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Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: In the Wake of Disaster | Retro Report | The New York Times

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill – In Pictures

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/mar/24/exxon-valdez-oil-spill-in-pictures

On 24 March, 1989 an oil tanker ran aground in the pristine waters of Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska, dumping 11 million gallons of crude oil. The spillage affected 11,000 square miles of sea, killing thousands of marine mammals and sea birds, and had a devastating impact across the 1,300-mile of shoreline. Twenty-five years on it remains one of the worst environmental disasters of all time

A Brief History of the Exxon Valdez Disaster

http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887217_1860789,00.html

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Thoughts About Activism

Good morning Readers,

Today I’m going to do something I rarely do and that is writing a private post. This blog was created only for informational and educational purposes to help newbies to marijuana navigate the social landscape. Unfortunately the cannabis community has turned into a bloodbath.

When I started in this a few years back I trusted everyone I met blindly, thinking; why would they hurt a patient when so many bad drug dealers, cops, or politicians are being abusive? Money. pride. ego. sexual gratification, acting in accordance with gangs, blackmail, and desire for fame; THOSE are the reasons. I learned the hard way to, as Fox Mulder on the old TV show X-files regularly said, trust no one.

So dear readers I’d like for you to picture this first scenario, using your regular neighborhood grocery store or clothes shop as your destination:

Some smiling, nice lady from a local dispensary, workshop, or fundraiser informs you of all the lovely benefits of MMJ and how much, with a small donation, they will help you get your entire pain-related social and corporate needs met. You get hooked as you or a loved one needs critical care so you join up and bring your family along for the ride.

Shortly thereafter you find out many things that break your heart about the people in the group you’ve joined, but your religion says: “Hate the sin but not the sinner.”.

So now let’s picture this second scenario:

You arrive in your new city and try to help out your community. You try to be loyal to all and showing favor to none, you head into your regular neighborhood Safeway, do your shopping, say hi to everyone, and go home to enjoy your items.

A day later you get emails, texts, or phone calls saying that you were ‘seen’ at Safeway instead of Albertson’s. That the owner of Albertsons is ‘hurt by your disloyalty’ and in turn tells everyone at his store to stay away in case you are ‘an enemy’

Your family is shunned, your friends are considered ‘not in the community’ and you are frozen out. Permanently. If you are devoted to this community as your whole life, it is heartbreaking and devastating. If you aren’t connected emotionally or socially, it is, at the very least, extremely educational.

These are critical things that need to be understood about marijuana activism:

1. The activists are human. They will make moral and ethical mistakes that might affect you negatively.

2. They may not be as educated as you think they are. This is critical because you or your kid may get sick from their lack of knowledge.

3. They do not honor their words. What starts as a ‘promise to keep MMJ affordable for the sickest patient’ is tossed out the window. If you live in a low-income neighborhood, expect to be the last priority on their lists. All good weed gets shipped to rich folks, the poor people get whatever is left. You will never get the consideration or perks the rich folks do.

4. Data mining efforts are rampant as the vendors dislike and distrust each other. As there is little to no trust in the community, the community is segmented into gangs, bankers, CEOs, farmers, lobbyists, loners, or ‘random activists’ thus someone is ALWAYS at war with someone else.

This is the dark side of marijuana which all parents and caregivers of senior citizens need to be aware:

These people will share your home address, email address, medical info, and anything else they like in an astonishing breach of ethics when feeling threatened by other people in their community, politicians, or police.

Why I left marijuana activism:

Many of you don’t know that I follow religious practices which prohibit me from ahimsa (harming people). Many people in this community know this and use that as a perfect opportunity to be abusive.

But what they don’t know is that most times the FBI, CIA, and NSA track just about every move anyone in this community makes. The police report the data to corrupt politicians, media outlets, lobbyists, lawyers, judges and lawmakers.

Those people then turn the info over the IRS, everyone waits, and then door kicks (SWAT raids) start. Activists, sometimes the good ones, sometimes the bad ones, go to jail and take their patients, family members, and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, with them.

There is little to no trust religiously, socially, or ethically among many of the activists which results in some of them burning anyone in their paths.

