Reasons for America to listen to France and not England...
1)They (France) made the Statue of Liberty.
2)They (France) call them French Fries, not CHIPS. What the hell is a CHIP!?
3)France call up with a really good sounding name for a threesome...
4)French people don't burn and destroy cities after losing a football (soccer) game.
5)We (USA) revolted against England, not France, about 200 years ago....
6)France is closer to Amersteramm than England.
7)They (France) actually fought the Nazis on their homeland (well half of the country).
8)They (France) sold us half of the country (USA) for really really really cheap (see Lousianna Purchase).
9)French chicks are hot, English chicks are Posh.
10)VIVA LA FRANCE sounds better than LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!
Puerto Rico Points of Interest
Thursday, May 29, 2003
from Yahoo news....
Also, I happened to be reading a book, to be published in June, that put that spy story in a different historical context. "The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I," by Thomas Fleming, a smart popular historian who learned his politics the same place I did. It is an astonishing book, particularly if you know little or nothing about that war to end all wars.
I did not know, for instance, that the German government placed advertisements in New York newspapers warning passengers not to board the British luxury liner Lusitania. The ads said the ship was secretly carrying ammunition and weaponry to England, and that German U-boats, the super-weapons of the time, were going to try to sink it -- which they did on May 17, 1915. More than 1,100 people, including 128 Americans, died, and more than 5,000 cases of ammunition blew up or ended up on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
This, according to Fleming, is what it was like at home after the United States entered the war in 1917:
Sen. Hiram Johnson of California led the fight to kill a one-paragraph clause in an omnibus appropriations bill that would have given the White House and Department of War the power to censor all newspapers in the country.
"Patriots" in Milwaukee used machine guns to stop patrons from seeing the German play "Wilhelm Tell."
Lutheran schools and churches were raided and searched for pro-German material; former president Theodore Roosevelt called for a ban on teaching the German language in schools.
In Lansing, Mich., a man named Powell was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for complaining about pressure to buy war bonds; the mayor of Lansing was sent to jail for contempt of court when he rose to defend Powell.
At least 100 conscientious objectors, especially socialist political leaders, were sentenced to 10 to 30 years in federal penitentiaries; Mennonites were sent into empty fields and pursued by motorcyclists until they collapsed.
Labor leader Eugene Debs, who supported the war, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for attacking "superpatriots."
Citizens Protective League vigilantes loaded 1,200 union miners and dissidents into railroad cars and dropped them in New Mexico deserts -- "a lesson that the whole of America would do well to copy," said a Los Angeles Times editorial.
The general counsel of the U.S. Post Office, William H. Lamar, closed several magazines, including The Nation, denouncing them for "pro-Germanism, pacifism and highbrowism."
The Saturday Evening Post called on America to get rid of German-Americans and Irish-Americans, "the scum of the melting pot."
Robert Goldstein, director of "Spirit of '76," a film that depicted 18th-century atrocities by British soldiers during the American revolution, was arrested and sentenced to prison for 10 years.
Baseball fans at an exhibition game in Texas cheered Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers when he slid into second base spikes high and then pummeled the bleeding second baseman, Buck Herzog of the New York Giants, yelling, "German! German!"
Morris Ryskind was expelled from Columbia Journalism School for making fun of the school's president, Nicholas Murray Butler, who fired any faculty who spoke against the war. He went to Hollywood and wrote movies for the Marx Brothers.
We seem to have come a long way, or at least the government is a lot less crazy. Or maybe we talk less now and have better listening devices.
Also, I happened to be reading a book, to be published in June, that put that spy story in a different historical context. "The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I," by Thomas Fleming, a smart popular historian who learned his politics the same place I did. It is an astonishing book, particularly if you know little or nothing about that war to end all wars.
I did not know, for instance, that the German government placed advertisements in New York newspapers warning passengers not to board the British luxury liner Lusitania. The ads said the ship was secretly carrying ammunition and weaponry to England, and that German U-boats, the super-weapons of the time, were going to try to sink it -- which they did on May 17, 1915. More than 1,100 people, including 128 Americans, died, and more than 5,000 cases of ammunition blew up or ended up on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
This, according to Fleming, is what it was like at home after the United States entered the war in 1917:
Sen. Hiram Johnson of California led the fight to kill a one-paragraph clause in an omnibus appropriations bill that would have given the White House and Department of War the power to censor all newspapers in the country.
"Patriots" in Milwaukee used machine guns to stop patrons from seeing the German play "Wilhelm Tell."
Lutheran schools and churches were raided and searched for pro-German material; former president Theodore Roosevelt called for a ban on teaching the German language in schools.
In Lansing, Mich., a man named Powell was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for complaining about pressure to buy war bonds; the mayor of Lansing was sent to jail for contempt of court when he rose to defend Powell.
At least 100 conscientious objectors, especially socialist political leaders, were sentenced to 10 to 30 years in federal penitentiaries; Mennonites were sent into empty fields and pursued by motorcyclists until they collapsed.
Labor leader Eugene Debs, who supported the war, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for attacking "superpatriots."
Citizens Protective League vigilantes loaded 1,200 union miners and dissidents into railroad cars and dropped them in New Mexico deserts -- "a lesson that the whole of America would do well to copy," said a Los Angeles Times editorial.
The general counsel of the U.S. Post Office, William H. Lamar, closed several magazines, including The Nation, denouncing them for "pro-Germanism, pacifism and highbrowism."
