Leah Bloom -- be careful driving out on that Sunday.
https://www.space.com/37564-solar-eclipse-2017-one-month-away-anticipation.html
Friday, July 21, 2017
Leah Bloom maybe this should've been our book...
Leah Bloom maybe this should've been our book...
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/19/american-eclipse-david-baron-book-review/
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/19/american-eclipse-david-baron-book-review/
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Monday, July 17, 2017
You may remember that House and Senate both had proposals for legal weed in the state.
You may remember that House and Senate both had proposals for legal weed in the state. You may also remember that the House version was crazy-pants and the Senate version generally more reasonable. They were supposed to reconcile their bills for a July 1st signing by the governor, but that didn't happen.
Today the compromise bill got signed.
I'll include the link but the main points are;
1.) No changes to amount you can possess or number of plants you can grow. The compromise bill actually de-criminalizes possession of small amounts (2oz or less) in public for people under 21 which means if you're underage and caught with a joint, you won't get a criminal record for that. So that's pretty good.
2.) Weed will be taxed at 20% vs. 12%. Even at this higher rate, it's still cheaper than Colorado, Oregon, or Washington. I'm not cheering for this, but I do support it. Colorado is currently clearing over $100 million/month in weed sales, which is about $30 million/month in tax revenue for them. If MA is the only place to get recreational weed on the East Coast, it's going to make a killing. I'm also betting that other states will start to move on this when they see the cash flowing in and then taxes will drop back through competition between states. But live high on the hog when you can.
3.) If your town voted Yes on recreational weed, your town council can't ban or restrict shops unless they produce a ballot question. If your town voted No, then the town council doesn't need to ask for your vote on the question, they can just ban shops. Almost every town in MA voted Yes so this should mean business can open just about anywhere. I'm mostly ok with this, I believe this provision holds until 2019 and then all towns have to put up ballot questions before making further changes (don't quote me). I'm sure I'd be irked if I lived in a "No" town, but it's not like I don't travel to nearby towns for things I can't get here all the time. It's a perfectly fine compromise.
There are some other provisions. Senator William Brownsburger is a state senator who worked on the committee that crafted the compromise bill. His notes are attached in the link.
https://willbrownsberger.com/the-marijuana-compromise/
Today the compromise bill got signed.
I'll include the link but the main points are;
1.) No changes to amount you can possess or number of plants you can grow. The compromise bill actually de-criminalizes possession of small amounts (2oz or less) in public for people under 21 which means if you're underage and caught with a joint, you won't get a criminal record for that. So that's pretty good.
2.) Weed will be taxed at 20% vs. 12%. Even at this higher rate, it's still cheaper than Colorado, Oregon, or Washington. I'm not cheering for this, but I do support it. Colorado is currently clearing over $100 million/month in weed sales, which is about $30 million/month in tax revenue for them. If MA is the only place to get recreational weed on the East Coast, it's going to make a killing. I'm also betting that other states will start to move on this when they see the cash flowing in and then taxes will drop back through competition between states. But live high on the hog when you can.
3.) If your town voted Yes on recreational weed, your town council can't ban or restrict shops unless they produce a ballot question. If your town voted No, then the town council doesn't need to ask for your vote on the question, they can just ban shops. Almost every town in MA voted Yes so this should mean business can open just about anywhere. I'm mostly ok with this, I believe this provision holds until 2019 and then all towns have to put up ballot questions before making further changes (don't quote me). I'm sure I'd be irked if I lived in a "No" town, but it's not like I don't travel to nearby towns for things I can't get here all the time. It's a perfectly fine compromise.
There are some other provisions. Senator William Brownsburger is a state senator who worked on the committee that crafted the compromise bill. His notes are attached in the link.
https://willbrownsberger.com/the-marijuana-compromise/
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but the people behind Cards Against Humanity have a pretty sharp sense of...
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but the people behind Cards Against Humanity have a pretty sharp sense of humor when not doing poop jokes.
