How To Manage Your Marijuana High

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April 23, 2019

Whether you are new to cannabis or have been consuming for years, finding the right amount to consume can be a frustrating experience. It’s easy to consume too much, and unlike edibles, cannabis flower has no natural “dose”. No matter how you like to consume cannabis, this information should help you avoid overconsumption and elevate your experience. Keep in mind that potency varies between strains, so you may want to repeat this process or adjust based on each new strain.

Glass

Whether it’s a bong, bubbler, or simple hand pipe, the best way to avoid over consumption is to pack small, single-hit bowls. Adjust the size of the bowl until you find one that works for you. Once you understand your body’s reaction to different amounts, it becomes much easier to hit the perfect amount from a fully loaded bowl. If multiple small bowls in a session seems tedious, try out a cannabis dispenser like PenSimple, which can handle the task in seconds with just the push of a button.

Papers

Rolling papers and cones are tougher to manage than glass, but still possible. For rolling papers put a small amount of cannabis in and roll it tight and skinny, finding a good balance between density and airflow. For cones, simply fill the cone up halfway or less, twisting and removing the excess paper.

One-Hitters

Traditional one-hitters offer a single bowl size, clog quickly, and are difficult to ash and clean deeply. Fortunately, the tried and true micro-dosing platform has recently gotten a major upgrade, the Simple One-Hitter + Dugout. The Simple One-Hitter has a built-in slider that allows easy ashing as well as an adjustable bowl size. The Simple Dugout is the slimmest available and holds the Simple One-Hitter, poker, and multiple grams of your favorite herb.

Hopefully you now feel more comfortable starting, restarting, or just refining your cannabis flower consumption. We know no one wants to overconsume, so take this confidence and have some fun with it! For more sleek and thoughtful cannabis products, check out Simple Accessories.

Britney Spears’ Fans Demand Release of Pop Star from Psychiatric Facility; Meghan And Harry Leave Comment On Pics Of Prince Louis

Naughty Gossip

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April 23, 2019

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Britney Spears’ Fans Demand Release of Pop Star from Psychiatric Facility

Via Variety:

A group of protesters gathered outside City Hall in West Hollywood on Monday afternoon (April 22) to demand the release of pop star Britney Spears from a psychiatric facility. Carrying “Free Britney” signs and chanting “Hands off, Britney” and “Justice for Britney” about a dozen fans took to the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and N. Sweetzer Ave. Almost as many news crews arrived to document the protesters, which was also live-streamed. The group’s position: that Spears is being kept from making decisions on her own behalf. The location chosen does not appear to have any particular significance.

Spears checked into a facility in late March after suffering from emotional distress, a source confirmed to Variety. On Easter Sunday, she was granted a one-day leave to celebrate the holiday with her family, People reported. Spears was photographed leaving the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills on April 21.

Spears has been troubled over the past year by her father’s health crisis. Jamie Spears recently underwent a second surgery to fix a ruptured colon.

In November, the “…Baby, One More Time” pop star put her Las Vegas residency on hold to look after her dad. She wrote on Instagram: “A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time.”

Spears’ mental issues date back to 2007 when the pop star infamously shaved her head and attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella. She later checked into the psych ward at UCLA’s Medical Center. That same year, superfan Chris Crocker became a viral sensation with his video pleading for the world to “Leave Britney alone.”

Meghan and Harry Left a Comment on Kate Middleton’s Pics of Prince Louis

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just left a personal comment on Kate Middleton’s new photos of Prince Louis. The palace released photos of Louis in celebration of his first birthday and they are insanely sweet, so prepare accordingly.

Via Cosmopolitan:

Yesterday afternoon, Kensington Palace released a series of pictures of Prince Louis that were, quite possibly, the cutest things my eyeballs have ever seen. And I follow several accounts devoted to puppies so my eyeballs have SEEN SOME CUTE THINGS. Anyway, the photos were shared in celebration of Prince Louis’ first birthday, and were taken by none other than his mom, casual royal who moonlights as an amateur photographer, Kate Middleton.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwkq68KF-xS

The royals have always shared photos of royal babies with the public around special occasions, but thanks to social media, Instagram has become the go-to spot for royal updates. And now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have split royal houses from Prince William and Kate (and have their very own Instagram account!), fans were waiting with bated breath to see if they’d comment on these Louis pics. And they sure AF did. In fact, their note was super personal, and obviously written by one of them as opposed to a staff member.

