Cross cultural art exchange

There was a time when psychedelics such as LSD, mushrooms, and mescaline were primarily relegated to those who were wild and weird enough to brave the legal and social throes imposed by the War on Drugs. But those days are ending — if they haven’t already slipped into the past. Today these substances are increasingly embraced for their therapeutic, spiritual, and recreational value, and journalist Michael Pollan has emerged as arguably the most prominent champion of their kaleidoscopic rewards. “It’s for spiritual experience,” he explained to Rolling Stone. “It’s for self-exploration. It’s for setting priorities. It’s for breaking habits. There are all these other ways people are using them. And we have this word ‘recreation’ that we think is negative, but we should go back and think — what is that? Well, re-creation is a very positive thing and people are using them to re-create themselves. And it seems to me that’s as legitimate as any other use.” At 67, and having … [Read more...] about The Never-Ending Psychedelic Trip of Michael Pollan

Ten years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of a podcast. Now, they’re an integral part of the media landscape, and none more so than those about true crime . To rank the best, we polled true-crime aficionados about their favorite shows, then sifted through the top choices. Whether they cover a new case each episode or present a story over the course of a season, these picks each shaped the genre in their own way. Some are the results of deep investigative journalism; others are by amateur sleuths trying to help families find answers. Some focus on bringing publicity to cold cases in underrepresented communities, and some changed the way we think about crime storytelling altogether. Perhaps equally important, they’re all great listening, promising the kind of captivating intrigue that continues to draw generation after generation to true crime: tragedy, mystery, a search for answers, and always the hunger for justice. 25. CounterClock Fans of procedurals will bond with … [Read more...] about The 25 Best True-Crime Podcasts of All Time

Continuing its strong ties to the entertainment industry, Howard University will be the host of the new “Disney Storytellers Fund,” which will “create opportunities for historically underrepresented students to have future careers as storytellers and innovators in media and entertainment,” according to a joint release. The new fund was announced Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture in Burbank, Calif., where the Walt Disney Co . is headquartered. Howard has existing ties with Netflix and Amazon, among others. Earlier this year, it appointed  actress Phylicia Rashad as dean of the recently reestablished College of Fine Arts. The university also renamed that college after Chadwick Boseman, who attended Howard before going on to become an A-list actor playing iconic roles including Black Panther, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson and James Brown. The Disney Storytellers Fund at Howard University will provide stipends over a five-year period for student … [Read more...] about Walt Disney Co. Creates ‘Disney Storytellers Fund’ At Howard University To Spark Opportunities

TMZ Composite Michael Pena might be getting flashbacks watching this ... a cop throwing hands with an unarmed civilian, and losing his own gear to get on equal footing. Check out this wild fight between a police officer and a regular schmoe from the streets ... where they both decide to square up and duke out whatever issue they're having. It's pretty nuts -- the cop actually takes off his vest (but still keeps his gun) to throw down properly. Twitter / @happysadcoconut They exchange minor blows for a good while, with the cop seeming to have the upper hand -- he's way bigger for starters -- and the dude in green coming back for more each round. In the end, they appear to leave their differences right there on the pavement ... seemingly without further incident. Of course, many have pointed out that this doesn't look to have happened in the States -- where a civilian would surely be busted for scrapping with a cop. Of course, the other … [Read more...] about Michael Pena’s ‘End of Watch’ Fight Compared to Viral Clip of Cop Brawl

Actors’ Equity has decided to force 99-seat theaters in Los Angeles to pay their actors at least minimum wage – which is currently $9 an hour and going up to $10 next year. The move by the union’s National Council comes just hours after reports that local Equity members voted overwhelmingly to reject the pay increase, which many fear will put small houses out of business. The new minimum wage rule goes into effect April 22 for producers who have not produced before under the 99-seat plan. For those who have produced under the plan, there is a grace period allowing a year for a transition to the new options. The new deal actually is a compromise – it allows theaters with fewer than than 50 seats to produce up to 16 performances of a single production budgeted under $20,000 without having to pay minimum wage. It also allows L.A. actors to collaborate as a group to self-produce theater without the requirement of an Equity contract and without having to pay minimum wage. Other terms … [Read more...] about Actors’ Equity To Require Minimum Wage At LA’s 99-Seat Theaters, But Smaller Stages Get A Break

