Greece To Let People Bring Pets Into More Than 120 Archaeological Sites

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Pets will soon be allowed into more than 120 archaeological sites across Greece, the country’s Culture Ministry announced Thursday, although not in the Acropolis or some of the other top tourist draws.

The move, unanimously approved by the country’s powerful Central Archaeological Council, will relax current rules which only allow guide dogs for disabled visitors into archaeological sites. The ministry did not specify when the new regulations would be implemented.

The decision is “a first, but important, step toward harmonizing the framework of accessibility to monuments and archaeological sites with the standards of other European countries, where entry rules for pets already apply,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a ministry press release.

The council approved the entry of pets provided they are kept on a leash no more than one meter (3 feet) long, or carried by their owners in a pouch or a pet carrying case. Owners will also need to show their pet’s health certificate and carry the necessary accessories to pick up their animal’s droppings in order to be allowed entry, the ministry said. Larger dogs will have to be muzzled.

But some of the most popular archaeological sites, such as the Acropolis of Athens, Knossos in Crete, Ancient Olympia or Delphi, which tend to get very crowded, will still remain pet-free, as will ancient theaters, temples, graves and monuments with mosaic floors.

Cages will be installed at the entrances of more than 110 other archaeological sites, the ministry said, so owners can park their pets during their visit.

Tourism is one of Greece’s main industries, generating billions of euros in revenue each year.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/greece-pets-archeological-sites_n_644acf90e4b04997b576b0f5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

German Court Rules That A Naked Landlord Doesn’t Justify Lower Rent

BERLIN (AP) — A German court said Wednesday that a landlord sunbathing naked in the courtyard of his building wasn’t a reason for his tenants to reduce their rental payments.

The case involved a building in an upmarket residential district of Frankfurt, which included an office floor, rented by a human resources company. The company withheld rent because it objected, among other things, to the landlord’s naked sunbathing. In response, the landlord sued.

The Frankfurt state court rejected the company’s reasoning, finding that “the usability of the rented property was not impaired by the plaintiff sunning himself naked in the courtyard.”

It said in a statement that it couldn’t see an “inadmissible, deliberately improper effect on the property.”

Judges were ruling on an appeal against a lower court decision that went in the landlord’s favor, and the tenant had only limited success overall. They found that the tenant had been entitled to reduce rental payments for three months only because of noisy construction work in the neighborhood.

The court said that the spot where the landlord sunbathed could only be seen from the rented office by leaning far out of the window.

It also said the tenant failed to prove that he took the stairs to the courtyard unclothed. “On the contrary, the plaintiff stated credibly that he always wore a bathrobe which he only took off just before the sun lounger,” it said.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/german-court-naked-landlord-lower-rent_n_64493f26e4b04997b5752e8a ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

'Dwarf Bullfighting' Banned In Spain

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s parliament on Thursday banned “comic” bullfighting events featuring dwarves dressed in costumes, in a decision applauded by disability rights groups but condemned by the few surviving performers.

Dwarves in Spain have long dressed as firefighters or clowns to chase bulls without killing them, at public spectacles designed to be humorous. The tradition stretches back decades, but has declined in popularity.

The law approved on Thursday brings Spain into line with European Union directives on discrimination against disabled people, and was hailed by campaigners.

“We have overcome the Spain of the past,” said Jesús Martín, the Director General of Spain’s Royal Board on Disabilities, which advises the Social Rights Ministry that pushed the ban forward in parliament.

“People with dwarfism were subjected to mockery in public squares in our country, passing down the idea that it is okay to laugh at difference to so many girls and boys who go with adults to see these shameful performances.”

A handful of the few remaining performers staged a protest in front of parliament to express their condemnation of the ban.

“They take it for granted that people are being denigrated or laughed at, and it’s the opposite: the respect they have for us is impressive,” Daniel Calderón, a dwarf bullfighter, told the EFE news agency.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spain-bans-dwarf-bullfighting_n_644aad46e4b039ec4e83bce2 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Cooked Bats Seized By German Officials Near Belgian Border

BERLIN (AP) — German officials seized cooked bats and nearly a ton of unrefrigerated fish after police stopped a van that had entered the country from Belgium, authorities said Wednesday.

Federal police said a patrol on Monday stopped the vehicle at a highway exit on the edge of the border city of Aachen, and found the bats under the fish. A vet from the local consumer protection office was sent to the scene and ordered the bats and fish confiscated. Police seized the van, which was uninsured.

The 31-year-old driver, an Ivorian citizen, faced a criminal complaint for traffic offenses and unauthorized entry because he entered the country without papers or a driver’s license, police said in a statement. He also faces administrative proceedings for violations of food hygiene rules, and local authorities were looking into whether he violated conservation laws relating to the bats.

A court in Aachen on Tuesday ordered the driver held in custody pending his handover to authorities in Italy, where he was registered as living.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cooked-bats-germany-belgian-border_n_6436d3e7e4b0ac409189155c ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

One Of Pablo Escobar's Cocaine Hippos Killed In Highway Collision In Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A hippopotamus descended from animals illegally brought to Colombia by the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar has died in a collision with an SUV on a highway near Escobar’s hacienda, environmental authorities said Wednesday.

