Wednesday, September 9, 2015

I’m taking a blog break but there’s still stuff to view for you

                                       Good Day World!

Once a year I take a one-week blog break. It helps charge my creative batteries. I’ll be gone from September 9th through the 16th.

I would like to point out that the right side of this page offers viewers a number of options to explore.

I have articles from when I was a columnist for The Times-Standard newspapers in Eureka California, prior blog posts going back to 2008, links to my book Rafter’s Redemption, a fiction book in progress, and social media links.

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Taxpayers are Paying for Kim Davis’ Hypocritical Run for Sainthood!

I sure would hate to be a taxpayer in Kentucky – especially lately – with a county clerk (Kim Davis) that refuses to do her job, but expects to get paid while she square-dances with religious zealots like Mike Huckabee and Mat Staver (representing the well-documented hate group Liberty Counsel).

After the judge released her today – taking some wind out of the Release Kim Davis Day, she promptly lumbered up some steps of a hastily-erected grandstand and told her fans she wasn’t done yet.

Translation for taxpayers: she is NOT going to do her job and she expects you to pay for her 15-minutes of fame. The judge warned her to not hinder the five deputy clerks now issuing everyone marriage licenses.

Mind you, Davis doesn’t have her name on these newly issued marriage licenses, but that doesn’t matter. She now feels emboldened to further defy the laws of the land (of which she took an oath to obey) and says she doesn’t even want any marriage licenses to gays being issued out of “her office.”

Apparently Davis feels pretty safe to flaunt the Supreme Court decision in a county where being country clerk is a family affair. As a matter of fact Davis has visions of more airtime (extending her 15 minutes of fame to 30 minutes).

As long as there are other hypocrites (Davis whose been married to four men, basically violating the tenants of the very church she goes to) and religious zealots jumping up and down waving posters depicting her as a crucified Christian woman, she’s going to ride that wave of intolerance for everything it’s worth.

Meanwhile, the taxpayers in her district have to continue paying her salary while she seeks sainthood.

Time for me to walk on down the road…  

A Buddhist Fraternity and Sorority? Why Not?

                                 Good Day World!

Most people associate Greek college fraternity's with wild parties, and not much else.

You can’t blame them. When was the last time you heard a story about a college fraternity doing something really positive?

But that could be changing soon.

Imagine having a Buddhist fraternity as an alternative to Greek? Guess what?

Planning is underway for a Buddhist fraternity and sorority at a school known for its partying reputation; San Diego State University.

Credit Jeff Zlotnik, founder of the Dharma Bum Temple in downtown San Diego with this idea. Instead of learning how to guzzle beer in prodigious quantities, members of this new frat could be learning how to focus better and get good grades!

I like the way he thinks.

His vision is a marked contrast to what’s currently available. He plans on offering classes in Buddhism and meditation to help college students cope with stress, anxiety and depression.

But don’t worry. This isn’t a sneaky backdoor attempt to recruit Buddhists disguised as a fraternity.

"We're not looking to start this heavy religious organization," Zlotnik told The San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1NbV83R). "This is a cultural organization. We're not trying to create ordained Buddhists."

But why stop with just a Buddhist frat?

This is the 21st century. How about an Italian fraternity (can’t you just see hand gestures becoming a trend)? I bet you could probably come up with a few yourself.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Monday, September 7, 2015

