Banned: Netherlands Coffee Shops Will No Longer Sell Marijuana to Tourists
May 28, 2011
Another thing I hate about right wing governments. The new conservative Dutch government Friday announced that by the end of the year, the country’s famed marijuana-dispensing coffee shops would start to close to tourists and be open only to Dutch citizens by the end of the year. In the past the Netherlands has somewhat catered to travelers looking for exotic fun, which has generated a significant amount of international tourism for the country. But marijuana is not actually legal, just simply a crime that was not actively enforced by the police. Backed by the far-right party of anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders’ coalition government, the new regulation will only allow Dutch citizens to enter the marijuana-dispensing coffee shops, and even they will face new restrictions. Dutch citizens will have to sign up for a year’s membership at a specific shop, which will only be allowed to have up to 1,500 members.
4-year extension of expiring Patriot Act provisions approved
May 27, 2011
Wikimedia/Rand Paul, at a town hall meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, 11/7/2009/Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons Attribution.
President Barack Obama, who is attending a summit in France, approved key provisions of the Patriot Act that were due to expire at midnight, via an automated signing into law of the four-year extension.
After passing the Senate 72-23, the Republican-led House voted by a 250-153 Thursday night to extend the controversial terrorism-fighting law which was originally passed after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The passing vote came down to the wire because the deal was filibustered by Rand Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky who successfully stopped the provisions from becoming permanent. Sen. Paul held up Senate floor proceedings to protest what he characterized as an unconstitutional overreach by the federal government into private affairs.
The measure extends three of the Patriot Act’s main provisions, including the tracking of alleged “lone wolf” terrorists ,and the ability of law enforcement officials to obtain any records they deem relevant to an investigation after securing an order from a federal court.
War crimes fugitive Gen. Ratko Mladic arrested in Serbia
May 26, 2011
Europe’s most wanted war crimes fugitive Gen. Ratko Mladic, has been arrested, Serbian President Boris Tadic announced Thursday.
Mladic has been on the run since the Balkan wars of the 1990s, when he was indicted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, for genocide in the slaughter of at least 7,500 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, the worst single atrocity in Europe since World War II.
Just before news of today’s arrest, UN war crimes chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz accused Serbia of failing to do enough to find Gen Mladic.
“The capture is the biggest obligation of Serbia,” he said in a report sent to the UN Security Council.
Sarah Palin Reportedly Gearing For Possible 2012 Run
May 26, 2011
Sarah Palin is confirmed to have bought a $1.695 million, 8,000-square foot home in Scottsdale, Arizona where associates have said she could base a national campaign. The home reportedly purchased through a shell company that hid her identity, is just one of several signs that Palin will, in fact, run for president in 2012 according to the NY Times, though it is not a sure thing. The Palin’s daughter Bristol recently bought a house in Maricopa, which is near Scottsdale. Sarah Palin though has also rehired two aides to help plan political events, and she will resume making public appearances very soon, possibly this weekend. As for her intentions she told the Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity last week, “I want to make sure that we have a candidate out there with Tea Party principles.”
Palin has apparently targeted the first filing deadlines which do not arise until the fall to qualify for state primary and caucus ballots as her decision point, telling Fox News Channel host Greta Van Susteren, “that’s what will dictate my decision and my announcement.”
The ‘American Idol’ Winner is?
May 26, 2011
And the American Idol winner is Scotty McCreery. The 17-year-old Garner, North Carolina native defeated fellow country singer Lauren Alaina, 16, in the 10th season of Idol. Alaina competed in Tuesday night’s final sing-off despite injuring her vocal cords, and received rave reviews from the judges, but McCreery, a high-school student, won more votes from viewers in the end.
McCreery is the first country music winner since Carrie Underwood won in 2005, and also the fourth consecutive male contestant to win the competition.
A record 122 million votes were cast in the final contest.
Fox News Chief Anxious to Help Conservative Become President But Thinks Sarah Palin Is ‘Stupid’?
May 22, 2011
(ChattahBox News) – A New York magazine cover story authored by Gabriel Sherman,who is writing a book on Fox News for Random House, says that Roger Ailes thinks star anchor and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is an “idiot.” The takeaway from Sherman’s cover story hitting newsstands Monday seems to be that Ailes wants to make sure the next president is a Conservative, but he isn’t so pleased with their chances at beating President Barack Obama in 2012. Several Republicans close to Fox News chief Ailes say though he wants nothing to do with helping elevate Sarah Palin’s campaign because he “thinks she’s stupid,” a source told New York magazine. “He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven’t elevated the Conservative movement.” The article alleges that while Ailes who previously worked as a strategist for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush does want to put a Republican in the White House (a dubious goal for a supposed news channel), he is unimpressed with the current crop of candidates. “Roger is worried about the future of our country,” the source said.
