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Category: Journalism

How The World Anti-Doping Agency Changed Course On CBD
A student practices boxing moves in a gym full of punching bags. (Pixabay / SFReader, public domain)
October 18, 2017
Kit
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How The World Anti-Doping Agency Changed Course On CBD

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

A defiant act by an MMA fighter transformed global policy on athletes using CBD oil.

When MMA fighter Nate Diaz took a few drags from a CBD-laden vape pen during a press conference, he put his career at risk. Instead of hurting him, the act influenced an important change to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s policies, and helped reduce the stigma around hemp.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an extract of cannabis or industrial hemp which doesn’t cause people to get high. Instead, its beneficial properties includes reducing inflammation. Now, many more professional and top-ranking amateur athletes will be able to use CBD, because recently WADA removed cannabidiol from its list of banned substances.

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Security Culture And Punching Nazis In Texas (Kit O’Connell On Radical Underground Podcast)
Colorful graffiti on an urban wall reads "Antifa Rythm." Photographed in Hamburg, Germany on August 5, 2015. (Flickr / txmx2, CC NC ND license)
October 14, 2017
Kit
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Security Culture And Punching Nazis In Texas (Kit O’Connell On Radical Underground Podcast)

Posted in Act Out!, Audio, Austin, Creative Commons, Journalism, and Occupy Wall Street

I really enjoyed talking with the Radical Underground podcast and the episode turned out great, full of lively conversation and fab music.

In our conversation, we talked about security culture and the ways our smartphones turn us into snitches against ourselves — but also touched on the human element, which is just as vital as technology when it comes to staying secure.

We also talked at length about the Oh Shit What Now collective, the recent incident at my “Punching Nazis” class in Houston, and other fascist and antifascist activity in Austin, Texas (including copwatching).

Read moreSecurity Culture And Punching Nazis In Texas (Kit O’Connell On Radical Underground Podcast)
Activists Beat Texas GOP With Social Media & Old-School Resistance Tactics
Kids hold signs inspired by "The Lorax" on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. August 2, 2017. (Defend Texas Trees, used with permission)
October 11, 2017
Kit
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Activists Beat Texas GOP With Social Media & Old-School Resistance Tactics

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, Journalism, and Yes! Magazine

Who could resist images of smiling children gathered under an ancient oak tree on the grounds of the Texas Capitol, transfixed by Democrat and Republican lawmakers doing a tag-team recitation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax?

Apparently not the good folks of Texas.

A broad coalition of environmental activists employed just such a strategy during a special session of the Texas Legislature this summer as a way of stealing the spotlight and defeating a bill meant to strip municipalities of their power to protect historic trees.

Read moreActivists Beat Texas GOP With Social Media & Old-School Resistance Tactics
Science Explains How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Arthritis
A pair of clay-stained hands work a clay mug or bowl on a potters wheel. (Pixabay / Lubos Houska, public domain image)
October 6, 2017
Kit
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Science Explains How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Arthritis

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the United States.

With almost half of adults 65 years and older experiencing some form of this painful disorder, it’s a condition many of us will experience if we live long enough. In all, the Arthritis Foundation, which compiled these facts on arthritis sufferers in the U.S., estimates that 50 million adults, and even 1 in 250 children, suffer from arthritis.

At Ministry of Hemp, we’re always curious if hemp, and especially CBD oil, can improve people’s quality of life. Previously, we’ve looked at how hemp can help the elderly live less stressful lives. We’ve also looked at whether cannabidiol (CBD) can help other medical conditions like chronic pain and epilepsy. Since arthritis is so common, we thought it deserved a closer look.

Read moreScience Explains How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Arthritis
Intersectional Left Collaboration In Texas, Nazis Attack A Book Fair (Black Tower Radio)
Painted banner reading "Houston Anarchist Bookfair" hangs from a fence outside a community center in Houston, Texas, before it was stolen by neo-nazis. September 24, 2017. (Houston Anarchist Bookfair)
October 4, 2017
Kit
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Intersectional Left Collaboration In Texas, Nazis Attack A Book Fair (Black Tower Radio)

Posted in Audio, Austin, and Journalism

In Kit’s latest appearance on Black Tower Radio, a discussion of a recent nazi attack on the Houston Anarchist Bookfair, where Kit was teaching a class on antifascism. Kit and Jake talk about diversity of tactics including antifa clowning.

Next, they pivot to a discussion of activists successful opposition to the Republican agenda during a recent special session of the Texas Legislature. Kit O’Connell also discusses the general ineffectiveness of the Texas government, which only meets for a few months every two years.

Read moreIntersectional Left Collaboration In Texas, Nazis Attack A Book Fair (Black Tower Radio)
White Nationalists Terrorize Houston Anarchist Book Fair (Alternet)
Masked fascists in matching khakis and white polo shirts gather outside the Houston Anarchist Bookfair 2017 on September 24, 2017. (Screenshot)
September 28, 2017
Kit
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White Nationalists Terrorize Houston Anarchist Book Fair (Alternet)

Posted in Journalism

Alex Reid Ross wrote up a detailed account of the nazi attack on the Houston Anarchist Bookfairfor Alternet (it’s also been picked up by Raw Story). 

I appreciate that Ross got so many quotes from others at the fair, including organizers, and that he highlighted the involvement of some well known white supremacists like William Fears and Robert Warren Ray, a.k.a. Azzmador:

Read moreWhite Nationalists Terrorize Houston Anarchist Book Fair (Alternet)