So people remember these things before entering activism:

Gifts of cash can change even the most trustworthy person into a snarling,back-stabbing, feral money-hoarder.

If you are at a marijuana event BE CAREFUL ABOUT SHARING YOUR INFORMATION. 99 percent of the time you are being data-mined. My only goal at the beginning of this was to find a nice farmer to marry lol 🙂 Now I look forward to bailing entirely.

Marijuana is associated a great deal of the time with recreational use, minimizing spiritual and medical usage which makes the cops even more disrespectful to patients than they already are.

Branding and marketing turns a sacred plant into “college party time” media for the presses and truly ill people die quietly while the MMJ media folk and their lobbyists get to have huge parties, sleep with as many groupies as will promise to share whatever info they get from their johns (*ahem* I mean dispensary clients), and party like rock stars.

These people will build up enough cash to buy lawyers, lobbyists, and whatever else they like, cash out, take their rich clients with them, and move to where the rich folks congregate.

Some MMJ vendors don’t solely vend MMJ; they will vend anything from pain meds, psych meds, on up to guns and prostitutes.

WHY THE FEDS WILL HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OF ALL MARIJUANA BY 2020

1. The current community is inefficient, immoral, unethical, disloyal, impractical, and lacking in any form of cohesive religious groupings. They constantly send the message that MMJ is not genuinely sacred to God and often seek to permanently burn social bridges for their leaders. EVERYONE LOSES.

2. Data mining and stalking. Trust me people, whatever things you do are being logged by someone. Either the police, competitors, good groups like Anonymous who monitors the overly greedy types, or people who stalk or seek revenge.

2016 is an election year and as happens every election year, a group of ‘loyal politicians’ will turn on the MMJ community, incarcerate ‘a trusted leader of the community;’ and then turn around and say MMJ consumers need to be protected from themselves.

And that, my friends, is why I only advocate for spiritual marijuana or MMJ as opposed to recreational and why I advocate for spiritual use above all other issues, including “marijuana legalization”. God is more important than man’s laws..

What good is money if you are going to fuck everyone around you in order to have it?

One final thought for the MMJ folks with children: Because a LOT of people in the community have troubles with morality, ethics, and loyalty, any worker in any one of the MMJ arenas, and listen to me VERY carefully, can TURN YOU AND YOUR KIDS OVER TO CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES.

Know who you are dealing with people. Stay business-like and avoid entanglements. The person you try to help today will be the broad that knifes you right in the back (bedroom, wallet, etc.) tomorrow.
These ‘helpers’ have your personal data and can give it to the authorities to save themselves any time they like.
Choose your activism tasks very carefully people. Your kids will thank you for it later.

I ALWAYS remember the patients, especially the children, who died waiting while the adults in their lives spent their time chasing cash, ass, and flash.

It is what it is I guess. Within a month I will be elsewhere doing different things and looking back on this chapter of my life as super grateful that it is finally over.

Young activists my heart bleeds for you. Make sure you have a real family before entering activism. You will protect your kids in doing so.

Namaste~
Anna

Cheri Honkala- Broke & Blogging

http://www.cherihonkala.net/

From Cheri Honkala: Green Party Vice Presidential Nominee – Poor Peoples Advocate

Why have I decided to create a blog?

After many sleepless nights and tears in the shower, I have come to understand that one of the most important things that I can contribute to the elimination of poverty and homelessness is to put a light on these inhumane conditions. There are too many people receiving profits from the every-day lives of the impoverished people in this country who continue to remain invisible. So one of the best things that I can do is to speak loud, daily and often.

In this blog, I hope to convey how much we need you in this movement. My goal is to show the reality of the inhumane horrors families have to endure daily through my words, videos, and pictures. You will not hear about these things on CNN or even through many so-called “progressive” organizations’ blogs and social media campaigns.

I have to be careful because I want to stay alive and out of prison yet I will continue to push the envelope to talk about not only poverty, but the politics of hunger and homelessness in America.

