2 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 3
20
Lady Laughter
Lily Tomlin’s decades-long career never goes out of style On the cover: Photo by Jenny Risher
features
departments
12 BATTLEFIELD Joe White’s mission to prove the War on Drugs is a racist one.
6 letter from the editor It’s a very green time of the year.
14 BREAKING THE MOLD A lab test can tell you more than just how potent your medicine is.
8 NEWS NUGGETS Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere—and we give you the scoop—PLUS our latest By the Numbers
16 SAY UNCLE Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy says popping pills is the real drug danger.
18 DESTINATION UNKNOWN From sandless beaches to Russian tourists— Mũi Né is one quirky destination. 19 PROFILES IN COURAGE Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a medical marijuana patient near you. 24 COOL STUFF From the Bootube to Happy Daddy accessories, if it’s a cutting-edge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it. 26 RECIPES Leave the candy for the kids— this Halloween-themed menu is a real treat!
33
Our wrap-up of some of Michigan’s hellishly cool events for the spookiest night of the year.
30 | Entertainment Reviews 35 | Guide to Advertisers 37 | News of the Weird 4 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 5
Letter from the Editor iREADCULTURE.com
Roberto C. Hernandez Editor-In-Chief
GET YOUR HITS HERE
Vol 4 IssUE 4
Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
Managing Editor Lynn Lieu
Editorial Contributors
Dennis Argenzia, Omar Aziz, Ashley Bennett, Jake Browne, David Burton, Michael Carlos, Grace Cayosa, Jasen T. Davis, Stacy Davies, Rev. Dr. Kymron de Cesare, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Charmie Gholson, James P. Gray, Lillian Isley, David Jenison, Liquid Todd, Kevin Longrie, Meital Manzuri, Jane Mast, Sandra Moriarty, Assia Mortensen, Damian Nassiri, Keller O’Malley, Paul Rogers, Lanny Swerdlow, Arrissia Owen
Photographers
Steve Baker, Kristopher Christensen, John Gilhooley, Amanda Holguin, Khai Le, David Elliot Lewis, Mark Malijan, Kaitlin Parry, Patrick Roddie, Michael Seto, Kim Sidwell
Interns
Joe Martone, Gabriela Mungarro, Derek Obregon
Art Director
Steven Myrdahl
Year of the Green Harvest is upon us. More states are preparing to join our compassionate family. And it’s an election year. Is it me or is this shaping up to be a year full of potential? Take a look around: our medical marijuana lifestyle and community is thriving. All across this great nation there is movement forward, progress being made and political advancement. Let’s start with harvest. With a fresh batch of crops flooding your local access points and collectives, there are a whole host of new strains available to patients and their needs. Check out David Down’s story in this month’s issue about the latest discoveries being made about what specific strains can be used to treat a specific medical condition. For patients, this type of information is important—if not critical. On the legislative front, the situation is no less different. Voters in Massachusetts will be asked to approve the legalization of cannabis for medical use. The situation’s the same in Arkansas. Kentucky is thinking about becoming an MMJ state. Like I said, our lifestyle is thriving. This November voters will be asked to choose their political leaders. Sure, Obama and Romney
are keeping tight-lipped about MMJ—and Paul Ryan has mastered the art of flip-flopping on this issue—but its refreshing to see the candidates from two other major parties (Jill Stein of the Green Party of the United States and Gary Johnson with the Libertarian Party) speaking candidly and earnestly about the importance of medical marijuana rights. In the halls of Congress, no less than four bills designed to protect patients as well as our compassionate industry are being considered Three states—Oregon, Colorado and Washington—will have legalization measures on the November ballot. Our lifestyle continues to be embraced by the mainstream. Case in point: Lily Tomlin—the subject of this issue’s cover story—is starring in a new Reba McEntire show for ABC, playing a mother who uses medical cannabis. Yes, it’s a challenge—our community continues to be afflicted with cease-and-desist letters and pigheaded law enforcement action. But if you read the signs like I do, it’s clear that while we might lose a battle here and there . . . we are most assuredly winning the war. Medical marijuana is here to stay. The rest of the country is just catching up. c
Graphic Designers
Vidal Diaz, Tommy LaFleur
Director of Sales & Marketing Jim Saunders
Regional Manager John Parker
Office Manager Iris Norsworthy
Online Marketing Jackie Moe
Account Executives
Joe Amador, Jon Bookatz, Gene Gorelik, Kristy Mamula, Dave Ruiz, Kim Slocum, April Tygart, Nick Villejo
IT Manager
Serg Muratov
Distribution Manager Cruz Bobadilla
Culture® Magazine is published every month and distributes 25,000 papers at over 500 locations throughout Michigan. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. Culture® Magazine is a registered trademark of Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. 700 S. Main St. | #119-124 Lapeer | Michigan | 48446 Phone 888.694.2046 | Fax 951.284.2596 www.iREADCULTURE.com
CULTURE® Magazine is printed using post-recycled paper.
6 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 7
News Nuggets THE STATE
Statewide, marijuana possession remains a criminal misdemeanor, carrying a maximum sentence on 1 year in prison. Those convicted of possessing marijuana in a Michigan park could face up to 2 years behind bars.
Legislature delays patient-doctor votes
Appeals court upholds Walmart patient’s firing
Ruling that Michigan’s compassionate-use law doesn’t protect people in the workplace, a federal appeals court in Grand Rapids upheld Walmart’s firing of a seriously ill cannabis patient for using his doctor-recommended medicine. Joseph Casias was fired in 2009 from his job as an inventorycontrol manager at Walmart after testing positive for THC. Casias, who has an inoperable brain tumor, sued, claiming Michigan’s medical-marijuana law made him a protected class of worker. A federal judge disagreed, and, in September, an appellate court ruled that the law provides immunity to patients only in criminal cases.
Michigan cities to vote on cannabis laws
Voters in five major Michigan cities will decide in November on whether to increase cannabis freedoms in their municipalities or maintain the prohibitive status quo. Residents of Detroit and Flint will cast ballots up or down on making possession of up to ounce of marijuana a noncriminal offense. Similarly, voters in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids will consider turning first-time pot possession offenses into an infraction, punishable by a mere ticket, while Ypsilanti ballot-casters will decide on making marijuana crimes the municipality’s lowest law-enforcement priority. 8 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
State legislators in Lansing have delayed voting until after November—at least on a pair of bills cannabis activists say would make life tougher for patients. If passed, House Bill 4851 would toughen the state’s definition of a medical marijuana “doctor-patient” relationship, while HB 4834 would grant law-enforcement officers access to cannabis patient records. Lawmakers were expected to vote on the bills in September but failed to act on them. At least 200 MMJ supporters protested at the state capitol last month, with one declaring, “It is time for the people to reclaim democracy,” the Battle Creek Enquirer reported.
