The Fort Greene Observatory

Hurricane Sandy barely touched Fort Greene. Trees were knocked down in the park and the internet service has been off for a day, otherwise this neighborhood weathered the storm with ease. We are 120 feet above sea level. Coney Island and the other low-lying areas of city were not so lucky. Lower Manhattan remains without power. Yesterday I bicycled over the Manhattan Bridge to Chinatown. The queues for the Fung Wah bus were around the block. Enterprising merchants were charging phones and computers with portable generators. A few restaurants were selling food outside on the sidewalk, however they were swiftly closed by health inspectors. The Tombs were open for business and I saw two white people led intot the criminal court by cops. The only reports of looting have come from Coney Island. The greater threat are gangs of organized criminals seeking to hit the most ravaged sections of the city. Most of them will be wearing a uniform. Be careful, people. The Fort Greene Observatory will be watching.

Reefer IQ

While searching for US arrests for marijuana I discovered this test from FRONTLINE. I got all the answers right. My IQ for weed is very most excellent. 1. Under which president have more people been arrested for marijuana crimes? a) Ronald Reagan b) George Bush c) Bill Clinton 2) What's the breakdown for marijuana arrests -- for dealing or for possessing pot? a. 90% for dealing, 10% for possession b. 60% for dealing, 40% for possession c. 30% for dealing, 70% for possession d. 15% for dealing, 85% for possession 3) How much money was spent battling drugs in 1997? a. $800 million b. $8 billion c. $60 billion d. $15 billion 4) What percentage of people in federal prisons are serving time for cannabis crimes? a. 70% b. 45% c. 25% d. 10% 5) What percent of federal marijuana crimes involved a weapon? a. 92% b. 50% c. 23% d. 8% 6) Growing 101 marijuana janga plants will get you a longer sentence than which other Federal crimes? a. manslaughter b. assault c. kidnapping 7. How many states have a life sentence for marijuana crimes? a. none b. two c. thirteen d. forty-one 8) How many people smoke pot every day in America? a. roughly three million b. approximately eleven million c. about one million 9) Marijuana is growing stronger as agricultural science advances. How many joints would you have had to smoke in 1974 to equal one joint today? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 10. How much does an average pound of marijuana cost? a. $100 b. $350 c. $800 d. $8000 There are the answers mostly from 1996, which means thing are more fucked up than ever. 1. c. Bill Clinton. Nearly 642,000 people were arrested for marijuana related crimes in 1996 (This represents an 80% increase since 1990.) 2) d. 85% were arrested in 1996 for possession; 15% were arrested for selling. 3) d. It's estimated that some $15.1 billion was spent in 1997 on the drug war (out of a total federal budget in '97 of $1.6 trillion.) 4) c. Between Oct 1995 and Oct 1996, marijuana offenses represented nearly 25% of all federal sentences. 5) d. 8% of federal marijuana cases involved a weapon (statistics are from Oct 1995-Oct 1996). 6) b. 101 plants will can get you a 5-year mandatory federal sentence. No parole. You would be in prison longer than if you were convicted of assault. crime sentence in months murder 296 months kidnapping 180 months marijuana (10 year min)* 120 months sexual abuse 67 months marijuana (5 year min)** 60 months avg: marijuana sentence 42 months assault 34 months manslaughter 27 months fraud 13 months *10 year mandatory minimum for marijuana (growing more than 1000 plants = 120 months ** 5 year mandatory minimum for marijuana (growing more than 100 plants = 60 months) 7. c. In at least thirteen states you can get a life sentence for marijuana. 8) a. A 1992 study by the National Institute for Drug Abuse found that roughly 3 million Americans smoked pot everyday; another 2 million smoked once a month; and some 12 million smoked pot once a year. 9) d. According to a 1997 U.S. Dept. of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration report, you have to smoke four joints to equal just one grown today. 10. c. The average price of a pound of marijuana was $800, in 1996. Depending on quality, however, a pound could range from $350 for homegrown to $8,000 for high grade sensimilia. Free the Weed To view BUSTED on Frontline please go to this URL

Permanent Record

My permanent record began with my name written in the birth certificate from Boston's Lying-In Hospital. Vaccination dates were added in my childhood without my knowledge, however the nuns of Our Lady of the Foothills were fast to warn their students that any wrongdoings in the classroom were indelibly noted in our 'permanent records'.

