Vote for our Medical Marijuana Panel at SXSW

I hope to get this panel pitch -- "Big Business: The Future of Marijuana Journalism" -- green-lit for the 2012 South by Southwest Interactive festival in March in Austin. Read my full proposal here. And while you're at it, follow Westword's -- and the nation's first! -- medical marijuana reviewer, @WilliamBreathes, on Twitter.

Breathes wrote this post -- "SXSW 2012: Send our medical marijuana critic to spread the gospel in MMJ-free Texas!" -- in Westword and Steve Elliot -- the nation's second medical marijuana critic -- wrote this post, "Vote For Medical Marijuana At South By Southwest," for this blog, Toke of the Town.

In short, be awesome, vote for medical marijuana at SXSW. Yes, you have to sign up for a free account, but I've just timed it and it takes 10 seconds.

Here is the text of the panel pitch from the SXSW site:

Gawker says William Breathes, the nation’s first medical marijuana critic, has the “best job in journalism,” which may be why he’s been featured by the New York Times, CNN and The Daily Show. Meet him at our panel about how to cover the medical marijuana industry. Breathes and Nick Lucchesi, a Village Voice Media web editor, work for Westword, based in Colorado, the Wild West of “MMJ,” where there are more dispensaries than Starbucks'. We'll show you how to report on and earn revenue from the medical marijuana industry in your community in a way that's useful to all involved. We'll share advice about handling MMJ politics, culture and how the multi-million dollar industry sprang up around it. And yes, how to cover pot culture without pandering. MMJ still remains a taboo subject for the old guard of journalism, who at best cover pot with a wink and a nod. And finally, we'll talk about being a pot critic – which may not always be the best job in journalism, but it sure beats writing obits.

Take this job and shove it

I wrote this list -- "Ten best songs about quitting your job" -- after becoming in interested in the history of the 1978 song "Take This Job and Shove It" by David Allen Coe. A weird mini obsession, I know. The list expanded into songs about hating your job, refusing the work or getting fired and/or quitting.

Bicycle vs. Pigeon vs. Moped: WHO WILL WIN?

I edited and directed this video. The race was the idea of a colleague, Jef Otte, who runs the Westword Show and Tell blog on which the posts (and the video above) originally appeared.

Read the hilarious series of blog posts about it here:

Victory is partially mine! How I defeated a pigeon but not a chicken on a moped (video)

Jef Otte vs. Stupid Pigeon poll: Who will emerge the victor?

I'm going to race a pigeon on a goddamn bicycle

Author Page for Westword

A few weeks ago, the company I work for rolled out new author pages for sites. Here are mine. Let me just restate for the record that my primary job duties do not include writing, so many of these posts are brief.

Nick Lucchesi, Westword (Denver)

Two really different lists

This post over on the Village Voice site -- "The 10 Foods Not to Order on a First Date" -- reminded me of another list I did a few months ago, "Ten foods you should never eat on a job interview." Enjoy reading that one.


Here's another list I did this week about punk rock and Ronald Reagan -- "Hey Ronnie! 10 best punk songs about Reagan."

On an unrelated note, today I bought the domain name www.WuPedia.org so that one day I can build a fan wiki about the Wu-Tang Clan. So that's happening.

Carry around your city's Best Of issue in your pocket.

I helped QA this app and do a few other things related to its release. I'm digging it so far. Good for those who like to travel, or locals who want to find the best under-the-radar spots in their city. 30 cities now. Don't download it for me, download it for you.

Best Of iPhone App -- Download page.

Here is the app description:

The Best Cupcake in Phoenix, The Best Dive Bar in Seattle, The Best Grilled Cheese in New York, The Best Indie Bookstore in LA… You know those gigantic “Best Of ” issues that come out once a year from weekly papers like Village Voice and LA Weekly? The ones that contain hundreds of awards of the best things in your city -- from Best Hamburger to Best Art Gallery to the Best Restaurant for a Last Date.

Every year you wish you could carry that giant issue in your pocket everywhere you
went, so you can hit up the hidden gems in your city.

Now you can.

Best Of… offers more than 10,000 of the best things to eat, drink, buy and experience in the top 30 US markets -- with many more markets to come.

--Utilizing the picks from publications like Houston Press, LA Weekly, Village Voice, Miami New Times and scores of other city guides and magazines, the Best Of… awards are chosen by editors and writers -- not a popularity contest gamed by ballot-stuffing businesses.

--Open the app, and it will find you and tell you the best places to go right near your location -- You may be a block away from the best vintage clothing store in the city, or around the corner from the best doughnut.

--You can also browse winners by the hundreds of categories as well as by neighborhood.

--Using a simple Facebook check-in, you can keep track of all the best places you have been to -- as well as a list of places you can’t wait to go to.

--If you are a jet-setter who must get the best cupcake in every city you visit, you can check-in while you are eating each one and earn badges.

--And it’s free!

Supported cities (stay tuned -- more on the way!!):
Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston/Providence), Broward / Palm Beach, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas / Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis / St. Paul, Nashville, New York, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh / Durham, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco / Bay Area, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay / St. Petersburg, Washington
DC

Photos: A rally against Denver's ban on pit bulls

A little more than a week ago, I walked from Westword down to Denver's City and County building, in front of which pit bull lovers were rallying to get Denver leaders to overturn the ban on the dogs. You can read more about the issue (plus see links to more Westword coverage) over on the Latest Word blog post: "Pit bull protest photo gallery: Could service-dog rule put a bite in Denver's ban?" Here are a few photos I shot from the rally, you can see many more on the post.