THE NATION VP candidate Ryan’s big pot day
Both presidential candidates have carefully avoided the subject of marijuana legalization this election season, but for one glorious day in September, we at least got to hear where one vice-presidential challenger stood on the issue—in fact, we heard all three of his stances. Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan announced his first stance when he told Colorado radio station KRDO that he believed medical marijuana legalization was a matter for the states to decide. The statement represented not only a break with Ryan’s boss, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney,
who doesn’t believe in medical marijuana, but also a 180-degree flip by Ryan himself. Just a few months ago, he voted against giving states the right to decide on medical cannabis legalization. Or at least the statement would have represented all that, had Ryan’s staffers not retracted the statement just a few hours later, saying the candidate had misspoken, and provided Ryan’s third policy position of the month on the subject: Apparently, the congressman does not believe marijuana should be legal under any circumstances.
Statewide legalization measures leading in polls
November is set to go down as one of the greenest months in U.S. history, as several major statewide cannabis measures facing American voters enjoy big leads going into the elections. In Washington, 57 percent
of registered voters surveyed said they plan to vote yes on Initiative-502, which would regulate the production and use of small amounts of cannabis for recreational purposes. Some 47 percent of likely voters in Colorado say they’ll support the legalization bill Amendment 64, compared to 38 percent opposed. Finally, Question 3, which would bring medical marijuana to Massachusetts, has gathered the support of 58 percent of likely voters, with just 27 percent opposed. In Montana, a referendum on a 2011 law many see as a de facto repeal of the state’s medical marijuana program appears headed to go down on the side of pro-compassion-
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 9
10 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
ate use forces. The law registered only 46-percent support among Montana voters in the latest poll.
the council’s decision was made purely to silence unpopular speech.
THE WORLD Major cannabis rally squashed in Germany
Flint City Derby Girls
What could have been the largest pro-cannabis public demonstration in Germany’s long history was shut down last month by a local government agency claiming the event would have been “of a commercial nature.” The Cologne demonstration and parade had been planned for weeks and involved multiple cannabis advocacy groups, including the procompassionate-use organization Cannabis Als Medizin. But a local permitting council squashed the plan, saying that by listing major business sponsors on their websites, organizers had turned the event from political to commercial in nature. Several organizers told reporters they believe
By the Numbers
5
Estimated number of medical cannabis activists to protest in September on the Capitol steps in Lansing against proposed anti-MMJ legislation: 200 (Source: LansingStateJournal.com).
6
Number of dispensaries that would be allowed in Massachusetts should voters there approve Question 3 in November: 35 (Source: Telegram.com).
1
Current maximum jail sentence (in days) for possession of cannabis in Detroit: 365 (Source: Michigan Penal Code).
2
Maximum sentence (in years) for possession of cannabis in Detroit should voters there approve a decriminalization measure in November: 0 (Source: Michigan Secretary of State).
7
Number of Montana residents registered with the state as medical cannabis patients as of spring 2011: 30,000 (Source: New England Cable News).
3
8
4
9
Minimum age for legally possessing cannabis in Detroit, under a proposed city measure on this November’s ballot: 21 (Source: Michigan Secretary of State). Minimum age for legally possessing cannabis in Flint, under a proposed city measure on this November’s ballot: 19 (Source: Michigan Secretary of State).
Number of Montana residents registered with the state as medical cannabis providers as of spring 2011: 4,800 (Source: New England Cable News). Maximum number of patients a Montana medical cannabis caregiver can have under state law passed last year: 3 (Source: Montana Department of Public Health).
10
Ratio of Americans older than 11 who admit to having used cannabis in the previous year: 1 in 10 (Source: Christian Science Monitor).
11
Number of Americans who admit to having used cannabis at least once in their lifetimes: 100 million (Source: Christian Science Monitor).
12
Number of U.S. citizens who have been cited or arrested since 1970 for violating marijuana law: 21 million (Source: Christian Science Monitor).
13
Number of hours in September that GOP vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan was on record as supporting cannabis legalization before he reversed his position: 18 (Source: Westword.com).
They’re lean, mean, derby machines! Get ready for a night filled with pushing and shoving—and a whole lot of brutal skating. The girls are back, hitting the track for another exciting double header! This anticipated match will include the FCDG Grand Funk Hellcats battling the Brighton Roller Dollz (To add a special touch: someone will get married during the half-time show—want more details? Show up!). But we said there were going to be two matches, right? Enter the Flint City Derby Girls who will be gunning for the Glass City Rollers from Ohio. Who wouldn’t want to watch back-to-back tough-asnails skating done by ladies ready to take the lead from anyone—whatever the cost! You might be thinking of racing to your nearest Redbox for a copy of Whip It—but forget it. This is real. This is aggressive, 100 percent fun and it has nothing to do with Drew Barrymore wearing knee pads (sorry, Drew). Hell hath no fury than a woman—on wheels. (Gabriela Mungarro)
IF YOU GO
What: The Flint City Derby Girls double header. When/Where: Oct. 27 at Perani Arena & Events Center, 3501 Lapeer Rd., Flint. Info: $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 5pm. All ages. Visit www. flintcityderbygirls.org. OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 11
FLASH
Rebuilding
“Ground Zero” Detroit’s Joe White fights his own war against racist drug laws {By Charmie Gholson}
Say What?
