Imagine one day waking up to discover a giant R2D2 replica appearing in your favorite park. That’s what happened in Prague in a stunt that might remind you of something Banksy would do.
A long-standing air vent from a Cold War era nuclear fallout shelter had been a sight for sore eyes in Prague’s Folimanka park. But an anonymous artist, or group of anonymous artists, have re-purposed the vent into a massive R2D2 figure.
“The artwork was quite an undertaking, as two large concrete pieces representing R2D2’s legs were added on the sides, and other concrete details were added,” described Prague TV. “The entire domed vent was painted blue and white with other color touches to resemble the robot.”
Here Is A View Of The Sight Before
And Here Is What It Looks Like As R2D2
Currently there is no word if the city will maintain the repurposed Star Wars statue. Prague TV reported that a paper sign written in Czech urged by passers not to damage the artwork, though “it is not an official city sign.”
Thinking of getting into the marijuana business? It’s not a simple as slapping some green leaf stickers on your cool new product and calling it a cannabusiness.
Entrepreneur interviewed Nick Kovacevich, the co-founder and CEO of Kush Bottles, on what it takes to make it in this fast-growing industry. Here are his top five keys to success.
Embrace It
“Cannabis treats a lot of those same symptoms with none of the negative effects … and it’s a natural plant. It just doesn’t make sense why it has such a bad rep, so we decided we were going to be the ones who were really involved in this industry, specifically focusing on it.”
Do Your Homework
It’s different in every state, and cannabis laws are changing constantly, so you have to be super in-tune to what’s happening… You always have to look ahead, see what’s on upcoming ballots.”
Be Mindful Of Your Image
“I look like an entrepreneur. I try to dress like an entrepreneur. I don’t want to be associated with a traditional cannabis-stoner business owner, because that is all that the mainstream public has seen.”
Be Ready To Battle The Banks
“It’s impossible to get traditional funding from banks — no banks will lend to the industry. Since Kush Bottles concentrates on packaging, we’re a little bit better off than some of the cannabis companies, but we’re still fighting an uphill battle.”
Adapt To Change
“When we started the company in 2010, it was 80 to 90 percent cannabis flower that was being sold. Now, fast forward six years, and it’s only about 55 percent. You have a lot more concentrates, extracts, waxes and all the oils for vaping. Newer users want to eat edibles or do transdermal patches or Listerine strips. They don’t want to smoke.”
We’ve all been there. And if you haven’t, you might be the problem.
It’s the incredibly unsophisticated and downright rude behavior—intentionally or not—you exhibit when you take a long time to respond to someone’s text message. And it’s called cricketing, the sound you hear when someone takes forever to respond to your text message. We’re guessing “tumbleweeding” was too clunky a name.
The term was born recently when dating site Plenty of Fish listed it as a major complaint amongst daters:
Cricketing (/krik-it-ing/): Leaving someone on “read” for too long and taking much too long to continue the conversation.
The majority of singles (67%) revealed to POF that they’ve waited patiently for a reply from their date, only to receive it much later than expected. Just like using the eggplant emoji, this behavior is not going to get you laid.
Weekly I hear partners complain about communication problems in their relationships connected to texting. It’s usually either that their partner is ‘blowing up my phone’ or ‘I don’t get a response. I see both sexes equally guilty of misusing texting and just as likely to use passive-aggressive behavior like cricketing.
But cricketing goes beyond romantic partners. The cold shoulder applies to anyone in your life, from friends to parents to in-laws.
https://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-zkHlXPWH5HHnG
Not surprisingly, older texters have a harder time understanding texting etiquette. Remember when you were mid-conversation with an aging relative who seemingly threw their smart phone in the trash after their last text to you? That was fun, huh?
Diane Gottsman, author of Modern Etiquette for a Better Life: Master All Social and Business Exchanges, tells Huffington Post:
I recently had a client who told me that her parents were the worstcricketers. She said she could be having a smooth exchange with them but as soon as she asked if they were still OK with babysitting the kids for the weekend or with giving her a ride to pick up her car from being serviced, she’d get nothing but crickets.
Couples therapist Carin Goldstein tells HuffPo, “Take 10 seconds and write the person something like, ‘I will definitely get back to you in the next day or so ― just so swamped today. The key is to say something that shows that the other person deserves to be acknowledged just as much as you.”
Digital assistants are always listening. That’s a really disturbing thought once you’ve processed it. While we assume that actively recording our conversations is something that they’re unable to do (and that’s also illegal), these devices are still awake, attentive, and waiting for you to call their names and give them something to do. Like Googling something, playing something on Pandora, or buying something from the grocery store, which is when things get fishy.
