Warriors' Prayer- Abide With Me
As we remember, we thank you!
May 26, 2013
May 19, 2013
Locally Speaking
Gun Control That Works For New Jersey And Is A Model For The U.S.
Senate Democrats have introduced a package of bills that will serve as a national model for gun safety. Our legislation is stronger than Colorado’s, which President Obama recently recognized as a model for the nation on gun laws. Using common sense and new innovative technologies, we will build upon New Jersey’s already stringent gun laws and help reduce gun violence.
The centerpiece of our legislation, which I am proud to sponsor, is a bill to completely overhaul the process for purchasing firearms so that it is more modern, requires instant background checks on all purchases and stops those who should not have weapons from getting them.
The legislation would require that firearms ID cards and handgun permit information be encoded into driver’s licenses.
Whenever individuals seek to buy a gun, their licenses would be swiped and three background checks done immediately: a name check, a National Instant Criminal Background Check System check and a check of the state’s new expanded mental health records database, CCATS.
This scope and depth of this instant check would put New Jersey ahead of the curve on gun safety.
Five years after the bill becomes law — to allow time to comply with installing the technology — no retailer would be allowed to sell or transfer a firearm to a New Jersey resident who, at the time of sale or transfer, failed to present a valid driver’s license or ID card with the appropriate information.
The instant check system also would allow the courts to revoke firearms licenses and permits should a person be convicted of a crime or be involuntarily committed. Most important, the background checks would be required for all sales and transfers of firearms, including private sales. These are critical elements that can stop guns from falling into the wrong hands.Senate Democrats have introduced a package of bills that will serve as a national model for gun safety. Our legislation is stronger than Colorado’s, which President Obama recently recognized as a model for the nation on gun laws. Using common sense and new innovative technologies, we will build upon New Jersey’s already stringent gun laws and help reduce gun violence.
The centerpiece of our legislation, which I am proud to sponsor, is a bill to completely overhaul the process for purchasing firearms so that it is more modern, requires instant background checks on all purchases and stops those who should not have weapons from getting them.
The legislation would require that firearms ID cards and handgun permit information be encoded into driver’s licenses.
Whenever individuals seek to buy a gun, their licenses would be swiped and three background checks done immediately: a name check, a National Instant Criminal Background Check System check and a check of the state’s new expanded mental health records database, CCATS.
This scope and depth of this instant check would put New Jersey ahead of the curve on gun safety.
Five years after the bill becomes law — to allow time to comply with installing the technology — no retailer would be allowed to sell or transfer a firearm to a New Jersey resident who, at the time of sale or transfer, failed to present a valid driver’s license or ID card with the appropriate information.
The instant check system also would allow the courts to revoke firearms licenses and permits should a person be convicted of a crime or be involuntarily committed. Most important, the background checks would be required for all sales and transfers of firearms, including private sales. These are critical elements that can stop guns from falling into the wrong hands.
Not only would my legislation install a new instant background check system, it would also require a firearms ID card and a handgun permit to purchase a handgun.
The bill would also ensure that those who buy firearms know how to properly store, maintain and use their weapons by requiring that everyone who applies for a firearms ID card undergo a State Police-approved safety course.
It also would increase the penalty for allowing a child to get access to a firearm.
We also will be working, over the coming weeks, on a series of measures that will tackle gun violence. Among them are bills that would ban the sale of .50-caliber Barrett assault weapons, disqualify those on the federal “no fly” list from obtaining gun permits and prohibit the state from investing in companies that manufacture, import or sell assault rifles for civilian use.
In putting together these bills, I, along with Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and Senate Law and Public Safety Chair Donald Norcross (D-Camden), met with advocates on both sides.
We worked with pro- and anti-gun groups to ensure our legislation included ideas and suggestions from all parties. I believe we have put something forward that addresses many of their concerns and will make New Jersey a safer place.
This legislation seeks to accomplish much, but it is greatly needed. The answers are not simple. It is not a matter of putting a gun in everybody’s hand or taking guns out of everybody’s hand.
It’s a matter of all of us working together to ensure the safety and well-being of our families, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
New Jersey should stand out as the example to be followed, as we have on so many other issues over the years.
Working with the governor and my colleagues in the Assembly, we must do everything we can to halt gun violence that has plagued our communities. And when these bills are signed into law, President Obama will be able to revise his statement. It won’t be Colorado serving as the national model. It will be New Jersey. -Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) is New Jersey’s Senate President/Nj/April 30, 2013
Senate Democrats have introduced a package of bills that will serve as a national model for gun safety. Our legislation is stronger than Colorado’s, which President Obama recently recognized as a model for the nation on gun laws. Using common sense and new innovative technologies, we will build upon New Jersey’s already stringent gun laws and help reduce gun violence.
The centerpiece of our legislation, which I am proud to sponsor, is a bill to completely overhaul the process for purchasing firearms so that it is more modern, requires instant background checks on all purchases and stops those who should not have weapons from getting them.
The legislation would require that firearms ID cards and handgun permit information be encoded into driver’s licenses.
Whenever individuals seek to buy a gun, their licenses would be swiped and three background checks done immediately: a name check, a National Instant Criminal Background Check System check and a check of the state’s new expanded mental health records database, CCATS.
This scope and depth of this instant check would put New Jersey ahead of the curve on gun safety.
Five years after the bill becomes law — to allow time to comply with installing the technology — no retailer would be allowed to sell or transfer a firearm to a New Jersey resident who, at the time of sale or transfer, failed to present a valid driver’s license or ID card with the appropriate information.
The instant check system also would allow the courts to revoke firearms licenses and permits should a person be convicted of a crime or be involuntarily committed. Most important, the background checks would be required for all sales and transfers of firearms, including private sales. These are critical elements that can stop guns from falling into the wrong hands.Senate Democrats have introduced a package of bills that will serve as a national model for gun safety. Our legislation is stronger than Colorado’s, which President Obama recently recognized as a model for the nation on gun laws. Using common sense and new innovative technologies, we will build upon New Jersey’s already stringent gun laws and help reduce gun violence.
The centerpiece of our legislation, which I am proud to sponsor, is a bill to completely overhaul the process for purchasing firearms so that it is more modern, requires instant background checks on all purchases and stops those who should not have weapons from getting them.
The legislation would require that firearms ID cards and handgun permit information be encoded into driver’s licenses.
Whenever individuals seek to buy a gun, their licenses would be swiped and three background checks done immediately: a name check, a National Instant Criminal Background Check System check and a check of the state’s new expanded mental health records database, CCATS.
This scope and depth of this instant check would put New Jersey ahead of the curve on gun safety.
Five years after the bill becomes law — to allow time to comply with installing the technology — no retailer would be allowed to sell or transfer a firearm to a New Jersey resident who, at the time of sale or transfer, failed to present a valid driver’s license or ID card with the appropriate information.
The instant check system also would allow the courts to revoke firearms licenses and permits should a person be convicted of a crime or be involuntarily committed. Most important, the background checks would be required for all sales and transfers of firearms, including private sales. These are critical elements that can stop guns from falling into the wrong hands.
Not only would my legislation install a new instant background check system, it would also require a firearms ID card and a handgun permit to purchase a handgun.
The bill would also ensure that those who buy firearms know how to properly store, maintain and use their weapons by requiring that everyone who applies for a firearms ID card undergo a State Police-approved safety course.
It also would increase the penalty for allowing a child to get access to a firearm.
We also will be working, over the coming weeks, on a series of measures that will tackle gun violence. Among them are bills that would ban the sale of .50-caliber Barrett assault weapons, disqualify those on the federal “no fly” list from obtaining gun permits and prohibit the state from investing in companies that manufacture, import or sell assault rifles for civilian use.
In putting together these bills, I, along with Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and Senate Law and Public Safety Chair Donald Norcross (D-Camden), met with advocates on both sides.
We worked with pro- and anti-gun groups to ensure our legislation included ideas and suggestions from all parties. I believe we have put something forward that addresses many of their concerns and will make New Jersey a safer place.
This legislation seeks to accomplish much, but it is greatly needed. The answers are not simple. It is not a matter of putting a gun in everybody’s hand or taking guns out of everybody’s hand.
It’s a matter of all of us working together to ensure the safety and well-being of our families, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
New Jersey should stand out as the example to be followed, as we have on so many other issues over the years.
Working with the governor and my colleagues in the Assembly, we must do everything we can to halt gun violence that has plagued our communities. And when these bills are signed into law, President Obama will be able to revise his statement. It won’t be Colorado serving as the national model. It will be New Jersey. -Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) is New Jersey’s Senate President/Nj/April 30, 2013
Ragbag Headliners
Doctors Warn of ‘Aggressive’ New Sexually-Transmitted Superbug
Doctors are warning of a new sexually-transmitted superbug that they say could ultimately prove more deadly than AIDS.
The antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea HO41 was reportedly discovered in Japan two years ago in a 31-year-old female sex worker.
“This might be a lot worse than AIDS in the short run because the bacteria is more aggressive and will affect more people quickly,” Alan Christianson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, recently told CNBC. “Getting gonorrhea from this strain might put someone into septic shock and death in a matter of days. This is very dangerous.”
Reportedly added William Smith, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors: “It’s an emergency situation. As time moves on, it’s getting more hazardous.”
According to CNBC, Smith urged Congressional lawmakers as late as last week to allocate additional funding – $54 million – to develop an antibiotic capable of fighting HO41, as well as to conduct a public awareness campaign. –Big Health Report/May 6, 2013
Doctors are warning of a new sexually-transmitted superbug that they say could ultimately prove more deadly than AIDS.
The antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea HO41 was reportedly discovered in Japan two years ago in a 31-year-old female sex worker.
“This might be a lot worse than AIDS in the short run because the bacteria is more aggressive and will affect more people quickly,” Alan Christianson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, recently told CNBC. “Getting gonorrhea from this strain might put someone into septic shock and death in a matter of days. This is very dangerous.”
Reportedly added William Smith, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors: “It’s an emergency situation. As time moves on, it’s getting more hazardous.”
