riley

“But ever since Cap left Bucky for this homewrecker,* Wanda and Vision are the closest thing Marvel has to a healthy relationship, even though she’s torturing a small town with her mind.” Welcome to the Honest Trailer for WandaVision!

Around these parts, we greatly enjoyed WandaVision, but that’s not to say the show and its premise didn’t have anything to criticize. So Honest Trailer’s ribbing of WandaVision and the greater MCU comes as a sort of pressure relief valve. It’s nice to be able to laugh from a distance because we’re in on all the jokes. And sometimes the jokes are on us.

“Watch this power-couple cosplay through some of history’s most delightful sitcoms, from Modern Family to Malcolm in the Middle to the shows Boomers loved because they literally had no other options.”

I grew up with Nick at Nite’s “Block Party Summer” programming (this segment was actually first called “VertiVision” by the channel in the early 1990s). Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and I Love Lucy were standard fare—and so I enjoyed the myriad winks and homages to classic properties as Wanda reshaped her reality across a sitcom backdrop. But I’ve been wondering how well this translated for younger audiences or people without many associations with these shows. There’s definitely something lost. I haven’t watched the more modern sitcoms referenced on WandaVision, and I know a lot of their references passed me by. It also feels like there was a missed opportunity to cast a much wider net in terms of famous TV family depictions.

“… and [Vision] is her imaginary vibrator programmed only to love.”

I’m glad that the Honest Trailer takes the time to point out some of my biggest issues with WandaVision. Vision’s general credulousness throughout many episodes even though he is a wildly powerful “supercomputer” often pushes the bounds of belief. Even in a superhero property starring a witch and her undead synthezoid husband in a magic-constructed TV reality. To be fair to Vision here, whenever he notices that something is off, Wanda soundly rebuffs him on the matter and sometimes seems to actually reset the “scene” to follow her narrative.

I’m also glad they highlighted the exchange where Wanda says that she can control Vision as she does the others, a seriously uncomfortable dynamic that prevented me from being fully invested in their “romantic” relationship throughout the show. For most of WandaVision, all we know about Vision is that he has no memory of who he was before and that his wife keeps telling him everything is fine when it is very clearly not fine. I do wish this had been addressed further after Vision tries to leave the Hex.

“Step outside the Hex to meet characters like Darcy, the latest phase of Marvel’s image rehab campaign for Thor: The Dark World, Jimmy Woo, the only cop who’s into close-up magic that anyone could ever love, and Monica Rambeau, who grows from a knowing commentary on TV’s Black best friend trope … into an actual example of TV’s Black best friend trope, and finally into a superhero who could one day become Marvel’s first Black best friend trope … in space.”

Now, some of our favorite parts of WandaVision followed the cast of MCU MVP alums like Darcy Lewis (that’s now Dr. Darcy Lewis to you) and America’s Sweetheart Jimmy Woo. I love the Thor joke, but we all know that nothing could really rehab Thor: The Dark World, a movie that for me only consists of Tom Hiddleston as Loki looking defeated at last after smashing up his prison cell in a grief-filled rage. Otherwise, we’d have to talk about Malekith and the Dark Elves, and no one wants that.

Teyonah Parris’s dauntless Monica Rambeau and how she is portrayed is a more complicated matter, as Monica plays such a vital role in so much of the story—including leading an episode from her perspective—only to be somewhat sidelined at the end, much to our disappointment. She does, however, have her own superhero origin story in WandaVision, and the show gave a solid grounding in her character and motivations. I think it’s far too reductive to say that she is made to be a TV trope, though I could have done without the too-pat “They’ll never know what you sacrificed for them” reassuring line that WandaVision has Monica deliver after Wanda dismantles her magic-made reality in “The Series Finale.” Monica’s role should be writ large in future MCU properties; I wish we were seeing her in a movie of her own next instead of Captain Marvel II, though I’m excited to see her character journey under Nia DaCosta’s direction.

“In a story that’s really about Wanda’s grief and finding acceptance … the acceptance that no matter how original a Marvel thing starts off, it still has to end with a sky beam and two CGI dolls throwing particle effects at each other. [sniffles] It’s just so meaningful … this reminds me of my own struggles.”