(proceeds from this game go to EMILY's List by the way)
https://cardsagainsthumanityforher.com/
(proceeds from this game go to EMILY's List by the way)
https://cardsagainsthumanityforher.com/
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
You may be aware that the bail system in America is super-broken.
You may be aware that the bail system in America is super-broken. But it's not all profiting off the legal misery of others, there's also all the unofficial legal services.
https://contexts.org/articles/bail/
https://contexts.org/articles/bail/
Monday, July 10, 2017
I live in a weird bubble.
I live in a weird bubble. I try to be aware of that, and I realize I can't have a passing familiarity with every social activity in existence, but sometimes you really get blindsided.
Over the weekend, there was a shooting at a "gender reveal" party. A woman was killed and several others were injured including children. It's a terrible crime and I hope the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice. It's the side of cognitive dissonance I want to discuss here though.
When I read "gender reveal" party, I didn't know what it was, but I thought it might be a celebration or coming out party for people who are transitioning. So my first impression was that this was some sort of trans hate crime.
No, turns out "gender reveal" parties are where you reveal the gender of your to-be-born fetus. This happens prior to the baby shower and sometimes the couple is announcing this fact to their friends and sometimes they hand the verdict unseen to a trusted friend who surprises them with the gender at the party.
And I find that concept really weird. Like, there's a whole industry around this thing with colored smoke bombs ("it's like you're electing a pope!) and all kinds of stuff. I get that it's a useful piece of information to know. and friends and family would be curious. and maybe gussy up the social media post a bit if you don't want to repeat the information a million times to different people. but a whole party just seems really weird to me. It seems like you're really doubling down on gender norms and the kid barely has the equipment yet.
I mean, you want to have a party cause you know the gender, ok, fine, it doesn't make you a bad parent. It just really surprised me as being a thing.
Over the weekend, there was a shooting at a "gender reveal" party. A woman was killed and several others were injured including children. It's a terrible crime and I hope the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice. It's the side of cognitive dissonance I want to discuss here though.
When I read "gender reveal" party, I didn't know what it was, but I thought it might be a celebration or coming out party for people who are transitioning. So my first impression was that this was some sort of trans hate crime.
No, turns out "gender reveal" parties are where you reveal the gender of your to-be-born fetus. This happens prior to the baby shower and sometimes the couple is announcing this fact to their friends and sometimes they hand the verdict unseen to a trusted friend who surprises them with the gender at the party.
And I find that concept really weird. Like, there's a whole industry around this thing with colored smoke bombs ("it's like you're electing a pope!) and all kinds of stuff. I get that it's a useful piece of information to know. and friends and family would be curious. and maybe gussy up the social media post a bit if you don't want to repeat the information a million times to different people. but a whole party just seems really weird to me. It seems like you're really doubling down on gender norms and the kid barely has the equipment yet.
I mean, you want to have a party cause you know the gender, ok, fine, it doesn't make you a bad parent. It just really surprised me as being a thing.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Another idea for Eclipse Trip book club.
Another idea for Eclipse Trip book club. The book is free for prime members this month and $5 otherwise and it's set in Omaha. Not necessarily lighthearted reading though.
https://smile.amazon.com/Kings-Broken-Things-Theodore-Wheeler-ebook/dp/B01LH2GQ9I?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=pe_625330_243136930_pe_row1_b6
https://smile.amazon.com/Kings-Broken-Things-Theodore-Wheeler-ebook/dp/B01LH2GQ9I?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=pe_625330_243136930_pe_row1_b6
Eclipse Trip book club ideas below. I'm interested in Word By Word but there are some others I might go for:
Eclipse Trip book club ideas below. I'm interested in Word By Word but there are some others I might go for:
http://www.avclub.com/live/v-clubs-favorite-books-2017-so-far-256598/entry/1124
http://www.avclub.com/live/v-clubs-favorite-books-2017-so-far-256598/entry/1124
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