EMMA OF NORMANDY, Queen of England, later Queen of Denmark and Norway
↳ As portrayed by Laura Berlin in Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla.
No sé qué tienen las flores, Llorona
Las flores de un campo santo
No sé qué tienen las flores, Llorona
Las flores de un campo santo
Que cuando las mueve el viento, Llorona
Parece que están llorando
Que cuando las mueve el viento, Llorona
Parece que están llorando
Ay, de mí Llorona, Llorona, Llorona
Llévame al río
Ay, de mí Llorona, Llorona, Llorona
Llévame al río
Tápame con tu rebozo, Llorona
Porque me muero de frío
Tápame con tu rebozo, Llorona
Porque me muero de frío
Fragmento del cortometraje:
Hasta los huesos-Rene Castillo
Cannabis
Yesterday, I posted on tobacco, a plant I think Michael Pollan missed in his new book, “This is Your Mind on Plants”. Today I’m posting on another notable omission, cannabis.
Canada legalized cannabis in 2018 (only the second country to do so) and Canadian citizens are allowed to possess no more than 28 grams, and grow up to four plants for personal consumption. Cultivation is only permitted to licensed producers and the use of herbicides and insecticides is tightly monitored. At the same time as it became legal, penalties for illegal production and impaired driving were increased. Whether or not to allow cannabis stores was left up to individual municipalities. In the Greater Vancouver Area, White Rock has three retail cannabis stores but neighboring Surrey has none. In one store, if you go on a Wednesday, you can get a 10% senior’s discount. According to Forbes, the Canadian legal cannabis market was valued at $2.6 billion in 2020 with 60% growth expected in 2021.
After alcohol, cannabis is the most popular psychoactive drug in the world; at least 250 million people smoked it last year, ten times more people than number 3, cocaine. It’s particularly popular in North America and 50% of the adult Americans have tried it at least once. Although still illegal federally, It’s legal in 18 US states.
Cannabis alters the mind because it locks into already existing receptor sites in the endocannabinoid system. Specifically it’s main ingredient, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), bonds to the CB1 receptor. CB1 receptors usually accommodate the neurotransmitter, Anandamide. In a tragic case, a Scottish woman was born with a very rare genetic condition which resulted in a massive over-production of Anandamide. It was said that she was immune to anxiety, unable to experience fear, and insensitive to pain. Maybe this explains part of the appeal of cannabis as a recreational drug.
CB1 receptors are found in many animals all the way down to reptiles. In nature, if an animal becomes intoxicated, it runs the risk of becoming somebody else’s lunch and this is why the cannabis plant manufactures THC. Human beings are the only animal that appreciates beauty but we’re also the only species that enjoys getting stoned.
There are many negative health outcomes associated with cannabis use and legal cannabis is required to display mandatory warnings on the package. Some warnings refer to cognitive effects, such as impairments of memory and concentration. Others warn about smoking during pregnancy and impaired driving (too bad a case of beer doesn’t have them too), but this last photo is my favorite:
“Warning: Cannabis can be addictive. Up to 1 in 2 people who use cannabis daily will become addicted.”
Yeah, and the other 50% are in denial. /Flowerishness
PS Thanks, to all the people who wrote me concerning yesterday’s post on tobacco. I’ve never received so much mail on a post before.
Uno de los 400 conejos.
Agua de las verdes matas entras en mi y enseguida me delatas abres las puertas, bates mis alas, al pasar por mi garganta es un ardor que mata, pero no empalaga, ni el más fino licor se compara con tu exquisito sabor, provocas calma en mis lamentos aunque sea por u momentos me vuelcas la cabeza, me derrites lento, me vuelves unos de tus cuatrocientos conejos, igual que a Quetzalcóatl me pones violento, pero cruel y dulce tormento de ti soy hijo y abyecto.
A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans
One day in Juneau, Alaska, a black wolf appeared out in the open of a snowy field while Nick Jans (photographer and author) was outside his back porch with his pet Labrador. Usually, wolves do not encounter humans, so when he first saw the wolf, he was in shock and in fear. His dog, however, went out to greet the black wolf. It turned out that the wolf was being friendly. The Labrador and wolf started to play together as Nick captured the exciting moment on his camera. The black wolf earned the name “Romeo” because of his playfulness toward the humans and other dogs. Everyone was skeptical of the wolf at first. Soon they realized that the wolf was no harm to the townspeople and the other dogs. The black wolf had an understanding that creating a friendship and bond with the humans and dogs would bring harmony to the species. The wolf visited the townspeople for six years until one day, he was shot by a couple of poachers visiting from outside the state. It was a very tragic event. After the event, the townspeople held a memorial to remember Romeo. Nick eventually wrote a book about the friendship between Romeo and him.
“Romeo and Nick shared a bond that was probably what the first humans who domesticated dogs felt about their dogs. More than about building trust, it was about understanding need for friendship that even the wildest animal feels.”