Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The new California marijuana law is too vulnerable

There is presently a full legalization proposal for cannabis in CA that’s pending. Nevertheless a slightly different California weed regulation was just signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. The proposal only makes marijuana slightly less illegal. The possession of small amounts of marijuana has slightly less stiff penalties. The law is for people who don’t have a medical cannabis prescription. Those caught with a small amount of cannabis will only receive a small fine. Possession of small amounts was formerly a misdemeanor criminal offense, which warranted a court appearance. Source of article – California marijuana law does not go far enough by Newystype.com.

The Schwarzenegger marijuana reform

Governor Schwarzenegger signed a recent bill, titled SB 1449. SB 1449 is about marijuana. Possession of less than one ounce of marijuana has a penalty that went down with it. Right now, an individual can be fined up to $100 and is required to show up to court with a misdemeanor offence. However, as of Jan. 1, 2011, the brand new penalty could be only a fine, based on the Los Angeles Times. It would be lawful to use weed for recreational purposes with a brand new bill. This one is called Proposition 19. Governor Schwarzenegger only signed SB 1449 for practical reasons although is really against Prop 19. The idea is to lower burdens on law enforcement and courts. Via the whole U.S., California’s medical marijuana laws are the most relaxed.

Many dispute bill is inadequate

Many argue that marijuana is just an evil that should be avoided. It is actually a pretty flawed argument. Marijuana is no more a gateway drug than tobacco or alcohol. If someone wants to do drugs, they’ll get a hold of them very easily. Weed may not have even been their first drug. The drug being illegal is odd to begin with considering the history of the criminalization of marijuana. Anybody who was considered a political dissenter was stopped with the “Drug War” that Nixon begun.

Fewer benefits

We can see in history the effect law has. Definitely, individuals won’t follow the regulation if they do not want to. Prohibition of alcohol within the early 20th century only enriched organized crime. Prohibition of marijuana does the very same. It opens the door to a police state. Everyone who testifies to that probably lived with the K.G.B. or the Stasi looking over their shoulder continuously. Nobody enjoys marijuana being illegal. It doesn’t benefit anyone.

Articles cited

LA Times

latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/10/schwarzenegger-signs-bill-reducing-offense-for-marijuana-possession.html



Vice cops arrest Howard Arenstein along with his wife

Howard Arenstein and his wife, Orly Katz, have both been arrested for possessing and producing cannabis. Both Katz and Arenstein work for news producers. Yedioth Ahronoth, a newspaper in Israel, employs Orly Katz; Columbia Broadcasting System News Radio uses Howard Arenstein as their Washington D.C. bureau chief. Vice squad law enforcement officers busted both individuals when they found prepared cannabis in their home.

Arenstein cuffed by law enforcement

A search warrant was executed on the home of Orly Katz and Arenstein, depending on a tip from neighbors. Prosecutors have charged Arenstein and Orly Katz with possession of cannabis and intent to distribute the marijuana discovered in their home. After they were charged, the couple was released from jail without having to post any bail. D.C. law allows them to wait for their trial when outside of lockup. Katz and Arenstein might be fined for the weed in their house. They could also face a few years in jail for the marijuana discovered in their home.

Katz and Arenstein accused of possessing cannabis

After neighbors complained about weed within the back yard, vice cops raided Arenstein’s home. On that Saturday morning, 11 fully mature cannabis plants were discovered within the couple’s backyard. Six two-ounce bags of cannabis were also discovered in the home. The intent to distribute charge is based on the small packages of controlled substances found.

Employers may investigate Arenstein

CBS News officials have declined to officially remark on Howard Arenstein’s arrest. The investigation into the criminal arrest by the station has been begun, though, based on some informants inside the radio station. The internal politics of both news organizations is such that they may not be fired for their infraction. The couple cannot claim medical cannabis defense, as D.C. doesn’t have a provision for legal cannabis use.

Articles cited

New York Post

nypost.com/p/news/national/news_chief_in_pot_bust_lbSxPNSQJJALmj9gvLJNSO

Hollywood Reporter

hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i6bc2dd0e5ce14ff2beb7b1e5dcba3034



Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sanchez sprays bigot Jew bile at Stewart

CNN’s Sanchez said on a national radio program that Stewart of “The Daily Show” is “a bigot” and that he would fit right in among the “Jews that run CNN”. Apparently Sanchez was fed up with the numerous comedians making fun of him on the air, so he shot back with his own barbs that don’t just cross the satire line, they leave it choking in the dust.

