Paradise Burning: Adventures Of A High Times Journalist

Amazon.com

It's hard to imagine that anyone writing for High Times magazine could provide incisive and cutting commentary on contemporary culture, but pessimistic smart-ass Chris Simunek doesn't let the herb go to his head when he sits down in front of the keyboard. This book is a biography of Simunek's years with High Times and his travels to Jamaica, a spring-break bash in Mexico, the Rainbow Gathering, and the annual motorcycle rally in Sturges, South Dakota. Cavorting with criminal bikers, angel-headed Rastas, and hug-happy hippies, Simunek maintains a sly cynicism that makes his self-pitying prose a dark and deeply funny pleasure. --James DiGiovanna

Book Description

Paradise Burning is the rocky-road story of a reporter for America's most notorious marijuana magazine, High Times. From pot plantations to live sex shows, from biker rallies in Sturgis, South Dakota, to the homes of Jamaica's reggae legends, Simunek blazes a trail of smoke through today's dope underground, narrowly escaping the wrath of customs agents, speed freaks, and New Age gurus along the way. The first book in decades to give you a detailed slice of the high life, Paradise Burning is the shocking, honest, hilarious truth about today's drug culture.

Customer Reviews:

Beyond Gonzo!.......2000-09-06

If you have made it to this review, Good! These people ABOVE don't know what they are talking about (wou will notice the 0 of x readers thought this helpful) and the grumpy first lady (top review) should lighten up! Plain and simple this writer is a genius. Long before his days at HIGH TIMES or doing readings in NYC, or his first great story written for EUGENE LANG (NEW SCHOOL) you could tell Chris had talent. Even if fans caught some of these stories in HIGH TIMES they will still make you laugh out loud on repeated readings. The first night I met chris was during a long frenzied night of acid on the edge of the godforsaken California desert. (moreno valley) This is long before the kind of success any NYC student would only dream about obtaining. Take a native New Yorker and drop him in the bleak unrelenting California desert and you would expect utter panic. Still, during that night his insight and sense of humor were right on the pulse of what I wanted my genaration's best writers to express. Forget dropping names like WILLIAM or HUNTER S. or Gonzo, only his employment at a magizine, makes the feeble minded reach for such easy associations. Simunek's talent goes beyond this, this is the book readers will look back upon to over a long career and see how people's demand to pigeonhole a new writer, underestimates the sounding of a true voice for our times, once CHRIS/GENE moves out of the subculture and casts he insight gaze on new areas will people realize what a unique gem they have on their hands.

Hip but harsh.......2000-05-27

This book is written in a hip way, and its writer has had an interesting time getting stoned out of his mind.

Unfortunately he is young, cynical and arrogant, and his insights tend to be either shallow or insulting.

I think that he will one day regret having revealed how sordid and pointless a lot of the journalism is for his magazine, and how he exploited his expense accounts in a dishonest way.

Marijuana is a good plant with many uses, but this author and his magazine promote the wrong image for marijuana and its users, and they are one reason that marijuana is still illegal.

Ya gotta read this one folks..........1999-07-12

Even if you don't give a hoot about smokin' one, pick-up this book. It's not completely freaky and unsettling like a great deal of beat works of fiction from an author like Burrough's, but it still has that candid and sincere feel to it. Meet a diverse array of characters while you tag along with the cultivation editor for a magazine about the greenest thing on God's earth. Once you're done, you are going to want everyone you know to read this book!

Before Slackers there were smokers.......1998-08-21

Aint a smoker worth a dime who aint read High Times. As a cultivation editor of that esteemed publication, Simunek manifests the dreams of many a substance abuser with no real goals, no real aims, no real direction-that is, he gets paid to follow the psycho-delic brick road to where there is untold smoke at the end of the travel rainbow. Free drugs, hoping for a non-commital feel and making a hasty getaway with limbs unbroken is Simunek's Holy Grail. He gets an expense account which seems non-accountable and sometimes doesn't get the story. His editors don't seem to care too much provided he turns up with some buds (not the six pack variety) and a packet of papers. The Marx Brothers had Zeppo, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers have got Simunek.

While these kind of tales have the pot-ential to bore some people stupid, Simunek relates his adventures in a way that makes us straightos wish we'd inhaled, chuck in our jobs, sell the house and the golf clubs, pack up the family and the Bob Marley vinyl and move to California. Once there, we could live out our days worrying only about low flying choppers and nosy neighbours with an unhealthy interest in genetically confused botany.

