Song in my head: Oh no, they say he’s got to go...Go go godzilla.....Blue Oyster Cult

WEIRD SHIT NEWS

Zell. Miller.

ALTER-ABLED NEWS

Medicare Costs to Rise Record 17 Percent

Medicare premiums for doctor visits are going up a record $11.60 a month next year. The Bush administration says the increase reflects a strengthened Medicare, while Democrats complain that seniors are being unfairly socked. LINK

So Totally Harsh

Medical marijuana's "poster child" attacks the new ganja ballot measure

Back in 1998, Stormy Ray was medical marijuana's mascot. When reporters wanted a flesh-and-blood argument in favor of that fall's initiative making Mary Jane a legal medicine for ailing Oregonians, proponents steered them to the 48-year-old, wheelchair-bound woman. Ray starred in wrenching TV commercials, describing how cannabis eased the agony of her multiple sclerosis.

Her barnstorming paid off: Oregon voters approved medical marijuana by a margin of more than 100,000 votes. Six years (and more than 10,000 registered medical-marijuana patients) later, Ray is back on the political warpath. But this time she's battling against former allies in the medicinal-pot movement. LINK

Stormy Ray's website is here.

A difference for the disabled alter-abled

Getting from point A to point B, preferably in style, has always been a passion for Michael Levine. He used to scream down California highways on a Harley-Davidson low rider. He had a penchant for flashy Mustang convertibles. For 23 years, he made his living selling cars.

But in 1993, when Levine became legally blind because of retinoskesis, a rare genetic condition, he had to turn in his keys. Now he relies on a white, folding cane. LINK