More Proof that Marijuana Can Save the Planet

Another day, another video showing the benefits of hemp and cannabis.

How Medical Marijuana Works

So how, exactly, does medical marijuana work to treat these conditions? Why, if this medicine is so effective for some people, does it remain controversial and, in many places, illegal? In this article, Jacob Silverman takes a look at the medical, legal, and practical issues surrounding medical marijuana in the United States. He examines why some people depend on it to live normally. Jacob also examines some of the intriguing intersections between pharmaceutical companies, the government and the medical marijuana industry.

Wake and Bake: The Best Modern Surf Music

A while back Estoy Pacheco brought you the best old-school surf tunes. Now we send you out to the rollers with our wake and bake modern surf tunes. Why wake and bake? Half of these tunes will leave you amped and ready to tame the mighty monsters. The other half are for those moments when you are, well...baked. We'll leave it to you to decide which is which. But one thing is sure - these modern surf trax are all killer, no filler!

Xavier Rudd - Mother
I've had the pleasure of catching this Surfin' Cat who originally hails from Australia at a number of festivals over the last few years. Catch him on tour this summer if you can, especially if you have never heard a didgeridoo. They know their waves in the land of Oz.


Donavon Frankenreiter - Free
Produced by fellow surfer and bud Jack Johnson, this tune from Donavon's eponymous (I love that word) debut disc gets you into a good place. Unfortunately his record lable won't let you view the vid here and you have to leave this site and check it out on YouTube but we can show you this teaser from the 2008 Billabong Pro.


Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
The Seattle-based band on the SubPop label were the guys who got me thinking about these lists in the first place. You knew that they were gonna show up on one of them.


Blue Hawaiians - A Cheat
Fan faves from Flint, Michigan Greg, Jory and the boys are still going strong after 20 years.


Jack Johnson - Surf Song
Is there anybody out there not doing a take on this tune from this native of Hawaii? Great tune with Philadelphia's favorite surfer, G. Love lending a hand. This fan-made vid has some awesome surf footage.


Mermen - Neptune's Revenge
The Pink Floyd of modern surf music reformed in 2006. The Mermen are gigging at selected dates this summer in the San Fran area. Patience is a virtue, at least until the 2:32 mark of this Bay show.


Russian Circles - Death Rides a Horse
We're throwing in a curveball here with this three piece outfit from Chicago. This will get your adrenaline pumping!


Los Straitjackets - Tempest
The wrestling masks can't hide the talent of this Nashville combo that formed in 1988 and then didn't play again as a unit for another six years. They haven't been heard from since 2005. I guess we have another two year wait ahead of us. The vid comes from "Psycho Beach Party." You know that you want to see it now.


Reverend Horton Heat - Psychobilly Freakout
Adrenaline overdrive! This is the one that everyone tried to master on Guitar Hero II. When you think about it, isn't psychobilly just a much cooler term than surf music for the same f'n thing?


Meteors - Go Buddy Go
While we are on the subject of psychobilly, we'd be remiss if we didn't include the UK group that are considered the Kings of Psychobilly and by extension the torchbearers of surf rock through the 80s and 90s.


Surf Coasters - Refraction
Japan's answer to the Ventures and all those surf bands from the 60s. The Surf Coasters have been tearing up the Asian charts since 1994 bringing a punk edge to the surf music genre.


Surfites - Surfville
Let's close this chapter with the band that best encapsulates the days of the wooden board in the 21st century. And The Smurfites come from Sweden of all places! These "landlocked gremmies" have been playing instrumental surf since 2004.


That's all she wrote, dude! It was alot harder to come up with this list than it was the old-school list. Surfing music was so defined in the 60s. Today the music has grown and influences can be heard in lots of different genres and bands, and as we have shown with these trax influenced musicians from four continents. While this list is by no means definitive, it is meant to be representative. Drop us a line if there is a glaring omission.

A number of bands that could have made this list on any other day and are just bubbling below the surface on this day are The Brains, Daredevil Jane, Weezer, and Southern Culture on the Skids.

Peace out!