The hippos, which spread from the estate into nearby rivers and now number more than 100, have no natural predators in Colombia and have been declared an invasive species that could upset the ecosystem. The crash late Tuesday reflected the additional danger that hippos, which weigh as much as 2 tons, can pose to motorists.

The vehicle occupants were unharmed in the accident in the northwest on a highway from Bogotá to Medellín, police said. The hippopotamus died immediately afterward and was removed to be analyzed, environmental authorities said.

“This is one of the dangers that the presence of this species represents. Many of them cross the highway where many vehicles pass, it is also a danger to people,” said David Echeverri López, a biologist at Cornare, the local environmental authority.

“Hippos are unpredictable, at any moment they can attack a person,” he added.

A group of them was brought in the 1980s to Hacienda Nápoles, Escobar’s private zoo that became a tourist attraction after his death in 1993. Residents of nearby Puerto Triunfo have become used to hippos sometimes roaming freely about the town.

Native to Africa, hippos were declared invasive in Colombia last year, and environmental officials say their population of about 130 could rise to 400 in eight years. Most of the hippos live freely in rivers and reproduce without control.

Colombia has proposed transferring at least 70 of the animals to India and Mexico to control their population. Scientists warn that the hippos’ feces change the composition of rivers and could impact the habitat of manatees and capybaras.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cocaine-hippo-killed-car-crash_n_64371ce3e4b05765f3803976 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Colombia's President Removes Police Chief Who Cited Using Exorcisms To Catch Fugitives

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday removed the national police director who had talked about using exorcisms to catch fugitives.

Neither Petro nor the Defense Ministry elaborated on reasons for the dismissal of Gen. Henry Sanabria, a staunch Catholic who was appointed by Petro in August of last year. But Sanabria was under an internal investigation by the ministry over whether he had inappropriately allowed his religious beliefs to infringe on his duties.

Sanabria had unleashed a debate about the impact of his faith on the police after his statements in an interview last month including that police had used exorcisms to catch drug kingpins and guerrilla leaders. He also issued a strong condemnation of abortion, which is legal in Colombia.

Although Colombia is a predominantly Catholic country of conservative and religious traditions, it is a secular state under its constitution. Petro, who was sworn in as the country’s first-ever leftist president last August, said that Sanabria would never be persecuted over his religion, but that there must be separation between religious beliefs and the state.

Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said Wednesday that Sanabria’s departure had nothing to do with his expressions of his religious beliefs, since the government respects freedom of thought. He said only that the dismissal was part of a new start for the national police force.

In a Twitter message, Petro thanked Sanabria for his work without referring to the reason for his removal.

Sanabria will be replaced by a retired general of the police force, William Salamanca, who currently is Colombia’s consul in Miami.

In an interview in Semana Magazine last month, Sanabria said that the police forces carried out exorcisms to catch top leaders of drug trafficking gangs and guerrilla groups.

He also spoke out strongly against abortion, which has been legalized in Colombia by the Constitutional Court since February of last year. Sanabria said that abortion is a “very serious sin” because it implies “killing a little person who is being formed.”

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colombia-gustavo-petro-henry-sanbria-exorcism_n_6437278de4b0ac4091895 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Man Who Threatened Dictionary Publisher Sentenced To A Year In Prison

A California man who made violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over its updated gender definitions was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison.

The sentence imposed on Jeremy Hanson, 35, by a federal court in Massachusetts also included 30 days of home confinement, three years of probation and mental health treatment.

Hanson pleaded guilty last year to interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to the Springfield, Massachusetts-based dictionary publisher and to the president of the University of North Texas.

In court documents, prosecutors said the Rossmoor, California, man has a history of making “threatening communications, nearly all of which were motivated by ... biases based upon race, gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.”

Those other communications were directed at the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Hasbro, a nonbinary rabbi and others, prosecutors said.

In a remote hearing Thursday, prosecutor Steven Breslow asked for an 18-month prison sentence, in part to serve as a deterrent to others at a time when violent rhetoric is becoming more common.

Hanson’s defense attorney, Marissa Elkins, asked that her client be sentenced to the time he has already served, citing his history of emotional and behavioral issues, including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

More time behind bars could negatively affect his mental health, she said.

Judge Mark Mastroianni in U.S District Court in Springfield acknowledged Hanson’s medical history and said he had no intent or capacity to carry out his threats, but called his actions “disturbing and terrifying.”

He noted that Merriam-Webster management was “fearful that Hanson would come to their office and cause harm,” and said internal company communications referenced the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in France, where terrorists killed 12 people who worked for the satirical weekly newspaper.

Hanson sent Merriam-Webster threatening messages and comments between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021 using the website’s “contact us” function, where he commented on word entries such as “girl,” “woman,” and “female,” prosecutors said.

“It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda,” Hanson wrote, according to prosecutors. “There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

Twice he threatened to shoot and bomb company headquarters, prompting Merriam-Webster to close offices in Springfield and New York City for several days, prosecutors said.

