Seeing My Morning Jacket live is a must-do. 

Here’s a sample of “One Big Holiday” from Disc 1 of 2 from Okonokos… it has nothing to do with Christmas, but it is ’one big holiday,’ jam on.

My Morning Jacket – One Big Holiday (Okonokos Live)

From: Ganja Gourmet

Grade:  B

Type:  Sativa dominant; most strains now have some indica as well (90/10 – 65/35 is common).

Price: $50/8th

Appearance: Smaller medium density buds.  Fully green with less dominant hairs, medium to low trichome visibility wiht naked eye.  Nothing special in this specimen.

Aroma: A pleasant smell, no hints of growing material products.

Taste:  This specimen was lacking in taste, not what I had remembered from the late 90’s in FTC970.

Buzz Type:  It did hit quickly but never knocked me back proper, a sativa blend, closer to the high levels of indica.

Buzz Length: Short. An hour at the longest.

Overall: I used to really enjoy the train wreck, but things have changed.  Either this strain is lesser than it’s cousins or my preferences have changed.  It just didn’t last long enough nor hit hard enough.

From:   Delta9

Grade:   B+

Type:   Most info shows Diamond Head being a sativa heavy hybrid and this felt like one.

Price: $40/8th member pricing + tax

Appearance:   A nice looking bud, a good mix of light and dark green with prominent orange hairs.  Good trichome visibility.

Aroma:   A flowery smell, earthy but sweet.

Taste:  It wasn’t a very strong taste for me, but it is rumored to be a sweet/fruity flavor.  This was one of the areas I had hoped for more.

Buzz Type:  Hybrid, with head and body buzz.

Buzz Length:   Medium. Maybe a half an hour of strong high, and then a mellow hour of good relaxation.  Good for lying still.

Overall:   The diamond head is not one of our favorites, but it does pack a good punch right off the bat.  It didn’t last long enough nor fulfill the reputation of a tasty treat to reach into the A range.  A mellow smoke.

The show American Dad on Fox is not one that I typically catch, but upon hearing that My Morning Jacket was going to be featured in an episode I was full of questions. How could a show that sucks so bad, feature so much rock? Could MMJ bring rocking to a show that I have never once had the inclination to watch an entire episode? Is rocking out really getting er done? So I decided that after the episode aired I would seek it out online and see just how rocking and getting er done could be incorporated into crappy television.

Much to my surprise the episode storyline is completely centered around the music of My Morning Jacket. The main character of the show, Stan, a normally straight edged CIA agent becomes enamored with the music of MMJ and drops everything to follow the band around the country. Throughout the episode fans are treated to many different clips of MMJ music both old and new. Yim Yames and the rest of the MMJ crew are all even given small speaking roles. Check it out in our Vod Pod Sidebar:

I only heard about this an hour before it aired. Not sure how I missed it.

I was expecting a quick cameo. But the entire episode was pretty much based around the band.

Anybody else watch?

Finally, sanity is being restored, or at least an effort is being made to do so, in the 54th Filmfare Awards. I was so glad to see movies like Rock On, OLLO and MMJ winning, and movies like RNBDJ and Dostana taking a backseat. Although the nominations were a little fuzzy[some categories had 5 nominations and some had 6, just to please a few people I guess], but given the limited scope of the nominations, most of the awards were well deserved.

Let me start with the Lifetime Achievment Award section. Bhanu Athaiya was a very good choice, especially because costume designers have never really been given their due. In fact, the Best Costume Design category was introduced so late, in 1994, only after seeing what Manish Malhotra’s costume did to Urmila Matondkar; from a demure girl next door he turned her into a sex symbol overnight. Back to Bhanu, she won the Oscar for Gandhi[1982] and that’s been her greatest achievement till date. But considering her work in Bollywood, she did a good job in Lagaan, Swades,1942ALS, Chandni and Razia Sultan. Her list of work shows her predilection and brilliance for period dramas where she has a fantastic sense of color, fabric and designing.
Om Puri being awarded this, ahead of Naseeruddin Shah, that was a bit of a disappointment. I think they should have been awarded together at least. These two giants of the arthouse cinema in the 1980’s did some terrific work. They have not been given enough credit, but this award is probably a way of doing so.

