While marijuana use has historically been considered a recreational drug that is used primarily by adolescents, it seems that many baby boomers that are approaching senior citizenship are picking up the habit. According to a survey that was conducted by the federal government, 2.9 percent of people older than the age of 50 use marijuana on a continual basis. The 2008 survey was a 53% increase over the 1.9 percent reported in 2002.
The extreme rise in marijuana use was most dramatic for those individuals between the ages of 55 and 59. In 2002 1.6 percent of people in that age group used marijuana. In 2008, that number went up almost 220 percent as 5.1 percent of people between the ages of 55 and 59 now use marijuana regularly. Experts believe that the number will continue to increase as more of the 78 million baby boomers reach old age.
The reason why so many baby boomers use this recreational drug compared to older individuals is because many of them used the drug when they were younger. People in that age bracket do not feel the same social stigma that comes with its use as older individuals do. For many, the largest hurdle in using the drug is the legal aspect.
Andrew Koenig is currently the center of an active missing person’s investigation. Most people will recognize him from his role as Richard “Boner” Stabone on the 80’s hit sitcom “Growing Pains.”
Recently Koenig sent a “despondent” letter to his parents. He has battled with depression for several years. His families concern intensified when he missed his flight from Vancouver, British Columbia to his home in Los Angeles, California last week. Prior to his trip, Koenig gave away several of his possessions and turned down opportunities for future employment. According to a family statement, Koenig claimed that he “wasn’t going to work anymore.” He was last seen at a bakery in Vancouver on Valentine’s Day. Police have cell phone records that indicate Koenig made a phone call from the Stanley Park area two days after he was last seen.
The police believe that Koenig is still in the Vancouver area. He lived there from 1989-92. Friends of the actor state that Koenig referred to Vancouver as his true home.
On Tuesday, Koenig’s parents will fly to Vancouver in order to assist in the search. Walter Koenig, Andrew’s father, starred as Pavel Chekov on the original “Star Trek” television series and movies.
The 1986 musical, Captain EO, starring the late Michael Jackson is making its return to the Disney Tommorrowland Theater. The 17 minute 3-D film that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by George Lucas, originally cost an estimated $30 million to create. The musical space adventure stars Jackson as a a spaceship captain that uses music to defeat an evil queen played by the Oscar winning actress Angelica Houston.
Heather Hust Rivera, a Disney executive, said via the Disney Park blog, that some slight changes have been made to the original show, which ran in the park from 1986 to 1997. The new 70mm print being shown will have enhanced sound, but the original smoke and laser effects that were part of previous presentation will be cut from the show. These effects combined with the 3-D film, had won the original production the title of the first “4-D” movie. Disney decided to bring back the space traveling King of Pop after the recent success of “This is It”, a movie featuring interviews and behind the scenes footage of Jackson. Captain EO is slated to play in the California theme park from February 23, 2010, to an undetermined date.
The man being dubbed “Granddad Bandit” is still on the loose, after having robbed numerous banks across at least ten different states over the past year. He is an older gentleman, probably between fifty and sixty years old, and the authorities just can’t seem to catch him.
The FBI is determined to catch the six-foot tall man, weighing between 210-230 pounds. Due to success of catching a serial bank robber last year through electronic billboards, they have decided to go that route again. The Granddad Bandit’s face will be plastered on electronic billboards in many different states, using pictures from surveillance cameras.
The bank robber’s typical method of robbery involves entering a bank and handing over a note demanding money. Some banks have said that he claims to have a weapon, while other reports show he was extremely polite and made it hard for the bank tellers to realize he was serious about robbing the bank.
Regardless of his either threatening or surprisingly calm, kind way of trying to rob banks, the FBI is hoping to put an end to his charade. There is also a $10,000 reward for any information that may lead to the arrest of the man.
So we thought that we were in a recession? Well think again. Maybe things are not as bad as we thought if during these financially trying days we can hear about a comic book that once sold for ten little pennies has now broken all records and sold for $ 1,000,000.00. Yes that is a seven figure price tag just 72 years later.
It seems as if a well known industry autction site , Comic Connect.com handled the unbelievable sale between a private buyer and seller in just the first few minutes of the sale opening. I am speaking of what is called the “highest valued most sought after comic in the industry “. The 1938 Action Comic No 1 which is the first appearance of SuperMan. This comic is being referred to as ” The Holy Grail ” of comics. Apparently this is the sort of oppurtunity that does not come around very often.
Of course other popular sought after comics have sold for prices in the $400,000 range , but this record breaking purchase is a first. You may be wondering what makes this comic worth this kind of money? Well, there is believed to be only hundreds of this particular comic in existence, but very few in this condition. It is totally unrestored and in high qualtiy condition. On a scale of 1 – 10 with 10 being perfect, this one was rated and 8.0 which is virtually unheard of.
So if you are like me then your mind is taking you back to the days where we would read a comic book and then just toss it out with the daily trash. We could have been throwing out a million bucks !!!
In recent years, legendary actor Jon Voight has become as well known for his estrangement from his daughter, Angelina Jolie, as for his numerous movies. The actress and her father are reconciling after seven years of public feuding and estrangement. The father and daughter were photographed together in Venice, where 34 year-old Jolie is filming her latest movie, “The Tourist”, which also stars Johnny Depp.