Hanson also wrote an email to the president of the University of North Texas in 2022 that said “You ought to be shot in the head and have your offices set on fire,” for supporting transgender students, prosecutors said.

Hanson, who appeared at the hearing remotely from a California jail, declined to address the court when given the opportunity.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-hanson-merriam-webster-prison_n_64386eb3e4b05765f381556b ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Rat Ambassadors Demonstrate Creatures' Abilities To Help Humans, Wildlife

SAN DIEGO (AP) — As an ambassador for rats, it’s never easy to win over the public. There’s that hairless tail after all.

But Runa at the San Diego Zoo is doing her best to counter the bad press. She is one of a handful of such so-called ambassadors showing off the virtues of rats at three U.S. zoos. The rats were provided by a Tanzania-based organization that is training African giant pouched rats to combat wildlife trafficking, detect diseases and perform other useful tasks.

At least twice the size of the common brown rats found in cities, African giant pouched rats like Runa are best known for ferreting out landmines and other explosive material on old battlefields in Angola, Mozambique and Cambodia, earning them the nickname “hero-rats.” Efforts are underway to expand the use of their keen sense of smell to finding people trapped in collapsed buildings, detecting diseases in laboratory samples and alerting officials to illegal goods at ports and airports.

Six African rats completed their first trial working in the field in March, spending a month at a port in Tanzania where they were tasked with detecting smuggled goods, including Pangolins. The scaly anteater is coveted by poachers and is among the most trafficked animals in the world. Its meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and some parts of China, and its scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Wildlife contraband is concealed among vast numbers of shipping containers that annually leave Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and other African ports.

Runa initially was trained to find landmines, but she often got distracted on the job. She has been excelling, however, as an ambassador, said Cari Inserra, lead wildlife care specialist at the San Diego Zoo.

On a recent day, her trainers hid small vessels of chamomile tea under the dirt in a box. As soon as she was released from her cage, Runa’s tiny nose was abuzz with twitching as she set out to work. Within seconds she had found all the vessels, and was racing over to suck on a syringe filled with a pellet-and-banana smoothie.

“One of the most fun things to see is how she changes the perceptions of people,” Inserra said.

Nicki Boyd, of the San Diego Zoo and Wildlife Alliance, said rats offer an important tool to combat wildlife trafficking, which the zoo wants to highlight since the illegal animal trade “is very destructive to the species that we are actively trying to save and protect in the wild.”

“I do think there is the ability to scale this up,” she said.

But rats still have a ways to go in winning over everyone. Last week, New York Mayor Eric Adams introduced Kathleen Corradi, a former elementary school teacher and anti-rat activist, as his new “rat czar” whose job is to battle potentially millions of rats lurking about the city.

The city’s help-wanted ad for the post stated it was seeking applicants who are “bloodthirsty,” possess “killer instincts” and could commit to the “wholesale slaughter” of rats. At her first news conference in her job, Corradi, standing next to Adams, stated her hatred of rats and vowed to use “science” to rid the city of them.

Rats can spread disease like leptospirosis, which on rare occasions can lead to meningitis and cause the kidneys and liver to fail.

Izzy Szott, a behavioral research scientist at the Tanzania-based organization APOPO, which is training the rats to work for governments, said she was not surprised to hear rats had been named enemy No. 1, but she wants people to know the full picture. Her hope is having ambassador rats at renowned zoos, like San Diego’s, will lead to more understanding and support for rat research.

New York City spokesman Fabien Levy called his city’s rats “dirty, diseased” and a public health risk that the city is intent on ridding itself of using humane techniques where possible. But he added: “Our priority remains our city’s residents, not its rodents.”

Rats in general, Szott said, “actually are quite clean animals,” adding that they groom themselves constantly and often affectionately lick their trainers’ arms after getting a good scratching.

Szott said rats often “get a bad rap,” but that it’s important to “consider our responsibility towards the wildlife around us and that we share the planet with.”

“We need to understand the capabilities that these animals have and see them in a humane way and treat them in a humane way,” she added.

African giant pouched rats have sniffed out more than 150,000 landmines to date, according to her organization. They’ve also helped health clinics in Africa diagnose people with tuberculosis, detecting the bacteria in the sputum samples of 25,000 patients.

At their facility in Morogoro, Tanzania, Szott and the other researchers are also working on training the rats to someday aid in the detection of contaminated soil or help rescuers in finding people trapped under the rubble after earthquakes and explosions. The rats, which can be dispatched into hard-to-reach areas, have been outfitted with tiny vests with a pendant they can pull to send an alert to their handlers when they find a person. So far they have succeeded in alerting their handler when given such a task in a mock disaster setting, Szott said.

And Szott said she believes someday they could be a regular fixture at some ports and airports, offering a cheaper option to drug-and-explosive-sniffing dogs. One of her program’s rats has already shown they can sniff out multiple species, she said, adding that they could be used to stop the trafficking of elephant ivory and rhino horn.

