October 31, 2012

Pot at the polls

from the Detroit Metro Times:



Pot at the polls
Marijuana law reformers aim for long-term change on Election Day

By Larry Gabriel
Published: October 31, 2012


The stakes are high for marijuana laws in next Tuesday's elections. Three states are voting on some form of a tax-and-regulate law, and two states are voting on medical marijuana. In Michigan, where voters said yes to medical marijuana in 2008, there are proposals in five cities that would further mitigate legal penalties for marijuana possession and use.

Detroit's Proposal M seeks to legalize possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana on private property by adults 21 and older. In Grand Rapids, Proposal 2 calls for making possession or use of marijuana a civil infraction punishable by a fine of up to $100. Kalamazoo voters will decide on amending the city charter to allow up to three marijuana dispensaries in the city. And in Flint and Ypsilanti, there are questions on the ballots that, if approved, would direct police to make enforcement of marijuana-possession laws their lowest priority.

For marijuana law reformers, this is the most significant Election Day ever. By this time next week, we should see some interesting developments in the movement. If voters in even one of the three states where legalization is on the ballot — Colorado, Oregon or Washington state — decide to approve and regulate the use of marijuana for adults, it will probably be a long-term game-changer. And, based on the polls, it's looking very likely that the initiatives in Colorado and Washington will pass.

"That there are so many initiatives going this fall really speaks to the fact that public opinion is changing in America against prohibition and for a wide variety of different reforms," says Morgan Fox, communications manager for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. "Washington looks like it's polling very well, and they have put together a good campaign to appeal to undecided voters; people who are not the most comfortable with marijuana but also uncomfortable with the way things are being run now. They got a lot of respectable establishment figures to not only back the initiative, but to be its primary spokespeople. People in Colorado are fairly used to a legitimized marijuana industry. I think there is a good chance it will pass in Colorado. It's still polling higher than the opposition. Oregon is not polling well. They had a lot less time to work on their campaign, but it's always possible." ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/pot-at-the-polls-1.1396002

October 31, 2012

Pot at the polls

from the Detroit Metro Times:



Pot at the polls
Marijuana law reformers aim for long-term change on Election Day

By Larry Gabriel
Published: October 31, 2012


The stakes are high for marijuana laws in next Tuesday's elections. Three states are voting on some form of a tax-and-regulate law, and two states are voting on medical marijuana. In Michigan, where voters said yes to medical marijuana in 2008, there are proposals in five cities that would further mitigate legal penalties for marijuana possession and use.

Detroit's Proposal M seeks to legalize possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana on private property by adults 21 and older. In Grand Rapids, Proposal 2 calls for making possession or use of marijuana a civil infraction punishable by a fine of up to $100. Kalamazoo voters will decide on amending the city charter to allow up to three marijuana dispensaries in the city. And in Flint and Ypsilanti, there are questions on the ballots that, if approved, would direct police to make enforcement of marijuana-possession laws their lowest priority.

For marijuana law reformers, this is the most significant Election Day ever. By this time next week, we should see some interesting developments in the movement. If voters in even one of the three states where legalization is on the ballot — Colorado, Oregon or Washington state — decide to approve and regulate the use of marijuana for adults, it will probably be a long-term game-changer. And, based on the polls, it's looking very likely that the initiatives in Colorado and Washington will pass.

"That there are so many initiatives going this fall really speaks to the fact that public opinion is changing in America against prohibition and for a wide variety of different reforms," says Morgan Fox, communications manager for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. "Washington looks like it's polling very well, and they have put together a good campaign to appeal to undecided voters; people who are not the most comfortable with marijuana but also uncomfortable with the way things are being run now. They got a lot of respectable establishment figures to not only back the initiative, but to be its primary spokespeople. People in Colorado are fairly used to a legitimized marijuana industry. I think there is a good chance it will pass in Colorado. It's still polling higher than the opposition. Oregon is not polling well. They had a lot less time to work on their campaign, but it's always possible." ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/pot-at-the-polls-1.1396002

October 31, 2012

GOP Tool Spreads False Rumors and Panic About Hurricane Sandy Just to be a Jerk

AlterNet / By Alex Kane

GOP Tool Spreads False Rumors and Panic About Hurricane Sandy Just to be a Jerk
The definition of obnoxious: a right-wing Twitter troll making up lies about the impact of Hurricane Sandy.

October 30, 2012 |


As widespread worries over Hurricane Sandy spread among New York City residents, one obnoxious right-wing Twitter user took the opportunity to spread unsubstantiated rumours about the impact of the storm. Some of the Twitter messages went viral--and news organizations picked them up.

BuzzFeed Politics’ Tumblr has collected many of the tweets from @ComfortablySmug, the Twitter account name that spread the rumours. @ComfortablySmug, according to his Twitter bio, is interested in “Finance, Gin, Politics, Books, Food, Fine Clothing, Meeting Strangers #Mitt2012.” Some of the rumours he spread include: “confirmed flooding” of the New York Stock Exchange; Con Edison shutting down all the power in New York; and Governor Cuomo being trapped in Manhattan. None of the tweets were true. And one message--that subways would be shut for the remainder of the week--went viral. That message, also, wasn’t true. Another message, that the New York Stock Exchange was flooded, was picked up by CNN.

But “two of his tweets garnered more than 500 retweets. One drew a rebuke from ConEd’s official Twitter account,” BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski writes.