Pioneering surf club focus of new doc

Filmmaker and surfer Chris Thompson pays long-overdue homage to that group of pioneering surfers in his new film documentary "Out of the Blue." At its height, the Santa Cruz Surfing Club had 27 members, most high school and college-age guys living in Santa Cruz in the shadow of the Great Depression, surfing on homemade boards and wearing cheap wool sweaters in lieu of yet-to-be invented wet suits.

How did the marijuana gateway myth get started?

First, there is no drug that will magically give you a craving for other drugs you have never had. That is a belief in witchcraft, not science. The fundamental idea comes from America's puritanical history. It is the idea that pleasure is sinful, and small pleasures lead to cravings for larger pleasures.

Hitch a Ride to the Concert and Save the Planet

Heading out to see your fave band play live is a real drag on the environment. Just getting to the gig accounts for 80 percent of all the greenhouse gases emitted from the show. And you thought those semis transporting all that gear was dirty. No man, you're dirty!

311 Disc Online Preview Today and Tomorrow

Omaha's fave band 311 has their new disc Uplifter streaming online at MySpace tonight and tomorrow (May 26-27). The new disc which hits store shelves on June 2 can be heard in it's entirety for this period. After that, only select tunes from the new disc will be featured online and the band asks that its fans post their comments and feedback.

Uplifter is the bands ninth studio album and the first since 2005's Don't Tread on Me. This latest effort is produced by Bob Rock. If that name rings a bell its because Rock is closely associated with Metallica having helmed all of Metallica's discs from the Black Album thru to St. Anger. Fortunately for fans of 311 there is no carryover of Metallica on Uplifter.

The boys from 311 hit the road in support of Uplifter on June 3 at the Majestic in Bakersfield. They hit Jimmy Kimmel the following night and zig across the country throughout June and July before circling back to CA and closing out on July 12 at the Verizon Amphitheatre in Irvine.

The lead single is Hey You and the following video is a behind the scenes look at the making of Hey You.

Dylan Introduces Beatles to Pot: The Way it Really Went Down

The good folks over at the Channel Frederator - home to some of the best underground toons out there - have a new toon up in the Meth Minute series. This one marks the occasion of one of the seminal moments in rock 'n pot history, that moment in 1964 when Bob Dylan introduced the four lads from Liverpool to his potent herb.

The Tambourine Man hisself really was the Walrus! KooKoo Kachoo.

Big Wave Teaser from Ireland

Big Wave surfers Tom Lowe and, Fergal and Mickey Smith spent the winter carving up the frigid swells of the North Atlantic before they come to a screeching halt off the left coast of Ireland.

The finished product of their cold water surfing foray is the Powers of Three documentary. If you have a subscription to Carve magazine you already have a copy of the DVD from the May issue.

History of Weed in Two Minutes

Get the history of weed in two minutes in this...uhhh...two minute video from our friends at Showtime. In less time than it takes to bang a bong you can learn how great and important pot was to mankind before the government screwed it all up by making it illegal.

This is a neat little viral commercial for the show Weeds which returns with new episodes on June 8. If I had the time to watch TV I'd probably watch a show about some mother making ends meet dealing pot.

"What's that mom? I have to make a drop off...OK"

Talk to you later, I gotta go.

24 Types of Pot Smokers

Last long weekend we linked you to the 10 different types of pot dealers because it was the long weekend and we had waves and a buzz to catch. This time around we link you to the 24 types of pot smokers because we still have gnarly waves and a buzz to catch. We're also too far baked to write anything original.

Remember the troops, man. I don't know why they are fighting and dying over there but I respect the fact that they do. They got cojones. Peace out! The hot chick on top is for them.

NBC Cancels My Name is Earl - Bad Karma to Follow

NBC has canceled one of the few shows worth watching on TV - My Name is Earl. Mired at the bottom of the ratings for what seems like an eternity NBC announced this week that its most original show won't return for a fifth season.