Rick Sanchez, do not detest the gamer

Programs work hard to be entirely satire like “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” Of course, these have slowly begun to be found in media as media and entertainment have blended in America. Rick Sanchez has a “traditional” cable media show with CNN. These shows that are attempting to make jokes made fun of Rick Sanchez. He totally lost it yesterday, accounts Mediaite. Evidently this happened during Pete Dominick’s satellite radio show. It did not help Sanchez much after making the “Jon Stewart is a bigot” comment by saying that he could be called “prejudicial” or “uniformed” more accurately.

'What group is he bigoted toward?’ is the question

Dominick engaged Rick Sanchez over his remark, possibly in order to give Sanchez a rope in which to climb out of the hole. Things just got worse. Sanchez practically hung himself with his words. He does this by playing the “Jews run entertainment” card.

Small section throwing crap

Sanchez was lead to his next comment by Dominick who explained that he is a small section as he is a Jew. Rick Sanchez is Hispanic as well. He said that those who run Cable News Network are “a lot like Stewart,” as are those who run “all the other networks.”. A cherry on the sundae came when Rick Sanchez said “I cannot see somebody not getting a job somewhere because they’re Jewish.”

Talk amongst yourselves.

Data from

Mediaite

mediaite.com/online/rick-sanchez-calls-jon-stewart-a-bigot-says-cnn-is-run-by-jews/



Brazilian Blowout - Harmful item or safely straight hair?

In the quest for ultra-straight hair, the Brazilian Blowout has promoted itself as a safe option. Brazilian Blowout claims to sit on the surface of the hair. This is allegedly “safer” than relaxers that penetrate the hair. Recent reports, though, say that Brazilian Blowout could be anything but safe. Although it is marketed as safe, Brazilian Blowout contains formaldehyde levels of up to 1060 % above what the government views “safe”.

About the Brazilian Blowout

Brazilian Blowout is the brand name of a wide line of products. A Brazilian Blowout straightens hair non-permanently, using salon techniques. You can expect to pay up to $ 600 for a Brazilian Blowout treatment. Brazilian Blowout costs more than no fax pay day loans and lasts about as long — between two and six weeks.

Dangerous chemical compounds in straighteners

A workplace must have safety measures and Material Data Safety Sheets if any product in use has .1 % or more of formaldehyde. After numerous complaints from salon workers, the Oregon Health and Science University tested salon samples of Brazilian Blowout. These tests showed the chemicals within the product included up to 10.5 percent formaldehyde.

Beauty or Danger

Safety warnings must be involved on any product that contains more than a “background” level of formaldehyde. Exposure to chemicals can cause burning, irritation, and even degradation of the skin. Formaldehyde can also trigger heart palpitations and carcinomas of the nose. The Brazilian Blowout company claims that because they did not send samples to the OCROET, the tests are not valid. The bill that would regulate the amount of chemicals in beauty products is stuck in Congress. If H.R. 5786 passes congress, merchandise like Brazilian Blowout would be regulated in ways similar to Europe.

Data from

Max Health

emaxhealth.com/1024/croet-finds-formaldehyde-brazilian-blowout

Green LA Girl

greenlagirl.com/scared-straight-formaldehyde-in-brazilian-blowout-products/

Library of Congress

thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.5786:



Sunday, October 3, 2010

Austerity actions by Euro nations fill roads with demonstrators

European citizens organized angry protests against austerity measures as governments struggle to recuperate from the European debt crisis by cutting social services and increasing taxes. A primary complaint is that while European governing bodies spent billions to bail out banks, austerity forces the general public to foot the bill. With demonstrations underway, a going to United States of America Treasury official implored European governing bodies to be careful that austerity does not derail a fragile global economic recovery.

Crowds come with austerity

In a day of austerity protests on Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of individuals marched across Europe. Reuters reports the protests were led by trade unions, which say austerity will slow economic recovery and punish the poorest citizens. Trade unions organized protests in 12 European capitals to demonstrate against spending cuts and pension and labor market reforms. In Europe, there was a crowd of about 60,000 in Brussels, Belgium waving their banners in protest. These banners said things like “Priority to jobs and growth” and “No to austerity.”

Cultural programs mainly all austerity focuses on

There is one major reason that the austerity protests in Brussels are happening. It is because member states with high joblessness are running up deficits to fund their social products which lead the European Union Commission to come up with the proposal of penalizing these member states. France is the country fighting hard and strong towards the EU proposal that Germany wants mostly because it wants sanctions to determine things instead of hard cutting rules, reports the Huffington Post. Greek doctors and railway employees simply walked to show what is happening in other European places. Spanish workers made their statement too. Buses and trains were shut down. In Ireland, a man blocked the Irish parliament with a cement truck in protest of the country’s massive financial institution bailouts.

