if you could only stop your heartbeat
for one heartbeat


Nina Glaser, For Meaning or Other Such Quests II, 2005

* From Harper's May 2009:

-- Estimated percentage of Bush Administration apointees who are currently unemployed: 70

-- Percentage change last year in the total net worth of Russia's ten wealthiest individuals: -68

-- Average number of books about Abraham Lincoln release every week since 2007: 1

-- Gallons of coal ash released into a Tennessee rive last December by a power plant: 1,100,000,000

-- Factor by which this exceeds the volume of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez: 101

* Former Police Chief's thoughts: Marijuana v. Alcohol. excerpt:

"Hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur annually. There has never been a single recorded marijuana OD fatality.

"According to the American Public Health Association, excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death in this country. APHA pegs the negative economic impact of extreme drinking at $150 billion a year.

"There have been no documented cases of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker, nor has pot been scientifically linked to any type of cancer. (Don't trust an advocate's take on this? Try the fair and balanced coverage over at Fox.) Alcohol abuse contributes to a multitude of long-term negative health consequences, notably cirrhosis of the liver and a variety of cancers.

"While a small quantity, taken daily, is being touted for its salutary health effects, alcohol is one of the worst drugs one can take for pain management, marijuana one of the best."