we have a little live music as well. A few days after The Adam Carolla Show ended on radio, you launched The Adam Carolla Podcast and eventually set a world record for downloads. Did you suspect that podcasting had this much potential, and how is it going now? It is sort of steady as she goes. We just try to keep moving forward by putting out product and being innovative and finding different ways to monetize our product. The challenge is how do we put out this daily podcast and keep it free for the listeners, and then how do I pay the mortgage at the warehouse and pay for the equipment, the studio, all the employees and all the other various expenses we have around here? The answer to that is people clicking through Amazon and buying my new Mangria— which I am very proud of. I always say, “It is like a thousand hoses on trickle going into one bathtub.” It is not about making a ton of money, doing live shows or doing stand-up or from advertising. It is a little bit here, a little bit there. Sell a book, sell a live show ticket, sell some Mangria, and at the end of the month, it starts to add up. Tell me about Mangria. It’s a mix of red wine and vodka, correct? Yeah. It’s actually grape-based vodka because there are legal issues, but yeah, that is what it is. You have to buy it online if you want to try it, but hopefully it will be in stores soon.
It is really part live radio and part stand-up comedy show —on his live podcasts
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Did Ricky Gervais say anything about the world record you took from him? No, I have never spoken to Ricky Gervais. I have no idea. To be honest, I really have no idea if he even knows about our podcast. The way I am wired, I would be surprised if he’s even heard of this podcast. I don’t know why, but that’s what I think. I guess that’s the way I like to think so that way I never get disappointed. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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You are doing podcasts, live events, stand-up comedy and writing books. With so much going on, how do you divide up your time? Right now I am at my studio getting ready to do my Ace on the House and CarCast shows, and tonight, after doing my regular podcast, I am calling the Nick & Artie Show and doing that on the ride home. I look at it this way—your show schedule is a lot of bricks, and your mortar is all the in-between stuff. It’s a hectic schedule, but no individual thing I do really lasts more than 90 minutes. Honestly, the cell phone has helped a lot.
I support legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. —on his political views
When you did The Man Show, you and Jimmy [Kimmel] visited Snoop Dogg’s house and sampled some cannabis. Yeah, that was fun. Tell us, how potent was Snoop’s cannabis? Good enough! It certainly worked on me. The Marijuana Policy Project lists you on its Advisory Board, which is “composed of celebrities and public figures who support ending marijuana prohibition.” It includes Bill Maher, Jack Black, Adrianne Curry and Melissa Etheridge. Tell us about that. They just put [me] on there. I support legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. What are your thoughts on the medical cannabis movement? In the past you’ve criticized the War on Drugs and said people should be allowed to use cannabis any way they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone. My whole thing is to call it what it is. Someone says, “I want to smoke pot.” Fine, here is your pot. You don’t need a note from your doctor. If you want to smoke pot, smoke pot . . . it’s none of anyone’s business. If you want it, you want it. You can argue that a cigarette is good for you if it relaxes you, or
booze is good for you if it helps you sleep. People argue that pot is good for you . . . It’s your business. I’ll stay out of your shit. You had joined Loveline when Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge threatened you and got crazy enough that the police were called. I knew there was going to be trouble at around 11:30 p.m., about 90 minutes into the show, but I was fairly calm about the whole thing. There are situations that people see as high adrenaline or that should be seared into your memory, but I kind of float above it all. I don’t mean that in a narcissistic way, but I have been in threatening situations that seem scary but haven’t made much difference to me. I don’t know why I’m wired in such a weird way. I don’t process trauma the way other people process trauma. I’m just wired not to react too much, but it’s not all good. It’s not good for anniversaries and stuff like that. Speaking of traumatic situations, you once had to talk down a guy with a loaded gun. Do you think your wiring helped you make it through this? Probably. It was a shotgun, and
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the guy was in his underpants. He wouldn’t let us into his apartment to do work on it. He was threatening people, so [my co-workers] called me up to deal with him. I just went into his small bachelor apartment and sat with him on the end of his Murphy bed. Once he calmed down, I remember he said, “I don’t know how to get the hammer back on this shotgun without it going off. I can’t make any guarantees.” I remember sitting on the bed with my hands over my ears so I wouldn’t have to hear the shotgun when it went off into the floor or wherever. That was a lifetime ago. I miss those days. Speaking of bad jobs, you were a traffic school instructor. Were you a hard ass or totally lax? I didn’t follow any of the rules, and I didn’t follow any of the regulations. I just was funny. If you showed up late, you showed up late, and if lunch took an hour and a half, lunch took an hour and a half. That is how I did it. I never clocked anyone in, and I never timed anybody. Sometimes people showed up two hours late, and I didn’t give a shit. I would just tell them to sit down. What do I care? Unless you are flying an airplane, everyone in charge just needs to back off. So the fuck what if someone shows up an hour late. Who gives a shit? It didn’t make any difference in my life I figured out pretty quick. As far as I’m concerned, they are all victims of this horrible, chicken shit, ticket clown circus we’ve worked out here with the whatever-PD. My feeling was that no one wants to be here, including me, but at least I’m getting paid 91 bucks. Let’s just get out of here as fast as we can with the least amount of pain as possible. c
If you think Adam Carolla has an issue with the government . . . just listen to his podcasts: “Politicians in both parties are guilty of perpetuating this, but the liberals are definitely on the correct side,” he podcast in 2010. “I go nuts when I hear about what the DEA spends on pot versus what they spend on crystal meth . . . when the history books are written, the prohibition of marijuana is gonna look like the prohibition of alcohol in the ’20s and ’30s. Our grandkids will think we were idiots . . . it should have been legalized in the 1970s.”
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2005 1994 Adam Corolla forms a relationship with Jimmy Kimmel, gaining a recurring role on KROQ’s Kevin and Bean as “Mr. Birchum,” the cranky old woodshop teacher.
Carolla leaves Loveline in December of this year, setting out to start his own morning radio show, The Adam Corolla Show—replacing the raunchier The Howard Stern Show. Carolla later hosts a talk show on Comedy Central called Too Late with Adam Corolla.
1995 Corolla signs to the William Morris Agency and lands a co-host position on KROQ’s love-and-sex advice show Loveline with physician Dr. Drew Pinsky. He serves as the comedic relief, often creating more than a little controversy.
2008 Corolla is voted off of Dancing with the Stars on April 8 after performing Paso Doble with Julianne Hough.
1998 Corolla and Pinsky co-author a book titled, The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love, a compilation of advice for Loveline listeners.
1999 Kimmel and Corolla launch an original television series on Comedy Central: The Man Show. Not surprisingly, it targets men and objectifies women.
2009 The Adam Corolla Show is cancelled due to a radio station format change. Three days later, Carolla launches his very successful podcast.