Digital assistants are becoming more and more complex and helpful, meaning that they’re capable of storing your bank accounts and all sorts of relevant information so they can carry out complex tasks without asking for your guidance or permission every few minutes.
A new study (first reported by the New York Times) reports that a song or even commercial you listen to could hijack your device with commands that are undetectable to human ears, and that it’s possible to hide codes within these bits of audio. This is known as a “Dolphin attack” due to the fact that dolphins are capable of listening to frequencies that human ears don’t even register.
Luckily, tech companies are well aware of these risks and have features that could prevent an attack like this from happening. Google, Apple and Amazon expressed to the New York Timesthat they had countermeasures for these security threats, even though they didn’t provide any specifics.
Does Oprah use weed? We knew that Oprah dabbled with marijuana at one point, but now her best pal and “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Gayle King has confirmed the suspicions. During an interview on “The Ellen Show” earlier this week, King discussed how she’s never personally indulged in marijuana, though her best friend Oprah can’t say the same.
“Oprah has also smoked a little marijuana, too. I don’t mind saying that,” she said. “I’m not telling tales out of school.”
However, when Ellen pressed her on the matter, King didn’t elaborate. “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate her . . . It’s not something that happens on a regular—I’m going to change the subject,” she said.
Again, King didn’t exactly leak the Oprah-related scoop of the decade. Cannabis is legalized for recreational usage in California, where Oprah lives. She previously revealed to David Letterman in 2015 that she hasn’t smoked in 30 years, though her munchies of choice were a “sleeve of Oreos.”
Andy Cohen also pressed the media mogul about her cannabis usage during an appearance on his show. Oprah repeated what she told Letterman—she last smoked in 1982—though she may have hinted at her true hand when she told Cohen, “I hear it’s gotten better!”
Recently Oprah shared “We both have a dream in life and that is to get Gayle to smoke weed,” Winfrey said of her best friend, while talking with Schumer on a recent episode of her podcast “Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations.”
Schumer agreed, saying, “Have an edible, Gayle, something!”
I guess to answer the question – does Oprah use weed? Heck yes and is encouraging her friends!
A typical bong includes a bowl and a water chamber. If you don’t follow bong etiquette, you will look like an ass. Don’t be an ass, follow our tips!
As the cannabis industry matures and smoking technology improves, you would think the bong would fall out of favor. You would be wrong. Flower is still popular and not just for joints. It is the traditional user that savors the flavor and high. But, you want to start mastering bong etiquette as you enjoy it with friends.
Here are bong etiquette tips that everyone should follow.
Most cannabis enthusiasts hang onto their water-filtrated device for many reasons:
It is a smoother smoke than joints or pipes
It is a functional piece of art that matches the owner’s personality
It is a communal, sharable experience
Tradition! It is one of those cannabis customs that just won’t die
A typical bong includes a slider bowl which leads to a chamber filled with water. Users draw water-filtered smoke from a mouthpiece. The bowl is located near the base of the device and is inserted into the body of the bong where the water sits. The water, allows the smoke to filter through the water before hitting the lungs, providing for a smoother experience. As the smoke is drawn through the water, it helps cool the smoke which not only helps in filtering those unwanted carcinogens and ash, it also helps in cooling the smoke.
Most bong enthusiasts will tell you that glass is the only way to go. Not only is glass considered the best conduit for the smoke, it is aesthetically pleasing. Glass artists around the globe still make stunning pieces of functional art.
Glass bongs are pricier and are, obviously, more fragile than others. But consider it more than a device to smoke marijuana; it is an extension of your artistic sensibilities.
Ceramic and acrylic bongs do the job just fine, so if cost or durability is important to you, these are for you.
Your Bong Experience:
Clean it: First of all, keep it clean! Nobody wants to put his or her mouth on a filthy bong. Even if the mouthpiece is clean, it is just good manners to take good care of your piece – especially if you are going to share it with others. Sure, your best friend won’t mind, but is that how you treat a friend?
Just add water: Add enough fluid to the chamber to allow the pipe to be under water. And, yes, water is what you want to put in your bong. Juice, booze or soda may sound great, but it does little to enhance the experience. Stick with H20. If you take a draw and water gets in your mouth, you’ve overfilled the chamber. Simply pour water out until the slider is submerged and you get a nice bubbly sound.
Fill the bowl: How many of you will be partaking? And how big is your bowl? Those are really the only two questions you need to ask. Let’s assume you have a standard-sized bowl and you are sharing with two friends. Fill the bowl about half full (¾ gram or so) of cannabis. You can put ground cannabis in your bowl or a chunk off of a bud. Either will work, although I prefer unground bud.
