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Alabama Town Names Itself “Official Bigfoot Capital”

Taylor Berman
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Alabama Town Names Itself “Official Bigfoot Capital”

The town of Evergreen, Alabama only has a population of 3,800, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an important city in the state. In fact, you could argue that Evergreen is the state’s most important city now that its council members have voted to designate it as Official Bigfoot Capital of Alabama.

Al.com reports that Councilman Luther Upton introduced the resolution by stating that he hadn’t actually seen any Sasquatch in or near his town. “But I’ve never seen God either and I believe in him,” he added. “A lot of people have seen these things. They aren’t quacks. They are legitimate people who’ve seen these things.”

Below is part of the official resolution, which was signed by Mayor Pete Wolff:

WHEREAS, many people around the world believe in the existence of Bigfoot-like creatures, and hundreds of sightings of these mysterious creatures are reported each year; and

WHEREAS, numerous Conecuh County residents have reported multiple sightings of mysterious Bigfoot-like creatures in and around Evergreen for decades, and that Evergreen is the geographical epicenter of these reported sightings; and

WHEREAS, those reports have attracted local, state, national and worldwide media attention, causing Evergreen and Conecuh County to be heavily associated with the ongoing discussion and study of Bigfoot reports in Alabama; and WHEREAS, Evergreen and Conecuh County has attracted Bigfoot investigators from across the country, including members of the cast of the television show “Killing Bigfoot,” to investigate reported Bigfoot sightings in the area, and leading them to find evidence of these creatures in the Evergreen area.

Evergreen joins two other cities—Willow Creek, Calif., has declared itself the “Bigfoot Capital of the World” and Remer, Minn., believes it is “Home of Bigfoot”—as the nation’s top Sasquatch destinations.

Next, Upton says he wants State Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville to submit a resolution to the state Legislature to make it official on a state-wide level.

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Bill Gates Believes Robots Should Pay Income Taxes, Too

Brendan Bures
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Bill Gates Believes Robots Should Pay Income Taxes, Too

Across the horizon, the robots are coming. This is not automation fear-mongering, but simply a statement of fact. As we tumble heedlessly into the future, humans will collectively need to decide how to confront and co-exist in the ever-expanding robotics landscape.

Bill Gates has an answer. Though a techno-optimist, the Microsoft co-founder believes one way to slow the explosion of automation is to tax companies’ usage of robots replacing human jobs, as he explained in an interview with Quartz.

Gates’ response is noteworthy, as his company is one of the global leaders in emerging robotic technologies, including their recent formation of the Microsoft AI and Research Group.

Via Quartz:

Gates said that a robot tax could finance jobs taking care of elderly people or working with kids in schools, for which needs are unmet and to which humans are particularly well suited. He argues that governments must oversee such programs rather than relying on businesses, in order to redirect the jobs to help people with lower incomes.

This very proposal was just posited in the European Union, with the majority of lawmakers ultimately voting against the so-called “robot tax.” The EU’s decision was praised by the robotics community. As the Frankfurt-based International Federation of Robotics told Reuters, “The IFR believes that the idea to introduce a robot tax would have had a very negative impact on competitiveness and employment.”

This also comes during a week when Tesla’s Elon Musk put forth future possibilities of humans merging with robots to combat humans from becoming irrelevant. Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, he also touched on the oncoming development of autonomous cars. Musk believes the gradual replacement of human drivers over the next 20 years will lead to major disruption, leaving an estimated 12 to 15 percent of the global workforce unemployed.

“[T]here are many people whose jobs are to drive. In fact I think it might be the single largest employer of people … Driving in various forms,” said Musk, according to CNBC. “So we need to figure out new roles for what do those people do, but it will be very disruptive and very quick.”

So maybe we should listen to Bill Gates’ advice—robots need to start paying their damn taxes.

Support Our Troops: How The American Legion Fights For Marijuana

Al Olson
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Support Our Troops: How The American Legion Fights For Marijuana

The American Legion — the nation’s largest veterans organization with more than 2 million members — is urging the U.S. government to reclassify marijuana.

Dr. Sue Sisley, a cannabis researcher who is studying the benefits of cannabis for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, said the American Legion’s support is a major development for vets.

“I consider this a major breakthrough for such a conservative veterans organization,” she said. “Suddenly the American Legion has a tangible policy statement on cannabis that will allow them to lobby and add this to their core legislative agenda. The organization has a massive amount of influence at all levels.”

Sisley spoke in favor of rescheduling marijuana during the American Legion’s annual convention last week in Cincinnati.