2010 2002 Pranks-with-puppets show Crank Yankers—the brainchild of Carolla and producer Daniel Kellison—hits Comedy Central.
2003 Corolla creates controversy after calling Hawaiians “dumb,”“in-bred,”“retarded” and the “dumbest people we have.” Understandably, Hawaiian people aren’t happy.
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Corolla publishes In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks . . . and Other Complaints From an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy, which reaches the No. 8 spot on The New York Times Best Seller list.
2012 Carolla publishes Not Taco Bell Material, and in an interview in the New York Post Carolla claims that men are funnier than women. A backlash ensues.
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Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech
Delivered during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, this speech by our country’s foremost civil rights leader marked a very pivotal moment in U.S. history and in race relations.
The Hindenburg disaster
Yup, the Germans should have stuck to using helium—instead they went with the highly flammable hydrogen to inflate the great Hindenburg back in 1935. A journalist on the ground in New Jersey, the sight of the zeppelin’s attempted landing (it made for spectacular newsreel footage for years to come), reported on the tragedy and introduced the phrase “Oh the humanity” into the lexicon. 74 CULTURE • JANUARY 2013
Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio drama
Adapted from H.G. Wells’ novel, this 1938 radio drama from The Mercury Theatre on the Air was broadcast on Halloween night. On the Air’s creator, Orson Welles, narrated the drama . . . and did such a convincing job folks across the country truly thought we were being invaded by little green men.
FDR’s “fireside chats”
Long before YouTube and Twitter, presidents communicated with their constituents the old-school way. Enter Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “fireside chats,” a series of more than two dozen radio addresses given between 1933 and 1944. Among the topics were FDR’s New Deal programs, the then-current banking crisis and the declaration of war against Japan.
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healthy living
By Lanny Swerdlow, RN, LNC
Three Health Questions to Ask Elected Officials Question No. 1: There has been a virtual avalanche of medical studies over the last few years demonstrating the ability of cannabis to prevent and cure cancer. Research conclusively demonstrates the uniquely singular ability of the cannabinoids in cannabis to both slow the spread of cancer cells and to outright selectively kill them while leaving non-cancerous cells undisturbed. In 2006, Dr. Donald Tashkin conducted a groundbreaking population-based study on lung cancer which found a small, but still statistically significant, decrease in the development of lung cancer in people who used cannabis compared to people who did not use cannabis. A more astounding study released in 2009 by seven collaborating researchers from major universities found that moderate to heavy users of cannabis who had been smoking it from 10 to 20 years had a phenomenal 62 percent less likelihood of developing head and neck cancers than people who did not smoke cannabis. In the United States, cancer is the second most common cause of death with over one-half million deaths a year. With all the research showing the cancer prevention and even curative powers of cannabis, why has there not been any population based studies comparing cancer rates in cannabis consumers to non-cannabis consumers? Question No. 2: In 2009, there were 36,909 deaths by suicide in the United States. In that same year there were 39,147 deaths caused by legally obtained prescription drugs and illegally obtained illicit drugs. For reasons best understood by law enforcement agencies and pharmaceutical corporations, it is hard to gleam from the statistics how many of these deaths are from legally prescribed drugs as opposed to illegally obtained drugs, but the number of deaths from illicit drugs appears to be
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somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000. Programs and the resources to prevent suicides are minimal at best. It is difficult at best to estimate the amount of money that goes into suicide prevention programs as they are intertwined with many mental health programs, but let’s be generous and choose $1 billion a year. That works out to about $27,000 expended per death. To prevent deaths caused by illicit drugs, the Drug Policy Alliance estimates this country spends $51 billion annually on the War on Drugs. Using the high estimate of 20,000 deaths due to illicit drugs works out to about $2,500,000 expended per death. $27,000 vs. $2,500,000! Even though the number of deaths is similar, why do we spend so little on suicide prevention and so much on illicit drug use prevention? I suspect the answer to that question has something to do with the fact that cops, lawyers, judges, prison guards and the associated drug war/industrial complex rake in $51 billion a year unsuccessfully preventing illicit drug deaths and no one is making much money preventing suicides. Question No. 3: In the first, and so far only, study to calculate spending by all levels of government on problems caused by alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reported in 2005 that $468 billion dollars was spent treating, preventing and dealing with substance abuse. Most spending went for health care, law enforcement and incarceration. Around two percent of the total went to prevention, treatment and addiction research.
The paucity of spending on addiction treatment is only matched by the dismal success rate, usually in the teens, of addiction treatment programs. Cannabis on the other hand is very effective in treating the addiction to any drug, but especially alcohol and the opiates. Dr. Tod Mikuriya in his seminal treatise “Marijuana in Medicine” traced cannabis use to treat opiate addiction as far back as 1889. In a 2012 study published in Addiction Research and Therapy, a team of investigators from Canada and the United States reported that cannabis is an effective substitute and exit drug for patients experiencing problems with alcohol, prescription pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs. The reported success rate for cannabis treatment of addiction to alcohol and drugs is not just dramatically better; it is sensationally better than any other addiction treatment program. Why have there been no placebo-controlled double-blind studies of the success of cannabis as a substitute for people with alcohol or drug dependence? WARNING: Don’t hold your breath waiting for answers. c Subscribe to Lanny Swerdlow’s free email newsletter by sending an email to lanny@ marijuananews.org. He can also be reached at (760) 799-2055.
