The latest craze these days is the Swine Flu, but what is it, and how can you get it? Its pretty simple, really. Its actually an Influenza A H1N1 virus, though it's supposedly a bit different than others that we've seen before. The name was sexed up for the media, so there's no reason to go eat a bunch of pork in hopes that you can join the craze; that won't work.
If you're into the mass media, you might think the Swine Flu is different b/c it kills people. You would be wrong to assume that. In fact, it's actually killing less people than average, when compared to other flu strains that kill approximately 36,000 people per yer in the US. As of today, only one person has died of the Swine Flu in the US, a 23 month old toddler in Texas.
Some news outlets are reporting that this flu is better (or worse, depends on how you look at it) than other strains of flu b/c it has human-to-human transmission. A simple handshake, or even touching the door handles at you local community college can give you Swine Flu. It's a good idea to get it now, while supplies last! If you survive it (you will), you will theoretically make your genes more resistant if not immune to future outbreaks, so think of the children before you put on that gas-mask.
The real news about Swine Flu is that it isn't important. It's not 1918, we have advanced health care, and we understand how viruses work. As long as you aren't a baby or a local of Mexico City, you have very little chance of contracting or dying from H1N1. They're only telling you about this to scare you. Before this, who was even aware that normal Flu killed 36,000/yr in the US? Two weeks ago if you had gotten the Flu you would've laid in bed with a 7-Up and some Campbells Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup. Today you would speed to the hospital wearing a mask fearing your untimely demise.
Instead of living in fear, you can be one of the cool kids. If you get Swine Flu, you can be a local celebrity in no time! You'll be at minimal risk of death, and at maximum chance of sexiness. So, keep your head up, and go lick some door handles, shake hands with the guy or girl coughing right next to you, or even fly to Mexico City for a week. Just make sure you do it before the trend is over, and the media has to resort back to tales of dangerous drug dealers and economic disasters.
"Fear spreads faster than the most sinister of diseases."
-Psilocybe Cubensis
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The "Truthiness" of American Obesity
Recently on the Truthiness blog, Laura published an article about America's weight problems. The article can be read here.
I think you have a valid argument Laura. Its sad to know that over two thirds of our country is overweight, and shocking to know that over 30% is considered obese. While I don't advocate using body-fat indexes to charge parents with child abuse, I think we do need to change the way we as a society eat.
I must admit, I love an A1 Thick N' Hearty burger from Whataburger every now and then, and I'm a sucker for buttery, cheesy mashed potatoes covered in bacon bits with a steak on the side, but one serious issue that I think could help your argument is lack of affordable, healthy food. The consumer demand for fast, often fried food is so large that it has cornered the market, causing the supply of healthy foods to dimish, sending the prices for good food through the roof. The truth(iness) is that most people cannot afford to eat right. This doesn't mean they have to gorge on bad food all day long, but it is the start of an unhealthy cycle, in my opinion.
Even in foods that are generally considered healthy, this is the case. For example, I can buy apples from Wal Mart for thrity-three cents a piece. But those apples suck. I don't want to eat them, so why would a kid? But if you want an awesome Honeycrisp apple that'll make the toes on your tastebuds curl, you have to find a local food market and pay $2+ for each apple. This isn't convienient, especially not for a mother shopping for her weeks groceries. Consequently, her kids are going to eat the Little Debbies Nutter bars instead of the apple (the Nutter bars are much cheaper than even the shitty Wal Mart apples, too). For one more closing example, we can look at a recent KFC commercial. Yum brands food proposes a challenge to potential customers: Try to make a 7 piece chicken dinner with sides using store-bought ingredients, and try to do this for less money than it costs at KFC. KFC wins, b/c they already know that you can't do it. Why spend more money and take more time to make a healthier meal when you could just go to KFC? In our fast-paced world, people are choosing the quick and easy way over the healthy way. Soda tastes better than water, and mediocre chocolate is better than bad fruit.