Coming to the Critics Award, Shahana Goswami was deserving of it. Her work in Rock On was awesome, her raw talent and the spontaneous expressions shone through very well. But at the same time, Manjot Singh for OLLO was not a very good choice in my opinion. In fact, Paresh Rawal and Abhay Deol deserved it more than Manjot. And outside ofOLLO, Paresh Rawal for MMJ or Naseer for A Wednesday would have been a much better choice. Nishikant Kamat forMMJ was again a good pick, but I don’t understand this Special Jury Mention for Prateik Babbar and Purab Kohli. What does this award mean? And why Prateik Babbar?? For slouching on the couch, being untidy, and having the foresight that Sushant Modi[Ayaz Khan] is not the right guy for his sis?? And Purab Kohli! He had nothing to lose in Rock On, he was just caught in-between Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar’s ego clash. When they called the band off, he happily joined his dad’s business; when the band was reinstated he started driving around in the SUV once more. He was happy either ways and did not help further the cause of the story.

Talking about stories, Best Story for Rock On was a little surprising. Lots of films in 2008 had amazing stories to tell, like Aamir, A Wednesday, MMJ. I kept cosoling myself that Dostana and Ghajini did not win it. Best Screenplay was awarded to MMJ and Best Dialogues to OLLO and I had no complains with it.

In the techincal awards section, two awards that I didn’t agree at all are Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. I thought OLLO was shot on location, so where was the Production Design. And the costumes looked like everyday stuff, jogging suits, sneakers, waist-coats, casual wear. In fact, Jodha-Akbar deserved both these awards, for the elaborate sets and the intricate jewellery and costumes. I would like it if someone can explain this to me.

I was happy with all other awards, like Best Cinematography and Sound Design for Rock On, Best Editing went toMMJ, it could have gone to A Wednesday or Aamir too[except for the dragged last 20 mins]; and I cared less for Best Choregraphy, Best Action and Best Visual Effects where the winners were Pappu Can’t Dance Saala, Ghajini andLovestory 2050, respectively.

I was totally ok with the debut award for male, being shared by both Farhan Akhtar and Imran Khan; similarly the female debut award should have been shared by Asin and Anushka Sharma, instead Asin took it home.

Arjun Rampal for Best Supporting Actor was good, but Kangana Ranaut for Best Supporting Actress was unexpected and undeserved. Shahana Goswami for Rock On or  Ratna Pathak for JTYJN would have been a much better choice. The problem with Kangana’s performance is that, she is unidimensional and has no range. Give her such a role, and 9 out of 10 times, she will just sleep-walk through it like in Life…In A Metro or Gangster or Woh Lamhe.

Music awards were doled out pretty judiciously. Sukhwinder Singh for Haule Haule and Shreya Ghosal for Teri Orewere really good choices. For the award of Best Music Director, I am sure it must have been a close fight betweenShankar-Ehsaan-Loy who produced some great score for Rock On and ARR who was also competing against himself with 3 nominations. But, ARR winning for JTYJN did not go down well, I shall consider this as an award for all the good work Rahman did in 2008, i.e., Jodha-Akbar and Ghajini included. And ARR for Best Background score of Jodha Akbar was good news. Regarding the RD Burman award, not sure how this is rewarded, but I think Amit Trivedishould have been awarded. Finally, the lyrics award for Javed Akhtar was also fine for his simple and meaningful words in Jashn-e-bahara.

Talking now about the mainstream awards, no complains about the Best Director and Best Movie. Ashutosh Gowariker did a great deal of research and a lot of hardwork went into Jodha Akbar. There was nobody more deserving than him, in the category. I would like to contest the Best Actor and Best Actress, though. Taking for granted that its more of a popular vote, Hrithik and Priyanka still did not deserve it; they may have won but they were not the best. In fact, newbie Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai did a better job in RNBDJ and Jodha Akbar, repectively. Even if it was popular vote, then Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai should have won.

All said and done, I think the awards were balanced out pretty well. I would any day accept these results than watchRNBDJ/Ghajini/Dostana take away awards and accolades. I would like to see some transparency in the entire process, though. The system should change, at least introduce a jury for popular award and give 50-50 weightage to public votes as well as jury members votes. That way, there will be more clarity in the process.