According to CNBC, Smith urged Congressional lawmakers as late as last week to allocate additional funding – $54 million – to develop an antibiotic capable of fighting HO41, as well as to conduct a public awareness campaign. –Big Health Report/May 6, 2013
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Feds Threaten Medical Pot Dispensaries With 40-Year Sentences
A lawful San Jose, Calif., dispensary has been ordered to vacate in latest federal crackdown to challenge state law
In the latest act in the ongoing drama pitting federal drug laws against state legislation permitting the sale of marijuana, a U.S. attorney is threatening the landlords housing medical marijuana dispensaries with 40 years in federal prison. After ballot measures legalizing the sale and possession of recreational pot use passed in Colorado and Washington state, we wondered whether Obama’s second term would see the beginning of the end of the federal war on drugs.
But as the San Jose crackdown, among others, suggests, the Justice Department will not be backing down. In January, Southern California medical marijuana dispensary operator Aaron Sandusky was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for running a business deemed legal in his state since California legalized marijuana for qualified patients, caregivers and collectives in 1996 and 2003. Now, as the East Bay Express reported, “a new round of actions against lawful medical cannabis dispensaries in the South Bay” has begun following crackdowns in 2011:
Landlords are receiving threatening letters from US Attorney Melinda Haag, warning of forty-year-prison sentences if landlords do not evict their dispensary tenants…
In October 2011, Haag and three other US Attorneys declared war on California’s estimated $1.3 billion medical marijuana industry, threatening hundreds of landlords with forfeiture. Hundreds of dispensaries across the state moved or closed. Haag is attempting to seize Harborside Health Center in Oakland, as well as its sister club in San Jose.
Last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown asked the feds to call off their crackdown, saying California didn’t need “federal gendarmes” kicking in the doors of lawful businesses. In January, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano told a San Francisco crowd that Haag had “gone rogue,” adding, “I’m sorry a house fell on her sister,” alluding to the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz. Last week, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom called for decriminalizing, regulating, and taxing California’s multi-billion dollar marijuana industry.
The second-term Obama administration was presented an aperture to push back against the ruinous war on drugs. The Department of Justice is choosing to continue to act against good reason and the general will. –By Natasha Lennard/Salon/April 30, 2013
About the Author: Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.
A lawful San Jose, Calif., dispensary has been ordered to vacate in latest federal crackdown to challenge state law
In the latest act in the ongoing drama pitting federal drug laws against state legislation permitting the sale of marijuana, a U.S. attorney is threatening the landlords housing medical marijuana dispensaries with 40 years in federal prison. After ballot measures legalizing the sale and possession of recreational pot use passed in Colorado and Washington state, we wondered whether Obama’s second term would see the beginning of the end of the federal war on drugs.
But as the San Jose crackdown, among others, suggests, the Justice Department will not be backing down. In January, Southern California medical marijuana dispensary operator Aaron Sandusky was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for running a business deemed legal in his state since California legalized marijuana for qualified patients, caregivers and collectives in 1996 and 2003. Now, as the East Bay Express reported, “a new round of actions against lawful medical cannabis dispensaries in the South Bay” has begun following crackdowns in 2011:
Landlords are receiving threatening letters from US Attorney Melinda Haag, warning of forty-year-prison sentences if landlords do not evict their dispensary tenants…
In October 2011, Haag and three other US Attorneys declared war on California’s estimated $1.3 billion medical marijuana industry, threatening hundreds of landlords with forfeiture. Hundreds of dispensaries across the state moved or closed. Haag is attempting to seize Harborside Health Center in Oakland, as well as its sister club in San Jose.
Last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown asked the feds to call off their crackdown, saying California didn’t need “federal gendarmes” kicking in the doors of lawful businesses. In January, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano told a San Francisco crowd that Haag had “gone rogue,” adding, “I’m sorry a house fell on her sister,” alluding to the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz. Last week, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom called for decriminalizing, regulating, and taxing California’s multi-billion dollar marijuana industry.
The second-term Obama administration was presented an aperture to push back against the ruinous war on drugs. The Department of Justice is choosing to continue to act against good reason and the general will. –By Natasha Lennard/Salon/April 30, 2013
About the Author: Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.
6 Unique Ways To Be Successful And Happy
What if the key to becoming successful and happy is to quit trying to be either? Would that throw a wrench into your career goals? Make a mess of your life plans? If so, then you need to read this.
Here’s the thing. Never before have there been so many people spending so much time searching for the secrets to a successful career and a happy life. Which is really a shame because they’re not going to find either, at least not that way.
There are lots of reasons why that is, but the most glaringly obvious one is that nobody ever got anywhere by doing what everyone else is doing.
Think about it. The world has never been more competitive. If you want to have a fulfilling career and live a good life, you’ve got to get ahead of the competition. The only way to do that is to do things differently, to find your own unique path that works for you.
Here are six ways to do that, to become successful and happy.
Build real relationships. What a novel concept, right? While everyone else is wasting their time developing their personal brands and building huge online networks, get out and spend time with real people in the real world. One-on-one in real time. That’s the only place you’ll find real opportunity and friendship. And that’s where success and happiness comes from. No kidding.
Groom yourself. Want to know how great companies that churn out hundreds of future CEOs develop their talent? They identify and recruit up-and-comers and then groom them by moving them around into different areas and situations. That’s how they learn a broad range of skills. Experience. Get out in the world. Try different things. Get your hands dirty. That’s how you’ll find opportunity and figure out what makes you happy.
Do nothing. So much of life is out of our control. We never seem to have enough information to solve tough problems and make important decisions. When you need to gain some perspective, resist the urge to seek out more information. Turn off all the sources of communication, all the noise that distracts you. Just be quiet and listen to your own inner thoughts. Don’t judge them; just listen. The answers to life’s most difficult challenges are always there.
Work for a great company. Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur these days. Here’s a novel thought. Go work for a great company. Learn from people smarter, more accomplished, more experienced than you. Learn from the pros. Find a mentor or two. Learn how business works in the real world. Figure out how you can help that company be even better. What you can bring to the party that really matters and nobody else is doing. If you’re meant to be an entrepreneur, an opportunity will come to you. And you’ll be ready for it.
Do one thing at a time. Everyone’s so distracted with social media and all their slash jobs these days, try picking one thing you really want to do and just get it done. Prioritize. It’ll provide a sense of accomplishment and control. It’ll help you build confidence. Even if it fails, you’ll learn from the experience. And you’ll gain strength from knowing that failure didn’t kill you. That will make you more resilient and give you courage to tackle bigger things.
Be good to yourself. Most people who want a lot out of life are their own worst enemy. They take themselves too seriously. Judge themselves too harshly. Expect too much out of themselves and others. If you can learn to let go of all your expectations, quit trying so hard to get somewhere, you’ll learn that just being you, present in this moment, is all that matters. That’s what life is all about. And that’s when all good things will come to you. Success, happiness, everything. -By Steve Tobak/Time/May 2, 2013
Here’s the thing. Never before have there been so many people spending so much time searching for the secrets to a successful career and a happy life. Which is really a shame because they’re not going to find either, at least not that way.
There are lots of reasons why that is, but the most glaringly obvious one is that nobody ever got anywhere by doing what everyone else is doing.
Think about it. The world has never been more competitive. If you want to have a fulfilling career and live a good life, you’ve got to get ahead of the competition. The only way to do that is to do things differently, to find your own unique path that works for you.
Here are six ways to do that, to become successful and happy.
Build real relationships. What a novel concept, right? While everyone else is wasting their time developing their personal brands and building huge online networks, get out and spend time with real people in the real world. One-on-one in real time. That’s the only place you’ll find real opportunity and friendship. And that’s where success and happiness comes from. No kidding.
Groom yourself. Want to know how great companies that churn out hundreds of future CEOs develop their talent? They identify and recruit up-and-comers and then groom them by moving them around into different areas and situations. That’s how they learn a broad range of skills. Experience. Get out in the world. Try different things. Get your hands dirty. That’s how you’ll find opportunity and figure out what makes you happy.
Do nothing. So much of life is out of our control. We never seem to have enough information to solve tough problems and make important decisions. When you need to gain some perspective, resist the urge to seek out more information. Turn off all the sources of communication, all the noise that distracts you. Just be quiet and listen to your own inner thoughts. Don’t judge them; just listen. The answers to life’s most difficult challenges are always there.
Work for a great company. Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur these days. Here’s a novel thought. Go work for a great company. Learn from people smarter, more accomplished, more experienced than you. Learn from the pros. Find a mentor or two. Learn how business works in the real world. Figure out how you can help that company be even better. What you can bring to the party that really matters and nobody else is doing. If you’re meant to be an entrepreneur, an opportunity will come to you. And you’ll be ready for it.
Do one thing at a time. Everyone’s so distracted with social media and all their slash jobs these days, try picking one thing you really want to do and just get it done. Prioritize. It’ll provide a sense of accomplishment and control. It’ll help you build confidence. Even if it fails, you’ll learn from the experience. And you’ll gain strength from knowing that failure didn’t kill you. That will make you more resilient and give you courage to tackle bigger things.
Be good to yourself. Most people who want a lot out of life are their own worst enemy. They take themselves too seriously. Judge themselves too harshly. Expect too much out of themselves and others. If you can learn to let go of all your expectations, quit trying so hard to get somewhere, you’ll learn that just being you, present in this moment, is all that matters. That’s what life is all about. And that’s when all good things will come to you. Success, happiness, everything. -By Steve Tobak/Time/May 2, 2013
The 4 Most Disgusting Energy Drinks Sold In America
We're inundated by deceptive marketing about these pricey and potentially dangerous drinks.Most of us have experienced a time in our lives when we needed an extra jolt of energy, be it during a college all-nighter or a post-insomnia morning at the office. It’s during these times, when we’re most sleep deprived, vulnerable, and desperate, that energy drink companies hope their marketing will reel us in with promises of an out-of-this-world energy boost.
Any consumer with even a passing awareness of marketing tricks and ploys knows that no product will actually give you “wings” or any other superhuman traits. And yet, according to a recent New York Times report, “Energy drinks are the fastest-growing part of the beverage industry, with sales in the United States reaching more than $10 billion in 2012.”