The show follows the exploits of Earl Hickey, a career slacker and petty criminal who tries to right the wrongs in his life through his new-found conversion to Karma. Earl's changed ways is the result of seeing Carson Daly speak about karma while Earl was laid up in the hospital after being hit by a car clutching a winning lottery ticket. Each episode sees the dim-witted Earl and his dim-witted coterie of friends and families who manage to wreak havoc - inadvertent or otherwise - on his good intentions.

Earl is played by Jason Lee the best known skateboarder outside of Tony Hawk. Along with Hawk they are the only two boarders to have a shoe named after them. Lee also makes and markeets his own board Lee's boarding notoriety earned him bit parts in videos and films before teaming up with Kevin Smith and subsequently appearing in most of Smith's films including Mallrats and Chasing Amy.

In a case of what-comes-around-goes-around, or maybe its just karma itself, Fox who had originally passed on the show is apparently interested in adding it to their fall sked. Somewhere Earl Hickey is smiling.

Season Two outakes and bloopers are here to help you with the mourning process. Don't miss The Crabman rhyme off his favorite smokables.

Surfing while sick 'is OK'

A champion surfer has caught a break in more ways than one, with the Industrial Relations Commission in Australia finding that going surfing while on sick leave is not a sackable offence. Shane Bevan, a former world championship tour surfer, was sacked from his baggage handler's job after his then employer discovered he took part in Queensland's Coolum Classic surf contest while on sick leave with a bad back, the Australian reported.

Does Vancouver torch look like a joint?

All hail – or inhale – the 2010 Olympic Torch. Or, as it's jokingly known around Vancouver, the Olympic Toke. The torch officially is meant to resemble the lines left behind by skiers and skaters on snow and ice. Any double – or doobie – entendres, officials say, are purely unintentional. Looks like a fattie to me.

The War on Drug Clock: Tick, Tick, Boom!

The latest drug czar states that there is no longer a "war on drugs." You wouldn't know it from his recent statements but let's chill and see what happens. Oh right, we already know. Towns in California are passing spurious laws to deny medical marijuana pharmacies from being established within municipal borders. Poll after poll show that Americans are in favor of either decriminalization, or outright legalization of marijuana and the op-ed pages are full of intriguing ideas on how to make "green" by taxing our green.

So how much is being spent by the government on its non-drug war in terms of real cost - financial costs and people costs? The Drug War Clock tallies the costs in real time and provides references to its sources for further illumination.

Madman Across the Water: Kitesurfing the English Channel

Madman Andy Ward will attempt to kitesurf the English Channel. Not content with the shortest distance between two points (that's been done already) Andy's proposed route is about 70 nautical miles. He expects the challenge to take anywhere from six to eight hours to complete - if he has Force 5 winds at his back!

What may seem at first blush to be a foolhardy stunt Andy's "Kite the Channel 2009" is a meticulously researched endeavor to raise funds for the The Special Boat Service Association. The SBSA is a British Naval group, comparable to the Navy Seals. The Association assists injured members and bereaved families of the Service.

The 33 year-old father to five is expected to set sail in late August or early September depending on Mother Nature. The exact date will become known closer to departure based on a combination of favorable wind, current and tide conditions. The 70+ mile journey from Alderney, in the Channel Islands, to Poole in the UK will make it the longest crossing of the Channel by a kitesurfer. For someone who has only been kitesurfing for three years Andy's plan is rather ambitious.

The support of a crew is an essential component in any risky proposition and this is certainly a risky proposition. As he will be surfing in busy Channel shipping lanes Andy's four-man crew will not only have to watch out for him they must also be mindful not to capsize their own boat from the tanker swells that they will surely encounter. On board to offer moral support will be Andy's girlfriend.

With three months left to prepare Andy's longest endurance run to date in the water has been 31 miles...less than half the distance needed for his planned assault of the English Channel.

Cannabis club in NZ tilts at the law

A club for cannabis smokers has been openly flouting the law for months, with hundreds of people a night turning up to buy and smoke dope. The "Daktory" has been operating from an Auckland, New Zealand warehouse since November and boasts having 400 people on a busy night.

Surfing on the Slopes of a Volcano

Picture this...skidding and sliding over loose volcanic rock and ash, the wind and dust in your face as you accelerate down the mountainside, steadying yourself for speeds of over 50 miles (80 kilometres) per hour.