Joe White is on the verge of accomplishing something extraordinary: convincing the Detroit NAACP, African American churches and community leadership that the failed War on Drugs—not drugs or black folks— has decimated their communities. African American communities have traditionally been supporters of the Drug War, but despite the fact that the national NAACP has released a statement affirming its support for ending drug prohibition (and legalizing cannabis), Detroit has resisted. “The Drug War was sold to us as way to save our kids, but they are lying to us,” White tells CULTURE. “They are not protecting kids.” Legal scholar Michelle Alexander’s landmark 2010 book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness, explains how the U.S. has created a system of social and racial control unparalleled in world history— and one maintained by the Drug War. Felons thrown back into com-
munity after mass incarceration are truly part of a caste system, no longer part of mainstream society, according to Alexander’s writing. “When you remove jobs from the community, people have to pay their damn bills and feed their family, and that is the mentality right now in this city of Detroit,” White says. “I know because I have been here all my life. I’m not talking about this as an outsider, I am right here in the middle of this shit, over here on the east side.” “If the War on drugs is a real war, then this is Ground Zero,” he adds. “The No. 1 employer in Detroit is drugs. Police, legislators, they all agree.” Detroit used to have a confident middle-class, a high percentage of unskilled workers making good money at Ford, GM and Chrysler. “Then they were just thrown out,” White explains. “Corporations just walked away, leaving buildings scattered all over Detroit. What’s left is the drug trade.” White is touring Michigan
“I enjoy [marijuana]. I also enjoy alcohol.” —Oliver Stone
12 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
with a PowerPoint presentation based on The New Jim Crow that dives deep into the statistics, policies, history and impact of the Drug War and how it has impacted communities of color for the last three generations. He used several studies for his presentation, including one from the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center that covers states that specifically researched crime, incarceration and length of prison stays in the 48213 ZIP code of Detroit—where 61-year-old Joe White has spent his entire life. The results are staggering: One in three black men are under correctional control, and this has had zero impact on drug trafficking and violence. After White read The New Jim Crow, he called Alexander’s office in Ohio and was directed to the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Confer-
Photo courtesy of Michigan Norml
ence (SDPC)—a lead agency out of Chicago that is part of the United Methodist Church (UMC). The UMC been active speaking out against the Drug War, and it developed a study guide out of The New Jim Crow, which White used to create his presentation. He also helped facilitate hearings in September, through the SDPC’s newly formed Michigan Justice Commission, where citizens, activists and professionals gave testimony on incarceration and the Drug War. And this November, Detroit residents will decide through a voter-initiated ballot question whether they want to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana within the city limits. Joe is pushing for that measure to pass, and praying the black communities of faith will hear this message loud and clear. c
As the Jim Crow Flies
Ask Michelle Alexander, the author of 2010’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness, about racial justice and she’ll likely tell you that we have a long way to go. Among other things, Alexander makes a case for how little racial progress this country has made in light of several facts such as: there are more African American men in jail, prison, probation or parole than there were slaves in 1850, and our prisons are “overflowing with black and brown offenders,” she wrote in The Huffington Post two years ago. “This is not Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream,” she wrote. “The cyclical rebirth of caste in America is a recurring racial nightmare.”
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 13
BUZZ
Under the
Microscope Molds and mycotoxins might be lurking in your medicine—is it tested? {By Rev. Dr. Kymron deCesare} The first rule for ANY healer is “Do no harm.” One of the single most serious issues in the medical marijuana community is also one of the least well known: the assurance that cannabis medicine does not contain dangerous impurities that do harm. In truth, only about 1 percent of medical marijuana is ever laboratory tested for potency, and much less is tested for pesticides, bacteria, molds or fungus. Of the medicine that is tested, the most common impurities found are molds and mycotoxins, which show up nearly 20 percent of the time in tested cannabis intended for patient consumption.
14 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Molds (fungus) are living organisms often involved with the decomposition of organic matter. During the lifespan of a mold, it produces byproducts and metabolites (like the alcohol produced by yeast during beer fermentation), including mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are so named because they have been shown to be highly toxic to humans, as well as plants and animals. Along with acute toxicity (an immediate illness), continuous exposure to a specific mycotoxin can result in an allergic reaction that has the potential for lethal results in some patients. Once a patient becomes sick with this type of allergy, the patient remains allergic, becom-
ing progressively sicker with each new exposure. In some cases, irreversible liver damage ensues. The most commonly seen mold is mildew, which luckily is also the least harmful. For most cannabis users, mildew simply has a very unpleasant taste. However, to those with lung impairment, lowered immune systems or allergies to molds, mildew can become a serious problem. In addition, very little research has been done to date on measuring the effects of smoking or inhaling mold and mold spores so we have very little understanding of how serious these issues are. Aspergillus is a very toxic mold sometimes found in can-
nabis. Aspergillus can be black, green, brown, white, yellow or blue in color. Some strains of aspergillus contain a highly toxic mycotoxin, ochratoxin. Ochratoxin is carcinogenic, destroys the kidneys and causes neuropathic pain throughout the body. Because of these concerns, routine laboratory testing for aspergillus and ochratoxin is done on coffee beans, red wine, cereals and dried fruits. Aspergillus can also contain aflatoxin, which is among the most carcinogenic chemicals known. Aflatoxin has been found in breast milk of mammals eating contaminated feed, peanut butter, cooking oils like olive oil and in patients using contaminated cosmetics. Testing using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry has shown at least faint traces of aflatoxin in at least 50 percent of food samples tested. There are a variety of other molds and mycotoxins of concern. Under normal circumstances, the FDA is responsible for screening out these toxins from our food and drug supply through mandatory testing. Unfortunately, since cannabis is still listed as a Schedule 1 narcotic, no testing of marijuana is mandated by our government to protect us from these illnesses. Recognizing this need, several places (like Washington, D.C. and New Jersey) that are currently initiating medical marijuana programs, have wisely decided to mandate testing of all medicinal cannabis to protect their citizens and patients. Patients need to be their own best advocate, and get in the habit of asking if the medicinal cannabis products they use are tested for safety and, if not, ask their cannabis provider why not. Be careful! Even medicinal cannabis that is described as having been “tested” may only have been tested for potency, not safety. Safety testing is expensive and time consuming, so if it is really safety tested, it will be clearly stated as such on the label. Patients need to find safe tested medicine for their own health. c
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 15
TUNES
Yankee Pride {By Paul Rogers} From a distance, alt-country kingpins Wilco could look like freewheeling minstrels criss-crossing the country to bring their rootsy fare to the masses. Yet while the hard-touring sextet—which Rolling Stone has declared ”America’s foremost rock impressionists”—puts music front and center, a chat with founding frontman Jeff Tweedy reveals a pragmatic business head at the heart of creative collective that’s actually much more than just a band. “I just don’t believe in selling out—I think it’s a very elite concept,” says Tweedy, speaking from his Chicago home. “Where I come from— where my family comes from; where my dad comes from—that notion is almost incomprehensible.” Tweedy, who says his father worked on the railways for 46 years, is referring to the hearty backlash to his band’s licensing of several songs from its 2007 album, Sky Blue Sky, for use in a Volkswagen advertising campaign. Even over five years later, Chicago’s Beachwood Reporter echoed the sentiments of many fans and bloggers when writer Don Jacobson asked “Was the VW payday really worth sacrificing their integrity?” in an article earlier this month. “Well, it was good for our career,” Tweedy deadpans. “It was a way for us to be heard in a business and a world where we had very few avenues for that to happen.”
Real Pain
Their VW deal not only brought Wilco, which has never enjoyed substantial mainstream airplay, oodles of welcome exposure for its songs and a considerable injection of funds, but its critics also inadvertently gifted the band endless paragraphs of profile-raising press and blog publicity. “If [critics of the VW deal] want
Say What?
