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5 Sexy Gift Ideas For Couples Who Want To Get Busy During The Holidays

Maria Loreto
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5 Sexy Gift Ideas For Couples Who Want To Get Busy During The Holidays

Holiday season is always great for spending time with family, being grateful of all the things you have, and transforming yourself into a blanket burrito. It’s also a great time for having sex, with the cold making you want to take advantage of being indoors, drinking some red wine, and listening to Sade. It’s much more romantic than Valentine’s Day.

Here are 5 funny & sexy holiday presents that you can gift to your significant other, maintaining the perfect balance of naughty and nice:

Cute & Sexy Greeting Cards

Greeting cards are funny, cheap, and very sweet, which is why you should take advantage of them. They’re perfect for pairing with other presents or for simply reminding someone that they’re in your thoughts. Cafepress.com has some really awesome cards that are unique and special. 

Robes

A post shared by Kirkland’s (@kirklands) on

Who doesn’t love robes? They’re the perfect present, and in the winter their value increases times a thousand. They’re also a really nice gift, like socks, but fancier. Also sexier.

Broad City Sex Toy

A post shared by abbi & ilana (@broadcity) on


Sex toys are awesome but they can also be super tacky. The Broad City sex toys are funny, and that paired with orgasms sounds like the smartest investment you’ll ever make.

Remote Control Vibrator

A post shared by PicoBong (@picobong) on

These vibrators are perfect for couples who live in different cities, who travel a lot, or who simply want to get kinky within a crowded room. OhMiBod, Max and Nora, PicoBong, the options are endless.

Funny Condoms

A post shared by Sung Jun Lee (@king_of_dslr) on

Come on, that’s funny! Not very sexy though.

Post-Thanksgiving Meals: 5 Recipes to Use Turkey Leftovers

Sherri Wetherell
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Post-Thanksgiving Meals: 5 Recipes to Use Turkey Leftovers

There is no denying the magic of an after Thanksgiving sandwich.  I would go as far to say that we are just excited to eat that as the grand feast.  However, if you are like me, after day two and three you are ready to eat something different.  These leftover transform the remaining turkey meat into unique and delicious meals.  You can enjoy something as heartwarming as tortilla soup or a simple turkey salad with dill and cranberries.

Turkey Salad With Dill And Cranberries

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of leftover turkey chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 small stalks of celery – diced
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup red onion – diced
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • coarsely grated black pepper and salt to taste
  • a spash of dry white wine

Directions

To get a perfect celery dice take the stalk and cut it twice lengthwise down the stalk to create 3 thin sticks of celery. Hold together and finely dice. Add all the ingredients together and mix. Serve open face or as a sandwich on your favorite toast.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 2-3 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 4 Tbsp flour
  • approx 3 cups turkey, diced or shredded
  • 2 cups mixed frozen peas and carrots
  • 4 cups milk, slightly warmed in a small pot
  • 1can of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits

Directions

Oven at 350 degrees. In a large saute pan, over medium low heat, add the olive oil, butter, onion, garlic and rosemary. Cook until the onions and garlic are softened and the rosemary is fragrant. Stir in the flour to coat and cook for a minute or two. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Allow to simmer for about 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened. Once the sauce has thickened, add in the turkey, peas and carrots. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Pour the pot pie filling into a pan (note: I should have used something a little smaller since i didn’t have enough biscuits to cover completely). Place the biscuits over top. If you are looking for a thinner crust cut each biscuit in half to make two thinner rounds. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the biscuits are golden.

 

Sopa De Tortilla

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 cloves of garlic peeled
  • 4 stalks of celery
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 1 Poblano pepper
  • 4 Carrots
  • The peels of two carrots- reserve the carrots for the soup
  • 1 whole Turkey breast
  • 8 ounces can of organic stewed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • Pinch of cumin
  • 1 cup of fried corn tortillas
  • 1 Avocado

Preparation

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in bottom of large stock pot. Add quartered onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 stalks of celery, and turkey breast. Peel two carrots and add the peels to the stock pot along with 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks. Reserve two carrots and 2 celery stalks for later use. Cut the stems off your Cilantro bunch. Reserve the leaves. Add stems to the stock pot, add water to your pot so that it is 3/4 full.

