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Interesting News, Articles & Stuff

Tranquility

Well-Known Member
The "Blues Brothers", much like extreme violence against them, has been approved.
The Blues Brothers Declared a Catholic Classic by the Vatican
It's not the first time, of course. Other classics:
"The Blues Brothers is far from the only movie the Vatican has recommended. Also on the list of movies the Catholic authorities have sited as 'Catholic Classics' include Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments, Jesus of Nazareth from Franco Zeffirelli, Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ, Victor Flemming's Joan of Arc, and It's a Wonderful Life from Frank Capra. "
 

FlyingLow

Team NO SLEEP!
The Long Fall of High Times Magazine

A review of SEC disclosures and court filings as well as dozens of interviews with former staffers and others with insight into its operations paint a picture of a company that has traded in its credibility in cannabis circles to chase big “green rush” profits that have not materialized.
Their public offering is going to be shit just like the rest of them... another medmen.

They are trying to stay relevant with the cups, and not with delivery services... but they have been going down for ages and this will not change their direction.
 

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
Google’s Quantum Computer Achieves Chemistry Milestone

Google’s quantum computer has achieved something that could have real-world applications: successfully simulating a simple chemical reaction. The feat points the way toward quantum chemistry, which could expand scientists’ understanding of molecular reactions and lead to useful discoveries, such as better batteries, new ways to make fertilizer and improved methods of removing carbon dioxide from the air.
 

bulllee

Agent Provocateur
You're Eating Plastic in Every Bite of This Food, New Research Finds
A new study found microplastics in multiple types of this food.
Amanda McDonald
BYAMANDA MCDONALD
SEPTEMBER 6, 2020
plastic bag

There have been several food recalls lately because of traces of plastic in some foods. For instance, almost 60,000 pounds of Pilgrim's Pride chicken nuggets were recalled back in June because they may contain plastic. But scientists have even found plastic in things that haven't been recalled. Take protein powder, for instance (even organic brands!). And a brand new study has uncovered seafood plastic in some supermarket staples.
Published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, QUEX Institute scientists discovered microplastic in wild blue crabs, oysters, prawns, wild squid, and sardines picked up in Australian markets. This type of plastic is less than 5 millimeters, or similar in size to a sesame seed, according to Medical News Today.
RELATED: Three Quarters of Everyday Plastic Products are Toxic, Says Study
The edible parts of the seafood were tested by heating it in an incubator to around 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Also inside was a solvent that "digested" the edible parts. Then scientists looked for plastics using a method called the "pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry." Five types of plastic that come from packaging, synthetic materials, and marine debris were found, according to the publication.
"Considering an average serving, a seafood eater could be exposed to approximately 0.7 milligrams (mg) of plastic when ingesting an average serving of oysters or squid, and up to 30 mg of plastic when eating sardines," the lead author of the study, Francisca Ribeiro, says.
She also notes that the scientists were most surprised by the amount of plastic in sardines. Eat 14 servings of the small fish and you will have eaten around the same weight as one plastic straw. The study concludes that seafood plastic packaging needs to be looked at further since simply opening them can create microplastic.
This study isn't the only one to find toxic materials in popular everyday foods in recent months. One study discovered that fast food wrappers contain high levels of a chemical called PFAS. The man-made substance makes things grease- and water-resistant.
 

EmDeemo

ACCOUNT INACTIVE
Saddens me that we've known, as a species, that all this is coming for at least 20 years plus and done fuck all.


"Animal populations have plunged an average of 68% since 1970, as humanity pushes the planet’s life support systems to the edge "

Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the most alarming drop, with an average fall of 94% in vertebrate wildlife populations. Reptiles, fish and amphibians in the region were most negatively affected, driven by the overexploitation of ecosystems, habitat fragmentation and disease.

Africa and the Asia Pacific region have also experienced large falls in the abundance of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles, dropping 65% and 45% respectively."
 

Tranquility

Well-Known Member
There's a Font for that.
This profanity blocking font is ******* genius

The Polite Type, developed by Finnish tech company TietoEVRY, can automatically blur swearing, while also correcting offensive phrases to milder rewordings. None of our top free fonts can do that – you can write whatever you like with them.