Wilco combines a business head with a creative heart
“I Need That Sticky Icky/ That Miami Crippy/That Washington High Purple/ Watch Out That Thang Will Hurt U/I Need That Cali Chronic” —from Pitbull’s “Sticky Icky” lyrics
to stay in this sort of altruistic fantasy world, they can, but Wilco helps a lot of people stay alive. We are a big band with a lot of our friends working for us and a lot of people depend upon us as their livelihood—and I feel much more satisfaction from that than from the idea that some song that I’m not even precious about to begin with has become I guess somehow sullied in someone’s eyes.” Wilco was formed by the remaining members of revered alt-country act Uncle Tupelo when singer Jay Farrar quit the band in 1994. Only singer/guitarist/ songwriter Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remain from Wilco’s original line-up, which is currently completed by guitarist Nels Cline, percussionist Glenn Kotche, multiinstrumentalist Pat Sansone and keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen. Over the course of nine albums (including 2011’s The Whole Love), Wilco has earned a reputation for experimentation within the broad parameters of the alternative country and alternative rock genres. The band’s progressive, eclectic approach had web commentators dubbing it “the American Radiohead” by the turn of the Millennium. In 2008, Wilco enthusiastically supported Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, appearing on The Colbert Report to that end. Speaking of Obama, Tweedy shared with CULTURE his views on medical marijuana. “I think that [cannabis has] obviously been proven to help people, and I think that it probably will be legal in my lifetime across the board,” he says. c www.wilcoworld.net
Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy thinks pills are the real problem—not pot. “I’m much more concerned about the pharmaceutical industry and the epidemic of painkiller abuse,” he says. “That’s a lot closer to my heart and I know that kind of suffering, and it seems like it’s obviously a situation that, compared to the ‘War on Drugs’ which is really a ridiculous endeavor, that’s actually one area where the government could probably make significant changes overnight.”
16 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 17
Destination Unknown
Story and photos by Dennis Aregenzia and Grace Cayosa
If the exhilaration/terror of being dragged by a kite over deep water and swimming tourists doesn’t appeal, then there are Mũi Né’s red sand and white sand dunes just outside of town. In an ironic twist, the sandiest dunes don’t actually touch water, as Mũi Né beaches are subject to persistent heavy erosion that results in large stretches of concrete-tiled “beach,” thin swaths of real beach, and luxuriously maintained but exclusive resort beach. The red dunes rise up quite suddenly from the roadside and are, not surprisingly, reddish, pounded by wind and manned by cute Vietnamese kids offering plastic sheets for “sand surfing” (at a small
matter that you will continue to discover for several days afterwards, and 2) taking photos of atmospheric sand dunes in a windstorm is guaranteed to sand-blast your camera. The white dunes were more forgiving, if not a little harder to find. For those of us whose sand dune experience is limited to beach berms and movies, the white dunes are pretty amazing. Imagine taking thousands of tons of white sand, dropping them on a giant patch of flat scrub brush, and letting the results ripple beautifully. Granted, it’s not vast like the Sahara or the Gobi, but if you sit strategically between dunes—perhaps resting
bursting culinary experience. As previously mentioned, there’s just one main road going through Mũi Né, and as evening falls, you will find several open air seafood “restaurants” setting up on the beach side of the road. Owing much to its original identity as a fishing village, these dining establishments feature an impressive array of the day’s catch, including giant tiger prawns, shark, eel, periwinkle snails, conch, scallops and, of course, fish. It’s a simple affair: select your [still moving] dishes and then turn away as the barbeque man delivers the death blow via a quick THWAP! on the ground. Drinks are cold, condiments simple, tissues plenty and the seafood, ridiculously cheap and flavorful. When it’s time to medicate, the green is easy enough to find via xe om (motorcycle taxi) drivers—who also gladly offer prostitutes as well—and the cannot-be-specifically-named shishka clubs. However, local quality is generally mediocre, sporting more than the occasional seed, twig and whatnot, and the bribe price can be disproportionately high if the taxi driver you bought your stash from decides to turn around and report you to the police. Thus, many travelers pack their own. The quirks of Mũi Né—wind surfing near sandless beaches; sand surfing on inland dunes; gorging on affordable bounty from the sea;
fee, of course). We learned two very important lessons at the red dunes, both of which are blindingly obvious in hindsight, but hey, we were caught up in the joy of travel: 1) sand surfing is a sure-fire way to fill your netherbits with particulate
from the arduous climb—you could easily convince yourself that a nomad camel caravan is about to crest the hill. Once you’ve worked up a massive appetite cavorting in the sand, head back to town for a gut-
watching leggy Russian beauties catwalk between their 5-star resort and the Russian-owned trinket store in dental floss bikinis and stilettos—combine for a unique Vietnamese-cum-Little Moscow experience. Have at it. c
Double Impact
Vietnam’s MÙi Né mashes up tropical beauty with touches of Little Moscow The storefront sign reads: ТУРФИРМА. Now, one of us is monolingual, the other has a touch of dyslexia, and we’re both standing on the same southern Vietnamese coast, but we’re 100 percent certain that the sign is neither bizarro English nor bad Vietnamese, and that’s because we are in Mũi Né, a one-road resort town defined by gusting sea winds, sand dunes and Russian snowbirds. Located almost exactly between party beach Nha Trang and party city HCMC (aka Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon), Mũi Né has become increasingly popular as a Russian winter getaway (thanks to ТУРФИРМА or “tourist agencies”) and as the wind sport destination in Southeast Asia due to consistently strong sea breezes for more than half the year. Experienced kiteboarders and windsurfers flock to this town between October and May for a chance to launch off Mũi Né’s ever-shrinking beaches and make serious hang time, while beginners simply want to survive the first wipeout with dignity. The surge of the curious has given rise to several kitesurfing schools and shops, all easily identified by the presence of tan, toned instructors effortlessly assisting the floundering.
18 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Profiles in Courage
Photo by Kristopher Christensen
Patient: Jocelyn Smith AGE: 32 Condition/ Illness: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia and ADHD Using medical cannabis since: October 2011
Are you an MMJ patient from Michigan 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 MARIJUANA?
I have been on a lot of medication for my conditions and related complications since I was 15. After taking them for so long, you get familiar with how they affect your body and how harsh they can be. I did some research and sought advice from a friend in the profession of wellness. I decided to try [cannabis] for the first time in over a decade and the results were successful! The main symptoms of both of these conditions are sleep deprivation and pain . . . I have tried both indicas and sativas and found sativa to be more effective. This stimulates me much like Adderall, an ADHD medication, in the evening. It calms down my [hyperactivity] and allows me to focus better. I am also able to get a full night’s sleep.