The Saturday Evening Post called on America to get rid of German-Americans and Irish-Americans, "the scum of the melting pot."
Robert Goldstein, director of "Spirit of '76," a film that depicted 18th-century atrocities by British soldiers during the American revolution, was arrested and sentenced to prison for 10 years.
Baseball fans at an exhibition game in Texas cheered Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers when he slid into second base spikes high and then pummeled the bleeding second baseman, Buck Herzog of the New York Giants, yelling, "German! German!"
Morris Ryskind was expelled from Columbia Journalism School for making fun of the school's president, Nicholas Murray Butler, who fired any faculty who spoke against the war. He went to Hollywood and wrote movies for the Marx Brothers.
We seem to have come a long way, or at least the government is a lot less crazy. Or maybe we talk less now and have better listening devices.
Friday, May 23, 2003
Load of Hay Produces Marijuana
Thu May 22, 4:57 AM ET Add AP - Feature Stories to My Yahoo!
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - A load of hay brought from Kansas produced lots of new grass in a Benton County pasture when seeds sprouted, but the grass wasn't the kind the farmer wanted. Benton County sheriff's Deputy Tom Brewster said Tuesday the farmer reported to the sheriff's office late last week that he found marijuana growing on his property. On Monday, deputies went to the farm south of Centerton and found 126 marijuana plants ranging from 3 inches to 3 feet tall, Brewster said. Brewster said neither the farmer's name nor the location of the farm would be released, as the farmer did not want to be identified. According to Brewster, the plants were growing in a random manner in an area where the farmer had kept bales of hay. He said an investigation found the farmer had purchased a large quantity of hay from a place in Kansas and had been feeding it to his cattle over the winter.
Apparently, someone had been growing marijuana in the field where the hay was cut and the marijuana and its seeds ended up in the bales, he said. Over time, the seeds fell out of the hay and sprouted new plants. Monday's seizure of the 126 plants resulted in no charges to either the farmer or the cows, Brewster said.
Thu May 22, 4:57 AM ET Add AP - Feature Stories to My Yahoo!
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - A load of hay brought from Kansas produced lots of new grass in a Benton County pasture when seeds sprouted, but the grass wasn't the kind the farmer wanted. Benton County sheriff's Deputy Tom Brewster said Tuesday the farmer reported to the sheriff's office late last week that he found marijuana growing on his property. On Monday, deputies went to the farm south of Centerton and found 126 marijuana plants ranging from 3 inches to 3 feet tall, Brewster said. Brewster said neither the farmer's name nor the location of the farm would be released, as the farmer did not want to be identified. According to Brewster, the plants were growing in a random manner in an area where the farmer had kept bales of hay. He said an investigation found the farmer had purchased a large quantity of hay from a place in Kansas and had been feeding it to his cattle over the winter.
Apparently, someone had been growing marijuana in the field where the hay was cut and the marijuana and its seeds ended up in the bales, he said. Over time, the seeds fell out of the hay and sprouted new plants. Monday's seizure of the 126 plants resulted in no charges to either the farmer or the cows, Brewster said.
Thursday, May 22, 2003
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
from bbc.com------------
Australia to test medical cannabis.
Australia's most populous state has announced plans to legalise the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The authorities in New South Wales say they will launch a four-year trial to see if the banned plant can alleviate chronic pain. Under the proposal, patients will be able to gain access to the drug through the state's health department. A number of countries, including the Netherlands and Canada, have laws approving the medicinal use of cannabis. Eight US states have taken similar steps - although the use of the drug remains illegal under federal law. New South Wales Premier Bob Carr said trials for the pain-relieving properties of cannabis would include strict safeguards.
People convicted of an illicit drug offence, on parole, under 18 years of age, or pregnant will not be able to register as a user, he told the state parliament in Sydney. "Patients must be able to show that conventional treatment will not relieve their suffering," he said. Mr Carr called the plan a "compassionate scheme". "It's directed at people like the 62-year-old man with bowel cancer ... (who) uses cannabis to relieve pain and to beat the nausea that stops him from eating," Mr Carr said.
Sufferers of a number of ailments, including multiple sclerosis, have said cannabis eases their pain. Legislation authorising the trials is expected to pass through the New South Wales parliament later this year. The main opposition leader in the state, John Brogden, has indicated his support for the trial.
Australia to test medical cannabis.
Australia's most populous state has announced plans to legalise the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The authorities in New South Wales say they will launch a four-year trial to see if the banned plant can alleviate chronic pain. Under the proposal, patients will be able to gain access to the drug through the state's health department. A number of countries, including the Netherlands and Canada, have laws approving the medicinal use of cannabis. Eight US states have taken similar steps - although the use of the drug remains illegal under federal law. New South Wales Premier Bob Carr said trials for the pain-relieving properties of cannabis would include strict safeguards.
People convicted of an illicit drug offence, on parole, under 18 years of age, or pregnant will not be able to register as a user, he told the state parliament in Sydney. "Patients must be able to show that conventional treatment will not relieve their suffering," he said. Mr Carr called the plan a "compassionate scheme". "It's directed at people like the 62-year-old man with bowel cancer ... (who) uses cannabis to relieve pain and to beat the nausea that stops him from eating," Mr Carr said.
Sufferers of a number of ailments, including multiple sclerosis, have said cannabis eases their pain. Legislation authorising the trials is expected to pass through the New South Wales parliament later this year. The main opposition leader in the state, John Brogden, has indicated his support for the trial.
