Cannabis Planet

EssEffChron

Anyone who doubts the mainstreaming of the cannabis industry might want to skip "Letterman" and check out "Cannabis Planet." The weekly program, premiering in the Bay Area at midnight Friday on KOFY-TV, intends to promote the benefits of marijuana, but viewers shouldn't tune in expecting "KOFY and Bong Hits."

No bong hits? Duuuuude...

The show is structured around a pair of cannabis news anchors (yes, one of them has dreadlocks) and a mashup of educational segments, such as cooking demonstrations for hemp smoothies and medicated chicken stir-fry, and cannabis cultivation tips with marijuana guru Ed Rosenthal.

Lane pays KOFY to put "Cannabis Planet" on the air, like an infomercial, and generates revenue by running ads during the show for companies that produce grow lights, plant food and other products geared toward the cannabis industry. His operational philosophy is "Fuel, food, fiber, medicine," and he's bent on showing the public that medical marijuana isn't just for those with serious illnesses. He claims cannabis can alleviate everything from menstrual cramps to sleep disorders, and personally uses marijuana to curb attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, from which he's suffered since his days in Montessori school.

KJLA-TV, which reaches most of Southern California, first aired the Los Angeles-based show in July of last year and is now presenting season two to roughly 40,000 viewers each week. [...]

"Cannabis Planet" hits the Bay Area at a time when local medical marijuana advocates are divided over how best to push the agenda of full, statewide legalization. Richard Lee, founder of the pioneering cannabis college Oaksterdam University in Oakland is sponsoring an initiative to tax and regulate marijuana across the state. He recently turned in more than 700,000 signatures backing the measure to county voter registries, making its place on the forthcoming November ballot all but certain. Rallying political support for legalization during an election year, however, could be difficult, and some legalization advocates believe the new ballot measure is too restrictive.

"It's going backwards," says Dennis Peron, who co-authored Prop 215 in 1996, legalizing medical marijuana in California. "If you're 18 to 21, you can't smoke. It's continuing prohibition passing itself off as legalization."

You're not supposed to drink alcohol at that age either, numbnuts. Doesn't seem to stop anybody from doing it. Stuff that gets your head is for people that have one, i.e. 'adults'. To equate legal adult use to 'prohibition' is nonsense.

Legitimacy, though, is exactly what Lane is striving for. Next month, "Cannabis Planet" is sponsoring a vehicle in NASCAR's K&N Series (wiki and, of course, Facebook), where the first medical-cannabis car will race alongside cars sponsored by alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical companies.

Let's not have any "why d'ya think they call it dope" jokes about NASCAR or motor racing in general, please. This is mainstream American entertainment, folks.

I use K&N Filters in everything (except two-strokes). I wonder if they'll make bong or vape filters to trap the sludge and let the goodness through. You could have all your friends over for a filter-cleaning party. Heh.

It's high time, you should pardon the pun, to legalize the adult use of marijuana and turn an entire class of criminals back into law-abiding citizens.

Perhaps your local indie or cable-access station would be interested in this program.

On dogs ...

As most regulars around here know, Gord and I are dog people. Gord and Mrs. G have been adopting rescued Springer Spaniels for years and our Shayna is a rescue as well. I haven't done one of these in a while so I figure the morning after Westminster ends is a good time.

Every year, between 3 and 4 million dogs end up in shelters, unwanted. Some folks have to make the hard decision to give up their companions because of the stressful financial times we live in but many just weren't prepared for the responsibility. Over a million dogs are euthanized every year and I have a few things to say about that.

Firstly, dogs are not toys, to be played with for a while until the 'newness' wears off and then forgotten about. A dog is not an "impulse buy". Having a dog is a long term commitment, a life that depends on you for its existence. If you're not ready to sign on to that commitment, don't get a dog. Get a goldfish.

Do not get a dog because your kids saw a certain breed in a movie or TV show and are pestering the shit out of you. 'Cuteness' is not a reason, it's a feature. Get a dog because you want to enrich your children's lives and teach them responsibility.

Do not get a dog if you have no time to do all the stuff you need to do for yourself and your family. Dogs, especially puppies, take goodly amounts of time to train properly and socialize. A dog who's neglected will find ways to amuse himself, usually in ways you find anything but amusing. Ultimately, 'bad' behavior usually ends up with the dog being left at a shelter.