DID YOU TRY OTHER METHODS OR TREATMENTS BEFORE MARIJUANA? After trying several psychiatric sleep aids, I found myself groggy, depressed and moody in the mornings. I am also steroid dependent due to my adrenal (disorder). If you have ever researched corticosteroids, you will find there are as many side effects as good ones.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OR PROBLEM FACING MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS?
Currently, the government is taking action against dispensaries and related providers to shut them down. Many patients are terminally ill and depend on the current process . . . There is much judgment and criticism against patients and I feel it’s important to educate the population, give demonstrations, show statistics and keep writing films and documentaries wherever permitted.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS WHO ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE? Do your research. Analyze the data. You will be surprised at the results! c
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 19
“I don’t know how we can have one law and the feds can have another, and can come in and do whatever they want to do.” —On the federal crackdown
20 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
9 to 5, the hugely-successful ’80s comedy starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton was on television the night before I interviewed Lily Tomlin. I’d forgotten what a zany flick it was—particularly the scene where the trio share a joint and fantasize about offing their boss. In the blockbuster hit, Tomlin is—as usual—hilarious as the talented but underpaid, underappreciated and, when it comes time to get a long-awaited promotion, overlooked head secretary Violet Newstead. In real life Tomlin may have been underpaid on a few occasions, but she’s gotten lots of appreciation and enjoyed success on the stage and on screens both small and silver over the decades. And the smoky session in 9 to 5 isn’t the only time the comedian/actress—who was named by TIME Magazine as the “New Queen of Comedy” in 1977—has played a marijuana-using character. Just this past year, she played a pot-smoking mother on HBO’s hit Eastbound & Down and Web Therapy with Lisa Kudrow. This fall, Tomlin will play a mother who uses medical marijuana on a new ABC comedy Malibu Country starring Reba McEntire. She is truly a one-of-a-kind talent who has created dozens of memorable characters over her epic career . . . and she’s not done yet. I heard you’re from Detroit originally. Well I was in New York at the time. I would have gone from Detroit to anyplace. So when was this? I guess it was 1962. I got my Equity [theatrical actors’ union] card [by getting into a mime show. Of course I was never trained as a mime . . . you better ask me direct questions or I’ll just meander. Sure, but I want to hear more about this. The whole mime thing fascinates me. (Laughs) Yeah, okay! I’d had success in college in Detroit at Wayne State University where I was in pre-med—which was a total joke. So I got into a college play where I had a walk-on, and I had to improve it every night and it was like a sensation. I was just fooling around, you know. Because I put on shows
all my life since I was a little kid in my apartment house. I didn’t know that people did that for a living. So when I got the opportunity to fool around on the stage, it was just normal to me; it just felt right. Seems like it’s worked out. You’ve won just about every award they made. You’ve got Grammys, Tonys, BAFTAs, Emmys and you’ve been nominated for an Oscar. Did I forget any? Yeah, you are. You’re just missing a load of them. Heh-heh. Well it’s a very impressive list of awards, and I don’t think there are that many comedians who have been recognized for their work in so many mediums. Would you say you’re a restless person creatively? Somewhat. (Laughs). Less so than I was when I was 30. I would like to be more creative in my own life. OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 21
22 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
How do you choose what you’re going to do next? It’s kind of broken field stride. Some stuff comes to you happily. You want something more off-the-wall or something you haven’t done. The only current things at the moment are I’ve been playing Lisa Kudrow’s mother on Web Therapy [on Showtime], which I really get a kick out of because it’s improv’d and it’s so off-the-wall. It’s very over-the-top. I play a very upperclass Bostonian who’s out of her mind. And then I’m also—I don’t know if you know this show— Eastbound & Down on HBO. Kenny f*#king Powers? Brilliant show. Oh, God. I didn’t even know it was on the air. I got this bid to do [Season 3]. Anyway, so I watched the whole first two seasons and loved Kenny Powers. I just fell in love with him. The first episode is such a classic, when his major-league career is over and they show him in a classroom being trained to be a substitute teacher. The guy behind him is on the phone talking about him and he says, “You’ll never guess who’s sitting in front of me. Kenny f*#king Powers! Yeah, he looks like shit. He looks like a big bag of mashedup assholes.” I use that one as much as possible. He’s just outrageously great. So I did a couple of those. I see you’re doing your famous one-woman shows around the country this year and into 2013. What do you have planned? It’s kind of my version of standup, but I always do characters. So I do 10 or 12 characters. And I use some multimedia in the show where I put pieces together sort of satirizing being a celebrity or a person who doesn’t know who she is because she does so many people. And I have clips where characters interrelate . . . I just try to make it fun. I wouldn’t mess with Ernestine myself. Your kooky characters are kind of your trademark.
“I don’t use everyday. I’m not that fresh and hip.” —On marijuana
Where do you get the inspiration for these crazy creatures? I don’t know. Sometimes they’re just wonderful serendipitous surprises. You get a notion for something and it just sort of springs to life. And other times you work like hell to make something make sense. And then of course I’ve done a lot of specials—in the old days with the television specials—and I would get a concept for a special and then I would try to people it. I did one special back in the ’80s, Lily For President?, when Reagan was in the White House. You know—an actor playing the president. I did everything. I was the filmmaker, I was the President, I was the secretary.
No, but I always say that to Jane [Wagner] my partner. She always says she has to face the empty page, and I say I have to face the full one! Yeah, of course. You think you’ll never think of anything again as long as you live, and you feel totally out of it. But then you get an idea, you get so inspired. I mean every time I decided to try a different culture type I’d be so excited—just on fire. I found an old box of tapes from when I was working on Edith Ann [Editor’s note: one of Tomlin’s characters, a precocious 5-year-old girl]—years and years ago—you know, cassettes. And I thought, “What are these?” And they were nothing but me talking into a tape recorder as Edith Ann. Just improv’ing; trying to create a life for her. And I’m like obsessive [going into character] for hours! Let me ask your opinions about some issues. I know you’re an advocate for marijuana legalization. Yes, yes. Of course.
Not many people can pull off a one-man or one-woman show. Just getting up on stage and letting it rip. The gun goes off and you just start.
What do you think about the federal crackdown going on right now? I just don’t get it. I don’t know how we can have one law and the feds can have another, and can come in and do whatever they want to do.
How do you go about creating one of those? Do you ever get blank page syndrome?
I wonder why the feds making such a big deal about it. Why do they care?
dialed in
One of Lily Tomlin’s memorable characters— which appeared on ’70s sketch comedy show Laugh-In—was Ernestine, an obnoxious and arrogant telephone operator who delivered very questionable customer service while manning a switchboard. With a severe hairdo and her “one ringdingy” one-liner, Ernestine was the last person you wanted to pick up the line when you dialed 0.
