Medical Marijuana may finally get the feds off its ass.

It's refreshing to hear your presidential candidate...any candidate, really....say that going after medical marijuana is not a priority because there are REAL problems on which to spend our resources. Though the Bush administration seems to think that busting growers supplying the granny glaucoma market is just as important as stamping out violent crime and terrorism, you can tell from Barack's and the H-bomb's tones that they find it all pretty ridiculous.

It's this kind of rationalism that brings me small sprigs of hope. Now, the fact that the simple use of logic has become noteworthy...well that's a different issue.

(Warning: this post occurred before coffee) The Brits are bringing sexy back...

I know it seems a confusing statement, perhaps; they are, after all, British. This is not to say that Brits can't be sexy, it's just that I don't normally think of them as a bunch who "bring the sexy," so to speak. That is a job I normally leave to the French, their better dressed and better fed neighbors. The design for the new UK coins is out and here's what they look like.

I'm pleased with the choice. The designer of these new coins is Matthew Dent, a 26 year old Welsh man, proving once again that it's the young who seem best equipped to bring the sexy, especially to the Royal Mint, of all unsexy places. (There is, of course, a cut-off for this age statement. Below 20 or 21 one starts to encounter frighteningly unsexy things in the land of adolescent tastes.)

Hooray for the UK and its hot new coinage. Now, the issue of these coins still being in Pounds and not Euros is a whole other issue...

Upside: no lions

Maasai warrior's diary documenting his experiences of being in London for the first time for the London Marathon

"Everyone took photos of us, not the soldiers and horses. We are looking at one culture, and everyone is looking at us."

In looking for the whites of their eyes...

What exists in the intimate mingling of art and science is truly amazing.
At M.I.T. they're visualizing viruses. It's interesting to consider the question "What does the trojan fucking up my computer actually look like?" The fact that this work is being commissioned by internet security professionals as a way of showing the customer what they're up against also speaks to the ever-increasing visual nature of our culture.

Icons are what we know best.

And more strange things occur thanks to our gluttony

Chile's magical disappearing lakes; river tsunamis.

TextMap

I sort of tripped on this TextMap weblocation while in the process of more nefarious internet activities. I love the concept of this (perhaps it is a widespread approach I've simply missed...) This would be a great way to build a tightly controlled search engine for children (dibs on this idea).

Arbeit macht frei...

The modern running of the Olympic torch from Greece to the hosting country began with the 1936 Berlin Olympics; yes, this act of transcultural peace & pride came to us compliments of the Third Reich. Sometimes the sheer literary quality of this life is so filling you just can't help but chuckle at it.

I am generally rather suspicious of French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. To me he is a slippery character with a little too much hunger for status and wealth. Not to mention that he's pissing off his own people by messing with their laissez-faire pleasure-is-a-humanRight culture. BUT this being said, I think he's making an interesting move on the China v. Tibet front (the French do love their Buddhists.)

BBC reports that France's human rights minister, Rama Yade said:

"'Three conditions are indispensable for him to go,' she said.

'An end to violence against the population and the release of political prisoners, investigation of the events in Tibet and the opening of dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

'These discussions should be about the recognition of Tibetan autonomy and the spiritual, religious and cultural identity of Tibetans.'"

Bold; I like it. I wonder if they'll really follow through. Personally, I hope a full boycott happens. It's economically terrifying, but the fact that we're nearing the end of the first decade of the 21st century and situations like what is currently happening in Tibet are happening all the time as the world sits by and stares at their feet...it's atrocious.

They're targeting monks for heaven's sake. These are people who have dedicated their lives to the practice of nonviolence and loving compassion. They have taken a vow to return to this hamster wheel of existence until all living beings are liberated from the toils of reincarnation and can reach Nirvana. I'm almost embarassed for the Chinese government.