“Happy Birthday Louis!” Meghan and Harry wrote on the pics. “Sending lots of love from both of us.” They also added a birthday cake and red balloon emoji for good measure.

Instagram Is Considering Hiding The ‘Like’ Count

Maria Loreto

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April 23, 2019

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Instagram Is Considering Hiding The ‘Like’ Count

One of Instagram’s most defining and addictive features is the “like.” Seeing this number rise is basically pavlovian, keeping you checking your feed your hours. The feature is the most recognizable part of the app and has become the most reliable way of measuring engagement with followers.

While at first liking posts made the app simple and fun, it’s now become a source of stress for many users, motivating Instagram to consider hiding the like count from everyone except the person who created the post.

Code hunter Jane Wong was the first to discover this function, uploading a screenshot through Twitter and explaining that Instagram wanted followers to focus on what’s being shared instead of the overall likes.

Instagram is testing hiding like count from audiences,

as stated in the app: “We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get” pic.twitter.com/MN7woHowVN

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 18, 2019

“We’re not testing this at the moment, but exploring ways to reduce pressure on Instagram is something we’re always thinking about,” the company explained to The Verge.

Although hiding the like count from other Instagram users could reduce anxiety and make the experience a more liberating one, it would also uproot the way in which Instagram influencers conduct business and operate their platforms. Likes are what encourage people to post and what ultimately facilitate business opportunities. “The more engagement you have the higher chance of you getting more sponsorships and collaborations,” says beauty influencer Nanite Jean-Aimee.

The like count is a large part of what makes Instagram the world’s favorite app. Hiding it could transform the experience into something else entirely.

The Crazy Effect Coffee Has On Doughnuts Will Surprise You

Amy Hansen

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April 23, 2019

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The Crazy Effect Coffee Has On Doughnuts Will Surprise You

Dunking doughnuts into hot coffee is not just a textural and sensory wonderland. Science now says the two actually counteract each other.

According to the Journal of Food Science, caffeinated coffee can dull the sweetness of sugar. And not just doughnuts, but all sugary foods like muffins, cake, cookies and cereal. That means that by sipping on your morning cup of joe, you could be completely changing the taste of your breakfast or mid-morning sugar craving.

In one study, more than 100 participants sampled decaf coffee supplemented with either caffeine (a level found in you average cup of strong coffee) or an equally bitter concentration of quinine (a white, bitter, slightly water-soluble alkaloid). Both groups then added sugar to their coffee. The result? The group drinking the caffein-supplemented coffee reported that it tasted less sweet. And that subsequent sugar consumption tastes less sweet as well.

As a by-product of this study, researchers found that:

Panelists were also unable to discern whether they had consumed the caffeinated or non-caffeinated coffee, with ratings of alertness increased equally, but no significant improvement in reaction times, highlighting coffee’s powerful placebo effect.

Ain’t that something. So basically, whether or not you’re drinking decaf or regular coffee, chances are, if you’re used to drinking caffeinated coffee, it will still have the same “alertness” aftershock.

The whole thing centers around adenosine, a chemical in our brains that makes us sleepy. The study refers to caffeine as “a powerful antagonist” to the receptors that adenosine binds to. That’s where that “alert” feeling comes from. Caffeine makes us feel we’re more awake when our body and mind may not be.

Another possible side-effect of a caffeine and sugar bomb combo is that, since you can’t really taste the full sweetness of that doughnut, you may crave another. And another. And then, well, two words: sugar crash.

Someone Seriously Created A Bitmoji Bible

Maria Loreto

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April 23, 2019

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Someone Seriously Created A Bitmoji Bible

They are now part of the communication….and now the time has come when religion gets the Bitmoji treatment.

The Bitmoji Bible, developed by Daniel Eckler, is a series of Bitmoji icons that illustrate some of the Bible’s most famous stories like David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, and Jesus crawling through the floor on his search for coffee. Some liberties from the original text were taken.

https://t.co/ja3Kyj9vMJ pic.twitter.com/QDmWvAHgOL

— Daniel Eckler (@daniel_eckler) April 16, 2019

Eckler spoke with Mashable and explained the purpose of this project, which he co-created.

“Today’s children are more likely to read a text message than a book. Given the Bible has been translated into more than 3000 languages, I thought it should be translated into one of the most popular contemporary languages,” he says.

He explains that while the series of Bitmojis are meant to educate kids, adults will hopefully see these icons from a more humorous place. Eckler says that lately he’s been exploring Catholicism and found passages in the bible that transform complex myths and ideas into digestible stories.