Ultimately it is up to the individual to decide what is right for them. I grew up eating crappy food b/c my parents couldn't afford to feed all of their children organic nutricious foods. Fortunately I inherited a lightning fast metablosim, so I get to avoid weight concerns. Still, eating right tastes and feels so much better, that I now choose to drink water and pay retarded amounts of money for good apples. The news is out though, so as people become more informed, hopefully we'll one day be a less Booty-full (in a strictly obese sense) country.
I think you have a valid argument Laura. Its sad to know that over two thirds of our country is overweight, and shocking to know that over 30% is considered obese. While I don't advocate using body-fat indexes to charge parents with child abuse, I think we do need to change the way we as a society eat.
I must admit, I love an A1 Thick N' Hearty burger from Whataburger every now and then, and I'm a sucker for buttery, cheesy mashed potatoes covered in bacon bits with a steak on the side, but one serious issue that I think could help your argument is lack of affordable, healthy food. The consumer demand for fast, often fried food is so large that it has cornered the market, causing the supply of healthy foods to dimish, sending the prices for good food through the roof. The truth(iness) is that most people cannot afford to eat right. This doesn't mean they have to gorge on bad food all day long, but it is the start of an unhealthy cycle, in my opinion.
Even in foods that are generally considered healthy, this is the case. For example, I can buy apples from Wal Mart for thrity-three cents a piece. But those apples suck. I don't want to eat them, so why would a kid? But if you want an awesome Honeycrisp apple that'll make the toes on your tastebuds curl, you have to find a local food market and pay $2+ for each apple. This isn't convienient, especially not for a mother shopping for her weeks groceries. Consequently, her kids are going to eat the Little Debbies Nutter bars instead of the apple (the Nutter bars are much cheaper than even the shitty Wal Mart apples, too). For one more closing example, we can look at a recent KFC commercial. Yum brands food proposes a challenge to potential customers: Try to make a 7 piece chicken dinner with sides using store-bought ingredients, and try to do this for less money than it costs at KFC. KFC wins, b/c they already know that you can't do it. Why spend more money and take more time to make a healthier meal when you could just go to KFC? In our fast-paced world, people are choosing the quick and easy way over the healthy way. Soda tastes better than water, and mediocre chocolate is better than bad fruit.
Ultimately it is up to the individual to decide what is right for them. I grew up eating crappy food b/c my parents couldn't afford to feed all of their children organic nutricious foods. Fortunately I inherited a lightning fast metablosim, so I get to avoid weight concerns. Still, eating right tastes and feels so much better, that I now choose to drink water and pay retarded amounts of money for good apples. The news is out though, so as people become more informed, hopefully we'll one day be a less Booty-full (in a strictly obese sense) country.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The War For Drugs
Since Richard Nixon created the War on Drugs in 1973 as a means to take the public's eye off of Vietnam, tens of millions of US citizens have been put in prison for being caught with small amounts of various drugs. Marijuana leads the arrest reports. In 2007, 775,137 people were arrested and charged for simple possession (no intent to sell, grow, or distribute).
The hysteria started with films like Reefer Madness, which claimed that pot smokers were psychotic and likely to murder their families. Racial propaganda told us that marijuana caused black men to rape white women, and was used in Voodoo ceremonies. Today, most people understand that these are lies. The most recent anti-weed commercials show us that pot smokers are lazy and unmotivated (Michael Phelps, the last 3 Presidents of the US, Stephen King, and millions of others would argue that this is also fictitious). They claim that smoking pot makes you worse at video games (60% of Halo 3s online community would disagree). The claims have gone from one extreme to basically nothing at all as evidence mounts up against the DEA's propaganda.
Enter the War For Drugs. The top 5 questions Americans wanted President Obama to answer at his last press conference were regarding the legalization of marijuana. America is starting to realize that pot is not as bad as we have been told. We're tired of over-crowded prisons, ruined futures, billions of wasted tax dollars, and gangs and cartels funded by the black-market sales of pot. Media outlets all over the US are beginning to preach the once laughed at slogan: Legalize it.