Although coffee is said to have the same metabolic effect as many energy drinks – and is often significantly cheaper, to boot – shoppers, especially young shoppers, are being lured in by promises of special recipes that can do more for the brain and body than mere caffeine alone. The Timesreport looks at how energy drink websites are filled to the brim with dubious pseudo-science that, combined with slick marketing and packaging, convince hoards of young Americans to spend a good amount of money on substances that are no better than good old-fashioned coffee or NoDoz, and in fact are filled with many useless ingredients. What’s more, some energy drinks can be dangerous if consumed in excess. This is all a sign of a “generational shift in what people drink, and reflects a successful campaign to convince consumers, particularly teenagers, that the drinks provide a mental and physical edge.”
To drive the point home, let’s take a look at some of the more questionable energy drinks on the market.
1. 5-Hour Energy
The fact that this headline, from a November issue of The Week, even needed to exist should tell you something: “Can 5-Hour Energy drink kill you?”
The answer to that question is “maybe.” Though there is no proof that drinking 5-Hour Energy can lead to death, the FDA has reportedly received 13 reports over four years citing the energy “shot” as a potential cause of death. The agency has also received 92 reports of “adverse effects” that cite the drink, some of them involving heart attacks and one a “spontaneous abortion.” There’s speculation that the drink’s spectacularly high doses of caffeine – one tiny, 2-ounce shot is estimated to have twice as much caffeine as a cup of coffee – could be to blame for any of these potential deaths or injuries, since some people are more sensitive to the drug than others.
While we’re on the subject of caffeine, here’s a somewhat disturbing fact: because energy drinks are labeled and sold as “drinks,” they are not required by the FDA to disclose the amount of caffeine they contain.
To top it off, 5-Hour Energy’s claim that drinkers will experience “no crash later” appears to be bull. On the packaging for the product, that claim is followed by an asterisk noting that “no crash means no sugar crash.” Well duh: 5-Hour Energy doesn’t contain any sugar. But it may still lead to an energy crash. A recent study conducted by a Tufts University researcher found that nearly a quarter of participants who drank 5-Hour Energy experienced a “moderately severe crash that left them extremely tired and in need of rest, another drink or some other action.”
2. Red Bull
Ah, Red Bull: the official drink of dorm room cram sessions and dance club vodka cocktails everywhere. (Also, this guy.)
Like 5-Hour Energy, Red Bull has been cited in the deaths of several individuals. In 2001, the Swedish government looked into at least three deaths in which the deceased had recently consumed Red Bull. In two of the cases, the victims had died after drink Red Bull and vodka cocktails, leading the Swedish National Food Administration to issue a formal warning against drinking the two substances together (the agency also warned against drinking Red Bull after exercising).
More recently – this past November – the FDA posted 21 cases of Red Bull users who reportedly experienced hospitalization, vomiting, heart problems, and more.
(It’s worth noting that these FDA cases likely represent only a tiny fraction of health scares related to energy drinks; according to a federal report cited in the New York Times, emergency rooms in the United States saw more than 13,000 visits in which energy drinks were tapped as a potential cause of illness.)
Beyond the drink’s potential health risks, Red Bull’s marketing is, well, weird. “Red Bull is a publishing empire that also happens to sell a beverage,” content strategist James O’Brien wrote in Mashable recently. The company is deeply invested in tying its brand to anything extreme – sports, stunts, and jumps from space (again: shout out to this guy). Its website is full of videos of things like “a 12-year-old skateboarder nailing the world's first ever 1080 (that's three full revolutions) during a ramp jump.” Hardcore. But in the end, the point of all that marketing is to ell a product, and the product Red Bull is selling is snake oil (and potentially harmful snake oil at that), just like every other energy drink on the market.
3. Monster Energy
Another energy drink, another FDA inquiry into potential deaths linked to the product. In October, Monster Energy was cited in five deaths and one non-fatal heart attack. One of the deaths was that of a 14-year-old girl who passed away after drinking two Monster Energy drinks over the course of a 24-hour period. According to the AP, “[a]n autopsy concluded that she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity and the medical examiner also found that she had an inherited disorder that can weaken blood vessels.” The girl’s parents sued the company, alleging that “Monster failed to warn about the risks of drinking its products.”
In an energy drink market that is growing as a whole, Monster stands out, enjoying a 35 percent share of the 2011 market, based on volume. By comparison, Red Bull had 30 percent of the market, and Rockstar 19 percent (all according to Beverage Digest). Over the past two years, Monster’s share price tripled, to a high of $79. That’s a lot of product.
But Monster and its share price were taken down a notch last August when New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman subpoenaed Monster and other energy drink companies as part of a broad investigation of the energy drink industry, according to the AP.
Monster has also been known to be a trademark bully, even sic’ing its lawyers on websites that give their product a less than glowing review.
4. Four Loko
Four Loko is no longer marketed as an energy drink, but it’s still being included on this list. Why? Because it was shown to be so dangerous that the product’s parent company couldn’tmarket it as an energy drink any more.
The original Four Loko was so dangerous because it was not only high in caffeine, but high in alcohol as well. As The Week reported in 2010, “The malt-liquor based concoction, which can contain up to 12 percent alcohol and comes in eight fruity flavors, has been involved in a string of incidents in recent months in which people were hospitalized or died. Doctors say Four Loko's caffeine masks its alcoholic effects, leading drinkers to consume more than they normally would.”
The company has since relaunched Four Loko, without the caffeine or stimulants.
Honorable mention: Cocaine
cocaine
This energy drink is by all accounts similar to may drinks on the market, but it gets a shout out for its ballsy and ridiculous name. (No, it doesn’t contain any illegal substances.) -Lauren Kelley/AlterNet/January 4, 2013
About the Author: Lauren Kelley is the activism and gender editor at AlterNet and a freelance journalist based in New York City. Her work has appeared in Salon, Time Out New York, the L Magazine, and other publications. Follow her on Twitter.
State Of Fear
Shannon McLeish of Florida is a 45-year-old married mother of two young children. She is a homeowner, a taxpayer and a safe driver. She votes in every election. She attends a Unitarian Universalist church on Sundays. She is also, like nearly all who have a relationship with the Occupy movement in the United States, being monitored by the federal government. She knows this because when she read FBI documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) through the Freedom of Information Act, she was startled to see a redaction that could only be referring to her. McLeish’s story is the story of hundreds of thousands of people—perhaps more—whose lives are being invaded by the state. It is the story of a security and surveillance apparatus—overseen by the executive branch under Barack Obama—that has empowered the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to silence the voices and obstruct the activity of citizens who question corporate power.Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the PCJF, said in a written statement about the released files: “This production [of information], which we believe is just the tip of the iceberg, is a window into the nationwide scope of the FBI’s surveillance, monitoring, and reporting on peaceful protesters organizing with the Occupy movement. These documents show that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America.”
The FBI documents are not only a chilling example of how widespread this surveillance and obstruction has become, they are an explicit warning by the security services to all who consider dissent. Anyone who defies corporate power, even if he or she is nonviolent and acting within constitutional rights, is a suspect. These documents are part of the plan to make us fearful, compliant and disempowered. They mark, I suspect, a government attempt to end peaceful mass protests by responding with repression to the grievances of Americans. When the corporate-financed group FreedomWorks bused in goons to disrupt Democratic candidates’ town hall meetings about the federal health care legislation in August 2009, Eric Zuesse of the Business Insider notes, “there was no FBI surveillance of those corporate-organized disruptions of legitimate democratic processes. There also were no subsequent FreedomWorks applications for Freedom of Information Act releases of FBI files regarding such surveillance being used against them—because there was no such FBI campaign against them.”
The combination of intimidation tactics by right-wing fringe groups, which speak in the language of violence and hate, with the state’s massive intrusion into the personal affairs of the citizen is corporate fascism. And we are much farther down that road than many of us care to admit.
“When activists took up relatively long-term residence in Zuccotti Park in New York City on Sept. 17 [in 2011], their message of outrage was a mirror to my own after we bailed out the banks with our tax dollars, then watched them get off scot-free without even a token attempt to help fix the wreckage they’d created,” McLeish told me over the phone when I called her home. “I personally lost considerable income and my retirement with the economic collapse, as well as more than half the value of my home. I could see the people around me struggling, too. I have friends, neighbors and family members that the banks refused to help, who lost their homes or were forced to pay for costly attorneys to defend themselves against fraudulent foreclosure attempts. People couldn’t sell their homes, as they were worth so much less than what they’d paid for them. Homes all over the area, including in my neighborhood right near the downtown [of Ormond Beach, Fla.], were abandoned due to the foreclosure crisis—and left to rot by the banks. Strip malls were emptied as businesses went bankrupt and closed their doors. More and more homeless people were wandering through the neighborhood—people you could tell had never been homeless, just by virtue of what and how much they carried with them. Families were sleeping behind big-box stores, and my area was featured on national news repeatedly for the number of homeless families.”
“These are some of the things that prompted me to create a Facebook page for Occupy in my area in solidarity with the courageous activists camping in Zuccotti—the only group to fully give voice to what I saw as the issue: the corruption of pretty much everything from the economy to the environment to our social safety nets to our democratic system of governance due to corporate greed,” she said. “The message of OWS [Occupy Wall Street] resonated deeply and moved me to action.”
The FBI documents obtained by the PCJF show that government security services began to monitor the activities of Occupy activists before the Zuccotti Park encampment was established. They revealed that when McLeish met with about 40 other activists in Daytona Beach, Fla., several undercover law enforcement officers were present.
“None of them identified themselves as law enforcement to meeting attendees, though a Homeland Security agent approached me afterward, probably because I facilitated the meeting,” McLeish said. “When the agent approached me after the meeting, it was pretty unnerving. I decided the best way to deal with it was head on. I responded with, ‘I’m so glad you’re here! There’s a group making threats against us. I assume that’s why you’ve come.’ I think he was surprised. I don’t think he acknowledged knowing about the threats from an online gun group. He said he wanted to make sure we weren’t infiltrated by troublemakers. He asked if we’d meet with law enforcement to find out what we were allowed to do. I said I’d be happy to do so. He said he would check into the threats. He said he would put me in touch with someone from the Daytona Beach Police Department.”
