Categories
marijuana Politics

President Obama – Pot is Less Damaging Than Alcohol

In an interview with the New Yorker’s David Remnick published Sunday, Obama said while he believes marijuana is “not very healthy,” the drug isn’t as harmful as some insist.

“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol,” Obama told Remnick.

When asked if he believes marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, Obama said it is less damaging “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer.”

“It’s not something I encourage, and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy,” he added.

Marijuana is currently classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule 1 substance, which the DEA considers “the most dangerous class of drugs with a high potential for abuse and potentially severe psychological and/or physical dependence.” Other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin, ecstasy and LSD.

Obama said his focus on reforming laws that punish drug users, noting the racial disparity in drug arrests.

“We should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time when some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing,” he said.

Categories
Featured News

Zakieya Avery and Monifa Sanford – Accused of Murdering Two Children – Attempting Exorcism

(WJLA) – Police have now charged two women with murder in the deaths of two children in Germantown and say the defendants were attempting to perform an exorcism.

Left: Zakieya Latrice Avery; right: Monifa Sanford. Photo: Montgomery County Police

On Saturday morning, the childrens’ mother, Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, was charged. Monifa Denise Sanford, age 21, was arrested and charged after she was released from the hospital.

On Friday, Montgomery County police officers responded to the 19000 block of Cherry Bend Drive where they discovered four children had been assaulted. Two of the children were pronounced dead on scene and the other two were transported to an area hospital.

Avery and Sanford have both been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Zyana Z. Harris, 2, and Norell N. Harris, 1, and two counts of attempted first-degree murder of the other two children, Taniya Harris, 5, and Martello Harris, 8, who both remain hospitalized.

Avery and Sanford are being held without bond.

“Cases like this are heartbreaking,” says Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims along with the 911 operators, police officers, evidence technicians, and fire and EMS personnel that responded.”

Read more: WJLA

Categories
Food And Recipes

The Definitive Guide to Reheating Leftovers

Photo credit: Getty

Leftovers: the same food you had last night, except a little grosser!

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Strategically choosing the stovetop over the microwave could reinvigorate countless pizza slices. And microwaving your rice the right way could make leftover Chinese food a lot more appetizing.

Scroll down to learn how to reheat almost everything languishing on those refrigerator shelves.

1. Pizza

Photo credit: Getty

Microwaved pizza is the worst. The crust gets hard and awful while the rest of it becomes squishy and wet. No longer! Heat up slices in a covered skillet for crisp rather than soggy slices.

2. Rice

Photo credit: Flickr/scottjwaldron

You know how Chinese takeout rice gets hard and brittle after a few hours in the fridge? It’s the worst. But here’s a simple trick: Place the rice in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it completely with a damp paper towel, and zap it for a few minutes. Voilà. Your rice is soft again!

3. Steak

Photo credit: Getty

America’s Test Kitchen has a crazy-simple tip for reheating steak: Reheat it like you cooked it  but in reverse. That entails warming the steak in the oven until its center reaches 110 degrees, then searing it on both sides on the stovetop over high heat. Sweet.

4. Roast Vegetables

Photo credit: Getty

According to the The New York Times, hearty veggies like kale, root vegetables, and chard should be popped in the oven for up to 30 minutes, covered, at 350 degrees. Want to add some caramelization to foods like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower? Let them hang out under the broiler for a few minutes.

5. Soup

Photo credit: Getty

A thick soup will splatter if you reheat it, uncovered, in a microwave. If you don’t want your microwave looking like this, cover or reheat it on your stovetop. It’s a simple trick, but it’s one we’ve forgotten WAY too many times.

6. Pie

Photo credit: Getty

Soggy pie ain’t no fun. Food52 cofounder Amanda Hesser suggests you reheat that slice in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. “You want it warm, not hot,” she says. Patience is key with this one, obvs.

7. Fried Chicken

Photo credit: Getty

We’ll be honest with you, folks—fried chicken is never going to be as good as it was when it was fresh and piping-hot. That said, your best chance at a decent reprise meal is to wrap it in tin foil and throw it under the broiler for a few minutes.

8. French Fries

Photo credit: Getty

Remember the advice we gave you about fried chicken? We’re about to give it to you again. Hit the broiler, baby.

