daveo

Vancouver residents come out in force to an emotionally charged public city budget meeting, begging the question, 'what are our priorities?' There’s nothing like an economic catastrophe to concentrate minds about civic priorities. A city is not just a collection of sewers, roads and public buildings; today, we expect the city to provide services that cover social sustainability, environmentalism and public safety, just to name a few. Some city services, like parks and libraries, are seen not just as services, but as essential to our civic space where citizens can gather and livability is defined. When the money tap gets cut off, watch out. Read more: http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr... - daveo

Budhia Singh is no ordinary four-year-old boy. From the age of three, he's been running at least twenty miles a day. At the age of four, he ran his first marathon. He's hoping to become the youngest endurance runner in the world. But is this the tale of an extraordinary talent, or a darker one of child exploitation...of Budhia doing his body damage as runs into the record books? This film tells Budhia's remarkable story that catapulted him to international fame. - daveo

For Matthew Alan Sheppard, all of the anxiety, deception, and delusion converged in one moment on a crisp winter weekend in February 2008. From the outside, he hardly seemed like a man prepared to abandon everything. At 42, he’d been happily married for 10 years, with a 7-year-old daughter and a comfortable home in Searcy, Arkansas. - daveo

As of Jan. 1 ordinary Czechs can grow up to five marijuana plants or have several marijuana cigarettes in their pockets without fear of criminal prosecution. Previously what constituted a small amount was not specified and the police and courts loosely interpreted the penal code case by case, often resulting in incarceration of home growers. - daveo

I disagree. I feel that if a law (particularly in its application towards the homeless) gets lost in translation between the legislature and the streets, the police have the right to make a decision on the best way to enforce it. And, if it is determined that wrestling matches and forceful attempts to move people to either a shelter or jail are helpful to nobody, then why go further with it? - daveo

After $60-million renovation, university will share revered building with Loblaw, putting ice pad on top, grocery store on bottom - daveo

I've spent the last year living and working in Vancouver, Canada -- speaking with many Canadian interactive marketers and agencies, and collecting survey data on Canadian consumers -- so I'm pleased to say that yesterday we released a new report, Canadian Social Technographics Revealed, and added our latest Canadian data to our free Social Technographics Profile Tool. In researching this report, I learned that: * Canadians are the most active social networkers in any market we survey. * Many Canadian marketers have been using social media for years. - daveo

Natalie Portman has revealed she smoked cannabis joints when she reached her 20s because she wanted to experiment. The actress tried the herbal drug in her 20s because she missed out on the usual experimental teenage experiences because she was making movies from the age of 11. She confessed: "OK, so I didn't really go to high school parties and, yeah, I didn't touch pot until I was in my 20s. I didn't get flat-out drunk until I went to college. But I think that's a good thing in many ways." - daveo

The main aim of the drugs policy in the Netherlands is to protect the health of individual users, the people around them and society as a whole. Priority is given to vulnerable groups, and to young people in particular. Policy also aims to restrict both the demand and supply of drugs. Active policies on care and prevention are being pursued to reduce the demand for drugs, while a war is being waged on organised crime in an attempt to curb supplies. A third aim of policy is to tackle drug-related nuisance and to maintain public order. The Netherlands now has twenty years' experience of working with these policies on drugs. - daveo

Amsterdam: Amsterdam, every potheads dream vacation. With High Time's Cannabis Cup, Coffee Shops, and just vacationing in Europe makes it such an amazing trip. This is the ideal place for a weed lover, with Coffee Shops where you can purchase weed legally with no license. While many U.S places you cannot not smoke indoors, in Amsterdam you can light your joint right up after you buy it in the Coffee Shop. Oakland has been rumored to becoming the New Amsterdam. Well not entirely, Oaksterdam seems be moving in Amsterdam's footsteps though. They still have a long way to go. While Marijuana is the decriminalized and the lowest priority for the Oakland police, it is still illegal with the Federal Gov't. Amsterdam's Coffee Shops are not getting shut down by their Gov't, like the Federal Gov't constantly shuttung down Medical Marijuana Shops. - daveo