Cover and boil for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours. You should set a timer to check on your stock. Do not add salt before you have reduced your stock. The stock should not reduce to less than one quarter of your pot. Remove turkey from bone. Reserve the meat. Discard the bone. Strain the soup by using a colander over another stock pot. Discard the vegetables, set aside the stock you will use for the soup (1 to 2 cups per guest) and pour the rest into ice cubes for later use.

For the soup, in blender add 1 8oz. can of organic stewed tomatoes and ¼ cup of olive oil, pinch of salt and puree with roasted pepper* and set aside for later use. Add 2 carrots cubed to stock. Add 2 celery stalks chopped to stock. Cover and boil for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add 1/4cup increments pureed pepper-tomato mixture to your broth. Add 1/3 cup of turkey meat per cup of stock and allow simmering. Taste for salt and finish with a pinch of ground cumin.

 

Turkey Enchiladas 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound leftover turkey, both brown & white meat, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Celery stick, halved and sliced
  • 1 Red Pepper, sliced
  • 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Tomato Purée
  • 1/2 cup Turkey stock
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chilli seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon Coco powder
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 5 ounces grated cheese, such as Monterey Jack or cheddar
  • 8 Corn Tortillas (If your not making your own the I recommend Old El Paso)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to (180°C) gas mark 4. In a heavy based pan soften the onions and celery in the olive oil. Add the red pepper, garlic, tomatoes, 1 tbsp of tomato purée and the stock, then bring to a simmer. Add the spices and taste for seasoning. Add extra chilli if you’re feeling brave, and to help ward off a winter cold. Simmer to let the flavours develop for about 10 minutes. Next, drain most of the liquid from the pan. Put the thicker of the two sauces (filling sauce) back in the pan and add the turkey and 1/2 of the cheese. Stir in well. Spoon the filling onto the middle of each corn tortilla and wrap, then place them folded side down into a lightly greased baking dish. Stir in 1 tbsp of tomatoes purée to the topping sauce and pour over the dish then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is browning and the sauce is bubbling.

 

Turkey Pad Thai 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs rice vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar or palm sugar, or less if desired
  • 8 ounces Thai rice noodles, ¼” wide
  • 8 ounces turkey
  • 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 pound bean sprouts
  • 3 scallions, sliced
  • 3/4 cup ground peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon roasted red chili peppers
  • Lime wedges

Directions

Combine first four ingredients and let sit until sugar dissolves. Soak rice noodles/sticks in warm water until they are soft but don’t disintegrate when pressed, about 40 minutes. Cut turkey into bite size pieces. Rinse dried shrimp (if using) in water and drain. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat, add in crushed garlic. Swirl around for about a minute. Add noodles and mix around for a minute or two. Add the turkey and shrimp then immediately add the liquid. Keep stirring until the liquid has all been absorbed into the noodles, about a 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Push some of the noodles aside to one end of the wok, and break an egg in. Immediately cover with noodles. Do the same at the other end of wok. Let the eggs cook undisturbed until the yolks are opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes. (take a peek if unsure). Slip a slotted spoon under each egg in turn, and bring upward, through the noodles, shaking as you go. The idea is to break up the cooked egg into the rest of the mixture into tiny bits. Mix in sprouts and green onions. Let cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Add crushed peanuts and enough roasted red chilies to your desired hotness.

Sheri Wetherell is the co-founder and CEO of Foodista.com, community-based recipe, cooking, and food news website. Check them out on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram. 

Weed As The New Craft Beer? This Bud’s For You

Amy Hansen
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Weed As The New Craft Beer? This Bud’s For You

Another move for big beer into greener pastures: a former Budweiser exec has turned his attention to cannabis.