United States urges Europe to go light on austerity measures

A top United States Treasury official visited Frankfurt throughout the austerity demonstrations. He urged Europe to slow down a little on things. The Wall Street Journal reports that Americans and Europeans disagree about whether stimulus or austerity is the solution to a weak global recovery. The United States of America firmly believes that a stimulus will work the best. Europe disagrees getting increasingly more spending cuts and increases in taxes. Lael Brainard, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs, explained that the best objective is to support a lasting recovery rather than using austerity to fix the weak global demand.

Data from

Reuters

reuters.com/article/idUSLDE68S24620100929?type=marketsNews

Huffington Post

huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/29/spain-strikes-over-auster_n_743014.html#s146799

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703431604575521833087264428.html?mod=googlenews_wsj



UT Austin university locked down after library shooting

The entire UT-Austin campus has been locked down for safety. This is because of a school shooting in the library. Either one or two gunmen started firing weapons in the Perry-Castaneda library early within the morning. The sole reported injury from the UT shooting was the self-inflicted gunshot that killed the University of Texas shooter. Areas bordering the college campus are on lockdown until the SWAT team has cleared the campus.

The early morning UT school shooting

A masked shooter walked to the Perry-Castaneda library at UT-Austin. This was just as early morning classes were starting. Some witnesses have claimed there was one shooter, while others are claiming there are two. Following running across campus, the shooter entered the library. This was all when carrying an AK-47. There was a short burst of gunfire, and then the shooter allegedly shot himself. Because some witnesses have reported a second shooter, police are still looking for that second person.

Just one personal injury in University of Texas school shooting

The UT-Austin firing has resulted in only one death. The shooter was the person that died. Witnesses say the shooter was aiming the weapon at the ground. SWAT teams were called into university. Police, ambulance, and fire crews were also called in to University of Texas.

Lockdown at UT

Almost right away following the University of Texas firing began, the University of Texas-Austin campus was locked down. The University of Texas made use of Twitter, text messages, and emails to ensure that every person was informed. The UT campus alert incorporated the words “STAY AWAY.” Until the second gunman is found, the UT campus shooting lockdown will continue. The lockdown could also end if it is confirmed there is no second shooter.

Citations

CNN

cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/28/texas.university.shooting/index.html?hpt=T2

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/US/shots-fired-university-texas-austin-cops-hunt-gunman/story?id=11744405

Statesman

statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2010/09/28/i_was_very_vulnerable_one_witn.html



More spying to match more internet connection in Obama web plan

The Obama internet plan has expanded to consist of something besides more broadband for everybody. The Obama administration, along with intelligence and regulation enforcement agencies, want even more monitoring powers online, which can be part of a brand new bill going before Congress sometime within the near future. The ability of the government to observe communications will greatly expand if the bill becomes law. Basically, it will mean that fewer means of communication can be beyond the all watching eye of Washington.

The Obama web plan

A bill will propose more accessibility for wiretap and surveillance purposes for intelligence and law enforcement officials, according to the Brand new York Times. The White House is on board, and the Obama Internet surveillance bill will likely go to Congress next year. The bill will mandate that all methods of communication be designed to permit government surveillance. The reason is that some communications, especially those on the Internet, are encrypted and private.

Small company are affected

The disadvantage to rules of this sort is that little independent shops have to work double time to keep up with mandates, whereas an already large company can very easily comply. Research In Motion does not even have accessibility to the private and encrypted transmissions from the Blackberry, which led to bans of the phone in some countries. RIM is working double time to comply with monitoring needs of governments. Other corporations, such as Skype and other voice over internet protocol or VOIP companies will have to re-engineer their products to keep up as well. Fewer people are relying on traditional phone communications. Regulation enforcement and intelligence personnel have warned that the ability to monitor criminals is “going dark” as a result of less access.

Electrical ear

There have been many laws passed giving government the ability to look or listen in. Few methods of communication, except maybe sign language, are exempt. Granted, Obama has not had a scandal comparable to the Bush domestic spying controversies. You will find legitimate threats to public safety that can be dealt with by this legislation, and the federal insists it isn’t overstepping its authority by asking for the access. You will find people that do pose a threat to public safety that could be caught using these methods. However, this type of power is easily misused.

Information from

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wiretap.html?pagewanted=1