At the end of the day, good cinema won. At least the awards will help further the cause of independent cinema and meaningful work, and be appreciative and motivational for film-makers who want to tell us new and different stories. And I hope this trend will stay, not just prove to be an abberation. Perhaps, haule-haule se hawa lagti hai …

This post was first published on PFC

For this attempt, I altered the following recipe by Laura Dolson from About.com:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz unsweetened chocolate (the higher the quality of chocolate, the better this recipe will be)
• 1 c cannacream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 c liquid malitol (can be found at most health food stores)
• 1 c Splenda

Directions:

Heat the cream, vanilla, sweetener and salt until bubbles form. Remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces and let melt, stirring occasionally. Add malitol.

The recipe states that, at this point, you can let it cool to room temperature at which point it can be rolled into balls as the base of truffles (which you can then roll in nuts, coconut, or cocoa powder), or you can use it as the base for a sauce by adding cream until it is the consistency you want.  My experience with this recipe is that, even after sticking it in the fridge, it never fully reached a state of firmness that would allow me to roll it into truffles.  It might work better with less cream, though I have not yet tried it.  I did, however, use the cannache as a delectable sauce over Breyers Carb-Smart chocolate ice cream. 

I did notice that the flavor of cannabis was relatively strong in this recipe.  If you’re sensitive to this flavor, I highly recommend, especially if using this recipe as a sauce, cutting the flavor of the cannabis by using peppermint extract instead of vanilla or adding peanut butter.  The second day of using this sauce, I added peanut butter and it tasted much better.

I borrowed the following recipe from the Cooking with Mary Jane blog:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup of ground bud, hash, and/or shake

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a pot and gently simmer (be careful not to over boil) for 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth lined strainer. Add water to thin the cream if you desire a thinner milk. Use immediately.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

As a type II diabetic, I am always looking for ways to reduce my carbohydrate intake as a way to manage my blood sugar. I altered a recipe from Martha Stewart to be more accommodating to my dietary needs and my edible cannabis use.

Ingredients:

1 c. cannabutter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. Splenda
2 large eggs
2 1/2 c. Simply Jif reduced sugar peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. sugar-free Smuckers red raspberry preserves
2/3 c. salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 13×9 inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside. Place cannabutter and Splenda in a bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.

2. Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flours. Add to peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed to combine. Add vanilla. Transfer two-thirds of the mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly with spatula. Using spatula, spread jam on top of peanut butter mixture. Dollop remaining third of peanut butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.

3. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into pieces and store in an air-tight container.

This recipe yields a slight crumblier crust than I’m sure it would with the original, but the rich peanut butter flavor contrasted with the raspberry preserves definitely makes it worth the required use of a fork to eat.

To make this recipe into one that isn’t reduced in carbs, use sugar instead of Splenda, 3 c. all-purpose flour instead of half whole wheat flour, regular peanut butter and regular jam.

For those of you who have non-cannabis users at home who will pout when they see this delicious medible, which is exactly what happened in my household, a good solution is to half the recipe and prepare both halves at once, placing one half in each of their own bowls/pans (I used 8″ round pans). Use regular butter in one half of the recipe and cannabutter in the other half of the recipe. This is also a great suggestion if you like the recipe and want to eat the non-medible version for snacks!

At the risk of dating myself, did any of you have Home Economics classes growing up? In seventh and eighth grades, we spent a quarter of a year taking Home Economics, and a quarter of the year taking Industrial Arts (shop). Half of the Home Economics quarter was spent sewing (a pillow in 7th grade, a sweatshirt in 8th), and the other half was spent cooking. And by “cooking,” I mean “baking,” because the only things we ever made were cookies, breads, and snack food. It’s like they groomed us to become stoners who knew how to sew a button.

I actually learned some great recipes in Home Ec! The first was a fantastic all purpose cookie recipe (we used the same worksheet to make peanut butter, chocolate chip, sugar, and chocolate chocolate chip cookies), and the second was a recipe for peanut butter bars almost identical to this one. This version’s better (not just because of the medicinal value!) since I’ve upgraded to better quality and vegan ingredients, and I don’t have to share them with a Home Ec kitchen partner.

