Category Archives: Culture

Art

Adult Coloring Books Inspired By Yves Saint Laurent & Jean Cocteau

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If you enjoy French fashion, art and film and coloring books, sharpen your pencil crayons and prepare to be inspired by two French icons of unparalleled creativity: fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and playwright and filmmaker Jean Cocteau in these two funky adult coloring books.

Adult coloring book
“The chicest stress reliever ever.” —Buzzfeed
This elegant, imaginative colouring book explores the dynamic, fanciful creations of iconic fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who headed the House of Dior at age twenty-one before launching his own design house at age twenty-five.

The book’s line drawings for colouring are based on many of fashion designer’s original sketches for dresses over the years. In these pages, one can see the breadth and versatility of his creations with designs inspired by harlequins and the Carnival of Venice, Pop Art and Mondrian, and the cultures of Asia, Africa, and beyond. Colourists have much breadth and versatility to design creations of their own, with the accompaniment of full-colour photos of the dresses for reference.

This book is produced in conjunction with the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent, dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the House of Yves Saint Laurent.

Adult coloring book

JEAN COCTEAU COLOURING BOOK
The Jean Cocteau Coloring Book brings the fanciful, elegant world of artist, playwright, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau to life, serving as a primer on the work of this inspiring artist.

As a playwright, Cocteau is best known for The Human Voice (1930); as a filmmaker, he directed Beauty and the Beast (1946) and Orpheus (1948). A prominent member of the Paris avant-garde (1910s), he formed friendships and professional relationships with Picasso, Stravinsky, Gide, and more. His paintings and graphic art were playful, fantastical expressions exploring mythological themes and subjects, personal portraits, and domestic scenes.
Cocteau’s graphic drawings are ready to be coloured in, alongside original illustrations for reference. Also included are images from the original film poster for Beauty and the Beast, playful doodles that Cocteau included in letters to his lover Jean Marais, and drawings of Parisien women, cats, sleeping figures, circus performers, and other figures emanating from Cocteau’s imagination.  For the Silo, Cynara Geissler.

Yves Saint Laurent Coloring Book
ISBN: 978-1-551526-39-3
$12.95 list USD | CDN
US distribution by Consortium
Canadian distribution by UTP
Canadian sales by Ampersand Inc.

Jean Cocteau Coloring Book
ISBN:978-1-55156-40-9
$12.95 list USD | CDN
US distribution by Consortium
Canadian distribution by UTP
Canadian sales by Ampersand Inc.

YVES SAINT LAURENT COLORING BOOK

Art

Voice Industrie New Album Emerged From Accidents And Bending Rules

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For as long as I can recall, I’ve wanted to write original music, never being a fan of jumping into a covers band and playing someone else’s music. I never understood why anyone would want to, apart from maybe doing a remake or remixing a song. I’ve done a few stints, and have friends currently in covers bands… fantastic players and performers.. and I respect that…. but it’s just not for me. Usually I find that the instruments themselves are the drivers that motivate and provide me with the inspiration for ideas that might eventually become songs on an album. That’s even more relevant now with all the choices one has in electronic instruments, VSTs, DAWS, etc.

Voice Industrie Founder Alain Levesque

Years ago, electronic instruments were far less intuitive and user friendly, but we managed to squeeze every ounce of functionality they offered to break new ground and explore things not otherwise possible on acoustic instruments. With Voice Industrie, I write and produce all the songs, mostly because I know what I’m after, and to a lesser extent because nobody has ever offered to co-write a VI track. I’m not entirely sure how that translates in the grand scheme of things lol…. But here we are six albums into it since 1992.

My name is Alain Levesque and I am primarily a self-taught drummer who “learned his chops” by playing along to Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and King Crimson records many years ago. Suffice it to say Bill Bruford quickly became my idol and mentor. I loved how he approached drumming then and right up until the day he retired. I was determined to form or find a prog band to play with until Gary Numan came along and then things changed. I became fascinated with synthesizers and electronic music and began producing crude experimental electronic works in addition to maintaining my role as a drummer/songwriter for a prog trio we named Roboxis. Fast forward to 1992 after a few short-lived projects and solo outings, and the formation of Voice Industrie, which included 2 drummers on electronic pads and 2 keyboardists armed with what resembled an entire music store’s synth department.

Back then “VI” performed live only about 4 times a year, including some very memorable outings with 2Unlimited, KMFDM, Cassandra Complex, Assemblage23, SNFU and many other very good established or upcoming bands.  Today, VI consists of a trio that includes a full time drummer on a Simmons SD2000, a keyboardist and myself on Simmons and Nord pads, Keyboards and vocals. We recently held the “Dreams Of Flight” album release in Edmonton and Calgary. While VI has ventured south to the USA, we have yet to travel overseas. Maybe next year?

The Technology We Use And Embrace

In the early days I owned a Star instruments “Synare3” pad and was happy messing about with that, until the Simmons SDSV electronic drums arrived in 1984 everything really opened up. I was able to play melodies on those pads with sticks in hand while holding down the kick/snare back beat with my feet. I could contribute melodies and play harmonies to guitar or keyboard lines.  Great fun, until the draw of commercially viable music lured away my mates, and thus Roboxis was to be no more. I continued to acquire synths and Simmons gear as it came available, making the task of creating music from a drummer’s perspective somewhat less difficult, and ultimately managed a decent studio filled with electronic drums, racked modules and keyboard gear.

Voice Industrie Simmons SD2000 electronic drumset

Through the years the equipment roster has undergone changes and upgrades, but with much of the now vintage gear still serving my needs. The first two VI albums were written on and recorded directly off an Ensoniq ESQ-1 and Ensoniq EPS. A change to Cakewalk DOS (!!) was made at album #4, and I have used a number of DAWs [Digital audio workstations commonly known as ‘recording on a computer or laptop using a software program CP] until really finding my groove with FL Studio and Cubase.

I have a few “go to” VSTs but still draw on sounds generated by vintage outboard gear such as the Simmons SDS7, SDE, MTM, Korg Wavestation, Ensoniq VFX-SD and others for inspiration. I quite enjoy randomly layering multiple instruments with MIDI to see what ensues, like playing the Nord Drum2 and Simmons SD2000 MIDI’d to a VST or Virus TI. I am never quite sure what will ensue. For the past few albums, I have forced myself to toss away familiarity when writing. Only by subjecting oneself to discomfort and unfamiliar territory will one experience unexpected results. This couldn’t be more true with the latest album, where a lot of it emerged from accidents and bending the rules lol. I love that!

Learn More

The Voice industrie website (with store) : http://www.voiceindustrie.com/
VI – “Dreams Of Flight” album outlets: https://voiceindustrie.hearnow.com/
Voice industrie on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM3GgysoXRfwCCYtsL5H93w
VI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voiceindustrie

Culture

Glyphosate From Roundup Pesticides Does Not Belong In Canadian Food

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Let’s cut right to the chase: Do you know what’s in your lunch?  We were curious, so we decided to investigate further.

We tested popular foods such as Cheerios, a Tim Hortons bagel, Ritz crackers and Fontaine Santé hummus and the results were overwhelming: 80 per cent of the foods tested contained the harmful chemical glyphosate. Glyphosate, Canada’s top-selling weed killer and key ingredient in Monsanto’s product Roundup, is of particular concern because of its links to cancer.

The unchecked use of glyphosate and widespread contamination of the foods that you and your children eat every day is not acceptable.

Just last month, a California court ruled that Monsanto’s glyphosate–based pesticide, contributed to an American citizen’s cancer. The court case revealed documents showing Monsanto manipulated scientific research and downplayed the risk of its products for decades. This case is just one of several thousand lawsuits against Monsanto (now owned by Bayer).

In Canada, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (a department of Health Canada) recently reauthorized glyphosate for another 15 years. We are calling on the federal government to bring our outdated toxics and pesticide laws into the 21st century and remove harmful chemicals like glyphosate from our food. With your help, we can make this happen. For more information check out this report at whatsinyourlunch.ca   For the Silo, Muhannad Malas. 

Supplemental- Jurors give $289 Million USD to man they say got cancer from Roundup weed killer.

 

Culture

Watch World First Film Made By Finnair Airline And Helsinki Airport Here

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Finnair and Helsinki Airport have been connecting East and West for 35 years via Helsinki. To celebrate this achievement, the two have released a short film, the first one of its kind – made by an airline and an airport. The short film East and West Side Story speaks of meaningful encounters that take place when people travel.Anne Bergstedt

East and West Side Story follows a famous writer in need of personal privacy, while the whole world wants to have her in the limelight. The story plays on three continents, spacing from the US to Korea and ending in Finland. As the film’s title East and West Side Story suggests, the film has two directors:  Young-Wok Paik aka “Wookie” comes from Korea and Johan Storm from Sweden. The two directors both give their point of view on the same story, produced by B-Reel Films (Bergman: a Year in Life). The leading roles are played by Anne Bergstedt (Boardwalk Empire, Black Swan) and Jae Hoon (One Day Maybe).

 East and West Side Story is an excellent example of modern companies using branded entertainment to tell more emotional stories and reach an even wider audience around the world. The short film premiered last night in a very special event at Helsinki Airport, where an aircraft hangar was turned into a movie theater for one night. The guests were hosted by Renny Harlin, the established Hollywood filmmaker and one of the most sought-after directors in China.

Finnair facts
Helsinki Airport Facts Jeong Jae Hoon

Comics

Sophia Robot Will Make Appearance Next Year At Comic Con

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Artificially intelligent humanoid robot, Sophia, will make her first comic convention appearance at the first annual Ogden UnCon June 7-9, 2019. Sophia the Robot, the masterpiece of Hanson Robotics (www.hansonrobotics.com), has captivated nations and has become an internet sensation. Sophia has met with world leaders, addressed the United Nations, appeared on TV shows such as The Daily Show and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, and has graced the cover of Cosmopolitan, ELLE magazine, and more.  Now, this modern marvel is coming to Ogden, Utah to meet her fans and kick off Ogden UnCon’s first event.

Ever since her unveiling in 2016, Sophia has quickly rocketed to stardom. Sophia is Hanson Robotics’ most advanced human-like robot, created by combining breakthrough innovations in robotics, AI, and artistry. The epitome of artificial intelligence, Sophia is endowed with remarkable expressiveness, aesthetics, and interactivity, and can simulate a full range of facial expressions, track and recognize faces, and hold natural conversations with people.

Just like Ogden UnCon, Sophia shares a remarkable, unique and unexpected story that captivates and surprises, making her the perfect headliner for our inaugural year.

Sophia Robot Ogden ComicCon

“Sophia is the personification of the comic con spirit.” says Russ Adams, Ogden UnCon founder.  “She is science fiction, fantasy, technological marvel, and superhero come to life. And we are honored she is making her geek-dom debut at Ogden UnCon.”  

Fans attending Ogden UnCon will have the chance to engage with Sophia as she greets them on celebrity row, performs on multiple panels and parties with other celebrities and VIP ticket holders at the UnCon VIP Party. Other celebrities such as Naomi Grossman of American Horror Story, Amy Hill of Preacher, Neil Kaplan of Voltron: Legendary Defenders, and many more who have yet to be announced, also round out the show’s guest list.  

“Ogden UnCon is going to be a huge event for Ogden,” shares Ogden Downtown Alliance’s Danielle Collier, “not only will it bring guests to share in all Ogden has to offer, but it will drive our local economy, add excitement in a different realm and create an opportunity to celebrate arts and culture.” This three-day event will bring $700,000 USD in economic impact to local businesses.

Ogden UnCon is focused on bringing unconventional shows, panels, workshops and celebrity guests to Northern Utah. As Ogden’s “Untamed & Unconventional” popular culture con, this convention seeks to inspire and support local artists while entertaining and thrilling our community.

Innagural Ogden UnCon
June 7-9, 2019
Ogden Eccles Conference Center
2415 Washington Blvd, Ogden Utah 84401

Tickets for Ogden UnCon go on sale October 1, 2018. To see a full celebrity lineup and purchase tickets visit OgdenUnCon.com. Stay up to date with happenings and announcements by following @OgdenUnCon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Ogden UnCon

Ogden UnCon is a limited liability company and an annual event dedicated to the appreciation of pop culture, its creativity, and art forms. Through our convention, we will shine a light on the arts, artists, and city of Ogden, Utah.
http://www.ogdenuncon.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OgdenUnCon/
https://twitter.com/ogdenuncon/ 
https://www.instagram.com/ogdenuncon/

About Hanson Robotics Limited

Hanson Robotics Limited (HRL) is an AI company dedicated to research, robotics and the creation of the world’s most realistic humanoids. We quest to create robots with intellect, empathy and wisdom, traits future AI technologies and robots will need in order to solve some of humanity’s toughest problems. Led by renowned roboticist, sculptor and former Disney imagineer David Hanson, HRL recently received the prestigious 2018 Edison Prize for Robotics. For more information, please visit http://hansonrobotics.com.