Currently, 13 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, despite the federal government scheduling pot as a Schedule 1 drug, which requires that the drug has no medicinal benefits (cocaine, heroin and meth all are considered Schedule 2, not as dangerous as pot). Another 10 states currently have bills for Medical Marijuana Reform. It is expected that by 2011, over the half of the US will have provisions for medical use of the plant.
Another group of 13 states have decriminalized recreational use of marijuana. Some of them are the same states with legalized medicinal marijuana, but not all of them. Decriminalization means that if you get caught with less than a predetermined amount of pot (generally a half ounce to three and a half ounces, depending on the state), the crime is a civil matter rather than a criminal matter, punishable by a ticket and no jail time. Unfortunetly, users are still forced to obtain the pot through illegal means. On top of the 13 states that have already decriminalized, another 6 have legislation in the House or Senate right now to decriminalize, including the author's state, Texas!
Finally, two states (California and Massachusetts) currently have legislation to legalize marijuana altogether, with plans to tax and reggulate sales to boost their state economies. New Mexico is also said to be on the verge of introducing a bill for legalization. The bottom line here is that the states and the people of the US are fed up with the archaic federal laws against marijuana. We want the Change that we were promised. We want to toke up without fearing for our freedom, our jobs, our safety, and our families. The War on Drugs has oppressed us for too long, so we have countered with our War For Drugs.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you... then you win." - Ghandi.
The hysteria started with films like Reefer Madness, which claimed that pot smokers were psychotic and likely to murder their families. Racial propaganda told us that marijuana caused black men to rape white women, and was used in Voodoo ceremonies. Today, most people understand that these are lies. The most recent anti-weed commercials show us that pot smokers are lazy and unmotivated (Michael Phelps, the last 3 Presidents of the US, Stephen King, and millions of others would argue that this is also fictitious). They claim that smoking pot makes you worse at video games (60% of Halo 3s online community would disagree). The claims have gone from one extreme to basically nothing at all as evidence mounts up against the DEA's propaganda.
Enter the War For Drugs. The top 5 questions Americans wanted President Obama to answer at his last press conference were regarding the legalization of marijuana. America is starting to realize that pot is not as bad as we have been told. We're tired of over-crowded prisons, ruined futures, billions of wasted tax dollars, and gangs and cartels funded by the black-market sales of pot. Media outlets all over the US are beginning to preach the once laughed at slogan: Legalize it.
Currently, 13 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, despite the federal government scheduling pot as a Schedule 1 drug, which requires that the drug has no medicinal benefits (cocaine, heroin and meth all are considered Schedule 2, not as dangerous as pot). Another 10 states currently have bills for Medical Marijuana Reform. It is expected that by 2011, over the half of the US will have provisions for medical use of the plant.
Another group of 13 states have decriminalized recreational use of marijuana. Some of them are the same states with legalized medicinal marijuana, but not all of them. Decriminalization means that if you get caught with less than a predetermined amount of pot (generally a half ounce to three and a half ounces, depending on the state), the crime is a civil matter rather than a criminal matter, punishable by a ticket and no jail time. Unfortunetly, users are still forced to obtain the pot through illegal means. On top of the 13 states that have already decriminalized, another 6 have legislation in the House or Senate right now to decriminalize, including the author's state, Texas!
Finally, two states (California and Massachusetts) currently have legislation to legalize marijuana altogether, with plans to tax and reggulate sales to boost their state economies. New Mexico is also said to be on the verge of introducing a bill for legalization. The bottom line here is that the states and the people of the US are fed up with the archaic federal laws against marijuana. We want the Change that we were promised. We want to toke up without fearing for our freedom, our jobs, our safety, and our families. The War on Drugs has oppressed us for too long, so we have countered with our War For Drugs.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you... then you win." - Ghandi.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Effects of the Drug War on Mexico
You don't have to be a news junkie to have heard about the violence in Mexico, and how it is beginning to affect America. Drugs, guns and people are being smuggled into and out of the US-Mexico border, and violence is increasing as smuggler get stopped. However, One must wonder how much of this reporting is sensationalism, and how much is accurate. Laura Calrsen's blog entry, "Drug War Doublespeak" has some interesting things to say.
