The President of the National Wrestling Alliance, attorney R. Bruce Tharpe, is one of the first sports leaders publicly advocating the use of cannabis as a legitimate medical alternative for injured wrestlers and other athletes.
Here is Tharpe’s statement:
“Too many people in the US have become victims of opioid addiction and death as a result of the over-prescription of pain medications and pharmaceuticals by doctors. Unfortunately, over the years we have seen a large number of untimely deaths as a direct result of prescription drug use, and many of those deaths may have been avoided had the medicinal use of cannabis been legalized and more widely accepted.
“It is clear that cannabis / CBD has been used to successfully treat such afflictions as children suffering from epileptic seizures, PTSD in veterans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, cancer patients experiencing the severe nausea associated with chemotherapy, glaucoma patients and those who suffer severe pain due to arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.
“I think it’s important for the owners of legitimate sports franchises like the NFL, the NBA and the NBL and for sports entertainment groups like the WWE to stand up and take an honest look at cannabis as a legitimate form of alternative medicine.
“The negative stigma of marijuana use needs to disappear in this country. That’s why the National Wrestling Alliance is taking a progressive public position toward the advocacy of medicinal cannabis use by wrestlers and other athletes for the treatment of pain.”
The National Wrestling Alliance is the oldest and largest sanctioning body in professional wrestling, founded in 1948.
It’s been 12 years since Kanye released “The New Workout Plan,” and aside from feeling extremely old, we’re also feeling extremely out of shape. What if we had followed Kanye’s instructions? According to the College Dropout sensation, by now we might have been able to “pull a rapper, a NBA player or at least a dude with a car.”
More than a decade later it’s time to put Kanye’s now not-so-new “Workout Plan” to the test. In an entirely necessary and overtly serious examination of the 2004 hit, we decide whether there is any truth behind Kanye’s claims.
Let’s start from the beginning:
“1, and 2, and 3, and 4, and get them sit ups right, and
Tuck your tummy tight and do your crunches like this”
We know. You’re probably wondering why on earth you pay three digits to take ab fab classes when Kanye just told you everything you need to know about getting abs for free? Good question. Forget all of those over-the-top tricks your teacher is telling you makes the difference, we say keep it simple with Kanye.
“All the mocha lattes you gotta do Pilates
You gotta pop this tape in before you start back dating
Hustlers, gangstas, all us ballas”
Yet again, this has never been so relevant. To all the people treating themselves to a daily mocha latte with extra whip cream, Kanye’s talking to you. After conducting a little research to back Kanye’s theory up, we found that the calories in a standard mocha latte (240) is almost exactly equivalent to the amount the average 140 lb. person would burn in a Pilates class (200). Coincidence or stroke of genius? We’re not sure.
On top of your calorie count, Kanye’s also watching out for the “Workout Plan’s” impact on your love life and self esteem. To ensure dating success, the rapper suggests you might want to workout a little first.
[Jill]
“Hi, my name is Jill, I just want to say thanks to
Kanye’s workout plan. I was able to pull a NBA player
And like now I shop every day on Rodeo Drive
I just want to say, thank you Kanye! Woooo! Woooo! Woooo!”
[Lasandra]
“My name is Lasandra, and I just want to say
That ever since listening to Kanye’s workout tape
I was able to get my phone bill paid, I got sounds and 13’s
Put up in my Cavalier and I was able to get a free trip to Cancun
And what’s most importantly is that I ain’t gotta fuck with Ray-Ray’s
A successful workout regime would be incomplete without testimonials to back it up. Jill and Lasandra are the proof in the diet pudding that justify the methods to Kanye’s madness. After implementing “The New Workout Plan,” you too could be a shopping regular on Rodeo Drive and getting free trips to Cancun.
“That’s right, put in work
Move your ass, go berserk
Eat your salad, no dessert
Get that man you deserve
It’s Kanye’s workout plan”
To top off a seemingly flawless plan, Kanye concludes that if you put in the work and stay off the dessert turning your body dreams into a reality is only a few sleeps away. To Mr. West we say, thank you.
As we adjust to dramatic political change while dealing with the usual bullshit with winter, it’s safe to say that all of of us are probably feeling a bit off. What better way to recalibrate than with three memes that really sum up how the emotional states of the vast majority of us. Check out three such memes below.
Winnie The Pooh Dancing
The newest meme on our list, Winnie the Pooh doing the dance to Psy’s “Gangnam Style” works with almost any song. The Friends theme, Rihanna’s “Work,” “Bad and Boujee” by Migos,” Smash Mouth’s “All Star”—it really doesn’t matter the tune, after watching Pooh dancing you’ll feel better about whatever ailed you. Most of the best videos are compiled here.