New York City’s common brown rats share the same traits, but their shorter lifespan makes them unlikely candidates for such trainings, Szott said. African rats can live up to a decade whereas small brown rats only live for a few years.

“We think they make great zoo additions,” she said of the African rats, adding that the ambassadors will broaden people’s understanding of “just how smart they are and how we can co-exist with them.”

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rat-ambassadors-improving-rodent-image_n_643eb9e5e4b039ec4e7ab7bd ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Cannabis Company Makes 420-Pound Chocolate Bar In Honor Of 420

Although 420 isn’t until Thursday, one cannabis company decided to celebrate early in a truly sweet way.

Zen Cannabis, which operates in California, Massachusetts, Missouri and Oklahoma, has spent the last four months working on a truly dope project: Creating what it believes is the world’s largest cannabis chocolate bar.

The so-called “Big Zen” bar weighs 420 pounds ― of course! ― and measures a whopping 9 feet by 4 feet and is three inches thick.

But what’s really sweet is the amount of cannabis in the colossal candy bar: 4.2 million milligrams of THC, much larger than the typical 10-milligram dose.

The asking price? A measly $42,000.

The giant bar was made at the company’s offices in Oklahoma City, according to CEO Jeremy Zachary.

“We wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before, and Oklahoma’s the only state we could do it because it’s the only one with no limit on milligrams,” he told HuffPost.

Zachary estimates 100 pounds of cannabis flower were used to make the five liters of cannabis oil used in the bar.

“We needed a custom mold, and that took a month to make,” he said, adding that the company also needed a custom table to hold the finished product and a custom cooling chamber.

“It took four pours to get the whole bar right,” he added.

Making the bar took about 24 hours, and another 18 hours for cooling.

The bar is currently at Zen Cannabis’ Oklahoma City offices, but Zachary said there are no plans to put it on display like the world’s largest ball of twine.

“This is for serious buyers only,” he said. “And start with small bites.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/420-cannabis-chocolate-bar-oklahoma_n_643eca5fe4b0482824b81f7e ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Cannabis Insiders Offer Their 420 Munchie Recommendations

Thursday is April 20, a day infinitely familiar to cannabis enthusiasts as “420.”

But while the wacky tobacky is the focus of this particular hangover holiday, fact is, figuring out what to eat after getting high provides ample food for thought for stoners.

Some fast food outlets are hoping to get the cannabis crowd with special deals, such as Jack in the Box, which is selling a “Pineapple Express” shake that is named after both a cannabis strain and a Seth Rogen pot comedy.

Meanwhile, the southern California burger chain Fatburger has teamed up with Kiva Confections to make a ketchup that contains 10 mg of cannabis that is being sold at The Artist Tree, a cannabis retail and consumption lounge based in the state.

Cannabis companies are getting into the act in strange new ways as well.

Tsumo Snacks just introduced two collaborations with chef Roy Choi: cannabis-enhanced puffs flavored like ramen and spaghetti and meatballs that CEO Caroline Yeh hopes will become a munchie staple.

“The best munchies combine different textures, so anything crunchy and soft go together really well, like a really well crafted Caesar salad,” she said. “Or like Roy Choi recommends, after eating our spaghetti and meatball puffs, eat the real dish and see how they compare.”

The Zen Cannabis brand is also celebrating by making what it believes is the world’s largest cannabis chocolate bar, weighing in at 420 lbs., naturally.

Since cannabis consumption and food go together so well, it’s no surprise that industry insiders have strong tastes when it comes to their own munchie recommendations.

For instance, former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL pro Ricky Williams, who sells cannabis under the “Highsman” brand name, said that while he tends to pick munchies based on what he’s currently craving, “I really like Indian food; they cook with so many different flavors that really pop when I’m high.”

Jay Rush of Moose Labs, a company that creates mouthpieces for joints, prefers a homemade touch and swears by something he calls the “Stoner PB&JACH: Peanut butter, jelly, apple, cereal and honey all spread over bread, while Ryan Bondhus of the Nevada dispensary chain The Source is a proud advocate of something he calls the “Hand taco: A taco that you construct on your hand and not a plate because the munchies are screaming, and you need to munch like now.”

Former Detroit Lions teammates Calvin Johnson Jr. and Rob Sims, who now run Primitiv Group, a Michigan-based cannabis company, both admitted that munchies have been a challenge for them.

“My go-to snack when I have the munchies are Gushers ― I have a crazy sweet tooth when I get the munchies,” Johnson said, while Sims added that ”I have gotten into trouble with Oreos on more than one occasion.”

But some people who actually make cannabis edibles prefer to go natural when they have the munchies.

Kristi Palmer of Kiva Confections said that while her company may make THC ketchup and other goodies, she likes to keep things simple.

“This is probably going to sound lame, but grapes, oranges, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries,” she said of her preferred go-to foods. “In my book, fruit is like ‘free’ food — you can eat endless amounts of it and it’s not at all bad for you. I doubt that is truly the case, but for sure it’s better than scarfing a whole bag of my second-favorite munchie, dark chocolate chips.”

