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Russell Brand discussing addiction and drug policy with British MPs, unexpectedly brilliant

'Out of touch'

He said trials in countries such as Portugal showed decriminalisation of some drugs could prove "useful and efficient".

He described his frequent arrests for possession of drugs as an "administrative blip" and said resources should be shifted away from the policing of drugs to education and treatment.

"As a drug addict, the legal status (of a drug) is an irrelevance," he told MPs. "At best it is an inconvenience."

He added: "There is a degree of cowardice and wilful ignorance about this condition. There needs to be honesty and authenticity on this issue so Parliament does not look out of touch."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17823272

 

BLAVATSKY - original play reading at the State Theatre weds May 16th

 

The State Theatre Hosts New Play Reading Series

 

STATE COLLEGE, PA - May 11, 2012 - Executive Director Richard Biever is pleased to announce that The State Theatre will host a new play reading series called "Start At The State." The readings will take place in the intimate Upper Studio on the second floor of the theatre and are supervised by local playwright Mary Gage.

 

First up, on Wednesday, May 16, is a reading of Penn State professor and author Warren Sylvester Smith's one-woman play, Blavatsky. 2012 marks the centenary of Smith's birth (1912-1984).

 

The life of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, a 19th-century spiritualist and founder of the Theosophist movement, is shown in six conversations set at various points in her controversial career. The performance is directed by Elaine Meder-Wilgus.

 

Penn State’s "forgotten" First African American Football player Immortalized with Bust

Dave Alston Penn State's first black football player.
David S. Alston, the first African American Penn State football player (along with his younger brother, Harry), was immortalized in a bust that was unveiled on April 21, 2012 during the Penn State Black Alumni Reunion "Blue White For the Future Scholarship Gala" at the Nittany Lion Inn.

The bust, sculpted and donated by Penn State Professor of Art Blake Ketchum, will have a public home in the All-Sports Museum, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In addition to the sculpture, a scholarship fund is being established in Alston's name. Read more »

A revolt against high-stakes testing?

Perhaps it's the arrival of spring, but I'm catching a whiff of optimism in the air: there appears to be the makings of a revolt against our national obsession with high-stakes testing.  And it's originating in Texas of all places!

Even more encouraging, it's not just educators who are standing up (which begs the question: why weren't teachers consulted in the first place?); it's also parents who are beginning to say, "enough is enough!"  Some parents have gone so far as to not allow their children to take these high-stakes tests. Just saying.

Truthfully, parents were never really on board in the first place. When you ask parents what they want from their schools, they've never supported the inevitable shrinking of the curriculum that occurs when you test only a narrow band of the curriculum, place enormously high stakes on those tests, and then cut resources.

From the parents' perspective, it's not just about being prepared to get a job, either. Parents have always believed that schools should also prepare students to be citizens - the original justification for public schools, by the way  (ask Ben Franklin); to discover what interests them, and to be exposed to the arts. Read more »

More cool pics from the Co.Space benefit dinner

New Leaf Cospace 2012 Benefit Dinner Album New photos by Chantal Plank

Greenmore Gardens honcho - sat at my table, and mentioned growing the greens for the salad. One of the speakers as well.

New Leaf honchos Spud and Eric.

EcoVent honcho Erin

The three main New Leaf guys, Spud, Eric, Christian.

The telesmatic house model. A symbol of community ownership of the project.

 

Prisoner in solitary confinement unit at SCI Rockview dies after cell extraction

Published as a letter to the editor.
Alleged homicide at SCI Rocvkiew

Prisoner in solitary confinement unit at SCI Rockview dies after cell extraction

 

Contact: hrcfedup@gmail.com (412) 654-9070

  Read more »

Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival Sat May 5th Shavers Creek

Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival
 
 
Saturday, May 05 2012, 10:00am - 3:00pm  

Come celebrate the arrival of spring, the return of wildflowers, and the beginning of another gardening season at the Central Pennsylvania Native Plants Festival at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center! Sponsored by PNPS and Shaver's Creek Environmental Center in conjunction with the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners. This is our second year of partnering with Shaver’s Creek. Come on out for a hike, a picnic…and enjoy one of the scheduled educational walk/programs on native plant gardening. In addition to expert speakers, there will be native plants for sale; local seasonal prepared foods and breads for sale; and educational resource tables where you can have native plant and gardening questions answered. Admission to the festival is free but please come prepared to support one of our vendors through purchases of plants and/or food.

Schedule of events:

10 am - Plant and food sales begin
11 am - Guest speaker (lower classroom): Gardening for pollinators

The Rich Give Back

Stevieslaw: The Rich Give Back

The NYTimes reported today in its magazine on the publication by Edward Conard of Bain Capital(former home of Mitt Romney) of “Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About the Economy Is Wrong,” to be published in hardcover next month by Portfolio. The book, he hopes, will change the way we think of the superrich forever. He argues that income inequality is a good thing—the driver of innovation, industry, and the small pittance you may be lucky enough to get as a salary. The article, however, is incomplete. In fact, we, at Stevieslaw, find that more and more the NYT leaves out the essential ingredients—the hooks—of their stories. Sadly, they’ve done it here—even though the piece ran some seven columns, more space than the Times has dedicated to Noble Prize winners in Physics, since 1959.

The deal is that Eddie, who wants nothing more then to get his message out, will loan you the money to buy his book! And considering what a boon this book will be to your pitiful existence, the daily interest rate of 33% is more than reasonable. Contact him at iwantitall.com. Be sure to have the birth certificate of your first born son handy when you write.

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Dr. Radut