Where is the lie here? There is no lie detected. Even if you adored almost every moment and decision made in WandaVision, you were probably a little disappointed by Wanda and Agatha Harkness hurtling balls of energy at each other as the big “showdown.” Especially when the Ship of Theseus scene taught us there are other compelling ways to subdue a big bad. We’ve seen the airborne dolls fight scene a million times before, but maybe this is some kind of superhero property onscreen stipulation, because the powers that be sure do seem to love it. Note to Hollywood: we’re ready for something different.

“Let your love for Kathryn Hahn blind you to the fact that her plan doesn’t make a ton of sense, and her past implies that the Salem Witch Trials were kinda onto something.”

Ouch. Okay! But look over there! It’s Kathryn Hahn! And Agatha All Along is the bop of the year!

The Honest Trailer also mocks the vast, worldwide-web-sprawling ecosystem of analysis, theories, and “conspiracy”-esque thinking that has sprung up around properties like WandaVision. Now, we’re certainly guilty of indulging in our own theories and predictions of what’s to come, but for me, that’s a large part of the fun of being a fan of these properties.

I enjoy seeing the Easter eggs people dig up or the wilder speculations that could be signified by a fly on the bedroom wall. And studios like Marvel and Disney knowingly fuel this feeding frenzy by maintaining ultra-super-secretive productions. A single set picture or a possibly veiled reference throws us into overdrive, and that’s all the better for their word of mouth. But sometimes a fly is just a fly, and Mephisto is nowhere in sight.

What did you think of the Honest Trailer for WandaVision? Are there other notes you had for the show?

(image: Marvel Studios)

*Peggy Carter does not deserve this kind of slander.

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The post Honest Trailer for WandaVision Has Both Hilarity and Harsh Truths first appeared on The Mary Sue.

Buildings were first electrified nearly 150 years ago. So, why is it that “building electrification” is now among the energy industry’s most popular buzzwords?

Most buildings run on multiple fuels. They use electricity to power lights, refrigerators and electronic devices. And they consume fossil fuels such as natural gas or propane to power furnaces, boilers and water heaters.

That persistent reliance on fossil fuels makes buildings one of the largest sources of planet-warming pollution. In the United States, buildings account for roughly 40 percent of the country’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly half of all homes rely on natural gas as their primary heating fuel.

The terms “building electrification,” “beneficial electrification” and “building decarbonization” all describe shifting to use electricity rather than fossil fuels for heating and cooking. The goal of such a transition: all-electric buildings powered by solar, wind and other sources of zero-carbon electricity.

What sort of technology is involved in building electrification?

Heat pumps are the big one. Building electrification is an attractive alternative today because fossil-powered appliances and equipment already have viable electric substitutes. It's just a matter of making — and paying for — the switch.

Heat pumps are the enabling technology of widespread building electrification. Unlike conventional furnaces or boilers, which burn fuels to produce heat, heat pumps use electricity to send heat where it’s needed or remove it from where it’s not, much like a refrigerator. And because heat pumps can either expel heat from the indoors during the cooling season or capture heat outdoors from the ground or air and draw it indoors in winter, they offer a two-for-one benefit: heating and air-conditioning from the same equipment.

In a fully electrified home or office, furnaces and boilers that today run on natural gas, propane or heating oil can be replaced with ground- or air-source heat pumps. Gas-powered water heaters can be replaced with heat pump water heaters. And in the kitchen, gas-powered ovens and burners can be replaced with electric ranges and induction cooktops.

Heat pumps are much more efficient than the equipment they replace. Air-source heat pumps or heat pump water heaters are three to five times more energy-efficient than their natural-gas counterparts. And researchers are using artificial intelligence to make heat pumps even more efficient.

Makes sense for moderate climates. But do heat pumps work in cold weather?

Yes, and the technology keeps getting better.

A misconception persists that heat pumps will fail in extreme cold. Not so. A recent Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) report found that cold-climate heat pumps can heat homes even when the outdoor temperature plunges to -12 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maine is so confident in the performance of cold-climate heat pumps the state adopted a target to install 100,000 heat pumps by 2025.

“It is true that older models, and the models that are designed to be in Southern or Mid-Atlantic climates, do not perform as well in the super-cold temperatures we have here. But the ones we’re promoting perform great in those temperatures,” Efficiency Maine’s Michael Stoddard told GTM.

Are there other benefits to electrifying buildings?

Yes, including public health and safety.  A growing body of research is documenting the danger posed by indoor air pollution in homes with gas stoves.

