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Did You Know That Drake Is Kind Of Obsessed With Harry Potter?

Brendan Bures
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Did You Know That Drake Is Kind Of Obsessed With Harry Potter?

Drake is a man of many descriptions. A rapper, singer, actor, media mogul, social media addict, waverider, global superstar. But no matter how many masks we wear, an essential foundation remains underneath everyone’s surface and Drake is no exception.

So what’s hidden underneath Drake’s façades? Simple. No matter how big he becomes, Aubrey Graham is a cornball.

I mean that of course as a loving, teasing gesture. Because that cornball bedrock is what media critics and profile writers use to insinuate Drake is “relatable.” Personally I don’t need my celebrities to be relatable cornballs because, well, I know plenty of relatable cornballs in my personal life. But for Drake’s I’m sure that’s what they want!

That, anyways, is why a recent Hollywood Reporter profile about Drake’s ventures into the film and TV world couldn’t resist divulging the multi-hyphenate’s obsession with Harry Potter.

Via THR:

 For the past four years, he has been chasing a first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and it’s finally on the market for $160,000. “Yeah, I read them all,” he says of J.K. Rowling’s series, two tiny diamonds glinting from his front teeth as he breaks into a wide smile. I tell him I’m reading the series to my kids, and he immediately peppers me with questions, “What book are you on?” “Goblet of Fire,” I respond. “What part?” Then, as if to talk himself into the purchase, he says: “I should get it. My birthday’s coming up. Maybe I’ll buy it for myself as a treat.”

It’s such a juicy detail about a superstar like Drake that the writer loops back to the nugget by the piece’s end. His Harry Potter obsession represents Drake’s desire to still surprise people about who they think he is.

“When I get back into acting, I want to do things that make people go, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that.’ Like, it’s nice to hear you say, ‘You know, I didn’t expect you to like those things,” he told THR, in reference to the writer’s “surprise at his Harry Potter fixation.”

Drake’s a sly savant at navigating the media. The piece ends with the writer following up weeks later if he bought the $160,000 book. “Nah, not yet,” Drake replies, laughing. “But I will. My birthday is still a few days away.”

You almost wonder if Drake ever intended to buy the Harry Potter book in the first place, almost as if that anecdote served to underscore and reinforce that cornball relatability his fans love so much about him. Makes you wonder is all I’m saying.

PD Threatens ‘Stranger Things’ Spoilers To Would-Be Criminals

Brendan Bures
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PD Threatens ‘Stranger Things’ Spoilers To Would-Be Criminals

File this under a new law enforcement strategy. To dissuade would-be criminals, the East Lansing police department warned of employing a new method of punishment—TV spoilers.

The official East Lansing PD issued a warning Sunday, informing potential enemies of the law that “Stranger Things” spoilers lined their jail cell walls. The popular Netflix series just had its second season debut on Oct. 27.

“Some extra motivation for you to not end up there,” read the tweet.

The tweet went semi-viral and had curious fans interested in finding out the validity of such a warning. “get arrested and verify this,” one user responded to a friend’s retweet. To which the friend replied, “I’ll do. can’t leave the curiosity door locked.”

However the East Lansing PD admitted it was “just humor” and no “Stranger Things” spoilers will line their jail cell walls. Yet another weird example of government institutions acting like regular social media users. Anyways, hasn’t everyone binged the second season by now?

Science: Gamers Are Better At Learning Than The Average Person

Maria Loreto
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Science: Gamers Are Better At Learning Than The Average Person

It seems that not all is bad when it comes to wasting away hours of your day playing video games. Science Daily reports that during a study, gamers beat and performed much better than non-gamers in a learning competition that had nothing to do with video games. 

The research was conducted by two scientists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and studied 17 volunteers who claimed to play video games for over 15 hours a week. This group competed against a control group of 17 people who claimed that they didn’t play video games regularly.

The main task that was given to the participants was the weather-prediction task, a complicated test that measures the learning of probabilities. This task demands participants to learn on the basis of feedback.  Volunteers are showed a combination of three cue cards with different symbols. They pick cards and get feedback from researchers, learning gradually to pick the correct cards when it comes to making better weather predictions. After the task is completed, volunteers filled out a questionnaire that measured their overall learning.

Gamers were notably better than the control group, and displayed best results when the card combinations gave high chances of uncertainties. Researches believe this is due to the gamer’s brain, principally their hippocampus, which is trained and developed as they play video games.

