From an Advertiser column
14 hours ago
Monday, November 30, 2009
Shit that's HILARIOUS!
According to AL.com a Mobile, ALTwitter fed billboard BACKFIRES after the pictures of three local news personalities appear next to the following Twitter feed
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Snuffleupagus
That is the name we decided on for our little porcine friend.
I absolutely love this pig! He is the coolest critter I have ever had the pleasure of owning. He wasn't handled at all before I got him so I have been spending lots of time with him every day. A few days ago I chased him down and picked him up. He proceeded to bite the shit out of me. I promptly put him back down. He bites a lot harder than you'd think.
So, I decided to look up the best way to tame them and of course it was food. Dog food to be exact. I tried it out a few days ago and he loved it. He is so damn cute. I made him a little Hansel and Gretel trail and every time he would find a piece he'd give this happy little victorious grunt. My sides hurt from laughing so hard.
Yesterday I actually got him to eat out of my hand and let me scratch him. He loved the scratching. He got so comfortable with me that he laid down on his side and wanted me to rub his tummy. He would push his little head into my hand when I found a particularly happy spot.
And, despite what people think, pigs are very clean animals who are also very intelligent. This little guy, I noticed yesterday, will back his rump up to the holes in the chain link fence and make his turds fall outside the pen. Amazing!
He is indeed a very cool critter and I am glad I got him. He is going to make a great addition to the Nall family farm.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with the love of family, friends, and spectacular food. My crew will be heading to my moms in a few hours with our batches of cranberry congealed salad and deviled farm fresh eggs. My sister is bringing the turkey and mom is providing the rest of the fixins! A large, satisfying nap will ensue.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL!!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
ENOUGH!!!
During my daily newspaper scan this morning I came across the following stories.
130 Alabama High Schools Score Poorly on Reading, Stumble on Bedrock of Education
So, our kids can't read. And then I saw this one...
Tuscaloosa Deputies find 255 pounds of marijuana during traffic stop
And that got me thinking again about how out of line our priorities are in Alabama. See, according to the Birmingham News in 2007 Alabama ranked 41st, spending $9,509 per pupil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet, we spend over $13,000 a year to lock up a person for possessing, using, growing or selling a plant. We spend more money per person fighting this stupid, unwinnable drug war than we do to educate our children.
Guess what happens to children who don't get a good education? They wind up in poverty and make up a large portion of the people who later become prisoners.
If we legalized and taxed marijuana in Alabama we could give each of those 130 schools who are failing reading a minimum of $1 million dollars. I know this because a few months ago I crunched the numbers to see what Alabama could rake in if we took that simple, no-brainer step. Here is the formula that I used. We'd also save an estimated $117 million if we stopped warehousing drug offenders in our dilapidated, dangerously overcrowded and inhumane prison system.
Why do we keep allowing our elected officials to so vigorously pursue failed drug war policies at the expense of our childrens future? At the expense of public safety? Our prisoner to guard ratio is 200:1. There could be a prison break at any time. It can and will only get worse if we continue down this destructive path.
It's time for Alabama citizens who are tired of this nonsense to stand up and demand that the right thing be done. It doesn't matter if you love drugs, hate drugs, or don't care about drugs at all, you have to realize that what we are doing is NOT WORKING and WE have to CHANGE IT.
If you are interested in working with me during the upcoming legislative session to educate our elected officials about the real consequences of the failed war on drugs then please get in touch with me via email at lorettanall@gmail.com
130 Alabama High Schools Score Poorly on Reading, Stumble on Bedrock of Education
Kelan Staffney reads a passage to his class from a nonfiction story chosen by his teacher. The two-paragraph excerpt is riddled with words such as "indigent," "manifest," "meditation" and "abyss" -- words as elusive to grasp as a butterfly to Kelan until his teacher pronounces them for him.
Kelan, a ninth-grader at Montevallo High School, will turn 15 this month. He's been to various schools and gotten himself kicked out of some, and his attendance rate at Montevallo is less than stellar.
He used behavior problems to cover up a secret, he says. A secret so shameful he shouldn't have made it to ninth grade, says his mother.
Kelan reads on a third-grade level.
A Birmingham News analysis of the 2008-09 Alabama High School Graduation Exam shows that 130 public high schools either failed reading or were classified as "borderline" failing, based on 11th-graders' performance on the Alabama High School Graduation Exam.
So, our kids can't read. And then I saw this one...
