Summer is a swell season, but throwing on a cozy sweater, pouring some hot cocoa in a travel mug and meandering along a woodland trail lined with trees changing hues isn’t so bad either. Hello, Fall. To make the transition easier, park yourself at a property where plenty of nature is on the doorstep – here 11 spectacular spots for autumn, from New York to Norway.
Just as Attorney General Eric Holder prepares to step down from his post, he appears more open than ever to the argument for rescheduling marijuana as a less dangerous, more beneficial drug.
“I think it’s certainly a question we need to ask ourselves, whether or not marijuana is as serious of a drug as heroin,” Holder said in an interview with Yahoo global news anchor Katie Couric, released on Thursday. “Especially given what we’ve seen recently with regard to heroin — the progression of people from using opioids to heroin use, the spread and the destruction that heroin has perpetrated all around our country. And to see by contrast, what the impact is of marijuana use. Now it can be destructive if used in certain ways, but the question of whether or not they should be in the same category is something that we need to ask ourselves and use science as the basis for making that determination.”
Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD. Schedule I drugs, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, have a “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use.”
Yet science clearly indicates otherwise about marijuana. A growing body of research has demonstrated its medical potential. Purified forms of cannabis can be effective at attacking some forms of aggressive cancer. Marijuana use has also been tied to better blood sugar control and may help slow the spread of HIV. Legalization for medical purposes may even lead to lower suicide rates and fewer pain pill overdoses.
The Schedule I classification hinders federal funding for further research into the benefits of cannabis. Columnist Jacob Sullum recently wrote in Forbes that moving marijuana to Schedule III or below could make it easier for university researchers to look into the drug’s full potential.
While marijuana use would still be illegal under federal law, recategorizing it could also remove some of the financial burdens that state-licensed marijuana businesses currently face.
A provision of the federal tax code prohibits any business that “consists of trafficking in controlled substances,” which include Schedule I and II drugs, from making tax deductions. Because of this, pot shops cannot deduct traditional business expenses like advertising costs, employee payroll, rent and health insurance from their combined federal and state taxes. Dispensary owners face effective tax rates of 50 to 60 percent — and in some states, those rates soar to 80 percent or higher. The tax rule would no longer apply to pot businesses if marijuana were moved to Schedule III or lower.
To date, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use, while Colorado and Washington remain the only two states to have legalized it for recreational use.
On whether he thinks marijuana should be decriminalized at the federal level, Holder told Couric, “That’s for Congress to decide.”
“I think we’ve taken a look at the experiments that are going on in Colorado and Washington, and we’re going to see what happens there, and that’ll help inform us as to what we want to do on the federal level,” Holder added.
“For you, the jury is still out?” Couric asked.
“Yeah,” Holder said, “it is.”
Holder’s statements to Couric on the potential rescheduling of marijuana appear to follow a continuing evolution of his views on the drug. Under the Obama administration, the DEA and several U.S. attorneys have raided hundreds of marijuana dispensaries that were compliant with local laws in states like California and Colorado. But it was Holder who announced in 2013 that the Department of Justice would allow Colorado and Washington to implement their new laws legalizing and regulating the possession, use and sale of marijuana.
More recently, Holder said that the Obama administration would be “more than glad” to work with Congress to re-examine how cannabis is scheduled. He even said in April that he’s “cautiously optimistic” about how the historic changes in Colorado and Washington were working out.
“It’s refreshing to hear these remarks from the attorney general, especially since the science couldn’t be any clearer that marijuana doesn’t meet the criteria for being classified as a Schedule I substance,” said Tom Angell, chairman of the advocacy group Marijuana Majority, after the Couric interview. “Numerous studies confirm marijuana’s medical value, and if the administration is serious about taking an objective look at this issue, rescheduling is very achievable by the time this president leaves office. They can do this administratively without any further action from Congress.”
Neill Franklin, a retired police officer turned executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, also praised Holder’s comments. He said he hoped the attorney general’s successor “will recognize the war on drugs for what it is: the single biggest problem afflicting our criminal justice system and the central civil rights issue of our time.”
Cute kid: Check. Handsome older brother: Check. Charming dog: Check. Long(ish) take of a mysterious corn field: Check. Lost alien that looks evil but it’s actually friendly: Check. Merciless military trying to hunt it down: Check. It feels like 1980s Spielberg published this short film using a time machine.
Today in cops getting angry about the new encryption on smartphones features FBI Director James Comey who is “very concerned” about the matter. He’s so concerned that the FBI’s had conversations with Apple and Google about how they’re marketing the devices. And Comey wants America to know that he’s upset.
Ingress certainly has a following among augmented reality gamers, but its relative lack of direction can be intimidating — especially if you’re a newcomer. Where do you go first? As of today, you’ll (usually) have an easy answer. Google’s Niantic…
As you might have heard, both Apple and Google have revealed that they will enable encryption by default on your mobile devices. What this means is that neither company will know your phone’s passcode which also means that if the feds come knocking on Apple or Google’s door, they will not be able to provide them data about you, unless of course your data is stored in the cloud.
That’s great news for privacy advocates who might not have been happy about the government spying on them, but at the same time it seems that the FBI isn’t too pleased about it. Speaking at the FBI headquarters, the FBI’s Director James Comey expressed his concern about Apple and Google’s decision.
According to Comey, “I like and believe very much that we should have to obtain a warrant from an independent judge to be able to take the content of anyone’s closet or their smart phone. The notion that someone would market a closet that could never be opened — even if it involves a case involving a child kidnapper and a court order — to me does not make any sense.”
