Let’s talk about strains. The word strain has many meanings: there are musical strains, muscular strains, and, yes, marijuana strains. The latter is what one looks for when purchasing cannabis from a dispensary.

Granted, in simpler times, all that mattered was 1.) the baggie held an ounce (the metal meter on the hanging scale read “1”), 2.) no stems, no seeds (Acapulco Gold is … ), and 3. It got ya high. As the plant has grown more well known, simplicity seems quaint. To purchase intelligently and learn which plant properties alleviate aches, pains, nausea, seizures, stressors, tremors and traumas, familiarity with various forms and components of cannabis becomes essential. Strains categorize these components and forms add flexibility to how they are consumed.

Charles Kenny’s book, Close the Pentagon, has an endorsement from Steven Pinker despite wanting to close something that Pinker rarely acknowledges exists.

This is a book to answer the question: What if someone who believed that war was only committed by poor, dark, distant people, and had therefore almost vanished from the earth, were to encounter the U.S. military and the U.S. military budget?

The answer is basically a proposal to move the money from militarism to human and environmental needs — and who doesn’t want to do that?

And if people who think war is almost gone and disappearing on its own can nonetheless be motivated to help end war-making by what they consider a bit player and what Dr. King correctly labeled the greatest purveyor of violence on earth, so much the better!

But a strategy to make it happen is going to need to be in greater contact with the real world than is a book that contains words like these: “If the U.S. wants to reduce the number of civil wars and their resulting spillovers . . . .”

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Public anger is increasing against Thailand's
military-backed government for its handling of Wuhan's deadly
coronavirus, because Bangkok's toll is among the biggest number of
infected people outside China.

"The country is now in the stage of disease transmission," said
Disease Control Department director-general Dr. Tanarak Plipat in a
warning for tourists and others.

"Since they are staying in places full of foreign visitors, tourists
are likely to be in areas of disease transmission."

As for "the degree of risk concerning the disease in Thailand, chances
of contraction remain low in this country," Dr. Tanarak said.

Twenty-five people in Bangkok had confirmed virus infections as of
February 6, the Health Ministry said.

Twenty-one of them, including a Thai woman, arrived in Bangkok from
Wuhan, the city in China believed to be the source of the outbreak of
the mysterious disease.

No coronavirus deaths were reported in Thailand, and some quarantined
victims recovered and were released.

Saturday, February 8, 1-5pm
First English Lutheran Church, 1015 East Main Street, Columbus

I attended the January 8 debut event of Jay Swifa’s Sound GODZ producer showcase, described as an event “where artists play original beats and grooves.”

Because I’d only heard Jay Swifa’s “Jungle” song and Rashad Thomas’ recent production for CoCity, I wasn’t sure if my expectations for the event were constant with my existence as a hip hop fan.

I arrived to find Columbus producer KMB playing hip hop music from the stage. He wasn’t playing arena dubstep circa 2010. KMB understood that there is something warm and inviting about the nakedness of traditional hip hop beats if they aren’t wack in terms of bad rhythm, clutter or completely lacking understand of key.  KMB beats were slightly upbeat, without getting ahead of themselves. KMB utilized multiple similar subtle sounds that don’t sound cluttered or disjointed.

Swifa was up next. Swift’s beats boomed with bass. soft melodies and charismatic rhythms. Swift’s new song sounded Middle Eastern with a hip hop draw to it.

He welcomed Rashad to the stage. Both still are fresh producers.