Culture

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Are Shared Vision Of Humanity

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A few years ago, in September 2015, 193 countries signed up to support the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals for our planet and the people that live on it. The all-encompassing plan included promises to end poverty, feed everyone, create stability and peace, provide quality education and protect the future of our world. Every man, woman and child on the planet were invited to play their part to turn 17 goals into action and the promises into reality.

Goal 4 promised to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all. “OECD countries have generally been successful in guaranteeing adequate infrastructure and near-universal access to basic education,” says Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD. But he notes that participation in education is not enough “to ensure the knowledge, competence, skills and attitudes that are necessary to increase individuals’ well-being and the prosperity of modern societies.” He adds that the OECD’s programs have a key role to play “in the achievement of – and measuring progress towards – SDG 4 and its targets, as well as other education-related SDG targets.”

Richard Branson Save Our Oceans

“Just because poverty or pollution or climate change happen in another country far away, that does not mean that we are not part of the cause of these problems and their necessary solution.” — Thomas Gass
Since September 2015, education leaders and other influencers around the world have encouraged schools to promote all the goals. We’ve talked to teachers that acknowledge there’s nothing like real world challenges and case studies which allow students to apply the knowledge skills and dispositions they will need to succeed in an interconnected world.

How are we all doing so far? What have leaders learned from the implementation journey, and as a new school year begins, how can we build on those lessons to improve our efforts to achieve our planet’s plan moving forward?

Thomas Gass was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs in UN DESA and he took office on 3 September 2013. The Global Search for Education welcomes Thomas Gass.

Educators Have Sustainability Role

“Educators have an essential role in making sure the SDGs become a real social contract with the people.” — Thomas Gass

Thomas, please share one or two of the most important lessons you have personally learned spearheading the SDG’s implementation process thus far? It’s simple: The SDG’s are not a run-off-the-mill development strategy for big international organisations to fix the problems in the South… The SDGs are a shared vision of humanity – they are the missing (vision) piece of our globalization puzzle! This means that they can only be implemented if everyone is involved: Governments of course, but also municipalities, private companies, schools and universities, local organisations and individuals – everyone. Now, that can only happen if the people know about them… So mobilization and advocacy are crucial. The SDGs must become a new social contract between leaders and the people.

Leaders agreed that we must change the way we deal with the weakest among us, i.e. that we take the greatest care of those who are weak. What more would you ask of the leaders of rich and poor countries in terms of being good role models for this important part of the vision?

The promise to leave no one behind is the most difficult commitment of this new social contract. It requires that we all seek to understand who the most vulnerable people are and what risks they face, and then systematically empower these people and build their resilience. Political as well as economic leaders need to understand that sustainability has been redefined: If a significant economic or social group is left behind, our development is not sustainable. By the same token, we are fooling ourselves if we think that any single country or private company can be “sustainable” by itself. The SDGs demand that we are honest with ourselves about our ecological and social footprint! Just because poverty or pollution or climate change happen in another country far away, that does not mean that we are not part of the cause of these problems and their necessary solution.

United Nations Global Goals

“Know your #SDGs/#GlobalGoals and hold adults and leaders accountable for them, push back if they try to make you believe that your country, language, tribe or family is greater or more deserving than the others, and look for opportunities to make a difference yourselves.” — Thomas Gass

What more would you ask of educators in the work that lies ahead?

Educators have an essential role in making sure the SDGs become a real social contract with the people. I have the highest esteem for those committed educators who are bringing the SDGs into the classrooms, and educating younger generations to become global citizens. I firmly believe that this can be done as part of any teaching subject or class. I encourage all educators to join movements and co-create resources such as teachsdgs.org, GCEDclearinghouse.org, etc., and to encourage OECD/PISA to align their Global Competency criteria to the SDGs by 2018.

And finally, perhaps most important – what is your message to youth for the school year ahead on their part in the planet’s plan?

C.M. RubinHere is my message: This world is your world to share and enjoy. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” Know your #SDGs/#GlobalGoals and hold adults and leaders accountable for them, push back if they try to make you believe that your country, language, tribe or family is greater or more deserving than the others, and look for opportunities to make a difference yourselves. Thank you Thomas.  For the Silo, C. M. Rubin.

Supplemental- Is Canada following United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals?  

Global Search for Education

Culture

Novel Warns North Americans Of Corrupt Bankers And Valueless Dollar

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Back in 2012 The Silo reported on a dark novel titled Zurabia. That book held a plot that seems less like fiction with each passing year.  Corrupt bankers, a practically valueless dollar, hyper-unemployment and underemployment, home-grown terrorism, the uptick in natural disasters and the overall lack of trust in our most important institutions – these are some of the reasons all North Americans should be very, very concerned, according to author Peter Dash a world-traveled researcher for Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs.

Peter Dash and his novel

“I predict a brutal world ahead of us,” says Dash, author of “ZUrabia,” a book about rogue forces taking over the world’s most important institutions. “Unfortunately, I have been right since my research at Harvard in 1986, when I questioned the viability of government institutions to meet general needs and growing problems, both domestically and abroad.”

The pragmatic holiday shopper this year will purchase items to safeguard their families against these threats, which have been long in the making and won’t disappear quickly, he says.

From Dash’s homepage- a map of Zurabia complete with mountains and a mushroom cloud. Biblical ! CP

“Terrorism wasn’t inaugurated with 9-11; extremism in Muslim sects has been growing for decades, and Neo-Nazi groups are starting to flourish in failing states like Greece,” he says. “The dollar has been steadily losing its value since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913; climate change has been on the radar for quite a while; and there have been greedy bankers since, well, banks have existed.”

“If you’re confident that everything is sure to be okay, then you’re not paying attention,” he says.

He offers a four-point survival strategy for holiday and everyday shopping:

• Gold is good: The dollar has lost 95 percent of its value in 100 years, and it will continue losing value. As
the Reserve continues to flood money into the system, thereby reducing current or potential value, more inflation is inevitable, acting as yet another tax on wages. So, collect and buy any gold that you can and consider spending federal notes while they’re still worth something to businesses. Think about your
jewelry, and buying more. Silver is a good option if gold is too expensive, and there are Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, that are backed by physical gold. A reputable banker or broker can help explain for those who are interested. “TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab may be good places to start getting information on gold and silver ETF trading,” according to Dash.

• Inflation: Spend your money now or smartly invest it before you lose it. Remember, banks often give clients less than one percent on many accounts, but inflation on food and real items we use, like gasoline, are going up by much more. In essence, your banker is stealing your money through the assistance of the Fed, which is killing your savings rate by cheapening money. As if to pour salt on this wound, the bank,
in many cases, lends money at four percent or higher. Rerouting some bank savings/wages by investing in canned food, for example, may protect you against the scourge of food inflation, as well as other disasters.

• Worthy purchases: With food and water, a failed society puts a premium on additional goods. They include home insulation, gardening tools and materials, computer programs and language learning kits – perhaps Spanish or Chinese – because of the increasing prominence of other cultures. Guns, security systems and other measures to protect one’s home will likely prove extremely valuable should law enforcement be spread too thin, or fail as an institution.

• Buy in bulk: Places like Wal-Mart or Costco will help you get the most value with large purchases of food. It’s important to be well-stocked if something happens that results in the emptying of grocery markets, but remember to have adequate space in your house, apartment or cabin for a “safe” room, which is part of a sound strategy for protecting you and your family.

Peter Dash has been a teacher, professor and corporate trainer for the last 17 years, working in Saudi Arabia, the former Soviet Union and China. He has an applied science degree in forestry from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in applied teaching from Southern Queensland in Australia. He was a researcher in world (dis) order and youth groups at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs, started by Henry Kissinger. He follows the investment field intensely, focusing on commodity funds and trends.
Fifteen percent of his book’s royalties will go to needy students consistent to the many years Dash has worked in assisting voluntary youth organizations. He lives on a small tropical island that is stocked with the finest well water, fish and food. Dash invests in Gold ETFs and commodity trading companies.

Supplemental– CBC radio interview with Dash on Zurabia

Culture

Thoughts On Rejection And Concept Of Groundlessness

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Rejection. “We lived in Northern New Mexico. I was standing in front of our house drinking a cup of tea. I heard the car drive up and the door bang shut. Then he walked around the corner, and without warning, he told me he was having an affair and he wanted a divorce. I remember the sky and how huge it was. I remember the sound of the river and the steam rising up from my tea. There was no time, no thought, there was nothing–just the light and a profound, limitless stillness. Then I regrouped and picked up a stone and threw it at him.” -Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart

This quote, about the moment Pema Chodron’s life began to change, the moment she experienced true groundlessness, applies to so many circumstances in life. Whether we are experiencing the rejection of a lover or spouse, or rejection from a gallery, grant application, art school, the list goes on and on, it is not uncommon for it to feel like the ground has slipped from beneath your feet. When the floor opens up and swallows you whole, it is human instinct to close up, distract, do whatever it takes to make the feeling go away. These are the moments when we must strive the hardest to open up and soften, allow whatever we are feeling to wash over us, and let that be okay.

If you are an artist, you may have tried applying for a grant. You may have given up after a rejection letter or two. But do you know that for every twenty grant applications you complete, you might receive one or two. Might. There are absolutely no guarantees, and the grant writing field is highly competitive. It is important to understand this going in and to have not only a system to keep churning out applications (because, after all this is an important part of many artists’ income and should be treated as such) it is also absolutely critical that you have your head firmly on your shoulders prepared to deal with the pain of rejection.

Let’s face it, rejection always feels personal. You put a piece of yourself out into the world only to have someone tell you it isn’t what they’re looking for. This hurts. And again, that’s OK.

What is important is that you never let the hurt get the best of you. Do not internalize rejection. Remind yourself that you are one of many. You are relying on the subjectivity of a person or group of people, and just because you do not win favor does not mean your art isn’t any good. Rather, it means your art wasn’t what they were looking for on that day for that particular thing. Accept this and move along.

Often, rejection has nothing at all to do with you. This is very difficult to get the mind around. Very often rejection is about the unspoken details being sought that someone else might happen to present.

Buddhist thought teaches us to accept groundlessness, work with it, allow ourselves to sit with it. We are all in the habit of glossing difficult emotions. We self-medicate sometimes with substances, or by tuning out and not letting the hard stuff in. Begin to notice when you start to check out and see how it feels to just be still with the difficult stuff.

Learning to deal with rejection will serve you in many ways. You will find the strength to continue your mission no matter what happens, and you will do so with grace. You will learn that just because you are not chosen one time doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try again. Often, grants and galleries invite those who are not chosen in one round to apply again. And again. The people who run things like this understand what you must begin to internalize–that it really isn’t about you.

If you begin to incorporate these things into your consciousness, eventually they will become part of the fabric. You will begin to live by the new way of thinking you have cultivated. A mindset that puts rejection into perspective and allows you to pursue your forward momentum no matter what.

Brainard Carey

Life is full of rejection, big and small. Hiding away won’t get you far. Choosing the path of least resistance may seem like the easy way but it is a road to nowhere. Remember, if you are an Artist choosing to make your art into a career, it means putting the most intimate pieces of yourself out into the world for all to see. It is a warrior’s path and requires a warrior spirit. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard  is currently giving free webinars on how to write a better Artist bio and statement and how to get a show in a gallery – you can register for that live webinar and ask questions live by clicking here.

Featured image- entrepreneur.com

Culture

Nashville Population Rise Sparks Demand for Condo Development

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Meg Epstein, founder of CA South Development and Condo Queen of Nashville, has funded over $200 million usd in the expansion of condo projects aimed towards bridging the gap of disproportionate construction of properties in Downtown Nashville.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, Nashville, Tennessee has witnessed a steady hike in population within the metro area as it’s averaging approximately 100 new residents per day. Forbes lists the city as the 7th on America’s Fastest Growing City List. The resulting and overwhelming demand for housing in the metro area has lead to an influx of rental properties, leaving a shortage of condos and townhomes despite an increasing demand for them. Another report projects the supply to increase but will still fall short of the overall demand within the city for 2018, consisting of only a two-month supply of condo units. 