“I can’t remember exactly when we met with Daytona Beach Police Department the first time,” she said. “It could have been the next day or the day after. There were about six or seven of us, and I think it was three officers: Deputy Chief Ben Walton, who is now retired, and two other high-ranking officers. If I remember correctly, I pretty much began the discussion by stating that we were aware of our right to protest. We would be glad to coordinate as much as possible to make the Police Department’s job easier, but not to the point of infringing upon our rights.”
“We agreed upon very low police presence—one to a few officers—on the basis of the threats made by the online gun group, but not for surveillance on citizens engaged in peaceful protest,” she said.
The daylong event she and the other activists held on Oct. 15, 2011, was attended by more than 300 people. The past president of the local NAACP chapter spoke, as did a leader in the teachers union who was also a member of the school board, a couple of members of the postal union, the leader of a homeless coalition who was homeless himself, and a member of the Daytona State College Environmental Club. A female uniformed officer was present. McLeish noticed a man with a professional camera taking photographs of individual protesters in the crowd. She saw him later the same day amid several police officers. One officer confirmed that the photographer was with law enforcement but would not give more information, McLeish said.
Daytona-area activists during the fall of 2011 continued to organize events, including sidewalk marches to banks. In most cases they notified the police in advance. At one big event, men in plain clothes and standing with folded arms surrounded a seated group as it held a teach-in.
“It was extremely intimidating, not to mention the effect on people walking by who might have joined us if it weren’t for these heavy-handed tactics,” McLeish said.
The local activists set up an Occupy encampment every weekend in December 2011.
“There were no incidents of any kind,” McLeish said of the camp in Daytona. “No one spoke aggressively to an officer at any time. No one drank or used drugs. We had clearly posted rules to that effect at the camp. There was no violence whatsoever, verbal or physical—as was the case with any event we organized, and we had quite a lot of them. Further, we clearly expressed that while we would act in accordance with our rights, we would not violate any laws.”
“Given the lengths we went to, you can imagine my dismay as I saw Daytona repeatedly mentioned in national news as one of the main areas under surveillance by the FBI, Homeland Security, as well as some unknown ‘private partner’ agency,” she said. “We were being investigated, according to the released FBI documents, as if we were a ‘terrorist’ group engaged in ‘criminal activity.’ I checked the released pages to see what could only be references to me—my name, age, and phone number. Though redacted, they indicate that any search of people connected with domestic terrorist groups is likely to turn up my name.”
Since the spring of 2012 McLeish has co-hosted a morning radio show called “Air Occupy” (also streamed online) with Liz Myers and Jerry Bolkcom. They have interviewed, among others, Alexa O’Brien, the organizer of US Day of Rage, and Carl Mayer, the lead attorney in the case Hedges v. Obama, a challenge to the indefinite detention clause of the National Defense Authorization Act. Immediately after “Air Occupy” posted on YouTube the interview about the lawsuit against the NDAA, YouTube permanently banned the radio show on the ground of “violating community standards”—a ban that usually is imposed for graphic, violent or gory images or pornography. According to YouTube’s guidelines, a poster is allowed three “strikes” before an account is terminated. “Air Occupy” had received no notice of “strikes” or warnings of any kind from YouTube.
McLeish worries about how being a target of FBI attention will affect her life. “Can the inclusion of my name and information on a federal law enforcement domestic terrorist watch list impact my ability to make a living and provide for my children?” she asked. “Can I be subject to retribution of some kind through the NDAA’s new provisions or to federal surveillance due to interviewing other activists or in addition to my involvement in Occupy protests? I can’t afford an attorney to protect myself.”
“What does such surveillance and militarized response mean for our democratic system of governance as more and more people in our country and abroad struggle to survive and are moved to protest stark economic inequalities, mass unemployment and unfair working conditions, and impoverished living conditions?” she asked. –By Chris Hedges/Truthdig/January 7, 2013
Today’s Reality In Pictures
Spending The Day At The Beach With Friends
Going Out On A Date With A Girlfriend
Having Coffee With Friends
Albert Einstein once said:
"I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity, when the world will have a generation of misguided fools and damned idiots."
And he was absolutely right!
"I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity, when the world will have a generation of misguided fools and damned idiots."
And he was absolutely right!
10 Surprising Facts About Straight Teenage Boys
The day I started collecting data for my book The Declining Significance of Homophobia: How Teenage Boys Are Redefining Masculinity and Heterosexuality, I was nervous about how I would experience the next year of my life. I was about to spend the next 12 months in schools, hanging out with and getting to know 16- to 18-year-old male students. Socializing with straight guys wasn't something I had found particularly easy when I was a closeted, geeky teenager 10 years ago. Back then, teenage boys were homophobic, misogynistic, and aggressive. They distanced themselves from anything deemed gay or feminine. Imagine my surprise, then, when I found out that these teenage boys today have adopted a new, softer version of masculinity. Collecting data with hundreds of male students across three high schools in the south of England, I found a new generation of young men had redefined masculinity in ways unrecognizable to their fathers. Here are 10 of my favorite differences:
1. They Are Not Homophobic
2. They Explicitly Support Gay Rights
3. They Openly Express Their Love For Each Other
4. Fighting Isn't Cool
5. They Care About Looking Good
6. They Are Happy To Be Associated With Things Socially Coded As Gay
7. 'I'm So Turned On To You Right Now'
8. 'That's So Gay' Isn't About 'Gay'
9. They Are Less Sexist
10. They Admit Fear To Each Other
Just as boys have redefined what it means to them to be a guy, the meanings of their language have also changed. At one of the schools, many boys would frequently use the term "that's so gay." When they were set homework, or if they missed the bus, they would comment "that's so gay" in frustration. Yet these students also insisted it wasn't homophobic, arguing it meant "rubbish" in that context.
Crucially, this was supported by openly gay and lesbian students in the school, who also used the phrase. Indeed, gay students even used similar phrases as a way of bonding with straight students, for example shouting on occasion, "You're gayer than me." -By Mark McCormack, Ph.D./Huffington Post/March 3, 2012
1. They Are Not Homophobic
2. They Explicitly Support Gay Rights
3. They Openly Express Their Love For Each Other
4. Fighting Isn't Cool
5. They Care About Looking Good
6. They Are Happy To Be Associated With Things Socially Coded As Gay
7. 'I'm So Turned On To You Right Now'
8. 'That's So Gay' Isn't About 'Gay'
9. They Are Less Sexist
10. They Admit Fear To Each Other
Just as boys have redefined what it means to them to be a guy, the meanings of their language have also changed. At one of the schools, many boys would frequently use the term "that's so gay." When they were set homework, or if they missed the bus, they would comment "that's so gay" in frustration. Yet these students also insisted it wasn't homophobic, arguing it meant "rubbish" in that context.
Crucially, this was supported by openly gay and lesbian students in the school, who also used the phrase. Indeed, gay students even used similar phrases as a way of bonding with straight students, for example shouting on occasion, "You're gayer than me." -By Mark McCormack, Ph.D./Huffington Post/March 3, 2012
About the Author: Mark McCormack, Ph.D. is a Sociologist of sexualities and masculinities, Brunel University, England
Blueberry French Toast
"This is a very unique breakfast dish. Good for any holiday breakfast or brunch, it's filled with the fresh taste of blueberries, and covered with a rich blueberry sauce to make it a one of a kind." — KaranOvernight Blueberry French Toast
Ingredients:
Original recipe makes 10 servings
12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
Directions:
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.
The Amazing Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.
At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America ” and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence ..
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia ’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello .
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams
Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future.
John F. Kennedy during a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
Below are several of Jefferson's truly quotable quotes:
"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe."
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." -Author/Source Unknown
At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America ” and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence ..
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia ’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello .
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams
Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future.
John F. Kennedy during a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
Below are several of Jefferson's truly quotable quotes:
"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe."
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." -Author/Source Unknown
May 12, 2013
Ragbag Headliners
Colorado Court Upholds Firing For Off-The-Job Medical Marijuana Use
Coloradans who use medical marijuana off the clock can be fired from their jobs for doing so even if they aren't impaired on the job, an appeals court ruled Thursday in a major decision.
A divided Colorado Court of Appeals panel upheld the firing of a quadriplegic man for off-the-job medical-marijuana use, concluding that, because marijuana is illegal under federal law, employees have no protection to use it anytime.
The 2-1 decision — which is precedent-setting — has broad implications not just for the state's nearly 109,000 medical-marijuana patients but for any adult using marijuana in Colorado since voters legalized the substance in November. The case is the first to look at whether off-duty marijuana use that is legal under state law is protected by Colorado's Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute. The statute says employers can't fire employees for doing legal things off the clock.
"What the Colorado Court of Appeals said is, by definition, the use of medical marijuana cannot be lawful," said Vance Knapp, an attorney with Sherman and Howard who specializes in employment law.
In 2010, Dish Network fired Brandon Coats, a medical-marijuana patient, from his job as a telephone operator because he failed a random drug test. Coats — who is wheelchair-bound because of a car accident and says he uses marijuana to control muscle spasms — sued Dish, arguing that his marijuana use was legal under state law and that he was never impaired on the job. Coats said he was a model employee.
"I'm not smoking it just to have fun," Coats said Thursday. "I really do need it to function in life."
A trial court upheld the firing, but, in doing so, cited a previous court ruling that said the state's medical-marijuana law only creates exemptions from prosecution and not rights. Thursday's ruling by the Colorado Court of Appeals reaches a much broader conclusion: That nothing illegal federally can be considered "lawful" under the Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute.
"While we agree that the general purpose of (the Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute) is to keep an employer's proverbial nose out of an employee's off-site off-hours business," Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janice Davidson wrote in the opinion, "we can find no legislative intent to extend employment protection to those engaged in activities that violate federal law."
Judge Jose Marquez concurred in the opinion.
But Judge John Webb disagreed, saying that the Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute should be read as only concerning state law. The statute, Webb argued, was intended to protect employees from discriminatory firing.