Laura is the Director of the Americas Policy Program in Mexico City, so her opinion comes from the other side of the border, something we don't see very often in our media. Obviously, her goal is to reach an American audience that only hears the US side of the story.
Laura claims that we are being misled by 1984 style doublespeak, and that false statistics are being thrown around to create fear in the Americas, ensuring that we won't hesitate to pony up more troops and money to continue our failed War on Drugs (See: Rick Perry asking for $135 million and 1,000 troops to secure our border). One of the best points she makes is the contradictory nature of the government's coverage of this "War." They spin the stats whichever way benefits the most at the current time. One day they tell us that Mexico is a failing state: deaths as a result of the Mexican drug war exceed deaths in Iraq, violence is spilling into Arizona resulting in high kidnapping rates, and 70% of Mexican civilians are scared to leave their homes. Laura says these stats are wrong, and are creations of fuzzy math and outright lies.
Ironically enough, as we are told of these alarming statistics, we are also told the opposite: Mexico is winning its War on Drugs, we need to support them so we can slay the demon known as drugs. When we take a look at the actual facts, we see that this is a lie. Cultivation of pot and opium in Mexico has risen since 2007, and so has production of heroin. Eradication of poppies and marijuana plants has decreased since Mexico began its War on Drugs in 2006. Drug use among Mexican youth has risen, and seizures of all types of drugs has decreased. Still, the US government says this moral crusade is going well.
Laura makes a call to action in her blog, one that is finally beginning to get national press coverage: we need to end the War on Drugs. Prohibition is a failed policy that costs billions of dollars and has not benefited either country. Legalization of marijuana alone would slice cartel profits by over 60%. We could cripple gangs and cartels overnight by allowing one harmless substance to be purchased legally. People with drug problems should be viewed as a public health concern, not a criminal one.
All in all, Laura wrote an excellent article that I have no argument against. She's not alone in her thinking, as the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy also advocates changing our stance and legalizing marijuana (At the least). As fear and the unemployment rate rises, we sit idly by continuing to support this gigantic waste of taxpayer money, instead of creating a new industry worth tens of billions of dollars a year.
Laura is the Director of the Americas Policy Program in Mexico City, so her opinion comes from the other side of the border, something we don't see very often in our media. Obviously, her goal is to reach an American audience that only hears the US side of the story.
Laura claims that we are being misled by 1984 style doublespeak, and that false statistics are being thrown around to create fear in the Americas, ensuring that we won't hesitate to pony up more troops and money to continue our failed War on Drugs (See: Rick Perry asking for $135 million and 1,000 troops to secure our border). One of the best points she makes is the contradictory nature of the government's coverage of this "War." They spin the stats whichever way benefits the most at the current time. One day they tell us that Mexico is a failing state: deaths as a result of the Mexican drug war exceed deaths in Iraq, violence is spilling into Arizona resulting in high kidnapping rates, and 70% of Mexican civilians are scared to leave their homes. Laura says these stats are wrong, and are creations of fuzzy math and outright lies.
Ironically enough, as we are told of these alarming statistics, we are also told the opposite: Mexico is winning its War on Drugs, we need to support them so we can slay the demon known as drugs. When we take a look at the actual facts, we see that this is a lie. Cultivation of pot and opium in Mexico has risen since 2007, and so has production of heroin. Eradication of poppies and marijuana plants has decreased since Mexico began its War on Drugs in 2006. Drug use among Mexican youth has risen, and seizures of all types of drugs has decreased. Still, the US government says this moral crusade is going well.