Bong etiquette: The supplier of the herb usually gets to go first. When lighting, make sure your lighter captures just a corner of the pipe – do NOT burn off the entire top layer of green. Ideally, there will be enough “fresh green” to allow the second user to get some. Burning the top layer of green all for yourself is akin to picking out all the exotic nuts in a can of mixed nuts and leaving the peanuts for everyone else. Can you say party foul?
Take it Easy: There is no need to overwhelm your lungs with heavy smoke. You don’t want to cough up a lung – especially on your first turn. Put the mouthpiece around your lips, light the herb in the bowl and gently inhale the smoke until you feel it in your lungs. Stop inhaling and hold it for a second or two before exhaling.
Don’t ‘Hold the Microphone’: Once you are handed the bong, take your turn and pass it to the next person. Do NOT keep talking about your cute dog or your obnoxious co-worker. This is called “holding he microphone” and is bad form. First of all, nobody is listening to your story; they are all waiting for you to pass the bong. Secondly, you are wasting precious cannabis. Waste not, want not.
Pass to the Left: After you have had your turn (one of two solid draws), carefully pass the bong to the person on your left. Why? Who knows. It’s just the way polite cannabis society does it. By consistently passing the same direction, you ensure that everybody takes their turn and gets what they need. Note: Pass the lighter, too.
Know Your Limit: Just because the bong has come around to you again, there is no need to continue. This is NOT an Olympic competition; it is supposed to be an enjoyable, relaxing and social experience. Simply take the bong and hand it to the person on your left.
Blowing the Ghost: When the herb is done, the ashy residue usually gets sucked into the water chamber. This is what is called “cashing the bowl” or caching the bowl” — experts just can’t seem to agree on the proper spelling. But all it means is that you either need to fill up the bowl again or put the bong down and enjoy your experience. If the bowl is done while it is your turn, tell the person to your left that the bowl is empty. It’s like handing someone an empty bottle of wine. Who would do that to a friend? Don’t be that smoker.
Watch Your Hygiene: Do you think you may be getting that bug that’s going around? Do you have a cold sore on your lip? Do you have a slight cough? Don’t partake in the party. This is the time for you to either abstain or use a personal device.
If You Break a Bong, You Own the Bong: Yep. Those are the rules. Sorry.
Jim Beam, one of the world’s most famous bourbon brands, has a long history of taking products out of the murky shadows of illegality and into the light of lawfulness. It appears one heir of the family fortune will replicate the success in a new sector: Cannabis.
According to a Bloomberg report, Ben Kovler, whose great-grandfather Harry Blum helped build Jim Beam into a global leader, plans to take his marijuana business public. Kovler, 39, sees similarities between the liquor industry of the 1930s and today’s market for cannabis.
Kovler is the founder, chairman and largest shareholder of Green Thumb Industries, a cultivator, processor and dispensary business operating in six U.S. states. Kovler plans to take GTI public in June. GTI owns and operates 12 marijuana dispensaries in Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Illinois, and has plans to expand to Florida. With products in more than 100 stores, the company’s revenue topped $20 million last year and should exceed $70 million this year, Kovler told Bloomberg.
“A lot of people think this stuff is about liquidity and finding exits, and I firmly believe the bigger opportunity for us is to go to Canada and use that currency to increase our scale,” GTI investor Sanjay Tolia told Bloomberg. Tolia is the founder of Bengal Capital, a trading firm. “It’s hard to do that if you’re not public.”
Legend has it that James B. Beam Distilling Company was founded in 1935 by Jeremiah Beam,Harry L. Homel, Oliver Jacobson and Harry Blum. Six years later, Blum bought out his partners for roughly $1 million.
The company plans to evangelize the virtue of vaporizer products. “We’re taking the world from moonshine to cocktails,” Kovler told Bloomberg. “People come in complaining that the moonshine burns their throat, and we say, ‘Here, try this rum and Coke.’ We’re seeking to create an authentic relationship with consumers in the same way that alcohol companies do with hard liquor, beer and wine.”
Two of the largest cannabis companies in Canada merged on Monday, making it the largest marijuana deal in history. Aurora Cannabis will purchase rival MedReleaf for $2.51 billion as Canada gets closer to national cannabis legalization scheduled for July.
The historic deal is just the latest in a string of mergers and acquisition in the nascent marijuana industry. Aurora and MedReleaf expect to produce a combined 570,000 kilograms (nearly 630 tons) of cannabis per year.
“This is a transformational transaction that brings together two pioneering cannabis companies, both committed to high technology, high quality and low-cost production, to create a powerful platform for accelerated growth and success on a global scale,” Terry Booth, CEO of Aurora, said in a statement. “The combination strengthens our capacity to service the rapidly expanding global medical cannabis markets, and amplifies our early-mover advantage,” Booth added.