Simunek is more than just a doper. He has an acutely sensible eye for cultural criticism and has an ascerbic wit through which he makes humorous value judgements about everyone and everything. His real talent is not so much for detail that can make these kind of yarns tedious, but for the analysis of situations from a viewpoint motivated by both a need for self preservation and lifestyle protection. I like that in an author. He is well aware that the attention span of many of us is weaker than a sparrow's ankle and moves onwards quickly to the next town, the next adventure, the next bong. His relating of a story at an LA heavy metal convention is simultaneously hilarious and sad.

I reckon Simunek has probably given one lung, one nostril and innumerable brain cells knocking out this book. Pull out the bong, light up the lava lamp and recline in the bean bag. Where there is smoke there is fire - Simunek is worth a read.

The best drug-laden gonzo tales since Fear and Loathing..........1998-03-25

Simunek's style reaches such an honesty that the bare lies shine right through his hysterical accounts of his HIGH TIMES mis-adventures that pierce the heart and soul of today's counter-culture underground. This is a book that'll be a necessary survival tool for future generations of misfits, malcontents and marijuana missionaries. Simunek's sure to leave no stoner unburned...Let the roasting begin!

High Times Cultivation Tips: Twenty Years and Still Growing

Average customer rating:

cultiyation tips
A must for every grower!!
Past History
High Times, Low Value as Primary Grow Guide
GROW GROW GROW!

High Times Cultivation Tips: Twenty Years and Still Growing
Steve Hager
Manufacturer: High Times Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Crop Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0964785846

Customer Reviews:

cultiyation tips.......2001-06-20

I licke to rade hight times because it gives difront ways to grow marowana.Alsow showes the defrent veriates of weed from a raned the weroled. I just whanted to tall you thanck you four the tawen of camp serbe it gives me somthing to do....

A must for every grower!!.......2001-06-20

This book is a must have for every grower. It should not be the sole resource for information, but a reference guide for the beginner to the advanced grower. I find myself referring back the pages frequently to pick up some hidden or forgotton hints. The book is definately an integral part in the success in my garden.

Past History.......2001-05-05

High Times is resting on its history. This re-hash of old cultivation articles contributes very little to someone setting up a garden with what's going on today as far as equipment and hardware. Better to subscribe to the magazine than rely on these tired methods.

High Times, Low Value as Primary Grow Guide.......2000-05-19

Yes, there is a wealth of information in this growing guide, some of it state of the art; that is not the issue. It is a compilation of articles from past issues, and there is a lack of cohesiveness to the content that makes it a poor growing guide for beginners; there is also more contradiction betweeen authors than is helpful. The book is best suited for somewhat experienced growers, looking for esoteric tips to perfect their craft, while exploring a spectrum of diverse and newer ideas. In the later context, it has greater value. For the novice it is a supplimental text to be used in conjuction with any number of more teachable growing guides. Lastly, the book would have benefited from a good index, but it has no index at all.

GROW GROW GROW!.......2000-02-07

I have recently purchased this wonderful grow guide. It is definatly a good fact filled book ideal for any grower. I have purchased many other grow guides but they don't hold a candle to this one,it has in depth facts and tips . I gave this particular guide a rating of 5 because in my eyes you will not find a better.So , happy growing.

Offbeat Marijuana: The Life & Times of the World's Grooviest Plant

Average customer rating:

Thank you Mr. Rubin
Thank you Mr. Rubin
A Connoisseur's Cannabis Compendium!
Titanic Tribute To THC!

Offbeat Marijuana: The Life & Times of the World's Grooviest Plant
Saul Rubin
Manufacturer: Santa Monica Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Human Rights | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Offbeat Marijuana: The Life and Times of the World's Grooviest Plant both a serious and lighthearted look at the historical, legal, political, medicinal and social aspects of what has been called the world's most versatile plant. Chronicling the history of marijuana--from it's use by the Chinese in 3,000 B.C.E. to battle malaria, to the burgeoning American hemp industry of the 17th and 18th centuries, to the politically motivated demonization of the 1930s, to the U.S. government's directive to farmers to grow "Hemp for Victory" during World War II, to its enduring presence in late-20th century popular culture--Offbeat Marijuana offers a guided tour of the marijuana universe for friend and foe alike. Colorful personalities abound, from treasury official Harry Anslinger to hipster Bernia Brightman. The slang, the celebrities, the accessories, the music and art--it's all here. Hundreds of photos and illustrations bring this unique book to life.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you Mr. Rubin.......2002-05-09

I enjoyed reading the book so much that I bought my very anti-pot parents a copy, and they even enjoyed it. This book is superbly written. Giving an in depth look at the history and culture surround this wonderful [plant], Mr. Rubin delivers a product that swept me away in its thoroughness and style. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. His facts are well laid out, with clear insight into the who, what, where and when. Mr. Rubin's book is even handed in its approach, not laying on a heavy pro-pot bias that other books do. I found this book refreshing, eye opening, and a total pleasure to read. I hope that you take the time to sit down and enjoy this book. Thank you to Mr. Rubin for teaching me so much, and making it so fun to learn it!