“I only heard very positive feedback from the thousands of veterans in the audience,” she told Marijuana.com. “I was stunned at how little controversy there was. It seems highly unanimous among American Legion members that we owe it to the veteran community to demand end to the barriers to this kind of cannabis research. In light of the epidemic of veteran suicide, the Legion knows they must strive to uncover new treatments for PTSD/opioid epidemic, etc.”

Dr. Sisley received federal permission two years ago to research marijuana as a treatment for PTSD. Not long after this rare opportunity to conduct studies using cannabis, Sisley was fired by the University of Arizona, where she had hoped to do the work.

Last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration refused to remove cannabis from its Schedule I classification — meaning the herb has “no accepted medical use.”

To read the American Legion’s official resolution and more on this story, read here.

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Here’s Why Hemp Industries Association Is Suing The DEA

Taylor Berman
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Here’s Why Hemp Industries Association Is Suing The DEA

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is suing the DEA over allegations that the federal agency is in contempt of court over a 2004 ruling that forbid various hemp products from being classified as Schedule I controlled substances.

“We will not stand idly by while the DEA flouts the will of Congress, violates the Ninth Circuit order, and harasses honest hemp producers trying to make a living with this in-demand crop,” Colleen Keahey, Executive Director of the Hemp Industries Association, said in a press release. “The DEA must stop treating hemp, hempseed and hempseed oil, which is a nutritious ingredient, as something illicit.”

In February 2004, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the DEA had not followed proper procedures when it added non-psychoactive hemp to a list of Schedule I controlled substances. Despite that ruling, Whole Foods Magazine reports that in December of last year the DEA and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture stopped Healthy Oilseeds LLC, North Dakota, from shipping its hemp protein powder and hempseed oil food because, as a DEA spokesperson put it, “industrial hemp is a Schedule I controlled substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act.” The reason for the stopped shipment according to DEA spokesperson Russ Baer is that hemp products that “are not used, or intended for use, for human consumption” are the only ones covered by the Ninth Circuit’s ruling.

The HIA argues that the DEA’s decision is a “clear” violation of the Ninth District’s findings and the intent of Congress’ Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill), which puts industrial hemp in a different category than marijuana.

“Thirteen years ago DEA was told in no uncertain terms by the U.S. Court of Appeals that Congress had made its intent clear: DEA has no power to regulate hemp seed and oil, and the hemp food and beverage products made from them,” Joe Sandler, HIA’s lead counsel, said. “It is disappointing that the industry has to revisit the issue, and take this step to compel DEA to obey the law.”

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Inside The Hollywood Club That Holds ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Parties

Brendan Bures
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Inside The Hollywood Club That Holds ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Parties

Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut is memorable for many reasons. It was Kubrick’s final film, holds the Guinness World Record for longest continuous film shoot at 400 days, and, oh yeah, prominently featured bonkers illuminati sex parties. If you ask anyone about Eyes Wide Shut, this will be the first thing they remember.

Your initial reaction to these scenes will probably include some form of incredulity. You won’t believe they’re real. But what if they are?

That’s where Snctm comes in. For just the small price of $75,000, you can join this exclusive erotic club. That will grant you a lifetime membership which will allow you to participate in the fun, give you sex advice from experts, and allow you to join a “blood oath,” though only 11 members have reached that level yet.

Curious men can pay $1,850 to attend one party, or $1,500 if they bring a date. (Women, following a screening, can get in free.) All applications must go through a vetting process, and members include everyone from media elite, to Hollywood members, and corporate businessmen and businesswomen.

Via Snctm’s website:

The Club exists to serve the social and entertainment needs of our members and guests by maintaining the highest standards of excellence in all endeavors, by providing creative and culturally rich programs, and by providing a safe and comfortable environment for personal exploration.

As the LA Times described it back in 2013, “True S&M-dungeon devotees might find it a tad PG-13, but Sanctum makes a frank pronouncement about why we go out at night: If the point of clubs is the pursuit of Eros, why wait for it?”

Snctm was founded by Damon Lawner, a divorced ex-real estate agent. Esquire’s Mike Sager wrote a deep, fascinating profile of Lawner and Snctm, revealing that his inspiration did evolve from watching Eyes Wide Shut amidst a mid-life crisis. Snctm attendees must wear masks upon arrival, like they do in the film, and acquiring admittance sounds just as much as the adventure Tom Cruise experienced.

Footage from the party isn’t made available—attendees give up their phones upon entrance. Though apparently Lawner is in talks to develop a show based on his life. Men’s Health also reports that Showtime is in talks to produce an 8-part documentary series. Until then, you’ll just have to watch Eyes Wide Shut with your eyes wide open.