RMI and several environmental and public interest advocacy groups recently published a report that surveys two decades of research into the links between combustion of gas indoors for cooking and negative effects to human health. Researchers found that cooking with gas can lead to nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide levels that would violate outdoor pollution standards and that children in a home with gas cooking have a 42 percent increased risk of having asthma.

Once restaurant chains, professional chefs and home chefs experience cooking with electric ranges or induction cooktops, they tend to prefer the power and control — and safety — of all-electric cooking.

Is it more expensive to run buildings on 100% electricity?

It depends. Full electrification is typically the cheaper option in new buildings. Builders avoid the cost of installing natural-gas lines and meters, and improved energy efficiency can keep rising electricity bills in check. Another RMI report found that new homes outfitted with electric heat pumps, a tight building envelope and rooftop solar panels are economical even in cold-climate locales such as Duluth, Minnesota.

For existing buildings, it’s a bit more complicated.

Research has found that in many cases building owners can reduce overall energy use, lower their energy bills and reduce emissions when replacing oil and propane furnaces, boilers and water heaters with electric heat pumps. But consumers may pay a higher upfront cost to install air-source heat pumps or heat-pump water heaters instead of gas models.

In much of the country, rebates or other incentives are not yet available for the more efficient electric equipment. Owners of older buildings may have to pay to upgrade electrical panels and invest in energy efficiency improvements in order to accommodate full electrification.

Can the grid handle a widespread shift to all-electric buildings?

It appears so, but there will be some complications; grid operators must be ready for a new seasonal peak. Ongoing investment will be required in home weatherization, installation of flexible, grid-responsive heat pump water heaters, deployment of long-duration energy storage, and other measures to blunt peak electricity demand during extended cold weather events.

Economywide electrification (including transportation) could increase U.S. electricity consumption by up to 38 percent by 2050, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Overall "final energy" use would decline by up to 21 percent, however, because electric end-use technologies are so much more efficient than equivalent fossil fuel equipment.

In a recent paper, the Austin-based energy research organization Pecan Street found that if every single-family home in Texas was converted from natural gas to electric heating, households would save up to $452 annually on their utility bills, but the state’s power grid would shift to a winter peak. “The grid could evolve to handle this. This is not a wholesale rethinking of how the grid would have to operate,” co-author Joshua Rhodes told GTM.

What will disrupt the status quo?

Ultimately it will come down to a combination of policy push and consumer pull.

As in many aspects of America's energy transition, California has taken a leading role on the policy side. Already, around 30 U.S. cities and counties, mostly in California, have followed Berkeley’s lead in passing ordinances that either encourage or mandate all-electric buildings in new construction.

The California Public Utilities Commission is busy writing the rules for a $200 million program that will provide incentives for low-carbon space and water heating technologies in new and existing buildings. And the commission recently revised outdated rules that had made electric space and water heaters ineligible for billions of dollars in rebates under California’s ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs.

California regulators recently approved another $45 million for heat pump water heater incentives through 2025. New York state regulators went bigger, approving nearly half a billion dollars in funding for heat pumps through the same year.

Consumer awareness remains a challenge. A recent poll found that majorities of Californians were unfamiliar with heat pumps and induction cooktops, despite 70 percent preferring wind and solar over natural gas to power appliances in their homes. But in jurisdictions with favorable electricity rates and incentives, such as the region served by Sacramento’s municipal utility, all-electric homes are already becoming the default for new construction.

Guidehouse Insights (formerly Navigant Research) expects global revenue for all-electric home technologies to surge fivefold to $12.9 billion by 2029, even as consumer awareness lags.

Does anyone oppose a shift to all-electric buildings?

Natural gas companies, naturally.

An American Gas Association study concluded that “policy-driven residential electrification” — that is, bans on fossil fuel heating equipment — would be “burdensome to consumers and to the economy” and result in a spike in peak electricity demand. Clean energy advocates have questioned the study’s cost and emissions assumptions.

The Southern California Gas Company, one of the nation's largest natural-gas utilities, has mobilized to thwart building electrification in the state. SoCalGas has taken heat for funding a pro-gas advocacy group, Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions, that is working to prevent local governments from enacting all-electric building ordinances. 

In Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey (R) recently signed a bill that prohibits municipalities from enacting codes or ordinances that ban natural gas in buildings.

I've heard of “renewable natural gas.” Is that an alternative to fossil gas?

Yes, but the opportunity looks fairly limited.