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GreenScene
Five New Year’s Resolutions to Ease the Gloom of the Fiscal Cliff While Reducing Your Carbon Footprint {By NANCY POWELL}
A lot of us make resolutions we have no intention of keeping. In fact, a 2011 study found that 88 percent of the population ditches their well-intentioned resolutions by Jan. 31. If there is one resolution that you should consider for 2013, it is the spending freeze. Here are five resolutions that will save money, reduce your carbon footprint and eliminate waste: Plant a garden or start a subscription with your local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Help local merchants, get fresh seasonal produce at a great price and reduce your carbon footprint. No more having to rise and shine on weekends just to make it to the farmer’s markets or pay supermarket prices for wilted produce. Kick the plastic bag habit Long Beach and Capitola implemented a surcharge for customers who use plastic, which ends up in the trash anyway—more than one million bags every minute, according to Planet Green. BYOB—bring your own bag—makes economic sense. Retailers like Target and Whole Foods have rewarded customers who bring their own bags at a nickel back per bag. Plus, Cost Plus, Stapes and Fresh & Easy occasionally offer coupons for free bags. Try Meatless Monday Eliminate meat two days a week and you can reduce your carbon footprint by one-third of a ton, according to Planet Green. According to a 2006 University of Chicago Study, the average American diet adds 2.52 tons to the carbon footprint when as little as 47 percent of our daily calories come from animal sources. Ditch Taco Tuesdays and Fish Fridays for vegetables every other day. Switch to fluorescents. By 2014, all incandescent bulbs will be toast. Replacing them with fluorescent bulbs makes perfect economic sense: fluorescent bulbs last longer and cut energy use by as much as 80 percent. The savings can come in handy when increased income tax withholdings finally kick in with the February paycheck. c 78 CULTURE • JANUARY 2013
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cool stuff Vans x Metallica 20th Anniversary Half Cab Shoe Enter Vansman? Iconic metal band Metallica teamed up with Vans, the original skate shoe company, to come up with the Vans x Metallica 20th Anniversary Half Cab Shoe. “Thrash” just got redefined. ($85) www.vans.com/halfcab20
Rage Against the Machine - XX Time to ready your fistful of steel for a township rebellion. To celebrate the anniversary of a musical revolution, Legacy Recordings just issued Rage Against the Machine - XX, a commemorative 20th anniversary deluxe box set of the band’s debut album, complete with demos, B-sides, etc. Not just another bombtrack. ($77.84) www.ratm.com
Waka Waka Solar Lamp Whether you’re planning for the end of the world (again), or just a Doomsday Preppers sort of person, this solar-powered lamp provides 16 hours of light on one day’s worth of sun. Developed for Third World countries as an alternative to kerosene and candles, this makes an excellent pick for emergency kits. (MSRP $79) www.wakawakalight.com
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By Aunt Sandy
Jan. 21 is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, and to celebrate the iconic civil rights leader, CULTURE has prepared a menu based on traditional—and delicious— African American dishes.
Menu:
Collard Greens with Bacon Oven Fried Chicken Red Beans & Rice Sweet Potato Pie Sweet Iced Tea
Sandy Moriarty is the author of Aunt’ Sandy’s Medical Marijuana Cookbook: Comfort Food for Body & Mind and a Professor of Culinary Arts at Oaksterdam University. She is also the co-founder of Oaksterdam’s Bakery.
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Collard Greens with Bacon Makes 6 servings 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 cloves garlic, minced Red wine vinegar
1 pound collard greens 6 slices bacon, chopped 2 cups water 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
Wash collard greens thoroughly in cold water and drain well. Discard stems and trim bruised leaves. Chop the leaves coarsely so they still amount to about six cups of greens, lightly packed. Set aside. In a large saucepan cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, but save drippings in saucepan. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside. Add water, onion, sweet red pepper, sugar, salt , cayenne pepper and garlic to the saucepan with the bacon drippings. Bring to a boil, add chopped collard greens and reduce heat. Simmer covered for one hour or until greens are tender. Add bacon and remove from heat. Serve with a slotted spoon. Drizzle with a little red wine vinegar if desired.
Red Beans & Rice Makes 6 servings 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges 1 cup chopped red sweet pepper 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons Cannabis-Infused Oil** 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 16-ounce cans of kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup vegetable broth 1/4 cup lime juice 2 cups cooked brown rice
Oven Fried Chicken Makes 6 servings
In a large saucepan cook onion, sweet pepper and garlic in hot oil over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup of cilantro, plus the oregano, cumin and black pepper. Cook and stir for one minute. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until liquid is thickened to desired consistency. Serve beans over rice and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
1 egg, slightly beaten 3 tablespoons milk 1 1/4 cups crushed saltine crackers, about 35 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoon Canna Butter*, melted 3 pounds assorted chicken pieces Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine egg and milk. For the coating, in a shallow dish combine the crushed crackers, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir in melted Canna Butter and set aside. Dip chicken pieces into the egg-milk mixture one at a time and then coat with the cracker mixture. In a 15x10 baking pan, arrange the chicken bone sides down so pieces aren’t touching. Sprinkle chicken pieces with any remaining cracker mixture so they are well coated. Bake uncovered for one hour or until chicken is done and crispy. Do not turn chicken while baking. JANUARY 2013 • CULTURE 87
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Sweet Potato Pie Makes 8 servings 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup Canna Butter*, cut up 1/4 cup ice water Pie filling (see recipe below)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until pieces are pea size. Sprinkle one tablespoon of water over part of the flour mixture and toss with a fork. Push moistened pastry to side of the bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture using one tablespoon at a time until all the flour mixture is moistened. Gather flour mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together. On a lightly floured surface use your hands to slightly flatten pastry. Roll pastry from center to edges into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter. Ease into a 9-inch pie pan, trim a half-inch beyond end of pan, crimp edges and prick bottom and sides with a fork. Bake for eight minutes, remove foil, bake for another eight minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Pour in Pie Filling. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Cover and chill for two hours.
Sweet Iced Tea
Pie Filling 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 2 cups mashed cooked sweet pota1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg toes (or 1 can sweet potatoes, drained 1/8 teaspoon salt and mashed) 3 eggs, beaten 4 tablespoon Canna Butter*, melted 1 cup buttermilk or dairy sour cream 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon In a large bowl stir together sweet potatoes, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Add eggs and beat lightly with a fork until combined. Gradually stir in buttermilk (or sour cream) until thoroughly mixed.
Ice 5 ounces of iced tea 1 ounce Cannabis Simple Syrup*** Sprig of fresh mint In an eight-ounce glass filled with ice, add tea and Cannabis Simple Syrup and stir. Garnish with mint.
Canna Butter* 1 cup unsalted butter 1 ounce low to average quality dried leaf cannabis or 1/2 ounce average dried bud 4 cups water Bring water and butter to boil in a small pot, lower heat to simmer. Simmer gently for about 1 1/2 hours. Mash and stir frequently to extract all THC from the plant material. After cooking, use cheesecloth to strain the butter/water mixture. Pour about 2 cups clean boiling water over the leaves in the strainer to extract every last drop of butter. Squeeze plant material well to remove as much liquid as possible. Chill the butter/water mixture in the refrigerator until the butter has solidified (1 to 2 hours). Separate butter from water and keep butter in the refrigerator (or freezer for longer storage) until needed.
Cannabis Simple Syrup*** 1/2 oz cannabis buds 1 cup sugar 1 cup water In a saucepan, sauté the buds in sugar and water over medium heat for 20 minutes. Strain the buds. Pour the remaining green-colored syrup into a glass container. Let it cool and refrigerate. Pour over fruit or fruit salad and let the syrup fully absorb.
Cannabis-Infused Oil** 1 cup cooking oil 1 1/4 ounces low to average quality dried leaf cannabis or 3/4 ounce average dried bud
Place cannabis in a slow cooker. Add oil. If necessary, add a little extra oil in order to just cover the cannabis. Cook on low for six to eight hours, stirring often. Strain through cheesecloth to remove plant material. For further purity, strain through a coffee filter. Store in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Legal Disclaimer
Publishers of this publication are not making any representations with respect to the safety or legality of the use of medical marijuana. The recipes listed here are for general entertainment purposes only, and are intended for use only where medical marijuana is not a violation of state law. Edibles can vary in potency while a consumers’ weight, metabolism and eating habits may affect effectiveness and safety. Ingredient management is important when cooking with cannabis for proper dosage. Please consume responsibly and check with your doctor before consumption to make sure that it is safe to do so.