But The Polite Type is more than just a clever gimmick designed to stop you swearing. The initiative has been created to highlight cyberbullying among young people. "The words we choose shape our reality," The Polite Type's website reads. "This is an open-source font that rewrites hurtful words, replacing them with more inclusive ones. We want to create room for the important discussion on how we can make the online world a safer, more inclusive place for everyone."

Indeed, "you are ugly" becomes "you are not traditionally beautiful" while expletives such as ****, **** and our favourite, ******, are blurred completely. TietoEVRY claims that, while blurring is often used to hide something offensive, this is the first time it has been incorporated as a symbol in a font....


Out of curiosity, I cut and pasted a few responses in the forums and changed the font to the Politetype. Some posts were not considered polite and were changed. Stupid changes, excuse me, "silly" changes (if I use Politetype). Still, for the intended audience of kids on the interwebs, it might tone down some of the hate. That is, IF kids don't see it as a challenge. (As we did with calculators when they first came out. BOOBIES, heh.)
 

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
Trump ad touting 'great American comeback' features foreign stock footage

The ad, which paints an incomplete picture of the American economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, does so in part by featuring stock footage from countries outside the United States, including a warehouse in Ukraine and publicly available footage of two models -- one from Italy and another from Ukraine – but which appear in the ad to represent images from the U.S.


At around the 15-second mark, the ad targets former Vice President Joe Biden by claiming he would "kill countless American businesses, jobs and our economic future" and flashes a clip showing what is meant to represent a U.S. warehouse with the lights being dramatically turned off.

But the footage is readily available stock images of a Ukrainian wallpaper warehouse from a video production company named PromZone Media Group, the company confirmed to ABC News.

Earlier in the ad, two models are shown looking distraught as the narrator warns that a Biden administration would reverse progress made amid the pandemic, but the footage also is from outside the United States, using models from Europe.

A woman shown looking upset while using a cell phone is Ukrainian and the footage was shot in Ukraine, Ukrainian production studio Stockbusters confirmed to ABC News.
 

bulllee

Agent Provocateur
Early freeze in Colorado could cost marijuana, hemp growers millions in losses
Published September 10, 2020 | By Bart Schaneman


Snow-damage-Functional-Remedies-hemp-farm-Colorado-min-300x195.jpg

Heavy snow on Sept. 9 blankets the Functional Remedies hemp farm outside Pueblo, Colorado. (Photo courtesy of Tim Gordon)
An early cold snap that swept through Colorado on Tuesday and into Wednesday drove temperatures below freezing and dumped inches of snow, potentially destroying millions of dollars worth of outdoor cannabis and hemp plants.

The crop damage will likely disrupt the supply of material for THC and CBD extracts across the state for months to come, similar to what happened when the Pueblo area in southern Colorado experienced an early freeze in October 2019 that caused significant financial losses to large outdoor marijuana farms.

That freeze also curbed the usual flood of outdoor-grown cannabis into the state’s market.

As opposed to last year, a Colorado temperature swing of roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit came far too early in the season for growers to preemptively harvest their plants.




And growers without adequate weather protection had to watch as their crops froze and were covered with wet, heavy snow that broke plant stems and branches.


Dr. Jon Vaught, CEO and co-founder of Front Range Biosciences, a Lafayette, Colorado-based cannabis biotech firm with hemp growing operations, said the storm was “catastrophic for growers.”

“This is devastating,” he added.

Potentially millions lost

At the PotCo outdoor marijuana farm outside Pueblo, co-owner James Lowe felt confident he was ready for the coming low temperatures, but the forecast didn’t prepare him for up to 9 inches of wet snow.

In partnership with neighboring Next 1 Labs, the PotCo farm has roughly 7,000 plants, many 7-8 feet tall, that were trellised together, and the heavy moisture collapsed a lot of the canopy.

“We were on pace for the largest harvest we’ve ever had,” Lowe said. “The weight of it was what ended up being the problem.”

Lowe said the losses could reach $4 million-$5 million, though they could be significantly higher or lower, depending on several factors.

If the plants can pull through as temperatures increase, then the employees will be able to harvest the flower as planned.

If not, the entire crop will go toward extraction and fetch a significantly lower price. But it wouldn’t be a total loss.

“The THC is still out in the field, and it’s not going anywhere,” Lowe said.

Lowe expects this early storm will lead to a replay of the 2019 market dynamics, with demand outstripping supply.

