Massachusetts Questions 2 & 3 Explained

Since the election, I have received quite a few inquiries about the two Massachusetts Ballot Questions which passed, so I have decided to throw a quick overview together here.

Question 2 - Possession of Marijuana

The passing of Question 2 has replaced criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with civil penalties.  Basically, if you are caught with an ounce or less of marijuana, it will be confiscated and you will receive a citation (ticket) with a fine of $100.00.  Information regarding such a civil penalty will be excluded from the Massachusetts criminal record information system.  Individuals under the age of 18 will be required to participate in a drug awareness program within one year of if offense, however, if the individual is under the age of 17, possession of marijuana may be grounds for “delinquency proceedings.”  If the offender fails to file a certificate that the offender has completed the required drug awareness program with a Clerk of the appropriate Court, than a hearing will be held to determine if the fine should be increased from $100.00 to $1,000.00.

City and towns are not permitted to impose any form of penalty, sanction, or disqualification on an offender for possessing one ounce or less of marijuana.  Possession of one ounce or less of marijuana may not be used as an excuse to deny you student financial aid, public housing, or any form of public financial assistance including unemployment benefits, to deny the right to operate a motor vehicle, or to disqualify the offender from serving as a foster or adoptive parent.

It is important to note the definition of possession, so I shall quote directly from the text of Question 2:

“As used herein, “possession of one ounce or less of marihuana” includes possession of one ounce or less of marihuana or tetrahydrocannabinol and having cannabinoids or cannibinoid metabolites in the urine, blood, saliva, sweat, hair, fingernails, toe nails or other tissue or fluid of the human body.”

While possession of one ounce or less of marijuana is no longer a criminal offense, driving under the influence still is.  Selling, manufacturing, or trafficking marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) also remains within the realm of criminal offense.  While somewhat ambiguously written, I believe that employers are free to enforce “drug free” policies, so clarification of this point should be made before putting one’s employment at risk.  Unlawful possession of prescription forms of marijuana or THC such as Marinol is still a criminal offense.

Cities and towns WILL be able to enact ordinances which ban the public use of marijuana or THC, and additional penalties for violating such a ban if one exists.

The new law will go into effect 30 days after the Secretary of the Commonwealth certifies the election results with the Governor’s Council, which ordinarily meets in late November.  Happy New Year everyone!

Question 3 - Dog Racing

The passing of Question 3 imposes a ban on dog racing or racing meeting upon which betting or wagering occurs, and becomes effective on January 1, 2010.  The State Racing Commission will be prohibited from accepting or approving any application or request for racing dates for dog racing.  Any person who violates the ban could be required to pay a civil penalty (fine) of no less than $20,000.00.  The fine could end up being higher.

New Kids On The Block? Not quite.

New Kids Comeback?  Why?

As some of you may already know, the original boy band “New Kids On The Block” has comeback from the dead to haunt the world with lame lyricks and fancy prancing.  To say that I have lost some of my faith in humanity as a result, would be an understatement.  I couldn’t stand “NKOTB” the first time around, and after forcing myself to sit through watching one of their new music videos, I actually felt embarrassed for them.  I am not sure if they were trying to parody their younger “image”, or if they are introducing the next big fad:  “Creepy Man-Boy Band”. Why, after all these years, come back now?  Did the group get together for drinks one night, and decide they missed the glory days?

What’s in a name? Not so New Kids.

It’s one thing for a bunch of guys rapidly approaching their forties to group up and rock out.  It’s a whole different bag of wax for a group of guys rapidly approaching their forties to prance about while calling themselves kids, however.  And they aren’t new to the block anymore, they’ve been around it enough times by now to give reliable directions.

Perhaps a new name could better reflect their current status.  “Been Around The Block”, “New Kids No More”, “Elder Block”, or even “Please Don’t Forget Us” come to mind.

Potty Mouth! Potty Mouth!

One thing I noticed while watching that awful music video, was a rather noticible move away from the relatively innocent “teeny bopper” theme of the late 80’s/early 90’s.  The lyricks were just as flaming cheesy, but the subject matter and verbage describing it were definitely not kid friendly.  While I couldn’t stand “NKOTB” before, the attempt to sell their rehash by slathering it with sexual references and innuendo push my respect for them from zero into tripple digit negatives.  If a product can’t stand on its own without needing to “naughty it up”, then it’s worthless.

NKOTB was never cool.

Why “NKOTB” ever reached the level of fame they did will forever be a mystery to me.  Then again, I will never understand why people don’t get the idea that burning all of the fossil fuel on Earth is a bad idea.  It should be interesting to see how well recieved they are this time around.  Times have changed since 1994.  It’s a whole different scene these days.

Will the “New Kids On The Block” renew their fame and fortune?  Or will their reunion burn out like an old lightbulb left on for far too long?  I’m banking on the latter, but stranger things have happened.

- New Kids On The Block image used with permission: http://tinyurl.com/5klsl4

Roasted Marshmallows

Have you ever experienced a roasted marshmallow? I don’t mean simply having eaten one.   I mean really living the experience.  A properly roasted marshmallow takes a bit of time, effort, and patience to pull off.  It isn’t something you can just rush into.  A truly well roasted marshmallow is a commitment.