The longstanding feud began in 2001, after Voight made a television appearance and spoke of Jolie’s “serious mental problems”. Jolie was furious with her father since she had recently adopted her first child, Maddox, and felt that the statements put the adoption in jeopardy. That year was also the last time the two were seen together, as co-stars in the movie “Tomb Raider”. In 2002, Jolie legally changed her name from Angelina Jolie Voight by dropping Voight from her full name.
However, recently the 71 year-old Voight has been in touch with Jolie, and has said they have been trying to mend their relationship since 2007. The trip to Venice was the first time they have been seen publicly together, alongside Jolie’s partner, actor Brad Pitt, and their six children. The family enjoyed sightseeing together in Italy.
Thomas Beatie Pregnant With Third Child
Thomas Beatie shocked the world when he became the first pregnant man back in 2008. Beatie was born a woman but underwent partial gender reassignment surgery, making him a man legally. Beatie underwent the surgery in order to legally wed his wife Nancy in the state of Oregon.
His wife was not able to carry a pregnancy after undergoing a hysterectomy. The couple desperately wanted children of their own and opted for Beatie to carry the pregnancies. Beatie kept his internal reproductive organs during his reassignment surgery making it possible for him to carry a child. The couple faced countless obstacles in their quest to become pregnant. They resorted to buying sperm from a sperm bank and doing home insemination.
Their first attempt ended in a life threatening ectopic pregnancy that cost Beatie his right ovary. The couple did not give up hope and were rewarded with the birth of their daughter in June of 2008. July 2009 the couple welcomed a son into their rapidly growing family. In what would seem to be extremely private information, the couple has revealed that Beatie gave birth naturally, which has led to even more scrutiny.
The 35 year old Beatie is pregnant with their third child due in July of this year. His 46 year old wife will be breastfeeding this child as she did with the first two. The couple has been condemned repeatedly for their choices and many choose not to recognize Beatie as a man, but as a lesbian woman living as a man.
While it may seem that Kim Kardashian could not possibly find a new way to stay in the media spotlight, she apparently found a new way while she was 30,000 feet above ground. Kardashian was apparently sitting on an airplane next to a man and during conversation the man admitted that he was in fact an air marshal on the flight.
Later, while on the flight and connected to a wireless network, Kardashian accessed her twitter account and updated her followers that she was on a flight from New York to LA and that she felt safe because she was sitting next to Jim the air marshal. Kardashian further stated that she figured out that he was the air marshal and that he eventually admitted to being on post.
While this incident may appear to be relatively innocent, Kardashian may in fact have gotten the air marshal into quite a bit of trouble. All air marshals are required to keep their identity hidden unless there is reason for them to make their identity known. At this point it is unclear as to whether Jim the air marshal was actually an air marshal or if he was just teasing the young model.
Debra Media is running to become the Governor of Texas.
Medina ran as a Republican in order to gain more exposure for her views regarding economic policy and the way she feels government should function. She went on Glenn Beck’s radio show because he largely agrees with her economic viewpoints.
He did feel the need to ask her whether 9/11 was a government conspiracy. She was unable to directly answer the question at the time she appeared on the show. Medina said she wanted to defend people’s rights to question things. After the show was over and she realized the answer may hurt her electorally she decided to put out a statement saying there was no government involved in 9/11.
Debra Medina has been a longtime Libertarian activist in the state of Texas. She was influential in organizing and raising money for the Presidential candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul of Texas.
Ron Paul and many of his supporters have taken the time to really question the wisdom of the United States and its foreign policy.
This also means that some people who have latched on to the advocacy of Ron Paul also question whether the United States government was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
This past December, NDP leader Jack Layton vowed ‘to win’ cancer battle, but at this time he was unable to fulfill his very first public event since he first made the announcement that he was being treated for prostate cancer.
A Saturday appearance was to have occurred at a building where people of the Sikh faith come to worship. The Saturday event at which Layton was to have appeared was a planned celebration for a Brampton publication entitled, Road News.
According to Layton’s top spokesperson the NDP leader was simply not in the condition needed for travel at this point, but he did not say whether or not the problem was related to the prostate cancer, or to the treatment that Layton is presently receiving. This was to have been the first time for the public to have seen and heard the popular leader in more than a month.
Less than 2 months ago the headlines about “59 year old Layton vowing ‘to win’ cancer battle” were making the rounds through all media outlets in the country. Now the public is beginning to wonder whether the disease is worse than what they are being told.
Jack Layton made a personal phone call to Jagtar Shergill who was also on the roster of speakers listed for the Saturday celebration in which he made apologies for having to cancel at the last moment. Shergill arranged for the voice mail on his phone to be broadcast over the microphones so all in attendance could hear Layton’s voice as he bowed out of the event.
At this point the Layton family is hoping to keep all of the details about the prostate cancer prognosis and treatment private. Layton’s wife is Olivia Chow who is the NDP MP, and she herself is well known for having had to battle with a type of thyroid cancer in years past. According to a spokesman Jack and Olivia Layton will be attending a special fundraiser that will be held in Toronto shortly. This event is one that is being planned in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Hopefully it will also be to celebrate a new year of hope, happiness and health for Jack Layton as well.