These are one of my favorite treats in general (with or without cannabis), because they’re quick and easy to make, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. I highly recommend making two batches: A medicinal batch (they freeze well!), and a virgin batch for the munchies. (Even if you aren’t the sort to get the munchies, these are so delicious that you always want a second! Or third!) This recipe doubles well! See special diet and recipe notes at the end. If you’re not vegan, you can use your dairy-based cannabutter, but why not give the vegan version a try?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegan graham cracker crumbs (I make my own with cheap cinnamon grahams in a food processor)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (the kind without sugar added)
• 1/4 cup vegan cannabutter, melted
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance is my favorite)

Directions:

Generously butter an 8×8 inch or 9×9 inch square pan (spray oil is easiest, but be generous!) and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or food processor, mix the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Add the peanut butter, melted cannabutter, and vanilla, and mix well. You might have to use your hands to really combine everything to make it good and sticky and well-mixed. Press this mixture into the bottom of your greased square pan as evenly as you can.

In a microwave-safe dish (I use a Pyrex measuring cup), microwave the vegan butter and chocolate chips until they’re combined and smooth. (30 seconds is probably more than enough time, and stir well until the chocolate is completely melted.) Use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate evenly on top of the peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate the pan for about an hour to set, then cut into 16 pieces. I prefer to individually wrap each piece in parchment or wax paper, and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Dosing information: Always start with half a serving when evaluating a new edible medicinal product and gauge the effects after 1-2 hours.

Substitutions: Cannabis cooking oil can be used in place of cannabutter, but it will change the flavor slightly. For more potent bars, use 2 tablespoons cannabutter in place of the butter with the chocolate chips. Graham cracker crumbs are my favorite way to prepare these, but if you don’t have any, or can’t have them, you can use anything that’s got a mild flavor and is crispy. I’ve successfully used crisp rice cereal, cereal that resembles Chex or Crispix, and Cheerios. I bet matzo crackers would work, too, if you’ve got any leftover after Passover! If you don’t typically stock the naturally superior peanut butter (the kind with JUST PEANUTS and maybe salt in the ingredients list!), you can use the Jif or Skippy you have on hand. The bars will just be sweeter.

Gluten-free friends: In place of graham crackers, use crisp rice cereal (crushed) or your favorite gluten-free crushable cookies. Make sure all other ingredients are gluten-free, of course.

Low-carb friends: Powdered sugar can be replaced with powdered Splenda. Date sugar (lower carb, but not low-carb) can also be substituted, but I think the taste might not work. Use low-carb crisps/crackers instead of graham crackers, and dark or sugar-free chocolate pieces. Honestly, this is not going to be the best option for low-carb folks, but the servings are so small it might be a nice special occasion treat with the suggested substitutions.

SFO, Oakland Travelers Can Carry Medical Pot
Linda Yee, Reporting

OAKLAND (CBS 5) ―  Air travelers are not allowed to bring most liquids, along with weapons and explosives past the security checkpoint. But you can bring medical marijuana, if you’re traveling out of two Bay Area airports. It’s not a case of security looking the other way, it’s official airport policy.

Medical marijuana patients boarding flights out of Oakland and San Francisco International airports are allowed to take up to 8 ounces of pot along, but at their own risk.

Video report has more.

President Obama has stated that his administration will not seek criminal action to those using medical marijuana under their state’s laws.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/19/new-medical-marijuana-pol_n_325426.html

IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME.

This would have never, ever happened in the Bush administration. Even if it’s not complete decriminalization, it’s a step forward and I applaud our President for making that step. I am over joyed, as we have been waiting for this day for a long, long time. Do you understand how much money this will save? Hopefully we will see patient rights given proper respect.

I worked at a medical marijuana dispensary for years and am very passionate about our right to use marijuana. I have seen people benefit from MMJ and disappointed that it took ’til now for presidential administration to recognize what a waste of energy, time and money they had on their hands.

Obama, I heart you.

News: About 6,000 Michigan residents using medical marijuana
By Hilary Farrell
Central Michigan Life

Approximately 6,000 people in Michigan are using or growing medical marijuana since the program began in April.

As of Oct. 1, Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act received 7,060 applications since April 6, and 925 were denied, leaving a success rate of 88.4 percent, said James McCurtis, Michigan Department of Community Health public information officer. He said denied applications were for typical reasons, such as insufficient medical need.

On average, the MDCH receives 59 applications daily, McCurtis said, and the number of applications seem to increase as the program continues.

No major problems

The MDCH has not seen any major problems in relation to marijuana laws.