Tuscaloosa Deputies find 255 pounds of marijuana during traffic stop
Arek and his handler, Deputy Marcus Bell, were called to the Fosters area of I-20/59 northbound at about 10 p.m. after Sgt. Jeremy Franks and Deputy Daniel Morales stopped a white Dodge van for what the sheriff described as a “routine traffic violation.”
Once there, Arek alerted deputies to the back of the van. Inside, the authorities discovered 11 bundles of suspected marijuana in two large, black duffel bags, Sexton said.
Sexton said the destination of the driver was still under investigation. Daniel Liceaga, 27, of Prospect Heights, Ill., was taken into custody.
He faces one count of first-degree trafficking marijuana and remained in the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Tuesday on $1 million bail.
And that got me thinking again about how out of line our priorities are in Alabama. See, according to the Birmingham News in 2007 Alabama ranked 41st, spending $9,509 per pupil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet, we spend over $13,000 a year to lock up a person for possessing, using, growing or selling a plant. We spend more money per person fighting this stupid, unwinnable drug war than we do to educate our children.
Guess what happens to children who don't get a good education? They wind up in poverty and make up a large portion of the people who later become prisoners.
If we legalized and taxed marijuana in Alabama we could give each of those 130 schools who are failing reading a minimum of $1 million dollars. I know this because a few months ago I crunched the numbers to see what Alabama could rake in if we took that simple, no-brainer step. Here is the formula that I used. We'd also save an estimated $117 million if we stopped warehousing drug offenders in our dilapidated, dangerously overcrowded and inhumane prison system.
Why do we keep allowing our elected officials to so vigorously pursue failed drug war policies at the expense of our childrens future? At the expense of public safety? Our prisoner to guard ratio is 200:1. There could be a prison break at any time. It can and will only get worse if we continue down this destructive path.
It's time for Alabama citizens who are tired of this nonsense to stand up and demand that the right thing be done. It doesn't matter if you love drugs, hate drugs, or don't care about drugs at all, you have to realize that what we are doing is NOT WORKING and WE have to CHANGE IT.
If you are interested in working with me during the upcoming legislative session to educate our elected officials about the real consequences of the failed war on drugs then please get in touch with me via email at lorettanall@gmail.com
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A new farm baby
Just got him yesterday from a friend up the road. Haven't named him yet. He is so dang cute! Not very tame though as he hasn't been handled much so I have my work cut out for me. He hates to be picked up....squeals like you are killing him...and he is loud to be such a little fella. We put him in with the chickens for the night. He rooted around under their hay....looked like a mole.
Any readers out there have a pot bellied pig? Got any tips for me?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ouch!
I was in New Mexico for most of last week for the Drug Policy Alliance conference. I wish I had a lot to report but unfortunately I contracted the flu, got sick on the plane ride out, and spent about 80% of the conference confined to my hotel room in an attempt not to make anyone else sick. I was able to get out on the last day and see my friends and co-reformers. To all of you who were looking for me and asking about me THANK YOU! I love you and am sorry I missed you in New Mexico.
Yesterday I returned home. I felt bad and did not want to fly but had no choice in the matter. I certainly didn't feel like driving for three days either. So, I got on the plane. I usually have bad problems with my ears hurting when I land. They refuse to change in pressure. Had no problems landing in Denver, since Denver is at a very high altitude. Had no problems taking off from there or landing in St. Louis. However, when landing in St. Louis I noticed that my right ear was not changing in pressure like the left one. I thought that might be a problem...but I really had no idea how much of a problem it would be. As we were taking off from St. Louis my right eardrum ruptured completely. I mean there was blood and fluid and whatever else is inside an ear. It was slow torture. I could feel it swelling and when it popped I screamed and scared half the folks on the plane. Talk about painful! I just got back from the doctor who said it was really bad and that I might need surgery.
JOY!
I feel like I've been eat by a bear and shit off a cliff.
Yesterday I returned home. I felt bad and did not want to fly but had no choice in the matter. I certainly didn't feel like driving for three days either. So, I got on the plane. I usually have bad problems with my ears hurting when I land. They refuse to change in pressure. Had no problems landing in Denver, since Denver is at a very high altitude. Had no problems taking off from there or landing in St. Louis. However, when landing in St. Louis I noticed that my right ear was not changing in pressure like the left one. I thought that might be a problem...but I really had no idea how much of a problem it would be. As we were taking off from St. Louis my right eardrum ruptured completely. I mean there was blood and fluid and whatever else is inside an ear. It was slow torture. I could feel it swelling and when it popped I screamed and scared half the folks on the plane. Talk about painful! I just got back from the doctor who said it was really bad and that I might need surgery.
