Mini Musing: Blogging on the go

Checking out mobile blogging for the first time. It's amazing just how far technology has come in my own lifetime. Nice to know that no matter where you are, your never out of touch. On the other hand, we do tend to get carried away. Having so much information availible at a moments notice can be overwhelming. It's important to remember that it's OK to disconnect every once in a while.

Old Golfer Makes Luckiest Shot Ever

According to the St. Petersburg Times, a 92 year old golfer named Leo E. Fiyalko just made his first hole-in-one after playing the sport for over 60 years, but that's not what makes this newsworthy. Fiyalko is legally blind thanks to a condition known as macular degeneration. Says the article,"(Fiyalko) now has no vision in his left eye and can use only his peripheral vision in his right eye."

Some naysayers may like to point out that Fiyalko does tee off from the second closest tee to the hole, and it was only a par 3. Now, I'm not too shabby a golfer myself, having started playing casually at 15, than taking professional lessons for 3 years. I have twenty-twenty vision, and I'm lucky if I make it on the green in one shot. Sure, he may have gotten lucky, but consider the fact that he's even able to find the green, let alone get his ball onto it. And he's legally blind!

Fiyalko, on the other hand, doesn't see the big deal, and actually finds all the attention he's been getting a little embarassing. All I can say is, my hat's off to you sir. I can only hope to play half as well as you can if and when I turn 92.

Vending Machine Dispenses Marijuana

Drugs keep getting more accesible, it seems. Las Angeles local Vincent Mehdizadeh has unveiled his latest creation, a large refrigerator-sized box that dispenses medical marijuana to anyone carrying an approved user's card. According to the Associated Press, anyone licesened in the state of California can prepay for their pot online, than take their card to any one of three vending machines and recieve their drugs.

Says Mehdizadeh, "convenient access, lower prices, safety, (and) anonymity" are just a few of the machines' benefits.

The machines are armored, and potential customers must belong to a registered database and provide fingerprint identification at the time of pickup.

Personally, I'm not too firm a believer in the benefits of medical marijuana. It all seems to me like people use their "conditions" as an excuse to get high without having to worry about jailtime. Interestingly enough, California state laws that allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes are directly at odds with federal laws that prohibit its use period.

Many proponents for the legalization of marijuana believe that its a harmless drug, but this is simply not true. Marijuana smokers, on average, inhale about three to five times more tar than tobacco smokers, putting them at serious risk for lung cancer, among other respritory diseases. Not to mention the added detrement of THC, the chemical in pot that allows for the feeling of euphoria, or "high". Sure, it may feel good, but prolonged usage can destroy the brain cells used to store memory.

When last I checked, "medicine" isn't supposed to make you worse.