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Martin Shkreli Leaks Wu-Tang Album Because Trump Became President

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Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli is infamous for many reasons. Last year his infamy grew because of a move he made in the music world: He paid $2 million for the exclusive rights to Wu-Tang Clan’s one-of-a-kind Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album.

Shkreli, who previously served as a Collect Records associate, claims to be sitting on a treasure trove of unreleased music from coveted acts like Nirvana, The Beatles, Tupac, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, The Smiths and Jimi Hendrix. And last month Shkreli announced that if Donald Trump was elected president, he’d release all this music for free.

https://twitter.com/MartinShkreli/status/791488951781625856

Shkreli hasn’t exactly kept that promise. However he took to Periscope Tuesday night to stream snippets of that ultra-secretive Wu-Tang record and it sounds kind of fire. Some viewers recorded parts of the leak and uploaded them on YouTube. We know you want to hear Raekwon deliver a classic Wu-style intro and Inspectah Deck spit vintage bars.

Feeling sick yet?

This isn’t technically the first time Wu-Tang’s exclusive album has been heard in public. Last year RZA and Cilvaringz granted critics a 13-minute listening session at New York’s MoMA PS1. The one-of-one record was praised by Complex and from what we’ve heard, it’s easy to see why.

Shkreli said that he still plans on releasing the Wu-Tang album, which is technically his right to do, but he wants to coordinate with the Wu. Let’s hope he keeps his promise.

 

The most essential daily news, entertainment, pop culture, and culture coverage. Want more? Check out “Wasp Swarms And Poop: WTF Is Going On In This Little UK Town?” “Donald Glover’s ‘Atlanta’ Obscures The Line Between The Real and Surreal,” and “Election 2016 Opt-Ed: A Clear Victory For Cannabis

Soothe The Sorrow: 5 Post-Election Cocktails You Need Right Now

You see, although Mr. Trump’s New Jersey electorate lost to the Democrats, the resentment towards the overall losing party has never been so clear. Through winning, there is loss. Through loss, there is winning. Perhaps this will act as a metaphor for the next election. Today, I’m voting for cocktails …the Cocktail Party!

If you’d like to join me, here are a few of my favorite post-election cocktails, most of which are infused with cannabis*, the big winner of this year’s election. We can all drink to that!

 The World is Bewildered

Need help sleeping tonight? Try this Manhattan-style cocktail.

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. cold brew coffee
  • 1 oz. Panamanian rum
  • 1 oz. Carpano Antica sweet vermouth or Dolin for a drier approach
  • orange zest — cut with a knife, never a peeler — pinched and flamed over the top
  • Regan’s bitters infused with THC
  • Luxardo Cherry
  • either a coupe or a rocks glass

To a cocktail mixing glass: Add one or two large cubes of ice. Add the cold brew. Add the Panamanian rum. Add the Carpano Antica. Stir. Season with Regan’s orange bitters, THC infused (note: I used ¼ oz. high grade cannabis- infused for 1 month in a bottle of Regan’s, strained). Taste. Strain into a coupe or rocks glass (if you use a rocks glass, only one or two cubes maximum!). Pinch and flame the orange zest, rub on the rim of the glass and serve.

Welcome to the Visigoths

The last few weeks have been filled with Twitter Flame Wars. It’s your turn to win one (more). This sleepy-tidrink makes light of the rise of the Anti-intellectuals. We know who you are!   

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Mezan XO rum
  • ½ oz. Stroh 160 rum 80% alcohol
  • 4 oz. cane sugar cola
  • ¼ oz. orange liqueur

To a Collins glass filled ¾ with ice: Add the orange liqueur. Top with the Mezan XO. Cover with the cane sugar cola. Float the Stroh 160 on top; ignite with a match. Add a colorful straw. Serve!

 A Long Steep Hill

A cocktail to bewilder the palates of your neo-conservative neighbors.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. bourbon whiskey infused with THC to your strength and taste
  • ¼ oz. ginger syrup
  • 1 oz. Fruitations tangerine
  • 3 oz. lemon flavored seltzer water
  • 4-5 shakes aromatic bitters

To a cocktail shaker filled ¾ with ice: Add the cannabis-infused bourbon whiskey. Add the ginger syrup. Add the Fruitations syrup. Cap and shake hard. Pour over ice in a double Old Fashioned glass. Splash seltzer water over the top. Dot with bitters.