JOY!
I feel like I've been eat by a bear and shit off a cliff.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
American Medical Association Now Supports Medical Marijuana!
AMA Ends 72-Year Policy, Says Marijuana Has Medical Benefits
By Americans for Safe Access - Tuesday, November 10 2009
Tags:
* Headline News
* American Medical Association
* MEDICAL MARIJUANA
* USA
The American Medical Association voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value.
The AMA adopted a report drafted by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, "Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes," which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research.
The CSAPH report concluded that, "short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis." Furthermore, the report urges that "the Schedule I status of marijuana be reviewed with the goal of facilitating clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods."
The change of position by the largest physician-based group in the country was precipitated in part by a resolution adopted in June of 2008 by the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA in support of the reclassification of marijuana's status as a Schedule I substance. In the past year, the AMA has considered three resolutions dealing with medical marijuana, which also helped to influence the report and its recommendations. The AMA vote on the report took place in Houston, Texas during the organization's annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates. The last AMA position, adopted 8 years ago, called for maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance, with no medical value.
"It's been 72 years since the AMA has officially recognized that marijuana has both already-demonstrated and future-promising medical utility," said Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who spearheaded both the passage of the June 2008 resolution by the MSS and one of the CSAPH report's designated expert reviewers. "The AMA has written an extensive, well-documented, evidence-based report that they are seeking to publish in a peer-reviewed journal that will help to educate the medical community about the scientific basis of botanical cannabis-based medicines." Aggarwal is also on the Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the largest medical marijuana advocacy organization in the U.S.
The AMA's about face on medical marijuana follows an announcement by the Obama Administration in October discouraging U.S. Attorneys from taking enforcement actions in medical marijuana states. In February 2008, a resolution was adopted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), the country's second largest physician group and the largest organization of doctors of internal medicine. The ACP resolution called for an "evidence-based review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I controlled substance to determine whether it should be reclassified to a different schedule. "The two largest physician groups in the U.S. have established medical marijuana as a health care issue that must be addressed," said ASA Government Affairs Director Caren Woodson. "Both organizations have underscored the need for change by placing patients above politics."
Though the CSAPH report has not been officially released to the public, AMA documentation indicates that it: "(1) provides a brief historical perspective on the use of cannabis as medicine; (2) examines the current federal and state-based legal envelope relevant to the medical use of cannabis; (3) provides a brief overview of our current understanding of the pharmacology and physiology of the endocannabinoid system; (4) reviews clinical trials on the relative safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis and botanical-based products; and (5) places this information in perspective with respect to the current drug regulatory framework."
Further information:
Executive Summary of AMA Report: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report_Executive_Summary...
Recommendations of AMA Report: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report_Recommendations.p...
American College of Physicians resolution: http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijua...
- Article from Opposing Views.
AMA Calls for Review of Medical Marijuana’s Legal Status
by Marijuana Policy Project
In a move considered historic by supporters of medical marijuana, the American Medical Association's House of Delegates today adopted a new policy position calling for the review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I drug in the federal Controlled Substances Act.
The old language in Policy H-95.952 had previously recommended that "marijuana be retained in Schedule I," which groups marijuana with drugs such as heroin, LSD and PCP that are deemed to have no accepted medical uses and to be unsafe for use even under medical supervision.
The revised policy, adopted today, states, "Our AMA urges that marijuana's status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods." It goes on to explain that this position should not be construed as an endorsement of state medical marijuana programs.
"This shift, coming from what has historically been America's most cautious and conservative major medical organization, is historic," said Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, who attended the AMA meeting. "Marijuana's Schedule I status is not just scientifically untenable, given the wealth of recent data showing it to be both safe and effective for chronic pain and other conditions, but it's been a major obstacle to needed research."
Drugs listed in Schedule II, for which medical use is permitted with strict controls, include cocaine, morphine and methamphetamine. A pill containing THC, the component responsible for marijuana's "high," is classed in Schedule III, whose looser requirements allow phoned-in prescriptions.
By Americans for Safe Access - Tuesday, November 10 2009
Tags:
* Headline News
* American Medical Association
* MEDICAL MARIJUANA
* USA
The American Medical Association voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value.
The AMA adopted a report drafted by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, "Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes," which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research.
The CSAPH report concluded that, "short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis." Furthermore, the report urges that "the Schedule I status of marijuana be reviewed with the goal of facilitating clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods."