9. Macaroni and Cheese

Photo credit: Getty

If you reheat mac ‘n cheese in the microwave, you’ll get some crusty pieces, some overcooked pieces, and some pieces that never warmed up at all. Trust us; you’re way better off heating it up in a skillet on the stove.

PopSugar has a few other good tips: Start off by melting a pat of butter or a bit of oil. After adding the pasta, pour in a couple tablespoons of milk. The result is creamier, evenly heated pasta. And no crusty bits!

10. Turkey

Photo credit: Getty

Ah, the most famous leftover of them all. Even the best cooked birds can taste dried-out the next day. The New York Times suggests spreading your leftovers on a baking pan, covering it with foil, and baking the whole thing at 325 degrees for up to 30 minutes. Crisp up any pieces that have skin, uncovered, under the broiler.

Go forth and reheat, readers. Just give that microwave a break once in a while.

 

h/t – yahoo

Categories
Celebrities Entertainment Music nigger

Madonna Controversy – Used ‘N-Word’ on her Instagram

Madonna and Rocco

The singer uploaded a snapshot of 13-year-old Rocco Ritchie boxing on Friday night, with the offensive epithet used in a hashtag accompanying the photo.

“I am sorry if I offended anyone with my use of the ‘n-word’,” she said in a statement issued on Saturday.

“It was not meant as a racial slur. I am not a racist. There’s no way to defend the use of the word.”

Madonna’s comment was swiftly deleted from her Instagram account after some of her 1.1 million followers berated her for using the hashtag “#disnigga”

She later re-posted the same photo on Instagram, with a defiant (and largely unprintable) new caption that began: “Ok, let me start this again.”

On Saturday afternoon however, Madonna deleted the post entirely, and instead released a statement through her publicist, saying “forgive me”.

“It was all about intention,” she continued. “It was used as a term of endearment toward my son who is white.

“I appreciate that it’s a provocative word and I apologize if it gave people the wrong impression.”

Besides Rocco, Madonna has three other children, including Lourdes, David and Mercy. Her two youngest were both adopted from the African nation of Malawi.

The star came under fire earlier this month for posting a separate picture of Rocco on New Year’s Eve, in which he and his friends posed with bottles of alcohol.

Madonna responded: “No one was drinking, we were just having fun!

“Calm down and get a sense of humour! Don’t start the year off with judgement!”

Categories
ObamaCare Politics

‘I Fought Nazis, And They Didn’t Look Like Obama’ – PIC

Thank you.

Categories
Politics

Police – Clothing Found on Remains Match Those of Avonte Oquendo

Evidence gathered along the East River — body parts, clothing and a pair of sneakers — almost certainly brought to a tragic end the desperate three-month search for autistic teen Avonte Oquendo.

All that remained to confirm the parents’ worst fears was a comparison of DNA taken from the remains with the sample that Avonte’s mother, Vanessa Fontaine, rushed to investigators.

“Unfortunately, there is good reason to think it’s him,” the family’s lawyer, David Perecman, warned. “It’s more than just speculation.”

Still, Avonte’s parents were clinging to dwindling hope that their 14-year-old son was still alive.

“They’re distraught, but they’re hopeful it’s not him,” Perecman said. “They remain optimistic that he’s still out there.”

Avonte walked past a security guard and out of the Riverview School in Long Island City, Queens, on Oct. 4. Avonte was obsessed with the subway system and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials made announcements on trains for weeks asking for help finding him. The MTA sent subway workers into the tunnels in Brooklyn and Queens to check out tips that the teen had been spotted wandering the tracks.

The NYPD went so far as to enlist the help of psychics in the search for the boy, sources told the Daily News. Police, relatives and volunteers posted flyers and combed waterways. The search generated dozens of false tips and a reward grew to nearly $90,000.

The case gripped the city with curiosity, hope and, finally, the beginnings of despair when a photographer spotted remains along the rocky shoreline in College Point on Thursday afternoon.

Just after 7 p.m. Thursday, police found a left arm that police sources said appeared to have separated via decomposition — rather than a violent act. Police divers returned to the cold and murky water on Friday, feeling around the underwater rocks while wearing heavy gloves. Other cops searched the shoreline using cadaver dogs. They shut down the search by nightfall and were expected to resume at 7 a.m. Saturday.