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
seriously, it isn't funny anymore!!!! how can we bring the extinction of animals and plants and not be worried about it!!??!! now dolphins and whales are only being given 10 (ten) years of existance!! no more hate, no more war, no mor destruction. let women rule, let women do good and men, let's just stay out of the way and help.
anyhow, read about this whale of a story.
anyhow, read about this whale of a story.
check out this story!! just in case you can't, read the following to see what it's about!
from bbc.com news----------
'High-rise' housing for South Africa
Houses made from cannabis are far stronger and cheaper than conventional buildings, says South African innovator Andre du Plessis. He sees this as the solution to the housing problem in South Africa, where millions of people live in shanty towns. Since he started advocating the "dope houses", some South Africans have been joking that if one caught fire, people would run towards the burning building, rather than away. But Mr du Plessis told the BBC Network Africa programme that if one of the houses did catch fire, it would not give off any "class C or D noxious fumes". So he says people would have no reason to steal lumps out of the houses to smoke.
The fibre from the cannabis plant, which used to be used to make ropes, would be mixed with lime and sand. "It looks like cement - a brownish, greyish hue," he said, adding that it would not smell of cannabis. Although Mr du Plessis says the cannabis cement is six times stronger and six times cheaper than normal cement, the South African Government is not interested in his idea. He says he has 30 or 40 letters from different government departments saying "Thanks, but no thanks". "It's quite frustrating when you're suggesting something that can only aid South Africa. I'm not doing this for any personal gain."
from bbc.com news----------
'High-rise' housing for South Africa
Houses made from cannabis are far stronger and cheaper than conventional buildings, says South African innovator Andre du Plessis. He sees this as the solution to the housing problem in South Africa, where millions of people live in shanty towns. Since he started advocating the "dope houses", some South Africans have been joking that if one caught fire, people would run towards the burning building, rather than away. But Mr du Plessis told the BBC Network Africa programme that if one of the houses did catch fire, it would not give off any "class C or D noxious fumes". So he says people would have no reason to steal lumps out of the houses to smoke.
The fibre from the cannabis plant, which used to be used to make ropes, would be mixed with lime and sand. "It looks like cement - a brownish, greyish hue," he said, adding that it would not smell of cannabis. Although Mr du Plessis says the cannabis cement is six times stronger and six times cheaper than normal cement, the South African Government is not interested in his idea. He says he has 30 or 40 letters from different government departments saying "Thanks, but no thanks". "It's quite frustrating when you're suggesting something that can only aid South Africa. I'm not doing this for any personal gain."
Monday, May 12, 2003
as i sit on this tiny island i see alot of things that do not make sense, but every so i see something in the world that is lively and makes sense! Go Canada!!!!!
from yahoo news--------
World - Canada
Canada Plans to Cut Pot Use by Cutting Penalties
Fri May 9, 4:32 PM ET
By Randall Palmer
OTTAWA (Reuters) - It may sound counterintuitive, but Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon believes that by decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana he will actually cut its use.
Cauchon told Reuters in an interview on Friday that current criminal sanctions are being applied so rarely and unevenly that reducing the penalties and then enforcing them should result in a more effective deterrent. "The system is broken. It doesn't work. We have to fix it and we have to be realistic in fixing it," Cauchon said. "It's 2003 and we realize that the existing legislation hasn't been effective, and more and more people are using cannabis."
Despite concerns expressed by the Bush administration, the Canadian government is looking at changing criminal penalties for marijuana possession, possibly to a system in which users would just get a ticket. Cauchon stresses that marijuana would remain illegal, and that criminal penalties would continue to apply to possession of larger amounts and to traffickers. He has pledged to deliver legislation to Parliament by mid June, though it was quite possible it would be introduced as early as next week. "We're not doing that do be soft on drugs, but to be more efficient, more effective," said the minister, who comes from Quebec, one of Canada's most liberal provinces. "It is in order to make sure that we will send a strong message to the effect that the use of drugs -- to be more precise, we're talking about cannabis -- in Canada is illegal and harmful as well for our society."
Currently about 100,000 of Canada's 30 million people use pot on a daily basis, he said.
"We don't really enforce the existing legislation. When we do enforce the legislation we don't do it on a uniform basis across Canada," he said. "For example, if you get caught with 5 or 10 grams (a fraction of an ounce) in downtown Toronto, you're probably going to get nothing but a verbal warning," he added. "If you get caught in a small village somewhere in Canada, probably there's a chance that you'll be charged and tried, with a summary conviction, and end up with a criminal judgement against you."
A House of Commons committee in December recommended ending criminal penalties for people cultivating or possessing amounts less than 30 grams (one ounce), and it took issue with the idea that marijuana is a gateway to harder drugs. But that idea is precisely the position of the Bush administration, which has warned of a possible clampdown at the border with Canada if possession is decriminalized, even if that means world's richest trading relationship suffers as a result.
Cauchon described the plan briefly to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) this week at a Paris meeting of justice ministers of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations. Asked what Ashcroft's reaction was, Cauchon said: "It was OK. It was what you would expect." Cauchon said he would not expect a U.S. backlash. "Not at all, because I believe that with that new policy we will be going in the right direction," he said.
from yahoo news--------
World - Canada
Canada Plans to Cut Pot Use by Cutting Penalties
Fri May 9, 4:32 PM ET
By Randall Palmer
OTTAWA (Reuters) - It may sound counterintuitive, but Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon believes that by decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana he will actually cut its use.