I don’t either. Why do they care about half what they care about? Any favorite kinds of cannabis? Strains? I wish I was that sophisticated. Do you have a doctor’s recommendation? No, I don’t! Can you get me one? I don’t have anything like that. I have to rely on the kindness of strangers. I don’t use everyday. I’m not that fresh and hip. Are you still an Obama fan? Well, I’m more realistic about it because I don’t know how anybody could have done much more. He comes in with a liability, too, because he’s the first black president, and I think he actually thought that what worked as an organizer in Chicago in the neighborhoods would somehow work with Congress. That he could negotiate in good faith? And come to some kind of compromise; some kind of nice understanding. Well, they’re just lethal. You were talking about your partner Jane before. You’ve been together for a while now. Have you ever thought about getting married? No. Not necessary? Well, we’ve been together so long and people tell me it’s wonderful to have these public commitment ceremonies and have your friends over and all that. But we would never even get there on time. And I don’t even want to start. Where do you go with the wardrobe? How long have you been together now? 40 years. So, I guess marriage seems kind of redundant at this point? (Laughs) It does. I think we might like it . . . but it takes so much planning. c www.lilytomlin.com OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 23
Cool Stuff Bootube
Talk about going back to nature! Glass is so yesterday—try Bootube, a certified organic pipe made of timber-grade black bamboo (plus beeswax and hemp seed oil) and a glass-on-glass stem. Because it’s made of natural wood, each handcrafted piece is unique—it’s just like medicating deep in an exotic rainforest in Maui. ($100 per foot) thebambootunnel.com
ShaveTech
Shaving’s a time-grubbing chore . . . but ShaveTech wants to make it a joy. This sleek, portable shaver’s got a feature no other grooming accessing comes with: you can charge it using a USB port! No more hunting for electrical outlets (a single charge lasts about 30 minutes) the next time you need a baby-face for that Monday morning presentation. ($39.99) www.shavetech.com
Happy Daddy Tools
If you use glassware to medicate you know it can be a pain to keep everything clean and tidy. Happy Daddy tools, however, are here to make a patient’s life easier with The Grindson (a pick used to clean out your grinder), the Bowl Buddy (use to clean rims and bowls) and Big Buddha (use to dip into oils, etc.) Don’t worry. Be happy. ($10-$12) happydaddyproducts.net
24 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 25
CULTURE Recipes By Aunt Sandy
Why should kids have all the fun? Forget about the costumes and candy— this Halloween-themed menu is bloody delicious all on its own.
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.
Menu:
Bloody Cocktail Bloody Mary Spider Cheese Ball Paella Pumpkin Bread Honey Canna Butter
26 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Paella
Makes six servings. 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into medium pieces Salt and pepper 1/2 cup Cannabis Infused Olive Oil** 2 chorizo sausages, sliced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips 1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced 1/2 teaspoon of saffron threads 1 1/2 cup parboiled short grain rice 3 cups chicken stock (more if needed) 12-16 extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives 3 teaspoon thinly sliced scallions
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a paella pan or large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and brown the chicken and chorizo on both sides. Reduce heat to medium. Add bell pepper strips and onion and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic, saffron, rice and stock. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is al dente. Add the shrimp, herbs and scallions. Cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque and liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Spider Cheese Ball Makes 16 servings.
Bloody Mary Ice 1 shot of Cannabis Infused Vodka 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce 2 dashes of celery salt 1 dash Tabasco sauce (or horseradish) Tomato juice Stalk of celery Fill glass with ice. Add the vodka, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and Tabasco sauce. Fill the rest of the glass with tomato juice. Garnish with the celery stalk. (Note: to make Cannabis Infused Vodka, add about 1/2 ounce of marijuana buds to a quart of vodka, store in a cool dry place, shake daily, let it soak for about two weeks and strain.)
Bloody Cocktail Sugar (dyed black with food coloring) Ice 1 shot of Cannabis Infused Vodka 1 shot of grenadine syrup 7 Up soft drink Rim glass with sugar, add ice, vodka and syrup. Fill glass with 7 Up.
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese 8 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup Canna Butter* 3 tablespoons apple cider 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup poppy seeds 1 10-ounce package of refrigerated breadsticks 1 egg white, lightly beaten 6 ripe olives, sliced Assorted crackers
In a large bowl let the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and Canna Butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add apple cider and nutmeg. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Stir in red onion and red pepper. Cover and chill for 4 hours. Place poppy seeds on a sheet of waxed paper. Shape cheese mixture into a ball and roll in the seeds to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. For spider legs unroll the breadstick dough and cut each piece in half. Arrange each piece on the baking sheet bending each piece into a “z” shape. Brush breadsticks with beaten egg whites and sprinkle generously with remaining poppy seeds. Bake for about 10 minutes until browned. Place cheese ball on a large serving plate. Arrange six breadsticks around the cheese ball for spider legs, gently pushing breadsticks into the ball to secure. Use the olive slices as eyes (two or six). Secure the “eyes” with broken pretzel sticks. Serve with crackers OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 27
28 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Honey Canna Butter
Pumpkin Bread
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup soft Canna Butter* 2 eggs 1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin 1/3 cup water or milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts 1/3 cup raisins Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ground cloves. In a large bowl beat the sugar, Canna Butter and two eggs until light and fluffy. Add and beat in the pumpkin. Divide the sifted dry ingredients into three separate batches and add each batch to the egg-sugar-butter mixture, alternating with the addition of the water (or milk) and vanilla. Do not over beat. Fold in the XXXX and raisins. Pour batter into a greased pan and bake for about 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy with your Pumpkin Bread 1 cup Canna Butter* 1/4 cup honey Soften the Canna Butter. Add the honey and whip. Serve with bread.
CANNA Butter* 1 cup unsalted butter 1 ounce low to average quality dried leaf marijuana 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-Infused Olive Oil** 1 cup olive oil 1 1/4 ounces low to average quality dried leaf marijuana 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.
