All The Money In The World

Have you ever wondered how your life might be different if you had “All The Money In The World?” In her new book by that same name, Laura Vanderkam turns that question on its head. Instead, Laura, who is also the critically-acclaimed author of “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think“, and a Related Stories The Quiet Wisdom Of Saving My Quest To Find Financial Peace Of Mind Spend Your Remaining FSA Dollars… In Under an Hour!

Is the Blunt Amendment Constitutional?

Written by Annamarya Scaccia for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. The Obama Administration’s recently-announced accommodation to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate should have put any controversy to rest. After all, the mandate’s modified religious exemption rule now covers those Related Stories State Senator Coleman on Alabama’s Mandated Ultrasound Bill: “It’s Rape” What I Learned Today in Virginia: Orwellian Logic in 2012 Lady-Parts, the Church and Planned Parenthood: When I Became Pro-Choice

More NFL PLayers Busted for Pot – CelebStoner

More NFL PLayers Busted for Pot CelebStoner Leroy Hill and Nate Collins were charged with marijuana possession in separate arrests that took place during the last week. For the Seahawks’ Hill (far right), it was his second pot arrest. In 2009, he fell asleep at the wheel of his car near Atlanta. and more »

BREAKING: Historic Victory: Coal Free Chicago Will Electrify Clean Power Movement Across the Nation

In a move that should electrify the clean energy movement across the country, the tireless champions with the Chicago Clean Power Coalition have announced that Midwest Generation, a subsidiary of multinational giant Edison International, will soon shut down the Windy City’s two Model-T-era coal-fired plants. The historic victory, after a decade-long battle, marks a shift in

Bend Man Busted for Pot in Traffic Stop – KBND

Bend Man Busted for Pot in Traffic Stop KBND A simple traffic stop in Klamath County turned up 24 pounds of marijuana, and lead police to a whole lot more. Oregon State Police report that Daniel Jude Uelman, 35, of Bend was stopped on Highway 97 in Klamath County and during the stop, police found … and more »

Pot Legalization Headed To Colorado Ballots

Colorado voters will decide this fall whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use when the state becomes the second in the nation to put such a proposal on ballots this year. The Secretary of State’s Office said Monday that supporters of the legalization initiative collected enough signatures to get their measure before voters, meaning Colorado will join Washington state in putting a recreational pot question on November ballots. Voters will be asked whether adults older than 21 should be allowed to use marijuana even without a doctor’s recommendation. The measure would allow adults to have up to 1 ounce of marijuana or six marijuana plants. The proposal also allows for commercial pot sales, though cities and counties would have permission to ban marijuana sales if they choose. The plan would also direct state lawmakers to put an undetermined excise tax on pot, with the proceeds going to education. Colorado considered and rejected recreational pot legislation in 2006. And, more recently, California voters turned back a similar plan in 2010. But activists say that Colorado residents have since become accustomed to medical marijuana and are more willing to consider full legalization. “The people of Colorado are ready to end marijuana prohibition and begin taxing it and regulating it like alcohol,” said Mason Tvert, head of Colorado’s Campaign To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. The campaign needed two tries to make the ballot. Last month the initiative backers fell just short of the required 86,000 signatures when tens of thousands were deemed invalid. But officials said a second attempt allowed under Colorado law left the campaign with more than 90,000 valid signatures. Compared to Washington state, Colorado officeholders have been slow to embrace recreational legalization. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has backed recreational legalization in Washington state. But no current Colorado elected official was scheduled to join legalization activists at a news conference Tuesday. “I don’t know whether I’ll support it yet,” said Republican Sen. Tim Neville. “I’m not a huge fan of the results of our war on drugs, how it’s going currently, but the devil is always in the details. I’ll need to look at it.” The Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police was less circumspect. “We haven’t come out with a formal position yet, but you can guess where we’ll come down,” said John Jackson, Greenwood Village police chief who runs the legislative committee for the state police chiefs association. The chiefs opposed the 2006 measure. Despite the chilly reception from public officials, marijuana activists say the time is right for legalization. The measure would set up a direct federal showdown over drug laws, but Colorado and 16 other state already buck the federal government by allowing marijuana for medical use. “This could be a watershed year in the decades-long struggle to end marijuana prohibition in this country,” Art Way, Colorado manager of the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement. Source: Associated Press (Wire) Author: Kristen Wyatt, The Associated Press Published: February 27, 2012 Copyright: 2012 The Associated Press