Chris Burggraeve, who left his post as chief marketing officer for Anheuser-Busch InBev (which brews Budweiser), is invested in two cannabis ventures. He tells Bloomberg he’s joined the advisory board of San Francisco startup GreenRush Group, which wants to be the Amazon of weed. He also co-founded luxury cannabis brand Toast, which makes pre-rolled joints.

In October, Constellation Brands, (which brews Corona) agreed to take a nearly 10 percent stake in a Canadian marijuana company. 

Says Burggraeve:

The same way that craft beer started and, for the longest time, was ignored and then exploded, there’s no reason why the same thing wouldn’t happen in this space. There will be part supplementing and part complementing. The jury is out on how and where that will happen.

The parallels between beer and weed are many. Allen St. Pierre, executive director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told Beer Advocate that there is a strong cultural link between craft beer and marijuana “and it’s called baby boomers,” he said. “The people in this age group grew up smoking pot and don’t view it as a hard drug. Craft beer has largely been led by baby boomers.”

Ron Lindenbusch, chief marketing officer at Lagunitas Brewing Company, told Beer Advocate that the connection between the rise of craft beer and how one views legal weed can be traced back to the end of Prohibition. He notes that in states where craft brewing was adopted early and marijuana is legal, lawmakers are more open-minded — a reflection of their constituents.

Burggraeve says the  is just the beginning, telling Bloomberg, “This is one of the fastest-growing categories globally. Why? Because people want it. When consumers want something, you ignore it at your peril.”

Lil Peep’s Overdose And Rap’s Moment To Discuss Its Pill-Popping Culture

Brendan Bures
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Lil Peep’s Overdose And Rap’s Moment To Discuss Its Pill-Popping Culture

As so claimed by pop culture luminaries like Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert, rappers are the new rockstars. It may seem strange that big hair and power chords has been replaced by bigger chains and trap beats, but the idea feels irrefutable now—rappers occupy the cultural space rockstars once did. They’re the cool kids and less-cool kids are looking at them to know how to be cooler.

If that’s the case, you may be wondering what a rockstar looks like in 2017. For that, we somehow look to Post Malone, of all things. His latest smash record, tallying six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, is called “rockstar.” Its hook: “I’ve been f***** hoes and poppin’ pillies / Man I feel just like a rockstar.”

While attracting women has always been included in the rockstar image, the “poppin’ pillies” line almost grates the ears for the unnitiated. Pill-popping means you’re a rockstar? But mentions of Xanax and Adderall and other name-brand pills have been creeping into hip hop for the past couple years. Golden Boy Chance the Rapper has admitted to overcoming a problematic relationship with Xanax while Lil Uzi Vert’s slimy, anti-summer anthem “XO Tour Llif3” screams out in pain, “Xanny, make it go away.”

The first memorable mention of this particular substance abuse alteration was probably Travis Scott’s zonked-out single “Antidote.” Caustically, he boasts, “Poppin’ pills is all we know.” His 2016 record Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight narratively dovetailed with Isaiah Rashad’s The Sun’s Tirade as two rappers tumbling into substance abuse battles, Xanax appearing chiefly yet again. By album’s end, each MC emerges hazy-eyed, achieving something approaching understanding, though you feel Rashad receding from the pillie demons while you worry over Scott’s intransigence that, really guys, he’s got it under control.

This all serves as prelude to our current tragedy. Reports last week announced the passing of Lil Peep. Aged only 21, he was the tattoo-covered rising star who so embodied the trending sad boy heartthrob aesthetic popular amongst the Instagram generation. One glance at his pink-dyed dreadlocks and emoji-like grin and anyone over the age of 30 would likely have dismissed him.

But many were convinced he’d be this generation’s biggest icon. Music critic Jon Caramanica wrote an extensive, positive New York Times story regarding rap’s new emo scene. It prominently featured Lil Peep, “who over the last 24 months has evolved into something like the scene’s Kurt Cobain, with several astonishingly gloomy and diabolically melodic releases, and a body that is in constant flux: hair dyed one color after another, an anarchy sign and the word ‘crybaby’ tattooed on his face.”

