Just the facts: Understanding Question 2

On Nov. 4 Massachusetts residents voted to pass the Sensible Marijuana Initiative with a 65 percent majority. Question 2, as it was known on the voting ballot, has been controversial throughout the ballot process, yet seems to be misunderstood by many.

According to the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, the Massachusetts decriminalization initiative will “amend the current criminal statuses so that adults possessing an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use would receive a simple $100 fine,” though it would still “maintain current penalties for selling, growing, and trafficking marijuana, as well as the prohibition against driving under the influence of marijuana.”

In contrast, the Coalition for Safe Streets, a group opposing Question 2, claims that “by effectively legalizing marijuana use and possession of significant amounts of the drug, Question 2 clears the way for the retailing of marijuana in our communities. It emboldens and enables drug dealers to operate with minimal fear of criminal prosecution.”

Throughout their website they refer to the “costs of legalizing marijuana,” and the grave effects it would have on our communities.

Information from both sides seems to have sparked confusion with the general public over what exactly this new law will mean, when it will be enacted, and who it affects. For example, on the popular Web site Yahoo! Answers, user Ryan G. asked, “Now that marijuana is legal, what has changed over there? Or is it more symbolic? Can it actually be bought in stores? Did it become cheaper?” Others informed Ryan of his mistake, mainly as to how decriminalization does not mean legalization, however these questions are not uncommon.

Though Melissa Downing, a resident assistant at the University of Massachusetts, understands what the new law means, she says that she has heard many others who have their facts wrong. Despite this, Downing feels that students will still carry on as they always have.

“Even if they are confused by the law, residents know that they are not allowed to smoke in the building,” said Downing. “So, if anything, it might add to more people smoking outside in the open instead of being concealed.”

According to a press release put out by the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “This proposed law would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations, and would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state’s criminal record information system. Offenders age 18 or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100.”

In the summary, the press release disproves a claim by the Coalition for Safe Streets, by stating “the proposed law… would not affect existing laws, practices, or policies concerning operating a motor vehicle or taking other actions while under the influence of marijuana, unlawful possession of prescription forms of marijuana, or selling, manufacturing, or trafficking in marijuana.”
Nowhere, however, does it state exactly when this law will go into effect.

“There’s talk right now of potential slight delay in implementation of the law because there’s so many questions that haven’t been answered yet on how this is going to be carried out,” said Patrick Archbald, Deputy Chief of the UMass Police Dept.

Offered at a variety of Web sites, the coupons can get you a big savings on groceries, apparel or other products. Here’s a few of the sites:

Coupons.com – Coupons.com boasts 100 new coupons every week with as much as $90 saved on groceries. Plus, they’ve been around for a while, so you know the savings are real.

Valpack – You know the blue envelope clutters your mail? This is run by the same people. Although their coupons may not be as useful as coupons.com, they do offer some valuable savings on things such as Omaha Steaks and Vonage.

CouponCraze – I find it fitting to save the best for last. If you’re interested in saving money (particularly on clothing) look no further than CouponCraze. They have all the sales and offers listed from department stores to online retailers to gyms. If you want it, they’ve (most likely) got it.

Just remember, many of these savings are for certain items. So, if you have a coupon for Lox but can’t stand the taste of salmon, maybe the $2.50 you’d save on it really isn’t worth the price. With the economy in a recession, make sure you’re buying what you need.

Stay tuned for more out of The Black Lagoon…

- dave

One of the best ways to keep your number of savings cards down is to only sign up for stores that you frequent. Personally, I have CVS ExtraCare, Best Buy Reward Zone and the Stop & Shop Savings Card, to name a few. Any that I don’t use regularly, I keep in the back of my wallet or, if I’m running out of space, in my desk.

The best thing about these rewards programs is they’re free. With all I’ve listed above you can get instant savings at the register or coupons for later purchases, often for free or heavily discounted items. CVS’ program is really great (and somewhat creepy) because it keeps track of what you’ve purchased and gives you coupons for similar items.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is, more than likely, you’ll have to give these companies private information like your phone number or email address. I try and keep it a habit to not give this information out because I don’t know if they sell it to third parties or what. Your best bet, just draw a line through the field. Not once have I had an employee not finish enrolling me in a rewards program because I didn’t give an email address.

Stay tuned for more out out of The Black Lagoon…

- dave

Give up? Try Hulu.

Hulu, owned by NBC, is a youtube-esque web site devoted to television shows and movies. But don’t expect just NBC-owned programing, there are Fox, CBS and Comedy Central series, just to name a few. All shows can be viewed full screen with very minimal quality loss and the more popular shows are being broadcasted in high definition.