Estoy Pacheco's Top 10 Old-School Surfing Tunes

I was transplanting some seedlings the other day zoning out on my iPod when Fleet Foxes came on and I started thinking, "Just what is the best surfing music out there?" Then I zoned out again and when I came to, I had a vague recollection of putting together the best old-school wave-riding tunes and some newer stuff to enjoy while waiting for that next monster to roll in.

So I took a deep breath and came up with these ten old-school surfing videos arranged in no
particular order that are representative of the genre...

Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk
This song is like 50 f'n years old. It came out in 1959. Nobody was born when this tune came out, this was the dark ages. This explains Lawrence Welk. Yeah, we'll get to that soon enough.


Shadows - Apache 1964
I don't know why it's called "Apache 1964" it came out in 1960... the British Surfing Association didn't form for another six years. The Shadows were ahead of their time.


Ventures - Tequila
You knew that this one had to be on the list. Any number of Ventures tunes could have landed here but for us it's mas Tequila! Check out the threads.


Trashmen - Surfin' Bird
Curiously enough this is also thought of as a Viet Nam protest song. Where's Freelance Johnson when you need him?


Surfaris - Wipe Out
The one old-school surfing song that everybody knows as an old-school surfing song. The one old-school surfing song that every drummer has played.


Chantays - Pipeline
This vid is another trip in the time machine. I can't believe that the King of Champagne Music and Bubbles, Lawrence Welk himself had The Chantays on his program on May 18, 1963. Happy Birthday Sweet Carolyn!


Dick Dale & The Del Tones - Misirlou
You were waiting for a surfin' classic from Pulp Fiction. Did you know that this clip debuted in another film? 'A Swingin' Affair" from 1963. Cool opening.


Cousins - Boudha
Smokin'! Boudha is an underappreciated gem from 1961. Is that a hookah I see?


Tornadoes - Bustin' Surfboards
There are lots of reasons why this one makes the grade including the fact that one of the techies on the cut was some cat named Frank Zappa. That made the diff between Bustin Surfboards being on this list and Telstar hanging high and dry.


So there you have it. My Top 10 Old-School Surfing Tunes. The cognizanti out there will have noticed that there are only nine videos in my top ten. Yeah, I know, so what? Chill out. Some of you may have noticed that there is only one song on this list with words - that's why I call them surfing tunes and not surfing songs. Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys never were my bag.

(Full disclosure: First "rock" concert I saw was the Beach Boys. My grade six teacher took me...how weird is that? She never did get married, how weird is that? How weird is it that I know that? Uh-oh, I think I have to book another appointment with my therapist. Flashbacks!)

But we digress. I would have liked to include Cecilia Ann here by the Surftones but the vids all
suck, even the cover versions by the Pixies among countless others taped in mom's basement aren't worthy for inclusion on this list. Same thing goes for Comanche by the Revels so no one is bringing out the Gimp today. But if you are so inclined you can check out other tunes on the Old-School Surfing Playlist and take a sneak peak ahead at the New School with a collection of hits and misses that we'll post manana. And yes, the seedlings are doing fine. Peace out.

WARNING! Do Not Click on the Image Below

Whatever you do do not click on the image above. Do not think about clicking here either. You have been warned. Now enjoy your weekend.

Estoy Pacheco does not endorse acid or any other hallcinogenic...well except for the occasional shroom and ok the occasional peyote button too...but that's it!

Marijuana potency surpasses 10 percent, U.S. says

The average potency of marijuana, which has risen steadily for three decades, has exceeded 10 percent for the first time, the U.S. government will report on Thursday. Scientists working for the government predict that potency, as measured by the drug's concentration of the psychoactive ingredient THC, will continue to rise.

Roll Me Another One Just Like the Other One: Ang Lee Does Woodstock

Yet another movie about the 1969 concert in Max Yasgur's farm. All except for Michael Wadleigh's 1970 Woodstock documentary have been as lame as a found roach after a week's worth of rain. With Ang Lee at the helm of this latest venture I was going to take a puff, puff, pass on this one.