Like Cobain, Peep is gone too soon. The county medical examiner ruled that he died of a suspected overdose. He died in his sleep napping before his Tucson, Arizona show. His manager discovered him, attempted CPR, but she was unable to wake him.

This kind of tragedy causes massive ripple effects in a genre ripe with drug use glorification and one-upmanship. I previously wrote about this developing trend of wobbly, minor-key anthems drowning in sardonically flippant brags that carried the same tone of a desperate plea. It’s just as pervasive in mainstream artists like The Weeknd and Future, as it is in up-and-comers like Uzi and Lil Pump. I mean, there’s literally a guy who calls himself Lil Xan!

This trend caused various commentaries from those within the hip hop community. You had internet rap star Russ with his very acrid, very on-branded criticism, when he wore a shirt after a show that read, “How much xans and lean do you have to do before you realize you’re a fucking loser.” To which fellow rapper Fredo Santana replied he’ll stop when “I can stop thinking about my dead homies and the trauma that I’ve been through in my life.”

However, you uncomfortably suspect some of this pill-popping culture is a sedative aesthetic used to attract attention. Future himself has admitted to lying about substance addiction in his song because “it’s a catch.” In one Hot 97 interview Meek Mill opening up about quitting Percocets than later freestyling for DJ Funk Flex about “poppin’ Percs” because it sounds cool.

You might scroll Lil Peep’s Instagram page and contend this was someone seriously struggling. But even for Peep the pain and pills were exaggerated.

“It makes me laugh to think about the days we watched WWE together but [Peep] mentioned how being a hip-hop artist is like being a pro-wrestling character. You have to be an actor,” Peep’s brother Oskar told People. “He gets paid to be sad. It’s what he made his name on. It’s what his image was in a sense.”

Various members of the hip hop community reacted to Lil Peep’s death. These same criticisms of the genre’s glorification of drug abuse filtered in. Some defended the cultural and institutional pathologies that lead to such usage but none pierced through quite like Lil Uzi Vert’s. He posted the following:

Not many artists would be so honest, nor would you expect someone like Uzi to react with a stint of sobriety. But if Lil Peep’s passing teaches us anything, it’s that both may be more necessary than we thought.

Marijuana Stores Would Be As Profitable As Starbucks If Not For Tax Laws

Terry Hacienda
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Marijuana Stores Would Be As Profitable As Starbucks If Not For Tax Laws

Marijuana retail shops are more profitable than the average Starbucks store if only if they were taxed the same way as traditional retailer, according to a report published by Arcview Market Research. But these companies are not

The report, titled “Cannabis Retail: The $23 Billion Opportunity,” is based on data analysis from BDS Analytics’ GreenEdge point of sale data. the study demonstrates the revenue potential for the nascent industry, while at the same time highlighting the largest obstacle to profitability: the federal government’s arcane tax laws. According to the study, cannabis retailers could average a 12 percent after-tax profit margin, which is in line with the profit margins of specialty retail stores like Starbucks.

“This report shows that retail cannabis could be as big as the iPhone.  It’s clearer than ever that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for those investors and operators who are willing to deal with the uncertainties and difficulties of current regulations,” said Arcview CEO Troy Dayton.

“Cannabis stores are unlike anything the retail world has seen since big-box stores wiped out much of the specialty store business in the 1990s,” said Tom Adams editor in chief of Arcview Market Research Editor. “And because of federal prohibition, publicly traded retail companies are just going to have to stand aside while entrepreneurs pursue this unique retail opportunity.”

Section 280e of the Internal Revenue Code is the regulation hamstringing cannabis businesses. The rule disallows businesses that are related to “the trafficking of Schedule I or II substances” to deduct ordinary business expenses aside from the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). Even though cannabis is legal for sale in eight states, cannabis is still considered a Schedule I substance at the federal level. Thus, for every cannabis transaction, any payment made is subject to tax without the ability to deduct ordinary business expenses. 