Stoner Network Looks Like A Cool Place To Hang Out

AFP   Marijuana may not be America’s largest cash crop, as was long rumored, but it’s still probably a $4 billion annual business.  As of last year, it’s also legal to grow, own, and use recreationally Colorado and Washington, with Alaska, the District of Columbia, and Oregon soon to follow. It’s approved for medical and other limited use in 18 more states. Entrepreneurs are racing to take advantage of the new laws and changing attitudes toward the drug. Here are the players and startups you need to watch.      Privateer Holdings is a private equity firm that’s making big investments in marijuana startups. Its CEO is 42-year-old Yale graduate Brendan Kennedy, and it counts Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund among its investors.      Source: Business Insider, Quartz    Based out of Seattle, Leafly was one of the first new marijuana businesses, founded in 2010. It’s like Yelp for reviewing different strains of pot and dispensaries. This is a screenshot of the company’s periodic table of pot strains. Privateer bought the company in 2011.       Leafly    Marley Natural, backed by reggae star Bob Marley’s heirs and Privateer Holdings, aims to be the world’s first global cannabis company, selling smokeable weed, topical oils, and accessories. It’s based in New York.       Marley Natural    Eaze is a mobile app that lets you get medical marijuana delivered to your door. You have to prove you have a medical card. It was founded by Keith McCarty, who was one of the first employees at Yammer, and recently raised $10 million from several investors including rapper Snoop Dogg.      Eaze    Weedmaps shows you where the nearest pot dispensaries are located. It’s based in Denver.      Weedmaps    Meadow is another medical pot delivery service based in SF. It also recommends doctors who will issue a medical marijuana card, and has a blog with helpful info like a video on how to roll a joint. It counts startup accelerator Y Combinator as an investor.      Meadow    MassRoots is a “semi-anonymous” social network for pot users. It’s raised over $1 million in funding, according to Crunchbase, and is based in Denver.      Massroots    High There is basically like Tinder for pot users.       HighThere.    Grassp is another pot-delivery app. It’s based out of LA and has raised $1.5 million in funding.      Grassp    Arcview is a San Francisco based group that connects investors with marijuana startups.       The Arcview Group    Tilray is a legal provider of medical marijuana in Canada. It’s also received funding from Privateer.      Tilray    Canadian Cannabis Corp is another company focusing on medical distribution in Canada. It’s got $1.5 million in venture funding, according to Crunchbase.      CCC    But what about the other kind of green?      26 MORE tech skills worth a $100,000 salary>>    Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.

Good Day World!

It was only a matter of time.

Finally, a social network for stoners.

As an old hippie, I never thought I’d see the day when the majority of Americans were for marijuana legalization.

With 23 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC and Oregon becoming the fourth state to legalize recreational marijuana, the writing is on the wall: Legal marijuana is finally having it’s day in the sun.

Sometimes I feel like pinching myself when I read stories like this stoner network article:

MassRoots (^MSRT), which launched in 2013 and went public on the over-the-counter market in April of this year, has filed an application to have its shares listed on the Nasdaq.

The company bills itself as one of the "largest and most active communities of cannabis consumers," a place where people can find smoking buddies, share experiences and connect with local dispensaries.

MassRoots hopes a move to the Nasdaq will help it garner more interest from institutional investors and help bring legitimacy to a burgeoning legal American marijuana industry that’s still operating in the shadows even as public sentiment toward the drug is changing.

But MassRoots still has to win the Nasdaq's approval, a process that can take weeks and requires the company's share price to rise above $3, among other requirements. MassRoots shares were trading at around $1.38 a share on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of around $60 million.”

FOR THE RECORD

There’s two other cannabis-related companies, GW Pharmaceuticals (^GWPH) and Insys Therapeautics (^INSY) — both medical marijuana companies — that already trade on the Nasdaq.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Babies and dogs that will leave you smiling

(These best buds were born on the same day and share a strong bond. Photo source)

                                             Good Day World!

It’s time for a massive overload of cuteness!

We love out pets in America. Taking care of them is a billion dollar industry. Taking pictures of dogs and babies is guaranteed to be popular. Enjoy:

 

                               (Google common images)

At sleep, or playing, these adorable pals set the bar on cuteness.

 

                                (Google common images)

Left – Ready to party! Right – A room with a view

                              (Google common images)

First encounter: these two already see eye-to-eye!

 

                              (Google common images)

Left – Surprised Pug meets new member of the family. Right – Hoodie pals forever!

 

                           (Google common images)

Left – These buddies are ready to fly. Right – these two cuties show how to share at mealtime.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Universal Music Power

In a delightful description of the power of music William Congreve wrote "Music hath charms to sooth a savage beast..." in his 16...