The MacGregories

A cocktail to give you hope and dream of change. A take on the gin and juice of yore… and infused with pure THC for your dreams.   

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz. THC infused Barr Hill gin (the amount and strength of the THC is up to you. I used 14 grams of 25% THC cannabis in a 750ml bottle of raw honey and grain gin)
  • 2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 2 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 oz. Fruitations cranberry
  • 3-4 shakes Angostura bitters

To a Boston Shaker filled ¾ with ice: Add the THC-infused gin and the juices with the cranberry syrup. Cap and shake hard for 20 seconds. Pour into a pair of coupes. Dot with bitters. Serve.

AKA: Political Discourse Fails…Yet Again

So you want to win an argument?  

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Luxardo maraschino liqueur
  • 1 oz. bourbon whiskey (like Barrell Bourbon) infused with THC of your choice and strength
  • ¼ oz. dry vermouth
  • 1 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 1 oz. rich simple syrup
  • aromatic bitters

Add all the ingredients to a Boston Shaker. Cap and shake hard for 20 seconds or so. Pour into a double Old Fashioned glass with one large cube of ice. Dot with bitters. Serve.

*Infusions

To make a cannabis infusion, add 7 grams — or the dosage recommended by your caregiver—of ground, decarbed cannabis to 250 ml (about 1 cup) of a liquor of your choice in a heat-proof mason jar. Do not seal the jar, it could burst. Place the jar in the top of a double boiler on a hot plate or electric stove top.

(Never, ever use a gas stove or an open flame.) Fill the top of the double boiler with enough water to cover the mason jar halfway.

Simmer lightly at around 160ºF (71°C) for 30 to 60 minutes. Use a digital thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. Alcohol flames just over 170ºF (77°C), so pay close attention to the job at hand, and don’t go running out for a pizza. Plus, a low heat will keep evaporation to a minimum.

Let the mixture cool, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, then funnel it back into the empty liquor bottle. Top up the bottle with the remaining un-infused liquor until it’s back to a volume of 750 ml. This ensures that the THC will be dispersed throughout the infusion. Your infusion is now ready to use in your handcrafted cocktails.

Warren Bobrow, a.k.a. The Cocktail Whisperer, is the author of four books, including his latest: Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics.

This Is How Your Favorite Celebrity Reacted To The Election Results

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Last night, hundreds of millions of people watched as Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton in the U.S. the presidential election. Also watching were celebrities from around the world, many of whom took to social media to share their feelings about the election results. Here are some of their reactions.

Lady Gaga: “say a prayer America”

Scott Baio: Great faith in God works. Mr. Donald Trump I’m proud to call you President of the United States of America. And First Lady Melania Trump.

Chris Evans: “This is an embarrassing night for America. We’ve let a hatemonger lead our great nation. We’ve let a bully set our course. I’m devastated.”

https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/796219890239733760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Madonna: “A New Fire Is Lit ? We Never Give Up. ?We Never Give In’ ??”

Ted Nugent:

JK Rowling: “We stand together. We stick up for the vulnerable. We challenge bigots. We don’t let hate speech become normalised. We hold the line.”

Sarah Palin:

M.I.A.: “In England the date is 9.11”

https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/796311165366398976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Zach Braff: “We Brexited.”

https://twitter.com/zachbraff/status/796228450293981184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Demi Lovato: “God bless my little sister’s generation.”

Ariana Grande: “well this is utterly terrifying. I am in tears.”

https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/796205190894362624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/796220439542439936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Stephen Baldwin: “Soon the REAL work begins … to #MakeAmericaGreatAgain ! Proud to have been a part of such amazing history !!”


Jack Antonoff: “not my president”

https://twitter.com/jackantonoff/status/796216079030816768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Mark Duplass: “No one can stop you from being a loving, kind, generous person. No matter who wins we will be okay and find our way back to humanity.”