The rule was put in place to target illegal drug traffickers, giving the federal agencies a financial avenue to wage the war on drugs. It clearly was not intended to apply to legal marijuana operations. But the IRS is not backing down. And until it does, cannabis businesses will continue to struggle.

Other findings in the report include:

  • Adult-use markets will be nearly twice the size of the medical market by 2021, with $14.9 billion in sales.
  • Dispensaries have average per-store revenues close to $2 million.
  • The $6.7 billion legal North American market is only 12 percent of the $56.1 billion overall cannabis marketplace.

Here Is The Latest Research On Using Marijuana For MS Symptoms

Thorsten Rudroff
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Here Is The Latest Research On Using Marijuana For MS Symptoms

An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune cells attack a fatty substance called myelin in the nerves. Common MS symptoms are gait and balance disorders, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, pain and muscle spasticity.

Colorado has the highest proportion of people living with MS in the United States. It is estimated that one in 550 people living in the state has MS, compared to one in 750 nationally. The reason for this is unknown, but could be related to several factors, such as vitamin D deficiency or environment.

Currently available therapies do not sufficiently relieve MS symptoms. As a result many people with the condition are trying alternative therapies, like cannabis. Based on several studies, the American Association of Neurology states that there is strong evidence that cannabis is effective for treatment of pain and spasticity.

Although there are many anecdotal reports indicating cannabis’ beneficial effects for treatment of MS symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, anxiety and sleep deprivation, they have not been scientifically verified. This is because clinical trials – where patients are given cannabis – are difficult to do because of how the substance is regulated at the federal level.

To learn more, my Integrative Neurophysiology Laboratory at Colorado State University is studying people with MS in the state who are already using medical cannabis as a treatment to investigate what MS symptoms the drug can effectively treat.

Marijuana, or cannabis, contains over 100 compounds, but THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol) are believed to have the most medical relevance.

However, there is currently no information about the most effective ratio of THC and CBD, which form of ingestion (smoking or eating, for instance) is best, or how often people with MS should use cannabis products.

The main reason for the limited scientific evidence about how well cannabis can treat MS symptoms is because it is a Schedule 1 substance. This means that it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” This classification makes it very difficult to study cannabis in clinical trials.

Because cannabis is on Schedule 1, doctors can’t prescribe it, even in the states with medical marijuana laws, like Colorado. In those states doctors can provide patients with a “permission slip” for cannabis, which has to be approved by a state agency.

Because of the lack of scientific evidence, doctors can’t recommend a specific strain and dosage of cannabis to patients. Patients are left to choose on their own. Moreover, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that out of 75 cannabis products, only 17 percent were accurately labeled. And 23 percent contained significantly more THC than labeled, possibly placing patients at risk of experiencing adverse effects.

How We Are Studying Cannabis And MS

My lab’s long-term goal is to determine whether cannabis can safely and effectively treat MS symptoms. But because of current federal regulations our lab can conduct only observational studies at this time. To conduct clinical trials with a Schedule 1 substance, investigators must have a special license, which my lab is in the process of applying for. At the moment, this means we study only people who are or are about to use cannabis and we do not provide cannabis to anyone for our studies.

We recently completed an online survey of 139 MS patients currently using cannabis to learn what types of products they used, how often they used those products and for how long.

Our results, which have not yet been published, found that 91 of our respondents (66 percent) reported that they currently use cannabis, and 56 percent of the cannabis users reported using either smoked or edible products. Seventy-eight percent of the cannabis users also indicated that they reduced or even stopped other medications as a result of their cannabis use.

The survey respondents who are using cannabis reported lower disability scores on the Guy’s Neurological Disability Scale, a clinical scale used to evaluate neurological disability in people with MS, and they seem less likely to be obese. However, these data are self-reported, which means objective longer clinical trials are required to confirm these results.