Loosely based on reality as most fiction (and my life) tend to be based on this version casts Eugene Levy as Max Yasgur, Liev Shreiber in drag and Emile Hirsch as the dazed and confused protagonist.

To tie you over until the film's release date of August 14 (to capitalize on the eventual hype surrounding the 40th anniversary of the great muddy festival no doubt) is the official trailer. If the rest of the movie is as funny as this two and a half minute clip, I'll be there with bell bottoms on. If it sucks like most Ang Lee films you'll find me at the Heroes of Woodstock Festival the next day blazing away to Canned Heat and Ten Years After among other survivors of the '69 love-in.

Surf's Up for Winter Surfers in New Zealand

Beaches were turned into a winter wonderland as hailstorms hammered the North Island, prompting snowboarders to hit the sand dunes. Winter came early in dramatic fashion yesterday as a mini-tornado, hail, rain and snow sent chills across the country.

There really isn't much else to this story other than these few words and the pic up above. But if you want to read on about the freak storm in New Zealand be my guest.

WeedWiki is Your Reeference Portal

Welcome to the weedwiki. This wiki is about weed. Also, things relating to weed, and things having to do with weed. This may include, but is not limited to, the following topics: weed, cannabis, hashish, pot, joints, bongs, blunts, pipes, growing, strains, knifers, vaporizers, 420, brownies, fluorescent Cannabis, actuarial biometrology, you-name-it.

You Can't Stop Marijuana!!

Off the coast of America, near a tiny island known as Manhattan lies the United States of Anthony. President Anothony Taurus has weighed in on the Marijuana debate in a State of the Union Address.

Marijuana law not worth cost of enforcing

In its Sunday editorial the Redding Record Searchlight states that "It makes far more sense to raise taxes from pot sales than to waste our shrinking resources in a futile effort to stop them."

In 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available, police in California made 65,000 felony and misdemeanor arrests for marijuana. Relatively few of those lawbreakers ended up doing hard time in state prison, but the endless pursuit of marijuana smokers and suppliers is a substantial drain on increasingly scarce law-enforcement resources at every level, from police to courts to probation offices.

A Song for the Mom We all Wish We had on Mother's Day

Adira Amram has a song just for Mom on Mother's Day. If my mom had email, she'd be getting this link. If my mom smoked pot I'd visit her. Here's to all the MILGHs out there.

Future MILGH's

In honor of Mother's Day we present you with future MILGH's (Mother's I'd Like to Get High with). That acronym may sound like it will leave you tongue-tied but trust us, it's pronounced the same way as the acronym you know and love. The "GH" is pronounced the same as in enouGH and is not silent as in hiGH!

Is Marijuana Legalization a Big Government Plot?

What are stoners smoking that makes them advocate less available, more expensive, and highly bureaucratized marijuana? That’s the question provoked by any sober reading of the various proposals to legalize marijuana.

The Beeb Goes Surfing

The BBC takes you inside a monster barrel in the South Seas with Dylan Longbottom. Super slowmo, super clear and super radical.

Earn Swag: Add Your Fave Surf, Ski, Skate Locale to New Website

Do you have a favorite surf, ski or skateboard spot that you want to share with the WORLD? 5ones.com has launched a new component to its website on May 5, that allows contributors to add their faves with the added inducement of earning some swag in an introductory contest.

"Think of it as a local search that is specific to action sports," states 5ones Editor in Chief, Cameron Olthuis with regards to the 5ones Earth site that was six months in development, "Our goal is to have the most comprehensive resource available for riding spots, so no matter where you're at you can always find the best places to ride and the best shops to grab new gear at."

If you are familiar with navigating Google Earth you should have no problems navigating 5ones Earth. For the uninitiated there are video tutorials to get them headed in the right direction. Otherwise it is a case of logging in, finding your spot on the map and typing away.

The site offers registered users the opportunity to submit 200 character descriptions of favored parks, runs or slopes. The more submissions that an individual makes during the contest period which ends May 19, the more points are awarded to the individual .