Problems and changes in the hippocampus are related with memory issues and with poor memory performance. Maybe in the future, memory loss problems can be prevented or treated with video game therapy, changing some of the bad rep that video games have earned over the years. 

Wall Flower Kryptonite: These Canna-Truffles Will Get Any Party Started

Seth MacKenzie
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Wall Flower Kryptonite: These Canna-Truffles Will Get Any Party Started

Inspiration hit for these canna-truffles when I was invited to a party at the last minute, and I wanted to make a great impression. It’s one of the easiest ways to use cannabutter and you can enjoy it as a nice midday pick-you-up without overdoing things.

For molding, I use silicone ice cube trays that you can grab at most grocery stores and then wrapped them in foil. They were a big hit at the party and sure to be a staple in my fridge from now on. Here’s how you do it:

Mise En Place

  • A large pot
  • A small pot
  • A large mixing bowl that sits on top of the pot
  • A whisk
  • A rubber spatula
  • Silicon molds (see notes)

Ingredients:

  • 20 ounces of milk or dark chocolate
  • 5-10 ounces of cannabis butter depending on how strong the butter is and how strong you want the final product to be.
  • cannabis sugar cookie crumbs (optional)
  • a dash of chili powder (see note)

Method of Preparation:

  • Fill the pot about halfway with water and set to simmer on the stove
    You’re cooking at home, it doesn’t have to be perfect

 

  • Pour the chocolate chips in the bowl and set on top of the large pot with water.
  • Let the chocolate melt while melting the butter in the smaller pot
  • Once both the chocolate and butter melt, slowly add the butter to the chocolate whisking well
  • Add the cookie crumbs and chili powder and then pour into the molds
  • Let em set in the fridge for a few hours or even better, overnight.
  • You can wrap them in foil if you’re giving them away or just keep em in your fridge for a quick pick me up.

Notes:

  • I like dark chocolate but you can also use milk chocolate or a combination of both.
  • I added the sugar cookie crumbs for a bit of texture and a little extra kick but you can feel free to add chopped nuts or even dried fruit.
  • Silicone molds. These are great to have in the Kitchen and I used ice cube trays I got a the local grocery store but you can find them in all kinds of shapes and sizes on amazon and they’re not too expensive for how long they last.
     

Gossip: Kathy Griffin To Tell All About Anderson Cooper; Taylor Swift Fired Her Mom

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Kathy Griffin To Tell All About Anderson Cooper; Taylor Swift Fired Her Mom

Kathy Griffin is mad that former friend Anderson Cooper never defended her after that infamous picture holding up a bloody mask that resembled Donald Trumps severed head. And now she is playing payback – big time.

“Kathy knows all Anderson Coopers secrets. She knows what he says about friends and political figures behind their backs. She knows who he has hooked up with and the real reason he never dated Andy Cohen. And now she is ready to tell all,” sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER. “Kathy has already called him a “spineless heiress’ and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Who do you kind he called after he moderated the Presidential debates. Who do you think he called after his talk show got cancelled or when pictures were released of his boyfriend kissing another man in Central Park? Plus, she kept his ‘gay life’ secret for all those years when he was in the closet. He has messed with the wrong lady.

Taylor Swift Fired Her Mom Manager

Taylor Swift started her career under the watchful eye of her brilliant mother, who was also her manager. But now sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER that Taylor is taking more and more control of her career and acting as her own boss.

“Taylor was very young when she started out in this career and can never be grateful enough for what her mother did and sacrificed for her. But now she is taking over control and making more and more decision,” sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER. “She wouldn’t be almost naked in her new video if her mother was still calling the shots. Taylor is growing up fast but she has a good head on her shoulders. After all, she was taught by the best – her mommy.”

Love the fresh dirt we bring over daily from Naughty Gossip? Let us know in the comments!

The One Thing 140 Clinical Trials On Marijuana Reveal

MJ News Network
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The One Thing 140 Clinical Trials On Marijuana Reveal

Scientists have conducted over 140 controlled clinical trials since 1975 assessing the safety and efficacy of either whole-plant cannabis or specific cannabinoids, according to a literature review published in the journal Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences.

A pair of German researchers identified 140 clinical trials involving an estimated 8,000 participants. Of these, the largest body of literature focuses on the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic or neuropathic pain.

Authors identified 35 controlled studies, involving 2,046 subjects, assessing the use of marijuana or cannabinoids in pain management. In January, the National Academy of Sciences acknowledged that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain.