We are also conducting an ongoing observational study, set to be completed in mid-2017, on the effects of regular cannabis use on physical function and activity levels in people with MS. There are many studies on the influence of cannabis on cognitive function in healthy and diseased populations. However, no study to date has used objective measures of motor function in people with MS who are using cannabis, such as muscle strength and fatigue tasks, walking performance and postural stability tests.

Our preliminary results indicate that people with MS using cannabis have greater physical activity levels, leg strength and walking speed, while also having less spasticity, fatigue and a lower perceived risk of falling. It is of note that these individuals are rarely using only cannabis to help control their symptoms. They are often using cannabis alongside traditional medications.

Importantly, cannabis users did not perform worse than nonusers on any of our measurements. These are very promising results, and we are expecting significant positive effects of cannabis at the end of this observational study.

Randomized Control Trials Are Needed

The outcomes of these observational studies will be the foundation for larger randomized clinical trials, where some patients are treated with cannabis and others aren’t. These types are studies are needed to truly show the benefits and risks of consequences of cannabis use in this population.

Applying for the special license that investigators must have to conduct clinical research with a Schedule 1 substance is a lengthy process. Once granted, the DEA requires on-site inspections of the investigator’s facilities. Furthermore, it is also very difficult for these types of experiments to be approved and performed. These policies make conducting research on the medical benefits and side effects of cannabis in the United States extremely hard. As a sad result, top researchers are looking to export their ideas outside the country.

We want to conduct clinical research to understand what cannabis products MS patients should use, in what dosage and in what form of ingestion. We also want to find out whether long-term cannabis use is safe, and if the effectiveness changes over time due to increased tolerance. Fortunately, our first intervention study, which will investigate the effects of different marijuana strains on motor and cognitive function in people with MS, has been approved by the CSU Institutional Review Board. This means that my lab can begin this research once our license is approved.

The ConversationThe answers to these questions will provide guidelines for health care providers and people with MS on cannabis use. If these studies can demonstrate that cannabis effectively relieves and treats MS symptoms, they could help establish the medicinal value of cannabis. That could make a case for rescheduling cannabis, making it easier for physicians and researchers to establish cannabis’ true benefits and risks.

Thorsten Rudroff, Assistant Professor and Director of Integrative Neurophysiology Lab, Colorado State University. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why Are People Binging Netflix In Public Restrooms?

Brendan Bures
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Why Are People Binging Netflix In Public Restrooms?

In order not to unintentionally bury the lead here, let’s place this startling new information right up front: Some individuals are watching Netflix while taking dumps in public restrooms. Netflix and Poop is the new movement.

While you may consider this honest statement bordering something crass, you should first know that this is something Netflix is kind of bragging about it. Generally the media company is notoriously guarded about releasing any facts or data regarding streaming date. No one knows how many people actually watched Stranger Things or just what demographic of people viewed Dave Chappelle’s latest standup comedy specials.

Netflix gets away with this because its shows obviously aren’t accompanied by advertisements. While competitors and adjacent media companies might want to know these numbers, Netflix doesn’t technically need to sell anyone that audiences are watching because the audience pays them directly—and/or uses an acquaintance’s parent’s account to watch.

But what we’re discussing here isn’t number-crunching; it’s more like toilet paper-smearing. Netflix itself commissioned a survey by the data company Survey Monkey, in which they solicited responses from tens of thousands of people across the globe, including 1,600 Americans. Thanks to the rise of smartphone and tablet culture, the survey found that two-thirds of Americans stream movies and TV in public.

Now, those Americans watch in expected scenarios like on airplanes (44 percent) or trains (31 percent) or automobiles (34 percent). And apparently 12 percent of Americans were so consumed by their content that they missed their next stop on the train or bus.

However, most startling remains those who choose to watch in public bathrooms. That figure is an astounding 12 percent. And you might question my usage of astounding as an adjective there, but I don’t think we’re properly recognizing that no one should carry their tablet or smartphone into a nasty, grimy, very-much-public bathroom to knock out a few episodes of Mindhunter.