Former president Donald Trump has endorsed some wacky candidates since leaving office, including Michigan’s Republican nominee for secretary of state, Kristina Karamo . In a podcast episode unearthed by CNN’s KFile , Karamo claimed that abortion is “child sacrifice” and a “satanic practice,” CNN revealed on Sunday. Karamo expressed her absurd beliefs about abortion on her podcast, It’s Solid Food. “ Abortion is really nothing new,” she said. “The child sacrifice is a very satanic practice, and that’s precisely what abortion is. And we need to see it as such.” Later, she called the medical procedure “the greatest crime of our nation’s history.” “When people in other cultures, when they engage in child sacrifice, they didn’t just sacrifice the child for the sake of bloodshed,” Karamo said during the episode. “They sacrificed the child ’cause they were hoping to get prosperity, and that’s precisely why people have abortion now. ‘Because I’m not ready. I don’t wanna have a … [Read more...] about ‘Child Sacrifice Is a Very Satanic Practice,’ Trump Endorsed Candidate Said of Abortion

“I’m going straight to the White House,” John Kerry says. “I’m thrilled with where the campaign is right now.” Just 90 minutes earlier, on this warm afternoon in late September, he stood on an outdoor stage at the University of Pennsylvania campus in downtown Philadelphia and gazed out onto a sea of 20,000 supporters. The school had hosted only one other rally this big in recent memory – when Bill Clinton came through on his re-election tour in 1996. It’s heady stuff when a first-time presidential candidate draws crowds comparable in size to those of a popular sitting president. “I feel as if we have finally gotten the American people and the press simultaneously focused on the real issues,” he says. “Things I’ve been talking about for two years. George Bush has made catastrophic mistakes in Iraq, catastrophic mistakes in foreign policy. He’s shown bad judgment, made bad choices about how to proceed in a war on terror. I think he’s also out of touch with the American people on what … [Read more...] about Kerry Fights Back

Twenty years after their mass suicide made headlines across the world, Heaven’s Gate is still one of the most notorious cults of the 20th century – not to mention one of the most recognizable. In March 1997, America was shook by the strange story that included mass suicide, wild public-access-style videos, an obsession with U.F.O.s and, in true late-Nineties fashion, tracksuits and matching Nikes. They also had a new recruitment tool: the Internet. Heaven’s Gate has the distinction of being the first well-known American cult of the Internet era, using the new technology to share their beliefs with a wider audience and also to make a living. They derived a large portion of their income from designing web pages. Formed in the Seventies, they had become reclusive by the start of the 1990s and started attempting to recruit members online using the organizational name “Higher Source” for the website . Though the web would eventually become central in the organization, the … [Read more...] about Heaven’s Gate 20 Years Later: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

There is a scene midway through Glengarry Glen Ross where Ricky Roma sits at a booth in a dingy Chinese restaurant, doing his best verbal two-step in an attempt to unload some crappy vacation property on an unsuspecting patsy. “Great meals fade in reflection,” he tells his victim . “Everything else gains. You know why? ‘Cause it’s only food. This shit we put in us, it keeps us going. But it’s only food.” Like a lot of lines in the film, it sticks with you – unlike great meals. But Roma’s right. The visceral present of a meal – its tastes, smells, sights – slips away over time. Admit it: your most memorable dining experiences likely have more to do with the circumstances surrounding the meal than the meal itself. What else fades this way? I keep asking myself that in regards to the Golden State Warriors’ historic 73 wins this season, an accomplishment that was overshadowed even as it was happening by Kobe Bryant’s historic 60-points-on-50-shots final game . And well before … [Read more...] about Are the Golden State Warriors the Greatest Team Ever?

Few sports rivalries are as storied as Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams have been separated, historically, in just about every category imaginable. The Lakers of the Sixties and Seventies were spearheaded by the twin stars of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Though Bill Russell was indisputably the head of the early Celtics, their style – predicated on smothering defense and fast-break basketball – was far more team-oriented than their Hollywood rivals. It worked, too: The Celtics began the rivalry winning 7-0 against the Lakers in the Finals, beginning with a 1959 sweep of the then-Minneapolis franchise. Boston won eight straight titles and eventually every title in the 1960s besides 1967, when the Philadelphia 76ers took home the trophy. In the 1980s, the differences grew even more distinct. Earvin “Magic” Johnson personified the Lakers with his gigawatt smile and larger-than-life persona (and stature; he was a six-foot, ten-inch point guard). He was black and he … [Read more...] about Donnie Wahlberg on 10 Things You Forgot About Lakers, Celtics Rivalry