Nashville Condo Shortage
GERMANTOWN WATERFRONT CONDOS, NASHVILLE, TN – IN PROGRESS. Boutique new construction development of 35 luxury, waterfront condos nestled between the historic neighborhood of Germantown and Downtown. River Tower offers a relaxed balance between the natural elements of the Cumberland River and the eclectic destinations, venues, restaurants and professional office spaces of downtown Nashville. Features will include spacious balconies that cantilever over the water, superior modern interior architecture and finishes, and Wolf-Subzero appliances.

Per Meg Epstein, founder of CA South Development, Nashville’s disproportionate emphasis on apartment construction is unsustainable. Even with the increased demand to build properties to accommodate the population increase, Epstein points out the issue of banks favoring apartment projects for construction instead of condos or townhomes.

“Banks favor apartment projects, since they don’t mind recouping their investment over a period of years,” said Epstein. “However, market trends indicate condos are a far better investment option.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that millennials have “flocked to downtowns to live closer to jobs, transit and urban amenities, and the National Realtors Association reports that millennials now represent 36% of recent homebuyers. The fact that 29% of Nashville’s population falls into the 20 to 39 age group may help to explain the rising demand for urban condos. Epstein anticipates a continued population surge in Nashville and believes residential development will remain a smart bet. PwC ranks Nashville #9 for “Overall Real Estate Prospects” and #5 for “Investment”, and Forbes lists it at #6 in its “Where to Invest in Housing in 2018” analysis.

Today, Epstein is in the process of constructing condo homes to not only correct the supply imbalance in the region but to serve the consumer needs of millennials.

Meg Epstein

In fact, one of Epstein’s projects, River Tower, a 35-unit development, emulates urban centers from all-across the United States with its modern design and proximity to the Cumberland River and Germantown, mirroring real-estate paradigms of Brooklyn, Boston and Tampa. Nashville’s “Condo Queen” is putting her ardent vision for Nashville’s condo market to the test as her decade of construction expertise is being applied to blossoming the city’s residential neighborhoods with the development of a mixed-use, retail and 312-unit condo development in Downtown and two mid-rise condo homes south of the Gulch and in range of 8th Avenue South.  For the Silo, Ashley Richardson. Featured image- mixed use condo living Downtwon. 77-Unit Condo building with retail below. Modern aesthetic appointments & amenities blend seamlessly with sustainable design elements to shine a light on the benefits of a home based in form & function. Delivery Fall 2019.

Culture

Folk Art In Cyberspace

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It is interesting to consider how the development of the World Wide Web has affected the work of the untrained artist.  Like all artists, folk artists reflect the world they see around them, and have always been affected by the media.  An example is in the work of Ewald Rentz who liked watching Sesame Street on t.v., and so produced sculptures of many of the main characters.   But internet access does not have the same effect as watching television.  Television focuses our attention, sometimes helping to create cultural icons such as Kermit the Frog.

The internet spreads our attention, giving us access to a much wider, but therefore more unfocused body of information.   Things go “viral” and disappear within days, being replaced by the next “flash in the pan”.  But more importantly the web also provides an interested individual the possibility to easily research any given subject. It is reasonable to assume that most modern folk artists will at some point use the internet to look at the work of other folk artists.

Previously this information would have been available only to those who had access to reference books, or could travel to an exhibition or sale. Overall this means that if they are so inclined, artists are being more influenced by each other, and if their motivation is to sell more folk art, they will look at and emulate what’s selling.  This encourages fashion or trends which might be considered a negative. However, to a large extent ‘twas ever thus.  Artists have always looked at each other’s work, and if they like what they see, they will consciously or unconsciously emulate it.  The more interesting affect therefore is on the potential for an artist to develop an audience or market for his or her work from their home by creating a web site, and/ or joining a communal web site specializing in their type of work.  This has the potential to encourage and support many who would otherwise never be discovered.  A real God send to those who live in remote places.  Of course it isn’t as simple as throwing up a few pictures up and waiting for the phone to ring.

One still has to promote and be reliable in transactions, etc., but the potential is now much greater for a talented individual to  be discovered by  their audience, and thus support their output. For the Silo, Phil Ross. 

Culture

Roar And Embrace Your Inner Cougar

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Xandra "Sunny" Moon, author of “The Power of the Titz…a woman’s journey back to her self”
Xandra “Sunny” Moon, author of “The Power of the Titz…a woman’s journey back to her self”

It’s not hard for women in midlife to feel like they belong to the Island of Broken Toys, says Xandra “Sunny” Moon, a self-described liberated, 18-wheeler-driving, 40-plus babe.

“There are thousands of beautiful mothers, wives and ex-wives out there who feel like they’ve lost their sexuality – I know because they tell me as I travel the country and get to know them,” says Moon, author of “The Power of the Titz…a woman’s journey back to her self”(www.sunnymoonspowerworld.com). “My mission is to let them know they can get it back!”

ThePoweroftheTitzXandraMoonCoverWeb

Like the many of the women she meets in her travels, Moon suffered physical and emotional abuse as a young woman. After raising four children and enduring an unhappy marriage for several years, she fell into a deep depression, she says. But several steps took her out of despair, and by the time she climbed out, she was happy, confident and back in touch with Sunny, she says.

Moon lists the ways in which women 40 and older can rediscover their “inner babe:”

• Embrace your sexuality!: It’s not just a “Mrs. Robinson” stereotype – older women do make for better, more participatory sexual partners. Older women have more self-possession; they’re not as callow and tend to have more character both in personality, intrigue and in sexual performance. Women 40 and older are also more forthright, which can be a major turn-on, especially for younger men in need of direction.

Younger women are still deciding what sex means to them, whereas older women are more likely to appreciate it for its own sake.

• Education and employment: Perhaps the most important vehicle for Moon’s self-empowerment is her continuing education. Gaining her GED and furthering her education at a university allowed her to support herself with a good job. Past generations of women were overwhelmingly reliant upon their husbands for financial support.

Having your own income allows women the power to choose their relationships, and not remain stuck in one.

• Remember your old social life?: A big part of relocating your inner diva is remembering the good times you had as a teen and 20-something – back when you had your first appletini, your first date at a fancy restaurant and, yes, your first day-long hangover.

In many ways, these things are like new again. Under-appreciated mothers and wives tend to live primarily for others, but now it’s time to reclaim those fun nights out with the girls and catch some time for yourself.

• Cosmetic surgery: This is still a touchy subject for many ladies. Moon’s first rule is to have cosmetic surgery only for yourself – not for someone else, and to ensure you are in good enough health to withstand the rigors involved with surgery. Other important considerations include realistic expectations, potentially catty responses from girlfriends, short- and long-term consequences, such as time off work and maintenance, and whether or not you really want larger breasts or a botoxed brow.

• Dating outside your comfort zone: Maybe now is the time to consider other types of partners — perhaps those of a different ethnicity or maybe even a different gender. Now is the time to be adventurous and explore new avenues.

• Health/Diet/Exercise: Of course, feeling and looking attractive is important to you – so be healthy! Nothing is better at giving ladies that can-do attitude than a nice workout. Being selective about what you eat is as important as being selective about who you date; you want a lover and diet that will treat you right.

“We have but one life,” says Lee Abzu, Moon’s second husband, soul mate and coauthor to her books.

“If you’re single and in your 40s, 50s, 60s or older, you can either wait around for the kids or grandkids to come by and visit, or you can get out there and regain the vitality and lust for life you used to have.”

 

About Xandra “Sunny” Moon

Xandra “Sunny” Moon is a survivor who came into her own after age 40. As a younger woman, she endured rape, unlawful imprisonment, mental and emotional abuse, and divorce. She has worked 14 years as a truck driver, during which she has spoken with thousands of woman near or at midlife.

After raising her four children, she continued her education at Idaho State University and eventually married her second husband and soul mate, Lee Abzu. She now counsels women who are seeking rebirth. For the Silo, Ginny Grimsley. 

 

 

 

 

Comics

Comic Book Featuring Stand Up Comics In The Works

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Starburns Industries Press, the new publishing division of the studio behind Rick and Morty, is releasing Comics Comics, its most ambitious print project to date. Funded through an August-launching Kickstarter campaign, the Comic-est comics anthology of 2018 comes to readers in October. Comedians love comic books, cartoonists love comedy, and our idiot editor always mixes up comics who tell jokes and comics that have pictures. Now his perpetual confusion has led to the creation of Comics Comics, a quarterly anthology teaming comedy’s best with funny books’ brightest!

Comic Patton Oswalt

Comics Comics is an ongoing collection of original stories written entirely by stand-up comedians and drawn by leading comic industry artists who love comedy. Each issue contains at least 48 pages of brand-new stories written by headliners, cult favorites, and newcomers, drawn by artists from every corner of the comics world, from alternative to underground to superhero, all with the signature Starburns brand of wit that is simultaneously funny, sad, strange and beautiful.


“This series has lived in my head since I used to go to the Stumptown Comics Fest and the Bridgetown Comedy Fest on the same weekend years ago,” idiot editor Brendan Wright said. “I was struck by how much of a convention atmosphere there was at the after-hours open mics at Bridgetown, and starting this project and seeing how many comedians had favorite cartoonists they wanted to work with and how many cartoonists knew great comedians they could introduce to us made bringing together stand-up and comic books feels even more natural than I’d imagined.”

Comics Comics Issue1

Comics Comics features such voices as Patton Oswalt (MST3K, Happy!), Paul Scheer (How Did This Get Made?, The League), Sam Jay (SNL), Jackie Kashian (The Dork Forest), Quinta Brunson (Broke, Up for Adoption), Megan Koester (Coming to the Stage, Corporate), Sara Benincasa (Real Artists Have Day Jobs), Carolyn Main (Pitch, Please!), Eliot Rahal (New Comic Book Day), Rose Matafeo (Funny Girls), Nick Giovannetti (Bad Guys), with more announced throughout the campaign. SBI Press gave comedians the freedom to write whatever they wanted, in any genre—comedy or not—and they took us up on it! Delivering slices of life, flights of fancy, and journeys into genre, all with the unique worldview of people who stand in front of crowds and dissect the world into a microphone for a living.

Poop Knife Comic Strip by Carolyn Main

Teaming up to make these stories into comics are such comedy fans as Troy Nixey (Vinegar Teeth, The Black Sinister), Robert Hack (Chilling Tales of Sabrina), Evan Dorkin (Milk and Cheese, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Comic Book), Rick Altergott (Vice, Cracked), Brent Schoonover (Gregory Graves), Sarah Burrini (Nerd Girl), and more, with double threats like comedian/cartoonist Carolyn Main writing and drawing! A set of Kickstarter-exclusive covers are painted by cartoonist and HBO artist Richard P. Clark (The Boys, House of Gold & Bones).

The Comics Comics Kickstarter launches August 20 and continues through September 19. Backers can score individual copies of the comic in print and digital, as well as Kickstarter exclusives such as a hardcover version, prints, and other unique, limited-edition items. If you miss the Kickstarter, the book will be available in local comic shops, available to order through Diamond Previews and the Starburns Industries store. Comic book fans and comedy buffs alike can get a head start on the Kickstarter campaign by bookmarking ComicsComicsKickstarter.com.

Comics Comic sample page
ABOUT STARBURNS INDUSTRIES

Starburns Industries is an innovative and imaginative full-service production company, specializing in stop-motion, traditional 2D, and CG animation as well as live-action production. Starburns is a creator driven studio, whose founders are responsible for the creation of Adult Swim series like “Morel Orel”, “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole” and “Rick & Morty”; as well as the Academy Award nominated animated film “Anomalisa” and the upcoming Netflix animated feature film “Bubbles”.

Launched in the summer of 2010 to produce the Emmy Award© winning “Community” holiday special, Starburns has created a workspace that gives the support and freedom to original and creative people to make content that is funny, strange, sad and beautiful.”

Culture

Millennial Kosher Cookbook Reinvents Meals Perfect For The High Holidays

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The Jewish High Holidays are all about family and friends gathering together to share a delicious meal.  And while many people love to celebrate with favorite kosher foods there is no reason why traditional kosher and Jewish recipes can’t be different and unique.  What’s old can become new and fun again with fresh ingredients and unique twists.

Today’s kosher cooking is spicier and bolder than the food most of us grew up eating, with an emphasis on fresh and seasonal ingredients, less processed foods and healthier non-dairy alternatives.  From world-renowned kosher food blog, Busy in Brooklyn, Chanie Apfelbaum, has created a delicious collection of modern, cultural, trendy, and bold dishes that reflect her passion for reinventing traditional foods with a modern vibe with her debut cookbook, Millennial Kosher: Recipes Reinvented for the Modern Palate (Artscroll/Shaar; April 2018). 