Entirely unsurprising though is the number of Americans who admitted to watching Netflix while at work. That figure? 37 percent. I’m kind of surprised it isn’t higher. I expected 100 percent of people to always be watching some mindless bingefest while plugging away at climbing the corporate ladder.

Anyways, the lesson here is simple: Stop Netflix and Pooping in public bathrooms. At least have the decency to do that shit in your own home.

How Branding Is Making And Breaking Cannabis Companies

Michael J. Armstrong
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How Branding Is Making And Breaking Cannabis Companies

Recreational cannabis is a burning topic around the world, especially in Canada as Parliament puts the finishing touches on legalization legislation. The province of Ontario has introduced a bill to govern cannabis sales there. Other provinces are announcing their own retail plans and minimum age limits.

As they finalize the details, governments must ensure they allow cannabis producers to properly brand their products. This will help consumers find the most appropriate products. It will also encourage producers to improve quality.

Many products are easy for consumers to evaluate before purchase. Before buying a shirt, I can see the color and test the fit. In product-design terms, those are “search” features. I judge quality while searching for the best shirt to buy.

However, some products have “experience” features that consumers evaluate through use. Consider restaurant dining. I won’t know the quality of a meal until I eat it.

Other products have “credence” features. Consumers can’t evaluate them at all, and must believe the seller’s claims. Legal advice is an example. I trust my lawyer to put the right clauses into my contract.

Cannabis Product Features

Cannabis mostly has “experience” and “credence” features. Consumers can’t evaluate a product’s high and side effects until they smoke it. Even afterward, they won’t know how much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) it contained, or whether it had traces of pesticide or mold contamination.

Those are real concerns. Pesticides and mold are not unusual in black-market products. Even legal Canadian medical cannabis producers were forced to recall products this year.

Government regulation can help prevent those unseen factors from harming consumers. That includes standards for allowable pesticides and rules about testing frequency.

In the quality field, such regulations are part of “conformance quality.” They enforce key product minimums and maximums.

But quality isn’t just about avoiding the bad; it also involves creating the good. This is part of “design quality” — making products great, in other words.

For cannabis, design quality has many dimensions. What are the best THC and CBD levels? What is a high-quality high? Should it be smoked or eaten? How do these preferences vary among consumers?

Branding Informs Consumers

The complexity of cannabis’s “credence” and “experience” features make product branding important. Branding can be done via distinctive logos, packaging and advertising. This helps firms explain their products to consumers.

Consider Apple, Coca-Cola and Google. Their brand reputations let consumers know what to expect from products in advance.

With cannabis, recognizable brands could help consumers find the best product for their needs. Different customers may want a mild buzz, a powerful high or more medicinal benefits.

Good branding also builds trust. Consumers learn which brands consistently meet their needs.

That’s one advantage legal cannabis could have over illegal. Consumers won’t need to risk unpredictable results buying on the street. They could learn to rely on consistent effects from known brands.

Branding will become even more important with edible products. Those are more complex, combining features of cannabis and food.

Low-Fat Pot Brownies?

How about certified-organic, low-fat, high-CBD brownies? Or cannabis-infused beverages, courtesy of wine-maker Constellation Brands’ recent Canopy Growth investment?

Conversely, without branding, producers have little incentive to pursue excellence. As generic lookalikes, they’d logically aim to minimize costs — and quality.

Unfortunately, Canada’s proposed laws only partly support branding. Much will depend on how those laws are interpreted by supporting regulations.

For example, the federal bill allows “informational” packaging and promotion. But it forbids evoking emotions or lifestyle associations with “glamour, recreation, excitement,” etc.

Indeed, these products shouldn’t look glamorous. But good ads often evoke emotions. Lifestyle images can explain complex products simply. And isn’t this law about “recreational” use?

The law also forbids product giveaways. Sure, we don’t want joints handed out in the street. But free samples let consumers compare competing experiential products, like wines. They would suit cannabis too.

That’s why cannabis producers proposed recently more flexible guidelines. They want enough flexibility in advertising and packaging to effectively brand their products.