Dogs are not fashion accessories, period.

Do not get a dog if you can't afford to pay your bills. Food and proper medical care cost money and if things are tight around the house, adding the expense of another mouth to feed isn't going to help the situation. When things get really tight, you're not going to get rid of one of the kids, are you?

If you are in a position to give a dog a home, do your research first. Here's where cute comes in again. All puppies are cute, but the degree of cuteness is not a reason to choose a particular dog. Yes, your dog has to be pleasing to look at for you but a breed's natural temperament might pose a conflict with your family's lifestyle. A high energy dog might not be the best for folks who have a more sedate life and a running companion for a marathoner should be an animal built for speed and endurance. Do your breed research before you decide on one. The same goes for mutts. Generally, the behavior of a mixed breed will parallel the breed it is most closely related to (e.g. - if it looks a lot like a Pointer, it will act a lot like a Pointer).

All I'm saying is think with your head, not your heart, when considering adding a dog to your home. Personally, I believe that the world would be a better place if every kid grew up with a four-legged best friend but it should not be a decision taken lightly. Get a dog for the right reasons and you'll get much more in return than you've invested.

Patience & Wisdom

Got this via email. It's ever so cute and true enough, but sometimes I question the 'wisdom' of 'patience' while constantly watching the Repugs eat the nation's lunch. I think I'd chance gettin' stunk up to get rid of them. The skunk is infinitely preferable.

Two of the greatest qualities in life are:

Patience

and

Wisdom

Too much Olympics?

The Olympics have been fascinating as always, but Mrs. G says I should probably watch less since I flipped the bed over in my sleep last night and slid it down the hall after watching the Romanian slider do the same. Note: both the Romanian lass and Mrs. G were unhurt.

On the plus side, she says I look nice in my luge outfit. Wait 'til she sees my figure skating duds!

Evan Bayh Punks Out

The Rude Pundit with a suggestion on how not to lose his seat to the Repugs:

Finally, where does this leave Bayh's seat? It's Indiana. Yeah, yeah, Obama won the state in 2008 by 1%. But, c'mon, the black turnout in 2008 was the factor in that intensely blue state. It's gonna go Republican. The Democrats who might run right now make Bayh look like Ted Kennedy.

If Democrats want to have a chance to hold onto the seat, then fuck it. Go Hail Mary. Try to get (go read - G) John Mellencamp to run. The man lives in Seymour, Indiana. He knows the people and the state. He fights for progressive causes. Why not a rock star? We don't have problems with sports stars running for office. And you'd get past that whole "name recognition" thing pretty damn quickly.

Speaking as a Californian, we don't seem to have much of a problem with electing B-movie actors to office either, viz Reagan and Ah-nold. Name recognition works. No problem. Until they get in office, that is. Maybe we should try it with a progressive.

Bayh Update:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) -- Just hours after rocking the political world with his surprise retirement announcement, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind) said that he would undergo treatment for an "all-consuming addiction" to the popular Facebook game Farmville.

Heh.

Trafficking Charges for Adviser to Jailed Americans in Haiti

NYTimes

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — As the 10 Americans imprisoned in Haiti for trying to remove children from the country awaited a decision on their fate Monday, the legal woes of the man who falsely portrayed himself as the group’s lawyer mounted.

The one-time legal adviser, who calls himself Jorge Puello, now acknowledges that he faces sex trafficking charges in El Salvador under the name Jorge Anibal Torres Puello. He remained at large on Monday, as Dominican, Salvadoran and American law enforcement officials worked with Interpol to interview his relatives and search border and immigration records to find him.

Mr. Puello is wanted by the police in at least four countries in connection with charges including sex trafficking of girls and women, and making counterfeit documents and violating parole.

On Monday, Bernard Saint-Vil, the Haitian judge who is handling the case of the detained Americans, said he intended to further question Laura Silsby, the group’s leader, about any connection she might have with Mr. Puello.

Much more, including details about how the authorities tumbled to all this.

I still have no idea what the Silsby woman was really up to but she was either up to no good or not. Either way, she was stupid enough to get all her friends locked up in a Haitian jail which is no picnic.

Quote of the Day

Creature on the capture of the Big Tali:

Not bad for a dithering president who does not believe we are at war. Huh, Dick?