“As a mother of five it’s so important to me to carry on family traditions, especially through food,” Chanie explains.  “Everything old can become new again, which is what I have strived for in my book, recreating cultural cuisine with new ingredients. It’s those tastes of home, the delicious aromas from my kitchen, and the memories made around the holiday table that my children will carry with them for generations.”

Millennial Kosher provides home cooks with over 150 innovative recipes for everyday and holiday meals and beautiful color photos for every dish.   For the Jewish High Holidays, home cooks can celebrate with recipes that are influenced by international cultural cuisine and not limited to, but inspired by, kosher guidelines. Yesterday’s margarine is today’s coconut oil, bone broth is the new chicken soup, and the onion soup mix of our youth is replaced with umami-rich porcini mushroom powder. Some of the delicious and unique recipes in the book include:

– Spiralized Beet Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
– Lokshin & Cabbage with Apples and Honey
– Kofta Stuffed Dates wrapped in Bacon
– Sticky Silan Short Ribs
– Gefilte Fish “Pizza”
– Mushroom Barley Risotto
– Mason Jar Honey Cakes
– Frangipane Fig Galette

“Kosher food is not what it used to be. Millennial kosher ingredients are healthier and more vibrant than ever before,” Chanie says.  “We live in a foodie culture—and the kosher world has followed suit. Kosher consumers are becoming more demanding, and restaurants, supermarkets and cookbooks have no choice but to up their game.”  

Chanie says that this development in kosher food culture has come about mainly from new exotic flavor combinations, bold spices, fresh seasonal flavors and progressive adaptations like kosher bacon and charcuterie.  These culinary ideas are what Chanie superbly showcases in Millennial Kosher.

She believes there is still a place for the kosher comfort foods of our youth but for now it’s time for Millennial Kosher.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born and raised in a kosher home in Brooklyn, Chanie Apfelbaum grew up eating traditional Jewish foods such as gefilte fish, stuffed cabbage, and matzah ball soup. Today, living just a few blocks from her childhood home, she revisits family favorites and reinvents traditional holiday dishes. Chanie’s creative twists on old-time cuisine prove that kosher fare is anything but old-fashioned. With five little ones in tow, she celebrates her heritage one dish at a time, creating balanced recipes with a modern flair and Middle Eastern vibe.

Chanie works as a recipe developer and food photographer. She is a contributing writer to Mishpacha Magazine’s Family Table and kosher.com, as well as a guest writer for numerous publications and websites. She has been featured in many national publications and media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, News12 Brooklyn, The Meredith Vieira Show, Thrillist, and more.

Chanie also shares her love of food, family, and tradition through fun and educational cooking demonstrations to audiences worldwide.  For the Silo, Trina Kaye.

For the High Holidays, Chanie recommends this delicious recipe to celebrate the sweetness of life:

Honey Roasted Za’atar Chicken with Dried Fruit
When I finally decided to take the cookbook plunge, my biggest challenge was figuring out which “best of the blog” recipes to feature — there are just so many! I’m proud to say that this recipe hooked hundreds of people onto the Middle Eastern spice blend, za’atar. I use it on pita chips, roasted chickpeas, hummus, shakshuka, and garlic confit.
MEAT ▪ Yield 4-5 Servings ▪  Freezer Friendly

10 oz. dried apricots (scant 2 cups)
10 oz. pitted dried prunes (scant 2 cups)
3 Tbsp za’atar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken legs, skin-on
1⁄2 cup dry red wine
kosher salt, to taste
1⁄3 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread apricots and prunes into a 9×13-inch pan.
2. In a bowl, combine za’atar and olive oil to create a paste. Rub the za’atar paste over chicken; place chicken on dried fruit. Pour wine around the chicken; sprinkle with salt.
3. Cover tightly with foil; bake for 1 hour.
4. Uncover the pan. Drizzle the chicken with honey. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 30-45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices.

Recipe/photo from Millennial Kosher by Chanie Apfelbaum. Artscroll/Shaar; April 2018         

ISBN #: 9781422620557

Featured image from Millennial Kosher- Raman Shakshuka 

Culture

Regarding Money And Government In Business Positions

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LetterstotheSilo Dear Silo, I kept my Silo printed back issues and I just re-read the January-February 2013  issue of The Silo. I noticed that a few of the articles involve the issue of consent (biogas facility, mega-quarry, dads attending births) and choice (media publications, GMO foods, liquor sales). Freedom of choice and voluntary consent are basic human liberties that we often take for granted.

In the old printed article, Peter Dash questions the viability of government institutions to meet general needs, and MPP Toby Barrett says it’s high time the Ontario government takes its nose out of business. As the one image on page 13 puts it: “Government didn’t build my business, I did”. Government does not produce. It is usually an expensive and inefficient provider of services. Liquor sales should definitely be opened up to private competition to enable consumer choice. All government services, including health care, education, infrastructure, pensions, security and defense, should compete in a free market. Why should any group of individuals (including “government”) have an imposed monopoly on the provision of any services?

Goods and services should compete in a free market based on price, quality and consumer demand. Any individual should be free to do anything at their own risk and expense that does not adversely affect anyone else, and to negotiate an agreeable price for the purchase of any goods or services that they actually want and use.

monopolypoortax

Money and power are central to almost every issue. We do not have political freedom or economic freedom because we don’t have – or don’t exercise – monetary freedom. The banks, in collusion with government, essentially control money and credit by controlling the creation, allocation and price of the medium of exchange, which essentially controls the production of goods and provision of services. Money created as interest-bearing debt is always in scarce supply. Inflation is a hidden tax. We are essentially helpless to prevent anything decided for us by the people in government and their friends in big business because we do not control money and credit.

A necessary step, therefore, is to take control of our own credit and allocate it wisely, rather than doing what the controllers of money demand of us. Products and services, including currencies and alternative exchange systems, should compete with each other in a free market. Thomas H. Greco’s recent book, The End of Money and the Future of Civilization, provides an excellent explanation of the nature and function of money and offers a practical alternative to the present system. The Money Fix, a documentary by Alan Rosenblith, also explains the creation of money and its role in the economy. You might find both of these sources informative and interesting.

Sincerely,
K (Name withheld due to request)

“Banks create money. That is what they are there for… The manufacturing process consists of making a pen-and-ink or typewriter entry on a card in a book. That is all. Each and every time a bank makes a loan, new bank credit is created – new deposits – brand new money. Broadly speaking, all new money comes out of a bank in the form of loans. As loans are debts, then under the present system all money is debt.”
Graham Towers, Governor of the Bank of Canada from 1935-1955

Quotes To Consider- 

“Money is created when banks lend it into existence. When a bank provides you with a $100,000 mortgage, it creates only the principal, which you spend and which then circulates in the economy. The bank expects you to pay back $200,000 over the next 20 years, but it doesn’t create the second $100,000 – the interest. Instead, the bank sends you out into the tough world to battle against everybody else to bring back the second $100,000.”
Bernard Lietaer, economist and author

“By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces the area over which political power is exercised. … The essential notion of a capitalist society is voluntary cooperation, voluntary exchange. The essential notion of a socialist society is force.”
Milton Friedman

“What is the basic, the essential, the crucial principle that differentiates freedom from slavery? It is the principle of voluntary action versus physical coercion or compulsion.”
Ayn Rand

“For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is slavery.”
Jonathan Swift

“Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself – that is my doctrine.”
Thomas Paine

 

 

Culture

Government Of Belgium Battling Social Media Sites Blocking Nude Artwork

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Facebook and other social media sites are blocking masterpieces of “nude” art from Rubens, Bruegel, Van Eyck and others. In an open letter, several top European Museums are asking social networks to reconsider their policy. Facebook has been in the spotlight recently for blocking content including some parts of the United States Constitution and other historical documents and multimedia content.

Artistic censorship continues to pursue Peter Paul Rubens. In the 17th century, the Flemish Baroque painter was asked by the Catholic Church to paint camouflaging ‘loincloths’ over certain body parts of his Venus figures. Nowadays, social media networks, including Facebook, go one step further. All breasts, buttocks and cherubs painted by artists such as Rubens are banned on these platforms. ‘Bots’ on Facebook use artificial intelligence to screen for nudity, but do not make a distinction between pornographic images or nudity in art. Flanders – the perfect place to enjoy the Flemish Masters in all their glory – is denouncing this artistic censorship in a playful manner. At the Rubens House, ‘nudity viewers’ with a Facebook account were blocked from viewing nudity by a group of “social media police agents”.

Peter Paul Rubens Flemish Master Painter

The Flemish Masters are best experienced in Flanders, the number one destination for art lovers. After all, this is where Rubens, Bruegel and Van Eyck lived and worked. Their work can often be found still hanging in the very same places for which they were made. “We want to promote this unique experience,” says Peter De Wilde, CEO of VISITFLANDERS. “Our Flemish Masters attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Flanders each year and we are proud of this achievement.

Pieter Bruegel Flemish Master Painter

With our multi-year program focusing on Rubens, Bruegel and Van Eyck, which was launched in 2018, we are aiming for three million visitors by the end of 2020. At the moment it is not possible for us to promote our unique cultural heritage via one of the most popular social media networks. Our art is categorized as being indecent and sometimes even pornographic. This is such a shame as it restricts the promotion of our Flemish Masters.”

Eve detail Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck
Eve detail Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck

The agency in charge of promoting tourism in Flanders, Belgium explains that they have invested 30 million US dollars in 2018 to improve the experience of cultural travelers visiting that region, especially in cities like Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and Brussels. Now they can’t promote some of those museums due to restrictive policies applied by some online social networks.

Jan van Eyck Flemish Master Painter

‘We are for it and not against it’ is what the people of Flanders say. Peter De Wilde explains, “Social media and art have a lot in common. Art brings people together. Social media brings people together, and our Flemish Masters too. This is why we want to enter into discussions with Facebook so that we can use this platform as one way in which to make our art visible. Surely it’s not that difficult to differentiate between cultural heritage and gratuitous nudity?”

VISITFLANDERS position is supported by several top museums in Belgium and around Europe. In an open letter, the institutions ask Mark Zuckerberg to revise Facebook’s policy related to art, culture and heritage. Click here to read the open letter.

“We tried various channels to bring this matter to Facebook’s attention. Unfortunately nobody listened,” De Wilde explains. Flanders hopes the comedy video produced in Rubens’s House will facilitate a discussion to solve the issue and allow users to view this content that is present in encyclopedias and elementary school grade text books. “Flanders is a unique art destination. But because we are naturally modest in Flanders, we do not shout out about it often enough. This stunt enables us to make our presence felt and also honor the spirit of Pieter Paul Rubens. He was an artistic rebel who was not afraid of engaging in social debate. There’s no finer tribute to honor our Flemish Master than by taking up the battle against unnecessary artistic censorship.”  For the Silo, Marcos Stupenengo.

About the Flemish Masters.
For over 250 years, from the 15th to long into the 17th century, Flanders was a figurehead for fine arts in Western Europe and the source of inspiration for well-known art movements of the time, such as the Flemish primitives, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Artists were known for their craftsmanship, creativity and technical innovations and they transformed the prosperous and urbanized Flanders into one of the most refined cultural regions with their impressive artistic and architectural creations.

About Peter Paul Rubens, master of female nudity.
Rubens is the best-known Flemish Master. This Baroque painter, illustrator and diplomat was one of the most celebrated artists of the 17th century. He exerted a particularly strong influence. He was a master of color, composition and painting techniques and also an expert in painting female nudity. His nude figures – which often refer to mythical beings – appear extremely lifelike, made from flesh and blood, with a fair amount of cellulite and with all kinds of body shapes visibly on display.

About Antwerp, the home of the Flemish Baroque movement.
Lonely Planet selected the best cities to visit in 2018 and included Antwerp in its top 10. According to the travel guide, Antwerp is one of Europe’s best kept secrets. And there is certainly plenty to see and do there in 2018. The “Antwerp Baroque 2018. Rubens inspires” festival shows you the finest places in Antwerp: www.antwerpbaroque2018.be

Culture

Hospital Visits Becoming More Like Costly Airport Visits

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From a technological point of view there is nothing wrong with the way our hospitals have changed over the past thirty years but what about from the viewpoint of a person? A real, honest to gosh person. The hospital calls these folks patients or family members/visitors, but I think they must have a secret name for them too: consumers.