"If an employee's off-the-job activity violated only federal criminal law, that activity might well warrant termination based on 'a bona fide occupational requirement' of the position," Webb wrote in his dissent. "But if the employee's activity was unlawful only under federal law, and it did not relate to such a requirement, then the employee would be protected from termination."
All three judges agreed, however, in reversing the trial court's ruling that Coats should have to pay Dish Network's attorneys' fees for the case.
Coats said he is disappointed in the ruling, and his attorney, Michael Evans, said he would ask the state Supreme Court to review the decision. Coats said he has had trouble finding work since being fired, and Evans said it is important for all medical-marijuana patients that the case be fought until the end.
"(Coats) was very aware that, with his condition, if he can't win this case, no one can," Evans said.
Thursday's decision comes as lawmakers are debating how to regulate legalized marijuana for anyone 21 and older. Amendment 64, the measure that legalized use and possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for adults, says employers can still create drug policies governing marijuana. A state task force subsequently recommended that section be interpreted as allowing employers to fire employees for off-the-job marijuana use.
Brian Vicente, a marijuana advocate and one of Amendment 64's authors, said the law is "open to interpretation" whether off-the-job recreational marijuana use is a fireable act. But he said it is unfair to fire medical-marijuana patients for using cannabis.
"They're basically permitting employers to fire disabled employees, not based on the quality of their work but on the type of medicine they use," Vicente said of the appeals court's ruling.
Employers, though, greeted Thursday's decision with approval. Holli Hartman, an employment law attorney with Baker Hostetler in Denver, said the decision is "a pretty strong ruling for employers."
The National Federation of Independent Business, which filed an amicus brief supporting Dish Network's position in the Coats case, also applauded the decision.
"We would not tolerate any attempt to infringe on the employers' right to a zero-tolerance drug policy," said Tony Gagliardi, the NFIB's state director in Colorado. –By John Ingold/Denver Post/April 25, 2013
About the Author: John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/john_ingold
Coloradans who use medical marijuana off the clock can be fired from their jobs for doing so even if they aren't impaired on the job, an appeals court ruled Thursday in a major decision.
A divided Colorado Court of Appeals panel upheld the firing of a quadriplegic man for off-the-job medical-marijuana use, concluding that, because marijuana is illegal under federal law, employees have no protection to use it anytime.
The 2-1 decision — which is precedent-setting — has broad implications not just for the state's nearly 109,000 medical-marijuana patients but for any adult using marijuana in Colorado since voters legalized the substance in November. The case is the first to look at whether off-duty marijuana use that is legal under state law is protected by Colorado's Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute. The statute says employers can't fire employees for doing legal things off the clock.
"What the Colorado Court of Appeals said is, by definition, the use of medical marijuana cannot be lawful," said Vance Knapp, an attorney with Sherman and Howard who specializes in employment law.
In 2010, Dish Network fired Brandon Coats, a medical-marijuana patient, from his job as a telephone operator because he failed a random drug test. Coats — who is wheelchair-bound because of a car accident and says he uses marijuana to control muscle spasms — sued Dish, arguing that his marijuana use was legal under state law and that he was never impaired on the job. Coats said he was a model employee.
"I'm not smoking it just to have fun," Coats said Thursday. "I really do need it to function in life."
A trial court upheld the firing, but, in doing so, cited a previous court ruling that said the state's medical-marijuana law only creates exemptions from prosecution and not rights. Thursday's ruling by the Colorado Court of Appeals reaches a much broader conclusion: That nothing illegal federally can be considered "lawful" under the Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute.
"While we agree that the general purpose of (the Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute) is to keep an employer's proverbial nose out of an employee's off-site off-hours business," Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janice Davidson wrote in the opinion, "we can find no legislative intent to extend employment protection to those engaged in activities that violate federal law."
Judge Jose Marquez concurred in the opinion.
But Judge John Webb disagreed, saying that the Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute should be read as only concerning state law. The statute, Webb argued, was intended to protect employees from discriminatory firing.
"If an employee's off-the-job activity violated only federal criminal law, that activity might well warrant termination based on 'a bona fide occupational requirement' of the position," Webb wrote in his dissent. "But if the employee's activity was unlawful only under federal law, and it did not relate to such a requirement, then the employee would be protected from termination."
All three judges agreed, however, in reversing the trial court's ruling that Coats should have to pay Dish Network's attorneys' fees for the case.
Coats said he is disappointed in the ruling, and his attorney, Michael Evans, said he would ask the state Supreme Court to review the decision. Coats said he has had trouble finding work since being fired, and Evans said it is important for all medical-marijuana patients that the case be fought until the end.
"(Coats) was very aware that, with his condition, if he can't win this case, no one can," Evans said.
Thursday's decision comes as lawmakers are debating how to regulate legalized marijuana for anyone 21 and older. Amendment 64, the measure that legalized use and possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for adults, says employers can still create drug policies governing marijuana. A state task force subsequently recommended that section be interpreted as allowing employers to fire employees for off-the-job marijuana use.
Brian Vicente, a marijuana advocate and one of Amendment 64's authors, said the law is "open to interpretation" whether off-the-job recreational marijuana use is a fireable act. But he said it is unfair to fire medical-marijuana patients for using cannabis.
"They're basically permitting employers to fire disabled employees, not based on the quality of their work but on the type of medicine they use," Vicente said of the appeals court's ruling.
Employers, though, greeted Thursday's decision with approval. Holli Hartman, an employment law attorney with Baker Hostetler in Denver, said the decision is "a pretty strong ruling for employers."
The National Federation of Independent Business, which filed an amicus brief supporting Dish Network's position in the Coats case, also applauded the decision.
"We would not tolerate any attempt to infringe on the employers' right to a zero-tolerance drug policy," said Tony Gagliardi, the NFIB's state director in Colorado. –By John Ingold/Denver Post/April 25, 2013
About the Author: John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/john_ingold
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Another HIV Vaccine Fails As Govt Halts US Study
Bad news in the fight against the AIDS virus: The government is halting a large U.S. study of a possible HIV vaccine because the experimental shots aren't preventing infection.
The study had enrolled about 2,500 people, mostly gay men, in 19 cities. Half received an experimental vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health, and half received dummy shots.
A safety review this week found that slightly more volunteers who had received the vaccine later became infected with HIV. It's not clear why.
The NIH said Thursday that it is stopping vaccinations, but will continue to study the volunteers' health.
Multiple attempts at creating an AIDS vaccine have failed over the years. But researchers continue to try, pointing to modest success in a 2009 study in Thailand. –By Rob Howard/Gayly/April 25, 2013
Love In The Age Of Headless Torsos
Does the instant gratification of modern dating life make intimacy feel kind of cheap?Modern technology has led to a virtual fast-food line for anything the modern gay man desires. Whether it’s takeout, a new pair of shoes, or a late-night guest we seek, all it takes is a few clicks of a finger. With shoes and takeout, our favorite phone app has only changed the way we order our latest craving, but apps with their GPS-based seach for men have all but revolutionized the approach we take to sex and dating. Of course, these apps have their rightful place, and there are plenty other more “traditional” approaches that gay men can take when dating. But has the app-based culture of stats, nudies, and decapitated men begun to spill over into the rest our dating lives and making everything else look a little cheap?
The gay culture has drifted further away from the values that a real relationship fosters, right as we are mere inches away from being granted the right to walk down the aisle. Yet we have gone so far in de-emphasizing our intellectual traits in mating and dating that we actually cut our heads off in order to attract a mate. This phenomenon may not be as directly apparent in the more traditional approaches to dating, but the culture of “sexual priorities” can still be felt.
Of course, these social media apps aren’t solely to blame for the overemphasis of the sexual in lieu of intellectual in gay culture. The nature of the hidden gay life has inevitably suppressed our abilities to function as fully realized beings. Unlike with our heterosexual counterparts, our “training years,” when we are supposed to learn the basics of dating, mating, and boundaries, are typically truncated. The duration of this relationship limbo depends on how long our closeted period lasts. But no matter how long we are kept in this proverbial holding pattern, there is one thing that has always come naturally … our sex drive. So when we finally get the chance to play house with members of the same sex, we typically head straight to the bedroom.
Yet after decades of many trials and travails of the gay rights movement, we are now recognized as a beautifully diverse and emotionally engaged component of society. Many gay relationships now serve as role models, giving single gay men hope for having a family, a fulfilling marriage, and a summer home that heterosexual couples can only achieve with an interior decorator.
Juxtaposed with this feat of accomplishment that seemed nearly impossible just years earlier is the general regression of the gay man’s dating game. The use of the likes of Grindr and Jack'd is one thing (and certainly neither sells itself as a dating site), but the context of leading with the physical in hopes of the emotional has most gay men spinning in circles.
For example, last week a very handsome man that I have known for some time asked me out to dinner. This dinner invite came through a much more respectable medium of communication — Facebook (which seems to me to be Grindr for gentlemen). I was ecstatic. It had been a while since a handsome, successful, and appropriately aged man had asked me on a real date. Not a “let’s meet for drinks” or “wanna come watch a movie” date, but a cloth-napkin, pick-you-up-at-8 date.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t but a minute before the little hearts that had started gathering around my head began to pop, one by one. I had only eliminated half of my closet in search of acceptable first date options when I was asked if I was a top or a bottom. This man had yet to discover my religious affiliation, whether or not I would laugh at his jokes, or if I was interested in the same type of movies as he was. Why bother with such trivial things if our percentages of top versus bottom are a mismatch? This question may be a necessary one when sex is the only thing on the menu. But in a dating scenario, there are many other factors that can indicate if there is a long-term sexual compatibility. Instead of figuring it out by the transgression of each other’s idiosyncrasies (and let’s face it, you can typically tell in about 20 minutes), we reduce ourselves to cavemen.
“Me, top only. You, bottom?”
I was not afforded the option to establish chemistry based on such trivial traits as personality and humor. He wanted to know if I was 70% bottom and if I had a picture of my ass. How did this happen with a man who was supposedly interested in getting to know me, and not just in the biblical sense? Easy — he and almost every other single gay man have been desensitized by hookup apps.
The date never happened.