Skate and surf spots are worth three points each while snow spots are curiously valued at a mere one point. Similarly, company headquarters and pro shops are awarded a rather robust two points. The aim of the contest is to create awareness and rapidly populate the site with global action sport locales in a fun and interesting manner.

To that end registered users can track their progress in the contest with a real-time leaderboard. Readers can also submit photos and comment on other submissions. In the coming months plans are underway to introduce iPhone and Facebook applications to broaden the reach of the website.

Whether it's surfing in Mexico or skiing in Canada you can start planning your next adventure while facilitating the plans of a fellow adventurer with your contribution.

Music Under New York - Subway Auditions get Funky

Music Under New York, the annual auditions for the slots were held as usual in Grand Central Terminal just as they have been in years past. It was a romp through time and geography, with Native American nose flute, renaissance lute, computerized keyboard, and Brazilian guitar competing for the coveted 25 or so slots that had opened up.

Seven Levels of Surfers

From quiver-baiter to soul surfer and all points in between. The Seven Levels of Surfers is a spiritual and satirical guide adopted to surfing.

Maine: New England’s Marijuana-Friendly State

Thirteen states, including Maine, reflecting over one-third of the US population, have inconsequentially had cannabis decriminalization laws on the books since the 1970s. Some decriminalized states, such as Ohio, adult cannabis consumers can possess up to 3.5 ounces of cannabis; Alaskan adults who possess one ounce or below of cannabis face no penalty what so ever and zero fine.

Counter-Culture Celebrates 90 Years with Pete Seeger Birthday Bash

The counter-culture took a step in the spotlight last night as Pete Seeger celebrated his 90th birthday with a little get-together in his hometown of New York City. On hand at the sold-out "Garden Party" to honor the 20th century icon was a cast of musicians that have been influenced by the gentle folk giant.

Seeger entered the collective consciousness of the nation in the 1940s and in the 50s with the Weavers scored many radio and folk standards. The civil rights movement and the Vietnam War brought him back into the spotlight in the 1960s. During this phase of his career Seeger borrowed a cue from his peer Woody Guthrie who had "This machine kills fascists" written on his guitar. Seeger had "This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender" enscribed on his omnipresent banjo. The counter revolution took his words to heart and sought out the advice of his earlier recordings and many groups of the Haight-Ashbury era covered his material including The Byrds and Joan Baez.

Baez, along with Kris Kristofferson, was on hand at the Madison Square Garden show that was officially dubbed the "Clearwater Concert: Creating The Next Generation Of Environmental Leaders." They and other yippies, hippies, and singer/songwriters representing the flower power era blended seamlessly with today's counter culture vanguard led by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Ani DeFranco and Michael Franti.

Seeger himself was originally dragged kicking and screaming into this event as he wanted no part of any plans to mark his birthday or his many other achievements in and out of the music world. He finally agreed to the concert on the condition that it would benefit the environmental group - Hudson River Sloop Clearwater - that he co-founded in the mid 60s. "It's not always the big things that make a difference," he said with regards to the environment, "but all the small things done by people who don't get attention."

Events to mark Seeger's 90th were also held across the country under the banner "For Pete's Sake: Sing!" Internationally, events were held in Scotland and Australia that included a performance of the play on the musician's life, "One Word We!"

Mexico Senate OKs bill to legalize drug possesion

Mexico's Senate approved a bill last week decriminalizing possession of small amounts of weed for personal use. Hooray! But before you get too excited they did this in order to free up some coin and the judiciary to fight the drug cartels.

The bill would make it legal to carry up to 5 grams of marijuana as well as small quantities of blow (500 milligrams) and teeny-tiny quantities of other drugs such as smack and glass.

Mexico Senate OKs bill to legalize drug possesion

Hippie Hemp Homes

Once governments stop freaking out and being paranoid they will come to realize the many benefits of hemp in all its forms and then we will have caught up to the 19th century when hemp was recognized and used in many facets of our foreparents lives.

Check out the pix of what tomorrow could look like today.

Hippie Hemp Homes - Cannabis Construction Combats Climate Change (GALLERY)