Cannabinoids have also been well studied as antiemetic agents and as appetite stimulants. Researchers identified 43 trials evaluating marijuana or its components for these purposes, involving a total of 2,498 patients. They identified an additional 14 trials examining the role of cannabis or cannabis-derived extracts for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Researchers also identified several additional trials evaluating the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for a number of other diseases, including Crohn’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, and epilepsy.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that pharmaceutical drugs typically gain FDA approval on the basis of one or two pivotal clinical trials.

For more cannabis business coverage, visit the MJ News Network.

Oregon Congressman: Let NFL, NBA Players Have Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Oregon Congressman: Let NFL, NBA Players Have Marijuana

The rising din of voices coming out in favor of professional athletes using medical marijuana to treat their pain and injuries continued to grow this week from perhaps an unlikely source—a member of Congress.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer stood up for professional athletes, saying we should stop treating them like “second-class citizens” when it comes to using medical marijuana. As he told TMZ, almost two-thirds of Americans can legally access medical marijuana, and players should be extended that right as “it’s healthier for them” than prescription opioids.

“What we’re saying is that there are a number of professional athletes, professional basketball, football [players] who choose to deal with really the terrible pain of their profession using marijuana for medical purposes,” he said.

“It’s much less damaging than the opiods, the painkillers, the shots, the pills … and it’s time professional sports stops punishing them but works with them.”

Blumenauer comments were spurred by a question regarding former NBA commissioner David Stern, who recently changed his stance on basketball players using medical marijuana. Throughout his time as commissioner Stern was a harsh marijuana critic but was convinced by former player and cannabis entrepreneur Al Harrington.

Blumenauer isn’t the only congressman favoring major cannabis reform. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has made marijuana a personal platform issue, introducing the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017 a few months back, and it would be the biggest federal cannabis legislation in US history.

How To Make Excellent Vegan Cannabutter In The Oven

Jessie Moore
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How To Make Excellent Vegan Cannabutter In The Oven

If you love the idea of homemade cannabutter but avoid dairy for ethical or dietary reasons, then this recipe is for you. Coconut oil is employed instead of butter, yielding a longer-lasting (coconut oil doesn’t go rancid as quickly as actual butter), potent pot butter which is perfect for making marijuana edibles such as cannaballs.

Personally, I love slow-cooking cannabutter in the oven. For one thing, I don’t have to worry about scorching pans on the stovetop when I inevitably forget to monitor the mixture. For another, I love the aroma that the cannabutter casts in my kitchen: while I’ve never been to a Phish concert, I imagine this is what it smells like.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ ounce marijuana
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) coconut oil

Equipment:

Pie plate or oven-safe shallow pan; fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

Directions:

1. Toast your marijuana; the fancy term for this process is decarboxylation. Scatter the marijuana on your pie plate; toast at 240 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, turning a few times throughout the baking. Remove from the oven, and let cool completely. Keep the oven on.

Photo by Jessie Moore

2. Finely grind the cannabis; you can do this with a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or just carefully crumbling it with your fingers. Technically you can do this before or after toasting it, but I find the drier texture post-toasting makes it easier to do it then.

3. Place the marijuana back in the pie plate and either pour or spoon the coconut oil on top. Personally, my coconut oil was solid because it was a cold day, so I just spooned it on top of the marijuana. Once it goes in the oven it melts pretty rapidly.

Photo by Jessie Moore

4. Place the pie plate in the still-warm oven, and let it cook for about 3 hours, opening the oven and shifting things around every half hour or so.

Photo by Jessie Moore

5. At the end of 3 hours, you’ll notice that the oil itself has taken on a distinctly green-yellow tinge. That’s a good sign! Remove from the oven.

Photo by Jessie Moore

6. Set up either cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer (I actually used a tea strainer!) perched above a heatproof container. Strain the vegan cannabutter over the container, making sure to get every last drop from the pan. If using a cheesecloth, squeeze to strain out any last bits of liquid; if using a strainer, press down with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Photo by Jessie Moore

7. Transfer the liquid to a jar or airtight container. This vegan cannabutter can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature; it will become solid at cool room temperature or if chilled. It will keep for several weeks.

Photo by Jessie Moore

Recipe Note: Alternate Fats

You don’t have to use coconut oil for this recipe. You can substitute any vegan cooking oil, such as olive oil or avocado oil. You could also use a vegan butter substitute, such as Earth Balance. Of course, if you’re not vegan, you can use regular butter or even lard here, too.