“There’s a lot of grey areas, but we don’t (deal with them),” McCurtis said.

The city of Mount Pleasant follows all rules enacted by the act, said Director of Public Safety Anthony Gomez-Mesquita.

The city makes initial inquiries into the situation as it would with any other controlled substance, he said. A couple of city residents have came in to alert the department of their marijuana cards, which is very helpful, he said.

The city has not had any problems with the act and few cases have come to the department’s attention, Gomez-Mesquita said.

Michigan State Police Inspector Greg Zarotney said as police get used to new policies, the system moves better.

“For the most part, it’s been pretty smooth,” he said. “It’s a learning process (and) the law’s the law.”

Problems for participants

Matthew Abel, a Detroit criminal defense attorney specializing in marijuana cases and Central Michigan University alumnus, said there are problems for those in the program. He sees cases where patients or caregivers are prosecuted before the police look into the person’s rights under the act.

“(The police) start foaming at the mouth,” Abel said.

In one of Abel’s cases, the police did not look into the person’s medical marijuana card, subpoenaed his utility bills and did a flyover on his home with a thermal imaging helicopter. Abel successfully won the case in court.

“Talk about a waste of time and money,” he said.

In order to participate in the medicinal marijuana program, patients must have a “debilitating medical condition,” according to the act. Diseases include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, HIV and AIDS.

Patients and caregivers are not allowed to possess more than 2.5 usable ounces of marijuana and more than 12 plants. The plants must be in a secure and locked facility.

In the future, Abel said he would like to see quality control in regards to medicinal marijuana.

“The biggest complaint I hear is the distribution system,” Abel said. “Right now, it is still very much like the black market.”

Abel said it would be useful to create dispensaries such as in California, so patients can have more control and choice over what they purchase.

I decided to embark upon the classic medible recipe, cannabrownies, for my pain management. Unfortunately, the recipe I used, which is outlined below, yielded the driest, most crumbly, disgusting excuse for a dessert I’ve ever experienced. I’m not sure if it is because I altered the recipe to be lower in carbs to better support my type II diabetes, or if the recipe just stinks.

Brownies, a reduced carb version of a recipe from a beloved family cookbook:

2/3 c. cannabutter
5 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into pieces
1 3/4 c. Splenda
2 tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs
1 c. all-purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan with shortening.

2. In 1-quart saucepan, melt cannabutter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes.

3. In medium bowl, beat Splenda, vanilla and eggs with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour just until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread in pan.

4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Cut and serve.

Like I said, the result of this recipe was definitely not what I desired, but I was hesitant to pitch the final product after I used my prized cannabutter in it. The talented culinary goddess known as fibrofatty gave me some great ideas for salvaging this failed recipe. I decided to try to turn the recipe into a truffle-like dessert, altering another recipe I had used not too long ago.

I took two packages of Philadelphia cream cheese out of the fridge and let them soften. After they softened, I cut the failed cannabrownies, put them into my food processor, and pulsed the food processor until the brownies became fine crumbs. I added the softened cream cheese to the crumb mixture and blended it until it became a smooth, mud-like consistency. Using a miniature ice cream scoop, I dropped small mounds of the mixture into cookie sheets that had been lined with waxed paper, and placed the cookie sheets into the fridge until the truffles solidified, about 1-2 hours. You may then store the truffles in an airtight container. Truffles should be kept refrigerated.

These truffles have a rich flavor, great medicinal properties, and freeze very well. This strategy definitely saved this failed recipe and I highly recommend it.

An alternative to cannabutter is cannabis oil, which is useful in recipes like brownie mixes, cakes, stir fry, or even drizzled over popcorn. The benefit of oil is that it’s vegan, and doesn’t require melting like butter does for many baked goods. It also keeps for a long time when refrigerated. This recipe can be scaled down easily in a 4:1 ratio of cups to ounces (4 cup oil per 1 ounce cannabis, or 1 cup oil per quarter ounce cannabis), and keep in mind the quality of the cannabis will reflect in the quality of your cannabis oil.