The silver lining of this storm for Lowe was his crop was the biggest and healthiest his team has produced, so he expects to “still be in a profitable situation.”

‘Tough struggle’

In the San Luis Valley, near the small town of Moffat in southern Colorado, hemp grower Harvey Craig said temperatures were in the high 20s Wednesday morning.

“Anything that was left outside froze pretty solid,” he added.

Greenhouses cover about 70% of Craig’s hemp farm, and he used shade cloth, canvas and plastic to protect the rest of the outdoor plants.

Plastic can stop the growth of flower, according to Craig, “but it’s better than nothing.”

Wet and heavy snow snapped uncovered plants at the stalk and broke branches.

Intact plants might still lose cannabinoids if the snow and frost knocked off trichomes.

“This is devastating to a lot of farmers,” Craig said, echoing Vaught. “I hope this doesn’t put people over the edge. The hemp industry is a tough struggle.”

Craig said he skipped crop insurance this year. He’s had problems with insurance companies not wanting to work with hemp.

As for the impact to the CBD supply in the region, while the storm’s impact on large-scale industrial outdoor farms could cause a dip in supply, Craig said thousands of pounds of dried flower from last year still haven’t been extracted.

Supply impacted

At Denver-based marijuana company Lightshade, which has four indoor grows and a greenhouse with 20,000 square feet of growing space, workers were scrambling to tweak the greenhouse environmental controls to adjust for the cold.

Nick Drury, director of cultivation, said Lightshade didn’t lose any plants, but the workers were up late Tuesday and all hours Wednesday morning making sure the greenhouse didn’t get too cold.

They held the temperature to around 69-70 degrees Fahrenheit but would prefer it in the lower 80s.

As for the impact of the early freeze on the larger marijuana market in Colorado, Drury said he usually sees a flood of outdoor cannabis, both legal and illegal, after the fall harvest.

In anticipation of such lower-end, cheaper material driving down prices, Lightshade grows lower-yielding but more premium strains to cater to the higher-end market around this time.

If the supply of lower-grade, higher-yielding material isn’t there, then his company could have a business opportunity – if it had a time machine and a crystal ball.

“It’s not something you can kind of just take back,” Drury said, meaning the company would have grown more higher-yielding but slightly lower-quality strains if it could have predicted the weather.

He added that the decreased supply from the outdoor grows will mean indoor growers will see less lower-grade competition and the price for extract materials could increase.

Planet instability

Tim Gordon, chief science officer at Functional Remedies, based in Boulder with a hemp cultivation operation east of Pueblo, said he hasn’t experienced anything like this storm.

Snow-damage-Functional-Remedies-hemp-farm-Pueblo-Colorado-min-1-225x300.jpg

A close-up look at a snow-covered plant at the Functional Remedies hemp farm outside Pueblo, Colorado. (Photo courtesy of Tim Gordon)
“The sudden onslaught was unprecedented,” he said.

Temperatures at the Pueblo farm were around 32 degrees Fahrenheit early Wednesday morning but didn’t get lower.

His seven-person farm crew, along with five seasonal workers, walked the 60-acre hemp farm shaking the snow off branches and trying to lift up plants that were pushed to the ground.

His farm was in the harvest-preparation stage, with the plants fully flowering and nearing maturity.

The freeze could cause damage to the cell structures of the plants as well as kill off fan leaves. The moisture could lead to bud rot if the plant doesn’t dry out.

“There’s potential for a complete loss,” Gordon said.

Fortunately for Functional Remedies, the company has crop insurance with an act-of-god clause.

Vaught said the growers with healthy, vigorous plants are better positioned to withstand these types of storms.

He recommends paying attention to fertigation and irrigation systems, keeping backup power generators tuned up, and making sure gas connections are set up to keep the heating system prepared.

“Anything you can do to minimize the stress,” Vaught said.

But he recognizes that outdoor growers don’t have the same options.

For them, he recommends certain strains, such as like Early Pearly, that can survive frost and slightly lower temperatures than other cultivars. Those are particularly useful in the spring if a late freeze hits.

Broadly speaking, Vaught pointed out that the weather extremes will continue to be a challenge for anyone growing plants outdoors.

“This is direct evidence of the variability of climate change,” Vaught said. “It makes it very hard to navigate in an agricultural setting.”