The reason I am charging money for this blog is to raise funds for the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign.  This will allow us to raise some independent money separate of our oppressors that continue to fund the non-profit industrial complex (charities controlled by corporations). To my poor friends out there, of course I will give you complete access if you send me an email at cherihonkalappehrc@gmail.com

“There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing, to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they will do so with the freedom and a power that will be a new and unsettling force in our complacent national life” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Jamaica Parliament Decriminalizes Small Amounts of Marijuana

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2015/02/jamaica-parliament-decriminalizes-small-amounts-of-marijuana.php

The Jurist Wednesday 25 February 2015 at 10:54 AM ET

[JURIST] The Jamaican House of Parliament [official website] passed an act Tuesday decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. Under the new law, possession of less than two ounces of marijuana is considered a petty offense [AP report] punishable by a ticket.

Beyond consumption, the legislation allows individuals to cultivate up to five plants on any premises. Minister of National Security Peter Bunting [official website] issued a statement following the act’s passage, reinforcing the governments intent to continue combating transnational drug trafficking and illegal cultivation of marijuana.

The new law also lays the ground work for the establishment of a licensing agency to regulate a lawful medical marijuana industry in the country. Additional regulations regarding the licensing agencies and the establishment of the medical marijuana sector are expected in the coming months.

Jamaica is the most recent country to join a growing global trend of loosening anti-marijuana laws [JURIST backgrounder]. Earlier this week Alaska’s voter initiative legalizing marijuana [JURIST report] use took effect, making it the third state, along with Colorado and Washington, to legalize recreational marijuana. In November voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, DC, voted [JURIST report] to legalize recreational marijuana. Also in November the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) [official website] expressed concern that the legalization of marijuana by some US states is not compatible with existing international drug conventions.

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Paper Chase is JURIST’s real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible format.

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A Defendant’s Release on Bail with Conditions -Lawyers.Com

http://criminal.lawyers.com/criminal-law-basics/a-defendants-release-on-bail-with-conditions.html

When somebody is arrested and put in jail, getting out of jail is undoubtedly their main objective. Initially, a judge or magistrate determines if the accused can be released on personal recognizance, an unsecured appearance bond or if additional conditions are required. These conditions or restrictions are usually non-monetary.

If release on personal recognizance or unsecured appearance bond won’t guarantee an accused’s appearance or will endanger the safety of a person or the community, then the court can impose more conditions. One of the most important factors in determining if release is appropriate is the nature of the offense charged. In most states, bail may be denied in capital offenses, like murder.

Release on Personal Recognizance

Release on personal recognizance is when the judge decides that an accused is reliable and has strong community ties, which allows him to be released without posting any money. Basically, personal recognizance is a written promise by the accused to appear in court when required.

Release on Unsecured Appearance Bond

An unsecured appearance bond allows an accused, who’s in jail, to post a cash bond in a specified amount in return for being released. The amount of the bond, which is set by the court, varies with the seriousness of the charge.

When an accused posts bond, the court has the right to ask where the money comes from. Determining the source of the money is particularly important in cases where a portion of criminal proceeds may be used to secure the release. A judge can refuse to accept bond if an accused won’t explain the source of money for the bond.

Release on Conditions

If a judge decides that conditions for release are necessary, the court must impose the least restrictive condition or set of conditions. The court can consider several conditions for release, including requiring the accused to:

• Maintain or actively seek employment
• Maintain or begin an educational program
• Follow travel restrictions – surrender a passport or electronic tether
• Avoid all contact with the victim and witnesses
• Regularly check in with police
• Follow curfew
• Not possess any weapons
• Not use drugs or alcohol
• Not commit any other crimes

Pretrial release on conditions isn’t always appropriate. If no combination of conditions can guarantee appearance at trial and the safety of the community, the accused remains jailed.

Failing to Comply with the Terms of Release

If an accused fails to comply with the terms of release, the court can impose financial penalties. For example, if an accused fails to appear, they may have to forfeit real or personal property previously pledged. Also, the court can freeze the assets of an accused as a penalty for not appearing.

Bail allows an accused to be free before trial to help prepare the case. At the same time, the conditions of bail must make sure that the accused shows up as required and that the community is kept safe.

Questions for Your Attorney

• Can the victim or anyone else appear in court to challenge the bail or conditions?
• Can the bail amount or conditions be appealed?
• Can anyone pay bail? Can it be paid by credit card?