First Health Canada Helps Prosecute Marijuana Growers

Montreal’s Centre de Compassion, a medical marijuana facility, was raided last year and subsequently shut down, its director Marc-Boris St. Maurice charged with trafficking. Yet, much to his surprise, Health Canada asked him for advice on the subject of medical marijuana, along with other black market medical marijuana growers and dispensers and members of Health Canada’s Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulatory Reform, at a meeting in Ottawa Wednesday. They wanted to know how to grow, distribute and regulate the drug for medical purposes. The National Post’s Kristin Annable spoke to Mr. St. Maurice: Q: Health Canada had an audience full of people who Ottawa has spent years trying to shut up and shut down. With this opportunity, what sort of questions did they ask? A: Well I have the sheet right here, some examples are: In an indoor installation would you use artificial or natural light? Should you use hydroponic or natural soil? What are the minimum requirements, in your opinion, for the person in charge of quality? Q: And how did you answer those questions? A: In my opinion the most important thing is the proficiency of the person, whether it is hydroponic or natural soil. Obviously, I prefer indoor because you can control the environment better. I think you would need someone with both microbiology experience and someone who has experience cultivating. Q: Usually facilities like yours are at odds with the government. How does it feel to have Health Canada come to you looking for help? A: That is the irony of the situation. Health Canada has come to court testifying against myself and other medical marijuana providers many times. Yet, now they are coming to us looking for information because they know it has value. Some people here have cases pending against them; are they going to testify against us after inviting us here? Q: What were the people like who were there? A: There were producers from all over the country. I think there was at least three from Toronto, some more from Montreal, Halifax, Guelph. The crowd was quite diverse, people in suits and ties, people in ponytails and leather hats, everyone from lawyers to old hippies. Q: Over the years you must have developed quite the expertise on the subject. A: Yes, we have always had to do it illegally. The positive is that they are acknowledging our level of expertise, which is a phenomenon. Q: So how did they extend the invite to you? A: Last summer, Health Canada announced that they were overhauling the whole medical marijuana access regulations and getting rid of personal production licenses. We went to a consultation at that time to discuss dispensing marijuana, where they announced that they would be giving out commercial production licenses to “compassion care” facilities to supply and legally produce it. Q: So they decided that they want it produced commercially for medical use? A: They said they would have a subsequent meeting to follow-up, which was this meeting. This was the first meeting that they have reached out to and recognized our expertise on the subject of production. Q: And how did they conduct the meeting? A: It was in a hotel conference room. We were broken up into three groups to discuss three themes: Quality, record keeping and security. Q: Do you think the government understands what they are doing when it comes to growing marijuana? A: No I don’t think they do. After 10 years of this, they are realizing that what we do is complex. Q: What were the bigger concerns raised at this consultation? A: Security. One thing they were asking was whether they should do criminal background checks for the producers. I’m of the opinion it would be wrong to exclude people who have a record of marijuana production, because they have the experience. It’d be like having a gay rights club and only letting straight people in. Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc. Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Author: Kristin Annable

Sorry’s Not Good Enough in Afghanistan. Here’s Why.

This article was co-authored by Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe As violence continues following the burning of Korans by ISAF in Afghanistan, insiders in Washington, D.C. and in the media are wasting quite a bit of breath asking the rhetorical question, “Why aren’t the apologies working?” Military commanders in Afghanistan apologized profusely, President Obama exposed himself Related Stories War Industry’s Accountants Can’t Count Ike’s Nightmare No More “King-Washing” the Pentagon, Please

Stalled Out No More: Appalachian Community Health Emergency Kicks Off DC Campaign to Halt Mountaintop Removal

Besieged residents living amid the fallout of the mountaintop removal crisis in the central Appalachian coalfields are descending on Washington, DC today, as part of a new emergency health campaign calling for an immediate moratorium on “the toxic coal acquisition process that has been shown to be associated with heart-breaking birth defects, cardiac problems, lung

State Senator Coleman on Alabama’s Mandated Ultrasound Bill: “It’s Rape”

Written by Andy Kopsa for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post.This article was updated at 5:15 p.m., Monday, February 27th to include information on a phone call placed to Preferred Medical Services, which could not confirm the claim made Related Stories What I Learned Today in Virginia: Orwellian Logic in 2012 The Pontifical Commission and How Birth Control Became Known as Intrinsically Evil Catholics and Contraception: Letters From the Laity Paint a Very Different Picture Than the Bishops Want You to See

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