Thank you Mr. Rubin.......2002-05-09

I enjoyed reading the book so much that I bought my very anti-pot parents a copy, and they even enjoyed it. This book is superbly written. Giving an in depth look at the history and culture surround this wonderful drug, Mr. Rubin delivers a product that swept me away in its thoroughness and style. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. His facts are well laid out, with clear insight into the who, what, where and when. Mr. Rubin's book is even handed in its approach, not laying on a heavy pro-pot bias that other books do. As someone who enjoys the occasional toke, I found this book refreshing, eye opening, and a total pleasure to read. I hope that you take the time to sit down and enjoy this book. Thank you to Mr. Rubin for teaching me so much, and making it so fun to learn it!

A Connoisseur's Cannabis Compendium!.......2000-03-03

This book has just about everything you'd ever want to know about marijuana, and it's written in a "head-friendly" prose style that makes it an excellent diversion whilst indulging. The graphics, many quite lurid, harken back to a simpler (read: stupider) time that is thankfully past. Congratulations to Santa Monica Press for having the balls to print this outstanding tome!

Titanic Tribute To THC!.......2000-02-11

At last, a book that "tells it like it is"! There is much to learn for even the most literary toker in this cluttered tome. Chock-full of historical and cultural matter, it contains much food for thought and a lot of droll laughs. A great gift for someone who would just as soon prefer you give them a bag of weed. This will last longer!

Baby Bull: From Hardball to Hard Time and Back

Average customer rating:

Try another book
Cepeda vs. Franks: He said/he said
Amazing story
Nice re-read the day that Cepeda went into the BBHoF
Is an upbeat, worthwhile book.

Baby Bull: From Hardball to Hard Time and Back
Orlando Cepeda
Manufacturer: Taylor Trade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Baseball | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

Essays & Writings | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Orlando Cepeda Story

ASIN: 087833212X

Amazon.com

A compelling presence on the field, Orlando Cepeda is equally compelling off of it. The only player to win unanimous Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player titles, the former slugging first baseman for the Giants and Cardinals was part of the first wave of Major League stars to come out of Puerto Rico in the 1950s, yet it's his postcareer that supplies Baby Bull with its power. After the fullness of a baseball life lived in the spotlight, Cepeda spiraled downward in the late '70s into shadows of his own making. Tapped out financially, carousing in discos, and deep into drugs, he served a prison sentence for smuggling marijuana before finally finding and righting himself through Buddhism: "All the records and cheers and the celebrity do not, and did not, create inner peace," Cepeda admits candidly. "Buddhism ... gave me the tools to turn my pain into medicine." Now back in baseball with the Giants as a kind of goodwill ambassador, and content as a husband and father, Cepeda looks back on a life worthy of a novel. Mercifully, he relates the story of his life without defensiveness, self-pity, or second- guessing. If it is, in part, a cautionary tale, it's at least a cautionary tale with a happy ending. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

This book is Orlando Cepeda's story, told in his own words and with refreshing candor and great drama.

Customer Reviews:

Try another book.......2007-04-20

I found the book very boring, as is typical of most books by former ballplayers. I should have known better. Orlando talks about his life growing up in PR, briefly about the minors, the majors, and his post-career life. He is very frank about his life. Orlando didn't care for Al Dark or Willie Mays. OC was the first SF Giants hero, as Willie was considered a NY guy.

Cepeda vs. Franks: He said/he said.......2002-11-10

I tend to prefer my baseball books pure, untainted by "larger" themes (as though there were any).

I knew that this book, billed as a frank autobiography of Orlando Cepeda, would deal with his conviction for smuggling marijuana. But I am interested purely in his baseball career and was planning not to take much interest in what happened afterwards.

And yet, it must be confessed that Orlando's story of the disgrace that he suffered among his fellow Puerto Ricans after his arrest and conviction and how Buddhism helped him to overcome his difficulties and make peace with the world and find his way back into major league baseball was a moving one. Especially touching is the story of his reunion with a son sired out of wedlock.

But the story of his personal experience with weed is uncomfortably vague. He acknowledges having smoked it as a youth in Puerto Rico and that he picked up the habit again in 1965, while still with the Giants, to relieve stress after a particularly bad run-in with The Evil One, Manager Herman Franks.