Natural gas companies say that renewable natural gas captured at sewage treatment plants, dairies and other sources of organic waste can displace natural (fossil) gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But even gas-industry-backed studies find that renewable natural gas has the potential to replace only a small percentage of current gas consumption in California (9 percent) or nationwide (14 percent).

A recent report (PDF) prepared for the California Energy Commission found that “building electrification is likely to be a lower-cost, lower-risk long-term strategy compared to renewable natural gas.” 

Are there any other challenges to transitioning to all-electric buildings?

Sure. There's a long list of challenges, in fact, though all could be overcome. Among them: How to finance a massive scale-up in retrofits to electrify existing buildings? What are the best ways to dispel myths about electrification for contractors (“Heat pumps don’t work in the cold!”) and consumers (“I won’t give up my gas stove!”)? And how to get rid of outdated regulatory barriers?

First movers are already showing the way — see GTM’s profile of one family’s quest to ditch gas in their California home.

Equity issues loom, too. Without intervention by policymakers, the first buildings to electrify will be those whose owners have the most wherewithal to do so. As these buildings abandon gas, the customers who remain may shoulder a larger share of the costs to operate and maintain the distribution system.

Whatever the road forward, political leaders must develop long-term plans to wind down legacy fossil gas systems without leaving low-income households to pay for potentially stranded assets. 

In a post-Tony Stark world, I thought that I had somehow overcome my tears, and yet, here I am again. For those new to my tears, let me remind you: I would literally die for Morgan Stark. The young daughter of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, Morgan came into Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame in a Rescue mask, ready to be the child that Tony Stark never thought he’d have. (I have a lot of thoughts on this. Just ask me about it sometime.)

But with Endgame came Tony’s death and the end of our time seeing Tony be the father that Howard never was to him. It may be because I’m a sucker for a superhero dad, but there was something about Family Man Tony Stark that made the character feel complete in a way he never really was before. He seemed happy and like he could actually rest—that is, until he thought about Peter Parker.

But, as the Russo brothers point out in the commentary for a deleted Morgan Stark scene, the entire driving force of Tony in Avengers: Endgame was keeping his family while trying to bring back those they lost. The scene takes place in what the Russos refer to as the waystation, the place within the Infinity Stones where Thanos talked to a baby Gamora in Infinity War.

With 13 Reasons Why actress Katherine Langford as an older Morgan, the scene ended up being cut because it was disjointed, halted the story, and did exactly what Tony’s speech does at the end anyway.

Deleted Scene of Tony & Morgan Stark’s Katherine Langford from #AvengersEndgame! pic.twitter.com/lLLzOeztDZ

— MCU Source (@MCU_Source) November 12, 2019

Now, here’s the thing: This scene made no sense, and it’s better that they ultimately cut it from the movie—mainly because the emotional impact of Tony’s own farewell and little Morgan seeing her father, essentially, say goodbye hit deeper. That doesn’t mean I didn’t cry over this first thing this morning when Disney+ released it. I most definitely did. Call me a sucker for “I love you 3000” still, to this day.

But one thing about this scene really stuck out to me in a way that is maybe just my hopeful thinking. Tony asks if he’s dead, and Morgan responds by telling him that she cannot say. Is it just because, in this waystation part of the stones, he’s not dead yet? Or is it because there is more work for him to be done by the Infinity Stones, and we may see Tony Stark again? I’m hoping that maybe that will be the case in the future, but that’s also because I just want to see Tony Stark actually reunited with his family.

So yes, it is great that this scene was cut because it’s unnecessary, but also, maybe it gives us a little too much information?

(image: Marvel Entertainment)

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“Love is like a dream that’s too good to be true.” — Langston Hughes

“Love is like butter, it goes well with bread.” — Yiddish proverb

“Love is like linen, the more often chang’d, the sweeter.” — Phineas Fletcher

“Love is like those shabby hotels in which all the luxury is in the lobby.” — Paul-Jean Toulet

“Love is like a cigar, the longer it burns the less it becomes.” — Punch, 1855

“Love is like fire … wounds of fire are hard to bear; harder still are those of love.” — Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen

“Love is like the devil; whom it has in its clutches it surrounds with flames.” — Honoré de Balzac

“Love is like the measles; we all have to go through it.” — Jerome K. Jerome

Papa & Barkley, a California-based cannabis company, is shaking up the traditional retail industry with its digital-first approach. The company, which includes celebrities and athletes in its customer base, had its first six-figure sale via Instagram. At the recent Brandweek: Challenger Brands event, Papa & Barkley CMO Kimberly Dillon talked about what works and what...