Let’s be honest- There is little in the way of real consumer value in our hospitals. Even before you set foot, cane or wheelchair through the front door you have to find somewhere to leave your vehicle. And just like an airport- parking costs are typically fifteen dollars a day. And what about that once staple of stand-up comedy topics- crappy hospital food? If it isn’t anymore, there certainly was a time when hospital cafeteria meals- just like airline meals- were cultural icons. In the hospitals I have visited recently, the cafeteria is slowly but surely being turned into something else…..monitors ready to dull your brain and feed you big corp.

On Monday I spent several hours at Brantford General Hospital’s C Wing. For most of that time, I’d only been on two floors and I’d already found two Tim Horton’s counters- complete counters mind you, not just a kiosk window offering a paper cup of coffee but something offering full breakfast sandwiches and lunch menu items. So why would anyone want to visit the hospital cafeteria? And if they did would they even be successful in finding the cafeteria? I could not find a sign pointing the way but Tim Horton’s were instantly visible and both perched in prime retail positions directly at or near an outside entrance. Starbucks take note.

While I was enjoying my double – double I discovered that my wifi usb stick did not work in the MRI waiting area. I moved around to no avail. I decided to let my laptop search for a public access node and I was successful in discovering that the hospital offers public internet access. With a credit card, a patient or a family member can spend upwards of $22.54 for one week of internet access or $11.24 for one day or part of a day. I was beginning to feel like a consumer. (note: these costs from September 2011)

Visiting is getting expensive.

If I need to complete work duties while I’m waiting for a hospital appointment or waiting to visit a patient, I’ve already spent 15$ on parking, $1.60 on a coffee and $11.24 for internet access. That’s $27.84 and there’s still lunch to consider if things are delayed. I decide to give up on the world wide web and look instead for something to read. Then I realize that there isn’t any reading material. Not a Maclean’s, National Geographic or even a Reader’s Digest. Instead there are two screen monitors broadcasting CP24 news , ticker tapes and car commercials into each waiting area. Not exactly the most calming environment.  I stand up and walk twenty feet towards x-ray waiting area 1. There is a small mass of people sitting and staring at the side-by-side flat screen monitors. From my perspective it is terrifyingly cold and stark. It is a scene from Orwell’s 1984 and I want to shake each one of them and tell them to stop. I want to tell them to pull out their corporate i.v. but I come to my senses. (this is only television after all right?) These people love t.v. The patient beside me whisper’s “t.v. keeps everyone’s mind off of their hospital stay”.  For the Silo, Jarrod Barker. 

 

 

Culture

Mediocrity Prevents A Peoples Revolution Against Publishing Giants

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The world is full of writers but has this led to the rise of mediocrity? image: philosophyslam.org
The world is full of writers but has this led to the rise of mediocrity? image: philosophyslam.org

When I was growing up, I imagined being a novelist meant I would write for a living.  This is not always the case.  There is a darker side to the writing and publishing profession, even more disturbing than the constant criticism, rejection and pirating of e-books.  We’re not all dedicating our lives to the manipulation of words for entertainment value.  Most habitual readers I know don’t realize that gone are the days when writers were intellectuals and academics spending their whole lives with their nose in a book.  In 2013 every other person I meet online claims to be a writer, many of them bestselling authors at that.

A writer in this decade is an everyman.  You probably know one yourself because anybody can claim the tag now.  They could be writing e-books, blogs or letters to the editor of a newspaper to supplement their income, but the fact remains that if you are trying to make a living from writing, your time will mostly be spent promoting and networking, and networking means you’ll come across the type of people who will inspire you to write a murder mystery just so you can make them the victim.

Life just might be creative literature...or at least a series of punctuation marks CP
Life just might be creative literature…or at least a series of punctuation marks

 

What’s brought about this change in the profession?  I’m not one of those intellectuals or academics, so I can’t say.  I am a person who has had a series of dead-end jobs but naively dedicated the last twelve years of her life to the craft of creative writing, making numerous sacrifices to find fulfillment.  To me it’s a vocation rather than a career or hobby because no matter what I do I can’t stop writing.  I mentally plot the story of job interviews during the event to cope with the pressure.  When my husband had a stroke, I imagined the blood clot that caused it as a series of ellipses in our lives, whereas the birth of my son was an exclamation mark.  People I don’t like have faces like twisty question marks and any bad luck I have is merely a comma.  I ceased to become part of my own reality a long time ago.  It verges on mental illness.  This is not particular to a writer in the 21st Century and could be said of anyone so obsessive about the craft at any time.

Now there are so many would-be writers, there is no people’s revolution against the publishing giants, despite what many independent authors, including myself, have thought and said in the past couple of years.  There are hundreds like me to whom writing is like breathing but thousands of bandwagon jumpers who rush out book after book then market them in questionable ways.  I even had one man send me private messages on Twitter every day for almost a year in an attempt to get reviews for each book his wife has written – a total of twenty three in the last two years.

"Tractor beam" - Dr. Evil
“Tractor beam” – Dr. Evil

 

I self published through choice, without knocking on agents’ doors because I knew my novel was too contemporary to wait and within a few years would be dated.  Self publishing is what the majority of wannabes do but it tars us all with that opportunist brush.  The Internet is awash with distinctly average literature written on a whim by someone who never had ambitions to be a writer and was bored one day so self published on one of the many websites that allow you to do so without a book deal.  I suspect many of them aren’t even readers.

Stories of people who have written twenty or more titles over the course of a few months and sold hundreds of thousands of copies both impress me and rile me in equal measure because despite having spent years working at it, as an independent writer without a publishing deal and only Amazon et al behind me, we are all on the same level. For the Silo, Lacey Dearie.

Art

Book Snobbery, Fairy Tales And Reality

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“The way to read a fairy tale is to throw yourself in.” ― W.H. Auden

“In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected.” (Frauds on the Fairies, 1853)” ― Charles Dickens, Works of Charles Dickens

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein

i dream of genie with blue djinn and darrens living room

I was “that child”, the one who wanted fairy tales and magic to be real. As far back as I can remember I dreamed about having supernatural powers (always good of course…well, almost always) having carpets that flew, potions that could transform anyone or anything, the ability to speak to animals. I never understood why Darren and Samantha worked so hard at concealment. Or why Jeannie didn’t dump the Major and go back to live with the Djinn….I mean, LOOK at the decor!!!! Who wouldn’t rather have scarves and pillows and elaborate brass lamps instead of that godawful avocado and mustard vibe?

Music for a fairy tale. Click me.
Music for  fairy tales. Click me.

Books fueled this. Small witches, talking mice, flying nannies, rings and boxes and mysterious rooms and islands all combined in a grand and glorious stew. Why couldn’t I have a wizard for a teacher? (maybe I would have learned math) Why couldn’t bullies simply be turned into flowerpots? Alas, eventually the adulting creeps in. And people stop being indulgent about your whimsy. And your imagination….

You stop inviting your friends over to play make believe. Or, at least, they stop accepting. And you are encouraged to put away childish things. To accumulate the right kind of books….improving books. High tone books. Books with Purpose. The wishing frogs and tall towers and magic mirrors are packed away… Book Snobbery. Where Fantasy books in the annoying “Y.A.” category are barely tolerated. Stuff and Nonsense.(keeping it G rated here. I expect points…) Children should be encouraged to read whatever they reading-on-the-buswant and adults should enjoy the same free pass. You should be proud of displaying your book on the bus whether you are reading Kafka or Twilight. There are life lessons to be found in fantasy. Fairy tales teach you that sometimes bad things do happen. (The original version of some of the most beloved and well known can be a bit brutal.

For example, the Ugly Stepsisters in Cinderella actually cut their toes off to fit into the slipper. Kiddiewinkle Disney this ain’t.. ) But good and kind usually triumph. Sometimes help can come from unexpected areas. And there is always a way out of the woods. I do live in the real world. Drive. Work. Pay taxes. Cook, clean, shop. Watch the political situation (although “real” and politics lately….never mind) When I sit at a stop light I do not think a gnome is changing the colors. I rarely look for dragons. But I still yearn for them. Magic is everywhere and everything. It may not have glittery wings, it may not be vanquished with a sword, there might not be a house dropped on it or a incantation spoken…..but it is here.

Writers poets, artists, storytellers; all know this on some level. Even if we disguise it.The human imagination is ancient. The roots of stories are found far back in oral traditions and the tales were only modified later to make them illustrations of good versus evil. We do research, we discuss, we delve and write learned papers. We collect quotes and materials, and most importantly buy the books buy the books buy the books…. Books are the real magic. The tangible, in your hands, in your face, take you wherever you want to go – Magic. Read it. Whatever the cover, whatever the rating.

If you like it, read it. Do not let any house of cards pompous proclamation tell you it’s wrong. Secretly we are looking for the elves. We want there to be fairies in the garden. We never see a shooting star without wishing. And if you are very, very lucky. You will never lose that. For the Silo, Jaye Tomas. 

 

 

Culture

Be A Part Of The Sanderson Centre This Season

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The Sanderson Centre has many incredible performers headlining shows this season. BE A PART OF IT! Mixed in with our headlining shows you will find some of this country’s best performers in exciting concerts, family and school programming, matinees, holiday classics and even shows that bring our own community onto the stage.

Their lobby series continues this season with three fascinating artists in conversation and two musical performances that you will be talking about for days afterward. Find out more by clicking on the 2018 2019 SEASON image to the right.

Supplemental- The warm history behind last year’s 100 Year Sanderson Centre Anniversary.

 

Culture

Interesting Book On Trade And Civilization Prehistory To Early Modern Era

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This book provides the first global analysis of the relationship between trade and civilization from the beginning of civilization around 3000 BC including the Silk Road, the Indian Ocean trade, Near Eastern family traders of the Bronze Age, and the Medieval Hanseatic League, it examines the role of the individual merchant, the products of trade, the role of the state, and the technical conditions for the land and sea transport that created diverging systems of trade and developed global trade networks.

Trade networks, however, were not durable. The contributors discuss the establishment and decline of great trading network systems, and how they related to the expansion of civilization, and to different forms of social and economic exploitation. Case studies focus on local conditions as well as global networks until sixteenth century when the whole globe was finally connected by trade.

Trade and Civilization results from a three-step academic venture. The idea for this book originated in two Swedish interdisciplinary conferences on Global Histories held in 2011 and 2012, where a number of central research themes were identified and discussed. It inspired three editors to propose a carefully prepared international follow-up conference on the theme of trade and civilization that should lead to (this) a book.

Click here to continue reading full book text in PDF.  For the Silo, Christian Christiansen. 

Art

Dance Healing Immigrant Victims Of War Prejudice And Sexual Exploitation

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Study after study has shown that arts education nurtures students’ creativity and problem-solving skills, competencies that are critical for success in a 21st Century world, but how does dance and movement facilitate healing and transform at-risk youth?

14 year old DTC dancing participants Richard Rutherford Danny Guerrero
14 year old DTC dancing participants Richard Rutherford Danny Guerrero

New York’s Battery Dance launched its Dancing to Connect programs in 2006. Since that time, the program has spread to 6 continents, 50 countries, 100 cities, and 1,000 schools. A powerful new documentary by Wilderness Films follows six dancers from the dance company from India to Eastern Europe to the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East as they support vulnerable youth helping them to express themselves through movement. The film focuses on the struggles, frustrations, resilience and ultimate transformation of the students and their dance teachers.

Producer Cornelia Ravenal says that as a trauma survivor she understood the power of art to “heal and transform.” Ravenal along with husband partner Mikael Södersten collaborated with Battery Dance Founder Jonathan Hollander to create the documentary because she believed this was a story that had to be told. As global populations continue to grow, migration and increasing social and cultural diversity are reshaping classrooms worldwide. Solutions for integrating and uniting peoples from diverse cultural backgrounds are now sought by schools and communities all over the globe. Hollander believes that “no divide has been too great for the art of dance, the primacy of movement, the common humanity, and expression, to span.”

Read the Full Article

Battery Dance performs on the world’s stages, teaches, presents, and advocates for the field of dance. The Company is dedicated to the pursuit of artistic excellence and the availability of the Arts to everyone. Battery Dance has produced over 100 original dance works choreographed by its founder and artistic director Jonathan Hollander, in collaboration with a diverse array of composers and designers, and its cast of outstanding dancers.

CMRubinWorld launched in 2010 to explore what kind of education would prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing globalized world. Its award-winning series, The Global Search for Education, is a celebrated trailblazer in the renaissance of the 21st century, and occupies a special place in the pulse of key issues facing every nation and the collective future of all children. It connects today’s top thought leaders with a diverse global audience of parents, students and educators. Its highly readable platform allows for discourse concerning our highest ideals and the sustainable solutions we must engineer to achieve them. C. M. Rubin has produced over 700 interviews and articles discussing an expansive array of topics under a singular vision: when it comes to the world of children, there is always more work to be done. For the Silo, David Wine. 