Of course this does not mean that law enforcement cannot get to your phone at all, especially if they were to go to you personally with a warrant/subpoena, but as far as remotely collecting information from the companies whose software you are using, it looks like the FBI are out of luck with Apple and Google.
FBI Not Happy About Apple & Google’s New Encryption Policy
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A report from a couple of days ago had suggested that the larger iPhone 6 Plus was bending whilst in the pocket of its users. There have been many photos that have since surfaced showing off the bend. For some users it was slight, but for others it was noticeably pronounced. Many videos have also surfaced showing just how malleable the iPhone 6 Plus is.
That being said, a recent statement from Apple has revealed that only 9 people have actually complained about their iPhones being bent. Yes, you read that right, despite all the fuss that has been kicked up, Apple only claims that a meager 9 customers have come forward with complaints. Given that Apple has sold 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units, we have to admit that is quite hard to believe.
Apple also added that the bending in the new iPhones are extremely rare and that the Cupertino company has put their phones through rigorous testing. “We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability. We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle including 3-point bending, pressure point cycling, sit, torsion, and user studies.”
According to Apple, “With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.” So what do you guys think? Is it believable that only 9 customers complained about bent iPhones?
Apple Claims They Have Only Received 9 Complaints About Bent iPhones
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Most of you guys have probably heard the jokes and seen the photos and videos of just how malleable the iPhone 6 Plus is. Apple has since issued a statement claiming that iPhones bending in pockets are extremely rare and that they have put their products through rigorous testing to ensure that they are durable, and that they have only received 9 complaints so far.
As if to prove their point, Apple has invited the media such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and The Verge over to their testing facility to show them how they test their products and why bending iPhones truly is an extremely rare case. According to Dan Riccio, the head of engineering, he tells CNBC that the iPhone 6 is the most tested product they have ever done, and that it had been tested as many as 15,000 times before its release.
The Wall Street Journal writes, “Another test, according to Apple, is called the “sit test.” This test simulates sitting on a hard surface with the phone in the back pocket of a pair of tight jeans. Apple said it runs the phones through thousands of cycles testing the phone in different positions.”
Riccio also told The Verge, “As we add more and more features, we have to find out a way to break them before customers do. The bottom line is that if you use enough force to bend an iPhone, or any phone, it’s going to deform.”
[Image Credit – The Verge]
Apple Invites Media To Testing Facility To Address “Bendgate”
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The Brown University Queer Alliance (QA) announced this week that it is canceling the school’s annual “Sex Power God” party, which in the past has been both a flashpoint for controversy and a recognized component of the Providence, Rhode Island university’s free-spirited identity.
In a statement published Monday, members of the Queer Alliance Coordinating Committee explained that they canceled this year’s event because “over the past 10 years the event of SPG has continuously deviated from its goals of safe sexual expression.”
“The decision [to cancel] was made by students for the safety of students,” Lorin Smith, head chair of the QA, told The Huffington Post. “The QA recognized that SPG was no longer serving as [an] affirming space for queer students.”
Sex Power God was created 28 years ago as “just a dance,” according to an open letter that Rebecca Hensler, one of the original organizers of the event, posted to Facebook on Monday.
“Calling the dance Sex Power God was a liberationist act, a f*** you to those who thought sex, power or god belonged to them not us, and a good joke,” Hensler wrote.
Over the years, the event came to be seen as a source of pride and “celebration of the diversity of sexualities and bodies at Brown,” as the statement from the QA Coordinating Committee put it.
It also gained national notoriety in 2005 when Jesse Watters, a reporter for Fox News, crashed the event and filmed partygoers without their permission.
That year, 24 students required emergency medical attention. University authorities later conducted a major review of the school’s policies pertaining to social events and alcohol.
The cancellation of a popular campus event is invariably a disappointment for students. Last month, Columbia University administrators canceled a fall concert, citing “safety concerns associated with drinking and sexual harassment,” according to a statement from a coalition of Columbia student councils.
After riots at Iowa State University’s annual VEISHEA event in April, the school called an end to the nearly century-old tradition. Last year, Temple University canceled its annual Spring Fling after the death of a visiting student, and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst canceled an EDM party over concerns of students taking MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or “molly.”
Students at these schools have been quick to acknowledge their part in abusing what are supposed to be fun events organized by classmates and administrators.
“We murdered a 92-year tradition,” the editorial board of the Iowa State Daily bluntly wrote following the cancellation of VEISHEA. The editors went on to criticize the tendency of some students to prioritize drinking above safety.
While Brown has had no riots over the cancellation of Sex Power God, Smith told HuffPost that efforts to address student safety concerns were not having the desired effect.
“In the case of SPG, planners worked with students and the administration to create a large scale safe space through party planner trainings, consent contracts, and similar means,” Smith wrote in an email to HuffPost. “Unfortunately students choose to disregard those boundaries, and SPG became a violent and unwelcoming space for some students … In the mean time [sic], we’re focusing on fundraising for other big events like the New England Queer people of Color Conference in the spring.”
The QA hopes to find a way to create a safe space for celebration without partygoers getting out of control, something Smith described as “a long-term project.” The group is welcoming suggestions and discussions on future plans.
Street art is one of those things that can make a city feel more vibrant. Good, actual art slathered on otherwise dull concrete is a fantastic thing. Ads for goods and services? Not so much. A new app aims to take care of those annoying ads, and like any good art, is free. Though limited to New York City, and … Continue reading
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