Cauchon told Reuters in an interview on Friday that current criminal sanctions are being applied so rarely and unevenly that reducing the penalties and then enforcing them should result in a more effective deterrent. "The system is broken. It doesn't work. We have to fix it and we have to be realistic in fixing it," Cauchon said. "It's 2003 and we realize that the existing legislation hasn't been effective, and more and more people are using cannabis."
Despite concerns expressed by the Bush administration, the Canadian government is looking at changing criminal penalties for marijuana possession, possibly to a system in which users would just get a ticket. Cauchon stresses that marijuana would remain illegal, and that criminal penalties would continue to apply to possession of larger amounts and to traffickers. He has pledged to deliver legislation to Parliament by mid June, though it was quite possible it would be introduced as early as next week. "We're not doing that do be soft on drugs, but to be more efficient, more effective," said the minister, who comes from Quebec, one of Canada's most liberal provinces. "It is in order to make sure that we will send a strong message to the effect that the use of drugs -- to be more precise, we're talking about cannabis -- in Canada is illegal and harmful as well for our society."
Currently about 100,000 of Canada's 30 million people use pot on a daily basis, he said.
"We don't really enforce the existing legislation. When we do enforce the legislation we don't do it on a uniform basis across Canada," he said. "For example, if you get caught with 5 or 10 grams (a fraction of an ounce) in downtown Toronto, you're probably going to get nothing but a verbal warning," he added. "If you get caught in a small village somewhere in Canada, probably there's a chance that you'll be charged and tried, with a summary conviction, and end up with a criminal judgement against you."
A House of Commons committee in December recommended ending criminal penalties for people cultivating or possessing amounts less than 30 grams (one ounce), and it took issue with the idea that marijuana is a gateway to harder drugs. But that idea is precisely the position of the Bush administration, which has warned of a possible clampdown at the border with Canada if possession is decriminalized, even if that means world's richest trading relationship suffers as a result.
Cauchon described the plan briefly to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) this week at a Paris meeting of justice ministers of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations. Asked what Ashcroft's reaction was, Cauchon said: "It was OK. It was what you would expect." Cauchon said he would not expect a U.S. backlash. "Not at all, because I believe that with that new policy we will be going in the right direction," he said.
Friday, May 09, 2003
FROM BBC.COM----
An Iraqi web logger knocked offline by the war in Iraq has resurfaced. ......
Salam Pax became well-known among web users in the opening weeks of the Iraq conflict for his web log. The web log stopped being updated on 24 March as the war approached Baghdad and electrical power and telephone lines were knocked out. But even throughout the days when he could not get his words on to the internet, the man behind Dear Raed has been recording his thoughts and this week managed to get them on to the web.
"War sucks big time. Don't let yourself ever be talked into having one waged in the name of your freedom," reads one of the most recent entries.
Salam himself had a close encounter with edgy US troops in which he had to talk himself out of trouble. In early April Salam wrote: "At the moment the US/UK are not winning any battle to 'win the heart and mind' of this individual. No matter which way this will go my life will end up more difficult."
As the Americans entered the city, the conflict came much closer as Fedayeen fighters took to hiding in residential areas as a cover for their attacks on US troops. Salam said the result was usually many dead Iraqi civilians when Fedayeen sniper fire or a missile attack was answered by an overwhelming response by US soldiers.
Since the conflict ended, life in Baghdad has not got any easier and Salam laments the damage that the bombing has done which has only been continued by looters.
Looters are apparently now stealing number plates off cars so they can use them on another vehicle that has been stolen and has no registration plate of its own. Using a number plate, albeit stolen, hides the fact that the vehicle bearing it has also been stolen. "To see your city destroyed before your own eyes is not a pain that can be described and put to words," he wrote, "the American Government is getting as many curses as the Iraqi. Somehow when the bombs start dropping or you hear the sound of machine guns at the end of your street you don't think about your 'imminent liberation' anymore," he wrote.
An Iraqi web logger knocked offline by the war in Iraq has resurfaced. ......
Salam Pax became well-known among web users in the opening weeks of the Iraq conflict for his web log. The web log stopped being updated on 24 March as the war approached Baghdad and electrical power and telephone lines were knocked out. But even throughout the days when he could not get his words on to the internet, the man behind Dear Raed has been recording his thoughts and this week managed to get them on to the web.
"War sucks big time. Don't let yourself ever be talked into having one waged in the name of your freedom," reads one of the most recent entries.
Salam himself had a close encounter with edgy US troops in which he had to talk himself out of trouble. In early April Salam wrote: "At the moment the US/UK are not winning any battle to 'win the heart and mind' of this individual. No matter which way this will go my life will end up more difficult."
As the Americans entered the city, the conflict came much closer as Fedayeen fighters took to hiding in residential areas as a cover for their attacks on US troops. Salam said the result was usually many dead Iraqi civilians when Fedayeen sniper fire or a missile attack was answered by an overwhelming response by US soldiers.
Since the conflict ended, life in Baghdad has not got any easier and Salam laments the damage that the bombing has done which has only been continued by looters.