“What are monster cookies, though?” I asked recently, with vague recollections of cookies with M&M’s in them.

“Peanut butter, chocolate, and oat cookies.”

“Well, I’m sold.”

This monster cookie recipe took me about eight tries (nine?) to get right, but they are just right.

I almost gave up on them, to tell you the truth. My fella took a batch to work and overheard his coworker say, “This is the best cookie I’ve ever had,” so I knew I was close.

Here they are, in time for a fun weekend baking project or Valentine’s treat. Let’s make some cookies!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Monster Cookies appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Good copywriting can go well beyond the ads.

(H/T to Read Me!)

Mindy Kaling has broken Sundance Film Festival records with the sale of her feature film Late Night. Kaling wrote and starred in the workplace comedy, which sold to Amazon Studios for $13 million after a heated bidding war. The film was directed by Nisha Ganatra, who broke onto the indie scene with her queer rom-com Chutney Popcorn in 1999 and has since had a long career in television, working on Transparent, Dear White People, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine to name a few.

Late Night stars Emma Thompson as Katherine Newbury, a late night talk show host whose ratings are dropping. As the network plans to replace her with an up and coming edgy male comic, Newbury decides to diversify her all-white all-male writing room by hiring Molly (Kaling), an eager newcomer.

Kaling describes the film as being “about women helping other women; it’s about mentor-ship and how to become a mentor … it’s a great workplace comedy.” A workplace comedy that deals with diversity anchored by two talented female leads with a female director? It’s like someone broke into our dream journal and made a movie based on everything we want to see.

Ganatra said of the record-breaking sale, “Sundance has been a dream for so long, you read about it, this magical place called the Eccles theater. All you want is for people to see your movie, there was some pressure — a film with two female leads. Will there be an audience for a female-driven movie? And to have a record breaking deal for a female-driven movie is amazing.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, Kaling described the film as “It’s really a movie about being a fan … I’ve been such a comedy nerd my whole life and I’ve always felt like on the outside looking in. I had no connections in the business, but I just loved comedy and … late-night talk shows. So the movie is just really a love letter for people who are fans of something and really want to be part of it, but don’t feel like they have any access.”

Amazon has yet to set a release date for the film, but we will definitely be watching it.

(via Deadline, image: Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)

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Lady Gaga has been chosen to grace Variety magazine’s latest cover, where the singer balances delicately on a high stool.

The shoot took place at Gaga’s Malibu house before she had to evacuate due to the ongoing California wildfires. In the photo, she dons a taupe men’s collared shirt, which Bradley Cooper’s character ‘Jackson Maine’ gifted to her in the film A Star Is Born.

In her interview with Variety, Gaga reveals that she had kept souvenirs from the movie—including her songbook, a bottle of Mr. Bubble, as well as a shirt worn by ‘Jackson’, which she hopes to share with her children in future.

The monochromatic shoot, captured by photographer Art Streiber, sees Gaga delivering some dynamic poses and making impressive shapes with her body, where one involves the singer balancing precariously on a stool.

The image has awakened comparisons to Ariana Grande’s seemingly impossible stool pose for her album My Everything. The absurdity of Grande’s body position had left Twitter users baffled as to how the singer managed it without any Photoshop. It eventually morphed into a comical challenge where internet users attempted to recreate the pose.

Take a look at the similarities between Gaga and Grande’s shoot below.

View this post on Instagram

COVER STORY: Lady Gaga can’t shake her character from #AStarIsBorn. And she doesn’t want to. Head out of the shallow to the link in bio to read full profile. (📸: @aspictures)

A post shared by Variety Magazine (@variety) on Nov 13, 2018 at 6:12am PST

View this post on Instagram

Recognize this shirt from somewhere? It's the same one worn by Jackson Maine in #AStarIsBorn and it was one of three things Lady Gaga kept from set. Link in bio for all the souvenirs Mother Monster swiped. (📷: @aspictures)

A post shared by Variety Magazine (@variety) on Nov 13, 2018 at 7:01am PST

View this post on Instagram

Why'd she come around us with a pose like that? (📷: @aspictures)