Adam McKay: “LET ME SAY IT AGAIN: OUR NEW PRESIDENT DOESNT BELIEVE MAN MADE CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. THIS IS CATASTROPHIC”

https://twitter.com/GhostPanther/status/796246902375333889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Seth McFarlane: “Some didn’t like Bush. Some didn’t like Obama. But this is different. Forget dislike. Many are genuinely fearful now. This is new.”

https://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane/status/796240175143653376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane/status/796343301196500992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Diplo: “The next four years are gonna just be a never ending loop of duck dynasty”

Kumail Nanjiani: “Fuck? Fuck. Anyone know any good skin bleaching places?”

https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/796180480336875521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/kumailn/status/796192603842588672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/kumailn/status/796238744026157056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/796192603842588672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/796238744026157056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Sara Bareilles:

Billy Eichner: “@barackobama @michelleobama Hi I love you both.”

Jake Arietta: “Time for Hollywood to pony up and head for the border #illhelpyoupack #beatit”

 

Questlove: We had one job

Sarah Silverman: “When do we start googling ‘What is Brexit?'”

Alec Baldwin: “Italy survived Berlusconi. The again, Berlusconi was Adlai Stevenson compared to this.”

Win Butler: “Love and peace to the hopless today.”

https://twitter.com/DJWindows98/status/796373777122729984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Talib Kweli: “I was wrong. I thought America couldn’t possibly disappoint me more than it already had. But, I was wrong. RIP America.”

https://twitter.com/TalibKweli/status/796267117842726912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Here’s What People Drank Last Night, According To Social Media

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Donald Trump is a self-described teetotaler. Ironically, from the looks of Twitter and Instagram today, a lot of people were pretty drunk when he was elected president. Regardless of what side of the aisle you rooted for, we all bonded over the comforting ways we tried to sooth our nerves during the nail biter of an election. From champagne and cheap beer to wine and shots of the hard stuff, here’s what people consumed to get them through election night.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkimlQgAiK/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkXBeDjhgS/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkGfW7h2cs/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkaM4kD0QE/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkWfSZDGRN/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkvxckDrBd/

As some famous person maybe probably said once: “We must unite as a nation and pull our shit together, America!” Here’s to a more sober tomorrow.

via GIPHY

Election 2016 Op-Ed: We Smoked The Vote Against Marijuana Prohibition

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It was a great night for legal cannabis, as voters across the country overwhelming rejected the failed policies of federal marijuana prohibition, along with the political establishment.

In what can only be described as a watershed moment for the marijuana movement, adult-use cannabis was legalized in Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts and the behemoth California, bringing the total now to 8 legal recreational states.

Medical Marijuana initiatives enjoyed similar success — passing in Florida, Montana, North Dakota and Arkansas, with only Arizona falling short. The entire Pacific corridor – Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California – is now a legal pot zone, putting real pressure on the Federal government to change its cannabis policy. No longer just a “wild west” phenomenon, legal marijuana will now be available for sale to adults 21+ on both coasts and in our nation’s biggest playground.

I spent election night at a fundraiser for the NORML Women of Washington, hosted by Ah Warner, CEO of Cannabis Basics, and founder of the legendary Women of Weed social club.

Inside The Party

The party took place in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, and brought together a collection of Washington’s cannabis elite: pot farmers, longtime activists, cannabusiness owners, and even a political candidate or two.

In a festive party setting — red, white and blue bunting, giant joints and Uncle Sam hats —ladies in pantsuits and men with “I Smoked The Vote” buttons enjoyed Madame President cocktails (bourbon, ginger ale and lime), dined on chocolate and cheese fondue, and passed joints.

Photos courtesy of Dave Rheins
Photos courtesy of Dave Rheins

The attendees, mostly female, came expecting to witness the election of first women president, and to welcome a gaggle of new states into the legal cannabis industry. It turned out to be a different kind of evening.

From the beginning it became clear that this was not Hillary Clinton’s night. While the party enjoyed moments of celebration as each new legal state was announced, the mood in the room was muted, with many feeling real concern as it became clear that Trump would triumph.

What will a new Trump administration, which will likely include drug warriors Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani, do about legal cannabis? Will a zealous Christie go after the legal states, as he had promised from the campaign stump? Are we looking at Rudy Giuliani as our next FBI Director? Some hoped that Trump will side with State’s Rights and not interfere with the will of the people.

Of greater concern to folks in the room, was what a Trump presidency means for women’s rights, gay rights and the rights of minorities. Many had spent a lifetime fighting for these progressive causes, and they felt stunned at the prospect of losing ground after all these years of struggle.

“The country likes pot, but it doesn’t like women,” groused one attendee.