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cannabis-industry-420-munchie-recommendations_n_643ef59ce4b0482824b85 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Cannabis Experts Weed Out Top 420 Trends Pot Smokers Should Know

Although pot smokers will be most concerned with getting high on 420, cannabis industry members will be more focused on ensuring they are still in business when April 20 rolls around next year.

So far, 21 states have legalized recreational cannabis use for adults, while medical marijuana is legal in 37 states, but some industry insiders have had a hard time making green money off their bud.

For instance, along the West Coast, there’s tons of cannabis, but federal law prohibits growers from selling outside their home state. The result has led to some licensed growers funneling products to the out-of-state illicit market just to stay afloat, according to The Associated Press.

The federal government could alleviate some of the monetary issues by passing the SAFE Banking Act, which would prohibit federal banks and other depository institutions from being penalized by federal banking regulators for providing banking services to cannabis businesses.

Barry Walker of Tradecraft Farms says the current situation is unsustainable.

“It’s about having operating capital, being able to get a loan, not paying egregious interest rates,” Walker explained to HuffPost by email. “Paying north of 30% for debt is not out of the normal in our industry right now. And we are appreciative when we get it. That’s where the industry is at right now.”

But he said everything would change when the SAFE Banking Act passes.

“The entire U.S. investment pool opens up,” Walker said. “Rates come down to five, maybe 6%, and then companies don’t have to make dangerous moves to survive.”

However, Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown postponed hearings last month to deal with the banking crisis caused by Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, according to Crain’s New York.

That’s causing problems for people like Bryan Gerber, co-founder and CEO of Hemper, a cannabis subscription service.

“With the continued failure of Congress to pass the SAFE Banking Act, cannabis retailers continue to lack access to safe, secure financial institutions,” Gerber told HuffPost by email. “This complicates capital-raising opportunities and dries out markets. Once this challenge is overcome, the market will finally have a chance to reach its full potential.”

But for that to happen, the federal government will also have to remove cannabis from Schedule 1, the federal law’s classification of drugs, substances, or chemicals that have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Some cannabis insiders like Lisa Black, a training coordinator at Insa Cannabis, are optimistic that the change in classification could come soon.

“There’s hope on the horizon! President Biden has told his attorney general to initiate the process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.’” Insa told HuffPost by email. “It’s a small step but a crucial one!”

Others, like cannabis industry consultant JM Balbuena, say many socio-economic and political factors, including international cooperation, need to align before that can happen.

“The United States is a signatory to several international drug control treaties that prohibit the production, distribution, and use of cannabis,” Balbuena emailed HuffPost. “To remove cannabis from Schedule 1, the U.S. would need to work with other countries to renegotiate these treaties or to establish a new global framework that allows for the federal legalization of the plant.”

But despite the challenges, there are plenty of positives, according to cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo.

“Our underlying market continues to grow, even though regulations have, for the most part, prevented us from effectively serving it,” DeAngelo told HuffPost in an email. “Every recent statistical study of cannabis consumers shows more and more people are consuming in almost every part of the world, so once we get workable regulations, there will be a rich and robust market for us to serve.”

George Sadler, the CEO of GelatoCanna, a San Diego-based cannabis purveyor, says the country is getting closer to the normalization of cannabis.

“If you look at the statistics, Gen Z prefers cannabis to alcohol,” he told HuffPost. “The ‘stoner stigma’ just isn’t there with the younger generation, and that shows a lot of progress within the cannabis industry.”

Sadler is also happy that the legal market has become more consistent in terms of quality, something he says “you don’t find... in the illicit market.”

Arshad Lasi of the Oklahoma-based Nirvana Group said cannabis “has the potential to become as ingrained into our lives like coffee or vitamins” and says the industry is trending towards commodification.

“We’re transforming specific aspects of cannabis into different forms for a variety of functions, such as gummies marketed for sleep, post-workout beverages, topicals for cosmetics and more,” he told HuffPost.

Katie Enright, whose company Lavinia creates cannabis products designed to enhance sex, says there has been “a surge in demand” for cannabis-infused consumer products, such as edibles, beverages and topicals.

However, she predicts as more research comes out regarding the potential medical benefits of cannabis, the substance will increasingly be used to treat a range of conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety and epilepsy.

The way cannabis is consumed is changing, too.

Although some people still prefer good old-fashioned flower, edibles have taken a foothold for a good reason, according to Colby Wohlleb of Diet Smoke.

“I think in today’s culture, convenience is king,” Wohlleb admitted. “You can’t light a joint on a plane and watch ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ for the 20th time, but I can eat gummies. I love the smell of weed, but I can’t walk about my day-to-day smelling like it.”

Wohlleb says the growing popularity of edibles also re-opens the door to people who haven’t “smoked” in years.

“For some,” Wohlleb said, “a little gummy at the end of the day can be less intimidating than rolling a joint or packing a bowl.”