Find yourself staring at the countless arguments taking place on Facebook and telling yourself, “Thank goodness I’m not getting into this mess” and the next thing you know you’ve replied to 10 people you haven’t seen since high school? Then Evil Kermit is the meme for you now. As you’ll recall, its basic premise is a good kermit looking at an “evil” Kermit with the same caption below, like so: “Me: I’m going to finish this post right now. Me to Me: You totally have time to scroll through Twitter at least two more times.” Check out a couple of examples below and read more about it here.
Remixes of Richard Spencer Getting Punched in the Face
No matter your political beliefs, we can all agree that white nationalists are bad people who deserves a strong punch to the head. Just such a thing happened last month and video of the incident went viral. It served as a sort of catharsis for people feeling helpless and overwhelmed by the sudden and drastic changes in our country. But more importantly it gave people the chance to synch all types of songs to the punch. Read all about it here, and check out a few of our favorites below.
The cops wanna know: Is your marijuana dealer ripping you off?
Australia’s Northern Territory Police posted a hilarious plea to emergency services on their Facebook page. A woman called to complaining “about the price of marijuana in her community,” they wrote. She was upset that her dealer had raised the price of her usual bud, and demanded an investigation into this upcharge.
It’s important to note that, yes, recreational marijuana use is still illegal in Australia. That doesn’t mean the Aussies don’t know how to blaze, however. The land down under has one of the highest prevalences of marijuana use in the world. According to a 2010 survey, around 750,000 Australians use cannabis every week and approximately 300,000 smoke every day.
But there’s hope: Also like many other places around the world, Australia’s loosening up on medical cannabis use, with parliament making the plant’s medicinal use legal in 2016.
But let’s get back to this outstanding complaint from a distraught customer. The post has been shared 15,000 times, with commenters reactions spanning from “RELATABLE!” to commiseration over the price of cigarettes.
Their call for help is so snarky, it’s comic gold. “If you know a drug dealer who is ripping you off, give us a call, we’d love to help.”
This sounds suspiciously like that time the police asked for tips when someone had the shopping trip of their lives and left their blow at Sam’s Club. Think before you narc on your dealers, dudes. You’re only narcing on yourselves.
Budweiser and the Super Bowl have been a solid partnership for years and the beer behemoth has created some of the most iconic commercials in the telecast’s history (think Clydesdales, talking frogs, etc.) But there is another player now. Here is why marijuana sales are soaring for Super Bowl weekend.
Sales of cannabis typically skyrocket on the days before the nation’s largest televised sporting event — and this year is no different.
Joel Milton, CEO of Baker, a cannabis customer platform, says that casual smokers prepare for Super Bowl LI by buying pre-rolled joints. According to a report in Forbes, sales of pre-rolls soared by 28 percent. Infused beverages are also becoming more prevalent as well.
Last year, sales increased nearly 3o percent in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Also in 2016, delivery service Eaze reported an increase of nearly 50 percent hours before kickoff, Forbes reported.
Green Rush, a California cannabis delivery company, said it shattered company record sales during last year’s Super Bowl weekend. The company said sales soared more than 300 percent.
Do you know what else sells well during Super Bowl games? Pizza. Last year, Pizza Hut set record sales numbers with over $12 million in sales during the game.
Sally Vanderveer, president of Denver’s largest dispensary Medicine Man, told Forbes:
“The good thing with marijuana is that there is no hangover and they can go to work the next day with no problem.”
About 16 million Americans call in sick the day after the Super Bowl, according to t Forbes, making it the worst day of absenteeism for employers according to Kraft Heinz who wants to make it a holiday. They say that productivity is so bad that employers say they lose $1 billion from inactivity of workers nursing hangovers.
The Atlanta Falcons should win the Super Bowl. That is not a statement made in prognostication, but in best possible outcome. I do not know who will win the Super Bowl. I will not pretend to even predict who will win the Super Bowl. That is a talking head’s game, played (loudly) so you will continue paying attention to them.
Instead, let us deal in facts. This Atlanta Falcons’ offense is historically great. An ongoing internet theory, promulgated by me, involves Matt Ryan being a football android sent from a future where robots have replaced all physical human activity, including sports. No one currently playing football is better at catching passes and running away from defenders like their statues than Julio Jones. (Odell Beckham, Jr. legit still has temper tantrums—albeit ones that are wildly entertaining—and Antonio Brown’s kryptonite, somehow, is Facebook Live.) Not to mention, that tricky abstract force we call momentum is on the Falcons’ side right now.
I should not need to inform you how great New England is. Besides Nick Saban and Alabama, the New England Patriots are sports’ most totalitarian dynasty. Since I became conscious of watching sports, I do not remember a time the Patriots weren’t either in the Super Bowl, or had a legitimate chance of reaching the Super Bowl. Even when Tom Brady injured his ACL in 2008, the Patriots finished 11-5 with Matt Cassel leading them—yes that Matt Cassel. Call Bill Belichick whatever you want—a magician, a machine, a maestro—but I truly believe a blind, dyslexic pig could start as New England’s quarterback, and Belichick would push that team to at least above .500.
