The Interview: Where Seth Fucked Up

Sony Pictures Entertainment - the only Japanese motion picture production studio of relevance in the 21st century - just had to take the bait by producing an assassination film of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. This is much akin to America touting the nuking of Hiroshima or how Germany turned France into it's bitch.

For what it's worth, it seems as though Rogen and company could have approached anyone in the world to produce The Interview without such a fierce North Korean backlash, including:

The Vatican Film Productions, Al Jazeera Motion Pictures, Anunnaki Entertainment or any jumble of the letters o, y, n and s - except Sony. Even the U.S. Armed Forces could produce The Interview and Pyongyang would probably write a favorable review.

Does anyone remember the Japanese frigates sunk and the trading of missiles across the Asian pacific? These guys are mortal enemies, Japan and North Korea.

Seth Rogen seems pretty popular - no doubt he could have had anyone in the world produce this flick.

Hell, I bet Seth could have taken the script to Kim Jong Un his beloved-fucking-self and The Interview could be seen on Christmas Day in theaters around the world with no threat of retaliation or bloodshed, nor even a snarky comment.

If Seth Rogen had have kept the fucking Japanese out of it there would be no International flack.

Then again, if you want to fill every seat in small theaters across the world on Christmas Day, that is exactly how to do it.

Well done, gentlemen, well done.

#Merry Christmas  #The Interview #Wow Really?

Sony Spoilers: When A Giant Is Hung Out To Dry

The Sony Pictures Entertainment hacks has unveiled many inner workings of the media giant, including artistic work spoilers, films that await studio production.

'Corporate Data' has a nasty ring to it, especially when the term is delivered by a corporate lawyer, and most significantly when said lawyer is directing the comments toward news outlets who are in the business of publishing tidbits.

"In a sharply worded letter to news organizations, David Boies, a lawyer for Sony, characterized the documents posted online as "Stolen information" and demanded they be avoided, and destroyed if they had been downloaded or otherwise acquired".

SPE has fallen victim to multiple hacks in recent months, resulting in leaks of corporate secrets on unprecedented levels.

In such an effort, it very well seems as if hackers are trying to destroy the company from within, spoiling future movie releases and scripts - by publishing the content online for all to see.

It is this reckless disregard for personal works that may turn freedom of expression on head.

The term Spoiler has exploded in use throughout the motion picture industry during these golden years of the world wide web, yet spoilers have multiple and convoluted definitions.

For instance, a writer may leave tidbit details of upcoming productions on a fan website, which are revealed by authors intent.

On the other hand, spoilers are also details of per-release material that are not intended for publication. These include story-lines, characters or even full scripts.

As a writer, I must say that the publication of un-released content is wrong.

Here is why.

Midnight Sun

Stephanie Meyers wrote one of the most thrilling vampire/werewolf chronicles of the twenty first century - unfortunately, the world never will read the proper end to the Twilight Saga.

While toiling away on her final book, a colleague published online a rough draft of her manuscript, prompting Meyers to forgo the completion of the epic tale, instead choosing to publish a free, lightly-edited final draft, incomplete and lacking of any final resolution to the story.

What transpired was one of the most horrendous crimes of publishing; through the freedom of expression on the internet, one was robbed of literary control of her works.

Works In Progress (WIP) are a compilation of material any wordsmith is keen to. WIP include anything that is is unpublished, unreleased and incomplete. WIP are the inner workings or even the mechanical blocks to what make content.

Writing, so to speak, seems rather easy in everyday life to most internet users; comments, messages and social networking often give the satisfaction of well-put prose. The essence of writing is in the eye of the beholder who either crafts it or digests it.

But creative writing is absolutely sacred. When entire manuscripts are published online through Sony hacks, these spoilers inevitably tank future motion picture releases, leaving potential films without a budget, and unmade.

The real crime is the media news sites who deliberately and flagrantly vaunt headlines to include details which should not be repeated, because even mentioning if a certain super hero is slated to cameo in a film featuring a cohort is an assault to the viewing eye.

Reading spoilers from Sony Pictures feels wrong, and it should feel wrong on every human level, because the content in question was not attained with permission from the authors.

Anonymous Hacks Hurt

The reasoning behind Sony hacks are said to be fueled by the upcoming Christmas production of The Interview starring Seth Rogan, based on an assassination plot against the North Korean head of State, Kim-Jong Un.

By right, the reclusive leader feels  irate - the film is being produced by North Korean's sworn enemy, Japanese-headquartered Sony Entertainment Productions.