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
Caviar Gold Kurupt Show (Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
The Emerald Cup (Photos by David Downs)
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
Garbage live in Concert (Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
“The Health and Medical Benefits of Cannabis” Seminar (Photos by Casper Chevara)
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
OC NORML Christmas Party (Photos by Steve Baker)
Rally for Joe Grumbine & Joe Byron (Photos by Steve Baker)
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entertainment reviews Media Shower Double A.B. & Dub Sonata Man Bites Dog The world of rap music tends to be a major contradiction more often than not. You’ll hear music with great rhymes but lousy backing music, or vice versa. The best resolutions are the cleverest ones and teamwork seems to be the melodic answer here. New York rapper Double A.B. has combined his wit and words with spin master Dub Sonata, creating what can best be described as audio art. Media Shower is a collaboration that stands out heads and shoulders above most in the genre. Dub Sonata’s symphony of cinematic and vintage samples blend together near seamlessly, with rare doldrums that are quickly swept behind as the music leaves the listener spellbound. A.B. also deserves his due for rhyming about serious and relevant subject matters—the title song is an insightful critique on 21st century entertainment saturation that delivers a strong message while keeping a consistent pace and rhythm. Looking for a good single? Start with “Lo Siento Amigo” and “Drug Wars.” (Joe Martone)
True Living Organics: The Ultimate Guide to Growing All-Natural Marijuana Indoors By The Rev Green Candy Press Know the difference between earthworm casings and soft rock phosphate? Did you know that alfalfa pellets can add nitrogen to your soil mix? No—well, no worries because cultivator extraordinaire The Rev has all the answers: just add water. No joke—his “True Living Organics” methods shy away from chemical addictives and nutrient solutions and, for example embraces organic teas that provide the necessary “microlife” to your plants’ soil. The Rev starts with the basics (the fundamental roles of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in a plant’s nutrition), provides you with tips (Did you know you can use grape juice to adjust the pH?) and guides you step-by-step all the way to self-sufficiency: making your own TLO container and “brewing” your own teas for your plants’ various stages of development. Even veterans might learn something new (freshwater aquarium water and rainwater are full of good microlife—wow!). If you think all-natural cannabis is what mother nature intended, pick up this book. (Matt Tapia)
The Replacements Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements MVD It’s almost fitting that a DVD documenting the history of one of America’s most beloved yet bewildering punk bands of the ’80s doesn’t feature any of their own music being performed (the Replacements recently reunited in the studio to record . . . a bunch of cover songs!) nor does it feature any current interviews of the band members themselves (much like their “Bastards of Young” video in which the Replacements never appeared). But what Color Me Obsessed does feature is a lengthy interview list, talking with the who’s who of the Minneapolis punk scene some 30 years ago, including friends, promoters, journalists, fans and even members of area punk vets, Hüsker Dü. It’s a comprehensive, chronological look at the band’s output and experiences, but Color Me Obsessed might not be of extreme interest to the casual punk listener. If you’ve got Tim on three formats shelved between copies of frontman Paul Westerberg’s solo catalog, this documentary will be a worthy addition to the ’Mats collection. Indeed, Color Me Obsessed is best suited for those who are truly Replacements obsessed. (Justin Cienega)
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Mike Epps
With a professional career that started with HBO’s Def Comedy Jam in the mid-’90s, Mike Epps is not only a stand-up comedian—this actor, producer, rapper and writer is, hands down, famous for bringing the most memorable lines to any movie or TV special he appears in. From playing “Black Doug” in The Hangover to acting as Ice Cube’s cousin Day-Day in Next Friday, Epps is known to provide the funny in many top Hollywood features. Releasing songs with the titles “Big Girls” and “Trying to Be a Gangsta,” it’s impossible for Epps to shy away from his funny-guy business even in the world of music. He first appeared in the public eye as a comedian and remains very successful at this trade—his 2006 TV series for HBO entitled Inappropriate Behavior was ranked as one of the top one-hour specials of the year. So, before you start bitchin‘ and moanin‘ about when the next (and last?) Friday sequel is going to be released (because you can never get enough Day-Day Jones), check out Epps, armed with a mic and dangerous.
IF YOU GO
What: Mike Epps. When/Where: Jan. 17 at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland. Info: Tickets $35-45. Go to www.sanmanuel.com or call (800) 359-2464.
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liner notes When you hear about two men in New Mexico plotting criminal activity, it’s usually related to high school science teachers deciding to sell drugs. But every once in a while, people break bad in a different, more ridiculous way. Case in point: Two such men tried to kill Justin Bieber. Here’s the deal: not only did these men want to kill Bieber and his bodyguard, but they wanted to choke him with a paisley tie and castrate him. Sure, you say, I see people talking about castrating Justin Bieber on the Internet all the time. Well, folks, this plot was actually underway. It was set in motion (and ultimately stopped) by Dana Martin, a current inmate serving two life sentences for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. Martin, like any sadistic superfan, also has a tattoo of the Canadian pop sensation on his leg. After the suspects were apprehended in their residence, police said they found “murder tools and pruning sheers” on the premises, a description that is both hilarious and cringe-worthy. Baby, baby, baby, oh no! Moving from potential disasters to real ones, we have the Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! which is being almost universally dismissed by critics. The Internet is abuzz with vehemence, collecting jeers lobbed at the musical from all manner of media outlets. They find the music laughable, the production dated and unambitious, and the songs uninspiring. The question remains: How is this any different from when the Spice Girls were first performing? The Daily Telegraph described the musical as a “miasma of disappointment” that stunk up the production, but who exactly was building up hopes high enough for this to be a disappointment? “Gangnam Style” has claimed its first kill. PSY, the wonderful South Korean rapper whose dance craze has penetrated every possible market, has become a household name in the last few months with his viral video. Recently, however, a middle-aged British man died at a holiday party while attempting to bust a Gangnam move. Eamonn Kilbride, 46, started feeling chest pain during his horse-moves and fell over, causing a small panic. He could not be revived. His last words were
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By Kevin Longrie “hey, sexy lady.” Onlookers said that it was almost as bad as the Macarena massacre of 1994. The Daily Mail reported that Jonny Greenwood, guitarist of Radiohead, was staying in a self-sustaining house in Brazil to try to prepare for the coming Mayan apocalypse. Of course, the Daily Mail will report anything it feels like, even if it is ridiculous and without a credible source. The band’s management, no doubt angry that it even had to address the rumors, recently spoke with the press saying that not only was the information false, but that Greenwood was not even in Brazil. Greenwood has been enjoying even wider critical acclaim lately as a film composer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s last two movies. The rumors about Greenwood are even more bizarre given that it is widely know Thom Yorke stopped the end of the world with his “Lotus Flower” video dance and bowler hat. There was also a good harvest that season. Returning to the bizarre and violent news stateside, two men in Norwalk, Ohio got into a tussle over some criminal charges. Their names: Hall and Oats. Well, that
is to say that Roger Oats and his neighbor, Scott Hall, fought drunkenly with each other until Oats bit off Hall’s eyebrow. Talk about making my nightmares come true. Lastly, I want to take a moment away from pointing out the ridiculous music stories this month to throw a spotlight on some really great news: Randy Newman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Newman, who most people under 30 know either from the early Family Guy parody or from his work with Pixar films like Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., has written brilliant songs and satires for his entire career, playing controversial subjects and causing a few controversies himself. He is one of the best living songwriters and he deserves the honor. Good job, Randy. c
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CULTURE Quiz HEAD COUNT
?