There is a vast disparity between being able to enjoy sex as just sex and turning yourself into a virtual blowup doll with a day job. Physical attraction is an important part in the development of relationships past the point of platonic, but it has become a grossly overrated value in the gay culture. In order to develop a lasting physical relationship, the most essential characteristics far surpass the size of your member.
And the proof is in the morning after (or lack thereof). Sure, the sex was great and his six-pack and massive arms gave you the chills for about 20, maybe 30 minutes. Regrettably, his brain was about as dense as his abs and you politely usher him to the door just before that rerun of Law & Order: SVU comes on. This is fine for the man who truly is about as interested in a relationship as he is in going hunting with his cousins who live in the country. But how many gay men have passed this point only to let the customs of this mating ritual linger in their dating habits?
Love and sex are inevitably linked even though sex can appear on the menu a la carte. For too long, love in the gay community was scoffed at, second-guessed and considered altogether less than real, heterosexual love. Although we knew better, after a while the opinions of others can start to feel like truth. Maybe we assumed that true love was impossible in our oversexed, grass-is-always-greener environment. It’s hard to say whether this belief came from our own conclusions or from the judgments of others. But as we eagerly wait to hear one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the history of the gay rights movement, we owe ourselves more than just a parade and a pat on the back. We owe it to ourselves to take the chance and establish a real bond with someone based on interests, values, and whether or not you can tolerate each other’s family members. And yes, even sex.
If sex is just what you are looking for, carry on. But if you are ready for something a little beyond the physical, start with some questions about where he grew up and what kind of movies he is into while you have dinner with all of your clothes on. And try to refrain from pressing send on the cock shots … at least until after you have seen it in person.—By Tyler Curry/Advocate/May 3, 2013
About the Author: Tyler Curry created the Needle Prick Project as an editorial and visual campaign to elicit a candid and open conversation on what it means to be HIV-positive today. To learn more about the Needle Prick Project, visit Facebook.com/getpricked or follow Tyler Curry on Facebook or Twitter at @iamtylercurry.
How America's Largest Retailers Know More About Your Family Than You Do
This is a true story: A man walks into a Target store and asks to see the manager. The manager asks if he can help and the man produces an advertisement that his daughter had received in the mail at their home. It was for diapers, wet wipes, strollers and other baby gear.
"My daughter is only 16," the man said, "Why are you sending this stuff?"
The manager apologized profusely and offered a vague explanation. The man nodded and left. A few days later, the manager, who was bothered by the entire situation, called the man to once again offer apologies.
"Well, it appears that I complained too soon," the man said. "Evidently there are some things going on in my house that I wasn't fully aware of. My daughter is due in May. So I guess my only question is how you knew before I did?" -By Andy Obermueller May 2, 2013/Shared by Mary
"My daughter is only 16," the man said, "Why are you sending this stuff?"
The manager apologized profusely and offered a vague explanation. The man nodded and left. A few days later, the manager, who was bothered by the entire situation, called the man to once again offer apologies.
"Well, it appears that I complained too soon," the man said. "Evidently there are some things going on in my house that I wasn't fully aware of. My daughter is due in May. So I guess my only question is how you knew before I did?" -By Andy Obermueller May 2, 2013/Shared by Mary
Could This Islamic Demand Be Next for America?
The Obama Administration is in denial over Islamic extremism. It shows in almost everything they say and do. For example:
“Before the Boston Marathon bombings, the Obama administration argued for years that there is a big difference between terrorists and the tenets of Islam.
“A senior White House aide in 2009 publicly urged Washington to cease using the term ‘jihadist’ — asserting that terrorists are simply extremists. Two years later, the White House ordered a cleansing of training materials that Islamic groups deemed offensive.”
The next step may well be to stop all open criticism of Islam and its radical elements. Muslims are pushing for such a law in the United Kingdom. Here’s how a pro-Muslim article describes the demand for new laws to prohibit people from insulting Islam:
“Up to 25,000 British Pakistani men, women and children from across the UK gathered in Aston Park . . . to express their love for Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and to call on the British government to introduce legislation that bars Islamophobes from insulting Islam under the garb of the freedom of speech.”
Who gets to define what constitutes an insult? You’ve seen the signs: “Behead Those Who Insult Islam,” “Be Prepared for the Real Holocaust,” “Freedom Go to Hell,” “Islam Will Dominate the World,” “Europe: Your 9/11 Will Come.”
Why don’t we see protests against these radical Islamic agitators?
Sufi scholar Hazrat Peer Alauddin Siddiqui said that he welcomes “debate and constructive criticism” of Islam “but insults are unacceptable and inflammatory language is contributing to the rise of extremism amongst youth in western countries where youth mistakenly believe that the West hates Islam and Muslims.”
He may welcome debate and constructive criticism of Islam. He’s not the problem. Of course, there’s still the question of who defines “constructive.”
What we in America hate is the passivity of so-called moderate Muslims who do not take a stand against Islamic radicalism.
Instead of a march to call for laws protecting Islam against insults, these Muslims should be marching to protest against the violence perpetrated in the name of Allah.
Peer Siddiqui went on to say:
“There is resentment amongst Muslims over the continuing failure of the western government for not doing enough to protect Muslims. Attacks on Muslims have increased and while we are law-abiding and peace-loving citizens of this country, we want our government to take our concern into account.”
Again, I would like to see some indignation expressed over the attacks that took place on 9/11, the shootings at Fort Hood, and the latest Boston Marathon bombings. Americans have been stellar examples of restraint in not condemning all Muslims.
Instead of trying to get a law passed, Muslims like Peer Siddiqui should first work to clean up their own religion and mosques before they criticize non-Muslims who are the recipients, not only of insults, but of beheadings and bombings. –By Gary DeMar/Godfather Politics/April 26, 2013
“Before the Boston Marathon bombings, the Obama administration argued for years that there is a big difference between terrorists and the tenets of Islam.
“A senior White House aide in 2009 publicly urged Washington to cease using the term ‘jihadist’ — asserting that terrorists are simply extremists. Two years later, the White House ordered a cleansing of training materials that Islamic groups deemed offensive.”
The next step may well be to stop all open criticism of Islam and its radical elements. Muslims are pushing for such a law in the United Kingdom. Here’s how a pro-Muslim article describes the demand for new laws to prohibit people from insulting Islam:
“Up to 25,000 British Pakistani men, women and children from across the UK gathered in Aston Park . . . to express their love for Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and to call on the British government to introduce legislation that bars Islamophobes from insulting Islam under the garb of the freedom of speech.”
Who gets to define what constitutes an insult? You’ve seen the signs: “Behead Those Who Insult Islam,” “Be Prepared for the Real Holocaust,” “Freedom Go to Hell,” “Islam Will Dominate the World,” “Europe: Your 9/11 Will Come.”
Why don’t we see protests against these radical Islamic agitators?
Sufi scholar Hazrat Peer Alauddin Siddiqui said that he welcomes “debate and constructive criticism” of Islam “but insults are unacceptable and inflammatory language is contributing to the rise of extremism amongst youth in western countries where youth mistakenly believe that the West hates Islam and Muslims.”
He may welcome debate and constructive criticism of Islam. He’s not the problem. Of course, there’s still the question of who defines “constructive.”
What we in America hate is the passivity of so-called moderate Muslims who do not take a stand against Islamic radicalism.
Instead of a march to call for laws protecting Islam against insults, these Muslims should be marching to protest against the violence perpetrated in the name of Allah.
Peer Siddiqui went on to say:
“There is resentment amongst Muslims over the continuing failure of the western government for not doing enough to protect Muslims. Attacks on Muslims have increased and while we are law-abiding and peace-loving citizens of this country, we want our government to take our concern into account.”
Again, I would like to see some indignation expressed over the attacks that took place on 9/11, the shootings at Fort Hood, and the latest Boston Marathon bombings. Americans have been stellar examples of restraint in not condemning all Muslims.
Instead of trying to get a law passed, Muslims like Peer Siddiqui should first work to clean up their own religion and mosques before they criticize non-Muslims who are the recipients, not only of insults, but of beheadings and bombings. –By Gary DeMar/Godfather Politics/April 26, 2013
Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul , Afghanistan , several years before the Afghan conflict.She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.
She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem happy to maintain the old custom.
Ms Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'
The woman looked Ms Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, "Land mines."
Moral of the story: no matter what language you speak or where you go, behind every man there's a smart woman. –Author Unknown/Shared by Mary
The U.S.A.'s Death Spiral: A Sobering Reality In Today's U.S.A.
Today, eleven (11) of the 50 states (as indicated in "yellow" on the map to the right), which have some of the most densely populated cities/metropolitan areas in the USA -- namely, California, Illinois, New York, and Ohio -- have more people on welfare than people who are gainfully employed.
Also, as expected, of the 50 states, California and New York, the two (2) most populous states in the USA, have the highest number of people (and illegal immigrants) on welfare vs. people who are employed. –Source/Author Unknown
Also, as expected, of the 50 states, California and New York, the two (2) most populous states in the USA, have the highest number of people (and illegal immigrants) on welfare vs. people who are employed. –Source/Author Unknown
May 5, 2013
Locally Speaking
Time To Legalize Marijuana
Grab that jumbo bag of M&M’s and fire up the bong: A majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, the first time public opinion has swung that way in more than 40 years of pot polling.
And the increase in support is reflected among all demographic and political groups, according to the Pew Research Center: Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, Democrats, Republicans, blacks and whites.
“The long-term shift in favor of legalizing marijuana has accelerated in the past three years. About half (52 percent) of adults today support legalizing the use of marijuana, up from 41 percent in 2010,” the Pew report stated.
These numbers should reignite a conversation about current pot laws. With all the foot-dragging on its medical uses, this could be the sensible solution: Decriminalize small amounts (for starters), and get the state out of regulating the medical marijuana business.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) thinks that’s the way to go. Today, if you’re caught in New Jersey with one joint, you can get up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine and have your driver’s license suspended for six months. You’ll also be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in penalties — with a criminal record that follows you forever.
Gusciora introduced a bill last year decriminalizing a half-ounce of marijuana, making the offense the equivalent of a parking violation. A first offense would draw a $150 fine, a second offense a $200 fine, and a third $500. Violators under 21 caught with marijuana or adults busted three times would have to attend a drug education program.
