Live and Let Be?

Marijuana, hash, pot, grass, weed, Mary Jane, ganja...

The list goes on and on. And the discussions about marijuana go on and on as well. Should it be legal or not? Should we let people sell it for medicinal purposes? If we do, who should prosecute if that privilege is abused? How much is too much?

While I myself am not a pot smoker for my own personal reasons, I live in a city (Austin) where it is very prevalent. Plenty of my friends smoke it, maybe not on a regular basis but it is not unusual to see it at parties. To me it isn't really a big deal because I have been around it for so long, but I think it is definitely not something to be overlooked.

This notion was confirmed last night when I watched an A&E Special Presentation called "Pot City" in which a small town in northern California called Arcata is highlighted. The town which was once a very quaint, quiet, and rather crime-free place to live has now turned into a haven for marijuana growers. Almost 10% (about 1,000) of the towns 7,000 homes have been turned into pot homes, which then become no longer inhabitable after the pot growers move out.

Not only is pot being harvested in homes, but it is illegally being planted in state parks and timber company properties. The new culture that has evolved from this massive pot business has led many of the residents to live in fear because of the crime that goes along with selling pot.

After watching this I had to ask myself...how can people say that this drug is harmless? I highly disagree. In this town, the amount of house fires has greatly increased, putting a strain on resources. Also, police department resources are strained because they are having to deal with crime that was never there before. A town that was basically a haven, an oasis, is not plagued with crime. You call that harmless?

I encourage you to read about this documentary and follow with all the talks in Congress about marijuana enforcement. Here is a link to the new bill passed in which Obama says he will not prosecute medical marijuana users and distributors as long as they are within state regulations.

Welcome Back Kevin!

I know there has been a lot of buzz about the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder game at the Frank Erwin Center tonight.

For one, we don't have our own NBA team here in Austin so this game is an exciting change from our college games, especially since it is featuring a local favorite, the San Antonio Spurs. Also, and I think more importantly, Kevin Durant will be making his BIG return to Austin since leaving the Horns to embark on his NBA career. He started out with the Seattle Supersonics, and since then has come a little closer to home, playing with the newly franchised Oklahoma City Thunder.

Anyways, this is not a piece about Kevin or to get you to go to the game (all though you should because tickets are not expensive and it will be awesome!), but more of my own little blurb. I am kind of bummed because I work at the Erwin center in the marketing department, and part of my job is to work the events that we book. So when I heard about the game I was SUPER excited because I am a HUGE NBA fan. One of my saved tabs on my computer is NBA.com. I really wanted to be at the game tonight, to see Kevin and Tony Parker and Tim Duncan and Manu UP CLOSE ( I mean I have been to a Spurs game before when they played my home team the Houston Rockets) but never really close.

So have fun all of you that will be there. Give a shout out to Kevin for me. I will be in class, filling my head with lots of knowledge that is extremely important I will admit. You win some you loose some.Photo courtesy of pacejmiller.wordpress.com

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

I feel like everywhere I go there is some new celebrity endorsed product. It is not enough these days for an actor to be just an actor, a singer to be a singer, or a fashion designer to focus purely on fashion. Celebrities are constantly taking their "celebrity" and using it slap their name on some product.

So that brings me to my topic for today: Where do we draw the line? From wines, to foods, to clothing lines, to jewelery lines, to shoes, to restaurants, celebrities now days are going into many other business ventures to "brand themselves" as they call it. But honestly, are they just cluttering the already crowded marketplace with products they may or not be of good quality just because they can? Are they robbing people who have real talent of their opportunities because they have the resources and the name?

In my opinion, yes. When I read my celebrity news (which is every day) it seems as if some celebrity is coming out with a new clothing line. O but theirs has a twist to it. Maybe it is affordable for all...well we already have about five of those...I can name them off the top of my head right now. Issac Mizrahi for Target, Miley Cyrus and Mary Kate and Ashely Olson's both have lines in Wal-mart, and now Lauren Conrad has come out with a more affordable line of her $250 cotton dresses.

Outside of the fashion world, celebrities are dabbling in the food world. Countless celebrities are opening restaurants all over the country. This I don't have as much of a problem with, since it is not necessarily Jennifer Lopez back in the kitchen cooking. However, when Dan Aykroyd comes out with a line of wines, I have got to say something. His wines were actually featured on Gary Vaynerchuck's Wine Library TV series the other day (which somewhat prompted this post), and needless to say they were kind of a dissappointment. Let's leave the winemaking to those that know it best.

http://tv.winelibrary.com/2009/09/29/tasting-celebrity-wines-episode-744/

So what are your thoughts? Do you buy things because a celebrity's name is on it? Do you endorse celebrity products? Do you think real talent is being overshadowed by celebrities?

I'm interested so let me know!