Culture

Saddle Up With Your 200 New BFFs In New Advice Book

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Women’s Studies scholar Becca Anderson has gathered the wisdom from a chorus of fabulous femmes for this one-of-a-kind advice book. From housewives to Hollywood starlets, from standup comedians to startup entrepreneurs, from feminists to Facebook queens, these badass women offer unvarnished and unabashed opinions about love, life, word, men, and sex and share their very frank and forthright thinking on the wild world of relationships.

This delightfully dishy gathering of gal pals is like having a heart-to-heart with 200 of your closest friends. Garrulous girls and loquacious ladies from every walk of life unleash their wicked wit in this humorous and enlightening compilation and tell it like it is.

Badass Women Give The Best Advice Book
Price: $15.95 usd
ISBN-13: 978-1633536937

Topics include What the World Needs Now, Love Hurts, Lost Love, and Are Men Really Necessary and cover sex, personal ads, blind dates, break ups, weddings, and the prerequisites for the perfect kiss.

Sidebars include quizzes, love and sex bucket lists and topics like “Size Really Does Matter,” and “Cry Me a River, The Weepiest Romantic Movies Ever.”

Wait, there’s more–true tales about wild women of yore that entertain as much as they enlighten.

From Anais Nin to Lily Tomlin, from Amy Bloom to Dorothy Allison, from Drew Barrymore to Chrissy Teigan and beyond, there’s no shortage of sass, sarcasm, or sizzle and a few shocks along the way!  For the Silo, Brenda Knight. 

What people are saying about Badass Women Give the Best Advice:

These bold bon mots are a solid roadmap for living a full love. I, for one, will be taking to heart all the advice from these very wise and wild women–silver screen queens, comediennes and brilliants writers. You actually can get what you want, provided you listen very closely.
Nina Lesowitz, author of The Party Girl Cookbook

“Sometimes we women need quotes and pick-me-ups to get motivated or to have our spirits lifted. Badass Women Give the Best Advice is a book for and about women (no men allowed!). This is not a book that you read once and put away. It’s good as a conversation starter or to refer to when you want to feel big on girl power. Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of love, sensuality, and beauty is just one of the women we learn about in this book. There’s also quick rundowns on writer Simone de Beauvoir, advocate Amelia Bloomer, and much more. So fun!”
Heck of a Bunch Blog

Culture

Explore The Evolution And Creation Of America’s Music On Giant IMAX Screen

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America’s Musical Journey follows singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc as he traces the roots of American music and explores the great musical cities- places like New Orleans, Chicago, Nashville, Miami, New York City and more- where such electrifying art forms as jazz, the blues, country, soul and rock and roll were born.

In America’s musical cities, every chord, every riff, every bang of a drum tells a story. In America’s Musical Journey these stories come together to create a soundtrack for the American experience—a soundtrack that showcases the nation’s diversity and its collision of cultures, culminating in a unique blend of sound, music and innovation unlike anywhere else in the world. Click here to read full PDF release.

Aloe Blacc
Singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc tracing the roots of American music.

“There’s something exciting that happens when different cultures come together as they have in America. One of the things that happens is incredible creativity.”

Aloe Blacc US Consulate Toronto
Aloe Blacc- one of the stars of America’s Musical Journey- performing live this month at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto.

America's Musical Journey IMAX

America’s Musical Journey is a MacGillivray Freeman Film produced in association with Brand USA and presented by Expedia.

Director: Greg MacGillivray
Producer: Shaun MacGillivray
Executive Producer: Tom Garzilli
Writer: Stephen Judson
Music By: Steve Wood
Editors: Stephen Judson, Jason Paul and Victoria McGinnis
Director of Cinematography: Brad Ohlund
Aerial Cinematographer: Ron Goodman
Production Manager: Meghan MacGillivray
Production Manager: Kathy Almon
Visual Effects: Alan Markowitz

Click Me!

Culture

Groundbreaking Design For Sanctuary For Abused Animals In Mississippi

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Carroll County, MS – In Defense of Animals has unveiled brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities to care for the Deep South’s most abused animals at Hope Animal Sanctuary in Carroll County, Mississippi. The organization has rescued and rehabilitated animals in Mississippi since 1993, and this weekend it revealed a cutting-edge sanctuary that will support animals and the local community for many years to come. Members of the public joined canine, feline, and barnyard animal residents at a grand opening ceremony on Saturday, May 12, to celebrate and unveil the major face-lift.

“Hope Animal Sanctuary has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of Mississippi’s castoff animals in its 25 years, and these brand new facilities offer new hope to thousands more,” said In Defense of Animals President Dr. Marilyn Kroplick. “Animals find refuge at Hope Animal Sanctuary when they are beaten, blinded, burned, sick, starved, or simply forgotten, and now they will get the top-notch care they deserve in cutting-edge facilities. We are very proud of our quarter-century of work here in the Deep South and thank our generous supporters who have made it happen – their love and compassion is literally written on the bricks.”

Carroll County is a region devoid of animal shelters and other vital animal control services, making In Defense of Animals’ ongoing work beyond critical. The charity’s Hope Animal Sanctuary has rescued, provided refuge, and fought for justice for abused animals in rural Mississippi since 1993. It gives temporary sanctuary to dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, pigs, and horses. Last year, Hope Animal Sanctuary staff placed 700 dogs and cats in forever homes.

Tiny House interior Sharon Stone Operations Director Hope Animal Sanctuary

Dr. Kroplick cut the ribbon to reveal a new operations center that houses a calming cattery and state-of-the-art veterinary rooms, and will also serve as a welcome and education center for visitors. Traditional dog-kennels have been entirely reinvented as a groundbreaking community of 20 “tiny houses” that encircle the operations center to accommodate groups of rescued dogs and cats.

The cozy community homes are a breakthrough innovation that revolutionizes the way dogs and cats are sheltered. The tiny houses are thoughtfully designed for animals’ comfort first, allowing the occupants to live in a home-like setting while they wait for their loving new guardians. Specially developed to be warm in winter and cool in summer, each tiny house is nestled around a cul de sac and scenic walking path, complete with a covered porch perfect for afternoon napping. Each tiny house has a soft grassy dog run for furry friends to enjoy the play they have been deprived of for so long.

Dog enjoys dog run at Hope Animal Sanctuary

Veterinarians at Mississippi State Veterinary College gave the seal of approval to the novel renovation plans which were developed with a specialized animal sanctuary architect.

Dr. Kroplick paid tribute to several Mississippi animal advocates who have made animal rescue their life’s work.

“The animals and people of Mississippi are incredibly lucky to have animal angel Doll Stanley, a fearless campaigner who founded Hope Animal Sanctuary and has rescued literally thousands of animals during her 25 years service in Mississippi,” said Dr. Marilyn Kroplick. “We owe huge thanks to Stanley and also to Hope Animal Sanctuary’s Debbie Clark, Sharon Stone, and their fearless team who do the hard work, day in, day out, to get mistreated animals into loving homes. It is thanks to these folks’ unfaltering dedication to the animals we stand here today and our work will continue.”

The “Doll House” was unveiled in honor of Hope Animal Sanctuary founder and Mississippi Justice for Animals campaigner Doll Stanley. The founder of In Defense of Animals was also honored by the dedication of the “Dr. Katz Cattery” bearing his name.

In Defense of Animals also paid a touching tribute to the passionate animal advocates who helped rebuild Hope Animal Sanctuary. “We thank all the compassionate, generous In Defense of Animals supporters from around the world who have donated to make the Hope Animal Sanctuary rebuild happen. We especially pay tribute to the memory of Odette Grosz, New Orleans’ “grand dame of animal rights,” for this desperately-needed sanctuary rebuild would not have been possible had she not remembered the animals in her will.”

In Defense of Animals has invested $650,000 to construct the new buildings at Hope Animal Sanctuary that will allow the charity to continue to rescue and give shelter to thousands of homeless and abused animals for many years to come.

Hope Animal Sanctuary receives no government funding, so community residents and businesses are encouraged to support this vital community service by dedicating a memory lane pathway brick or sponsoring a dog run or dog house, all of which can be inscribed to recognize your commitment to serving the most abused animals in the Deep South.

For more information, please visit www.idausa.org/givehope

Culture

Our Vintage Computer Was Used In The Thing Prequel

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Computer display in John Carpenter’s 1982 sci-fi classic The Thing,

Getting Into Hollywood Accidentally…When I conceived the idea of a computer and technology museum around 25 years ago I didn’t concern myself with things like revenue models and how the place would be funded. Instead, I just worried about getting the coolest (and oldest) pieces of technology I could in order to have the best displays possible and appeal to the widest range of people.
Fortunately, I still think like that. However, the reality of having to pay bills for storage and electricity and all of the other things that come with running a proper business (and make no mistake, a museum is a business) means that on top of having some of the greatest technology pieces in the world to look at I must find ways of making money along the way.

A couple of years ago a production company called me asking for some early computers to use in a documentary about the origins of the internet that was going to run on the Discovery Channel (or was it the History Channel?) The guy was such a quick talker that I never really got a chance to get concrete information on what the show was going to be called or when it was going to air. To this day, I still don’t know if it ever did.

Then the CBC called. They were looking for an older computer running DOS with WordPerfect, the de facto standard in word processing – in 1989. An upcoming episode of “The Fifth Estate” required a computer recreation from the 80’s and they wanted to know if I could help. I missed the initial call and by the time I had gotten back to them, they had located something locally. It was at this time, however, I started thinking differently about our collection.

Some time had passed, and then the television show “Design By Decade” called. They needed some pictures of machines from the 90’s (and yes, in terms of computers, these are now quite ancient) and then Wired magazine asked for pictures as well. People writing Wikipedia articles were asking for permission to use some of our unique photos of machines to enhance their submissions. I started to think that we were really onto something.

When I first heard about a remake of 1982’s “The Thing” I never knew I would have something to do with it. A production designer called about putting computers from that time period into the 2011 remake. The only unfortunate part, because of the nature of the film, was that they would require purchasing the computers, not just renting them. “I can’t very well rent them from you and potentially return them with fake blood on them now can I?” I recall her saying. I had to agree. In the end, none of our computers actually made it into the film but I did my part as a consultant and helped steer the production in the right direction.

Earlier this year (2012), someone from Cineflix Media called. I recognized the name from the American Pickers and Canadian Pickers shows I somehow ended up addicted to. They required a recreation of a 70’s something office with computers and related materials. Dubbed as the “world’s most heroic airborne combat missions” it seemed like the furthest subject matter from computers I could think of, but hey, everyone needs to have an office, right? Getting paid for renting out our equipment was a real bonus, plus we got to be part of something cool. Now I found myself thinking about what the television and movie houses might want and have started acquiring those machines. Typewriters and old cell phones are now filling the nooks and crannies of our storage units.

Most recently a Toronto production company called, producing a film called “Public Service”. A short film that will make its rounds in the film festivals next year, it stars Gil Bellows (“Ally McBeal”) and Sheila McCarthy (“Little Mosque on the Prairie”). The majority of the film takes place in a government office in the mid 70’s and required some hard to find computers. A large one that normally sits in storage because it’s too big for even us to display was used during filming. We are excited to see how it all turned out, but we now feel like we’re pros at renting our stuff out to production companies.

We are presently working on expanding our website to included film and television production rentals as part of our service offering. It has not only become a nice revenue stream for the museum but it’s also exciting being involved in television and film. From the CRT screen, to the LCD screen, to the Silver screen we go!    For the Silo, Syd Bolton. 

 

 

Art

STRUTT Was Largest Wearable Art Show In Canada

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"Inflation". From the 2013 show. Eclectic. Radical. Awesome.
“Inflation”. From the 2013 show. Eclectic. Radical. Awesome.

The Niagara Artists Centre’s (NAC) 2014 STRUTT Wearable Art Show was outlandish, bizarre and like nothing you’d ever seen before. STRUTT took place on November 22, 2014 at the WS Tyler Factory in St. Catharines, ON. Doors opened at 8 p.m. for the first edition of the Niagara Exotic Bazaar and the runway show began at 9 p.m. The show showcased over 40 pieces of wearable art performed by acrobats, aerialists and break-dancers to a live musical score performed by Chiac hip-hopper sensations, Radio Radio. The runway show will also include the debut performance of the mini trip-hopera, Unstrung, featuring music by Paradise Animals, contemporary hip-hop dance troupe Bboyizm, and remarkable masks created by local artist, Clelia Scala. The event website is www.struttwearableartshow.ca.