Looters are apparently now stealing number plates off cars so they can use them on another vehicle that has been stolen and has no registration plate of its own. Using a number plate, albeit stolen, hides the fact that the vehicle bearing it has also been stolen. "To see your city destroyed before your own eyes is not a pain that can be described and put to words," he wrote, "the American Government is getting as many curses as the Iraqi. Somehow when the bombs start dropping or you hear the sound of machine guns at the end of your street you don't think about your 'imminent liberation' anymore," he wrote.
Thursday, May 08, 2003
just a little bit on my islander perspective, but perhaps i'm biased since i'm from paradise... but wouldn't it seem more productive to take something like a bad habit and make it something useful for society? for example, let's say someone is smoking something they shouldn't, let's just say they are smoking pot, then why not just give them community service instead of jail time? are they really hurting anyone? and why not let them grow it if they show a continued use of it despite fines and community service. i mean that way we could take money out of "evil drug dealers" and just let people manage their own bad habits.
food for thought... by the way, the internet is freedom. it's a library of the world, it is not a business portal or commerce tool.
one last thing, last night i got an email from mother god... she says that people should stop arguing about copy rights and patents because soon she'll sue for the illegal use of creation. she said that it took her eons to make something as simple as DNA, which is a clever set of instructions that she painstakedly coded so few people could copy her, but alas humans went and broke her coding and now they are coping her work. she said to remind the world that DNA is copyrighted and patented for another 20 dimensions of existance, and seeing as i don't even know what that means, i'm sure it's a really long time!
so that's right, you're property of mother god. she made you and owns the rights on you and your consequencial work. so stop being stupid and arguing about copyrights and patents because it all belongs to her.
lots of love to all things and especially to mothers, since they truly are the image of mother god, for remember, although Jesus did not have a father in this existance, he always had a mother. so this mother's day, if you find that you were born without a mother, then give thanks and praise to mother god, for she found a way to create you anyhow. love to mothers and women. let love rule!!!
food for thought... by the way, the internet is freedom. it's a library of the world, it is not a business portal or commerce tool.
one last thing, last night i got an email from mother god... she says that people should stop arguing about copy rights and patents because soon she'll sue for the illegal use of creation. she said that it took her eons to make something as simple as DNA, which is a clever set of instructions that she painstakedly coded so few people could copy her, but alas humans went and broke her coding and now they are coping her work. she said to remind the world that DNA is copyrighted and patented for another 20 dimensions of existance, and seeing as i don't even know what that means, i'm sure it's a really long time!
so that's right, you're property of mother god. she made you and owns the rights on you and your consequencial work. so stop being stupid and arguing about copyrights and patents because it all belongs to her.
lots of love to all things and especially to mothers, since they truly are the image of mother god, for remember, although Jesus did not have a father in this existance, he always had a mother. so this mother's day, if you find that you were born without a mother, then give thanks and praise to mother god, for she found a way to create you anyhow. love to mothers and women. let love rule!!!
let's cheer for Canada! okay, read the following and you may see why.....
from yahoo news....
Top Stories - USA TODAY
U.S., Canada clash on pot laws
Donna Leinwand USA TODAY
The Bush administration is hinting that it could make it more difficult for Canadian goods to get into this country if Canada's Parliament moves ahead with a proposal to drop criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The proposal, part of an effort to overhaul Canada's anti-drug policies, essentially would treat most marijuana smokers there the same as people who get misdemeanor traffic tickets. Violators would be ticketed and would have to pay a small fine, but they no longer would face jail time.
Canada's plan isn't that unusual: 12 U.S. states and most of the 15 nations in the European Union (news - web sites) have eased penalties on first-time offenders in recent years. That's a reflection of how many governments have grown weary of pursuing individual marijuana users.
from yahoo news....
Top Stories - USA TODAY
U.S., Canada clash on pot laws
Donna Leinwand USA TODAY
The Bush administration is hinting that it could make it more difficult for Canadian goods to get into this country if Canada's Parliament moves ahead with a proposal to drop criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The proposal, part of an effort to overhaul Canada's anti-drug policies, essentially would treat most marijuana smokers there the same as people who get misdemeanor traffic tickets. Violators would be ticketed and would have to pay a small fine, but they no longer would face jail time.
Canada's plan isn't that unusual: 12 U.S. states and most of the 15 nations in the European Union (news - web sites) have eased penalties on first-time offenders in recent years. That's a reflection of how many governments have grown weary of pursuing individual marijuana users.
Friday, May 02, 2003
for my bestest friend Amanda, who has an eye condition that makes her legally blind......
from BBC.com-----------
It was a darkish room, candelit only, and I vaguely remembered steps on the way to the kitchen. I'd better explain. I have an eye condition called RP retinitus pigmentosa and am officially registered blind. I can't read any more and I can't see anything in much detail, but I'm pretty mobile. The trick was to get to the kitchen without anyone offering to help. Fortunately, a guest was giving a jump-by-jump account of her last visit to Badminton and no-one noticed my escape.
Someone had beaten me to it.
I could just make out a silhouette topped with dreadlocks and something glinting, probably an earring, by the window. I could definitely smell hash. The voice was rich, friendly and unmistakably Caribbean. 'Join the party', he said and handed me the remains of a roll-up.
I'm not a regular cannabis user. I learnt to smoke it when I was sent by this paper to Amsterdam to cover the first international conference to debate the legalisation of pot some 20 years ago. My student children occasionally bring it home and I sometimes share a joint to be sociable, but it has marginally less effect on me than a large malt whisky.
