steve2470

steve2470's Journal

October 29, 2013

Florida Supreme Court to hear medical marijuana argument as supporters, opponents prepare to debate

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/florida-supreme-court-to-hear-medical-marijuana-argument-as-supporters-opponents-prepare-to-debate

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments on December 5th about whether a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana should go before voters.

The announcement came two days before supporters and opponents of the measure were to gather at the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College for a 90-minute debate called, "The Great Debate! Marijuana Legalization: Make An Informed Decision."

"It's needed now because there are people who are ill now. They're getting pain killers. They may overdose and die when there is a safer alternative," William Deans, an organizer at Medical Marijuana Petition Palm Beach . "We're going to have 900,000 petitioners before it is said and done with who have signed to indicate that they want this issue on the ballot."

Some groups who have worked to keep drugs away from children said the measure was not in the best interest of the people of Florida.

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/florida-supreme-court-to-hear-medical-marijuana-argument-as-supporters-opponents-prepare-to-debate#ixzz2j6VOlvH5

October 29, 2013

Obama May Ban Spying on Heads of Allied States

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/world/europe/obama-may-ban-spying-on-heads-of-allied-states.html?google_editors_picks=true&_r=0

WASHINGTON — President Obama is poised to order the National Security Agency to stop eavesdropping on the leaders of American allies, administration and congressional officials said Monday, responding to a deepening diplomatic crisis over reports that the agency had for years targeted the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

The White House informed a leading Democratic lawmaker, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, of its plans, which grew out of a broader internal review of intelligence-gathering methods, prompted by the leak of N.S.A. documents by a former contractor, Edward J. Snowden.

In a statement on Monday, Ms. Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, “I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers.” Ms. Feinstein, who has been a stalwart defender of the administration’s surveillance policies, said her committee would begin a “major review of all intelligence collection programs.”

The White House said Monday evening that no final decision had been made on the monitoring of friendly foreign leaders. But the disclosure that it is moving to prohibit it signals a landmark shift for the N.S.A., which has had nearly unfettered powers to collect data on tens of millions of people around the world, from ordinary citizens to heads of state, including the leaders of Brazil and Mexico.

October 28, 2013

Desperate for Work? 10 Things to Know If You’re Thinking of Moving to the Jobs Capital of the U.S.

http://www.alternet.org/labor/desperate-work-10-things-know-if-youre-thinking-moving-jobs-capital-us

(heavily edited to only give you 4 out of 10 points to comply with DU rules)

10. There will be traffic.

9. There will be lines.

8. Women, prepare for stares.

7. Men, see above.

If you haven't guessed already, this is North Dakota.

October 28, 2013

Most compatible browser for Healthcare.gov ?

I've tried Opera, Firefox, IE, Seamonkey, Chrome and Chrome Canary. It seems IE and Firefox are the most compatible. Is that what you're seeing also ?

I keep getting hung up on the "View Eligibility Results" screen. I'm not in a big rush because I already have coverage and am looking for cheaper coverage if possible.

Thanks for any help.

October 28, 2013

I wonder if this guy was a) in a costume or b) really looks like this....

October 28, 2013

"Bernie Sanders talks about...the possibility of a presidential run...."

Full headline:

Social Democracy in the South

Bernie Sanders talks about economic justice—and the possibility of a presidential run—on a three-day road trip.

http://inthesetimes.com/article/15784/social_democracy_in_the_south/

One couldn’t help but notice the vaguely presidential tinge of the whole affair—the wide-reaching stump speeches delivered in unfamiliar territory coupled with the fact that Sanders was greeted with a rock star reception that few other senators are capable of generating—let alone in the immediate aftermath of a government shutdown that left an already deeply unpopular Congress with its lowest approval ratings in the history of polling.

I asked the Senator if he was contemplating a presidential run in 2016. Some left-wing Democrats urged him to challenge Obama in the primary last election, and there’s once again talk of him mounting a campaign—like last time, all of it speculative. He says he doesn’t want to.

“I suppose if you’re running for president, probably going to Mississippi and Alabama is not the place most candidates would go. You go to Iowa and New Hampshire or something like that,” Sanders says with a laugh. “But what I do think is there needs to be a progressive voice in the presidential process. I hope very much there will be a voice coming up to do that.”

But when pressed to say if he’s completely decided against running, he acknowledges he hasn’t. “I haven’t ruled it out.”

Wow. If Bernie ran...DU would go crazy ! I was amazed to read this.

October 27, 2013