The Bitmojis are very simple, sometimes telling an entire biblical story through a single icon. It’s unlikely that a kid will ever be able to experience the bible through Bitmojis, but it’s still a funny idea. In truth, the weird existence of a Bitmoji Bible is enough of a selling point for me.

You can check out the entire list of Bitmojis on the Bitmoji Bible’s website.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana Could Make Workplaces Safer

Brendan Bures

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April 23, 2019

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Legalizing Medical Marijuana Could Make Workplaces Safer

States that legalize medical marijuana typically do so with the intention of cannabis alleviating specific symptoms and illnesses—PTSD, intractable epilepsy, chronic pain. But a recent study suggests that medical cannabis legalization has an additional unintended effect. It’s making workplaces safer.

According to this new research, states that legalized medical cannabis saw a drop in workplace fatalities among young adult employees. “Legalizing medical marijuana was associated with a 19.5% reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities among workers aged 25–44,” the study found.

The study was published last year in the International Journal of Drug Policy by economists from Montana State University, University of Colorado, and American University. Their goal was to better understand the effect between serious workplace injuries in states that adopted medical marijuana legalization by analyzing data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, focusing on the years between 1992-2015.

This drop could be from workers using medical cannabis instead of more harmful drugs like alcohol and opioids. According to the study’s authors, “because the use of alcohol at work is associated with a substantial increase in the risk of injury, and because non-habitual opioid use slows reflexes and impairs cognitive functioning, the enactment of MMLs [medical marijuana laws] could, in theory, make workplaces safer.”

It’s important to remember that correlation doesn’t always mean causation. In addition, Researchers were keen to mention that BLS datasets are rendered state by state, meaning it’s impossible to pinpoint any extenuating factors around the workplace fatalities. Still, it’s significant research that demonstrates the possibilities around medical marijuana are more positive than negative.

Life Hacks: How To Salvage That Dried Out Marijuana

Mary Schumacher

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April 23, 2019

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Life Hacks: How To Salvage That Dried Out Marijuana

We’ve all been there. Sometimes dry weed happens. Whether you found an old stash, didn’t get to your head stash in time or simply ended up with dried out cannabis: it’s harsh, it burns fast and it no longer resembles the award-winning bud you remember picking up at the dispensary. And if you deal in large quantities of cannabis, the chances of dry weed are even greater.

First of all, do not despair. There are a good handful of ways to rehydrate your marijuana. When doing so, however, remember that over hydrating the marijuana is worse than dealing with flaky shake. Mold can take hold of humid weed, and that’s a real problem. When in doubt, use the dried up leftovers to make an infusion.

One way to get moisture back where it belongs, especially in large amounts, is by using paper towels and plastic baggies. Simply wet (not drench) a couple paper towels and put them into plastic bags. Seal them, but also poke little holes in them so that the moisture is effective. Place the baggies in with the bud for at least a few hours and watch the dusty nuggets come back to life.

Another tried and true method is using an orange peel. Very carefully, only slice off the outer layer of the skin. Place the citrusy peel into a glass jar with the dry weed, but keep an eye on it. Again, you don’t want to overdo it and this process should take less than a day.

A piece of white bread is yet another solution, though you’ll also want to be very careful about mold here, as the yeast in the bread can be troublesome. Still, it’s another proven remedy that only requires a little caution. Just put the bread in with the buds. This shouldn’t take longer than a day to work and you’ll want to be mindful to take the bread back out and not leave any crumbs behind.

You’ve searched the house and you’re out of all of the above? How about an apple? Though not as commonly used as an orange peel, the apple is thought to actually be a better solution. Mostly because of the essential oils that inhabit an orange’s skin. You want to remoisten your weed, not flavor it. Instead of using the peel of the apple, though, use a slice.

Similar to the fruit and bread options, you can also use a piece of lettuce to get some of that fluff back. When using lettuce, dry the leaf off first with paper towels if damp and then be sure to not leave it in the cannabis container for more than four hours. In fact, it’s best to check it every hour or so, as lettuce is basically made of water and is thus very hydrating.

Dry weed needn’t be a major comedown. With the above simple life hacks you’ll be back to hydrated buds again within a day. And if it’s beyond saving? Edibles. Just remember edibles.