The change of position by the largest physician-based group in the country was precipitated in part by a resolution adopted in June of 2008 by the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA in support of the reclassification of marijuana's status as a Schedule I substance. In the past year, the AMA has considered three resolutions dealing with medical marijuana, which also helped to influence the report and its recommendations. The AMA vote on the report took place in Houston, Texas during the organization's annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates. The last AMA position, adopted 8 years ago, called for maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance, with no medical value.
"It's been 72 years since the AMA has officially recognized that marijuana has both already-demonstrated and future-promising medical utility," said Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who spearheaded both the passage of the June 2008 resolution by the MSS and one of the CSAPH report's designated expert reviewers. "The AMA has written an extensive, well-documented, evidence-based report that they are seeking to publish in a peer-reviewed journal that will help to educate the medical community about the scientific basis of botanical cannabis-based medicines." Aggarwal is also on the Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the largest medical marijuana advocacy organization in the U.S.
The AMA's about face on medical marijuana follows an announcement by the Obama Administration in October discouraging U.S. Attorneys from taking enforcement actions in medical marijuana states. In February 2008, a resolution was adopted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), the country's second largest physician group and the largest organization of doctors of internal medicine. The ACP resolution called for an "evidence-based review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I controlled substance to determine whether it should be reclassified to a different schedule. "The two largest physician groups in the U.S. have established medical marijuana as a health care issue that must be addressed," said ASA Government Affairs Director Caren Woodson. "Both organizations have underscored the need for change by placing patients above politics."
Though the CSAPH report has not been officially released to the public, AMA documentation indicates that it: "(1) provides a brief historical perspective on the use of cannabis as medicine; (2) examines the current federal and state-based legal envelope relevant to the medical use of cannabis; (3) provides a brief overview of our current understanding of the pharmacology and physiology of the endocannabinoid system; (4) reviews clinical trials on the relative safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis and botanical-based products; and (5) places this information in perspective with respect to the current drug regulatory framework."
Further information:
Executive Summary of AMA Report: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report_Executive_Summary...
Recommendations of AMA Report: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report_Recommendations.p...
American College of Physicians resolution: http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijua...
- Article from Opposing Views.
AMA Calls for Review of Medical Marijuana’s Legal Status
by Marijuana Policy Project
In a move considered historic by supporters of medical marijuana, the American Medical Association's House of Delegates today adopted a new policy position calling for the review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I drug in the federal Controlled Substances Act.
The old language in Policy H-95.952 had previously recommended that "marijuana be retained in Schedule I," which groups marijuana with drugs such as heroin, LSD and PCP that are deemed to have no accepted medical uses and to be unsafe for use even under medical supervision.
The revised policy, adopted today, states, "Our AMA urges that marijuana's status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods." It goes on to explain that this position should not be construed as an endorsement of state medical marijuana programs.
"This shift, coming from what has historically been America's most cautious and conservative major medical organization, is historic," said Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, who attended the AMA meeting. "Marijuana's Schedule I status is not just scientifically untenable, given the wealth of recent data showing it to be both safe and effective for chronic pain and other conditions, but it's been a major obstacle to needed research."
Drugs listed in Schedule II, for which medical use is permitted with strict controls, include cocaine, morphine and methamphetamine. A pill containing THC, the component responsible for marijuana's "high," is classed in Schedule III, whose looser requirements allow phoned-in prescriptions.
Baldwin Co. to use stimulus money for drug task force
Montgomery Advertiser
This is the definition of insanity. Take money that was intended to help create jobs and use it to drive the prison population higher so tax payers will be forced to pay for housing more non-violent drug offenders. The only jobs that will be created through this waste of money will be the new openings for drug dealers. Cops don't want to end the drug war. If it ended they would be out of a job!
NO MORE DRUG WAR!
BAY MINETTE -- The Baldwin County Drug Task Force will use $465,705 in economic stimulus funds to help the unit investigate, arrest and prosecute drug offenders.
Baldwin County District Attorney Judy Newcomb said the funds will enable the task force to pay overtime for authorities to work on the effort.
This is the definition of insanity. Take money that was intended to help create jobs and use it to drive the prison population higher so tax payers will be forced to pay for housing more non-violent drug offenders. The only jobs that will be created through this waste of money will be the new openings for drug dealers. Cops don't want to end the drug war. If it ended they would be out of a job!
NO MORE DRUG WAR!
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