Laura makes a call to action in her blog, one that is finally beginning to get national press coverage: we need to end the War on Drugs. Prohibition is a failed policy that costs billions of dollars and has not benefited either country. Legalization of marijuana alone would slice cartel profits by over 60%. We could cripple gangs and cartels overnight by allowing one harmless substance to be purchased legally. People with drug problems should be viewed as a public health concern, not a criminal one.
All in all, Laura wrote an excellent article that I have no argument against. She's not alone in her thinking, as the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy also advocates changing our stance and legalizing marijuana (At the least). As fear and the unemployment rate rises, we sit idly by continuing to support this gigantic waste of taxpayer money, instead of creating a new industry worth tens of billions of dollars a year.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Drastic times call for intelligent measures
Reefer-Tax Madness
In the article above, the author sides with Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who has introduced a bill that would decriminalize weed and regulate the sale and taxation of the plant in California. For the first time since Nixon started the War on Drugs, a state wants to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use. Unfortunately, the bill won't do much good on its own, as the federal government would have to decriminalize the plant as well, in order for California to be able to regulate the sales of it and tax the $1 billion dollar a year industry in an attempt to rejuvinate their struggling economy.
The author clearly thinks that the bill, AB 390, is a positive step. While the intended audience is obviously Californians, who are known for loving their high-grade medicinal marijuana already, the bill would essentially effect us all, given that the Obama administration is willing to reconsider the illegal status of weed. By publishing this piece in the LA Times, the audience becomes much larger than the state of Cali itself, and reaches out to those who might not be the most sympathetic readers when it comes to legalizing pot.
The author makes strong points, and I feel they are correct in their assessment of the issue. The majority of people in the US don't seem to be too worried about "Reefer Madness," despite the attempts of Anti-drug commercials and propaganda. According to recent polls, 72% of Americans have tried pot at least once, and we're no longer buying into the federal governments' smear campagin against it. In these tight times, why not legalize a basically harmless plant and tax the hell out of it? The marijuana industry is booming, bringing in billions of dollars a year, yet out of fear we allow these profits to go to drug dealers and gangs, instead of our hurt economy. Add in the fact that hemp would be legalized as a side-effect, and you have the overnight creation of two taxable cash-crops worth tens of billions of dollars.
So, should we forsake billions of potential dollars that could be pumped into our economy over unscientific scare tactics? Hell no. Why not take the opportunity to clean out our prisons of nonviolent offenders, crush pot-dealing gangs, and boost our economy? As we sit around and argue about whether or not there is any danger in smoking pot, we fail to realize that if nothing more, it is a documented medicine that when used recreationally is exponentially better for you than going downtown and getting hammered on beer and whiskey (not that I have anything against either).
Finally, the author states the most important part of the argument: the War on Drugs should be reexamined not because of this bill, but because it is morally sound. I don't like the idea of meth heads running around any more than you do, but in a free country we should be able to put what we want into our bodies so long as it doesn't harm anyone else. Legalizing marijuana is a good step, but legalizing all drugs is the right thing to do. We need to stop ruining people's lives over their choice in mind-altering substances. The benefits outweigh the potential dangers a million to one. In conclusion, this is a great article written by an intelligent author. If only more people would recognize the reality of the situation, we might be able to make our country a little bit better.
In the article above, the author sides with Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who has introduced a bill that would decriminalize weed and regulate the sale and taxation of the plant in California. For the first time since Nixon started the War on Drugs, a state wants to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use. Unfortunately, the bill won't do much good on its own, as the federal government would have to decriminalize the plant as well, in order for California to be able to regulate the sales of it and tax the $1 billion dollar a year industry in an attempt to rejuvinate their struggling economy.