Time to rev up your brain cells, folks. Take this official CULTURE quiz and test yourself to see how much you know about cannabis. For each question you answer correctly, give yourself 5 points.
health?
4 cannabis impact or 1Does harm cognitive performance? Tarantino recently illness is Tommy 5 What 2 Quentin described the War on Drugs Chong battling with
as “slavery through and through.” True or false?
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Name a high-level state official who supports ending cannabis prohibition.
Rick Simpson Oil, a superconcentrated form of the plant?
ANSWERS
psychedelic mushrooms 3 Can help manage psychological
1. Not according to a new study from Australia. 2. True. 3. Yes, according to British research. 4. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. 5. Prostate cancer.
?
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Now Rate Yourself: 5 points: A few classes at Oaksterdam University won’t even help you. 10 points: Are you even a patient? 15 points: Keep medicating. 20 points: Impressive. Almost ready for the big leagues. 25 points: What do you want—a prize?
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let’s do this Our picks for the coolest things to do around town Airwaves 2013, Jan. 5 Craft beer and journalism collide in the best way. Beer Geek Radio will be celebrating its first anniversary at the IE Brewing Company. Naturally you can expect beer from all over the IE and food galore, but there is so much more. The hosts will debut a new drink currently under wraps. Inland Empire Brewing Co., Riverside www.brownpapertickets.com/event/299577
Kotohajime: The First Performance of the New Year, Jan. 6 Time to ring in the New Year—the Year of the Snake! Hirokazu Kosaka is honoring the holiday by blending East and West in a show called “Hatsu-Mato”. Artani/Japan-America Theatre, Los Angeles www.jaccc.org
The OC Music Awards Showcase Series, Jan. 8 The first of many showcases, this night will kick off the competition between 35 of the best bands in the area with the winners performing at the final awards show. See five bands play before the judges—and you—make the call. Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa www.detroitbar.com
23rd Annual Orange County International Jewish Film Festival, Jan. 9 Because who doesn’t like a good movie? It’s not Woody Allen, but a new film with a follow-up audience discussion. The story centers on neuroses, family and love—who can’t relate? Edwards Westpark 8 Cinema, Irvine www.universitysynagogue.com
“Erotica: The Art of Pleasure,” thru Jan. 15 “Sexy” doesn’t even begin to cover what this exhibit entails. This is art that relates to lovemaking in a myriad of ways—famous works submitted with a pseudonym, ancient paintings, commercial art elevated beyond the medium and more. Just remember not to touch. ADC International Art Exchange, Santa Monica www.adccontemporaryartgallery.com
Julio Gonzalez, Jan. 16 A newbie to the stand-up circuit, Julio Gonzalez has a lot to offer. His observational brand of humor is self-deprecating and overly optimistic, but it’s gotten him a growing fan base. Improv, Brea www.breaimprov.com
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Down in Concert, Jan. 18
Nineties era New Orleans sludge-metal act Down (featuring ex-Pantera frontman Philip Anselmo on vocals) formed a strong ensemble with lasting power and the sales to back it. The band that plays riffs lower than the Devil’s basement is playing in Anaheim and seems destined to cause thousands of headbanginginduced head trauma cases this month. City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim www.citynationalgroveofanaheim.com
“Free Enterprise: The Art of Citizen Space Exploration,” Jan. 19
Space, the final frontier. As time passes, we seem to get closer and closer to the stars. The proximity has touched 25 artists for this new exhibit. The group has prepared dozens of images examining humanity in orbit. UC Riverside, Riverside www.culvercenter.ucr.edu
Jedi vs. Zombie Post Apocalypse Battle Training, Jan. 23
That may have been the coolest thing we’ve ever read. Gather around and learn to fend for yourselves in a cold, unforgiving future ravaged by the undead . . . but with the Force at your side. Beats The Walking Dead any day. Schabarum Regional Park, Rowland Heights
Laguna Beach Art Tours, thru Jan. 30
Culture on the coast? Meet at the Greeter Statue and you’ll be able to see amazing works of local art right in the home of the artists in question. The Greeter Statue, Laguna Beach www.lagunabeacharttours.com
Mustang Food Truck Roundup, Jan. 31
Who doesn’t love food? More than simply meals on wheels, you’ll have your pick of every kind of delicacy they can deliver. A must for any foodie, or anyone who can appreciate being hungry. Yorba Linda High School, Yorba Linda www.ylhslax.wix.com/mustang-food-truck
Anaheim Hills Boot Camp, thru Jan. 31
Look at yourself. Are you any closer to achieving your New Year’s resolution? Did you even make one? Get your act together and sign up for boot camp, starting the beginning of this month. The Fritos will be here when you get back, we promise. Total Training Boot Camp, Villa Park www.totaltrainingbootcamp.com/Boot-Camp/Anaheim-HillsBoot-Camp.aspx
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Photo by Marc Hom
Wiz Khalifa is relishing the spotlight with the success of his most recent album, O.N.I.F.C., which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The Pittsburgh-based rapper and noted cannabis connoisseur—who graced the cover of CULTURE’s 4/20 issue in 2011—is also nominated for two Grammy Awards for his collaboration with Snoop Dogg and Bruno Mars on the song “Young, Wild & Free” and his appearance on Maroon 5’s “Payphone.” Since debuting his first major-record album in 2011, Wiz has seen a meteoric rise to fame. The Pittsburgh City Council even declared Dec. 12 to be “Wiz Khalifa Day.” The rapper showed his gratitude in a simple Tweet: “I also wanna thank the city of Pittsburgh for making 12-12 “Wiz Khalifa Day” in the burgh.” c
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Gettin‘ Jimmy Wit It
Photo by Rick Diamond, The Carter Center
President Obama may not support widespread cannabis legalization . . . but former President Jimmy Carter sure does! During a recent interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20, the 39th President of the United States said he approved making the plant legal. “I’m in favor of it. I think it’s OK,” Carter said. He went on to describing Colorado and Washington, the country’s first two states to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over, as “experiment states.” This should come as no surprise to fans of the former of Commander in Chief—Carter’s been pro-leaf for decades; he advocated for decriminalization during the 1970s. In a 1977 message to Congress, the former president said, “Marijuana continues to be an emotional and controversial issue. After four decades, efforts to discourage its use with stringent laws have still not been successful.” Tell it like it is, Jimbo! c
