California to Collect Sales Tax on Medical Marijuana...

The latest figures that are circulating suggest that the State of California is collecting somewhere between USD 58 million and USD 105 million in tax revenue on medical marijuana sales of between USD 700 million to USD 1.3 billion. First things first, USD 1.3 billion in retail sales of medical marijuana is a whole stack of wacky weed being smoked to ease and alleviate the pain and trauma

Eating in Yountville

Bored as I am with being convalescent and house-bound, it occurs to me that this would be the perfect time to dip back into vacation memories. Sadly, while I take notes when we travel to Europe, I didn't bother in California, assuming, I guess, that I could surely remember for a trip of only one week. Sadly, my memory is not even up to that. Pater's isn't much better. But we did resurrect three

Save Ferris...

I recall that I enjoyed Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I also enjoy this version of "Come on Eileen" by Save Ferris. Is it as good as the original by Dexy's Midnight Runners? You can be the judge of that.I am not really sure that I have ever been into Ska Bands, or even ska bands out of Orange County in California, but Monique Powell is a fabulous singer (in my opinion). Let's face it, I have only

Northern California, Second Graders, and Oral Sex...

Yes, if you are shaking your head at the title of this post, then you are not alone. As I read through the article that I found on Yahoo earlier, and which forms the basis for this post, I was shaking my head too and wondering how it is that this sort of behaviour can happen.The story originates out of Markham Elementary School in Oakland. The principal was forced to notify parents that a teacher

California: "Superstorm"...

Australia has been subject to some pretty catastrophic flooding over the past month, particularly in Queensland and more recently in Victoria. So, it was with interest that I read this story about a California "Superstorm". At first, the story reads like an overview for an 'end of days' or 'apocalyptic' end of the world film. Yet, the further one reads the more serious and real sounding it

Arnold Schwarzenegger Drops a Cool USD 200 Million...

Ah, the lives of the rich and famous!I like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is in many ways the embodiment of success and to all intents and purposes representative of "living the American Dream". I am almost certain that there are many who disagree with me, but after all it is my blog and I can hold whatever opinion I like :)I have always admired those who choose to go into public service. There is no

Miley Cyrus and the Salvia Sessions...

I have to offer my sincere thanks to Ms. Miley Cyrus for reminding me of this interesting Mexican herb with the hallucinogenic properties. I wrote a couple of blog posts on Salvia way back when. Salvia is illegal in Australia with respect to possession for the purposes of smoking it and getting stoned. Australia was one of the first, if not the first, countries to ban salvia. However, my

Mavericks Comp goes off, huge surf, huge characters, great vibe!

HALF MOON BAY, Calif.--The final round of the Maverick Surf Contest brought together six of the world’s best surfers, who battled the 40-foot waves for more than $30,000 purse, but in the beginning of the final round the finalists said it was for the love of surfing and promised to split the purse no matter who won, said 2008 champion Greg Long from San Clemente, California.The final six charged