Study: Dogs Have Fewer Germs Than Bearded Men

Maria Loreto

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April 22, 2019

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Study: Dogs Have Fewer Germs Than Bearded Men

There’s lots to admire in a thick beard. Weeks and months of work and upkeep are poured into it, but sadly, the more you think about them the more you start to question their existence. Beards are located in a complicated area. The bottom part of the face has to deal with lots of sweat and food on a daily basis, making it a prime nook for germs and gross things.

A study from Switzerland concludes that dogs carry fewer germs than bearded men. These results were obtained by scientists who sampled bacteria from 18 men’s beards and compared them to the germs located in the neck of over 30 different dogs. According to vets, this area is “particularly unhygienic” for dogs, being the spot where most skin infections occur.

The study found that all of the men who were sampled had high amounts of germs, while only 23 of the dogs in the research reached this high level of bacteria. Seven of these men also had health-damaging germs, including bugs that cause urinary tract infections.

Via European Radiology:

“Bearded men harbor a significantly higher burden of microbes and more human-pathogenic strains than dogs.”

Beards are made up of large amounts of coarse hair, making it a good spot to hold onto dirt, much more capable than other parts of the body.

Will we ever look at hipsters in the same way again?

Immigrants Working In Legal Marijuana Industry Denied Citizenship

Mike Adams

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April 22, 2019

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Immigrants Working In Legal Marijuana Industry Denied Citizenship

While the bulk of the cannabis community remains convinced that President Trump is pro-marijuana, it has become painfully evident in recent months that his administration is still exercising prohibition tendencies. This is especially true when it comes to Trump’s agenda to rid the nation of immigrants. In fact, it was just last week that U.S. officials released some new guidance for immigrants working in the cannabis industry. The document explains that working in weed, regardless if it is in a legal state or not, could disqualify them from citizenship should they ever apply.

It seems that Trump has found another way to make life hard for immigrants trying to make their way in the land of the free – kill any and all prospect of them ever achieving naturalization if they have involvement in “marijuana-related activities.” The latest guidance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicates that immigrants choosing to work in the cannabis trade could have some troubles when it comes to achieving citizenship in the future. The agency said that any connection to pot (a criminal offense or even employment) will be viewed as a moral blemish.

Although several states have legalized the leaf for medicinal and recreational purposes, the federal government still considers weed an illegal drug. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if an immigrant applying for citizenship has a smear on his record for drug trafficking or he’s employed by a state-legal marijuana business, this activity is viewed in the same light. Unfortunately, this means that people who have held green cards for decades can be denied naturalization as long as Uncle Sam continues to ban marijuana at the national level.

“Marijuana remains illegal under federal law as a Schedule I controlled substance regardless of any actions to decriminalize its possession, use, or sale at the state and local level,” USCIS spokesperson Jessica Collins said in a statement. “Federal law does not recognize the decriminalization of marijuana for any purpose, even in places where state or local law does.”

While there hasn’t been much coverage on this subject over the years, marijuana has become a roadblock for some of those seeking U.S. citizenship for some time. One of the most recent cases involves a Colorado man named Oswaldo Barrientos. The man has lived in the United States all of his life, graduated high school and has worked on a green card since he was a teenager. But he was denied citizenship last November just because he has been employed with a Denver-based cannabis cultivation center for the past five years. The situation prompted Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to reach out to U.S. Attorney William Barr earlier this month in hopes of forging change.

“We strongly believe that such guidance is imperative to ensuring consistent implementation and enforcement of state marijuana laws and regulations in the more than 30 U.S. states that have chosen to fully or partially legalize cannabis,” Hancock wrote. “Denver understands the need for federal laws and regulations regarding citizenship and immigration, but we are seeing the heartbreaking effects that those federal laws and regulations are having on our residents.”

Well, Hancock received his guidance. The gist of it is federal law prevails, even in the situation of legal marijuana.

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is required to adjudicate cases based on federal law,” Collins said. “Individuals who commit federal controlled substance violations face potential immigration consequences under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which applies to all foreign nationals regardless of the state or jurisdiction in which they reside.”

Legal experts say it is likely that more immigrants connected to the cannabis industry have encountered this problem, but they do not have the resources for an appeal. Not that it would matter. The best course of action, at least until the federal government reconsiders its position on marijuana, is for immigrant pot workers to wait it out. There is no sense in taking the leap toward naturalization until the conflict between state and federal marijuana law is hashed out for good.

A Happy Ending For ‘Game Of Thrones’? No Thanks

The Conversation

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April 22, 2019

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A Happy Ending For ‘Game Of Thrones’? No Thanks

With the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones commencing, I imagine most fans are harboring hopes that things will turn out well for the remaining heroes in Westeros.