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Add California Lieutenant Governor (and former mayor of San Francisco) Gavin Newsom to the growing list of state and federal officials brave enough to tout their views on reforming cannabis laws in the wake of Colorado and Washington’s just-passed legalization measures. The same elected official who supported medical cannabis (and who made sure that same-sex couples could marry in the City by the Bay nine years ago) now says legalization and ending prohibition is the right thing to do. “These laws just don’t make sense anymore,” he told The New York Times. “It’s time for politicians to come out of the closet on this.” As Newsom is often talked about as a possible gubernatorial candidate for 2016, his ideological shift (in 2010, he said “I’m just not there yet” when discussing full-on legalization) could be a significant benchmark. c
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Chuck Shepherd
News of the
Weird LEAD STORY— HAIR LIP
; Plastic surgeons in Turkey and France told CNN in November that mustache implants have suddenly surged in popularity as Middle Eastern men use their increased lip bushiness to convey power and prestige. Surgeons extract follicles from hairier parts of the body in procedures that cost the equivalent of around $7,000 and show full results in about six months. An anthropology professor told CNN that, by tradition in Arab countries, a man of honor would “swear on my mustache,” use mustaches as collateral for loans, shave off a vanquished foe’s mustache as a reward and gravely insult enemies with “Curse be upon your mustache!”
PANDA GRADUATION PARTY
; Yes, This Is Really How They Do It: The Wolong Panda Training Base in Sichuan, China, released a series of photos to China Daily in October to mark the graduation from captivity, and into the wild, of the 2-year-old Tao Tao. Sure enough, Tao Tao and his mother, Cao Cao, were shown frolicking in the woods, accompanied by trainers each dressed in full-length panda suits, including panda heads, as they appeared to demonstrate climbing trees and searching for food.
LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES
; At the religious festival of Pon, thousands of Muslims travel to Gunung Kemukus, on Indonesia’s main island of Java, to have the required sexual intercourse with a stranger. The experience, which supposedly brings good fortune, has become heavily commercial-
ized, but nevertheless, about half the participants are “pure,” in that no money changes hands. More than a quick tryst is involved, according to an October Global Mail dispatch. The pilgrims must first pray, then bathe themselves, then select their proper stranger, then bathe themselves afterward (carefully saving the water for later re-use) and finally return seven times at 35-day intervals to refresh their ritual.
; According to testimony in Perth, Australia, in November, one retired priest, Thomas Byrne, 80, bit off the ear of another, Thomas Smith, 81, in a brawl over a parking space. Father Byrne and Father Smith are residents of the same retirement home in the Perth suburb of Dianella. ; For centuries, some residents of India’s Madhya Pradesh state have allowed themselves to be trampled by garishly dressed animals in periodic attempts to have their prayers answered. The November Ekadashi (the 11th day of certain months of the Hindu calendar) this year began with prayers, followed by the liquoring up of the animals (cows in Ujjain and buffaloes in Bhopal, for example) to “remove their inhibitions,” according to a WebIndia123 report. Even so, according to local press reports, hardly anyone ever gets hurt.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
; Things People Believe: (1) Personalities are heavily influenced by blood types, according to the Japanese. People with Type A blood are thought to be “sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but over-anxious,” accordJANUARY 2013 • CULTURE 109
ing to a November BBC News dispatch, while Os are “curious and generous but stubborn.” Some industries market blood-typespecific products ranging from soft drinks to condoms. (2) Names given by their parents heavily influence a person’s fortunes in life, according to many Thais, but that means relief from misery is just an official name-change away, according to a November Wall Street Journal dispatch from Bangkok. Services-for-fee are available to help find prosperous names, with one smartphone application suggesting five for the equivalent of about $10. ; Saudis Remain FreedomChallenged: (1) In September, officials in Jeddah detained 908 female Nigerian visitors who were not accompanied by appropriate male guardians as required for all females in the kingdom under age 45. (Women older than that are allowed merely to carry notarized permission slips from husbands, sons or brothers.) That the Nigerians were in the country only to make the required Muslim Hajj pilgrimage did not deter Saudi authorities. (2) Saudi immigration officials in November began a text-messaging service to notify husbands if a woman attempts to leave the country (at an airport or across a border) without the official “yellow sheet” authorizing her departure. ; Update: Japanese and Chinese traditions absolutely reject the idea of reusing wooden chopsticks, and for many years Japan’s (and then, China’s) forests easily met chopstick demand. But Japan requires 23 billion pairs a year, and China 63 billion, which the wood industry (even China’s) eventually could not provide. In 2011, Korean-born Jae Lee built a factory in Americus, Ga., near forests of poplar and sweet gum trees that proved the ideal combination of softness and hardness for the sticks. In 2011 and early 2012, he supplied Japanese, Chinese and Koreans with 20 million pairs of “Made in U.S.A.” chopsticks every week. (In June, Georgia Chopsticks LLC was inexplicably closed by court order, even though its sales had remained brisk.) 110 CULTURE • JANUARY 2013
QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS
; Police were seeking a 6-foot-3 man concerning an attempted child-abduction in November after a father intervened as the man led the father’s 2-year-old daughter toward an exit of the Fashion Square mall in Charlottesville, Va. The father alerted Fashion Square’s security, and the cops took the man into “custody,” which turned out to mean escorting him off the property and warning him not to return (catch and release?). ; Questionable Product Launches: (1) The Demeter Fragrance Library (maker of such “classic” scents as “Dirt,” “Crayon” and “Laundromat”) has added to its line with “Sushi” cologne, reported the website FoodBeast.com in November. Fortunately, the scent is not that of raw fish, but “cooked sticky rice,” seaweed, ginger and lemon essences. (2) A company called Beverly Hills Caviar recently installed three vending machines in the Los Angeles area that sell nothing but varieties of caviar (ranging from pink mother of pearl ($4) to Imperial River Beluga ($500 an ounce).
