Archive for March 10th, 2011
Author: adriejan Published: March 10th, 2011
Kijk, dit vind ik nou mooi. Terwijl voor het overige een gure, rechtse wind door het land waait, gaan we in de vrijzinnige oases Amsterdam en Utrecht gewoon door met zinnig beleid. Het college in Utrecht (GroenLinks-PvdA-D66) bereidt een experiment voor met legale wietteelt. Daarbij wordt het mogelijk gemaakt om in een besloten club, op een gereguleerde en gecontroleerde manier, wiet te telen. Voordelen: je beschermt de volksgezondheid door voorlichting en het naar beneden brengen van het thc-gehalte, en je haalt de teelt uit de criminaliteit. Voor probleemgebruikers (want die zijn er) is de gemeente ook bezig met het ontwikkelen van beleid. Sanity.
Volgende week donderdag is er trouwens een debatavond in Trianon, georganiseerd door de gemeenteraadsfracties van PvdA en D66, over de toekomst van het coffeeshopbeleid. De partijen willen een ‘open discussie’ voeren over lokale experimenten met het reguleren van de achterdeur.
En voor de potentiële kwekers: bij de Movie Max op de Nachtegaalstraat ligt al tijden een koop-dvd te verstoffen over ‘Hoe teel ik wiet’. Kun je voor een klein prijsje denk ik wel meenemen.
Volkskrant:
De gemeente Utrecht gaat wietgebruikers de mogelijkheid geven om binnen gesloten clubs legaal cannabis te kweken. Dat maakte de gemeente donderdag bekend. Omdat de plannen voor het experiment nog in een vroeg stadium verkeren, is over de concrete uitwerking nog weinig bekend, aldus een woordvoerster.
De gemeente wil volwassen recreatieve gebruikers de mogelijkheid bieden om in kleinschalige verenigingen op een gereguleerde en gecontroleerde manier wiet te telen. Het belangrijkste doel daarvan is volgens de voorlichtster het beschermen van de volksgezondheid, door gebruikers invloed te geven op de kwaliteit van de cannabis. Ander bijkomend voordeel in de ogen van de gemeente is dat de hennepkweek daarmee ook uit de illegaliteit wordt gehaald.
(…)
Er zullen zo’n honderd tot honderdvijftig gebruikers bij het experiment worden betrokken, zo verwacht de gemeente. De bedoeling is dat het experiment nog deze collegeperiode van start gaat.
Wethouder Volksgezondheid Victor Everhardt: ‘De gemeente wil ruimte voor deze experimenten met het oog op het verminderen van de schade van cannabisgebruik voor de gezondheid. Ook hopen wij hiermee de criminaliteit en overlast rond cannabis te beheersen.’
(…)
Het college wil ook het beleid veranderen met betrekking tot risicogroepen voor cannabisgebruik, bijvoorbeeld mensen die in behandeling zijn voor schizofrenie. Het doel van dit experiment is het excessief cannabisgebruik om te buigen naar gecontroleerd gebruik, aldus de gemeente. ‘Dit heeft plaats onder medisch toezicht of onder toezicht van een instelling voor geestelijke gezondheidszorg. Het cannabisgebruik onder medisch toezicht maakt onderdeel uit van het behandelplan voor deze groep.’
Tags: cannabis, coffeeshops, D66, GroenLinks, legalisering, marihuana, PvdA, regulering, thc, The Netherlands, Utrecht, wiet, wietteelt
Category Dutch politics, psychedelics |
Author: adriejan Published: March 10th, 2011
Pretty interesting twist to the Julian Assange extradition drama. Apparently the police investigator who questioned Assange regarding rape allegations is a political associate and friend of one of the accusers! And she’s known for having made ‘anti-Assange’ comments online. You don’t make this shit up. They know each other through the Swedish Social Democratic party, and as recently as February 10 commented on each other’s Facebook pages. Also their blogs link to each other’s.
Now I’m not saying that rape allegations shouldn’t be taken seriously (of course they should), but this is pretty poignant, isn’t it?
The Guardian:
The police investigator who first interviewed two Swedish women about allegations of rape and sexual assault against Julian Assange is a friend and political associate of one of the women, a Swedish newspaper has claimed.
The female officer and the woman referred to in court as Miss A became friends through Sweden‘s Social Democratic party, in which both are involved, according to Expressen.
The pair had corresponded on the internet 16 months before the allegations were made against Assange.
As recently as 10 February Miss A commented on a Facebook update on the police officer’s page, the paper said. and Miss A links from her personal page to the officer’s private blog.
The paper said the officer had made anti-Assange comments on the internet.
The WikiLeaks founder is appealing against a British magistrate’s decision last month to extradite him to Sweden to answer the accusations, which include an allegation of rape against another woman, Miss B. Miss A alleges Assange had sex with her without a condom, against her wishes. He has not been charged with any offence.