Stuff you’ll need:

• A small or medium glass or stainless steel sauce pan, depending on how much oil you are making, ideally a taller narrow pan, rather than a shorter wider pan, with lid
• A stove
• A metal spoon for stirring
• Silicone spatula (not necessary, but gives maximum yield)
• Cheesecloth or a mesh strainer (not a colander)
• A sealed container to store your finished oil

Ingredients:

• 1/4 ounce medical-grade cannabis, coarsely ground
• 1 cup good quality preferably organic pure vegetable-based oil, such as canola or olive (olive oil is best for savory dishes, while canola oil is best for sweets like brownies and cakes; I think unrefined coconut oil would be really ideal for this purpose, but I’ve not tried it yet)

In a saucepan over low heat, mix the cannabis and oil, and cover (not necessary, but it helps keep the house from smelling like a dispensary), and let sit for at least 2 hours, but ideally 8 hours, stirring occasionally just to keep an eye on it. When all of the cannabinoids have been extracted into the oil, the plant matter will have a “crispy” feel to it when pressed with a spoon. Once all of the plant material is “crispy,” there’s nothing interesting left and the oil is ready. You can turn off the stove and let the oil cool down before handling, or just be very careful when straining it.

I prefer wire mesh strainers to cheesecloth, since the strainer can be put over the storage container, and the oil strained directly into it. Cheesecloth may require the use of a couple extra bowls and get a little messy. Since oil strains really well through wire mesh, but cheesecloth is better at removing the tiniest plant particulate matter, that’s a personal preference. Make sure whichever method you use, you scrape out all the oil with a silicone spatula (if using), and squeeze/press any excess oil out of plant material.

There will be a little bit of loss here (i.e., if you started out with 4 cups of oil, you might only get 3 3/4 cups of cannabis oil), because some is lost in the transfer and in the strained plant matter. It’s not a big deal, but just remember to re-measure your oil if you make 1 cup of cannabis oil to go directly into a brownie mix or something.

At this point, you can use your oil when it comes down to room temperature, or store it in a sealed container in the fridge. This will keep as long as the expiration date on the oil container (some oils go rancid sooner than others, but putting it in the fridge will help slow that process).

Note: I’ve not found any evidence showing that non-organic oils are more harmful than their organic equivalents, but I have read that pesticides are soluble in fat, much like THC, and therefore it’s likely that pesticides are found in higher concentrations in vegetable oils than in the vegetables themselves. If you can afford organic cooking oil, it can’t hurt to go that route. I think the fewer unnatural unnecessary chemicals we ingest as sick folks, the better off we’ll be.

This recipe will be the base for many medibles.

Materials you will need:
- A strong grinder or food processor to grind the cannabis material.
- A stove or crockpot to heat the cannabutter.
- A medium sized heavy duty sauce pan/pot with lid (if using the stove).
- A measuring cup.
- A whisk or a large fork to mix the material with the water/butter solution in the pot.
- Cheese cloth to strain the material before cooling.
- A container large enough to hold and cool the cannabutter material.
- A space in your refrigerator to cool and separate the water from butter.
- A freezable container to store the material.
- A space in your freezer to store the finished product.

Note: To make a strong cannabutter you will need to adjust the amount of cannabis you use in accordance with the strength of butter you would like. You will have a small loss when handling the material.

Ingredients you will need:
- 1 lb. unsalted butter
- 2 c. water
- 1 ounce premium, middle or low grade cannabis. (Obviously the better product you use the better the butter will be.)

Directions:

1. Begin by grinding the cannabis material as finely as you can, striving to grind it as close to a fine powder as you can. Use a cheap electric coffee grinder dedicated to the purpose of grinding cannabis or use a food processor and clean it very well after using it.

2. Bring 2 cups of water to a covered boil. Once the water is boiling, add your butter and melt it in the water. Once the butter is melted, reduce the heat to a very low setting so that when covered the cannabutter will simmer but not boil.

3. Add the ground cannabis material to the water and butter solution…Once you add the cannabis powder, whisk and mix it into the pot thoroughly, so that there are no clumps and nothing stuck to the bottom.

4. Place the lid on the pot and leave the heat on a minimum temperature. The cannabutter is now ready to simmer and cook for 22-24 hours. This amount of time is required to extract the THC from the finely ground cannabis. However, you do not want to cook the cannabutter any longer than 24 hours. After 24 hours the THC will degrade and the butter will go bitter. During this 24 hour cooking period you will need to check on the cannabutter every few hours to ensure that the boil is not to strong and to ensure that the butter has not reduced to much. If you find the solution reducing faster than expected it does not hurt to add a few tablespoons of water over the 24 hour period.