The deal is Aurora’s second large acquisition of the year, coming just months after it bought CanniMed Therapeutics. Shares of Aurora and MedReleaf each rose 1 percent on Monday morning on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Large-scale Canadian cannabis farmers are fighting for market share as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushes to legalize recreational use this year. Deep-pocketed Aurora has acquired more than 10 companies in the past two years. “We’re not done,” Booth said. “Over the next couple weeks you’ll see some more activity from Aurora,” but nothing as large as the MedReleaf deal, he said.
In another deal Monday involving Canadian cannabis firms, Canopy Growth announced it agreed to buy the 33 percent stake in BC Tweed Joint Venture that it doesn’t already own.
Among the highlights of the Aurora-MedReleaf deal:
Industry-leading scale: The transaction brings together two leading operators with a combined nine facilities in Canada and two in Denmark.
Low production costs and industry-leading yields: Aurora’s automated greenhouses are expected to deliver industry-leading efficiency and low production costs, delivering sustainably robust margins. MedReleaf’s high-yield cultivation is expected to further enhance productivity and reduce costs across the combined entity’s facilities.
Extensive distribution channels in Canada and internationally: The two companies have established distribution agreements with Alberta’s Alcanna (formerly Liquor Stores), Quebec’s SAQ, Pharmasave and Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, among others.
A major investigation by the New York Times finds continued racial disparities in marijuana enforcement and arrests in every neighborhood in New York City.
Across the city, black people were arrested on low-level marijuana charges at eight times the rate of white, non-Hispanic people over the past three years. Hispanic people were arrested at five times the rate of white people. In Manhattan, the gap is even starker: Black people there were arrested at 15 times the rate of white people.
The Times also debunked the NYPD explanation for the disparities, which the police attribute to more 311 and 911 complaints in certain neighborhoods.
“New York’s marijuana arrest crusade is causing significant harms to the City’s most vulnerable communities and has long been used as a justification for the hyper-policing of communities of color,” said Kassandra Frederique, New York State Director for the Drug Policy Alliance. “NYPD is funneling tens of thousands of New Yorkers into the maze of the criminal justice system every year and putting people at risk of deportation, losing custody of their children, and barring them from employment and housing – all for nothing more than a small amount of marijuana.”
“Given New York’s embarrassing history as the marijuana arrest capital of the world, we must focus on repairing the harms of prohibition and ending the biased policing practices that have ruined the lives of so many young Black and Latino New Yorkers. Ultimately, the best way to address the disparities and challenges posed by prohibition is to create a system to tax and regulate marijuana that will reinvest in communities that have been most harmed by the marijuana arrest crusade,” Frederique continued.
DPA has consistently documented the NYPD’s racist marijuana enforcement over the past decade, including the release of multiple reports.
DPA is currently leading a campaign, Start Smart New York, to pass marijuana legalization in New York, with a focus on racial, social and economic justice.
Last week, Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Senator Liz Krueger were joined by organizations and groups dedicated to criminal justice reform, civil rights, and public health as they stood in support of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), a bill that would legalize the production, distribution, and use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21. The bill would effectively end marijuana prohibition in New York State and would create a system to tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.
The legislation also ensures tax revenue generated from marijuana legalization is put to use repairing communities devastated by harsh enforcement of prohibition by directing revenue to fund job training, adult education, youth development programming, establish or expand community centers, bolster re-entry services for the formerly incarcerated, and otherwise support community-focused programming in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the drug war, in addition to education, public health, and drug treatment.
Tantra speed dating is just like speed dating, except that in this scenario, strangers pledge their unconditional love for each other.
This new phenomenon started in New York with the Tantra Institute. Also known as “Yoga for love,” the institute tries to give something more meaningful to their participants, offering a different and deeper way of getting to know a potential romantic partner.
People who go to these events sit in a puja circle (they lay down on top of each other, like a weird renaissance painting) and engage in “relationship skills” and “fun connection” exercises. Nope, this isn’t an orgy, even though it sounds like one.
These meetings, according to an essay from someone who went there, draw inspiration from tantra, meditation, partner yoga, and improv acting, which sounds like a trip…and much more entertaining than yet another unsuccessful date facilitated by a dating app.
According to the author, like a lot of people who go on dating apps, these people were looking for real connections and life changing moments. A boyfriend, a girlfriend, whatever.
Tantra Speed Dating is run by a sort of moderator, who tells people what to do. It also goes deep — too deep for a first date. Here, people are forced to talk about the important men or women in their lives, thanking them for their influence and confessing all of these things to a practical stranger.
While online dating mostly sucks, it’s a little better than having strangers massage your back and tell you about their most private and intimate experiences. But that’s just us, though, maybe people are really into this thing. That’s cool too.
