Movie Trailer Mondays: Daybreakers

Weed Wednesdays : Trichomes, Pot and I have friends in common..

Weed Wednesdays are finally here at mexysexicans..

This week we would like to focus on a macro lens shot of a generic killer ganj covered in 'Trichomes' better known as crystals.. or sticky icky ooo



These are most commonly known as the active ingredient in cannabis that GETS YOU HIGH..
YEAH!
But..
Have you ever wondered if they actually had a biological purpose?

Trichomes, from the Greek meaning ‘growth of hair,’ act as an evolutionary shield, protecting the plant and its seeds from the dangers of its environment, allowing it to reproduce.

These adhesive sprouts form a protective layer against offensive insects, preventing them from reaching the surface of the plant. The chemicals in the trichomes make cannabis less yummy to hungry animals and can inhibit the growth of some types of fungus.

And get this, the resin also helps to insulate the plant from high wind and low humidity, and acts as a natural ‘sun-screen’ in protecting against UV-B light rays.

But since trichomes contain euphoric properties attractive to humans, it may be US who has had the most influence on the plants’ development through many years of favoring the strains that consistently produce more of these gooey resin heads and get us the most f*cked up.

CULTURAL STUDIES: The History of Kitsch and the Cult of Ed hardy

The intersection of Japanese and American culture began in 1854 with the visit of Commodore Perry during the Convention of Kanagawa. Since that visit western artists have adopted many Japanese elements such as the ukiyo-e style prominent in a lot of traditional Japanese art. Since then Japanese culture has continued to influence American culture, from Vincent Van Gogh to Don Ed Hardy.

Ed Hardy began incorporating Japanese elements into his tattoo work in 1973 when he was invited to study tattooing in Japan by Sailor Jerry Collins. It took just over 30 years before Hardy was approached by the prominent French fashion designer Christian Audigier, who would transform his artwork into Western phenomenon that has blown up bigger than he could ever imagine.

Audigier took a traditional form of art and commodified it to a point where it has become the ultimate kitsch wear, popularized by high profile celebrities and absorbed by the "douchebag" culture, who once wore Audigier's Von Dutch brand in the 1990s. For those not knowledgeable of art history, Kitsch is a style of art recognized by the Germans as a "tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation" (wiki). Kitsch is often associated with capitalism and totalitarianism, seen as "a type of 'false consciousness,' a Marxist term meaning a mindset present within the structures of capitalism that is misguided as to its own desires and wants" (wiki). Jeff Koons recognized this obsession of Kitsch by the American public and in the late 1980s began producing porcelain statues that sold for millions, such as his statue of Michael Jackson and Bubbles which sold for $5.6 million.



How Audieger's Ed Hardy line got absorbed into primarily "douchebag" sub-cultures and Italian ethnic groups is an ongoing discourse. Most of these individuals have become part of the capitalist flux into a tasteless culture, a common result of a totalitarian environment run by big corporation. The public perception of Ed Hardy wearers is often a bitter, cruel and envious one. On one side we hate the lack of taste that these individuals have, yet on the other we are aware of the dedication they must have to spend $154.00 on a shirt. Regardless, I know for a fact that Audieger has the same grin on his face that Koons has every time he sells a sculpture for $5 million†

Shotgunnin' Beers