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Homegrown Weed: The Garden Returns As Medical Cabinet

Trey Reckling
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Homegrown Weed: The Garden Returns As Medical Cabinet

For centuries, actually millennia, humans have known of the curative properties of cannabis. Anthropologists have found mummified remains of shamans buried with stores of cannabis for a pleasant afterlife. As recently as the early 1900s, doctors used it for everything from asthma to promoting uterine contractions in childbirth.

I like growing tomatoes and having their fresh summer fruits, but I really love growing my own medicine. As a registered patient in the state of Washington, I grow at home, sourcing good genetics and grow organically as possible. The process continues to teach me lessons I just don’t learn anywhere else. For many people, the idea of growing for healing is a novel idea. But, as author Michael Pollan reminds us in his book, The Botany of Desire:

“For the most part of their history, after all, gardens have been more concerned with the power of plants than with their beauty – with the power, that is, to change us, for good and ill.”

We live in a day of single compound medicines, synthetic molecules, magnetic imaging systems and genetic manipulation. Many of our great grandmothers knew volumes more about natural healing than we do. Often we accept that medical knowledge is something that belongs to surrogates and sometimes take a passive role in the process.  

Home growing involves the patient and allows for a greater level of input and control. Jerry Whiting has worked with medical cannabis patients for years. He is the co-founder and president of LeBlanc CNE, specializing in cannabis genetics, formulations, product development and education and is quite passionate on the matter:

“It’s important for patients to grow their own medicine to have control over what they ingest. It alleviates fears about unwanted fertilizers and pesticides. Not only does it save money but citizen farmers play a vital role in preserving vintage heirloom genetics that large commercial farmers ignore. Growing your own cannabis is as important as making your own tinctures, topicals and edibles.”

That is why the chance to grow your own medicine is unique. If you are in a position to home grow legally in your state, I encourage you to do so. You may get occasional pests and may even accidentally kill some plants. But in the process, you just may find yourself with a better awareness of how the plant affects you, a more distinguished palette and a higher expectation for your medicine.

7 Amazing Products You Need For A Fresh & Healthy Vagina

Maria Loreto
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7 Amazing Products You Need For A Fresh & Healthy Vagina

There are all kinds of healthy vagina products out there that serve multiple purposes such as making you look and feel good, taking care of your period related pains and aches, or for building up some muscle in your private parts. That’s a thing. Whatever the purpose of the product, they’re all welcome and worth a look. Check this list of 7 of our favorite vagina products:

Period Store Monthly Subscription Box

 

This store specializes in subscription boxes that are meant to arrive right when you need them so you can have less of a bad time when your period comes around. On the site, you can create the type of box you want to have, with different pain relieving products and price ranges. It’s a simple way of having all the tools you need on a monthly basis while also making the best out of a shitty situation. Everyone loves getting packages.

Lovelife Krush Kegel Exerciser

A post shared by SiteGeekFR (@sitegeek.fr) on g 4, 2016 at 11:11am PDT

 

Kegels are well known for improving the health of your pelvic floor muscles, improving the sex life and health of the vaginas of women with a wide range of ages. Lovelife Krush Kegel measures the pressure of control of your muscles, helping you improve them while also having some fun in the meantime.

Go Primal PoPo Powder

 

If you’re an athlete or someone who sometimes struggles with odor control in your groin and armpits, this powder is a great and safe solution that features no talc powder and no toxic materials.

Thinx Period Underwear

A post shared by THINX (@shethinx) on

Thinx underwear is known for their infamous ads that caused a whole lot of controversy, but they’re also popular because they work really well! Featuring an unbelievable technology that’s capable of holding up to two tampons worth of blood, these panties are reusable and practically magical. What are you waiting for?

Joy Ride Creme

A post shared by Turner Bikes (@turnerbikes) on

 

If you’re someone who has a hard time when it comes to chafing and all that, Joy Ride is the perfect solution to all your problems. The plant based formula protects your vagina and avoids itching and burning of all sorts.

Lelo Luna Beads

 

The Luna Beads are perfect for women who are looking to improve their orgasms and to try new things. Featured in two sizes, the Luna Beads vibrate accordingly to your body’s movements and try to raise your levels of arousal.

DivaCup & Lunapads

A post shared by The DivaCup (@thedivacup) on

 

DivaCups are great for people who are bored and annoyed with the traditional tampons and pads. These cups can be worn for 12 hours at a time and are reusable, saving you some money on disposable and expensive products.

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