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NASA Used Crowdfunding To Answer The Difficult Space Poop Problem

Brendan Bures
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NASA Used Crowdfunding To Answer The Difficult Space Poop Problem

Gravity features a thrilling dramatic and accurate portrayal regarding if everything went wrong during a space mission. Though some astrophysicists had some complaints on inaccuracies, it is mostly scientifically accurate. This is what would happen—for the most part—if such a calamity struck. The only problem they didn’t answer is the same one NASA is currently trying to solve: What if Sandra Bullock had to poop?

Well, not Sandra Bullock specifically, but any astronaut during a long space mission. Previously NASA’s fix was surprisingly lo-fi—they used diapers. But as NASA and other space organizations plan to send astronauts into deep space, a more elegant response is needed when such an emergency situation strikes.

So NASA hosted a crowdfunding contest through HeroX to cull the best solutions and it turned out to be a record-setting competition. There were 5,000 proposed solutions from 19,000 individual registered competitors with every continent around the world participating (including Antarctica). The portable waste disposal system had to be small, speedy, and work in microgravity situations. In addition, the astronauts couldn’t be limited by movement and it has to be comfortable for up to six days.

The winner of the competition was Thatcher Cardon, a family practice doctor, Air Force officer, and flight surgeon. He told NPR that his idea was not to store the poop.

Via NPR:

“I thought about what I know regarding less invasive surgeries like laparoscopy or arthroscopy or even endovascular techniques they use in cardiology—they can do some amazing things in very small openings.

“I mean, they can even replace heart valves now through catheters in an artery. So it should be able to handle a little bit of poop!”

Cardon’s system featured a small airlock system at the suit’s crotch, with small, inflatable items like diapers and bedpans passing through. Once their business was taken care of, astronauts could pass it back through, and send it off into space. He won $15,000.

Second place and $10,000 went to a team calling themselves the Space Poop Unification of Doctors. The SPUD team created an air-powered system that would push away waste into an anteroposterior direction, where it would then exit via a larger tube.

Third place and $5,000 went to Hugo Shelley, a U.K. product designer. His solution is a mix between underwear and a swimsuit called “SWIMSuit—Zero Gravity Underwear” that sanitizes and stores waste inside the suit.

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Cannabis Lounges Might Be Coming To The U.S. Soon

Mike Adams
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Cannabis Lounges Might Be Coming To The U.S. Soon

At a time when the entire scope of the cannabis industry remains uncertain whether the Trump Administration is moving in with the kill switch, Colorado is, once again, on the verge of implementing a progressive reform that will give way to emergence of Amsterdam-style marijuana clubs.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Denver officials are currently at the drawing board in an attempt to figure out how to launch a one-year pilot program designed to bring social marijuana use to life throughout the city. While the program, which was approved by the voters in the election last November, is only a temporary measure, the goal is to further explore methods for treating marijuana similar to alcohol so that more is known when the time comes to draft more permanent legislation.

Interestingly, Alaska was expected to become the first U.S. jurisdiction to experiment with the concept of cannabis lounges, but regulatory officials ended up getting cold feet in the 11th hour and pulled the plug on this development. A couple of other states (California and Maine) have passed laws that include provisions for social use, but none of the rules have been finalized. There is also a push for similar legislation in Oregon, specifically geared toward allowing marijuana consumption during special events.

However, what is on the verge of happening in Denver with respect to social pot consumption could quite possibly be permitted statewide within the coming months.

Reports indicate that bipartisan members of the Colorado Legislature are opening up to idea of cannabis lounges because they say residents have complained about people getting stoned in public. Lawmakers, like Republican Senator Chris Holbert, who believes, “it’s a problem we’ve got to address,” says the time has come to give tourists a place to smoke weed.

But despite bipartisan support for a law of this magnitude, there are still plenty of arguments surrounding the issue to prevent much from getting done. One side doesn’t want medical marijuana users to consume in public, while another group is worried that allowing cannabis lounges might start a war between legal marijuana and the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Jeff Sessions is the big question mark right now,” Democratic state Representative Jonathan Singer told the AP. “I think we need to send a message to him that Colorado’s doing it right.”

Governor John Hickenlooper, who opposed Amendment 64, seems to have changed his attitude a bit regarding legal weed. But he isn’t exactly sold on the concept of social use. The governor has said that he would veto a bill that allows marijuana to be smoked indoors.

“We spent a long time letting everyone know that smoking is bad for you,” Hickenlooper said. “Just cause that smoke makes you happy, and dumb, doesn’t mean it’s good for you.”