Judicial Disqualification Resource Center – Grounds for Recusal

http://www.judicialrecusal.com/

http://www.judicialrecusal.com/grounds-for-recusal/

Motions to recuse or disqualify judges and other adjudicators have been made for all sorts of reasons. Most commonly such motions are predicated upon a claim that the judge is biased in favor of one party, or against another, or that a reasonable objective observer would think he might be. But such motions are also made on many other grounds, including the challenged judge’s:

• Interest in the subject matter, or relationship with someone who is interested in it

• Background or experience, such as the judge’s prior work as a lawyer

• Personal knowledge about the parties or the facts of the case

• Ex parte communications with lawyers or non-lawyers

• Rulings, comments or conduct

In some jurisdictions the ability of a judge to recuse himself is constrained by the so-called “duty to sit doctrine”. According to this doctrine, unless a judge is required by law to disqualify himself he cannot simply choose to recuse himself, but must remain on the case.

In most American jurisdictions a judge may only be disqualified “for cause.” In other words, a person who would like a new judge to preside over her case is required to show either that a basis for disqualification exists that is expressly enumerated in A disqualification statute; or that, for some other reason, a reasonable person would question the judge’s ability to be impartial in the case. But many (mostly western and mid-western) jurisdictions have laws on the books which authorize parties to seek disqualification on a “peremptory” basis, without making any showing of cause. This is referred to as “peremptory disqualification,” or making a “peremptory challenge” . In such jurisdictions, as long as the challenge is timely filed, and the prescribed procedure is complied with, the judge has no discretion to determine whether he should recuse himself; rather, he is disqualified automatically.

REFERENCES

1. Leslie Abramson, of the Louis Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville wrote an early (1993) article on the grounds for judicial disqualification (in federal practice). See Abramson, L., Specifying Grounds for Judicial Disqualification in Federal Courts, Nebraska Law Review, Vol. 72, No. 1046 (1993). Professor Abramson continues to work and teach in the field. See, e.g. “Deciding Recusal Motions: Who Judges the Judges?”

2. For a detailed discussion of the duty to sit doctrine see J. Stemple, “Chief William’s Ghost: “The Problematic Persistence of the Duty to Sit,” Buffalo Law Review, 57 Buffalo L. Rev. 813 (May 2009).

3. For a listing of Judicial Policy Advisory Opinions, many of which deal with the subject of when a federal judge is subject to recusal or disqualification click here http://www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/RulesAndPolicies/conduct/Vol02B-Ch02.pdf

4. For a book that contains a comprehensive overview of the various grounds on which motions to disqualify judges have been made, and which is updated annually, see Flamm, R., Judicial Disqualification: Recusal and Disqualification of Judges (Second Edition, 2007) Those chapters of that book which discuss the case law with regards to the grounds for disqualification are listed here:

Chapter 3     Bias

Chapter 4     Extrajudicial Source Rule

Chapter 5     An Appearance of Bias

Chapter 6     Interest

Chapter 7     Family Relationships

Chapter 8     Social Relationships

Chapter 9     Gifts and Political Support

Chapter 10     Background/Experience

Chapter 11     Prior Work as a Lawyer

Chapter 12     Judicial Knowledge

Chapter 13     “ (Criminal Proceedings)

Chapter 14     Ex Parte Communications

Chapter 15     Judicial Conduct

Chapter 16     Rulings/Comments

To locate libraries which have the most recent edition of Judicial Disqualification in their collection click here

http://www.worldcat.org/title/judicial-disqualification-recusal-and-disqualification-of-judges/oclc/759477831?referer=di&ht=edition

OCLC: Judicial disqualification : recusal and disqualification of judges

http://www.worldcat.org/title/judicial-disqualification-recusal-and-disqualification-of-judges/oclc/759477831?referer=di&ht=edition

Author:	Richard E Flamm
Publisher:	Berkeley, Calif. : Banks & Jordan Law Pub., ©2007.
Edition/Format:	Book : English : 2nd ed  View all editions and formats
Database:	WorldCat

Senate Organization Chart for the 114th Congress

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