Duh, did anyone ever think to approach say, Dreamworks out of California instead of kicking the leader of a nuke nation in the nuts by having Sony Entertainment produce The Interview?


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Spoiler Alert: The Interview Part Two: Death Of An American President

Produced by Al-Jazeera Motion Pictures

Starring: Our Dear Leader, co-starring abducted actor Seth Rogen, Oho Shio, Nho Huygn and Nygen Hgnigo as President Obama.

Summary: Seth Rogen is uncannily abducted during an international flight by a covert cell of North Korean operatives, renditioned to the homeland and - in an eerily reminiscent recant of the Kim Jong ll affair - casts a retribution film in the wake of his own number one world best selling assassination film, The Interview, starring Seth Rogen.

Kim Jong Un fittingly titles it: The Interview-Il.

In the beginning, the Beloved Our Dear Leader Kim Jong Un deals with his certain death and re-emergence from the first film, showing that "Death by fatigue" is merely circumspect.

He further postulates that America can just go fuck itself.

What follows is what North Koreans refer to as a "Very Poor Performance" by the abducted-actor, Seth Rogan, although most in the NPRK are used to performing under duress to please Our Beloved Leader.

For what it's worth, all Mr. Rogen could be heard saying was, "Goddamn, I wish I had some fucking weed".

The Guide To Growing Truely Organic Marijuana

So, marijuana is legal to grow in your state. This is a guide to teach you about organic marijuana cultivation in less than five thousand words.

Modern gardening practices are arduous; much more than they need be. On the other hand, organic gardening is effortless and requires no particular body strength, nor need there be any exposure to harmful toxins that professional cultivators incorporate.

By and large, the most arduous task of your upcoming marijuana grow is reading this piece.
  
Your Plot

If you plan to grow outdoor, the first thing not to do is ravage your plot with a rototiller. Some idiot over 200 years ago began turning soil, releasing carbon dioxide and exposing microbial life to harmful ultraviolet rays. Talk about thick as a brick - this practice of tilling soil became an international standard for plot preparation, and for centuries now cultivators have embraced the technique as the norm.

Dr. Elaine Ingham, a soil biologist, had proven in 2004 there exists a network known as a food chain that exists beneath our soil. These consist of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and the like you learned about in biology class. These, together with microanthropods, support each other in a dog-eat-dog environment much like our animal kingdom. Gases are trapped beneath soil for a reason: these life forms require carbon dioxide as much as living plants do. Yet, plants through photosynthesis are easily able to absorb what it needs through foliage. On the other hand, soil life cannot replace what was carelessly released through tilling.

A prospective plot may have existing vegetation or be overgrown with weeds, which is just fine. To prepare our plot will take months, so begin staking out your garden during the winter.

To prepare, cover the plot with a waterproof tarp, one that will also block sun from penetrating. Blocking water and sun causes all vegetation to die and eventually compost. Meanwhile, microanthropods and beneficial microbes will continue to grow into a soil food web that, when ready, shall become a robust network to benefit your plants.

Once time has rendered the plot surface bare and devoid of any plant life or weeds, it is ready to grow plants. It is important to begin growing your desired plants immediately after removing the covering, as exposure to sun and water will allow undesired weeds to return. (At the end of the growing season, plot should again be covered to prevent weeds from returning and preserve the plot for the following grow season).

In a healthy garden, weeds will return only sporadically; once the plants are settled into the soil food chain, the microbial network will serve the plants and not undesirable weeds. Therefore, it is important to maintain your garden as though every beneficial microbe counts. Do not practice any gardening techniques that destroy microbial life.

Amended Soil

The best way to begin your plot is by purchasing soil and amendments, and spreading the medium over your bare plot. This will allow the topsoil to absorb and eventually take in all of the new medium, as if it were very slow quicksand.

The medium you provide can be the key to explosive growth. Soil amendments can include anything organic, such as crushed sea shells, green sand, vermicompost  and bio char. The more diverse your soil amendments are, the more successful your garden will be.

Actively Aerated Compost Tea

Next, inoculate your garden by brewing and applying an actively aerated compost tea. This concoction will include a billion beneficial bacteria and fungi that will supercharge the soil food web of microorganisms beneath, providing a fresh source of workers and food to stimulate the entire chain. Additionally, the tea recipe can add new types of beneficial bacteria or fungi not already present in the soil, thereby replacing something that should already have be there. The first application of tea to your garden is called inoculation, and once this is done, you have a proper microbial garden.