A large part of me hopes for the same. But a different part of me – the part that researches the political effects of entertainment – is pulling for a final season that is as brutally unjust as the first five seasons of the series. It wants the White Walkers to overrun the North and kill Jon Snow and Daenerys, or Cersei to betray the heroes after they battle the army of the dead, leaving no opposition to her claim to the Iron Throne.

A study I recently conducted with some students on Game of Thrones colored my views on unhappy endings, revealing that perhaps television series and movies need more of them.

Do good things happen to good people?

People prefer stories with happy endings. For this reason, most stories developed for mass audiences – whether they’re books, films or TV shows – will conclude with the protagonist rewarded for doing the right thing.

All those happy endings, however, have political consequences – at least according to one researcher.

In a 2007 study, communication psychologist Markus Appel showed that the more fictional narratives people see, the more likely they are to believe in a just world.

What does this belief have to do with politics? Well, when you believe in a just world, you tend to think that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.

This worldview then influences support for certain policies. For example, if you believe in a just world, you would probably believe that poor people deserve to be poor. Not surprisingly, the worldview has been associated with lower support for antipoverty programs and affirmative action. It’s also been associated with negative feelings about the poor and support for authoritarianism.

The belief in a just world seems to be activated as a psychological response to experiencing the discomfort of witnessing victims of abuse, crime, economic catastrophe and war. Rather than force someone to grapple with the complex emotions evoked by these victims, this worldview operates like a shield – why devote emotional energy and resources to these people if they deserve what they got?

**Can Game of Thrones color your worldview?**

When it debuted in 2011, Game of Thrones wasn’t like most other shows.

It didn’t just abandon the typical plot in which protagonists are rewarded for doing the right thing. It went as far as possible in the opposite direction, feeding viewers a relentless diet of cruel and brutal injustices.

Plot developments included a sadistic young king ordering the beheading of the lead character; a slaughter of unarmed guests at a wedding; physical and psychological torture; and marriages forced on young girls, who are then raped and sexually assaulted. The show taught audiences to never get too attached to any one character because that character, in all likelihood, would meet a cruel and unjust fate.

I wondered: If Appel found that fictional narratives with happy endings increased belief in a just world, could exposure to the repeated injustices of Game of Thrones do the opposite and reduce audiences’ tendency to believe in a just world?

My students and I set about devising ways to test for such an effect. Over two semesters we carried out a survey and an experiment, and I followed that work up with a second experiment.

For the survey and experiment we recruited participants through social media. I randomly assigned those volunteers to three groups, asking subjects in one group to watch six episodes of Game of Thrones, subjects in the second group to watch six episodes of True Blood – a show that depicts a more just world – and subjects in the third group to just fill out the survey. For the second experiment I randomly assigned students in a large class to watch either five episodes of Game of Thrones or the movie The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

In the studies, we found that exposure to Game of Thrones was associated with or resulted in lower levels of just world beliefs. These findings held true even while taking into consideration other characteristics of the respondents.

In other words, exposure to Game of Thrones seemed to have an effect on viewers that was more akin to consuming the news than to exposure to other fictional stories.

I’m hoping Game of Thrones has an unhappy ending because, sadly, unhappy endings mimic reality. I recognize the need to occasionally escape from the ugliness of the real world into fictional ones with happy endings. But in a media environment dominated by entertainment, it’s also important to be periodically shocked into remembering that things don’t always work out so nicely.

That was the value I saw in the first five seasons of Game of Thrones – and that’s why I want to see it end badly.

Anthony Gierzynski, Professor and Chair of Political Science, University of Vermont

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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How To Manage Your Marijuana High

Glass

Papers

One-Hitters

Britney Spears’ Fans Demand Release of Pop Star from Psychiatric Facility; Meghan And Harry Leave Comment On Pics Of Prince Louis

Britney Spears’ Fans Demand Release of Pop Star from Psychiatric Facility

Meghan and Harry Left a Comment on Kate Middleton’s Pics of Prince Louis

The Crazy Effect Coffee Has On Doughnuts Will Surprise You

Legalizing Medical Marijuana Could Make Workplaces Safer

Life Hacks: How To Salvage That Dried Out Marijuana

Study: Dogs Have Fewer Germs Than Bearded Men

Immigrants Working In Legal Marijuana Industry Denied Citizenship

A Happy Ending For ‘Game Of Thrones’? No Thanks

Do good things happen to good people?

**Can Game of Thrones color your worldview?**

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