Grab that jumbo bag of M&M’s and fire up the bong: A majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, the first time public opinion has swung that way in more than 40 years of pot polling.
And the increase in support is reflected among all demographic and political groups, according to the Pew Research Center: Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, Democrats, Republicans, blacks and whites.
“The long-term shift in favor of legalizing marijuana has accelerated in the past three years. About half (52 percent) of adults today support legalizing the use of marijuana, up from 41 percent in 2010,” the Pew report stated.
These numbers should reignite a conversation about current pot laws. With all the foot-dragging on its medical uses, this could be the sensible solution: Decriminalize small amounts (for starters), and get the state out of regulating the medical marijuana business.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) thinks that’s the way to go. Today, if you’re caught in New Jersey with one joint, you can get up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine and have your driver’s license suspended for six months. You’ll also be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in penalties — with a criminal record that follows you forever.
Gusciora introduced a bill last year decriminalizing a half-ounce of marijuana, making the offense the equivalent of a parking violation. A first offense would draw a $150 fine, a second offense a $200 fine, and a third $500. Violators under 21 caught with marijuana or adults busted three times would have to attend a drug education program.
Gusciora’s bill passed the Assembly but got stuck in the Senate, where Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) introduced a more lenient measure, increasing the legal amount of pot to 2 ounces. Scutari says he’s open-minded and would consider Gusciora’s version.
That’s good to hear.
Law enforcement officials dislike using precious resources on this kind of petty crime, said Gusciora, who saw pot cases clogging the courts when he was a municipal prosecutor in Trenton. He still sees it today as prosecutor in Princeton and Lawrenceville.
“We need to move on,” he said. It’s time. –Nj/April 8, 2013
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New Jersey Is America's 49th Freest State, Study Finds
Help, help! We’re being oppressed!
Might as well be New Jersey’s state motto. At least, according to the authors of a study that compared individual freedoms available to residents of each of the 50 states – and ranked New Jersey next to last.
Published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University this spring, a right-leaning think tank, the report found only New York surpassed New Jersey in terms of government intervention.
Other states in the least-free five: California, Hawaii and Massachusetts. New Hampshire and South Dakota topped the list for the freest states, followed by Indiana, Idaho and Missouri.
Of course, free sounds great. But just why did New Jersey get such black marks?
Unsurprisingly, given the think tank's philosophical orientation, the study counted New Jersey’s high property taxes and education spending as two big strikes against personal freedom.
But our other big offenses? These included mandatory helmet laws, primary seatbelt enforcement, the ban on cell phone use while driving, the prohibition against fireworks and sobriety checkpoints.
Sure, one could argue that a cell phone ban restricts a driver’s personal freedom to make a call. But if that same driver hits a pedestrian while dialing, there’s a strong case to be made that the victim’s rights have been infringed on, too.
In a YouTube video accompanying the online presentation of the report, the authors suggest readers use their findings to vote with their feet, moving to states where they might find greater liberty.
For those of you craving the ability to drive drunk without fear of a sobriety check point, or to speed dial your way from Jersey City to Vineland without an eye peeled for flashing lights: by all means, take their advice. –Nj/September 18, 2011
Ragbag Headliners
Montana Pet Owner To Feds: The Dog Ate My Money
A Montana man whose 12-year-old golden retriever ate five $100 bills hopes to be reimbursed by the federal government.
Wayne Klinkel tells the Independent Record (http://bit.ly/143rwRZ ) that his dog Sundance ate the bills while he and his wife were on a road trip to visit their daughter.
Klinkel says he carefully picked through the dog's droppings, and his daughter recovered more when snow melted.
He says he washed the remnants of the bills and taped them together and sent them to the Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing with an explanation of what happened.
The bureau's website says an "experienced mutilated currency examiner" will determine if at least 51 percent of a bill is present and eligible for reimbursement. The process can take up to two years. –Yahoo News/April 8, 2013
A Montana man whose 12-year-old golden retriever ate five $100 bills hopes to be reimbursed by the federal government.
Wayne Klinkel tells the Independent Record (http://bit.ly/143rwRZ ) that his dog Sundance ate the bills while he and his wife were on a road trip to visit their daughter.
Klinkel says he carefully picked through the dog's droppings, and his daughter recovered more when snow melted.
He says he washed the remnants of the bills and taped them together and sent them to the Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing with an explanation of what happened.
The bureau's website says an "experienced mutilated currency examiner" will determine if at least 51 percent of a bill is present and eligible for reimbursement. The process can take up to two years. –Yahoo News/April 8, 2013
Don't Drop The Soap: Gay Body Image And Dove's Latest Viral Video
All-American soap manufacturer Dove is known for many things: its fresh, clean scent; keeping skin oh-so-soft (thanks, one-quarter moisturizing cream!), and, more recently, its marketing department's rather uncanny ability to sell millions of bars to women by talking frankly to them about their self-esteem issues and the hang-ups they have with their bodies. Now, with their latest viral video campaign, "Dove Real Beauty Sketches," they're set to sell millions more.
It's an unorthodox tactic, for sure, but of course, soap has always been about more than just keeping your bits clean. When I was growing up in suburban New Jersey, a bar of the stuff was most memorable for two things: washing out the mouths of foul-mouthed children, and serving as the punchline to an oft-told joke about what you should never, ever drop in the shower.
Yup. The ultimate fear of soap users everywhere. Don't drop the soap, because once you do, to paraphrase Avenue Q, "it would suck to be you." I'm joking, of course, but the message -- echoed every time I heard it, from my sleep-away summer camp to my elementary school's playground -- was clear: Being gay is thoroughly unclean. I laughed along with everyone else back then, but it wasn't until I grew up and discovered my sexuality that I realized just how much the joke wasn't funny.
What struck me most when I watched the Dove video was how much I related to the women featured in it, and how it gives us gay men an opportunity to talk about our own body issues. Like our straight counterparts, we live in a culture obsessed with beauty, youth and sexual desirability. But for many of us, these insecurities are even more acute, amplified by a constant stream of societal messages -- like that "hilarious" joke about dropping the soap! -- that tell us that we should feel ashamed about who we are.
It might be easy for the society at large to assume that gay men love the way they look. After all, so many of us go to the gym, follow the latest health crazes and scour the aisles of Sephora for the latest anti-aging potion in a bottle. What's so bad about that? Nothing, really -- on the surface. But when research shows that gay and bisexual men have significantly higher prevalence estimates of eating disorders than heterosexual men and are four times likelier to suffer from depression, it certainly makes you question whether our obsession with our bodies comes from a place of personal pride or from deep-rooted feelings of insecurity stemming from a lifetime of being told that we're limp-wristed sissies and anything but masculine.
This lingering shame manifests itself not only in how we treat ourselves but in how we treat each other, which might help explain why we often find it difficult to create a culture that's actually worth marching for. Online and off, I regularly see examples of gays behaving badly: putting each other down for everything under the sun, from the way we look ("Nice man boobs!") to our mannerisms ("Masc only!") to where we spend our summer vacations ("What do you mean you don't have a share in the Pines?") to the way we walk ("So swishy!") to using "bottom" as a four-letter word to things so ridiculously ridiculous that it's a miracle that some of us manage to have any friends at all. Then again, people who feel fundamentally flawed often lack the reserves to give much back to others.
Of course, it's not all "Sturm und Drang." I know many people who have managed, through hard work, love and patience, to work through this shame and arrive at a place of acceptance. Many gay men and women would even say that the shame of our upbringings not only unites us but can, over time, be a source of strength and basis for increased compassion. And I am optimistic about the future. Brave parents like my sister and brother-in-law are teaching their children early on that it's OK to love whom you love so that the next generation can grow up without shame around their sexuality. But it is ongoing work -- for all of us.
Just like the brave women in Dove's video who risked being vulnerable for millions of people to see, gay men need to find ways to acknowledge and talk about the shame and poor self-image that many of us have experienced. The key is to acknowledge the pain from the past and work toward reducing shame's power in the present. If you sometimes believe you're too fat, too skinny, too smooth, too hairy, too girly, too old, too busted or just too fucking much, know that you're not alone. With a little time and a lot of awareness (and the help of a professional, in some cases), it is possible to start washing away the negativity and insecurities we've been subjected to for so long and find inside ourselves the symbolic meaning of that little white bird on one of those bars of Dove soap: peace. –By Carl Sandler/Huffington Post/April 26, 2013
If you want to be simultaneously amazed and appalled at the quality of "products of modern American education", watch the video clip below taken on the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. Geez! And these students actually graduated from high school?
^^^*^^^
Israel IQ at UCLA - With Mark Schiff
I Am HIV-Positive And So Can You!
Finding your way back to confidence, no matter what cards you are dealt.
Now before we begin, you can go ahead and unravel that tight wad your panties have wound themselves into. This is not an article intended to promote the transmission of HIV and in no way is it meant to glamorize HIV/AIDS. Is it even possible to glamorize such an abysmal disease? I think not. But I have noticed that when an HIV-positive man takes a public stance without the “woe is me” pretense, that is the general dissent. To glamorize HIV would be like trying to Photoshop a picture of the Holocaust. No matter how you manipulate it, the ugliness remains. However, I am not HIV itself, and its time that people who are HIV-positive stop wearing the face of the virus as if it was their own.
Sometimes life can deal you a hand that can make you feel like you will never win. Being diagnosed with HIV is just one example. But unlike some other unfavorable traits that we carry in our deck, being HIV-positive can seem like the only card you have to play.
When I was diagnosed with HIV, all the characteristics that assemble the person who I am, both good and bad, suddenly seemed to fall to the floor. For months, it felt as if I was clutching this new card with an ugly plus sign close to my chest. The game of life continued, yet I found myself willingly sitting on the sidelines and forgoing any chance at making a play for happiness.
The worst part of HIV stigma is that it always starts from within. No matter what your background or level of HIV education, a positive diagnosis can send even the most self-assured into a tailspin of self-doubt. After I learned I was HIV-positive, I immediately began to see my reflection differently. My interaction with friends and strangers alike had a new sense of reticence. I vexed over the opinions of people that weren’t even real, yet they seeped into every pore. I assumed everyone would see me differently, because that was how I viewed myself.