In all, they found legs in boys’ size 16 Old Navy jeans, a size 51/2 Air Jordan sneaker and a striped shirt — all consistent with the outfit Avonte was wearing when he went missing.

h/t NY Daily News

Categories
Technology

Do you need anti-virus software for a tablet?

Do you need anti-virus for a tablet?

A. Yes and yes! There have already been a few tablet-specific viruses and it’s only a matter of time before they become widespread. For anti-virus software, I recommend Lookout’s anti-virus app. It also works on smartphones, so download it for your other mobile gadgets, too. It helps to make sure your tablet is running the most recent software it can, too. To update an iPad, go to Settings>>General Software Update and for Androids, it’s Settings>>System Updates. I recommend switching your phone’s default browser, too. Chrome and Opera Mini are both fantastic mobile browsers that are more secure.

h/t – usatoday

Categories
Education

Study Reveals The Unconscious Bias Towards Dark Skin People We Already Knew Existed

The black community is no stranger to the deep-seated issues of colorism, so the results of a new study highlighting color bias are not surprising.

Professors at San Francisco State University released a study titled “When an ‘Educated’ Black Man Becomes Lighter in the Mind’s Eye” on Tuesday exploring a concept they call “skin tone memory bias.”

The study claims to provide evidence for the subconscious bias where educated black men are remembered as having lighter skin. The claim adds fervor to the implication that successful black people are thought of as exceptions to their race rather than examples of what people within that race are capable of.

“Black individuals who defy social stereotypes might not challenge social norms sufficiently but rather may be remembered as lighter, perpetuating status quo beliefs,” the study explained.

“Whereas encountering a black individual after being primed with the word educated might pose a challenge to existing beliefs, encountering a black individual after being primed with the word ignorant would likely not require resolution or a misremembering of skin tone to align with these beliefs; especially in light of work on hypodescent.”

Published in the journal Sage Open, the study consisted of two experiments utilizing students from the university. Experiment one used 125 students who participated in exchange for partial course credit. Experiment two used thirty-five participants who also received partial course credit.

In the experiments, students were subliminally shown one of two words -– “ignorant” or “educated” — followed by a photo of a black man’s face. They were then shown seven photos with the same face with varying skin tones ranging from light to dark. The original photo they were shown was also included in the selection. Three photos were darker to varying degrees and three photos were lighter to varying degrees. After being shown these photos, participants were asked to identify the original photo they were shown.

The results showed participants who were shown the word “educated” had more memory errors and often chose the photos with a lighter skin-tone when asked to recall the face they originally saw.

The authors of the study explain this by stating that the findings are: “consistent with the mind’s striving for cognitive consistency or the tendency to attempt to resolve an incompatible cognition in the direction of a stereotype.”

They further to go on to explain the link to stereotyping and discrimination:

“Phenotypic features associated with the social categorization of racial groups have been strongly linked to stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Notably, individuals perceived to possess higher levels of Afrocentric features (e.g., dark skin, full lips, wide nose, coarse hair) have been subject to increased negative stereotyping (e.g., alleging heightened levels of aggression; see Blair, Chapleau, & Judd, 2005), leading to real-world repercussions, such as receiving longer prison sentences for crimes equated for severity and priors (Blair, Judd, & Chapleau, 2004; Viglione, Hannon, & DeFina, 2011).”

 

The authors also found that this bias isn’t isolated to the black community “it is pervasive across and within diverse ethnic and racial groups, including Whites, Latinos, and Blacks.”

To read the study, in full visit Sage Journal’s site.

CORRECTION: This article initially misquoted the researchers’ concept as “skin tone bias,” rather than “skin tone memory bias.”

 

Categories
News Technology

Russian Teen May Have Helped Steal Your Credit Card Info From Target

 

Via Yelp

Turns out the mastermind behind the software leading to a massive Target breach that swiped credit card information from 110 million customers last November may have been none other than a (brilliant) teenager,according to investigators.