The Battersea roll-up was something else. Even before I exhaled, I could feel something was happening. I took another drag. The silhouette by the window was no longer a blur. It was wearing a pale blue denim jacket with metal studs arranged in a diamond pattern on the sleeve.
I took another drag and counted the studs. There were 16. The next inhalation revealed an Arran sweater under the jacket with alternate rows of cable stitch and blackberry stitch. I know about knitting. My Dublin landlady knitted all the time, but I haven't seen a stitch, plain, purl or blackberry, in detail for decades.
This was incredible and I wanted to tell my companions so, but somehow I couldn't seem to get my tongue around the words. I knew I was smiling, a silly loose-lipped smile, and he was smiling too, showing shiny white teeth...eight, to be exact, with a gap on the left.
I couldn't stop counting things. I counted the mugs on the dresser, which were very red, and the flowers on the sides of the mugs, which were very green with white centres, and the number of tiles on the floor. For someone who can no longer read Tube station signs and once went to lunch at the Savoy wearing odd shoes - same style, different colours. This was a whole new world. Only trouble was, I couldn't stand up. Sightless or legless, it's a tough choice.
The next time I saw my consultant, Professor Bird at Moorfields, I told him about it. He didn't seem surprised. He remembered a letter in Nature magazine six years ago about Jamaican fishermen smoking ganja to improve their night vision. Apparently, an opthalmic research fellow from the University of the West Indies had gone out one night with a boatload of stoned fishermen, and confirmed that, in pitch darkness, they had piloted their flimsy craft through treacherously rough, rock-ridden seas.
In America, continued Professor Bird, it is not unusual for opthalmic consultants to prescribe cannabis for glaucoma. There was a case recently of an American student being stopped at Heathrow with a pouchful of hash. 'But it's on prescription from my doctor,' he protested. Pull the other one, said Heathrow Customs.
Professor Bird offered the services of a colleague, Dr Fred Fitzke, over at the Institute of Opthamology, who would test my vision before and after a joint to see precisely what improvement there was. I would have to bring my own dope.
Clearly, it wasn't just any old weed I had had in my friends' Battersea kitchen.
'It must have been Skunk, mum,' advised the youngest daughter. 'Ordinary Thai doesn't have that effect. Was it very green with sort of sparkly bits in it?' I couldn't remember. All I remembered about that evening in Battersea was the sudden clarity with which I could see everything, as if someone had switched on a 150-watt light bulb in a candlelit room.
I've done some research into Skunk. The best stuff comes from Amsterdam and was originally called Fourways because it was developed from four different kinds of cannabis: Sinsemilla, Hindikush and two common varieties of Thai.
It isn't grown in earth like ordinary hash. It's grown hydroponically with regular liquid feeds. They're so keen on Skunk in Amsterdam, they now have an annual Growers' Cup to find the best variety. Best, in Dutch terms, means potent but still allowing you to work. You don't fall over or smile silly, lopsided smiles. That's obviously the kind I need.
This year's Growers' Cup winner was called Khali Mist, beating Snow White, winner for the past two years. There's also Super Skunk, Blue Grass, AK47, Bubblegum and many more. The English brand of Snow White is generally agreed to be the most potent. The only problem is the price. Skunk costs twice as much as ordinary weed, £25 for an eighth of an ounce instead of the usual tenner. But then you get what you pay for. It contains five times as much of the buzz-giving substance THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that you smoke it for.
Whether it will ever be prescribed here on the National Health Service depends very much on what the new drugs law reform commission comes up with, I suppose. Certainly, there are hospices which allow patients to smoke dope to relieve those parts which even the strongest morphine doses cannot reach.
For my birthday, my daughter sent me a box containing, according to the label, three months' supply of those new disposable contact lenses. Some kind of joke. I haven't worn contacts for years. Wrap-around glasses with dark red milk-bottle lenses to keep out the light are my trademark.
It was a long box. Inside, carefully wrapped in silver foil, was a joint the size of a Monte Cristo cigar. It didn't say Khali Mist, but I expect that's what it is.
Unfortunately, Dr Fitzke was in Cambridge last week attending an opthalmic conference, so I couldn't make an appointment for my Skunk test. But, at least I've got the business to take with me when he returns. It promises to be an interesting session. I'll let you know how it goes."
from BBC.com-----------
It was a darkish room, candelit only, and I vaguely remembered steps on the way to the kitchen. I'd better explain. I have an eye condition called RP retinitus pigmentosa and am officially registered blind. I can't read any more and I can't see anything in much detail, but I'm pretty mobile. The trick was to get to the kitchen without anyone offering to help. Fortunately, a guest was giving a jump-by-jump account of her last visit to Badminton and no-one noticed my escape.
Someone had beaten me to it.
I could just make out a silhouette topped with dreadlocks and something glinting, probably an earring, by the window. I could definitely smell hash. The voice was rich, friendly and unmistakably Caribbean. 'Join the party', he said and handed me the remains of a roll-up.
I'm not a regular cannabis user. I learnt to smoke it when I was sent by this paper to Amsterdam to cover the first international conference to debate the legalisation of pot some 20 years ago. My student children occasionally bring it home and I sometimes share a joint to be sociable, but it has marginally less effect on me than a large malt whisky.
The Battersea roll-up was something else. Even before I exhaled, I could feel something was happening. I took another drag. The silhouette by the window was no longer a blur. It was wearing a pale blue denim jacket with metal studs arranged in a diamond pattern on the sleeve.