I was smart. I knew what permanent meant. Permanent was forever.

I tried to be good and my classmates tried to be good, but a chasm existed between our view of good and the nun's irrefutable good. Talking in class, passing notes, looking at the ceiling, reading ahead of the lesson were written into a notebook, which was locked in the teacher's desk at the end of the class day. Any transgressions outside of school were to be confessed to the priest, but none of us snitched out our souls.

Permanent records were stacked in the principal's office with transcripts filled with our name, address, births, grades, test scores, IQ tests, honors, awards, sports achievements et al.

State laws require schools to save records almost forever. California says "perpetually" or "indefinitely," and Illinois is satisfied with 60 years. Mine must be someplace in Boston gathering dust with the rest of the baby boomers' permanent records. I was a good student according to the report cards saved by my mother, so I'm not to worried about my childhood history, however I've skated on both sides of the law since graduating from Our Lady of the Foothills.

A movie actor friend of mine was filming in Louisiana's Angola Prison and asked over the phone whether I had ever been behind bars.

"Three times and the longest was for a few hours." The longest was following an arrest for working at the Jefferson, an after-hour club run by the famed prince of the night Arthur Weinstein. "I'm not a criminal really."

My friend didn't argue my status and after he hung up I went online to http://www.instantcheckmate.com and entered my name into their search engine.

My name is common and this warning popped up on the screen:

NOTICE: This site contains real arrest records dating back several decades. Please use caution when conducting a search to ensure all the information entered is accurate. Learning the truth about the history of your friends and family can be shocking, so please be cautious when using this tool.

A minute passed before the my arrest record appeared with hundreds of other names.

Nothing.

I had no arrest record in the USA.

And that's the type of permanent record that I intend of preserving to the end of my days.

Headlines of Pattaya

City officials are constantly announcing clean-ups of Pattaya. Drug busts, gambling raids, crackdowns on bars, and arrests of criminal farangs have garnered the local headlines for years without progress, mostly the small timers are inspired by the truly majestic demeanor of the corrupt elite lining their pockets with kickbacks, bribes, and illegal take-overs. Decent Thais and farangs are amazed at the democracy of venality, although some critics are quick to support the system, since sin-bons or greasing the palm expedites progress. The Pattaya Mail online vainly attempts to portray Pattaya as a city in transition, however its rival pattayaone.com spares no indignity as witness by this week's headlines. They certainly paint a Hogarthian tableau ie ugly social picture. Food vendor injured in 200,000 Baht street robbery in Sattahip Four private cars belong to Police, damaged at Central Festival Pattaya Beach Confusion over suspected drugging incident at Sattahip Karaoke Bar & Motel 50,000 Baht necklace snatch in South Pattaya Singaporean suspect in 9 Million Baht car theft case, arrested by Pattaya Police 500,000 Baht theft from Australian-owned South Pattaya apartment complex 17 year old Transsexual arrested following South Pattaya theft from English Tourist Two Gay Bar employees drugged and robbed at Central Pattaya Love Motel Depressed karaoke Bar employee threatens to jump off South Pattaya apartment roof Four rented motorbikes stolen from shop in Jomtien 9 Million Baht car stolen from North Pattaya Hotel car-park 98 Million Baht Banglamung Hospital extension opened by Deputy PM 10 drug suspects caught at South Pattaya Police Checkpointd 40 “Coconut Ghosts” removed from Pattaya Beach by Police Japanese victim of Central Pattaya transsexual bag snatch 10 suspected drug users caught at North Pattaya Police Checkpoint Gun and drugs seized from suspected drug dealer in South Pattaya Not all the news is bad. Nong Nooch Gardens celebrates recent Gold Medal win at Chelsea Flower Show For the third year in a row, Nong Nooch Gardens based in Jomtien won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show which took place in London between 22nd and 26th May. We revealed the win last month but on Friday Night an official press. And even more happily the police reported the recovery of that 9 million baht car of the well-loved son of the naval officer. All in a week's work for the boys in brown.