5. Once you have simmered the cannabutter for long enough, turn the heat off. Let the solution sit for 2-4 minutes and remove it from the heat.

6. Place the cheese cloth over an open bowl and ensure that when the liquid is poured through the cheese cloth will not go with it. The idea here is to strain the solution using the cheese cloth so that you will not have bits of cannabis in the solution. Most of the THC is extracted by now. Once the solution has been strained through the cheese cloth and the material collected, you will have a solution in a bowl and cheese cloth full of soggy cannabis material. Squeeze and extract as much of the solution from the cheese cloth and material as possible.

7. Place the container with the cannabutter solution into your reserved space in your refrigerator and let it cool for a few hours, even overnight. I find the best container to use is a rectangular pan, which makes it simpler to remove and store into easier-to-use shapes. The refrigeration process will separate the fats (the cannabutter) from the water. During this process you will be able to see the progress of the butter as it cools, much like watching Jell-o go firm. However, you want to let it sit long enough to ensure the complete separation of the fats from the water.

8. Removing the butter from the container in the fridge may seem a bit tricky…but will be considerably less messy if you use plastic wrap to handle the now solid butter. Simply remove enough plastic and use it like a doggy bag to remove the top slab of cannabutter from the bowl. It is easier if you use a rectangular pan because you may use a sharp knife to cut rectangular blocks of cannabutter from the pan. Pat dry the cannabutter to remove any excess water. Now use the plastic wrap to compress the cannabutter into a smaller more manageable size.

9. Store in a freezable, airtight container or mason jar. Keep your cannabutter frozen at all times. If kept frozen the butter will not go bad or lose any potency before you get around to using it. The butter will melt quickly once it warms up, so handle it quickly and keep it in the freezer as much as possible.

Cannabutter can be used in a range of things and can even be used to bake goods like muffins, cookie and brownies. Some simply enjoy cannabutter on toast. Whatever you decide to use it in or on, remember that you do not want to re-cook it but baking it into something for a short period of time (about the length of time it takes to bake cookies or muffins) will not harm your cannabutter at all.

Note: This recipe can be made in a vegan format by swapping butter for a vegan alternative like EarthBalance spread.

photo © jahan’s blog hosted on hypebeast

“cult japanese label” mastermind japan (mmj) showcased its fall/winter 2009 collection in taipei on august 12 and in attendance were a host of personalities involved in fashion, street culture, entertainment and the like.

singapore-born artist jahan attended the show and posted some pictures on his blog over at hypebeast.

among the installations, art and personalities pictured in the blog was the above frogman!

the new atomic frogman(s) gwf-1000 and gwf-1000b were officially announced on august 27. so is this new special edition really in the works?

from the single picture, it seems this model will have a red tint ala the real black frogman dw-8200bk-1jf.

a custom logo in the backlight seems de riguer for a high-end limited edition such as this and it seems a pair of skull and cross-bones (the mastermind japan logo) are used.

if this collaboration materialises, it will not be the first mmj g-shock. the mastermind japan x g-shock valentine’s boxset comprising a dw-5600 and a dw-6900 was released in february 2008. here’s a recap:

i also had a chance to look into my g-rystal ball and saw the following:

1. hype beasts (–pronoun) hobbling on the streets after selling a kidney (maybe two…) to buy this watch.

2. the usual heated debate about the (de)merits of such a watch, as seen here and here.

Human Rights Tribunal Rules City Discriminated Against Disabled Man

Salmon Arm city officials have been rapped on the knuckles for kicking a man out of his home for more than two years because he was growing marijuana — even though they knew it was for medicinal use.

The B.C.  Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the city discriminated against Kenneth James after raiding his home, seizing his pot plants, disconnecting his water supply and putting a “Do Not Occupy” notice on the door in April 2007.

James, who was in the process of renewing his federal permit to grow pot for medicinal use, was told he and his partner Peter Moynan could not return to the house until they removed the carpets and curtains, had the home professionally cleaned and paid the city $3,009.

He can return home only now, after the tribunal ordered the city to cease its actions, rescind the cost order and remove the notice.

Read more…

We got this Mastermind Japan Caps…

Mastermind Japan X Snoopy

MMJ X Snoopy Love and Peace cap!