I took another drag and counted the studs. There were 16. The next inhalation revealed an Arran sweater under the jacket with alternate rows of cable stitch and blackberry stitch. I know about knitting. My Dublin landlady knitted all the time, but I haven't seen a stitch, plain, purl or blackberry, in detail for decades.
This was incredible and I wanted to tell my companions so, but somehow I couldn't seem to get my tongue around the words. I knew I was smiling, a silly loose-lipped smile, and he was smiling too, showing shiny white teeth...eight, to be exact, with a gap on the left.
I couldn't stop counting things. I counted the mugs on the dresser, which were very red, and the flowers on the sides of the mugs, which were very green with white centres, and the number of tiles on the floor. For someone who can no longer read Tube station signs and once went to lunch at the Savoy wearing odd shoes - same style, different colours. This was a whole new world. Only trouble was, I couldn't stand up. Sightless or legless, it's a tough choice.
The next time I saw my consultant, Professor Bird at Moorfields, I told him about it. He didn't seem surprised. He remembered a letter in Nature magazine six years ago about Jamaican fishermen smoking ganja to improve their night vision. Apparently, an opthalmic research fellow from the University of the West Indies had gone out one night with a boatload of stoned fishermen, and confirmed that, in pitch darkness, they had piloted their flimsy craft through treacherously rough, rock-ridden seas.
In America, continued Professor Bird, it is not unusual for opthalmic consultants to prescribe cannabis for glaucoma. There was a case recently of an American student being stopped at Heathrow with a pouchful of hash. 'But it's on prescription from my doctor,' he protested. Pull the other one, said Heathrow Customs.
Professor Bird offered the services of a colleague, Dr Fred Fitzke, over at the Institute of Opthamology, who would test my vision before and after a joint to see precisely what improvement there was. I would have to bring my own dope.
Clearly, it wasn't just any old weed I had had in my friends' Battersea kitchen.
'It must have been Skunk, mum,' advised the youngest daughter. 'Ordinary Thai doesn't have that effect. Was it very green with sort of sparkly bits in it?' I couldn't remember. All I remembered about that evening in Battersea was the sudden clarity with which I could see everything, as if someone had switched on a 150-watt light bulb in a candlelit room.
I've done some research into Skunk. The best stuff comes from Amsterdam and was originally called Fourways because it was developed from four different kinds of cannabis: Sinsemilla, Hindikush and two common varieties of Thai.
It isn't grown in earth like ordinary hash. It's grown hydroponically with regular liquid feeds. They're so keen on Skunk in Amsterdam, they now have an annual Growers' Cup to find the best variety. Best, in Dutch terms, means potent but still allowing you to work. You don't fall over or smile silly, lopsided smiles. That's obviously the kind I need.
This year's Growers' Cup winner was called Khali Mist, beating Snow White, winner for the past two years. There's also Super Skunk, Blue Grass, AK47, Bubblegum and many more. The English brand of Snow White is generally agreed to be the most potent. The only problem is the price. Skunk costs twice as much as ordinary weed, £25 for an eighth of an ounce instead of the usual tenner. But then you get what you pay for. It contains five times as much of the buzz-giving substance THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that you smoke it for.
Whether it will ever be prescribed here on the National Health Service depends very much on what the new drugs law reform commission comes up with, I suppose. Certainly, there are hospices which allow patients to smoke dope to relieve those parts which even the strongest morphine doses cannot reach.
For my birthday, my daughter sent me a box containing, according to the label, three months' supply of those new disposable contact lenses. Some kind of joke. I haven't worn contacts for years. Wrap-around glasses with dark red milk-bottle lenses to keep out the light are my trademark.
It was a long box. Inside, carefully wrapped in silver foil, was a joint the size of a Monte Cristo cigar. It didn't say Khali Mist, but I expect that's what it is.
Unfortunately, Dr Fitzke was in Cambridge last week attending an opthalmic conference, so I couldn't make an appointment for my Skunk test. But, at least I've got the business to take with me when he returns. It promises to be an interesting session. I'll let you know how it goes."
from BBC.com -----
There is scientific evidence to suggest that cannabis may be useful in treating a wide range of conditions.
And wide-scale trials testing the safety and efficacy of cannabis extracts are currently underway in the UK and elsewhere.
For instance, cannabis appears to be able to help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy treatment given to cancer patients.
The drugs used to treat cancer are among the most powerful, and most toxic, chemicals used in medicine. They produce unpleasant side effects, such as days or weeks of vomiting and nausea after each treatment.
Cannabis is an ant emetic, a drug that relieves nausea and allows patients to eat and live normally.
Extracts also seem to benefit patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, stopping muscle spasms, and reducing tremors.
In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the oral use of dronabinol, a cannabis derivative, for people with Aids.
There is evidence that cannabis may stimulate the appetites of Aids patients with wasting disease.
It may also help relieve the pain of menstrual cramps and childbirth.
Campaigners claim the drug is useful in treating depression and other mood disorders.
Cannabis analogues have been shown to prevent seizures in epileptic patients when given in combination with prescription drugs.
The drug can also help in the treatment of patients suffering from glaucoma, one of the commonest causes of blindness, by reducing fluid pressure in the eye.
Claims have also been made for its use in treating asthma, strokes, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, alcoholism and insomnia.
There is scientific evidence to suggest that cannabis may be useful in treating a wide range of conditions.