(Meanwhile, tobacco producers are annoyed cannabis has any branding options. Theirs have been steadily reduced. Pending legislation may lead to generic tobacco packaging.)

Legalization Is Complex

In the provincial proposals, the devil again is in the hazy details. For example, Ontario apparently wants cannabis kept “behind-the-counter … similar to how tobacco is now sold.”

How similar? Behind-the-counter retailing makes product labels hard to read. If it also hides package images, consumers will lose even more information.

Cannabis legalization isn’t simple. On the positive side, it might reduce patients’ overuse of opioids and the illegal use of crack cocaine. Unfortunately, it may also trigger more impaired driving. Hopefully, education will reduce such harms.

The ConversationGovernments, therefore, must balance many priorities to find the “least bad” approach. But that includes allowing cannabis firms flexibility in communicating with consumers about product quality.

Michael J. Armstrong, Associate professor of operations research, Brock University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Police Stole Hibiscus Plant Because They Thought It Was Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Police Stole Hibiscus Plant Because They Thought It Was Marijuana

A comical mishap turned into abject horror for one Buffalo Township couple when police mistakenly identified hibiscus plants growing in their backyard instead as marijuana crops.

The trouble started when Edward and Aubrey Cramer, both in their 60s, when an insurance agent visited their home filing a property damage claim. The agent took pictures of the couple’s hibiscus plants flowering in their backyard. Thinking they were marijuana, the agent sent them to the police.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the couple was soon visited by police with a search warrant. When Audrey Cramer opened the door, she said there were about a dozen cops “pointing assault-style rifles at her.”

Police handcuffed the Cramers and forced them into the back of a police car, where they waited four more than four hours while police turned their house upside down searching for marijuana. Throughout the incident, Audrey was allegedly wearing only underwear.

“I was not treated as though I was a human being, I was just something they were going to push aside,” Audrey Cramer told WPXI. “I asked them again if I could put pants on and he told me no and I had to stand out on the porch.”

Edward Cramer tried to point out to the officers that the plants were in fact hibiscus plants but they refused to listen. According to a lawsuit filed by the Cramers, Buffalo Township police Officer Jeffrey Sneddon and Sgt. Scott Hess claimed a level of expertise in identifying marijuana. Hess insisted they were marijuana.

“Sometimes I think they look for a crime where it doesn’t exist in order to justify their existence,” Edward Cramer said to WPXI.

Hess eventually admitted that he didn’t believe they were cannabis crops, but confiscated them anyways, labeling them, “tall, green, leafy, suspected marijuana plants.”

The Cramers were not charged. Instead the couple filed lawsuits against Buffalo Township and Nationwide Insurance, alleging excessive force, false arrest, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

Company spokesman wrote the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in an email, “Nationwide is not in a position to discuss the matter at this time.”

Research Says This Is The Least Productive Time Of Your Day

Maria Loreto
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Research Says This Is The Least Productive Time Of Your Day

According to a survey that was conducted last year, the hour 2:22 pm was deemed the least productive time of day. Even though the survey is oddly specific and not that scientifically accurate, it does tap into a general feeling that we all have. You know, that time of day when you’ve just had lunch and feel like laying around doing a whole lot of nothing.

The Huffington Post consulted several expects and concluded that this general decrease in productivity isn’t limited to an exact hour of the day, it consists of a two or three hour period of time where doing things and getting work done is harder than usual. This is known as the “post-lunch dip”, a term that, according to Fred W. Turek, director of the Center or Sleep and Circadian Biology at Northwestern University, retains its name even if you didn’t have lunch.

“Studies have shown a decrease in cognition, increase in fatigue over 24 hours ― with the big period occurring in the hours from about midnight to 6 a.m. ― but a secondary peak in the period coinciding from about 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.”

Turek also explained that this decrease in your abilities and motivation is very common amongst most people and really hard to beat. Sadly, no one has found a way of preventing this, so our best guess is to power through or to take a short nap and get back to work. Napping sounds really great.  

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