Finally Over!

Well the campaigning and the debates and the bickering and hearing the same thing over and over again is finally over. With our President Elect Barack Obama waiting eagerly I'm sure for inauguration. I'm from the great Land of Lincoln and registered to vote in February when I was renewing my drivers license at home, therefore I took place in what is called an absentee ballot that is send through the mail and is very simple to do.

I went online to figure out how it was going to work since I knew I would be out of state and I found that I had to write a letter or call my election official in my district and explain to them why I would be away, so I did and explained I'd be at school in Colorado. I received my ballot and information and followed the instructions and voted for who I found suitable for the position. When I had completed my patriotic duty I folded it up a little bit and slipped it in the envelope and made sure that it got to the election office long before 8pm the night of the election. When I was filling out the ballot I really took my time and went over it a few times to make sure I did not miss anything or get confused and cause my vote to be invalid.

Other than that, it felt good to vote in my first election and I can see that my vote did make a difference.

LEGALIZE IT

Back in 2005 Denver voted to legalize marijuana possession for anyone over 21 years of age as long as it was an ounce or less. They then voted in favor by 54% to legalize possession of an ounce or less, making them the first state in the US to legalize possession without being a medical card holder. There are now a few other states that have made giggle bush less of a priority as far as their police work goes and more states are starting up medical marijuana clinics as it is. I think that it's only a matter of time before the loop holes in the system and the common sense facts behind the issue become clear to the next generations to come and I think we will legalize it and profit greatly from it. Hell maybe we can run our cars on the stuff and everyone would be happy all the time not matter what.
I was reading Cannabis Culture and came across a piece about the Denver legalizing issue and there was this cool non-profit called SAFER, which stands for "Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation." It is a Colorado-based organization whose mission is to educate the public about the harmful consequences associated with alcohol or tobacco, as compared to the safer?yet illegal? substance: marijuana.
Some facts that they presented are as followed:

Here is the language of the Initiative-100
Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative

WHEREAS, according to the National Institutes of Health, an average of 317 Americans die annually as the result of alcohol overdoses; and
WHEREAS, there has never been even a single fatal marijuana overdose recorded in the medical literature, as noted by the British Medical Journal in September 2003; and
WHEREAS, according to U.S. Department of Justice, �About 3 million crimes occur each year in which victims perceive the offender to have been drinking at the time of the offense. Among those victims who provided information about the offender�s use of alcohol, about 35% of the victimizations involved an offender who had been drinking�; and
WHEREAS, extensive research, documented in official reports by the British government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, among others, shows that -- unlike alcohol -- marijuana use is not generally a cause of violence or aggressive behavior and in fact tends to reduce violence and aggression;
WHEREAS, it is the intent of this ordinance to have the private adult use and possession of marijuana treated in the same manner as the private adult use and possession of alcohol;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER

And I had to put this video on here for anyone who has not seen it, its out on the quad here at the Fort two years ago I believe on visitors day with a tour group watching. I had to do this because I saw this on TRU TV last night on channel 36 so here it is, it takes place on 4/20 and that is a cop standing outside.... enjoy

Audi's next mini monster

Audi has been in the works of turning their small sporty coupe/convertible TT into a real monster. They will call it the PPI RS TT, which will be based off of the original body style with new age design features. The car will host a 1.8 liter, 5 valve engine with a whopping 355 horsepower. It will be equipped with a water and oil cooled turbocharger, S/S downpipe, S/S exhaust system, modified air intake and high flow delivery system, strengthen engine internals, modified engine control unit among other things. Here is a video and some pictures of this crazy new ride that Audi will soon release.

Music on the web

Thanks to sites like www.pandora.com, www.seepod.com, and others the world of music as we know it has taken off to places we never imagined. Seeqpod has taken it as far as creating a contract with Apple to use their program as a music search program available on the new IPHONE. I'm sure most of you already know of these programs but I thought I'd share fort those who have mcuh to explore in the world of music. I have been able to discover so much new and interesting music that I would have never ever heard in my entire life had it not been for sites like these. They are live streaming music players that search the entire web for songs by certain titles or artists or albums. Seeqpod is used more for finding a multiple amount of songs from one artist or genre, while Pandora is used to explore more music. What I mean by this is that when you type in your desired artist or song it pulls up songs by the specified artist as well as similar artists/genres. I have found some very interesting music on Pandora and would highly reccommend it if you are wanting to expand your music collection in different ways. Seeqod is also a really great sight, you can find just about anything you type in there, and an other added bonus about these sites are that they are FREE!

Mountain opening updates

Wolf Creek:
Wolf Creek Ski Area is opening Saturday, November 8th for the 2008-2009 season! Wolf Creek is reporting an all natural base of 14 inches with 10 inches of new snow from the current storm and 20 inches year to date. Very early season conditions exist and 30% of the mountain will be open with a small variety of terrain. Treasure, Bonanza, and Nova lifts will be operating from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Lift tickets will be the Local Appreciation rate of $31.00 for adults and $18.00 for seniors and children until further notice.

Purgatory:
Will be opening on Turkey Day, the 27th of November. Get a couple lines and work up an appetite for dinner. They are reporting no new snow but claim that 100% of the mountain is open with only one lift running, with a 50% chance of snowfall accumulation beginning on Sunday continuing through Monday.









Telluride:
As of 4:00pm November 5th, Telluride has already accumulated a staggering 27 inches of snow in just 24 hours. With only 21 days left until opening day with more snow in the forecast for Sunday, it is looking to be a promising season. Knock on wood.
Also new this season, Revelation Bowl will be serviced with a brand new high speed quad.

McCain comes to town

I heard from a friend that John McCain is coming to Durango Highschool on this friday, the 24th. It is his "Road to victory rally" and should be interesting to see who shows up, and to hear what he has to say to the people of Durango. I'd highly recommend trying to get out there and get involved with this great opportunity. The website for the information is www.colorado.johnmccain.com if you want to check out other information. This is the general information that is needed for anyone who wants to attend on Friday.
Road to Victory Rally: Friday October 24th in Durango, CO
What: Road to Victory Rally: Friday October 24th in Durango, CO

When: October 24, 2008 3:00 p.m.

Where: Durango High School Football Field
2390 Main Avenue
Durango, CO81301

Please join

Senator John McCain

for a Road to Victory Rally

in Durango, CO

Friday October 24th

Durango High School Football Field
2390 Main Avenue
Durango, CO 81301

Doors Open at 3:00 p.m.
Program begins at 5:00 p.m.

You may RSVP online and seats at the event are at a first come first serve basis. There will not be tickets issued for this event

Please click here to RSVP online for the event

Attendees to all events must pass through airport-like security. Please prepare accordingly.

Jokes Not Jabs

I found a video clip on www.chicagotribune.com of Obama and McCain at a NYC Dinner and found it amusing and refreshing to hear them both loosen up and have a good time. It was nice to see this, because after all these debates and these never-ending campaigns it is nice to see this finally all start winding down. Releasing tension between the two candidates through the use of humor, the two candidates exchanged clever one liners about eachother. After I saw the video clip it was clear that Obama is much more funny and appears more confident and put together, what a future president should look like.