His legal team has argued that the Swedish judicial process is unfair and a number of those involved in the prosecution are politically motivated.
According to Expressen, Miss A and the police interrogator had internet contact in April 2009, when Miss A wrote a blog about white men “who take the right to decide what is not abusive”. The officer commented that the author “puts her finger on the bottom line and speaks out”, to which Miss A replied: “Hello! Thanks for the compliment. And like you say, white men must always defend the right to use abusive words. Then they of course deny that these very words are part of a system that keeps their group at the top of the social ladder.”
The paper said that when another newspaper, Aftonbladet, hosted a recent webchat with Assange, the officer commented “What the heck is this! Judgement zero!”
The previous day she had commented on the same page: “Way to go Claes Borgstrom!”
Borgstrom is the lawyer representing the women and a former SDP politician, who Assange’s team has argued is acting from political motives.
The paper says the officer had just started her shift at Klara police station in central Stockholm on 20 August last year when Miss A and Miss B arrived to make a complaint against Assange. It says she did not declare a conflict of interest.
Tags: Are you being served?, extradition, Julian Assange, Mr. Humphries, rape, sexual assault, Sweden, WikiLeaks
Category politics |
Author: adriejan Published: March 10th, 2011
In a veritable Stuff White People Like bonanza, Mad Men star John Slattery features in this new video clip of The National‘s song ’Conversation 16′, from the album High Violet.
Yeah that’s right. All the boozy sad white guys are together in this little piece of film. Hipsters, enjoy!
Slattery and the National’s Matt Berninger star as secret service agents, protecting the President, played by Kristen Schaal (“Flight of the Conchords”, “The Daily Show”). And speaking of the National, they’ve got shows coming up on four different continents, including performances of their multi-media opus The Long Count in Amsterdam. We’ve got their tour dates listed out below.
The National are busy touring the world. After (brilliant) performances in the Netherlands, they’ll return here on June 1 and 2 for their multimedia opus The Long Count in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, on July 12 for an open-air acoustic concert in the dunes of Bloemendaal, and on July 13 in Tilburg’s 013.
Tags: Conversation 16, HBO, High Violet, indie, John Slattery, Mad Men, Matt Berninger, Stuff White People Like, The National
Category random stuff |
Author: adriejan Published: March 10th, 2011
This is pretty significant news I think. In the great tradition of revolutionary France (not to mention that of the Free French), France is the first country to recognise Libya’s oppositional National Council as the legitimate representative of the nation. An ambassador will be sent to the rebel-held town of Benghazi, and a Libyan oppositional representative will set up shop in the Libyan embassy in Paris. Chapeau Sarkozy! Who follows?
- Update: the United Kingdom joins the fray.
Al Jazeera:
France has become the first major European power to recognise Libya’s opposition National Council as the country’s legitimate representative.
The move, which will see an ambassador sent to the rebel-held town of Benghazi, was announced during a meeting between envoys from the council and Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, in Paris on Thursday.
Sarkozy plans to re-open the Libyan embassy in Paris and implement a reciprocal arrangement where France will open an embassy in Benghazi, Tim Friend, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in the French capital, said.
“This is a very significant statement of intent which reinforces France’s recognition that the Libyan transitional National Council is the legitimate body now representing Libya, they’re the people they want to talk to,” he said.
“I think France has gone further than anyone else so far in doing that.”
Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has also urged partners in the European Union to follow suit and engage with Libyan opposition leaders.
Tags: Benghazi, France, Free French, French Revolution, Gaddafi, Libya, National Council, rebellion, rebels, Sarkozy
Category politics |
Author: adriejan Published: March 10th, 2011
Hunter S. Thompson, John Cusack and Johnny Depp riding in a car with a blow-up doll. No further information available. Date unknown. Must’ve been a great party though.
via
Tags: blow-up doll, Hunter S. Thompson, John Cusack, Johnny Depp
Category random stuff |
Author: adriejan Published: March 10th, 2011
An extremely detailed map of the entire history of the science fiction genre… from its origins in the Enlightenment to Wall-E, and everything, books and movies, in between. What a piece. Drawn by Ward Shelley for a contest, rightfully won the first prize. Click for enlargement.
via Wired
Tags: books, cyberpunk, dystopia, fantasy, goth, horror, infographic, literature, movies, science fiction, space opera, utopia, Ward Shelley
Category books, movies |
Author: maartenp Published: March 10th, 2011
Always wanted to play you were an arrogant nerd worth a virtual 7 billion dollars? Or maybe you want to practice your keynote speech skills? Buy a Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs action figure by MIC Gadget! Well actually, you can only buy the Zuckerberg doll, because Apple has stopped the Steve Jobs from being sold. Even the ninja version was banned by Apple.
Tags: action figures, Apple, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, MIC Gadget, Steve jobs
Category gadgets / futuristic |