That being said, New England should not win the Super Bowl. Respect does not beget support. An ongoing movement of rooting against the Patriots is growing online, but that’s not what this is. This is pro-Atlanta only, not anti-New England. Because if Atlanta wins the Super Bowl, we all win as a culture.
New York and Los Angeles and others will argue otherwise, but the city of Atlanta is America’s greatest current hotbed for popular culture. Some of the best rap, TV, and movies all originated or were produced in Atlanta. No city is better prepared to respond with a win for their sports franchise, especially when you remember Atlanta’s tragic, miserable, downright depressing sports history.
Just imagine, if you will, all the possibilities if Atlanta should win the Super Bowl.
Imagine the rap song(s)
Some rappers you probably (read: should) love in 2017: Migos, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, Future, 21 Savage, 2 Chainz, Young Thug. Other Atlanta rappers you know and might (again read: should) love: OutKast, Killer Mike, 8Ball and MJG, Goodie Mob, T.I., Ludacris, Jeezy, Pastor Troy.
Somehow that list with more than 15 names doesn’t feel enough. But if the Falcons win, you will hear from all of Atlanta. There will at least be a “Champions” remix by Tuesday and Gucci will likely drop an EP on Friday. Andre 3000, high on victory, might finally agree to release new records with Big Boi again. And you will love it all because what rap city produces better anthems, better club records, and better radio singles than Atlanta? None. These credentials are not internet stunting; they are simply reality.
For the love of culture, just imagine the Migos ad-libs (*Quavo voice* dream it!).
Imagine the Atlanta storyline
Since I’m already on record as qualifying Atlanta as TV’s most exciting and promising show, I won’t repeat myself. One of Atlanta’s greatest strengths, however, is its ability to blur the line between fiction and reality until it resembles a faint indent of an erased pencil mark: the Awaken, My Love! record appearing in “Juneteenth,” Migos playing “the migos,” black Justin Bieber.
Before the show premiered, it ran a promotion following FX’s season finale of The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (spoiler alert: he’s acquitted). It was nothing revealing, just Earn, Darius, and Paper Boi watching the same show that’d just aired, but it accurately captured the tone of show and its characters to come.
All this to be say: If the Falcons win, the show will respond in some form or fashion. And you will laugh. Don’t you want to laugh? Doesn’t America need to laugh right now?
Imagine Follies, Imagine Magic City, Imagine Blue Flame
My editor just regrettably informed me I can’t describe the possible scene at any of these fine establishments. You only don’t know these names if you’ve a) never visited friends who lived in Atlanta or b) never heard a rap song.
Just know Atlanta nightlife will be lawless and out of control if the Falcons claim a Super Bowl. Speaking of which…
Imagine celebrities on social media
Here is a short list of major productions currently filming in Atlanta: Avengers: Infinity Wars, Black Panther, Pitch Perfect 3, I, Tonya, Den of Thieves, and more probably kept under wraps. If Atlanta beats New England, every celebrity and rapper and D-list star will hit the streets.
Don’t you want to see Anna Kendrick snapping selfies with 21 Savage? Would the internet implode if Michael B. Jordan kicked it with Migos somehow? How many of these clips would include “Bad and Boujee” in the background? What’s the likelihood some Chris—Pratt, Hemsworth, Evans—get caught in an uncompromising situation? Why do I know Leo will make an appearance?
When you take a step back, you understand why Atlanta should win the Super Bowl. Everyone will benefit and enjoy the celebration. If you disagree, there’s only one thing you are—a boring, old Patriots fan.
Last Thanksgiving, we shared a video with you of a character named Granny PottyMouth offering up f-bombs and delicious vegan, Turkey-free recipes for Thanksgiving. Well, now Granny—played by Peggy Glenn—is back for more cursing and ethical, animal product-free cooking, but this time she’s set her sights on the Super Bowl and the millions of chicken wings consumed in its honor each year.
As an alternative to chicken wings, Mrs. PottyMouth offers up a tasty recipe for homemade vegan cauliflower wings. But first she’s joined a special guest: her equally foul-mouthed granddaughter. “What the f*ck, grandma,” the little girl says near the videos start. “Aren’t you going to tell them that chickens killed for wings live shi**y-a** lives before being f*cking killed and hacked apart? Or that millions of them are murdered a year and that’s just for one game!”
After detailing her recipe, Granny really lets loose.