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/420-cannabis-trends_n_644029f0e4b0d8403885e1ce ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Fmr. Manager of DOD Aerospace Threat Program: “UFOs are Real”

Something extraordinary was revealed today. Former high-level officials and scientists with deep black experience who have always remained in the shadows came forward on one platform. These insiders have long-standing connections to government agencies which may have programs investigating unidentifed aerial phenomena (UAP/UFOs). The team includes a 25-year veteran of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, a Lockheed Martin Program Director for Advanced Systems at “Skunk Works”, and a former deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.

Today marked the official launch of To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTS/AAS) an innovative Public Benefit Corporation which will advance research into unexplained phenomena and develop related technology. It has established three synergistic divisions: Science, Areospace, and Entertainment. “We believe there are discoveries within our reach that will revolutionize the human experience,” says company President and CEO Tom DeLonge. Please see my previous story,- released yesterday - for background on today’s announcement which was live-streamed and is archived on the company website.

According to a TTS /AAS statement, its team members who have been “operating under the shadows of top-secrecy for decades” believe that “there is sufficient credible evidence of UAP that proves exotic technologies exist that could revolutionize the human experience.”

This could represent the beginning of a trend towards a new openness on the part of the U.S. government. These people know more than any of us, and they will be releasing important data on UAP in the future. As an investgative reporter with a long standing interest in this subject, who has worked with a few Academy team members in the past, I was shown some of this data at a meeting with them on Oct 4.

Present for that four hour meeting was Luis Eiizondo, who ran an important program at the DOD. Elizondo is a senior career intelligence officer whose experience includes working with the U.S. Army, the Dept of Defense, the National Counterintelligence Executive, and the Director of National Intelligence. He served as the Director for the National Programs Special Management Staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He is also the former Director of Programs to investigate Unidentified Aerial Threats for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

“Lue will architect partnerships with some very sensitive places, to help protect us and the technology involved, so we may achieve for you the extraordinary,” DeLonge said at today’s event.

Lue [the “nickname” for Luis] had resigned his position at the DOD literally the day before we met. I was able to verify who he was and what his tasks were at the Pentagon. He received the highest commendations from his superiors. I was told that important unclassified data and documentation are expected to be released through the Academy’s on-line Community of Interest (COI) in collaboration with the US government, which will be set up soon.

I asked him if these unidentified objects were considered to be threats. “They did not exhibit overt hostility,” he said. “But something unexplained is always assumed to be a potential threat until we are certain it isn’t. On the bright side, I believe we are closer than ever before in our understanding of how it operates,” he told me.

At the event today, Elizondo explained his work this way: “I am accustomed to being involved in close-hold, nuanced programs involving national security. This includes being a Counterintelligence Special Agent, a case officer, and intelligence practitioner. However, by far the most interesting effort I was involved with was the topic of Advanced Aerial Threats.”

He stated that he ran “a sensitive aerospace threat identification program focusing on unidentified aerial technologies.” His job at TTS/AAS will be “to work as a liaison and interlocutor in the collection of this information for the Science division, allowing us to collect facts for analysis.” How will this be done? One way is through the COI, which will “provide a platform for the detection and triangulation of phenomena events in real time, and allows two-way communication between the public and our team regarding this information.”

As a result of his position managing the DOD program for almost a decade, Lue said “I learned that the phenomena is indeed real.”

In short, less that two weeks after leaving the Pentagon, Luis Elizondo confirmed that UFOs are a real; they exist, and they have been officially documented. Can anyone argue with this fact now, given where this man comes from and what he knows?

A former high ranking DOD official - who only left his position last week - has confirmed that an official UFO Program exists, answering a question so many have debated and speculated about for decades.

It is very important to understand that Lue does not speak for the DOD, since he is no longer employed there; he speaks independently as part of the TTS Academy.

Lue also stated: “We are also planning to provide never before released footage from real US Government systems...not blurry, amateur photos, but real data and real videos.” And even more significant: “We are inviting our Government colleagues and friends in Defense to participate regularly with their own findings.”

Another member of the team, Stephen Justice, an experienced aerospace engineer, explained that he will use scientific disoveries about the travel of UAP through space, demonstrating almost unimaginable technology, to develop technology that can change the world. Steve recently retired as a Program Director for Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin after a thirty-one year career in the Skunk Works. “How dare we think that the physics we have today is all that there is,” he told me in an interview a few days ago. The opportunity here, as he sees it, is to “stand in the future and look back.””

Steve’s objective is to harvest this advanced technology to build a vehicle that will allow for almost instantaneous travel through land, air, oceans and space, by engineering the fabric of space-time. Such a vehicle could also float, like something from science fiction. Steve says we have had glimpses of the science that could make this possible. It is not outside the realm of possibiity, if the necessary resources are in place.

TTS Academy member Chris Mellon served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence for two administrations, and early in his career drafted the legislation that established the US Special Operations Command at a time when terrorism was not yet on the radar. He presented an overview of a 2004 incident involving the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz which was detected on two separate radars.

“Two F-18s approach, the four aviators see that the object has no wings or exhaust -- it is white, oblong, some 40 ft long and perhaps 12 ft thick”, he said. “One pilot pursues the craft while his wingman stays high. The pilots are astonished to see the object suddenly reorient itself toward the approaching F-18. In a series of discrete tumbling maneuvers that seem to defy the laws of physics, the object takes a position directly behind the approaching F-18.”