Yet Orlando appears to have become as happy as a clam after having been traded to the Cardinals in 1966, and this is certainly reflected in his performance while with the Cardinals and in the championship seasons that "El Birdos" compiled with him on the roster.

So with the stress gone, did he continue to smoke pot as a Cardinal? And with the teams that he played on afterwards? How did this affect his performance at game time? Orlando simply does not tell us.

Still, it's "Baseball Forever", and baseball purists will be glad to know that most of this book is set in between the foul lines. This is a familiar-sounding story of a youngster who grew up in poverty, despite having been born the son of Puerto Rico's most celebrated ballplayer, the great Perucho Cepeda. Perucho was known as "The Bull", and Orlando's nickname, which is the title of this book, was naturally passed onto him.

He used his natural ability (presumably also inherited from his father) and effort to overcome prejudice in the United States and build a storybook career.

The year-by-year recapitulation of his performance and that of the teams he played on is interesting but unremarkable and gives the reader a chance to reacquaint himself with the players from that era. What I primarily wanted to hear was Orlando's version of his alleged refusal to move from first base to left field in order to enable the Giants to get both his big bat and that of Willie McCovey into the lineup in a way which would not sacrifice too much defense (McCovey was not mobile enough to play left field effectively).

It is remarkable that a team laden with as much talent as the San Francisco Giants of the 1950's and 1960's won only one National League pennant, and many blame this on Cha-Cha's alleged refusal to make the switch to left.

In interviews conducted by Steve Bitker for his book, "The Giants of `58", Herman Franks repeats this charge, and Orlando sidesteps it. But even Bill Rigney, revered by Orlando as a father figure, states that he thinks that the Giants would have won the pennant in 1959 (McCovey's Rookie of the Year season) if Orlando would have been more cooperative.

Again, Orlando is uncomfortably vague in dealing with this issue, stating only that by 1966, he was ready to try to become the best left-fielder in baseball but that Herman Franks was already set on getting rid of him. But McCovey and Cepeda had played together for six years before 1966 (Cepeda was hurt for virtually all of 1965). What of those years?

The statistical comparisons from those years of how often Orlando played the outfield and of McCovey's at-bats and Orlando's might provide a slightly better defense of Orlando than he does of himself.

After 1959, 1962 seems to be the only year in which McCovey, while healthy, might have been deprived of at-bats because of Orlando's possible resistance to playing left field. Yet the Giants won the pennant that year and so this resistance appears not to have cost them.

But while McCovey does not appear to have been deprived of at-bats during those other years, he mostly played left field in 1963 and 1964, and played it poorly, while Cepeda was anchoring first. Would a switch have made enough of a difference to mean a Giants pennant? The statistics show that Orlando played creditably in left field in 1960 and 1961.

Cepeda also responds to Herman Franks's charge that he was a poor clutch hitter by pointing to his 553 RBI's garnered over his first five seasons. It's an astounding number, but it includes a monstrous 1961 season in which Orlando produced 142 "ribbies", which staggers the five-year total somewhat. From 1958 to 1960, he averaged slightly under 100 RBI's a season.

100 RBI's is usually a sterling number, but RBI's, by themselves, do not a clutch hitter make. Runs batted in during the early stages of a close game might make a difference later but are not the stuff that heroes are made of.

And runs produced when one's team is hopelessly ahead or behind are meaningless. But situational statistics weren't kept in Orlando's day so the case for him having been a good or a bad "clutch" hitter can only be made through anecdotal evidence, which is lacking in both the Cepeda and Franks accounts.

So to this day, it remains unresolved whether Orlando's complaints about being under-appreciated are valid - or just a lot of Baby Bull.

Amazing story.......2002-08-15

Orlando Cepeda is one of the greatest baseball players of our time. His personal life story is even more inspiring than any of his professional achievements. I was so moved by his accounts of overcoming drug addiction and other tribulations. I was also inspired by his encounter with Soka Gakkai and Buddhism. I recommend another book filled with wise quotes from the Buddhism Orlando Cepeda practices titled "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Book of Eastern Wisdom." by Taro Gold. Wonderful.

Nice re-read the day that Cepeda went into the BBHoF.......1999-07-26

I saw Orlando Cepeda play throught his career (mostly in person during the time he was with St. Louis). He was my hero then, he is a hero now. The book captures it all. I just wished that its publication could have waited to include a chapter on his 1999 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame (maybe the paperback will). But with all the times he just missed out on the honor, who can blame the man for writing his story now.