A post shared by Variety Magazine (@variety) on Nov 13, 2018 at 12:50pm PST

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Lady Gaga opens up about how she's still processing the success of her first movie: “This has been a very transformative time for me. As an artist, there’s always a feeling of ‘Am I good enough? Am I making something honest? Am I making something true?’ There is a sort of stagnant sadness in me, wondering if I'm enough." Link in bio for full interview. (📷: @aspictures)

A post shared by Variety Magazine (@variety) on Nov 13, 2018 at 1:50pm PST

seems like lady gaga is doing the chair challenge pic.twitter.com/EYaKkeOhzp

— ☁️ (@HausofMiren) November 13, 2018

Y’all remember the @ArianaGrande stool challenge? Well here is the @ladygaga stool challenge cuz this shit looks difficult pic.twitter.com/mcAVPxNVub

— Justin (@HausOfJustin) November 13, 2018

ariana grande flew so lady gaga could soar pic.twitter.com/lHwxGQCwlj

— 🍒💎COXOCHARY•• (@COXOCHARY) November 13, 2018




[via Twitter Moments, opening image via Ariana Grande, Variety]

A visualization of which ’90s movie stars would have been cast in The Avengers and various Marvel properties gives me such glee that I want it turned into a poster for my wall.

If you didn’t live through the 80s and 90s, the choices here might seem a bit head-scratching—the humor doesn’t quite click as brilliantly if you don’t know these stars’ public personalities and their bodies of work. But if you do vividly remember this era, the selections herein are just A+.

Posted by the Facebook page Bochi-Bochi, this fast made the rounds of social media and imgur:

(via Facebook)

Some of these are self-evident: of course Brad Pitt would’ve been cast as the All-American blond Steve Rogers. And youthful Leonardo DiCaprio would’ve swung into the Peter Parker role. Not a day will pass that I won’t be thrilled that we were spared Tom Cruise’s Iron Man. (I will, however, mourn never getting to see Denzel Washington as Black Panther. Can we get him into a future mentor role, Marvel? Or maybe even a bad guy?)

Sometimes it takes a couple seconds for the sheer genius of this “casting” to click: a few of them are more inspired bits of true ’90s spirit and they make my brain happily explode. Brendan Fraser as Star-Lord? Why yes, now I’m mad that I do not have this in my life. Joe Pesci voicing Rocket Raccoon? Milla Jovovich’s Black Widow? Loki as played by Gary Oldman? KEANU REEVES AS DOCTOR STRANGE?!

What do you think of these selections? Is there anyone here who made you yell ‘YES!’ at the computer or anyone that you disagree with? (I personally think they could’ve found a ’90s actress of Asian descent for Mantis instead of Winona, but I get the waif-like parallels.)

I’m also a little disconcerted now that Ron Perlman isn’t playing Thanos. What was Marvel thinking?

(via Facebook, image: Bochi-Bochi.Pe on Facebook)

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Savage.

The World Health Organization's new report on cannabidiol (CBD) found that the compound (which does not produce any kind of high -- and may actually counteract the psychoactive properties of THC) is not addictive, has no potential for abuse, and shows promise in a number of medical trials.

So of course Trump's Drug Enforcement Agency wants to class it as a Schedule I narcotic, reserved for substances with "a high potential for abuse"; "no currently accepted medical treatment use in the U.S."; and "a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or substance under medical supervision."

CBD is currently in US Phase III clinical trials as an effective treatment for epilepsy, and in earlier trials for other applications.

Apologists for Trump's prohibition on using the phrases "evidence-based" and "science-based" say that these phrases are used ""as a bullying tactic, in lieu of an actual argument" and argue that the phrase "CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes" isn't a denial of objective reality, because "Science is (ought to be) value-free, yet CDC and more broadly federal policy should embody values too."

But the plan to schedule CBD is a crisp, unambiguous example of how policy making in the absence of evidence, because of values that are unsupported by evidence, produces terrible outcomes. People with chronic pain have turned to extremely dangerous substances to treat them, prompting an epidemic that has killed more Americans that the Vietnam war. The evidence for the existence of a non-habituating, safe pain treatment is a major cause for celebration.

But the Trump administration and the Republican party represent a base whose "values" are largely aligned in opposition to the legalization of any part or derivative of marijuana. So the "evidence" of the harm from marijuana is weighed against the faith of the policymakers and their base, and the evidence is discarded in favor of the "values," to the detriment of individuals who are doomed be denied an effective treatment for debilitating illness, and to society because of the loss of those peoples' productivity, the pain and suffering of their families, and the foreclosure of CBD to help mitigate the opiod crisis.