While Kaczynski didn’t identify the user, Wonkette claims to have found out who he is: “ Shashank Tripathi , who naturally is some kind of low-level staffer or volunteer at a NYC Republican Victory Center , and was spotted holding a campaign sign in November 2010 .” ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/gop-tool-spreads-false-rumors-and-panic-about-hurricane-sandy-just-be-jerk

October 31, 2012

The Chris Rock Show.....Special Election 2000 coverage w/correspondent Wanda Sykes

October 31, 2012

Classic Bill Maher 'New Rules' from Election 2008

October 31, 2012

Boar-ish behavior in Berlin

BERLIN—Berlin authorities say they shot and killed a 120 kilogram (265-pound) wild boar after it attacked and injured four people including a police officer in a residential neighbourhood.

Police said Tuesday the boar bit a 74-year-old man on the back and leg, and knocked a 74-year-old woman to the ground and injured her hip on Monday afternoon in the Charlottenburg area of the capital. It also bit a 24-year-old woman before she climbed aboard a parked car to safety. All three were treated in a hospital.

Police say when a police officer arrived, the boar attacked him and cut his leg before he pulled his gun and killed the animal with “multiple shots.” ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1279487--wild-boar-rampage-leaves-4-injured-in-berlin-residential-neighbourhood

October 31, 2012

A Stormy Reminder of Why We Need Government

from OnTheCommons.org:


A Stormy Reminder of Why We Need Government
A job well done, from the local 911 switchboard to the White House

| by David Morris


If this election is a referendum on the benefit of government then superstorm Sandy should be Exhibit A for the affirmative. The government weather service, using data from government weather satellites delivered a remarkably accurate and sobering long range forecast that both catalyzed action and gave communities sufficient time to prepare. Those visually stunning maps you saw on the web or t.v. were largely based on public data made publicly available from local, state and federal agencies.

As the storm neared, governors and mayors ordered the evacuation of low lying areas. Police and firefighters ensured these orders were carried out and helped those needing assistance. As the storm hit, mayors imposed curfews.

Government 911 and 311 telephone operators quickly and effectively responded to hundreds of thousands of individual calls for assistance and information. Indeed, the volume of those calls may lead us to propose a different answer to the question asked by those famous lines from the movie Ghostbusters. “If there’s something weird and it don’t look good who ya gonna call?” Government.

Public schools and other public buildings were quickly converted into temporary shelters. Transit systems and bridges were closed when public safety might be compromised. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/stormy-reminder-why-we-need-government

October 30, 2012

Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard to Penn State: I'm sex abuse poster child

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania — Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard recounted his own sexual abuse by coaches he trusted, telling a Penn State audience on Monday he hoped to encourage other victims to report abuse to police.

Leonard spoke at a sold-out conference on child sex abuse hosted by Penn State weeks after former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, 68, was sentenced to prison for 30 to 60 years for sexually assaulting 10 boys he befriended through his charity for at-risk youth.

Leonard, 56, who retired after winning world boxing titles in five different weight classes, said as a youth he was sexually assaulted by men he trusted as his boxing coaches.

"Trust is a very sacred thing, especially for young people, kids, or a young boxer, so I trusted these people, these individuals who impacted my life," said Leonard said. "They told me everything I wanted to hear, and more." ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/sports-general/20121009/SPORTS-US-USA-PENNSTATE/

October 30, 2012

Lower Manhattan and Red Hook Are Overwhelmed

(NYT) With rapids-like fury, water piled out of New York Harbor on Monday night and flooded scores of city streets, venturing far deeper into neighborhoods than anyone could remember. Red Hook in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan seemed to bear the brunt of the onslaught, though similar scenes unfolded in Queens and in Upper Manhattan.

On Tuesday morning, the waters had mostly receded in the two neighborhoods across the harbor from each other, and the most recent high tide came and went without breaching the sea walls. But numerous buildings had had their first floors and basements flooded and power was out.

In Red Hook, residents and business owners picked through their waterlogged possessions. On Van Brunt Street, residents pulled soggy mattresses onto the street. A half-foot of water still filled Beard Street, and portions of Pier 41, which is filled with businesses and artist studios, appeared to be gone.

“It’s a disaster,” said Greg O’Connell, whose father, also Greg, developed much of Red Hook in the late 1990s. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/nyregion/red-hook-residents-defy-evacuation-warnings-drinks-in-hand.html?hp&_r=0

October 30, 2012

NY MTA: No Timetable for Restoration of Subway Service

MTA chair Joe Lhota spoke to WNYC’s Soterios Johnson Monday morning about the extent of the damage to the subway system. Listen to the interview below, and read the partial transcript of his remarks.

Lhota said he knew last night there was a problem. “Last night I was downtown and it was pretty obvious…I saw the water surge coming up, realizing that the systems were going to be affected. Our electrical systems, our alarm systems, tell us when there’s water down there. They basically shut off. It’s an automatic system…they would only shut off if there was water down there.”

Johnson asked Lhota just how bad the flooding was. “The assessment is ongoing. Dawn is just cracking right now,” Lhota said, adding that the sunlight would help with the assessment process, “which is going to be ongoing. We’ll report back to New Yorkers later in the day as to what we have assessed, and determine how long it’s going to take to get the system back up and running. One thing I do want everyone to focus on is the fact of how dynamic and how robust the New York City subway system is.” And New Yorkers need to understand: “We’re going to be flexible, we’re going to try to be creative. Those systems that can be up and running, those portions of the system that can be up and running — I want them up and running as quickly as possible. Then use our bus service and our buses — re-route them in such a way that they supplement and complement each other. And that’s what I mean by creativity: if there’s a portion of the system that’s going to take longer to repair, that doesn’t mean the whole system is down…we’re New Yorkers, we adapt very very well.” .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://transportationnation.org/2012/10/30/breaking-ny-mta-no-timetable-for-restoration-of-subway-service/