@ SUPERBROED NOW!

Masterming Japan 2009 fall/winter lookbook

เจ๊ดดด เท่ห์โคตร
ไม่มีคำบรรยาย
อยากหน้าตาเหมือนนายแบบหวะ ชอบ อยากหน้ายาวๆ แก้มตอบๆแบบนี้
อยากดูเต็มๆ ลองตามไปดูที่ hypebeast นะ

Arsenal
เมื่อคืนบุกไปเยือน Everton ในนัดเปิดฤดูกาล
ได้ดูครึ่งแรก เพราะง่วงมาก แต่ดูครึ่งเดียวก็รู้ผลแล้วแหละ ยิงกันถล่มทลาย
จริงๆแล้ว Arsenal ไม่ได้เล่นดีเวอร์ๆนะ แต่ Everton เล่นไม่ดีมากกว่า
ผิดพลาดตลอด เสียดาย Arshavin กับ Van Persie ไม่ได้ยิง
สงสัยจะเป็นจ่าฝูงไปอีกซักพัก ยิงได้เยอะเหลือเกิน

Highlights Everton 1 – 6 Arsenal
ลองดู highlights กันนะ เฉพาะลูกที่เป็นประตู

ขอบคุณที่รับชม

As J. Craig Canada writes in his recent Examiner article:

Justin Hartfield, who owns weedmaps.com, a “medical” marijuana dispensary listing and referral website that pulls down $250,000 per year, told the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal this week that medical marijuana is “a joke” and he lied  to his doctor to get his recommendation.

Hartfield’s response to the medical marijuana movement and its patients is reprehensible and one of my biggest pet peeves in the greater cannabis community.  By using a medicine and set of laws that allow people to access said medicine for strictly recreational use is the equivalent of an able-bodied person hopping into someone’s wheelchair to take it for a spin.  It is completely offensive to utilize medicinal marijuana when one does not need the medicinal benefits.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I wholeheartedly believe that marijuana should be legalized and/or decriminalized.  The simple fact is that, right now, it isn’t.  The only route that is currently available, and in far too few states, is medicinal marijuana for people with disabilities and serious health concerns.  Don’t co-opt my experience to satisfy your recreational desires.  To do this makes my use of marijuana to assist with gut-wrenching chronic pain look like a total joke to the community-at-large.

Flyin Hawaiian www.kindreviews.com

Flyin Hawaiian www.kindreviews.com

Name: Flyin Hawaiian

From: Cannabis Therapeutics

Grade: A-

Type: Hybrid

Price: $70/8th

Appearance: The first thing I noticed was the incredible abundance of red hairs on this nug. The buds are a medium colored green, and looks almost yellow-brown from all the mature trichomes embedded within the nugs.

Aroma: Not too strong of an odor, until I broke up the buds with my grinder. It has a deep grapefruit type of smell.

Taste: Taste like the red hairs.

Buzz Type: I rolled this bud in a doobie and It took a few minutes to feel the buzz kick in, but I suddenly felt a deep body relaxation with a side of cotton-mouth.

Buzz Length: The high didn’t last very long at all. Was the first high of the day, and lasted about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Overall: When I rolled this up, the cherry had a hard time staying lit because It is was like smoking a joint of red hairs, literally. I think this bud has its great qualities and its bad ones as well, but definitely an interesting smoke. The high is very mellow, and I think a good bud to relax at the end of the day.

Super Silver Haze www.kindreviews.com

Super Silver Haze www.kindreviews.com

Name: Super Silver Haze

From: Cherry Creek Health

Grade: A

Type: Sativa

Price: $60/8th

Appearance: Great. Tight dense buds that are covered with trichomes.

Aroma: Like a Lemony Haze

Taste: Sweet with a hash finish

Buzz Type: Fairly intense. I smoked a bowl before I went to the mountains and I was pretty ripped. After about 30 minutes I was fully functional and energetic as is typical with a Sativa.

Buzz Length: Medium – Long. Almost three hours and no burn out.

Overall: Awesome smoke. Great all around bud with good looking buds and nice aromatics all combine to make an excellent medicinal remedy for many aliments. I would say this would be very helpful for anyone who needs to eat as I got the munchies pretty bad. I would also say this strain would be good for mild pain and headaches.