PERSPECTIVE
; “In beautiful La Jolla Cove,” wrote The New York Times in November, describing the cliffsidevista community near San Diego, “art galleries and coffee shops meet a stretch of unspoiled cliffs and Pacific Ocean”—unspoiled, that is, until recently, when seagulls took over. Now, because of California’s showcase environmental regulations, use of the cove has been restricted, and cleaning the bird droppings from the land is subject to a permit-application process that might take two years. Some residents profess not to mind (“Smells just like the ocean,” said one, “but maybe a little ‘heightened’”) while others are appalled (“As soon as we pulled up, it was like, this is awful”). Even though the smell grows “more acrid by the day,” according to the Times, residents’ and visitors’ only short-term hope is for cleansing by the traditional winter rains (which, fortunately, do not V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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require California permits). In 2011 only 75 worldwide shark attacks on humans were reported, with only 12 fatal, yet researchers writing recently in the journal Conservation Biology found that about 60 percent of all media reporting about sharks emphasized just the serious dangers that human swimmers face. By contrast, only about 7 percent of the reports were focused on shark biology or ecology, though the sorry state of shark survival would seem more important, in that an estimated 26 million to 73 million sharks are killed annually from the harvesting of their fins.
PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM US
; Update: There was no one more different from us than Dennis Avner, last reported here in 2005. Having transformed his body through surgery, tattoos and implants, he had almost completely adopted the persona of a cat (“Stalking Cat,” as he was known in the body-modification community). Mr. Avner had tiger-
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stripe tattoos covering most of his body, dental implants sharpened to points to resemble tiger teeth and metal-stud implants around his mouth to hold his long, plastic whiskers. Ear and lip surgery had made his head more catlike, and special contact lenses made his eyes appear as ovals. Mr. Avner passed away in Las Vegas in November at the age of 54, reportedly of suicide. ; Maturity-Challenged: Attorney Thomas Corea of Palmer, Texas, was indicted in August for four felonies related to misuse of clients’ trust accounts, and in October a panel of the State Bar of Texas voted to revoke his license. He apparently did not take the news well. On Oct. 31 (according to a judge’s later findings), Corea vandalized his rented law office, resulting, said the landlord’s representative, in “complete destruction,” with “penis graffiti on every single wall throughout the building,” with the representative’s name written next to several of the penises. Furthermore, at the
November sentencing hearing, the judge had to admonish Corea to stop making faces in the courtroom.
LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS
; Rookie Mistake: Joseph O’Callaghan, 31, was sentenced to nine years in prison by a court in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in November for having robbed an armoredcar guard in 2011. He had made off with the guard’s cashbox, but since he had accosted the guard on his way into Northern Bank, and not on his way out, the box contained no money.
READERS’ CHOICE
; For two months, up to Nov. 20, the water company serving Johnville, Quebec, had left standing a utility pole even after the Quebec highway department had rebuilt Highway 251 to a location that left the pole squarely in the middle of the new two-lane street (which thus became a popular sight for fans of incompetence). Fortunately, during the two months, no ac-
cidents around the pole were reported. (2) A 35-year-old man was shot to death in Wilkinsburg, Pa., in September when he took a break from a game of dominoes on a second-floor balcony around 11 p.m. and urinated over the rail. Unfortunately, an unidentified man was walking below. He yelled, “Yo! Yo!” and fired several gunshots, killing the urinator. ; (2) Donna Giustizia lobbied the city of Vaughan, Ontario, in November to chop down all the oak trees in the vicinity of Stephen Catholic Elementary School, claiming that her children and others like them with nut allergies were in danger. She mentioned especially their “anxiety” from even glimpsing acorns on the ground and suggested that the allergic children could be easily bullied by acornwielding classmates. ; (3) In a parental-involvement program with 70 public schools and Walgreen Co., the City of Chicago announced in October
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that it would give previously uninterested parents $25 gift cards just to come by the schools to pick up their kids’ report cards.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
; The Lost Art of Cuddling: (1) At the recently opened Soineya “cuddle cafe” in Tokyo, men buy hugging privileges (but no “sex” allowed!) with young women from 20 minutes to 10 hours at prices (gratuity optional) ranging from the equivalents of $40 to $645, with surcharges for special services (e.g., foot massages, resting heads in each other’s laps). (2) The Deluxe Comfort Girlfriend Body Pillow, which began as a boutique-only niche product, recently became available at Amazon. com and Sears.com at around $25. The bolster-like, cuddling-enabled pillow is augmented with two strategically placed mounds and a snuggle-up arm hanging to the side. (There’s also an Original Soft and Comfy Boyfriend Pillow, without the mounds.) ; “You have wrinkles,” the inquiring customer was told, “and your left cheek is larger than your right,” explained “Tata,” the Bangkok-born woman who recently opened a salon in San Francisco to employ the supposedly traditional Thai art of face-slapping. Frown lines and droopy skin are curable with a 10-minute regimen of well- placed whacks across the cheek (and payment of the $350 fee), Tata told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in October. Masochists are warned that Tata deals in therapy, not punishment. “If you want someone to hit you, go on Craigslist.”
CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE
; Among the “Ig Nobel” prizes awarded to earnest academics in September by the Annals of Improbable Research was the one to Patrick Warren and colleagues who delved into excruciatingly detailed predictions (at the behest of a cosmetics firm) about how someone might ultimately look with a ponytail, based on hair characteristics. The team took into account the stiffness of the strands, the effects of gravity and the random curliness or waviness in the hair in a set formula to compute a “Rapunzel Number” for
each head. Explaining his particularized work to reporters, Dr. Warren acknowledged (perhaps with underestimation), “I’ve been working on this for a long time.” ; A research team at Lund University in Sweden, led by neuroethologist Jochen Smolka, concluded that one reason dung beetles dance in circles on top of dung is to cool off, according to an October report on LiveScience.com. To arrive at their conclusion, the team went to the trouble of painting tiny silicone “boots” on some beetles to protect them from the ambient heat experienced by a control group of beetles, and found that the booted beetles climbed atop the dung less frequently. Explained Smolka, “Like an air-conditioning unit, the moist (dung) is cooled by evaporati(on).”
LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS
; While the U.S. recently nearly elected a multimillionaire as president, Uruguay’s chief executive, Jose Mujica, declared his personal wealth in 2010 as the equivalent of about $1,800 and gives away 90 percent of his $12,000 monthly presidential salary in order to remain true to his political roots with the leftist guerrilla group Tupamaros. He has rejected the government-provided mansion and instead lives with his wife at her family’s farmhouse, where he helps work the land, according to a November BBC News profile from Montevideo. “I have to do (this),” he told a reporter, “because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less.” ; Financial advisers charge the big bucks because of their sophisticated understanding of money and markets—or maybe because they know how the stars align. A September Marketplace radio program highlighted the newsletters of “financial astrologers” Karen Starich and former Merrill Lynch stock trader Arch Crawford (who left the trading floor because, apparently, astrology is more lucrative). About 300 traders pay $237 a year to learn what Starich knows about Neptune and Saturn, and Crawford’s 2,000 subscribers (at least a few of which prefer receiving copies in unmarked JANUARY 2013 • CULTURE 113
wrappers) learned that any new business venture goes south when Mercury is in retrograde. ; The Continuing Decline of American Manufacturing: A Drug Enforcement Administration agent told the Associated Press in October that factories in Mexico have recently been supplying American markets with especially potent and inexpensive methamphetamine. “These are sophisticated, high-tech (businesses) . . . that are operating with extreme precision,” said agent Jim Shroba. The 90 percent-pure product offers “a faster, more intense and longer-lasting high.” Many Americans, meanwhile, continue to make small batches of inferior meth in 2-liter soda bottles.
UPDATE
; Taunting of Third-World Laborers: First, as News of the Weird reported more than 20 years ago, Indonesian coffeemakers made “Kopi Luwak,” using only beans that had passed through the digestive tracts of native civet cats. More recently, Thailand’s upscale Anantara Resorts began offering coffee using beans similarly excreted by elephants. In both cases, these digestive-tract coffee beans, picked and processed by laborers earning as little as $1 day, wind up as a drink sipped by (in the words of an NPR reviewer) “cat poop fetishi(sts)” who may pay upwards of $10 for a single cup.
LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS
; Recurring Themes: (1) In November, Jacory Walker, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery in Waxahachie, Texas, and was sentenced to 37 months in prison. He had made the mistake of asking a teller at the 1st Convenience Bank to access his account (giving the teller his Social Security number), and only then, when realizing he had no money left, deciding to rob the place. (2) Almost No Longer Weird: Demarco Myles, 19, was arrested in Washington, D.C., for rape after he, as rapists sometimes fatuously do, decided that his second victim might have had eyes for him and left her his name and phone number, anticipating a follow-up rendezvous. 114 CULTURE • JANUARY 2013
NEEDING A LIFT
; Update: Gary Medrow, 68, has periodically surfaced in News of the Weird since 1991 for his unique behavior of using a false identity to persuade Milwaukeearea strangers over the phone to lift other strangers off the ground—behavior for which he has occasionally been jailed and ordered to psychiatric care. After a recent period of calm, Medrow slipped in November and was charged with impersonating a photojournalist to convince two Cedarburg (Wis.) High School students to hoist each other on their shoulders (and four similar incidents were under investigation). At an earlier hearing, Medrow said that his “addiction” helps him to relieve tension and anxiety.
THE CONTINUING CRISIS
; Floyd Johnson pleaded guilty to attempted murder in an odd scene in a New York City courtroom in November. Johnson has only one leg, and had been charged with stabbing a fellow homeless shelter resident who has no legs. Johnson’s public-defender lawyer (who caught the case at random) has only one leg, also. Johnson said he was taking the plea in part because of excruciating leg pain—in the leg he doesn’t have (“phantom leg” syndrome), and Johnson’s lawyer said he suffers from the same thing. (The lawyer subsequently filed to withdraw the guilty plea because the pain had clouded his client’s judgment.) ; Tunisia’s Ministry for Women and Family Affairs demanded in October that the government prosecute the publisher of the children’s magazine Qaws Quzah (“Rainbow”), aimed at ages 5 to 15, for an article in the then-current issue on how to construct a gasoline bomb (aka the “Molotov cocktail” in America). The country has been rocked by the same kind of upheaval experienced in other Arab countries, except less so since its longtime president stepped down rather quickly in January 2011. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
AWESOME
; Jason Schall, 38, who has retired as a financial planner and now devotes his energy to fishing, had a spectacular week in September when he won a catch-and-release tournament in Charleston, S.C., came within 1 1/2 inches of a world record on another catch, and was notified of recently setting two Nevada state records for largest fish caught. Schall’s coup de grace, he told the Charleston Post and Courier, came a few days later when he caught a redfish while sitting on his living room sofa in Daniel Island, S.C., watching a Clemson football game with a pal. He had run a line with bait through a crack in the door, through his yard into the lake behind his home.
SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED
; Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found recently in tests that 10th-grade students who play video games (especially shooting and sports games) regularly score just as high in robotic surgery dexterity as resident doctors. The lead researcher said that surgery simulations (for example, suturing) have built-in unpredictability, for training purposes, but since complex video games are laden with unpredictability, players logging at least two hours a day with the joystick in fact may even slightly outperform the residents.
OOPS!
; How Drunk Do You Have to Be? (1) College student Courtney Malloy, 22, was rescued in November after getting stuck at about 1 a.m. trying to cut between two buildings in Providence, R.I. The space between City Sports and FedEx Kinko’s was 8 to 9 inches, said firefighters, who found Malloy horizontal and about 2 feet off the ground and “unable” to explain how she got there. (2) Leslie Newton, 68, was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol officers near St. Augustine in December while driving erratically. He also had a portion of a traffic sign embedded in his skull after colliding with it. (In both cases, officers said they believed the victims to be intoxicated.)
-- Helen Springthorpe, 58, with only three months on the job as the bell-ringer at St. Nicholas Church in Bathampton, England, was knocked unconscious in November when she became entangled in the bells’ ropes and was jerked too-and-fro around the belfry, her head smashing against a wall. Fire and ambulance crews eventually lowered her about 20 feet to the ground.
PERSPECTIVE
Homeless man Darren Kersey, 28, was jailed overnight in November in Sarasota, Fla., after being busted for charging his cellphone at an outlet at a public picnic shelter in the city’s Gillespie Park. The police report noted that “(T)heft of city utilities will not be tolerated . . .” However, for owners of electric cars (less likely to be homeless!), the city runs several absolutely free charging stations, including one at city hall. The American Civil Liberties Union has accused the city for years of being aggressively inhospitable toward the city’s homeless. (Kersey was released the next day when a judge ruled the arrest improper.)
FETISHES ON PARADE
Stubborn: (1) Briton Robert Moore, 31, got a relatively light sentence in Bradford Crown Court in October when he convinced a judge that he only inadvertently possessed child pornography, in that he was largely interested in humananimal porn (including with a pig, a goat, a horse and an octopus). Moore was not eligible for a court-ordered “treatment” alternative to prison because he told the judge that he does not believe he has a deviancy. (2) Carlos Romero, 31, told arresting officers in Ocala, Fla., in September that Florida was a “backwards” state because it still punishes his sexual behavior with a donkey. He admitted to being aroused by animals “in heat” but explained that all he did was stand behind the animal and masturbate while fondling her genitals. Any genital-genital contact, he said, was “accidental.” JANUARY 2013 • CULTURE 115
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