“We pack a whack of WTF into this thing. We don’t care who you are, or where you’re from, you come to STRUTT and you’ll get your head spun,” says NAC’s Minister of Energy, Minds, and Resources, Stephen Remus. “The artists make fantastic work, the performers tear it up, and we turn the factory into a hedonist’s palace. I don’t think it can be doubted, STRUTT’s the single annual occasion where Niagara genuinely surprises itself.”

STRUTT was a surreal party scene where the absurd is commonplace. As Doug Herod of the St. Catharines Standard reflects, “STRUTT rocks! STRUTT is a wearable art show, but that description doesn’t do it justice. It’s music, it’s entertainment, it’s theatre — and a lot of fun.”

And a few more designs from last year.
And a few more designs from last year.

In addition to the runway show, STRUTT  included the Niagara Exotic Bazaar, a showcase of all that’s weird and wonderful and originating in Niagara, from wine to designer clothing to glassware. The Niagara Exotic Bazzar was sponsored by Shannon Passero and co-presented by NAC and the Garden City Food Co-op.

This one from 2013 is called: "What goes around".
This one from 2013 is called: “What goes around”.

 

Culture

Study Reveals Cost Of Cannabis And Industry Growth Worldwide

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2018 Weed Index Study reveals the cost of marijuana and highlights the number of grow and head shops in 120 cities around the world:

  • With a total of 156, Los Angeles, USA has the most headshops.
  • Madrid, Spain has the largest amount of growshops, with a total of 68.
  • Tokyo, Japan has the most expensive cannabis, at 32.66 USD per gram, while Quito, Ecuador has the least expensive marijuana, at 1.34 USD per gram.
  • Based on the average US marijuana tax rates currently implemented, New York City could generate the highest potential tax revenue by legalising weed, with 156.40 million USD per year. New York City also has the highest consumption rate of cannabis, at 77.44 metric tons per year.

 

Berlin, Germany, 20/04/2018 – ABCD, a data-driven media campaign outlet, has released new data which reveals the number of marijuana head and growshops in 120 cities around the world. This research, which builds on the 2018 Cannabis Price Index released earlier this year, reveals which locations around the world are ready to embrace cannabis legalisation. The aim of the study is to illustrate the continuous need for legislative reform on cannabis use around the world, and to determine if there are any lessons to be learned from those cities at the forefront of marijuana legalization. By including extra data on the number of head and growshops in each city, this new research can be utilized to indicate which cities are prepared for an imminent cannabis reform, while also highlighting which cities are in opposition of marijuana legalisation.

 

The initial study began by selecting 120 cities across the world, including locations where cannabis is currently legal, illegal and partially legal, and where marijuana consumption data is available. Then, they looked into the price of weed per gram in each city. To calculate how much potential tax a city could make by legalising weed, ABCD investigated how much tax is paid on the most popular brand of cigarettes, as this offers the closest comparison. They then looked at what percentage marijuana is currently taxed in cities where it’s already legalised in the US.

ABCD decided to conduct the extra research in order to to further the discussion around the medical and recreational use of cannabis, and the potential industry and business opportunities that would follow legalisation. By identifying the number of headshops as well as growshops, this study serves as an indicator to a city’s existing cannabis infrastructure and willingness to accept such reform on a larger scale. As an indicating factor, the more head shops and grow shops a city has, the more positive their state’s and general public’s attitude towards the cannabis-related industry is likely to be.

The table below reveals a sample of the results for the 13 US cities featured in the study:

 

# City Legality Price per gram, US$ Total possible tax collection, if taxed at cigarette level, mil US$ Total possible tax collection, if taxed at average US marijuana taxes, mil US$ Total consumption in metric tons Headshops Growshops
1 Washington, DC Partial 18.08 47.51 20.96 6.18 20 8
2 Chicago Partial 11.46 119.61 52.77 24.54 91 10
3 Philadelphia Partial 11.30 68.37 30.16 14.22 41 3
4 Boston Legal 11.01 28.59 12.61 6.10 49 4
5 New York Partial 10.76 354.48 156.40 77.44 59 7
6 Dallas Partial 10.03 51.01 22.5 11.95 80 6
7 Houston Partial 10.03 89.13 39.32 20.89 125 14
8 Phoenix Partial 9.35 58.26 25.71 14.65 72 9
9 Miami Partial 9.27 16.24 7.16 4.12 67 25
10 San Francisco Legal 9.27 30.94 13.65 7.85 61 3
11 Los Angeles Legal 8.14 124.88 55.10 36.06 153 46
12 Denver Legal 7.79 20.53 9.06 6.20 61 21
13 Seattle Legal 7.58 20.59 9.08 6.39 46 10

 

The table below shows the top 10 most and least expensive cities for cannabis:

 

Top 10 Most Expensive Cities Top 10 Least Expensive Cities
# City Country Legality Price per gram, US$ # City Country Legality Price per gram, US$
1 Tokyo Japan Illegal 32.66 1 Quito Ecuador Partial 1.34
2 Seoul South Korea Illegal 32.44 2 Bogota Colombia Partial 2.20
3 Kyoto Japan Illegal 29.65 3 Asuncion Paraguay Partial 2.22
4 Hong Kong China Illegal 27.48 4 Jakarta Indonesia Illegal 3.79
5 Bangkok Thailand Partial 24.81 5 Panama City Panama Illegal 3.85
6 Dublin Ireland Illegal 21.63 6 Johannesburg South Africa Illegal 4.01
7 Tallinn Estonia Partial 20.98 7 Montevideo Uruguay Legal 4.15
8 Shanghai China Illegal 20.82 8 Astana Kazakhstan Illegal 4.22
9 Beijing China Illegal 20.52 9 Antwerp Belgium Partial 4.29
10 Oslo Norway Partial 19.14 10 New Delhi India Partial 4.38

 

The table Below shows the top 10 cities with the most growshops:

 

# City Country Legality Growshops
1 Madrid Spain Partial 68
2 Buenos Aires Argentina Partial 48
3 Los Angeles USA Legal 46
4 Toronto Canada Partial 37
5 Melbourne Australia Partial 31
6 Miami USA Partial 25
7 London UK Illegal 23
8 Barcelona Spain Partial 23
9 Denver USA Legal 21
10 Berlin Germany Partial 20

 

The table Below shows the top 10 cities with the most headshops:

 

# City Country Legality Headshops
1 Los Angeles USA Legal 156
2 Houston USA Partial 125
3 Chicago USA Partial 91
4 Dallas USA Partial 80
5 Phoenix USA Partial 72
6 Miami USA Partial 67
7 San Francisco USA Legal 61
8 Denver USA Legal 61
9 New York USA Partial 59
10 Boston USA Legal 49

 

The table below shows the top 10 cities who could generate the most potential tax by legalising cannabis, if taxed at the same rate as the most popular cigarette brand:

 

# City Country Legality Price per gram, US$ % of cigarette tax Possible tax revenue, mil US$
1 Cairo Egypt Illegal 16.15 73.13 384.87
2 New York USA Partial 10.76 42.54 354.48
3 London UK Illegal 9.20 82.16 237.35
4 Sydney Australia Partial 10.79 56.76 138.36
5 Karachi Pakistan Illegal 5.32 60.7 135.48
6 Melbourne Australia Partial 10.84 56.76 132.75
7 Moscow Russia Partial 11.84 47.63 128.97
8 Toronto Canada Partial 7.82 69.8 124.15
9 Chicago USA Partial 11.46 42.54 119.61
10 Berlin Germany Partial 13.53 72.9 114.77

N.B. % of cigarette tax refers to the tax percentage on the most popular brand. Possible tax revenue refers to the total possible tax collection per year, if taxed at cigarette level. For a full explanation of how the study was conducted, please see the methodology at the bottom of the press release.

 

The table below shows the top 10 cities who could generate the most potential tax by legalising cannabis, if taxed at the average US marijuana tax rate:

 

# City Country Legality Price per gram, US$ Possible tax revenue, mil US$
1 New York USA Partial 10.76 156.4
2 Cairo Egypt Illegal 16.15 98.78
3 London UK Illegal 9.20 54.22
4 Chicago USA Partial 11.46 52.77
5 Moscow Russia Partial 11.84 50.82
6 Sydney Australia Partial 10.79 45.75
7 Melbourne Australia Partial 10.84 43.9
8 Karachi Pakistan Illegal 5.32 41.89
9 Houston USA Partial 10.03 39.32
10 Toronto Canada Partial 7.82 33.38

N.B. Possible tax revenue refers to the total possible tax collection per year, if taxed at average US marijuana tax rate.

 

The table below shows the top 10 cities with the highest and lowest consumption of cannabis, per year:

 

Highest Consumers of Cannabis Lowest Consumers of Cannabis
# City Country Legality Price per gram, US$ Total consumption, metric tons # City Country Legality Price per gram, US$ Total consumption, metric tons
1 New York USA Partial 10.76 77.44 1 Singapore Singapore Illegal 14.01 0.02
2 Karachi Pakistan Illegal 5.32 41.95 2 Santo Domingo Dominican Rep. Illegal 6.93 0.16
3 New Delhi India Partial 4.38 38.26 3 Kyoto Japan Illegal 29.65 0.24
4 Los Angeles USA Legal 8.14 36.06 4 Thessaloniki Greece Partial 13.49 0.29
5 Cairo Egypt Illegal 16.15 32.59 5 Luxembourg City Luxembourg Partial 7.26 0.32
6 Mumbai India Partial 4.57 32.38 6 Panama City Panama Illegal 3.85 0.37
7 London UK Illegal 9.20 31.4 7 Reykjavik Iceland Illegal 15.92 0.44
8 Chicago USA Partial 11.46 24.54 8 Asuncion Paraguay Partial 2.22 0.46
9 Moscow Russia Partial 11.84 22.87 9 Colombo Sri Lanka Illegal 9.12 0.59
10 Toronto Canada Partial 7.82 22.75 10 Manila Philippines Illegal 5.24 0.6

N.B. Total consumption is calculated per annum.

 

Further findings:

 

  • Shanghai, China has a large population of 24.15 million, has however no headshops or growshops in the city, underlining a resistance against cannabis reform.
  • On average, the status of legality (e.g. Legal, Partial or Illegal) coincides with the amount of headshops and growshops found in each city. The favourable the laws, the better the cannabis infrastructure
  • New York City, USA has the highest consumption rate of cannabis, at 77.44 metric tons per year.
  • Boston, USA has the most expensive cannabis of all the cities where it’s legal, at 11.01 USD, while Montevideo, Uruguay has the least expensive at 4.15 USD.
  • While Tokyo, Japan has the most expensive cannabis of all cities where it’s illegal, at 32.66 USD, Jakarta, Indonesia has the least expensive at 3.79 USD, despite being classed as a Group 1 drug with harsh sentences such as life imprisonment and the death penalty.
  • For cities where cannabis is partially legal, Bangkok, Thailand has the most expensive at 24.81 USD, while Quito, Ecuador has the least expensive at 1.34 USD.
  • Bulgaria has the highest tax rates for the most popular brand of cigarettes, at 82.65%, while Paraguay has the lowest, with rates of 16%.
  • Cairo, Egypt would gain the most revenue in tax if they were to legalise cannabis and tax it as the same rate as cigarettes, at 384.87 million USD. Singapore, Singapore would gain the least, at 0.14 million USD, due in part to the city’s low consumption of marijuana at 0.02 metric tons per annum.
  • Based on the average US marijuana tax rates currently implemented, New York City could generate the highest potential tax revenue by legalising weed, with 156.4 million USD per year. Singapore, Singapore would gain the least, at 0.04 million USD.

