The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska
ADN – Alaska cannabis prohibition ends Tuesday; if you’re celebrating, do so responsibly
Ballot Measure 2 will become effective on Tuesday, and many Alaskans are wondering what will change on that date. The simple answer is: Everything, and not much at all.
Fairbanks News Miner – Alaska State Troopers working out details for marijuana enforcement
Marijuana becomes legal in two days, but where it will be allowed to be used remains a bit hazy.
Public consumption of pot remains prohibited, but local leaders continue to debate the definition of public place.
The Atlantic – Cold, Dark, and Happy: Alaska Is the New Leader in Well-Being
“Alaskans are the best in the nation in terms of exercise,” explained Dan Witters, a research director at the polling agency Gallup, in making the case that Alaska is the nation’s new bastion of well-being. “Which just goes to show you that you don’t need year-round good weather to demonstrate good exercise habits.”
National
Vice – The White House Emails at the Center of Washington’s Brewing Net Neutrality Storm
Republican lawmakers are not pleased with the FCC’s proposed new open Internet rules — set to be publicly released next Thursday — that call for aggressively regulating broadband providers like a utility. And they want to know how the FCC came up with them.
Al Jazeera America – Derailments of trains hauling fuel could kill hundreds, cost billions
The federal government predicts that trains hauling crude oil or ethanol will derail an average of 10 times a year over the next two decades, causing more than $4 billion in damage and possibly killing hundreds of people if an accident happens in a densely populated part of the U.S.
Media Matters – Former CBS News Colleague Contradicts O’Reilly’s Story About Argentina Protest After Falkland Islands War
International
Vice – The Soviet Union Dumped A Bunch of Nuclear Submarines, Reactors, and Containers into the Ocean/
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine remains one of the worst nuclear incidents in history and highlighted the risks of generating power by splitting atoms. But it’s not the only nuclear waste the Soviet Union left behind. Scattered across the ocean floor in the cold waters of the Arctic are nuclear submarines and reactors dumped by the Soviets up until the early 1990s.
BBC – Ukraine crisis: Deadly bomb blast hits rally in Kharkiv
A bomb has killed at least two people, including a police officer, and injured at least 10 more people at a rally in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv. The rally was one of several being held to mark a year since the Kiev uprising that led to the fall of pro-Russia leader Viktor Yanukovych.
Spiegel Online – Interview with Isaac Herzog: ‘Israelis Are Fed Up with Politics of Fear’
In an interview, Israeli prime minister candidate Isaac Herzog says the country’s people are “fed up” with Benjamin Netanyahu’s “politics of fear.” If elected, he says he wants to “reignite” the peace process and is prepared to negotiate with the Palestinians.
I found it interesting that Bakken crude was being trucked to tar sands area in order to make the tar sands oil pumpable in a pipeline. Also interesting is his claim that nearly a third of all Canadian natural gas is being used to steam the tar sands oil out of the ground. Note too that he reports now that crude oil prices are so low that neither the Bakken nor the tar sands oil production are operating now.
From Doug Wiken at Dakota Today blog. Get it. Bakken crude is/was being trucked to Saskatchewan to enable tarsands to flow through the pipeline. Both are shut down because of low oil prices. What a waste of natural gas to enrich a Canadian co and the koch bros who simply don’t need any more freakin’ money!
Today is the first day of the rest of this month. There-I saw someone smile.
http://tinyurl.com/ou956eu
Timely cartoon for pot smokers.
http://nhv.us/content/15031821-florida-leprosy-cases-linked-interaction-armadillos
Who knew Floridians were so kinky. Must be the “floride” in their water.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/23/8093203/marijuana-is-much-safer-than-alcohol-or-tobacco-according-to-a-new
Maryjane is 114 x less deadly than alcohol and is the safest recreational drug.
Obama vetoed the Keystone pipeline bill wingnuts sent him,as promised.
Spock is still dead.
Star Trek fans-Leonard Nimoy-aka Spock-bit the big one today. Live long and prosper.
http://wtop.com/entertainment/2015/02/leonard-nimoy-word-famous-as-mr-spock-on-star-trek-dies/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwBPY16UrKU
I’m so lonesome I could cry-BJ Thomas.
If I tie a moose chop around my neck,then will you come out and play with me? I hate begging. Wanna see me grovel?
Don’t you dare cry!!!
It’s MY party!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbOrjHBaDzQ
Pat Robertson advises woman not to do yoga because it will teach her to pray to Hindu deity and he told another lady not to show ultrasound picture of fetus on the internet because someone would infect it with demons. Robertson is considered normal in wingnut circles.
Common sense beats science everytime. Just ask a wingnut.
http://wonkette.com/577719/sen-inhofe-if-global-warming-is-real-where-did-i-get-this-snowball?google_editors_picks=true
Don’t ever ask if wingnuts can get any dumber because the answer is patently obvious-they can and will.
They take it as a challenge.
http://www.gocomics.com/aunty-acid
Borrowed from a friend at madville times.
For $72 you too can buy a hat with Dick Cheney’s head in it.
http://juanitajean.com/and-to-top-it-off/
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/02/23/3626122/idaho-gyno-exam/http:/thinkprogress.org/health/2015/02/23/3626122/idaho-gyno-exam/
Link to above story.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/01/15/3168601/congressman-births-job-creation/
Want to create more jobs-deny women access to abortion. That’ll do it. A wingnut congressweasel in Idaho asked a doctor if a woman swallowed a tiny camera could she give herself a gynelogical exam. The asnwer might surprise many of the wingnut persuasion who know evertyhing about women’s lady bits. And some people think rocks are dumb.