The author clearly thinks that the bill, AB 390, is a positive step. While the intended audience is obviously Californians, who are known for loving their high-grade medicinal marijuana already, the bill would essentially effect us all, given that the Obama administration is willing to reconsider the illegal status of weed. By publishing this piece in the LA Times, the audience becomes much larger than the state of Cali itself, and reaches out to those who might not be the most sympathetic readers when it comes to legalizing pot.
The author makes strong points, and I feel they are correct in their assessment of the issue. The majority of people in the US don't seem to be too worried about "Reefer Madness," despite the attempts of Anti-drug commercials and propaganda. According to recent polls, 72% of Americans have tried pot at least once, and we're no longer buying into the federal governments' smear campagin against it. In these tight times, why not legalize a basically harmless plant and tax the hell out of it? The marijuana industry is booming, bringing in billions of dollars a year, yet out of fear we allow these profits to go to drug dealers and gangs, instead of our hurt economy. Add in the fact that hemp would be legalized as a side-effect, and you have the overnight creation of two taxable cash-crops worth tens of billions of dollars.
So, should we forsake billions of potential dollars that could be pumped into our economy over unscientific scare tactics? Hell no. Why not take the opportunity to clean out our prisons of nonviolent offenders, crush pot-dealing gangs, and boost our economy? As we sit around and argue about whether or not there is any danger in smoking pot, we fail to realize that if nothing more, it is a documented medicine that when used recreationally is exponentially better for you than going downtown and getting hammered on beer and whiskey (not that I have anything against either).
Finally, the author states the most important part of the argument: the War on Drugs should be reexamined not because of this bill, but because it is morally sound. I don't like the idea of meth heads running around any more than you do, but in a free country we should be able to put what we want into our bodies so long as it doesn't harm anyone else. Legalizing marijuana is a good step, but legalizing all drugs is the right thing to do. We need to stop ruining people's lives over their choice in mind-altering substances. The benefits outweigh the potential dangers a million to one. In conclusion, this is a great article written by an intelligent author. If only more people would recognize the reality of the situation, we might be able to make our country a little bit better.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Obama to end DEA raids on Cali weed clinics?
While its only talk at this point, Obama's cabinet has announced their intentions to uphold the President's promise to end the constitutionally questionable DEA raids on California medical marijuana clinics. Regardless of your opinions on the medical use of marijuana, the fact remains that the feds (DEA) continue to shut down state clinics that offer the plant to suffering patients. The DEA argues that federal laws against pot supersede state laws that allow citizens to possess and grow personal supplies of the medicine.
Once the Bush administrations' DEA Admin gets the boot, the White House claims that they will end these raids. Currently over a dozen states allow the use of medical weed, and it is expected that by the end of 2009, the total will be twenty or more. With the end of DEA raids, this number could grow exponentially, forcing the federal government to re-evaluate the current scheduling of the plant, which offers the highest possible penalties claiming that it has "no accepted medical use."
As the War on Drugs stumbles on, annually wasting $80 billion dollars of the tax-payers money, the citizens appear to have finally scored a victory. Ending these raids will save us millions of dollars of year. Sick patients will no longer have to worry about being arrested by DEA stings. While I must admit that I was pessimistic about Obama's "change," I have to give him credit for showing his intent to stick to his word.
For more information, check out the article done by The Washington Times.
Once the Bush administrations' DEA Admin gets the boot, the White House claims that they will end these raids. Currently over a dozen states allow the use of medical weed, and it is expected that by the end of 2009, the total will be twenty or more. With the end of DEA raids, this number could grow exponentially, forcing the federal government to re-evaluate the current scheduling of the plant, which offers the highest possible penalties claiming that it has "no accepted medical use."
As the War on Drugs stumbles on, annually wasting $80 billion dollars of the tax-payers money, the citizens appear to have finally scored a victory. Ending these raids will save us millions of dollars of year. Sick patients will no longer have to worry about being arrested by DEA stings. While I must admit that I was pessimistic about Obama's "change," I have to give him credit for showing his intent to stick to his word.
For more information, check out the article done by The Washington Times.
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