The lengthy event occurred in broad daylight off the California coast, and gun camera footage was taken. At one point the object went from hovering at 80,000 feet to dropping at supersonic speeds, and came to a complete stop at 50 feet above the ocean. “More F-18’s are dispatched but with similar results,” Mellon stated. “The secret machine easily evades the F-18s. Dozens of military personnel aboard the various planes and ships involved are privy to these interactions.”

Tom DeLonge’s final message today sums up the position of all involved: “No one person, one government, or one hidden institution should own this information and technology.”

The TTS Academy intends to release game-changing information of the type interested people have been seeking for a long time. “The fact is, we might not necessarily be alone,” Luis Elizondo says. “Now is the time to move forward and try to answer some of life’s deepest mysteries.”

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fmr-manager-of-dod-aerospace-threat-program-ufos_b_59de2f4be4b0b992a8 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Cooked Bats Seized By German Officials Near Belgian Border

German officials seized cooked bats and nearly a ton of unrefrigerated fish after police stopped a van that had entered the country from Belgium, authorities said Wednesday.BundesPolizeiBERLIN (AP) — German officials seized cooked bats and nearly a ton of unrefrigerated fish after police stopped a van that had entered the country from Belgium, authorities said Wednesday.Federal police said a patrol on Monday stopped the vehicle at a highway exit on the edge of the border city of Aachen, and found the bats under the fish. A vet from the local consumer protection office was sent to the scene and ordered the bats and fish confiscated. Police seized the van, which was uninsured

The 31-year-old driver, an Ivorian citizen, faced a criminal complaint for traffic offenses and unauthorized entry because he entered the country without papers or a driver’s license, police said in a statement. He also faces administrative proceedings for violations of food hygiene rules, and local authorities were looking into whether he violated conservation laws relating to the bats.A court in Aachen on Tuesday ordered the driver held in custody pending his handover to authorities in Italy, where he was registered as living.

crazy wildlife smugglersSee Gallery



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One Of Pablo Escobar's Cocaine Hippos Killed In Highway Collision In Colombia

var label_64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527 = "ctx-wait-64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527"; var defer_64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527 = document.currentScript; console.time(label_64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527); window.waitForGlobal( () => window.HP && window.HP.params && window.HP.params.clientUUID && window.localStorage && defer_64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527 && defer_64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527.parentElement.dataset.ready === "true", () => { console.timeEnd(label_64371e8ae4b0ed74f2a04527); A hippo swims in the Magdalena river in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Feb. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)via Associated PressThe vehicle occupants were unharmed in the accident in the northwest on a highway from Bogotá to Medellín, police said. The hippopotamus died immediately afterward and was removed to be analyzed, environmental authorities said.“This is one of the dangers that the presence of this species represents. Many of them cross the highway where many vehicles pass, it is also a danger to people,” said David Echeverri López, a biologist at Cornare, the local environmental authority.“Hippos are unpredictable, at any moment they can attack a person,” he added.A group of them was brought in the 1980s to Hacienda Nápoles, Escobar’s private zoo that became a tourist attraction after his death in 1993. Residents of nearby Puerto Triunfo have become used to hippos sometimes roaming freely about the town

Native to Africa, hippos were declared invasive in Colombia last year, and environmental officials say their population of about 130 could rise to 400 in eight years. Most of the hippos live freely in rivers and reproduce without control.Colombia has proposed transferring at least 70 of the animals to India and Mexico to control their population. Scientists warn that the hippos’ feces change the composition of rivers and could impact the habitat of manatees and capybaras.RelatedAnimalsNaturehipposTeacher's Pest: NYC Hires Former Educator To Slaughter Rats‘Mystery Animal’ Caught On Camera In Texas Park Ignites Debate On Social MediaPablo Escobar's Invasive 'Cocaine Hippos' To Be Relocated To Continents Around The World



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Colombia's President Removes Police Chief Who Cited Using Exorcisms To Catch Fugitives

var label_643728afe4b03031958b5053 = "ctx-wait-643728afe4b03031958b5053"; var defer_643728afe4b03031958b5053 = document.currentScript; console.time(label_643728afe4b03031958b5053); window.waitForGlobal( () => window.HP && window.HP.params && window.HP.params.clientUUID && window.localStorage && defer_643728afe4b03031958b5053 && defer_643728afe4b03031958b5053.parentElement.dataset.ready === "true", () => { console.timeEnd(label_643728afe4b03031958b5053); Sanabria had unleashed a debate about the impact of his faith on the police after his statements in an interview last month including that police had used exorcisms to catch drug kingpins and guerrilla leaders. He also issued a strong condemnation of abortion, which is legal in Colombia.Although Colombia is a predominantly Catholic country of conservative and religious traditions, it is a secular state under its constitution. Petro, who was sworn in as the country’s first-ever leftist president last August, said that Sanabria would never be persecuted over his religion, but that there must be separation between religious beliefs and the state.Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said Wednesday that Sanabria’s departure had nothing to do with his expressions of his religious beliefs, since the government respects freedom of thought. He said only that the dismissal was part of a new start for the national police force.In a Twitter message, Petro thanked Sanabria for his work without referring to the reason for his removal

Sanabria will be replaced by a retired general of the police force, William Salamanca, who currently is Colombia’s consul in Miami.In an interview in Semana Magazine last month, Sanabria said that the police forces carried out exorcisms to catch top leaders of drug trafficking gangs and guerrilla groups.He also spoke out strongly against abortion, which has been legalized in Colombia by the Constitutional Court since February of last year. Sanabria said that abortion is a “very serious sin” because it implies “killing a little person who is being formed.”