However, to maintain your microbial garden in it's current supercharged state, you must take steps to prevent from destroying the abundant life you have so carefully preserved. Keep in mind that pesticides and fertilizers of any kind are destructive to these organic life, and should be used in moderation. Fertilizer application should be followed up with aerated compost tea application, sending in more troops to handle the onslaught of dumped nutrients. Tea applications will not only prevent salt build up or nutrient lock, but foliar application will also fortify natural plant resistances to aphids and mold.

Pesticides, on the other hand, are contrary to our gardening practices; they indiscriminately kill off microbial life, leaving foliage susceptible to pests and disease. It is best not to use pesticides of any kind.

Water Source

Proper water is needed to support a microbial garden. Municipal water sources include chlorine and chlorides which destroy microbial life; therefore these chemicals must be reduced as much as possible. Reverse osmosis water filters remove chlorine, but do little to rid water of chloride content. Allowing your plant water to sit in an open container for a day permits the natural release of chlorides.

Aeration is important for your water in that it keeps the oxygen level high. Aeration also helps with the release of chlorides. Water should be kept at plant temperature, not warm nor incredibly cold. Water temperature can shock your plants, and shocking plants on regular watering cycles can be detrimental to a healthy plant microbiome.

As science advances our understanding of the human body and it's microbiome, botanists too study the plant microbiome.

As has been proven for human life, I suggest that plants have carefully balanced microbiomes that can suffer from irregularities as much as humans do: inconsistent watering and light cycles will produce an unhealthy plant.

Planting

Before you drop your clone into the hole, be sure to toss in a measure of  mycorrhizal crystals, as these are beneficial fungi that boost root growth and can have a huge impact on your start.

By adhering strictly to these practices, anyone can become an expert grower and produce a superior crop to any "professional cultivator" who still uses pesticides and soil tilling techniques.

And by understanding the mechanics of soil biology, we gain a step further than the modern grower - who abide by bottled products and feeding schedules - having not a clue to as to how the engine works.

Quite honestly, organic gardening is also cheap. Actively aerated compost tea can be brewed for less than $1.50 per application, and by citicide (killing off the use of -cides), one can stop harming the wallet  as well.

And yes, there is an increase in yield. Otherwise, why do it?

Rhesus Monkey Marijuana Death: 40 Years Later, A Tribute

If we had a name for the rhesus monkey who died in a critical 1974 cannabis study for the U.S. government, then we could at the very least pay homage to the only mammal in history to die under the auspices of marijuana overdose.

Let's call this rhesus monkey - for the sake of this story - Herb.

In 1974, a Health/Tulane University study proclaimed that Herb received 30 joints a day for a year and had died, citing severe brain damage.

This was debunked in 1980 after NORML and Playboy sued the government over research procedures that led to such conclusion.


"The monkeys were suffocating...Three to five minutes of oxygen deprivation causes brain damage...

With the concentration of smoke used, the monkeys were a bit like a person running the engine of a car in a locked garage for 5, 10, 15 minutes at a time every day.

The Heath Monkey study was actually a study in animal asphyxiation and carbon monoxide poisoning". Link


Poor Herb, our marijuana-toking brother.

Herb, the rhesus monkey, will go down in as the highest mammal in history of the world.

But would he also go down as the smartest monkey in history, too?


"Heath killed the half-dead monkeys, opened their brains, counted the dead brain cells, and then took control monkeys, who hadn’t smoked marijuana, killed them too, and counted their brain cells. The pot smoking monkeys had enormous amounts of dead brain cells as compared to the “straight” monkeys. Link


Now we have scientific proof that cannabis use stimulates brain cell growth.


"Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon found that the administration of synthetic cannabinoids in rats stimulated the proliferation of newborn neurons (nerve cells) in the hippocampus region of the brain". Link


"The recent discovery that the hippocampus is able to generate new neurons (i.e., neurogenesis) throughout the lifespan of mammals, including humans, has changed the way we think about the mechanisms...of drug addiction " link

***

Speaking for myself, the death of Herb to substantiate why I should not smoke pot is one of the most heinous acts the U.S. government has ever perpetrated against my health and well being - when in fact cannabis does quite the opposite.

My government is trying to keep me in a state of unhealthiness, and I will not have it.

I've often wondered why I am so cerebral, while I puff on marijuana everyday of my life. I compare myself to people around me, family, friends, co-workers and casual acquaintances. I smoke substantially more than the next person, by a far cry.