“I’m concerned about my daughters and granddaughters and what might happen if Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justices overturn Roe v Wade,” confessed another.

‘I’m moving to Canada’ jokes peppered the conversation.

“You can’t,” joked one party-goer, “Twitter is reporting The Canadian Immigration site just crashed.”

Thank God we’ve got legal weed. We’re going to need it.

Stephen Colbert On Post-Election America: “We Drank Too Much of the Poison”

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As the presidential election was finally wrapping up last night, Stephen Colbert delivered a  soliloquy about the state of our country and politics to end his appropriately titled Showtime special, “Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going To Clean Up This Sh*t?”

“I think we can agree that this has been an absolutely exhausting, bruising election for everyone,” he said. “We all now feel the way Rudy Giuliani looks. Seeing this election…people all over the world, people are going to be asking if America has lost it’s mind. And the answer is, ‘We have 300 million guns and a lot of stress right now, so back up.’ By every metric we are more divided than ever as a nation… Both sides are terrified of the other side. I think that’s why voting booths have a curtain, so you have a place to hide.”

“So how did our politics get so poisonous,” he added. “I think it’s because we overdosed, especially this year. We drank too much of the poison. You take a little bit of it so you can hate the other side. And it tastes kind of good, and you like how it feels, and there’s a gentle high to the condemnation, right? And you know you’re right. You know you’re right.”

He went on to mourn a time in America when politics weren’t discussed 24/7, when they weren’t on the minds of children and everyone else at all times because it “left room in our lives for other things and for other people.”

Watch the full clip below:

 

The most essential daily news, entertainment, pop culture, and culture coverage. Want more? Check out “How Vine Shaped Music And Made These Songs Blow Up,” “Weekly Delight, Election Edition: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Posing With Dogs,” “Celebrities Are Voting And Know No Chill With Their Stickers.

Florist Makes Wedding Weed Bouquets, Yes You Can Smoke Them

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Picture this: your bridesmaids are walking down the aisle carrying one of those full, colorful bouquets and as soon as the wedding is over, they find a bathroom, a bush or a balcony, and light up the bouquet and smoke it. That’s right, their elaborate bouquet doubles as convenient-as-hell buds of cannabis that will get them happy, just in time for the reception.

Dream wedding right?

Bec Koop, a florist out of Denver (go figure) owns Buds & Blossoms, a flower shop whose specialty is wedding weed bouquets. “The motto is ‘Straight from your bouquet to your bowl,'” she told CNBC “You can literally take it out and smoke it.”

Koop, donned ‘Colorado’s first cannabis florist,’ had the idea while working at a dispensary and supplementing her income as a florist. One day after an event she had some extra red roses leftover, so she took them home, cut her own personal marijuana plant, wrapped the roses around a few buds and bam: ‘weed weddings’ was born.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKwifDOjQZv/

Koop quickly realized that even in a legalized state like Colorado, there weren’t a lot of vendors and venues that catered to the canna-friendly community, so she did her research and pinpointed the places that would allow bud to be consumed on their property and the people that would provide the additional support: catering, photography, etc.

With $1,400 and a 30-plus page business plan, Koop started Buds & Blossoms.

Her first wedding was a little over two years ago and fittingly, took place on 4/20 with an Alice in Wonderland theme. Soon after, her little cannabud idea blossomed -she went from about six weddings in 2015 to over a dozen in 2016.

Don’t worry if you’re not looking to get hitched anytime soon. Koop’s services are extended to yoga outings, brunches and food and wine pairings. These events usually include a bud bar, you know, the typical wine bar’s hotter, and more down to earth’s sister.

However, be warned: running such an extravagant business does come with a lot of terms and conditions for clients: all the clients for any event have to supply the bud or else Koop would need a license to “sell” marijuana. Also, for weddings specifically, her prices range slightly higher than a traditional florist because maintaining the weed plant for a few extra days, does require some extra work.

Additionally, under Colorado law, you can’t transport more than 2 ounces of weed in a vehicle, so for yogas and brunches this isn’t too big of a problem but for a wedding with an extensive bud bar, this might cause some extra expenses because there will have to be several cars or several trips made to transport the bouquets and such.

All of the logistics aside, if you’re looking for a destination wedding or a bridal trip that doesn’t involve Aruba or Vegas, a trip to Colorado and a consultation with Bec Koop will have your next event lit.