Bart Schaneman can be reached at barts@mjbizdaily.com
 

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
Theranos founder Holmes to claim mental condition affecting 'issue of guilt'

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, charged with a dozen felony fraud counts over her defunct Palo Alto blood-testing startup, plans to introduce evidence of a mental condition that affects the issue of guilt, a blockbuster judge’s order has revealed.


She's just crazy about money

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Mexican water wars: Dam seized, troops deployed, at least 1 killed in protests about sharing with US

A long-simmering dispute about shared water rights between Mexico and the United States has erupted into open clashes pitting Mexican National Guard troops against farmers, ranchers and others who seized a dam in northern Chihuahua state.
 
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macbill,
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macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
Las Vegas is a ghost town where even the strippers put up signs saying, 'Sorry, we're clothed'

For while few places have been left unaffected by the pandemic, perhaps nowhere has had its devil-may-care attitude rocked as much as this narrow pocket of Nevada.

Casinos, hotels and shows which last year generated $60 billion (£48 billion) in tourist revenue are either almost empty or shuttered.

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screen_shot_2020-09-12_at_3.15.55_pm.png


The cast of the iconic movie, The Princess Bride reunites tonight for a fundraiser...if you chip in any amount — ANY AMOUNT, PEOPLE! — you can watch them read the script, with Patton Oswald moderating a Q&A with them afterwards, and you can even submit a question for them to answer.
 
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macbill,
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strech

Well-Known Member

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
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What Are The New Dating Rules? And What About Hooking Up?

When you first start dating someone new, you usually consider their hobbies, common interests and politics to figure out if you're a good match. Now, says sex and relationships writer Sophie St. Thomas, there's a new level of compatibility added in: you and your partner's approach to COVID-19 safety.
 

Tranquility

Well-Known Member
Our tireless government workers protecting us from counterfeit (checks notes) air pods.
Feds proudly announce seizure of ‘counterfeit Apple AirPods’ that are actually OnePlus Buds
It can be hard to tell a difference between AirPods and the many earbuds that resemble them, but checking the box is always a good start. US Customs and Border Protection tonight tweeted that its officers had “recently seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods from Hong Kong, valued at $398K had they been genuine.” There’s also this press release on the situation, which praises CBP officers for “protecting the American public from various dangers on a daily basis” and says that “the interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP officers daily.”


The only problem is, based on the agency’s own photos, the seized products appear to be legitimate OnePlus Buds — transported in a box that plainly says as much. But CBP proudly tweeted “THAT’S NOT AN APPLE,” as if its people had astutely detected a forged piece of 18th-century art. It’s not clear if all of the 2,000 blocked units were OnePlus Buds, though the CBP images are unmistakable....




1891da6d220cdef141122cbb963a044c0d3cfcb49f9123dec83a8c0e29f14dbd.jpg
 
Tranquility,
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macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
Perhaps we can Unite our citizens with a common enemy. The choices:
The Smallest Countries In The World By Total Land Area

When it comes to countries and their impact on the world, it is safe to say that size does not matter. The smallest countries can sometimes be widely influential, instigating important events that shaped the world. Throughout history, smaller countries have conquered and colonized places much bigger in land area. But which countries are the smallest by land area?

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The Beatles to publish official hardback book ‘The Beatles: Get Back’

The Beatles: Get Back, a 240-page hardback, will be published worldwide on August 31, 2021. You can see a trailer for it below.

The book begins at the start of 1969, shortly after the release of their chart-topping ‘The White Album’, and covers sessions for their final LP as well as their now-iconic rooftop performance – their last ever gig.
 
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macbill,

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
$100,000 in bribes helped fraudulent Amazon sellers earn $100 million, DOJ says

Six people were indicted on allegations of paying over $100,000 in bribes to Amazon employees and contractors as part of a scheme to give third-party sellers unfair advantages on the Amazon marketplace. Among other things, the indictment says that Amazon workers who accepted bribes reinstated sellers whose accounts had been suspended for offering dangerous products, and that these workers suspended the seller accounts of fraudulent sellers' competitors.
 

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
The daring plan to save the Arctic ice with glass
One of the most important, yet underappreciated, features of the Arctic sea ice is the ability of its blindingly white surfaces to reflect sunlight. For at least as long as our species has existed, the frozen seas at the top of our world have acted as a massive parasol that helps keep the planet cool and its climate stable.
 
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