But there is only so much self-pity a boy can take before nausea starts to kick in. There are two ways you can approach life. Either life happens to you, or you happen to your life. We have all been knocked down so hard we think we’ll never get up. No matter how long you choose to stay down with your eyes shut tight, eventually you have to open them and realize that you can stand again. And if you can’t stand, get a wheelchair. Unless you are dead, life can only get better… if you want it to.
Everybody is subject to gossip, ridicule and rejection. We all have to make a choice. You can either anguish over those that cause you to hurt or you can thrive off of those who only want happiness for you. No matter who you are or what your status may be, the two will always exist. Just make sure and check if your own hand isn’t holding the knife that has been wedged in your back.
Confidence is just waking up in the morning and knowing you have what it takes to make your own life good. If it is love or a relationship you seek, someone will believe that you are worth taking to breakfast the next morning only if you do. There are countless reasons why someone will reject you, but the right person will only stick around if you believe you are worth it.
Coming out as HIV-positive may seem like about as good of an idea as a face tattoo. If these feelings seem eerily familiar, it’s because they are the same ones you probably experienced when you came out of the closet the first time around. You fear for your job security; you worry about losing friends; and you don’t want to disappoint your mother. This fear of rejection will gnaw away at your self-confidence while you toy around in your newfound closet until you start talking. The more you talk, the easier it gets. Before you know it, you will find yourself holding a full deck of cards (and you might even find some new playmates). Most importantly, your reflection in the mirror will start to look like your own again, and it can be as glamorous as you want it to be.
Finding your way back to holding a full deck can be difficult after being diagnosed with HIV. But it is just that, one card out of many that you just have to learn to play. So what if you lose a hand or two (or a hundred), there will always be another game to be had.
I have been accused of making light of HIV. That is the furthest from my intentions. Becoming HIV-positive will change your entire life, but how it changes is solely up to you.
It can change it for the better, but only if you want it to.
So what are you waiting for? Get in the game! -By Tyler Curry/Advocate/April 19 2013
About the Author: Tyler Curry created the Needle Prick Project as an editorial and visual campaign to elicit a candid and open conversation on what it means to be HIV-positive today. To learn more about the Needle Prick Project, visit Facebook.com/getpricked or follow Tyler Curry on Facebook or Twitter at @iamtylercurry.
Now before we begin, you can go ahead and unravel that tight wad your panties have wound themselves into. This is not an article intended to promote the transmission of HIV and in no way is it meant to glamorize HIV/AIDS. Is it even possible to glamorize such an abysmal disease? I think not. But I have noticed that when an HIV-positive man takes a public stance without the “woe is me” pretense, that is the general dissent. To glamorize HIV would be like trying to Photoshop a picture of the Holocaust. No matter how you manipulate it, the ugliness remains. However, I am not HIV itself, and its time that people who are HIV-positive stop wearing the face of the virus as if it was their own.
Sometimes life can deal you a hand that can make you feel like you will never win. Being diagnosed with HIV is just one example. But unlike some other unfavorable traits that we carry in our deck, being HIV-positive can seem like the only card you have to play.
When I was diagnosed with HIV, all the characteristics that assemble the person who I am, both good and bad, suddenly seemed to fall to the floor. For months, it felt as if I was clutching this new card with an ugly plus sign close to my chest. The game of life continued, yet I found myself willingly sitting on the sidelines and forgoing any chance at making a play for happiness.
The worst part of HIV stigma is that it always starts from within. No matter what your background or level of HIV education, a positive diagnosis can send even the most self-assured into a tailspin of self-doubt. After I learned I was HIV-positive, I immediately began to see my reflection differently. My interaction with friends and strangers alike had a new sense of reticence. I vexed over the opinions of people that weren’t even real, yet they seeped into every pore. I assumed everyone would see me differently, because that was how I viewed myself.
But there is only so much self-pity a boy can take before nausea starts to kick in. There are two ways you can approach life. Either life happens to you, or you happen to your life. We have all been knocked down so hard we think we’ll never get up. No matter how long you choose to stay down with your eyes shut tight, eventually you have to open them and realize that you can stand again. And if you can’t stand, get a wheelchair. Unless you are dead, life can only get better… if you want it to.
Everybody is subject to gossip, ridicule and rejection. We all have to make a choice. You can either anguish over those that cause you to hurt or you can thrive off of those who only want happiness for you. No matter who you are or what your status may be, the two will always exist. Just make sure and check if your own hand isn’t holding the knife that has been wedged in your back.
Confidence is just waking up in the morning and knowing you have what it takes to make your own life good. If it is love or a relationship you seek, someone will believe that you are worth taking to breakfast the next morning only if you do. There are countless reasons why someone will reject you, but the right person will only stick around if you believe you are worth it.
Coming out as HIV-positive may seem like about as good of an idea as a face tattoo. If these feelings seem eerily familiar, it’s because they are the same ones you probably experienced when you came out of the closet the first time around. You fear for your job security; you worry about losing friends; and you don’t want to disappoint your mother. This fear of rejection will gnaw away at your self-confidence while you toy around in your newfound closet until you start talking. The more you talk, the easier it gets. Before you know it, you will find yourself holding a full deck of cards (and you might even find some new playmates). Most importantly, your reflection in the mirror will start to look like your own again, and it can be as glamorous as you want it to be.
Finding your way back to holding a full deck can be difficult after being diagnosed with HIV. But it is just that, one card out of many that you just have to learn to play. So what if you lose a hand or two (or a hundred), there will always be another game to be had.
I have been accused of making light of HIV. That is the furthest from my intentions. Becoming HIV-positive will change your entire life, but how it changes is solely up to you.
It can change it for the better, but only if you want it to.
So what are you waiting for? Get in the game! -By Tyler Curry/Advocate/April 19 2013
About the Author: Tyler Curry created the Needle Prick Project as an editorial and visual campaign to elicit a candid and open conversation on what it means to be HIV-positive today. To learn more about the Needle Prick Project, visit Facebook.com/getpricked or follow Tyler Curry on Facebook or Twitter at @iamtylercurry.
Is Facebook Making You Fat?
Two months ago, Facebook hit its one billionth user. Is it coincidence that 1.4 billion adults are considered overweight by the World Health Organization? Now that roughly 1/6th of the world is eeriely connected through social media, what kind of toll is it taking on the physical and emotional health of our society?
It's ironic, actually. Many of us venture into this virtual world every day because it gives us a sense of belonging, but new research shows that all this computer time we're logging is actually making us feel more alienated and self-conscious.
An article recently published in Psychology Today says this new fascination with constantly posting photos, videos and webcams is prompting an increase in self-awareness, and that's not great for any of us.
"These objects [photos, videos] cause us to view ourselves as we think others are viewing us."
Instead of living life, we're becoming our own documentarians, but we're skewing our own stories. By only posting flattering pictures, some with celebrities or influential people, or from fascinating places that make our "friends" green with envy, it's only natural to start comparing our lives to society's new standards, rather than focusing on our own, authentic selves. This is especially true for women, who, according to a new Swedish study, tend to feel less happy and content with their lives after prolonged Facebook usage.
Spending between 3-7 hours a day not only on Facebook, but also on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, when we could be working out or interacting with real human beings about the reality of the lives we are living, is a growing problem.
A new study of 350 students from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland found that the more time they spent on Facebook, the less time they spent exercising, with an increasing tendency to opt out of team sports.
A study out of the Michigan Cardiovascular Center (and countless others) goes so far as to blame the growing epidemic of obesity in young people on this new sedentary lifestyle. As the Internet gets even more mobile, there is a surge in the demand for treadmill desks, designed to get people out of their chairs and moving without missing even a Facebook post. But that still doesn't do anything to alter the way we look at, or project ourselves. Whether you're sitting or walking your way into cyberspace on any of the number of growing social media platforms, we're starting to see that being voyeurs into other people's more glamorous, fun and exciting lives is actually preventing us from living our own.
So, is it possible to keep your sanity and your Facebook profile? Here are 3 things to remember as you live more and more of your life online.
1. Pretending your life is perfect does not make it perfect. When you change your profile picture to the one that makes you look 15 pounds lighter, it does not make you 15 pounds lighter. Comments about how attractive you are do not make you more attractive.
A study by the University of Stamford found that when teen girls carefully select overly thin images of themselves to post on Facebook (or worse, many are even photoshopping their own pictures), it helps to perpetuate unhealthy and unrealistic appearance goals.
2. A profile is never the whole truth. College students who scroll through their Facebook feeds often are convinced their friends are leading far better lives than they are. That's the bottom line from a new study titled "misery has more company than people think", which found that most people do not post the real truth about the lives they are living on their news feeds.
Facebook has become more of a highlight reel when, in reality, life is more like a series of bloopers we don't want anyone to know about! Remember that there is always more to the story than a picture from the beach or a check-in at a fancy club. While most of us have at least one over-sharer in our repertoire of "friends", let's not forget that these are the folks who are peeking enviously at your life, and not really living their own.
3. Social media breaks are imperative for good health. As someone who loves social media and posts daily updates for many of my 20,000+ friends I haven't yet met, shutting off the computer and getting out in nature helps me see the insanity that has become my busy life.
Sometimes, you just need a weekend off from Facebook and Twitter to check in with your true self and stop thinking everyone else has it better than you do. Take Tammi Fuller:
She's an Emmy Award winning TV producer who created Campowerment , a weekend camp for stressed-out power people to "run away from home", where computers and cellphones are banned and playing outside is required.
"An amazing thing happens when we can totally unplug and talk face to face, and come to realize that no one's life is any easier than ours" says Fuller.
"Most of our 'campers' tell us they didn't think they could live without technology, or leave their families for 3 days, but something very strange happens when they do. As they unwind, they become calmer, more patient, and grateful for the lives they are living, warts and all."
Create your own "social rehab" for 48 hours once a month. Go to the park without sharing pictures of your kids, go out to dinner without snapping an Instagram of your meal. You may just find yourself living in the moment and enjoying every moment of it! -By Jennifer Cohen
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