John Lithgow ‘Performs’ Gingrich’s ‘Literati’ Battle Cry (Video)
May 20, 2011
(ChattahBox Political News)—It’s official. Newt Gingrich’s massive square head is just too minuscule to contain his burgeoning megalomania. After getting smacked around by members of his own Party for stating the obvious about Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-MN) budget plan to end Medicare as we know it, Gingrich’s flack, no doubt a frustrated wordsmith of the pulp fiction fantasy genre, issued an overwrought press release portraying Gingrich as an heroic knight ready to do battle with the evil “literati” and “sheep,” otherwise known as the lamestream “gotcha” media. The “epic” and “florid” press release was universally mocked by just about everyone. But it took Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert to properly skewer the ridiculous press release and Gingrich’s delusions of grandeur. Colbert brought on acclaimed actor John Lithgow to “perform” the press release “verbatim.” It was truly epic. Read more
New breakthrough treatment helps paralyzed man stand on own
May 20, 2011
(ChattahBox News) – A new treatment enabled a 25-year-old man paralyzed from the chest down to stand, and bear weight. Rob Summers a former college baseball pitcher was paralyzed below the chest in 2006 after being struck by a car. For 26 months, therapists at the University of Louisville moved Summers’ legs in a walking motion as he was suspended above a treadmill by a harness. Writing in the Lancet Medical Journal, the researchers say that their “unprecedented” achievement was made possible in December 2009, doctors implanted an electric nerve stimulator in Summers’ spine, below the area that was damaged. When the stimulator is turned on, a panel of 16 electrodes reactivates the nerves in Summers’ spinal cord a process designed to mimic signals the brain normally transmits to initiate movement, helping him move his muscles on his own. Now Rob is able to stand up using his own leg muscles while holding on to bars for support, bear his own weight for up to four minutes, and take steps on a treadmill with assistance. He’s also able to voluntarily move his hips, ankles, and toes, and he’s gotten back some bladder and sexual function. “I didn’t move a toe for four years,” said Mr. Summers. “I stood up on the third day they turned the stimulator on,” he said. “There are not enough words to describe how I felt.” The study’s authors cautioned that more work needs to be done before the technique becomes standard practice.
Source: ABC
Unabomber’s DNA Sought in Connection With 1982 Tylenol Killings
May 19, 2011
(ChattahBox News) - A $100,000 award from Johnson & Johnson for the capture and conviction of the Tylenol killer responsible for the 1982 incident in which seven Chicago-area people died from taking Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide has never been claimed. But FBI spokeswoman Cynthia Yates said (via CNN) that the FBI has requested samples from “numerous individuals including “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski” and that Kaczynski has so far refused to provide the samples voluntarily. Yates would not comment on whether federal authorities have already gotten the DNA sample from Kaczynski who pleaded guilty in 1998 to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and is serving a life sentence in federal prison. The U.S. Marshals Service is currently auctioning off items seized from Kaczynski’s home to raise part of the $15 million in restitution that Kaczynski owes the victims of his bombings and their families. But Kaczynski, in a motion filed May 9, said he would provide the sample voluntarily on the condition that they would stop an online auction of his items. Federal prosecutors responded that “there is no basis for an order interfering with the sale previously approved by the district court.” The auction went ahead as planned on Wednesday.
Players Champion KJ Choi Will Donate $200K To Victims Of US Tornadoes
May 18, 2011
(ChatttahBox News) – Count me as a fan! South Korean golfer KJ Choi has pledged to donate $200,000 of his earnings from his victory at last week’s Players Championship to help victims of the tornadoes that ravaged the southeastern United States. The PGA announced via Twitter:
“When I heard the news about the tornadoes, not long after the Japan tsunami disaster, I knew I had to do something help them as well,” said Choi, who will distribute the funds through his through his K.J. Choi Foundation, which he started four years ago to help unprivileged children around the world.
“While winning The Players Championship was a defining point in my life, there were those who were going through their low point. I want the victims of the tornadoes to know that their misfortunes will not be ignored.”