Exorcism in Mexico CitySee Gallery



Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colombia-gustavo-petro-henry-sanbria-exorcism_n_6437278de4b0ac4091895 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

German Firefighters Free ‘Uncooperative’ Squirrel From Manhole Cover

The Dortmund fire department said it was alerted to a distressed squirrel by a pedestrian Monday afternoon, after she spotted its head peering out of a hole in the road. (Feuerwehr Dortmund via AP)Feuerwehr Dortmund via APBERLIN (AP) — Firefighters say they have freed an “uncooperative” squirrel that was stuck in a manhole cover in western Germany — echoing a similar incident that happened in the same city four years ago.The Dortmund fire department said it was alerted to a distressed red squirrel by a pedestrian Monday afternoon, after she spotted its head peering out of a hole in the road. The woman covered it with a scarf to calm it down before calling for help

A crew of firefighters who arrived at the scene carefully removed the manhole cover and tried to free the rodent.“This turned out to be quite complicated as the squirrel was uncooperative,” the fire department said.After further attempts the crew was able to extract the animal unharmed and it vanished up a nearby tree.Dortmund firefighters have some experience of saving stuck squirrels. In 2019, a similar squirrel rescue drew international attention

“It could not be determined if it was the same squirrel that had to be rescued from the same situation four years ago,” the fire department said in a statement.

Fox Gets Stuck In WheelSee Gallery



Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/german-firefighters-free-squirrel-manhole_n_6435aee9e4b0fc8aefdffa8c ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Retired Iowa Mechanic Who Won $40M Lotto Jackpot Bought Ticket April 1 -- No Fooling

Earl Lape, a 61-year-old retired mechanic from Dubuque, Iowa, won a $40 million lottery jackpot with a ticket he purchased on April Fools' Day.Iowa LotteryCLIVE, Iowa (AP) — At first, the recent winner of a $40 million jackpot says he couldn’t believe he won the lottery — after all, he bought the ticket on April Fools’ Day.“I thought it was a joke,” said Earl Lape, a 61-year-old retired mechanic from Dubuque, Iowa. Only after confirming his Lotto America ticket with a convenience store clerk was he convinced he won the big prize, according to the Iowa Lottery

“I laughed. I thought it was April Fools,” Earl Lape said after claiming his prize at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.Lape opted to take his winnings in cash, which for the drawing was $21.28 million. The $40 million prize was for those who take their winnings in an annuity, paid over 29 years.Lotto America is played in 13 states and offers smaller prizes than the games Powerball and Mega Millions. But it also has much better odds — 1 in 26 million — of winning the jackpot.Lape said he intends to use the money to help his family and will also make donations to benefit children with medical issues.

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Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/earl-lape-lotto-jackpot-april-fools_n_6435b152e4b06e56d695db12 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Rough Day For Man Driving Stolen School Bus With Dead Deer Inside

A man in York County, Pennsylvania, was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly leading officers on two separate vehicle chases in two counties.It all began early on Tuesday after Pennsylvania state troopers stopped a BMW with a Florida plate and questioned the driver, Tony Saunders.Local station WGAL reported that troopers said they could see items in the car Saunders was driving that appeared to be from a nearby convenience store where a theft had been reported. However, Saunders reportedly told police he got the items at a junkyard

There was also reportedly a dog in the vehicle and a dead deer in the trunk.Saunders allegedly drove away when troopers asked him to exit the vehicle and turned off his headlights during the chase to avoid detection.But he reportedly had to leave the BMW when he wasn’t able to maneuver the car over some railroad tracks. He allegedly ran into a heavily wooded area.Later that morning, local law enforcement agencies were notified that a school bus had been stolen in Abbottstown, according to Carroll Township Police.Carroll Township Police said officers first spotted the bus at a shopping center parking lot and eventually caught up with it. The driver pulled over briefly but then pulled away and kept driving, police said

The driver then allegedly led officers on a chase that ended after he abandoned the bus and ran away on foot while stripping off his clothes.Police apprehended and identified the driver as Saunders, who allegedly admitted he had stolen the school bus after crashing the BMW. He also allegedly claimed he intended to use the dead deer carcass to fertilize his garden.Saunders remains in York County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to court documents.

10 Major Crimes That Shocked the Nation (SLIDESHOW)See Gallery



Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/school-bus-theft-dead-deer_n_642daa2be4b0b51a6cdeadba ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com