November 2017 - Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words

Is It Legal? Indiana Attorney General Spreads Confusion About CBD Oil

A stone street leads up to the domed Indiana State Capitol building. (Pixabay / kshelton, public domain)

November 28, 2017

Kit

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Is It Legal? Indiana Attorney General Spreads Confusion About CBD Oil

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

CBD oil could soon become harder to access in Indiana.

To put it mildly, we were disappointed when Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill issued an opinion on November 21 suggesting CBD oil is illegal for most state residents to use. Although his words don’t carry the force of law, the statement could lead to more crackdowns on CBD vendors and leaves consumers under a haze of legal uncertainty.

In September, we wrote about how an Indiana state law meant to improve access to CBD for epilepsy sufferers actually led to raids on shops selling CBD oil. But things were looking up after police realized they couldn’t determine the supplement’s actual legal status, and products were back on the shelves in many shops.

Don’t Wait To Take The Streets, Don’t Wait To Organize (Gonzo Notes)

An armored and helmeted riot cop menacingly holds a shield as he movs down a street blocked by police vehicles. Washington, D.C. January 20, 2017. (Flickr / Joe Catron, CC NC license)

November 24, 2017

Kit

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Don’t Wait To Take The Streets, Don’t Wait To Organize (Gonzo Notes)

Posted in Creative Commons, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

A year after Donald Trump’s election and, despite everything that’s happened, some on the left want the “resistance” to stay home.

No one expected all of the thousands upon thousands who came out for the Women’s March and other inaugural protests to stay engaged, but many have remained, protesting outside lawmakers offices against brutal cuts to health care or inhumane tax plans. Others have organized around radical, anarchist, socialist, and antifascist movements and issues of all kinds.

Overall though, the picture is grim despite some recent electoral victories (for those who put stock in voting). Each day brings some new atrocity or takes us a step closer to a pointless, brutal new war with whomever President Skidmark offends on Twitter.

The Street Is An Art Gallery: Behind The Scenes With Sleep Is Famous

A cluster of differently colored "Sleep" stickers on utility poles. The stickers depict an old-fashioned television with rabbit-ear antennas and cartoon feet, labelled "Sleep." (Sleep is Famous, used with permission)

November 15, 2017

Kit

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The Street Is An Art Gallery: Behind The Scenes With Sleep Is Famous

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, and Journalism

Austin has many street artists, but few of them are as ubiquitous as “Sleep.”

Sleep, also known as Sleep is Famous, appears everywhere you look on our streets. His iconic image, an old-fashioned TV with rabbit-ear antenna and tiny stick figure feet, clings onto road signs, subverts fossil fuel advertising, and escapes from fires on Walmart emergency exits.

The artist behind Sleep is Famous remains mysterious and anonymous by choice, but he was willing to answer a few questions by email after I approached him about my Gonzo Giveaway. Sleep moved a few years ago from Seattle, where the very first Sleep TVs were doodles he created while he struggled in an artistic rut.

What Can We Learn From Hemp Legalization In Canada?

A scenic view of a Canadian farm on the shore of a lake, with a stunning view of mountains behind. (Pixabay / 12019, public domain)

November 14, 2017

Kit

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What Can We Learn From Hemp Legalization In Canada?

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

“My best advice is walk before you run.”

When it comes to the agricultural hemp, Shaun Crew knows more than most about what it takes to be successful. The president and founder of Hemp Oil Canada, he’s been in the hemp business longer than nearly anyone in his country and he’s seen the many hurdles the industry had to overcome since growing returned to Canada.

While industrial hemp returned to the United States on limited terms in 2014, all Canadians have been allowed to grow hemp since 1998, though the plant remains more restricted than other crops. Today, about 100,000 acres of hemp are grown annually in Canada according to experts we interviewed, and hemp is a well-established industry with government support.

Kit On Online Privacy & Repression Under Trump, Media Lies About Cannabis On Halloween

Activists hold protest signs during demonstrations against the inauguration of Pres. Donald Trump on January 20, 2017. (Flickr / Joe Catron, CC NC license)

November 1, 2017

Kit

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Kit On Online Privacy & Repression Under Trump, Media Lies About Cannabis On Halloween

Posted in Act Out!, Audio, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Once a month, I appear on Black Tower Radio.

This time, Jake and I discussed what the media got wrong about cannabis edibles and CBD candy on Halloween 2017. Then, we talked about the American police state after Trump’s inauguration, the J20 defendants, and some simple alternatives to Google and Twitter.

#Catscult Talks Stickers, Cats & Street Art: ‘It’s Cool To Be A Cat Person’

A psychedelic cat, made from two-mirrored halves of a cat's face, is surrounded by glowing green crystals, set against a grassy background and the word "dreams." (The Cats Cult, used with permission)

November 1, 2017

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#Catscult Talks Stickers, Cats & Street Art: ‘It’s Cool To Be A Cat Person’

Posted in Austin, and Journalism

Are you part of The Cats Cult?

If you pay attention, and you know how to look, you can almost see their feline mind control rays washing over us, embedded in the WiFi signals. Every time your friend shows you an adorable cat .gif, the cult sinks its tendrils a little more into your consciousness.

I discovered The Cats Cult the way I discover many of my favorite artists — while on a long walk around Austin, a city that is highly decorated with graffiti, wheatpastes, murals, stickers and all forms of street art. The bright colors and psychedelic style attracted me to the image: an orange tom cat, third eye open, apparently wearing a red t-shirt and taking a selfie, all framed by a mystical triangle and the hashtag #catscult.