Not that I'm fond of that stinking war but Barry's had more success in a few months than the Chimp had in 8 years. It boggles the mind that this latest is the biggest operation since the war began.

Where da popcorn at?

What Fez said:

...

This may be the most enjoyable primary of the election cycle -- plus I don't live there, and that's a real bonus.

It's gonna be fun to see how low the Arizona senate race will go.

More snow, more shoveling ...

Henry Fukuhara 1913 - 2010

Click to embiggen

Painting by Henry Fukuhara, "View of Manzanar near Mt. Whitney." When he painted scenes from the camp, Fukuhara focused on symbols such as the guard tower, the entrance gate and the Sierras in the background to create vibrant, not downbeat, images.

I've visited Manzanar and did a few posts about it here, here, and here.

LATimes

Henry Fukuhara, a California watercolorist and teacher who attracted many of the field's most accomplished artists to annual painting workshops at the Manzanar relocation camp in Owens Valley, where he and thousands of other Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, died of natural causes Jan. 31 at a nursing home in Yorba Linda, according to his grandson, Paul Niwa. He was 96.

Fukuhara started the Manzanar workshops in 1998, taking participants -- many of whom had been interned at Manzanar -- on painting excursions to various outdoor sites around the camp, including the Alabama Hills and the nearby town of Lone Pine.

In 1941, his family, which owned a retail nursery in Los Angeles, was just beginning to regain its financial footing when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched the United States into World War II. They managed to sell the nursery and store some personal belongings before arriving at Manzanar in April 1942.

By then a husband and father, Fukuhara worked in the camp's drafting department, surveying plots for graves. "Seemed like a joke," he told The Times in 1992, "but that's what we did." He lived in one room with his wife, daughter, parents, brother and sister-in-law.

In 1943, when internees who agreed to move away from the West Coast were permitted to leave the camp, Fukuhara and his family departed for Long Island, N.Y. With his father and brother he started a flower business that prospered over the next four decades.

Fukuhara was not bitter about his Manzanar experience, shrugging it off, he said, "because it's part of war" and "so many young men didn't return." When he painted scenes from the camp, he focused on symbols such as the guard tower, the entrance gate and the Sierras in the background, creating vibrant images.

His Manzanar paintings and workshops were an attempt at reconciliation, his grandson said, "a way to bring others to experience Manzanar . . . and help us find our own significance in the event."

You're a kinder and wiser man than I am, Mr. Fukuhara. Sayonara to another fine representative of the Greatest Generation.

Anti-O-lympics

Thanks to Slate

Wall Streetwalkers

Thanks to YubaNet.

Neo-Nazis rally on Dresden bombing anniversary

AP via Yahoo!News

DRESDEN, Germany – Thousands of protesters formed a human chain in Dresden on Saturday, determined to stop neo-Nazis from exploiting the German city's painful history on the 65th anniversary of its deadly Allied bombing in World War II.

Across the Elbe River, some 10,000 people joined hands to create a human chain symbolically protecting the restored city center from neo-Nazis, after the city mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to block the far-right march.

"Dresden doesn't want them, and this gang doesn't belong here," Mayor Helma Orosz said.

The human chain helps to "make Dresden a fortress against intolerance and stupidity," and the anniversary provided a reminder of who started the war, she said.

Three successive waves of British and U.S. bombers on Feb. 13-14, 1945, set off firestorms and destroyed Dresden's centuries-old baroque city center.
...

Dresden has been rebuilt painstakingly over the years. Its landmark domed Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady — for decades no more than a mound of rubble — reopened in 2005.

Karolin Hanebuth, 20, came from Hannover in western Germany to counter the far-right protest.

"Fascism is not an opinion, it is a crime," she said.

The far right is marginal in Germany and has no seats in the national parliament. However, Saxony, where Dresden is located, is one of two eastern German states where the far-right National Democratic Party has seats in the regional legislature.

Go read about the Bombing Of Dresden. Arguments persist to this day, both for and against about whether the attack was militarily necessary and justified or a terror attack on civilians, immoral or a war crime, coming as it did toward the end of the war when Germany was just about whipped.

My personal thought is that, necessary or not, it was payback time and payback's a motherfucker.