Is an upbeat, worthwhile book........1999-04-17

If you are a real fan of Cepeda or any of the teams he played for, you will probably enjoy this book. It does not fit the "tell all" biographies that have flooded the market, but it gives the man's honest interpretation of his life. Many references are made to all of the people who were "in my corner from the very beginning" but overall it is an enjoyable reading experience.

High Times Premier Summer Issue magazine 1974, Vol. 1 # 1, ( Cover Picture of Woman with Hat Looking at Mushroom in Blue & White ) Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Timothy Learys Ultimate Trip, Marijuana Wonder Drug, A Lady Dealer Talks, Tantric Yoga art of

Average customer rating:

High Times Premier Summer Issue magazine 1974, Vol. 1 # 1, ( Cover Picture of Woman with Hat Looking at Mushroom in Blue & White ) Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Timothy Learys Ultimate Trip, Marijuana Wonder Drug, A Lady Dealer Talks, Tantric Yoga art of
Jack Frazier, Timothy Leary, John Wilcock ETC, editor Ed Dwyer, illustrated articles by Rod De Remer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JCW0TS

Average customer rating:

The fall of a first class fighting man

Marijuana Time
Ken Lukowiak
Manufacturer: Orion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 075282127X

Book Description

From the author of the critically acclaimed, Soldier's Song (`brilliantly written... the Falklands Goodbye to All That' - `Sunday Express'), this is his own painfully funny, true-life tale of surviving a war, divorce, prison, gambling, a nervous breakdown, French Canadians, a shed-load of grass and a drug dealer who will only trade in tracksuit tops. Praise for Soldier's Song: John Le Carre: `Next time you hear your child sing Rule Britannia, read him this' Arena: `Honest, evocative, occasionally painful and often (disconcertingly) hilarious account of the grim business of war' Literary Review: `We could do with fewer artistic visionaries, and a few more like Lukowiak' Mail on Sunday: `A back street Wilfred Owen... a cocky, comic unforgettable performance'

Customer Reviews:

The fall of a first class fighting man.......2001-04-18

Ken Lukowiak served with 2 Para in the Falklands (see "A Soldiers Song") with great distinction. After the war his battalion went to Belieze.....

In Belieze he came into contact with drugs in a big way, and being a young soldier, fresh from the horrors of war, he sucumbed.

This, extremely funny, extremely tragic, account is his fall from grace is well written, pacy, and is a real page turner. Incidents with the post, accidently getting a colour sergeant stoned in the jungle, and being convinced that guatemalan snipers were behind every tree show both the comedy and the dangers of soldiers taking drugs.

Book Description

Drugs are part of every society, consumed for ritual or religious purposes, for pleasure, to enhance athletic performance, or as a means to relieve pain. Throughout the twentieth century, however, an arbitrary and shifting distinction was made between legal drugs that were prescribed and administered by the medical profession, and illegal drugs that were subject to state control and suppression.

Illegal in Canada since 1923, marijuana is the most controversial of illegal drugs. Because it lacks the same addictive and harmful qualities of other illegal substances, such as heroin and cocaine, marijuana's negative social impact is questionable. In the 1960s interest groups - including university student associations, certain physicians, and others -, began demanding changes to the Narcotics Control Act, which governed the legal status of drugs, to decriminalize or legalize the possession of marijuana.

In Not This Time, Marcel Martel explores recreational use of marijuana in the 1960s and its emergence as a topic of social debate. He demonstrates how the media, interest groups, state institutions, bureaucrats and politicians influenced the development and implementation of public policy on drugs. Martel illustrates how two loose coalitions both made up of interest groups, addiction research organizations and bureaucrats - one supporting the existing drug legislation, and the other favoring liberalization of the Narcotics Control Act - dominated the debate over the legalization of marijuana, and how those favoring liberalized drug laws, while influential, had difficulty presenting a unified front and problems justifying their cause while the health benefits of marijuana use were still in question. Exploring both sides of the debate, Martel presents the invigorating history of a question that continues to reverberate in the minds of Canadians.

Book Description

The first world-wide energy crisis in the early 1970s resulted in an explosive increase in both the number and diversity of studies on unmerchantable tree components such as tops, branches, foliage, stumps, and roots, and on whole small-sized trees. Here is a synopsis and the latest information on forest biomass utilization and the potential of this renewable raw material resource, presented from an interdisciplinary viewpoint. This balanced review of scientific literature as well as recent practical developments and experience in forest biomass utilization covers various aspects - quantity and properties of the resource, - harvesting and transport, - ecological consequences of intensive biomass recovery, - comminution and upgrading, - utilization for pulp, paper, composite boards, fodder, and energy in solid, liquid, or gaseous form.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books