Meanwhile, the grey area surrounding legal weed has given way to the presence of underground pot clubs. But these establishments have been the targets of raids and other law enforcement shakedowns. It is for this reason that the cannabis industry has a simple message for Colorado’s government: We’ve legalized marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, so let’s act like it.

Trash Dove: This Purple Goodness Is Our New Favorite Meme

Maria Loreto
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Trash Dove: This Purple Goodness Is Our New Favorite Meme

Memes are like the bread and butter of the internet; the more you try to escape them, the more they keep popping up. Trash Dove is the latest one and it’s as incoherent as a meme can possible be, which is a lot.

This purple little bird has invaded the web and has people from all over the world brainstorming and coming up with ways to repurpose it, making Trash Dove go viral all over again in an endless loop of purple thrashing birds. Here are some of our favorite posts: 

On Twitter:

On Facebook (where there’s a Trash Dove community):

You may wonder when did the Trash Dove become a Meme monster, and why it’s all over the place, which can be answered with the bird’s incredible inception post: 

The bird was originally created by artist Syd Weiler, who probably didn’t expect her artwork to be called trash and to become a head banging worldwide sensation. Feel free to use the dove whenever: as a Facebook sticker, as a way to vent out some stress, or to express your current state of mind. Trash Dove is versatile.

 

The 5 Best Shows and Movies About the Relationship Between U.S. and Russia

Taylor Berman
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The 5 Best Shows and Movies About the Relationship Between U.S. and Russia


As you’re no doubt aware, Russia is suddenly a major player in U.S. foreign policy again. Between Michael Flynn and other members of the new administration, the aggression in Ukraine, Edward Snowden, spy ships anchored 30 miles off the U.S. shore, and the hacking rumors, it feels like we’re suddenly at the beginning of a second Cold War. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of films and TV shows either from or about that era, which means we have a wealth of classic entertainment to inform and distract us about the surreal new world we find ourselves living in. Below are five of our favorites.

The Americans


One of the best shows currently on TV, The Americans deals with a pair of Soviet spies living undercover as a normal American husband and wife in the DC suburbs. It has all the best parts of prestige family dramas with the added bonus of top-notch spy plots. The daringness and deviousness of the Russians combined with plot lines involving flawed FBI agents will no doubt feel very familiar to people paying attention to contemporary politics.

Rocky IV

While not the best film of the Rocky franchise, Rocky IV is certainly the best of the boxing flicks at creating a seemingly impossible-to-defeat Russian villain. Ivan Drago is so bad, in fact, that he kills Rocky’s friend and rival Apollo Creed in the ring. But Rocky eventually gets his revenge. The perfect film to watch if you need a dose of cheesy sports-inspired patriotism.

The Hunt for Red October


The first of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan books to make it to the big screen, The Hunt for Red October tells the story of a Soviet submarine captain (Sean Connery) trying to defect to the U.S. as CIA agent Ryan (Alec Baldwin) tries to figure out why. A good, suspenseful Cold War tale to revisit as a Russian ship sits 30 miles from the U.S. coast.

Bridge of Spies


The 2015 film details the hard work of a deeply moral and patriotic attorney named James Donovan (Tom Hanks) who has been assigned—against his will—to defend Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance, who won an Academy Award for his role), a Soviet spy working undercover in New York. Eventually Donovan is sent to East Berlin to negotiate an exchange with the Russians. A story about the complicated inner-workings of intelligence agencies and other government bureaucracies in addition to the bravery of an unflappable lawyer certainly feels relevant today.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy


Technically not a story about America’s relationship with Russia, but the 2011 film adaptation of John le Carré’s 1974 novel is too pertinent to what’s happening right now to ignore. A story abut a retired spy master secretly taking up the job again to root out a Soviet mole at the top of the U.K.’s intelligence, the film—if it took place across the pond—could almost be called Tinker Tailor Soldier Flynn.

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Watch This Runner Lose Race Because ‘Spider-Man Attacked Him’

Brendan Bures
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Watch This Runner Lose Race Because ‘Spider-Man Attacked Him’

Sometimes the universe doesn’t want you to win. You can do everything right and still things will turn wrong. Even if you’re perfect, the disastrous remains possible. The National University of Ireland Galway’s Aengus Meldon learned this lesson the hard way recently. During the Irish Universities Athletics Association Indoor Championships’ 800-meter preliminary, Meldon was  a runner in the lead. He was going to win.

Then a pole vault warm-up bar flew in from nowhere, wrapping around his legs. His feet tangled, another competitor was able to catch Meldon who by all means should’ve won.

The gold, however, was when the announcer shouted in astonishment, “It was like Spider-Man threw something at him. Spider-Man attacked him.”

Guess Meldon was on Captain America’s side.

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