 

Source for data and graphics- http://weedindex.io 

 

 

The full results of the 2018 Cannabis Price Index:

 

# City Country Legality Price per gram, US$ Taxes of cigarettes, % of the most sold brand Total possible tax collection, if taxed at cigarette level, mil US$ Total possible tax collection, if taxed at average US marijuana taxes, mil US$ Total Consumption in metric tons
1 Tokyo Japan Illegal 32.66 64.36 32.14 9.37 1.53
2 Seoul South Korea Illegal 32.44 61.99 31.61 9.57 1.57
3 Kyoto Japan Illegal 29.65 64.36 4.64 1.35 0.24
4 Hong Kong China Illegal 27.48 44.43 19.72 8.33 1.62
5 Bangkok Thailand Partial 24.81 73.13 99.11 25.44 5.46
6 Dublin Ireland Illegal 21.63 77.80 29.31 7.07 1.74
7 Tallinn Estonia Partial 20.98 77.24 22.13 5.38 1.37
8 Shanghai China Illegal 20.82 44.43 49.12 20.75 5.31
9 Beijing China Illegal 20.52 44.43 43.10 18.21 4.73
10 Oslo Norway Partial 19.14 68.83 19.28 5.26 1.46
11 Washington, DC USA Partial 18.08 42.54 47.51 20.96 6.18
12 Cairo Egypt Illegal 16.15 73.13 384.87 98.78 32.59
13 Reykjavik Iceland Illegal 15.92 56.40 3.97 1.32 0.44
14 Belfast Ireland Illegal 15.81 77.80 13.55 3.27 1.10
15 Minsk Belarus Illegal 15.80 51.15 9.08 3.33 1.12
16 Athens Greece Partial 14.95 79.95 7.42 1.74 0.62
17 Auckland New Zealand Partial 14.77 77.34 106.03 25.73 9.28
18 Munich Germany Partial 14.56 72.90 50.90 13.10 4.80
19 Helsinki Finland Partial 14.42 81.53 27.12 6.24 2.31
20 Singapore Singapore Illegal 14.01 66.23 0.14 0.04 0.02
21 Berlin Germany Partial 13.53 72.90 114.77 29.55 11.64
22 Stuttgart Germany Partial 13.50 72.90 20.20 5.20 2.05
23 Thessaloniki Greece Partial 13.49 79.95 3.17 0.75 0.29
24 Stockholm Sweden Illegal 13.20 68.84 15.06 4.11 1.66
25 Vienna Austria Partial 12.87 74.00 59.21 15.02 6.22
26 Copenhagen Denmark Partial 12.47 74.75 20.65 5.18 2.22
27 Moscow Russia Partial 11.84 47.63 128.97 50.82 22.87
28 Hamburg Germany Partial 11.64 72.90 50.16 12.92 5.91
29 Chicago USA Partial 11.46 42.54 119.61 52.77 24.54
30 Philadelphia USA Partial 11.30 42.54 68.37 30.16 14.22
31 Bucharest Romania Partial 11.18 75.41 17.23 4.29 2.04
32 Cologne Germany Partial 11.14 72.90 28.51 7.34 3.51
33 Geneva Switzerland Partial 11.12 61.20 5.90 1.81 0.87
34 Boston USA Legal 11.01 42.54 28.59 12.61 6.10
35 Adelaide Australia Partial 10.91 56.76 41.60 13.75 6.72
36 Istanbul Turkey Partial 10.87 82.13 21.79 4.98 2.44
37 Melbourne Australia Partial 10.84 56.76 132.75 43.90 21.58
38 Sydney Australia Partial 10.79 56.76 138.36 45.75 22.59
39 New York USA Partial 10.76 42.54 354.48 156.40 77.44
40 Düsseldorf Germany Partial 10.70 72.90 15.82 4.07 2.03
41 Brisbane Australia Partial 10.63 56.76 66.88 22.12 11.09
42 Hanover Germany Partial 10.51 72.90 13.46 3.47 1.76
43 Prague Czech Rep. Partial 10.47 77.42 63.95 15.50 7.89
44 Frankfurt Germany Partial 10.29 72.90 18.06 4.65 2.41
45 Wellington New Zealand Partial 10.11 77.34 19.53 4.74 2.50
46 Dallas USA Partial 10.03 42.54 51.01 22.50 11.95
47 Houston USA Partial 10.03 42.54 89.13 39.32 20.89
48 Vilnius Lithuania Illegal 10.00 75.76 5.20 1.29 0.69
49 Zurich Switzerland Partial 9.71 61.20 10.33 3.17 1.74
50 Montpellier France Illegal 9.70 80.30 12.21 2.85 1.57
51 Canberra Australia Partial 9.65 56.76 10.96 3.63 2.00
52 Zagreb Croatia Partial 9.43 75.26 24.35 6.07 3.43
53 Nice France Illegal 9.40 80.30 15.80 3.69 2.09
54 Phoenix USA Partial 9.35 42.54 58.26 25.71 14.65
55 Paris France Illegal 9.30 80.30 102.25 23.90 13.69
56 Miami USA Partial 9.27 42.54 16.24 7.16 4.12
57 San Francisco USA Legal 9.27 42.54 30.94 13.65 7.85
58 London UK Illegal 9.20 82.16 237.35 54.22 31.40
59 Colombo Sri Lanka Illegal 9.12 73.78 3.98 1.01 0.59
60 Riga Latvia Illegal 9.00 76.89 10.23 2.50 1.48
61 Bratislava Slovakia Illegal 8.92 81.54 7.24 1.67 1.00
62 Milan Italy Partial 8.85 75.68 46.06 11.42 6.88
63 Varna Bulgaria Illegal 8.83 82.65 4.84 1.10 0.66
64 Marseille France Illegal 8.69 80.30 36.23 8.47 5.19
65 Glasgow UK Illegal 8.65 82.16 15.21 3.47 2.14
66 Toulouse France Illegal 8.62 80.30 18.67 4.36 2.70
67 Birmingham UK Illegal 8.58 82.16 27.73 6.34 3.93
68 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Illegal 8.54 55.36 6.61 2.24 1.40
69 Monterrey Mexico Partial 8.45 65.87 4.17 1.19 0.75
70 Edinburgh UK Illegal 8.41 82.16 12.22 2.79 1.77
71 Lisbon Portugal Partial 8.36 74.51 4.69 1.18 0.75
72 Strasbourg France Illegal 8.35 80.30 11.13 2.60 1.66
73 Warsaw Poland Partial 8.31 80.29 29.27 6.84 4.39
74 Lyon France Illegal 8.20 80.30 19.45 4.55 2.95
75 Los Angeles USA Legal 8.14 42.54 124.88 55.10 36.06
76 Liverpool UK Illegal 7.94 82.16 10.86 2.48 1.67
77 Amsterdam Netherlands Partial 7.89 73.40 20.94 5.35 3.61
78 Manchester UK Illegal 7.88 82.16 58.99 13.48 9.11
79 Rome Italy Partial 7.86 75.68 88.16 21.86 14.82
80 Toronto Canada Partial 7.82 69.80 124.15 33.38 22.75
81 Denver USA Legal 7.79 42.54 20.53 9.06 6.20
82 Naples Italy Partial 7.75 75.68 29.82 7.40 5.08
83 Leeds UK Illegal 7.67 82.16 16.93 3.87 2.69
84 Seattle USA Legal 7.58 42.54 20.59 9.08 6.39
85 Madrid Spain Partial 7.47 78.09 93.40 22.45 16.01
86 Calgary Canada Partial 7.30 69.80 52.23 14.05 10.25
87 Luxembourg City Luxembourg Partial 7.26 70.24 1.62 0.43 0.32
88 San Jose Costa Rica Partial 7.23 69.76 7.84 2.11 1.56
89 Buenos Aires Argentina Partial 7.13 69.84 25.32 6.81 5.09
90 Brussels Belgium Partial 7.09 75.92 15.50 3.83 2.88
91 Santo Domingo Dominican Rep. Illegal 6.93 58.87 0.67 0.21 0.16
92 Graz Austria Partial 6.84 74.00 4.81 1.22 0.95
93 Budapest Hungary Illegal 6.74 77.26 7.70 1.87 1.48
94 Sofia Bulgaria Illegal 6.66 82.65 12.83 2.91 2.33
95 Ottawa Canada Partial 6.62 69.80 35.43 9.53 7.67
96 Vancouver Canada Partial 6.40 69.80 23.44 6.30 5.25
97 Sao Paulo Brazil Partial 6.38 64.94 68.55 19.81 16.55
98 Rotterdam Netherlands Partial 6.33 73.40 12.75 3.26 2.74
99 Ljubljana Slovenia Partial 6.32 80.41 3.43 0.80 0.67
100 Barcelona Spain Partial 6.23 78.09 39.59 9.51 8.14
101 Montreal Canada Partial 6.15 69.80 60.52 16.27 14.10
102 Kiev Ukraine Partial 6.00 74.78 14.73 3.70 3.28
103 Abuja Nigeria Illegal 5.88 20.63 7.40 6.73 6.10
104 Lima Peru Partial 5.88 37.83 12.28 6.09 5.52
105 Mexico City Mexico Partial 5.87 65.87 22.58 6.43 5.84
106 Cape Town South Africa Illegal 5.82 48.80 2.47 0.95 0.87
107 Karachi Pakistan Illegal 5.32 60.70 135.48 41.89 41.95
108 Manila Philippines Illegal 5.24 74.27 2.32 0.59 0.60
109 Rio de Janeiro Brazil Partial 5.11 64.94 28.82 8.33 8.69
110 Mumbai India Partial 4.57 60.39 89.38 27.78 32.38
111 New Delhi India Partial 4.38 60.39 101.20 31.45 38.26
112 Antwerp Belgium Partial 4.29 75.92 4.10 1.01 1.26
113 Astana Kazakhstan Illegal 4.22 39.29 1.78 0.85 1.07
114 Montevideo Uruguay Legal 4.15 66.75 19.54 5.50 7.06
115 Johannesburg South Africa Illegal 4.01 48.80 3.76 1.45 1.92
116 Panama City Panama Illegal 3.85 56.52 0.81 0.27 0.37
117 Jakarta Indonesia Illegal 3.79 53.40 1.92 0.68 0.95
118 Asuncion Paraguay Partial 2.22 16.00 0.16 0.19 0.46
119 Bogota Colombia Partial 2.20 49.44 15.80 6.00 14.53
120 Quito Ecuador Partial 1.34 70.39 0.56 0.15 0.60

 

Methodology

 

Selection of the cities:

To select the cities for the study, Seedo first looked at the top and bottom cannabis consuming countries around the world. Then they analysed nations where marijuana is partially or completely legal, as well as illegal, and selected the final list of 120 cities in order to best offer a representative comparison of the global cannabis price.

 

Data:

 

  • Price per gram, US$ – Crowdsourced city-level surveys adjusted to World Drug Report 2017 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

 

  • Taxes on Cigarettes, % of the most sold brand – Taxes as a percentage of the retail price of the most sold brand (total tax). Source: Appendix 2 of the WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2015.

 

  • Annual possible tax collection is calculated in the following way:

 

  • Total_Possible_Tax=Population_City*Prevalence*Avg_Consumption_year_gr*price*tax_level, where:
  • Population: latest available local population data sources.
  • Annual Prevalence (percentage of population, having used weed in the year). Source: World Drug Report 2017 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
  • Average Consumption of weed per year in grams (people who consumed weed at least once in the previous year).
  • Estimation, with the assumption, that one use of weed on average means one joint.
  • One joint is assumed to have 0.66 grams of weed as in the paper of Mariani, Brooks, Haney and Levin (2010).
  • The distribution of use during the year is assumed to be the same as in Zhao and Harris (2004), where the yearly usage varies from once or twice a year to everyday.

 

  • Total Consumption in Tons

 

  • Consumption=Population*Prevalence*Consumption_year_gr
  • Population: latest available local population data sources.
  • Annual Prevalence (percentage of population, having used weed in the year). Source: World Drug Report 2017 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
  • Average Consumption of weed per year in grams (people who consumed weed at least once in the previous year).
  • Estimation, with the assumption, that one use of weed on average means one joint.
  • One joint is assumed to have 0.66 grams of weed as in the paper of Mariani, Brooks, Haney and Levin (2010).
  • The distribution of use during the year is assumed to be the same as in Zhao and Harris (2004), where the yearly usage varies from once or twice a year to everyday.

 

  • US tax level – Average tax level in the states of US where weed is legal: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Includes retail sales taxes, state taxes, local taxes and excise taxes.
  • Growshops – Sourced via Google Maps Listings 2018
  • Headshops – Sourced via Google Maps Data Listings 2018
  • Legality
    • Legal, if possession and selling for recreational and medical use is legal.
    • Illegal, if possession and selling for recreational and medical use is illegal.
    • Partial, if
      • Possession of small amounts is decriminalised (criminal penalties lessened, fines and regulated permits may still apply)
      • OR medicinal use legal
      • OR possession is legal, selling illegal
      • OR scientific use legal
      • OR usage allowed in restricted areas (e.g. homes or coffee shops)
      • OR local laws may apply to legality (e.g. illegal at federal level, legal at state level)

 

 

First quote: Based on New York City Council’s free lunch initiative which began in September 2017, with 1.1 million public school children, at a cost of $1.75 per child per day.