Preparing your marshmallow roast

If you are going to roast a marshmallow, you are going to need a few things.  Let’s go over the list, shall we?

• Marshmallows
• Skewers (the longer the better)
• Fireplace
• Quality firewood
• Tinder
• Matches

Now, this list might seem a little exhaustive for a seemingly simple task like roasting marshmallows, but you will definitely see a difference in the end result by using substandard supplies.  When purchasing marshmallows, make sure they move freely in the bag.  If the marshmallows stick together, or to the bag, chances are they were stored in an overly warm environment, and you will have a struggle on your hands.  Literally.  The marshmallows will be difficult to remove from the bag, and you will end up with sticky sweetness all over your fingers.

You will need a place to have a fire.  Whether it is your fireplace in your living room, or a fire-pit in your back yard, you will need a place to burn wood without fear of the fire department coming to say hello.  Personally, I prefer to roast my marshmallows outdoors.  The best scenario is to place stones or bricks around 3 sides of the fire, the last open side facing you.  This will help radiate the heat from the fire, giving you some added warmth from the fire, and providing more even heat for roasting marshmallows.

You should use metal skewers when roasting marshmallows.  If you are doing everything correctly, wooden skewers are not very practical as they have a chance to ignite.  Cheap wooden skewers will sometimes leave wood in the marshmallow, and thus presents a bit of a safety issue.  I have had to remove a splinter from someone’s gum before, and it’s not a pleasant experience for either party.  Not only do metal skewers survive the intense heat of a properly stoked marshmallow roasting fire, they are reusable.  It’s never a good idea to reuse wooden skewers.

Do not use damp, moldy, or rotten wood for cooking anything, especially foods you are going to hold close to the wood and flames.  Damp wood does not burn very well, and may give you trouble getting started.  Moldy or rotten wood many contaminate your food with icky badness.  You want to use dry wood, free of paint or other artificial chemicals.  DO NOT BURN PRESSURE TREATED WOOD!  Wood that has been treated to prevent rot and infestation contains chemicals which are toxic.

If at all possible, do not use newspaper, magazines, or other printed paper to start a fire you plan to cook with.  The inks and paper used in industrial printing may contain chemicals you do not want in your food.  Your best bet is to use natural tinder such as birch bark.  The bark of a birch tree is loaded with natural oils which make it burn rather well, and it will burn easily fresh from the tree.  Dry grass or hay can work, however, you won’t get the same length length of burn from it, and your kindling (very small sticks) many not catch fire on the first few attempts.  If you do use paper, try to use paper without ink.

I prefer to use wooden matches when lighting a campfire, since the matchsticks can be a big help in lighting your tinder and helping it stay lit long enough to ignite the kindling.  Once you have your fire going, you will need to burn a few pieces of wood to get a nice hot coal bed.

Marshmallows are flammable!

When roasting a marshmallow, it is important to remember that they are rather flammable and very easy to burn.  It only takes a couple of seconds to turn a white and fluffy marshmallow into a bright orange flaming ball of napalm.  If you do manage to set your marshmallow on fire, do NOT wave it back and forth to put the flames out.  The marshmallow could fly off your skewer and hit someone.  They are sticky, and difficult to pull off of someone when they are burning.  Just blow them out like they were a birthday candle.

One mistake many people make when they first begin learning to roast marshmallows, is to put them directly into or above flames.  This greatly increases the chances of burning or igniting your marshmallow.  What you want to do is hold the marshmallow near the bed of hot coals, and rotate it.  Try to hold it in such a way that the sides of the marshmallow receive the greatest amount of heat.  It is very easy to roast the top, while the sides and bottom remain relatively unfazed.  And if you see it start to smoke, pull it out!  It is only a second or two away from bursting into flames when you see it begin to smoke.

Roasted marshmallows are hot.

Once you have achieved a nice golden brown color, your marshmallow is done.  But before you go popping it into your mouth, you need to give it a chance to cool.  The marshmallow’s core is very hot and very sticky.  Eating it too soon after roasting can be dangerous.

Be sure to NEVER eat the marshmallow while it is still on the skewer.  The metal skewer may be hotter than the marshmallow, and I don’t think you want to brand your face with it.  And, of course, there i always the danger of biting the skewer and breaking a tooth.

Happiness in a plastic bag

This really is a rough guide to marshmallow roasting.  The art of campfire building comes into play for the hardcore roasted marshmallow enthusiast, but that’s an article for another day.  In the meantime, practice your roasting techniques!  And remember, if you are able to build a fire, you are able to roast marshmallows.  No need to save the activity for camping trips, dig yourself a fire-pit in the backyard, and get roasting!  Marshmallows are happiness in a plastic bag, and guaranteed to make anyone smile.

- Image used with permission:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/8136496@N05/2208818725/

Movie Pick: Hancock

I watched Hancock last night, and I rather enjoyed the experience…  check it out over at TheBigScreener.com:

http://www.thebigscreener.com/2008/10/hancock-2008/