“Why, those poor little birds live shitty-a** lives before being hauled off in hellish f*cking trucks to clusterf*cks known as ‘slaughterhouses,’ where they’re killed by turd-faced a**hats who have no sense of decency,” she says at one point. “And their legs and wings are served at dumbf*ck football parties, who wouldn’t know good flavor if it bit them in the c**de.”
Roll your blunts and turn on your speakers: It’s time to revisit your favorite classic childhood cartoons and films, with a modern rap twist on YouTube. These mashups shouldn’t sound so good, but they work so well. Your childhood would have been lowkey lit if these mashups existed when the films they’re inspired by were created.
“I Just Can’t Wait For Booty” is a Matt Hodges mashup of The Lion King’s “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” and the classic Bubba Sparxxx & Ying Yang Twins masterpiece, “Ms. New Booty.”
Another “Ms. New Booty” mashup, this time with The Little Mermaid’s “Under The Sea.” Ariel is, quite literally, the original Miss New Booty. Fins to legs, get it? No? Okay, moving along.
This mashup of music from Thomas the Tank Engine and Biggie Smalls’ acapella bars including “Come On,” “Machine Gun Funk,” and “Sky Is The Limit” works so, so well. The video’s gotten nearly 17 million views already. If only Biggie were alive to witness this.
T.I., Lady Gaga and more appear on this mashup of “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King.” So many Lion King mashups exist out there.
Why does the Thomas the Tank Engine theme fit so well with rap? This time, Snoop gets in on it.
The first-ever feature length animated Disney film and Kanye West. A match made in rap heaven.
Another Little Mermaid classic, another Snoop Dogg cameo. If you can get through this without dancing in your seat, your willpower is strong.
This one’s probably not from your childhood, but it’s someone’s childhood, and deserving of recognition nonetheless. Frozen and A$AP Ferg were meant to be together.
I get it. Talking to a sommelier can be scary. We probably know more about wine than you, and some of us want to make very sure that you feel that knowledge gap. Yet if you don’t ask some questions (namely, these four), you’re not gonna get the right wine for you. Pay attention to how the sommelier answers these as well: having a keen bullshit detector can definitely help you out.
Tell them a wine you’ve had recently that you liked, and ask them if they have something similar.
It’s unlikely that they’ll have the exact wine you mention, but assuming you can recall at least a few facts about it (name, place of origin, varietal), they should be able to get a sense for your taste. Specific bottles are much more helpful to a somm than vague and potentially misleading phrases like “I like dry red wines.”
Don’t ask: “Is this a good vintage?” Ask: “Does this wine show much vintage variation?”
In the modern wine world, outright bad vintages are few and far between. Improved technique and education has allowed growers and winemakers throughout the world to turn even challenging years into good wine, though some years are easier than others. The better question to ask is about how much the wine will vary from year-to-year.
Generally, wines from cooler climates will show more variation, and wines from warmer climates will be more similar. Variation isn’t inherently good or bad, but it’s something to consider when you order an old favorite; it might not be the same wine you remember.
If you’re feeling adventurous, ask them what wines they’re most excited by.
Any list curated by a somm will have at least a few bottles that, for lack of a better word, are weird. They might be from an unexpected corner of the globe, or be made from a unique grape, or be made in an unusual style. They might represent an idiosyncratic pairing like white wine with red meat. However, if you’re in possession of an open mind and a broad palate, you can find some
If you want to dive deep, ask who imports (where appropriate) and distributes the wine.
The importance of the importer has definitely risen in the modern wine world, as the most respected companies have created a brand out of their expertise, and celebrities of a sort out of their founders: think Kermit Lynch, Becky Wasserman, and Terry Theise among others.
Often the wines they import share a certain style and philosophy, even if they’re from different parts of the world. Distributors can be extremely different, and smaller is not always better, but it’s a general rule of thumb that the bigger a distributor is, the bigger the brands they work with. After all, the national distributors want to buy and sell wine that’s available and sought-after in all 50 states, while one based in a single city can carry more niche and esoteric bottles.
That’s just the start, of course, but I hope this encourages you to ask some questions, and to listen to the answers. If you’re open to new wines, and to taking a small leap of faith, a good sommelier can greatly enhance your dining experience, without greatly enhancing your stress level.
It’s a common struggle. You’re at a restaurant, scanning the menu, and a dish you’ve seen a thousand times catches your eye. You want to order it, maybe even for the 25th time, but how the hell do you know you’re pronouncing it correctly? To keep from embarrassing yourself, you shyly point to the menu item in question while confidently telling your server, “I’ll have that!” It’s the equivalent of not knowing an acquaintance’s name and greeting them with a, “Hey! It’s you!’ Nobody is comfortable.
If this scenario sounds all too familiar, turn your attention to this quiz. With help from the cooking experts at SousvideTools, here’s the diner dictionary you’ve been waiting for. When it comes to these popular foods, does your tongue have an easier time tasting them or rolling them off?