Bottom line: WWII was Total War and the Nazis started it in the name of all Germans and Germans suffered for the crimes of their leaders. For the neo-Nazis to bring up this attack in an attempt to justify their own existence and deny the crimes of their forebears is a perfect example of the perfidy of right wings everywhere.

Cheney Exposes Torture Conspiracy

Robert Parry

If the United States had a functioning criminal justice system for the powerful – not just for run-of-the-mill offenders – former Vice President Dick Cheney would have convicted himself and some of his Bush administration colleagues with his comments on ABC’s “This Week.”

Cheney’s frank comments on “This Week” – corroborating that Yoo and Bybee “had done what we asked them to do” – suggest that former Bush administration officials are confident that they will face no accountability from the Obama administration for war crimes.

Though the ABC News interviewer Jonathan Karl deserves some credit for posing the waterboarding question to Cheney, it was notable that Karl didn’t react with any shock or even a follow-up when Cheney pronounced himself a fan of the torture practice. Cheney’s waterboarding endorsement was only a footnote in ABC’s online account of the interview.

So Jon, what does the inside of The Dick's lower colon taste like? Chicken, I bet.

That Cheney feels he can operate with such impunity is a damning commentary on the rule of law in the United States, at least when it comes to the nation’s elites.

It's the Golden Rule - them what has the Gold make the Rules.

I simply will not drop this subject until every last one of the Bush administration war criminals are dead or in jail, even as unlikely as the latter seems as of now. I vow to outlive every one of them and make pilgrimages to piss on their graves like they pissed on us.

Headline of the Day

From BuzzFlash. Got a '404 Not Found' when I hit the link, but this is plenty:

The Dick Wad Watch: Lieberman Now Against Saying White House Critics Help Al-Qaeda (After He Was For It, During Bush Years)

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

D.C. Snow Shutdown Hurts Local Businesses
Graft, bribery off 40%.

Report: Blackwater Billed Pentagon for Prostitute
Charge hidden under “Hammer: $500.”

New Theory: Universe a Giant Hologram
Cosmos nothing more than special effect at some humongous trade show.

POLL
71% Say Palin Unqualified to Be President
But qualified to be GOP nominee.

To which I add, from Ann Davidow:

Would the American people really be willing to settle for the cardboard box instead of the pizza?

Us v. Them

Civil rights are "quaint" and the Constitution is just "a piece of paper" until it's white Christian guys who are being denied.

... The very same people who have been demanding for years that Muslims be imprisoned for life, tortured and killed with no trials or charges of any kind suddenly become extremely sensitive to the nuances of due process and humane detention conditions -- they start sounding like Amnesty International civil liberties extremists -- the minute it's a Christian, rather than a Muslim, who is subjected to such treatment ...

It's amazing how quickly the conservatives grasp the concept of "nuance" when they have to.

Thank god ...

Joe Biden has a set.

...

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Let me choose my words carefully here. Dick Cheney's a fine fellow. He's entitled to his own opinion. He's not entitled to rewrite history. He's not entitled to his own facts. The Christmas Day Bomber was treated the exact way that he suggested that the Shoe Bomber was treated. Absolutely the same way. Under the Bush Administration there were three trials in military courts. Two of those people are now walking the streets. They are free.

There were 300 trials of so-called terrorists and those who engage in terror against the United States of America who are in federal prison and have not seen the light of day. Prosecuted under the last Administration. Dick Cheney's a fine fellow, but he is not entitled to rewrite history without it being challenged. I don't know where he has been. Where was he the last four years of the last Administration?

...

I was hoping he'd be a little less tactful but he got the point across. It would have been nice if he told Cheney to STFU and go back to his undisclosed location.

Thanks to Watertiger for the link.

Dogs Rule!

Big doings in the Fixer house. Westminster begins tonight!

A little Sunday afternoon Kraut dobro pickin'

A subject some of us are all too familiar with:



And something most of us are no longer, mostly because there aren't very many maidens our age that do much prayin' except nuns, and the ones who do are prayin' for someone a lot younger:



Thanks to MartinGross, Germany. He's got lots of these.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Being as hopelessly romantic as the Mrs. and I are, Valentine's is one of our favorite holidays. All the best to you and those you love. We wish you what we have.

Celebrating Valentine's Day at Le Bistrot du 7eme in Paris 2000. My cousin Birgit and her husband Peter made the trip from Germany to join us. God, we looked so young.