And wide-scale trials testing the safety and efficacy of cannabis extracts are currently underway in the UK and elsewhere.
For instance, cannabis appears to be able to help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy treatment given to cancer patients.
The drugs used to treat cancer are among the most powerful, and most toxic, chemicals used in medicine. They produce unpleasant side effects, such as days or weeks of vomiting and nausea after each treatment.
Cannabis is an ant emetic, a drug that relieves nausea and allows patients to eat and live normally.
Extracts also seem to benefit patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, stopping muscle spasms, and reducing tremors.
In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the oral use of dronabinol, a cannabis derivative, for people with Aids.
There is evidence that cannabis may stimulate the appetites of Aids patients with wasting disease.
It may also help relieve the pain of menstrual cramps and childbirth.
Campaigners claim the drug is useful in treating depression and other mood disorders.
Cannabis analogues have been shown to prevent seizures in epileptic patients when given in combination with prescription drugs.
The drug can also help in the treatment of patients suffering from glaucoma, one of the commonest causes of blindness, by reducing fluid pressure in the eye.
Claims have also been made for its use in treating asthma, strokes, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, alcoholism and insomnia.
read this green article! why is it that we continue to neglect the fact that alcohol kills too? how bout drunk driving and alcoholism? yet we allow that. so why not give people freedom of choosing their lifestyles. besides, not everyone smokes "joints" when consuming cannabis. how about studying the intake when consuming cannabis thru a glass water pipe using a hot air gun or otherwise known as a vaporizer? and also, what about the benefits of less stress? or the benefits of higher metabolism and a healthy and kinder outlook on life and natural living? i am sick and tired of people classifying a plant by the use of a very small percentage. not all users of this plant are the same and some people can be very discipline and clean and healthy. jah love! may the lord take care of all kind and peaceful people. no war, no hate, no violence.
Thursday, May 01, 2003
grandparents are the coolest. they provide love and support that the youth lack in the world. grandparents are pillars of love and support and just thinking of them cheers people up. its like candy canes in christmas, they are just cheery. so thank you grandparents of the world and i hope you all live comfortable and happy lives. and by the war, vote no for war. let us not kill anymore and let us endorse education for everyone, everyone's grandchildren.
here's to my favorite president in my short lifetime, Mr. President Clinton!!!-----------
Clinton: More Nations Should Rebuild Iraq
Wed Apr 30, 7:54 PM ET
MEXICO CITY - Former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) said Wednesday the United States needs to involve more countries in rebuilding Iraq (news - web sites) and that the United Nations (news - web sites) should not be weakened in the process.
Clinton spoke at a political conference in Mexico City, where he also met with President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) at the presidential residence.
"What's done is done," Clinton said, referring to the war in Iraq.
"We cannot let this be a precedent for weakening the U.N.," he said. "We have to have honest inspections for chemical and biological weapons, and we need to have a sensible attempt to involve the world in building a democratic Iraq."
Clinton also said a key postwar step would be to restart peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The world "can only hope and pray that President Bush (news - web sites) is right, and that it (Iraq) will him extra leverage in resolving the conflict," he said.
"It's only a question of how many people they are willing to see die before they reach the inevitable agreement," he added, "but it will come."
Clinton was in the Mexico capital to participate in "21st Century Mexico" a political and economic forum presented by Mexico's dominant telecommunications company, Telefonos de Mexico, or Telmex.
Clinton: More Nations Should Rebuild Iraq
Wed Apr 30, 7:54 PM ET
MEXICO CITY - Former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) said Wednesday the United States needs to involve more countries in rebuilding Iraq (news - web sites) and that the United Nations (news - web sites) should not be weakened in the process.
Clinton spoke at a political conference in Mexico City, where he also met with President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) at the presidential residence.
"What's done is done," Clinton said, referring to the war in Iraq.
"We cannot let this be a precedent for weakening the U.N.," he said. "We have to have honest inspections for chemical and biological weapons, and we need to have a sensible attempt to involve the world in building a democratic Iraq."
Clinton also said a key postwar step would be to restart peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The world "can only hope and pray that President Bush (news - web sites) is right, and that it (Iraq) will him extra leverage in resolving the conflict," he said.
"It's only a question of how many people they are willing to see die before they reach the inevitable agreement," he added, "but it will come."
Clinton was in the Mexico capital to participate in "21st Century Mexico" a political and economic forum presented by Mexico's dominant telecommunications company, Telefonos de Mexico, or Telmex.
Well I guess this is some good news for my little island. But still, I wish we were given our rights as citizens or given the right to be our own nation. We are still a territory and not self-ruling. For example, once a native islander from Puerto Rico wished to renounce their American citizenship and only have Puerto Rican citizenship. However the Sumpreme Court ruled that since Puerto Rico is a territory of the USA there was no such thing as a Puerto Rican citizenship and anyone renouncing their American citizenship would be a foreigner and not able to legally reside in a USA territory. So if I am born in Puerto Rico and I wish to only be Puerto Rican I would have to do it from a kayak floating somewhere in the Caribbean because otherwise the Inmigration Service would haul me off to Mexico or something!!!
so you think humans are the top of the animal world? perhaps not, perhaps we are the lowest. it seems to me that all other animals can live with what the lord gave them and nothing else. it is only humans who need to destroy and consume all the environment around them. anyhow, now that we see that mice make maps and fish can feel pain, how about baboons that mourn and protest injustice?
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