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 29
Entertainment Reviews 10.6.3 OGX Montage One Stimulus One Music If boring, sold-out rap is an enemy that must be destroyed, Montage One has declared war with 10.6.3 OGX, an album straight from the hip-hop underground that is not the same ol‘ banal dross you’ve heard on the radio too many times before. Produced by MasterKraftsmen, Alchemist and others, Montage One’s latest full-length (release date: Sept. 25) features more than two dozen high-caliber artists including Phil The Agony, Planet Asia, Krondon and Madlib, making the work an instant collector’s item for the fan who wants it all. Montage One’s talent as a decorated lyrical veteran of the Likwit Crew and Gold Chain Military is on full display here, with songs like “Beat2Def,” a roaring blitzkrieg of a single full of groovy ’70s funk organ tones and wicked scratches that knock you down with the rhymes and out with the beats. Track “Return of the Assassin” also delivers with ominous opening acoustics, thunderous bass and that violent gangster-style you know you love. (Jasen T. Davis)
Henry Hemp #1 “Attack of the Spider-Mite Men” Story and art by Mike Tucker Revolutuck Comics Marijuana prohibition is serious business . . . but don’t they say humor is the best medicine (after cannabis)? With a gee-whiz approach to superhero storytelling, splashes of saturated colors and a wry sense of humor, Henry Hemp #1 comic book gleefully mixes Illuminati conspiracies, Jack Herer’s platform, gray aliens—heck, there’s even a black helicopter—into a tongue-in-cheek meta-fable promoting the salvation of the world through hemp and cannabis. The plot: an evil scientist (“Doctor Man-Spider-Mite . . . Head . . . Guy . . .”) attempts to take over the mystical land of Weedom with an invasion of hybrid spider-mites, prompting activist Henry Hemp to transform into Super Hemp to fend off the attack. Blending pulp-era dialogue (“Let me assure you that evil is very real.”), square-jawed optimism (“There will always be dark forces trying to put out the light of love, happiness and joy.”) and the ethos of underground comix, Attack offers comic relief and sobering facts: a story of a world under siege by anti-marijuana forces is all too real. (Matt Tapia)
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Plays Berkeley: Berkeley Community Theatre, Saturday May 20, 1970 Legacy Some people are meant to sing. Some people are meant to create. Jimi Hendrix was unquestionably a man born to play guitar. Old fans and new recruits alike will have something to gain from watching this pseudo-documentary on the artist. Presented with footage of the man performing live alongside reactions from audience members, this film encapsulates what Hendrix meant to people and how he affected them. The audience experiences this as well: watching Hendrix perform his classics (“Purple Haze,”“Voodoo Child,” etc.) alongside improvised riffs and the most mind blowing rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” proves that Hendrix was one of the most talented men to walk the planet—he was his music. The special features are scarce here, with only an interview with live-sound engineer Abe Jacobs and the uninterrupted concert performance serving as extras. This DVD has healthy nostalgia for long-term fans, and powerful material for new converts. You owe it to yourself, as a listener of music, to pick this up. (Joe Martone) 30 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Soldiers of Scrape in concert Can’t wait for Harpos Annual Halloween Party (hint: Mushroomhead is playing)? Catch the metal mayhem of legendary locals Soldiers of Scrape, a band that’s been ready to duke it out with the best thrashers since 2005. If you spent the past few years rockin‘ out to Operation: Shifting Gears and New Age of Piracy, isn’t it about time you heard the live versions? And to whet extreme music fans’ appetite, the metalcore monsters in Hatebreed will be tearing it up as well. With aggressive music that’s been helping kids in the pit get punched in the chest and kicked in the face for 15 years, and lets hope they keep it up for another 15 years! For those of you willing to tough it out, you will bear witness to some of the most brutally positive and uplifting anthems that will do one of two things: get everyone’s fists in the air in unison or prompt you to “Destroy Everything.” If you’re lucky, you’ll hear a song from Hatebreed’s upcoming album, which frontman Jamey Jasta says, “is so heavy, it’s irresponsible.” Hatebreed ain’t enough of a reason to get out of the house? Well, maybe a little deathcore in the afternoon from Whitechapel and All Shall Perish is more your style. No one said life in the pit was easy (Derek Obregon)
IF YOU GO
What: Soldiers of Scrape, Hatebreed in concert. When/Where: Oct. 12 at Harpos Concert Theatre, 14238 Harper Ave., Detroit. Info: Tickets $20. Go to www.harposconcerttheatre.com. All ages.
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 31
Hear Him Roar It’s no secret that rappers tend to be associated with marijuana—medical or otherwise. Snoop Dogg is the rapper who probably codified that association in the public eye; he has literally sung its praises in many of his hits (no pun intended). But now he may be going further than any rapper has ever gone before. After a trip to Jamaica and a visit to a Rastafarian temple, the former Calvin Broadus, Jr. has been rechristened Snoop Lion and joined the Rasta ranks, according to multiple publications. “I didn’t know that until I went to the temple, where the High Priest asked me what my name was, and I said, ‘Snoop Dogg.’ And he looked me in my eyes and said, ‘No more. You are the light; you are the lion.’ From that moment on, it’s like I had started to understand why I was there,” he said at a press conference. That’s not the only change in the artist’s life: he’s moving away from rap and recording a new reggae album, fittingly entitled Reincarnated, that Lion claims can be enjoyed by all ages. The Snoop Lion is moving forward in the great Circle of Life. (Joe Martone) c
32 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Haunted Hallows A multi-weekend party with a haunted house, a DJ, hayrides and more. Not the scariest thing in the world, unless you have a crippling fear of hay. Not that we blame you, that stuff gets everywhere. Thru Sept. 24. www.destinationoak land.com Oxford Pumpkin Carving Meet master carver John Bradshaw. He can carve anything into a pumpkin . . . anything. If you’re polite, he’ll get a little creative for you. If you’re not, he’ll probably carve you into the pumpkin. Probably. Oct. 6. miopl.org Lake Orion Pumpkin Launch You get to launch pumpkins out of a trebuchet. Do we really need to say anything more? Oct. 6. www.oaklandcoun tymoms.com/events/ local-activities/2348lake-orion-pumpkinlaunch Compiled by Joe Martone
Motor City Ghost Hunters’ Public Ghost Hunt Meet a team of local ghost hunters in all its ghost hunting glory as it investigates one of the oldest lighthouses in the state. Hear their war stories; see if their gear is more hi-tech than Ghostbusters. The hunt benefits the Port Huron Museum. Oct. 9. motorcityghosthunter. com Mystery Dinner at Meadow Brook Hall A murder mystery with a three course meal? We’re sold. They’ll also have cocktails, so the real mystery of the night may be how well you can walk in a straight line. Oct. 19. www.meadow brookhall.org Zombie Festival Kalamazoo is going to try and break the world record for most zombies in one place. This is a Guinness World
Records event, and the current record is 9,806 zombies in one place. Bonus points if you get everyone to do “Thriller.” Oct. 20. zombierecord.com Ghostly Tales from the Great Lake State Join ghost hunter Sandy Lyons as she explains her new book and her pursuit of the paranormal. She’ll be joined by Robert Elmouchi; a skeptic who looks for a scientific rationale. The scary part? Some people might take this debate more seriously than the 2012 Elections. Oct. 22. www.waterford.lib. mi.us Wicked Halloween Run Want to do something really scary? Exercise! Run 10k, 5k, or the Monster Mile. You can run for charity, run in a costume, or even walk the whole route. We hope you live to tell the tale someday . . . in a chat room . . . on your computer . . . with a box
of donuts . . . not that we’re implying anything. Oct. 28. www.wickedhallow eenrun.com Moonlight Manor Moonlight Manor . . . almost sounds romantic. You know, if your idea of romance is hurtling through a maze filled with childhood fears, paranoia and terror. Hey, we don’t judge. Oct. 30-31. www.moonlightmanor. org The Niles Haunted House Scream Park This event claims to have the “scariest, creepiest, most blood-curdling attractions this side of the Continental Divide.” Does anyone else think blood curdling sounds a bit odd? Like, would your body still work? Would curdled blood be edible? Macabre philosophizing aside, this is a terrifying cause that goes to charity. Why let your fear go to waste? Thru Oct. 31. www.haunted.org OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 33
34 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Word Up RASTAFARIANISM
With news of Snoop Dogg’s conversion to Rastafarianism, CULTURE felt the time was ripe to educate our readers about Rastas and their faith. First of all, to dispel any myths, the Rastafari movement is not one solely based around smoking cannabis—in fact, some Rastas do not smoke at all. But it is part of many Rastas’ belief system.
