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19 Apr 2009 21:38

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Politics, U.S.: 420 advocates celebrate 4/20, hope for pot legalization

  • It is the biggest moment yet. There’s a sense that the notion of legalizing marijuana is starting to cross the fringes into mainstream debate.
  • Ethan Nadelmann • Founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Nadelmann notes that there’s growing mainstream support of pot legalization. Annoying loudmouths on different sides of the political spectrum Glenn Beck and Jack Cafferty both support legalization. It’s high times for High Times, apparently, who will be holding a beauty pageant tomorrow. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 20:18

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U.S.: If you’re a smoker, you should get a piss test. Trust us.

  • Your urine may predict your lung cancer risk. Sort of like a drug test in reverse, there’s a chance that doctors will be able to predict the onset of lung cancer early thanks to your urine. Two chemicals, NNAL and cotinine, show up in higher levels for people with a high lung-cancer risk, and knowing this early can help doctors treat or prevent lung cancer before it becomes something life-threatening. It’ll take some time for the test to come on the market, but here’s a tip in advance – make sure you haven’t also been smoking pot when you get the test – doctors can tell that, too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 20:04

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Politics, U.S.: The latest talking points against Obama skew diplomatic

  • “NOOO!!! Now that Obama has let those torture memos out of the bag, the terrorists will WIN! The CIA will have a harder time defeating those evil terrorists and PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN!!”
  • shake
  • torture
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 11:13

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U.S., World: Did Obama break international law on torture? A UN guy says yes.

  • They are party to the convention and the convention is very, very clear. The fact that you carried out an order doesn’t relieve you of your responsibility.
  • Manfred Nowak • The UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture, on whether, by not prosecuting CIA operatives accused of torture under the Bush administration, Obama is violating an international agreement to do just that. Oh boy. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 11:04

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U.S., World: Hugo Chavez can create a bestseller by handing Obama a book

  • 54,295 Saturday’s sales ranking on Amazon for the paperback edition of “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2009 10:11

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U.S.: A last-ditch effort to keep a dead father’s last wish alive

  • The day before he passed away, we talked about planning for our future, buying an apartment and having another child. This was his wish. It’s the last thing I can do for him.
  • Gisela Marrero • Fiancée of Johnny Quintana, a 31-year-old Bronx man who died suddenly on Thursday. The family, in an effort to see his wish through, went to a judge to request that they be allowed to harvest Quintana’s sperm – a medical procedure that must be done within 36 hours of someone’s death for it to still be useful. The judge agreed. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2009 18:23

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U.S.: Martin Luther King had a dream. His kids had a payday.

  • $120 million the cost of the forthcoming Martin Luther King memorial on the National Mall in D.C., to be paid for with private funds source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Apr 2009 14:51

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Biz, U.S.: Know those giant fitness balls? They’re getting recalled en masse

  • The “burst-resistant” balls apparently burst. If you go to a gym where someone’s stretching on a big plastic ball, or are in an office where someone at their desk is sitting on a giant ball claiming it helps their back, you’ve seen ’em. Apparently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (along with manufacturer EB Brands) is voluntarily recalling 3 million of the balls, saying that they can burst when overinflated, causing the person sitting on them to fall. The company, which manufactures them under such brand names as Everlast and and Valeo, received 47 reports of just that sort of thing happening. Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2009 14:30

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U.S., World: Obama seems to be wowing hard-nosed Latin American leaders

  • Eight years ago with this same hand I greeted Bush. I want to be your friend.
  • Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez • Speaking to President Barack Obama during the Summit of the Americas. Chavez, one of Bush’s harshest critics (and Bush, conversely, one of his), seems to actually like Obama and his approach to diplomacy. We expect in a couple of weeks Chavez and Obama will be having slumber parties in the capitals of their respective countries, playing Wii, watching South Park, playing fetch with the dog and eating cold pizza. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2009 11:34

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U.S., World: Roxana Saberi’s harsh sentence blindsided her family

  • We are very shocked and we were not expecting it. We were hoping for six months and then clemency.
  • Reza Saberi • Father of Roxana Saberi, on the harsh sentence she got from an Iranian court for spying. She could have gotten the death penalty. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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