Live On The Fresh Toast Stage: Don Dilego

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In the spring of 2016, Don DiLego announced his latest solo release, Magnificent Ram A, and a subsequent signing to One Little Indian. Culminating in a few years of scattered writing amongst other production duties and tours, he secluded himself to his Velvet Elk Studios to complete the record in Nov of 2015, and committed to it being his most ambitious release to date. Once again self-producing, he enlisted the musicians that have formed the core of his band over the last couple records, including Gregg Williams on drums and engineering (Blitzen Trapper, Dandy Warhols, Sheryl Crow), Paul Garisto (Psychedelic Furs, Iggy Pop), and songwriting partner Erik Olsen on bass. Portland’s Paul Brainard (Blitzen Trapper, M.Ward, Eels) glued much of the sound together with pedal steel and horn arrangements.

DiLego released Magnificent Ram A in July 2016, and is set to tour much of the U.S. and Europe with his band The Touristas.

Election 2016 Op-Ed: A Clear Victory For Cannabis

Welcome to the day after election 2016, which saw two of the most unfavorably viewed Presidential candidates in US history duke it out, while we all now know that the big winner of the day was….cannabis. As of this writing, it looks like eight states passed new cannabis laws yesterday, for either strictly medical use or recreational use for all adults.

The majority of people in eight states, at least on this issue, voted for freedom and compassion, as Americans continue to reject the prohibition that has ruined countless lives. Just one of these new laws, Proposition 64 in California, opens up a cannabis market that is larger than the 49 other states combined. We are talking billions of dollars, and those involved in the industry at this time are afforded the opportunity, and the responsibility, to shape its success, or failure, and its public perception, well into the foreseeable future.

I’ve been involved in cannabis policy since 2004, working at the Marijuana Policy Project until 2007, when my task was involving notable people, who were risking their reputation in those years, to speak out about ending the War on Marijuana, and its many devastating effects on society. I personally hope the passage of propositions and legislation continues to free this plant, one that has been uniquely and unfairly stigmatized, and brings us ever closer to de-scheduling on a federal level. This plant should not be on any dangerous drug schedule. It should be free to be studied for the array of benefits it offers on a medical level. The stereotypical stoner image will soon be banished once and for all as cannabis comes out of the shadows and rejoins the family of healing medicinal plants, where it should have remained all along.

America is ready!

Mainstream America is clearly ready for cannabis, it just said so at the ballot box. I look forward to all of the growers and companies who will be able to join an open and regulated market. We have the opportunity to build long term businesses full of integrity, and to shape the perception that generations to come will have of cannabis culture. The Fresh Toast and other companies now starting out have the exciting task of introducing cannabis to the as yet uninitiated and the curious, dispelling old myths and replacing them with facts and impressions born of a modern perspective.

Two decades from now, we will look back on these early days of open recreational use as quaint, once even a portion of the medical benefits of the cannabis plant become deeply understood. Hemp will be a booming market of its own, with numerous benefits to society – from food to fuel to fabric to plastics and beyond.

On this one very important issue, one that will keep millions of our citizens out of the criminal justice system, it is a bright day of amazing possibilities…now let’s get to work to make sure the enactment of these new laws, some with wide latitude given to local enforcement, really benefits us all.

This Amateur Doctor Removed Man’s Testicle During Botched Motel Surgery

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If you are currently enjoying lunch or any other meal, you may want to stop eating for a minute to consider this unfortunate bit of news: A 57-year-old amateur doctor in Australia pleaded guilty recently to cutting off an ailing man’s testicle during an illegal operation in a motel. Following the botched surgery, the patient developed an infected scrotum and had to check into a nearby hospital.

The surgery took place after David Hillier, 52, posted an online ad seeking cheap medical assistance. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Allan George Matthew responded to the post, and the two men agreed to meet in a Port Macquarie motel for the surgery. One week later, the wound from the surgery grew infected, forcing Hiller to admit himself to a hospital.

Last month, police raided Matthews’ home and discovered medical equipment, four bottles of liquid believed to be amyl nitrate, and seven firearms.

The Australian Associated Press reports that Matthews has pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including removing tissue from the body of another person without proper consent or authority. He has not entered a plea to the more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm.

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