Guide to our Advertisers ANN ARBOR Ann Arbor Wellness Collective. 734-929-2602 Arborside. 734-213-1420 Ganjamana’s Treecity Health Collective. 734-369-3212 Green Bee Collective. 734-929-2553 OM of Medicine. 734-369-8255 BURTON Burton Alternative Medicine. 855-4-MY-MEDS Hemphill Wellness Center. 810-820-3812 Meme’s Green Dream. 810-234-8100 The Barn. 810-742-1500 DETROIT Michigan Alternative Medicine. 888-910-6337 FLINT The Green Bean. 810-232-4400 We Grow Education Center & Collective. 209-200-1849 MONTROSE Your Choice Meds. 810-639-6331 YPSILANTI CannaCure. 734-484-1990 Depot Town. 734-340-2941 Sticky Ypsi. 734-879-1204 PRODUCTS & SERVICES American Medical Marijuana Association. www.amma-usa.com
Beste’s Lawn and Patio Supply. www.bestelawn.com Cannabis Attorneys of Mid-Michigan. www.cannabisatto ryneysofmidmichigan.com Cannabis Counsel. info@canna biscounsel.com Cones. www.smokecones.com Galactic Gardens. Flint. 810-922-6643 Iron Laboratories. www.ironlabsllc.com JD Lightings Hydroponic. www.jd-lightings.com Hydro Kare. Flint. 810-407-8120 Kush Bottles. www.kushbottles.com LA Medical Marijuana Supplies. www.420Packaging.com Michigan Organic Grow Solutions. Flint. 810-820-8953 Northern Lights Hydroponics & Garden Supply. www.norternlightshydro.net RDT’s Services. Custom Grow Rooms. 734-812-7834 Superior Growers Supply. www.superiorgrowers.com THC Jobs. www.thcjobs.com Weedfinder. www.weedfinder.com
Here are some talking points: The term Rastafari comes from Ras Tafari, the name of Haile Selassie I before he became the emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. Some Rastas consider Haile Selassie I a divine figure while others view him as God’s chosen king on Earth. Not surprisingly, Ethiopia is considered a spiritual homeland for Rastas. Some Rasta beliefs incorporate the ideas and philosophy of Marcus Garvey, who was an early back-to-Africa proponent who preached Black nationalism. In the Rasta mythos, Babylon is a reference to the corrupt Western world and its practices. Zion is considered a heavenly domain or an anticipated (spiritual and/or physical) paradise or a promised land. Just as the Abrahamic faiths have various terms for God (Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, etc.), the Rasta term for the Supreme Being is Jah. One common Rasta practice is a “reasoning,” which is when the faithful gather, smoke cannabis, meditate and discuss spiritual matters. Some Rastas grow dreadlocks based on references in the Bible (Leviticus and Numbers, for example) in which God commands the faithful not to cut their hair, or otherwise grow their hair long.
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 35
36 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
Chuck Shepherd
News of the
Weird LEAD STORY— INTRUDER (NOT) ALERT
; Are We Safe? In August, Daniel Castillo’s Jet Ski broke down in New York City’s Jamaica Bay, forcing him to swim to the nearest shore—at JFK International Airport. As Castillo roamed the grounds, he somehow failed to disturb the airport’s $100 million, state-of-the-art Perimeter Intrusion Detection System of cameras and motion sensors, stumbling into the Delta terminal before an employee noticed him. This happened two weeks after the now-notorious “peace” protest of nun Megan Rice, 82, and two colleagues, who cut through fences at the Oak Ridge (Tenn.) nuclear reservation’s Y-12 facility that houses more than 100 tons of highly enriched uranium. They braved numerous (though apparently unmonitored or malfunctioning) alarms and sensors for up to two hours before a lone guard stopped them.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
; Challenging Business Models: (1) In June, owners of the legal brothel Stiletto in Sydney, Australia, revealed their multimillion-dollar expansion to create the country’s (and perhaps the world’s) first “mega-brothel.” (2) Short-stay “love hotels” proliferate in Brazil, but in July in the city of Belo Horizonte, Fabiano Lourdes and his sister Daniela were about to open Animalle Mundo Pet, which they described as a love hotel for dogs. Owners would bring their mating-ready canines to rooms that feature the dim lighting and heart-shaped
ceiling mirrors traditional in love hotels (to appeal to the party paying the bill, of course).
CAN’T POSSIBLY BE TRUE
; The Treasury Department’s inspector general reported in August that the IRS doled out more than $5 billion in fraudulent income tax returns in 2011 (owing to its mission to provide refunds promptly without first vetting the claims). The agency “refunded” $3.3 million to a single address in Lansing, Mich. (supposedly the home of 2,137 different tax filers) and nearly $4 million to three Florida addresses (518 to one in Tampa, 741 to one in Belle Glade, and 703 to a post office box in Orlando). In all, refunds were claimed by, among others, 105,000 dead people.
SCIENCE ON THE CUTTING EDGE
; In a study published in August, women with the felineoriented Toxoplasma gondii parasite in their systems showed an elevated risk of depression and suicide perhaps caused by the brain’s being deprived of serotonin. Since toxoplasmosis is most often passed via handling of cat feces, women’s fondness for and time spent with cats might thus put them at greater risk than previously believed. (T.gondii is believed capable of reproducing only inside cats’ intestines, and might, hypothesizes prominent Czech scientist Jaroslav Flegr, have learned that the surest route to the intestines is by hacking into the brains of delicious rats and mice.) OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 37
38 CULTURE • OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2012 • CULTURE 39