You're a towel!

What do Cheech Marin, Matthew McConaughey, Whitney Houston, Michael Phelps, and Sir Paul McCartney all have in common? They all smoke (or used to smoke) cannabis aka marijuana. Marijuana is currently illegal in America except for medical use (and even then it's frowned upon) but why?

Depending on which article you read marijuana is either the safest recreational drug available or worse for you than crack. http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/ tells you that "There is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults" and "Most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. A small minority of Americans - less than 1 percent - smoke marijuana on a daily basis. An even smaller minority develop a dependence on marijuana. Some people who smoke marijuana heavily and frequently stop without difficulty."

On the other hand http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html says that "long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit."

Drugabuse.gov...if you're trying to convince me that weed is as bad as crack don't say "or example, cannabinoid withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine." Instead, tell me the actual effects on HUMANS. Secondly, that same site later claims smoking mary jane can lead to schitzophrenia. Bill Clinton has admitted to smoking reefer. Would he have been president if he had schitzophrenia?

If weed were to really be this bad for you no one would doctors prescribe it for glaucoma and cancer? They don't prescribe ecstacy for cataracts or acid for AIDS. If you don't like it...don't do it. Simple as that. As for those who want to do it, why does it hurt you? They're not going to be murdering someone for being high. More than likely, they'll be sitting on the couch watching South Park

Puppy Love

So with graduation right around the corner I keep thinking about what comes next. A job definitely and with that hopefully comes a house and someone to come home to. Not what you're thinking...I want a puppy! I am absolutely puppy CRAZY right now but before I get one I needed to know what laws would actually apply to me. Sure GA has laws on how to discard a dead dog or how to properly breed your dog but those don't apply to me. I was more interested in a few others.

1) any damage done by dogs is liable by the owners.

2) dogs in GA are required to wear a collar; removal of that collar is illegal

3) dogs outside of their "enclosure" need to have either a leash or a muzzle

These laws are designed to keep the dogs safe and keep those around them safe. For more dog info go to http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusgast4_8_21.htm#s26

After you follow the laws be sure to follow the most important one...LOVE THE DOG

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and stalking in general

It used to be that in order to get to know someone you had to have a face to face conversation with them. Now you can know exactly what the person two rows behind you in English class ate for lunch just by checking out her Facebook profile. Want to keep up with the Kardashians more than Sunday nights at 10? No problem when you can follow Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Scott, and Rob on Twitter.

These sites have made it easy to live vicariously through celebrities or people we know (or may not know) by a click of the button. It gets a little intense if you think about it. People update their facebook's not only with what they're doing but where they're going. Something as harmless as "going to the beach this weekend" may seem innocent, but if someone really wants to say break into your house or something this tells them that you won't be there!

Even if you don't do something like this, the rest of the internet world can make fun of your facebook uploads if it gets deemed "dumb enough" to end up on www.lamebook.com. People will dissect what's important to you, your grammar, and even photos you upload that have never/will never meet you.

I personally do have a twitter and a facebook so I'm not saying they're bad...I'm just saying its something to think about...

Who could guess politicians lie?

We had to find an editorial for class today and thankfully Perez Hilton never disappoints. His scathing review of John Edwards admission to still "caring deeply" about his wife Elizabeth is posted for everyone...even the cheating politician...to see. http://perezhilton.com/2010-01-28-john-edwards-still-cares-about-elizabeth

What was once a vicious rumor has been confirmed: John Edwards did in fact father a baby by his mistress, Rielle Hunter, while his devoted wife battled cancer. Through the power of the internet Hilton tells John that "talk is cheap" while he urges Elizabeth to "stay strong honey".

I must agree with the king of gossip for this one. As we learned in 2009 "love doesn't hurt" (thank you Rhianna). If you love someone you shouldn't even be able to CONCEIVE the idea of cheating on them. In fact you shouldn't even be able to dream of hurting them at all, physically OR emotionally. This should all consist two fold when the person you're married to, the person you've promised to love and cherish, the person who has followed you on the campaign trail and listened to your boring speeches is dying of cancer!

Perez said it best so I think I'll just post his picture...it says everything that needs to be said.

Good VS Well

One of my BIGGEST pet peeves in writing is when people mix up the usage of good and well. The stylebook says that "Good is an adjective that means something is as it should be or is better than average. When used as an adjective, well means suitable, proper, and healthy. WHen used as an adverb, well means in a satisfactory manner or skillfully."

Although most of us don't think of the proper part of the sentence when we decide which word choice to use, perhaps we should. When someone says "I don't feel good" do they not hear that it just sounds wrong? Where does the common every day language and improper grammar end and correct grammar begin? When does it stop being a negative thing to use correct grammar outside of English class?

Either way next time someone tells you to "do good" on a test or if you "did good" on your paper remind them ever so gently that "yes, you did WELL!"

*SIDE NOTE* Obama's First Year

History has been happening for one year now. America's first African American president has been shattering boundaries and breaking news for the last year and things have been...interesting. Despite the fact things have not been as productive as I hoped, I still stand by the vote I cast last January.

The economy was in disarray, almost beyond repair, and although its not back with a vengeance yet, its on the up-and-up. CBS News reports that the national debt on the day Mr. Obama took office was $10.626 trillion and now one year later it is $12.319 trillion. This being said there was an increase on Mr. Obama's watch of $1.693 trillion. Time magazine has tried to find patterns in President Obama's term so far and the only trend they were able to find is that "Of the past seven Presidents, the two Bushes rank at the top in popularity after one year, while Obama and Bill Clinton rank at the bottom." If this is the case, then we can expect only positive things in the future.

My biggest problem with our commander in chief is that the world treats him like a CELEBRITY rather than a POLITICAL FIGURE. Yes he's interesting and in the public eye, but if I have to read one more article about Michelle's arms or how Obama killed a fly single-handedly I'll scream.

GLEE sings in the new year

Call it the little show with the big possibilities. Already signed to a second season with many A-list guest stars on board, Fox's "Glee" is looking out on a promising outlook. Along with Madonna, Olivia Newton-John, and Idina Menzel signed on to pay McKinley High's glee club a visit, the cast themselves have won a People's choice award, have two soundtracks topping the charts, and secured a golden globe nom.

Now in the latest news, Matthew Morrison, loveable teacher Mr. Shuester, has gotten a recording contract. No stranger to the spotlight, Morrison is a broadway alum whos pipes are now getting him awards and fans world over. It's nice to see an upcoming celeb more interested in his craft rather than hitting the Hollywood hot spots. With his undeniable talent, a hot new show, and that adorable head of curls I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/01/14/glees-matthew-morrison-inks-record-deal/