Yet, of all the people I know, I am the only creative writer; not one single person I know has any desire to wordsmith.

But for some reason, it had never hit me that I am not any less intelligent than others around me, nor witty, nor creative, nor critical in my thinking. As a pot smoker, it was easy for me to accept that I am just plain 'normal'.

Yet I am not. I have an elevated sense of my surroundings; I have deep connections with people, even if I just met them; I have uncanny perception; I am strongly empathic; and I have an undying thirst for knowledge, just to scratch the surface.

However, my strongest suit is my empathic ability, and when it comes to a smoking brother, Herb, who died 40 years ago in a government laboratory trying to prove cannabis is unsafe - thanks, my man, for taking one for the team.



Sources:

1. http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-fifteen/
2. http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/cannabis-and-the-brain-a-user-s-guide
3. http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/07/13/scientists-discover-another-way-marijuana-helps-the-brain-grow/

Mother Should I Build A Wall

Even in the most progressive cities across the U.S., it's still quite easy to find ignorant mothers who just want to shield their children from the growing cultural acceptance of marijuana in their communities (Oregonian 9/21).

Ignorance - a strong word - identifies a certain group of people who, for their own prejudices, feel entitled to speak out against the legalization/decriminalization/ recreationalizing of cannabis as an alternative.

Their voice on the matter is null and void because it does not affect them. They don't use cannabis and have a willful purpose in life to stand against it no matter what: and this is because they don't care to understand the growing body of research that supports cannabis use. And why should they?

A Right To Legitimate Business

The fact is, Pot Shops are merchants, and like it or not, they join the same communities that are already congested with other merchants who peddle wares like hard liquor, beer, wine, cigarettes, snuff, vapor pens, hooka lounges, strip clubs and porno.

Did I forget to mention bars, pubs, saloons and ale houses? Also, Portland - as the micro-brew capital of the world - hosts over 60 microbreweries in the metropolitan area alone. It almost seems like most Portland  moms against legalization of pot are actually just drunks with an axe to grind.

We Oregonians celebrate Oktoberfest by way of festivals, and we certainly don't limit beer sampling to the month of October. Portland seems to host drinking festivals once a month somewhere, sometime, in some kind of unique glass.

Dare we shield our children from an entire riverfront of drunks? Nope, we bring home that souvenir beer glass, the only thing aside from a massive hangover. It's a trophy we place in our cupboards for everyday use, up until it breaks. That custom festival glass had once contained intoxicants and an evening of true hedonism was explored - because this is a legal and exotic thing to do.

In fact, alcohol consumption in America is so culturally acceptable that to most it is regarded a civil right. And while virtually no real group opposes alcohol as legal substance to imbibe, there are no legal alternatives for recreational use.

No legal alternatives to alcohol is the crux of the matter.

Mother Will They Drop The Bomb?

Mothers raise their children to demonize what the government condemns. The Feds have condemned marijuana from Reefer Madness to present. Mothers toes the line.

Mothers, your children, they are beautiful, successful, righteous even. But they are violent, are they not? Your pot-hating children usually go on to military service, or college football, law enforcement, corrections officers, security, civil servants or even emergency services. We are so proud of your honorable children, they are the backbone to our society; they provide mental and physical labors that are contrary to what marijuana use fosters.

Marijuana consumption promotes camaraderie, hosts free-thinking and inhibits aggression. These are the very three effects that run contrary to the way these services and leagues operate. A stoned defensive back would get beat to his quarterback, law enforcement would not combat crime as effectively, and the U.S. Military, well...they would laugh in your face.

But let's not play down the true effects if these people were able to partake: NFL players would mitigate their opiate intake, officers would beat and kill less people, and the U.S. Military would reduce their suicide rate by at least half.

Reflecting Compassion as a Voter

Marijuana has been proven to reduce the amount of brain cells destroyed by an evening of binge drinking by up to 40%. Tell that to people who only drink and fear marijuana. This principal pertains to the large group who could partake in marijuana but choose not to. These are naysayers who - possibly by their upbringing, military service or moral standards - have never considered cannabis an alternative for recreational substance.

These are voters who - by lack of compassion for others - have zero moral ground to vote no.  They may abstain, but in the end, a no vote on marijuana in any community, city or state goes on your conscience.