Authorities suspect that an unnamed 17-year-old with “ties to St. Petersburg” may have developed the “malware” software used to skim credit card numbers in the enormous data breach, which involved the theft of everything from confidential credit and debit card data to personal information like addresses and phone numbers. That same software may have also been used to hit up several other retailers, and a federal report this week suggested the software breach was an organized, likely Russian-instigated cyber attack on the U.S.

California cyber-security firm IntelCrawler says they’ve identified the “malware”‘s architect, tracking the software back to a 17-year-old with the username “ree4.” And though the firm does not believe the teenager orchestrated the cyber-attack, they note this isn’t the first malicious software he has designed, as per CEO Andrew Komarov: “Previously he has created several tools used in hacking community for brute force attacks, such as ‘Ree4 mail brute’, and also earned some first money with social networks accounts hacking and DDoS attacks trainings, as well as software development including malicious code.”

Several online chats were embedded in the report; the chats were conducted in Russian, and the translation alleges Ree4 sold one download of the software for $2000; investigators have still not managed to pinpoint the hackers directly responsible for the attack.

h/t – gothamist
Categories
Politics

The Name of the Iceberg that Sank ‘The Chris Christie’ is Called Hoboken

Last week, I touched on this subject in a post called, Hoboken Could Make Bridge-Gate Look Like Small Potatoes. The point of the piece was based on some reporting by Chris Hayes showing Chris Christie’s lack of interaction with the city – a city ravished by hurricane Sandy – due to political retribution against Hoboken’s mayor, Dawn Zimmer.

Today, MSNBC’S Steve Kornacki took Christie’s new Hoboken scandal to a whole new level. Bringing Hoboken’s mayor on as a guest, Steve showed just how deep Chris Christie’s retaliation against the mayor and the people if Hoboken went.

Breaking the Campaign Finance Laws, bribery, political retribution, holding back federal relief funds, it’s all part of how business is done under the Christie administration and it’s all illegal. This piece by Steve shows that.

Steve Kornacki explains:

Categories
News

Oquendo’s Family Lawyer – “Unfortunatley, there is good reason to think it’s him [Avonte]

The desperate, three-months-long search for missing autistic teenager Avonte Oquendo appeared Friday to be coming to a tragic close.

Skeletal remains clad in clothing that appeared to match the outfit 14-year-old Avonte was wearing when he ran off from his school on Oct. 4 were discovered by a teenaged photographer in Queens along the East River shoreline.

All that remained to confirm Oquendo’s parents’ worst fears was a comparison of DNA taken from the body parts with the sample that boy’s mom, Vanessa Fontaine, rushed to investigators. The DNA of the boy’s father is already on file.

“Unfortunately, there is good reason to think it’s him,” said the family’s lawyer, David Perecman. “It’s more than just speculation.”

Still, Avonte’s parents continued to cling to a slim piece of hope that their son was still alive.

The headless body found in College Point was wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear, size large, police said.

Fontaine dressed her son in Hanes brand underwear.

“They’re distraught, but they’re hopeful it’s not him,” Perecman, said. “They remain optimistic that he’s still out there.”

Categories
Domestic Policies News Politics

Christie Time?

Worried about a cold weather Super Bowl in a couple of weeks? Don’t be: Now that the subpoenas are out and Randy Mastro is in, there’s going to be plenty of hot air to warm the New Jersey Meadowlands and nourish the state and national news media for the game and beyond.

First up is the list of those individuals who have been subpoenad to testify in front of the legislature. This includes people close to Christie’s campaign and political offices and reaches into the day-to-day operations of the government. Let’s see how much they say, but given immunity, I believe we might hear some evidence that Christie had at least some knowledge of the Bridge lane closings.

Christie’s hiring of former federal Prosecutor Randy Mastro is evidence that the governor is taking this scandal very seriously. Mastro worked for Rudy Giuliani, another politician who liked to bully people and thought that he was above the law. Remember Giuliani time? That was when the mayor sent the message that it was OK to do anything to fight crime. We need to hope that we don’t see a text or e-mail that refers to Christie time, which would be the desire to win a reelection bid by more than 40 points. Which really sounds like it’s the real impetus behind the Bridge scandal.What a waste.

We’ve had our fun with this, but I don’t think the next few months are going to be fun for the governor. And rightly so.

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