Instead, CBD is thought to have a broad range of actions on the endocannabinoid system—a collection of neurotransmitters that bind to receptors in the nervous system to mediate a variety of physiological processes, including mood, appetite, pain, and inflammation. Though researchers are still working out all of CBD’s functions, studies on animals and a small number on humans have found no evidence that it is toxic or addictive. It’s a relatively safe compound that is no more addictive than placebo in studies.

In terms of therapeutic potential, several clinical studies have found that pure CBD is effective at treating some types of epilepsy. In some cases it can completely eliminate seizures. There’s even a pure CBD product (Epidiolex®) currently in phase III trials. And researchers are also looking into using CBD for a range of other medical conditions. Though this work isn’t as far along as the epilepsy research, the ECDD noted that there’s positive preliminary data for treating a range of conditions. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, anxiety, pain, nausea, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. There’s also evidence to suggest that CBD may be helpful in combating opioid addiction.

With the expanding data and the growing acceptance of marijuana in the States, there has been a crescendo of interest in CBD and other cannabis products. Yet, the DEA has doubled-down on its position that CBD, as a part of marijuana, is a schedule I drug. In December of last year, the DEA made the point clear by creating a new drug code for marijuana extracts, including pure CBD.

World Health Organization clashes with DEA on marijuana compound CBD [Beth Mole/Ars Technica]

(Image: Trump's Hair)

La maison Elliptique de l’atelier Mario Martins est situé à Luz, Lagos au Portugal. Cette construction ré-interprète habilement les canons esthétiques méditerranéens en les rendant actuels, modernes et audacieux. La maison a une forme harmonieuse nouant des liens avec l’environnement autour et en menant une réflexion sur l’idée d’équilibre.

Pour faire le bilan en ce milieu d’année 2015, l’agence de presse Reuters a rassemblé ses vingts clichés les plus populaires sur Instagram. De l’actualité brûlante, en passant par les évènements les plus marquants, découvrez les moments forts de cette année à travers ces images insolites.

Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters.

Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters.

Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters.

Photo by Denis Balibouse/Reuters.

Photo by Ivan Alvarado/Reuters.

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Buzzfeed staff Daniel Dalton is back with a new list of beautiful words and phrases that the English language needs. This time, it focuses on the French language.

Previously, Dalton compiled a list of Japanese words that we should add to our vocabulary. You can check it out here.

Click here to view the full list of French words and phrases.











[via BuzzFeed]

This pen could be a real game-changer for designers and illustrators.

Designed by Moscow-based Burov art, the concept of the COPiC Smart is a marker that puts an infinite range of colors into the palm of your hand.

The pen connects to a companion app on your phone via Bluetooth, allowing users to pick and choose from a wide variety of colors and shades. It relies on technology similar to an ink printer, with replaceable cartridges of magenta, yellow and cyan.

Unfortunately, the COPiC Smart remains a concept for now, although we hope that it will become available soon in the near future. Head over here to see more.









[via The Needs, images via Burov Art]

Shopping cart attrition is a huge problem for online retailers. This startup says it has the solution.

Joe Bussard, Frederick, Maryland

Photographer Eilon Paz has a project called ‘Dust & Grooves’ in which he interviews and documents record collectors and their massive collections.

A record collector himself, Paz photographs the subjects in their record rooms, surrounded by their beloved vinyl records.

They include well-known music figures like British DJ Gilles Peterson and Los Angeles-based producer The Gaslamp Killer, and the result is a series of intimate and eye-opening images that provide insight into their motivations for collecting vinyl.

Paz has documented over 130 people so far, and has turned his project into a 416-page coffee table book featuring photo essays and in-depth interviews.

Titled Dust & Grooves: Adventures In Record Collecting, it was released on Record Store Day on 19 April in the US this year.

Check out some photographs below and purchase the book here.


Gilles Peterson, London, UK


The Gaslamp Killer, Los Angeles, California


Philippe Cohen Solal (Gotan Project), Paris, France


Sheila Burgel, Brooklyn, New York


Supreme La Rock, Seattle, Washington


Eothen ‘Egon’ Alapatt, Los Angeles, California


Miriam Linna & Billy Miller, Norton Records


[via It’s Nice That, images via Dust & Grooves]