Marijuana intensifies the effects of all others drugs and intoxicants, including alcohol. Don't those fancy drinks cost a bit? As a drinker, one would typically need up to a third less alcohol to reach an inebriated state when consuming marijuana. Most profound is that patients who use opiates to control pain have been able to reduce opiate dosages up to 70% when incorporating marijuana in their medication regiment. The significance of this is that during a 70 marijuana prohibition, patients the world over have been over-prescribed opiates - and millions of overdose deaths have resulted - when drug policy puts politics before people.

The American Disability Act of 1964

Over 50 years ago Congress passed the ADA. This gave unconditional rights to the handicapped, the disabled, the elderly. Of these rights came access, in the form of reserved storefront parking spaces. Without the ADA, these groups would not have their rights. Left to the states, 1964 certainly lacked a majority of compassionate voters.

Fifty years later, the mentally disabled need their rights, too - a right to a powerful plant that has no less that 150 amazing uses and treatments - a plant that we may one day prove contains all the secrets to leading a happy and full life.

But left to voters across red and blue states, here in 21st century we still see a disproportionate group of voters who lack compassion for their fellow human being.

If the ADA were left to these voters today, the disabled would not have their parking spaces.

In this light, how can anyone really oppose marijuana legalization?

Oregon GMO Labeling: This Time It's Personal

It amazes me how an editorial board - who happen to be in the information business - can actually fit such a huge foot in their mouth (Congress likely to settle GMO food labeling dispute, Oregonian 7/21).

Food labeling provide essential information about the contents, including nutritional value, which in the U.S. are reflected as percentages of vitamins and minerals of whole ingredients and/or percentages of daily supplements.

The set of nutritional tables we presently read on the back of our food products were produced during World War II era, which is to say that our tables are based on eighty year old science. Don't look for GMO reference on Wikipedia - some of the most reputable sources contain misinformation.

Genetically Modified Foods contain only a small fraction of nutrients, suffering severe deficiencies while producing chemicals that scientists decided can help ward off pests and disease. Not only are these food products devoid of any real nutritional content, they also taste terrible. For instance, corn that taste like Styrofoam is actually very close to that: plant cellulose, low on nutritional content, high in frankenstein-like plant-produced chemicals.

Now GMO labeling requirements are the last battlefront food producers face because it would eventually lead to revised nutritional tables, pointing out wide discrepancies in GMO value versus unmodified, organically grown food.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, pending House legislation introduced by Mike Pompeo (R) KS and G.K. Butterfield (D) NC. is exactly the opposite of what it sounds like: it would prohibit states from mandating labels for genetically engineered foods.

The Oregonian editorial board suggestively supports this bill. This is casting a blind eye to valuable future information, much like forgetting how to file a FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act) request.

Editorial boards are not tasked with investigative journalism, but considering the influence they wield through readership, the opinions expressed should at the very least be based on responsible journalism.

Sticking It To Congress: Saving The Post Office With Marijuana

In 2006, a republican-dominant congress passed a bill that G.W. Bush would sign into law, requiring The United States Postal Service provide health care, retiree benefits and pensions to it's 600,000 work force. At the time the USPS was running "in the red", a mere 2 million annually.

But the package congress wrote mandated a program - pre Obamacare - that pushed them not 2 million a year in the red - but 2.2 billion a year.  In fact, one might wonder if the 109th congress actually signed the bill in red ink.

Clearly, when Congress "hamstrung" the United States Postal Service with a annual $2 billion 'financial obligation', the ultimate demise of our traditional mail system was their intention.

As deputy postmaster general Ronald Stroman points out (Some Postal Pains 8/21 Oregonian), "the Postal Service is looking for ways to extract new sources of revenue from it's national delivery system".

It may seem like an unlikely alliance, but Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who is a proponent of allowing the Postal Service to deliver beer and wine, could instead lobby the Obama Administration to allow the USPS to deliver medicinal marijuana in all 21 states including the District.

If Obama were really concerned with all of the issues legal marijuana has spawned, he would not focus his attention solely on dispensary banking, but to also include protections for the people who we have been changing the law to accommodate: the consumer, the patient, the client.

It is the client that is left holding the bag when it comes to transporting legal marijuana in the U.S. If marijuana is in the vehicle and alcohol is present on the driver's breath, nearly every single state have laws that categorize these conditions as an open-shut D.U.I. conviction. Transporting marijuana - as a medicine - is not safe anywhere.

By permitting marijuana USPS delivery service, such exclusively generated revenue could conceivably propel the Postal Service into a manageable portfolio - and quite possibly defy congressional condemnation.