Another great feature of Hulu is it’s backstock of cancelled shows. One of my favorites growing up, Sliders, has 9 episodes available for viewing. Although there are more episodes available of current shows, it is nice to be able to watch throwbacks, at least once in a while.

Although there are a few advertisments in each show, it is a little price to pay for free entertainment. Consider the ever popular show House. With a network runtime of 60 minutes, anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes may be commercials. On Hulu, however, House has a significantly decreased runtime with around 2 minutes of commercials.

So, have a show you love but no time to watch it? Try Hulu when you do have time. The only downside – if you’re travelling out of the United States, you’re out of luck. Sorry Europe.

Stay tuned for more out of The Black Lagoon…

- dave

• Amazon – you can’t beat Amazon because of their huge selection. You can find anything from books to electronics to clothes, many at prices well below list. Also, another great feature of Amazon is the private sellers. Oftentimes, you can find used or new products at well below what even Amazon sells the for and with all transactions going through Amazon, you know your credit card number is safe.
• eBay – eBay is the ultimate in holiday gift destination – if you don’t mind bidding on your items. Because of its bidding format, purchases are often less than they’re worth. Another great thing abot eBay is the rare finds – if you have a vintage or antique junkie in your house, eBay is the place to shop.
• Bluefly – Have a friend that only wears designer? Instead of shelling out the big bucks at their web sites, check out Bluefly. Bluefly is the “fashionista” version of Amazon. Offering the best prices on everything from Burberry scarves to Dolce & Gabbana handbags to Prada suits, you can find anything and everything fashion related. Expect great deals here thoughout the year, especially until Christmastime.
• Half.com – Try half.com for all your dvd and video game shopping needs. A subsidary of eBay, Half offers books, dvds, video games, electronics, and (if you’re giving education holiday gifts) textbooks for (oftentimes) well below their list prices.

With all these web sites, although the do offer great deals on many things, you may be paying just as much, or more, as you would at an outlet store. So, if you’re located near an outlet strip mall, try price checking there first, before shopping online. Also, shopping in stores first gives you time to try clothing items on (especially with the more expensive items). And, a word to the wise, if you buy used, be ready for damaged packaging or hefty return fees.

Stay tuned for more out of The Black Lagoon…

- dave

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! OR GO TO STUDENT LEGAL SERVICES AND LEARN THEM.
By: Emma Reed, Alexa Marcigliano and David Humphreys

On November 11 attorney Charles J. DiMare spoke to students about their Fourth Amendment rights, and how to balance the power between students and police. The event was sponsored by the University Programming Council in an effort with Student Legal Services to inform students of their constitutional rights.
For a group of people who have run-ins with the police on a regular basis, college students, although well educated, are not well informed. For this reason the film Busted: The Citizens Guide to Surviving Police Encounters, which was shown during DiMare’s lecture, was created by Flex Your Rights and narrated by retired American Civil Liberties Union director Ira Glasser. The film depicts the pressure and confusion of common police encounters, and was created to inform young people about their rights as citizens.
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.” Basically, if there is no warrant or consent police can’t search your person or property. This is a pretty important law when living the occasionally illegal life of the college student, and surprisingly many students have no clue what it entails.
When asked about the Fourth Amendment Kaitlyn Reed said, “I don’t know which one that is. It is the right to bear arms?” This lack of knowledge about the Constitution isn’t uncommon. UMass Dartmouth alum Andrea Ventola didn’t know too much about the Fourth Amendment either, “Well, I know I can plead the Fifth, but I don’t know what the Fourth is; I don’t think you can plead it.”
DiMare, who has been director of student legal services at UMass for 30 years, has been pushing efforts to make sure UMass students are aware of their rights. DiMare has been accused by university officials of teaching students how to break the law. “I am not here to teach students how to break the law. I am teaching students what the law is,” DiMare said. “There is an overwhelming majority of searches that are conducted on college campuses illegally, and an overwhelming majority of students wouldn’t know the difference.”
Student Legal Services Office offers community legal education services covering a broad spectrum of legal issues. In the past, the office offered CLE services on subjects such as landlord/tenant law, constitutional rights, the university discipline system, consumer law, sexual harassment, use of false ID’s and other issues. The SLS also offers the Student Rights Advocate, which discusses legal issues that concern people in the university community. According to DiMare, he and the SLS are simply leveling the playing field to inform the uninformed.

• Fly at off-peak times - The cheapest time to fly is times when business people or vacationing families wouldn’t. Try Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursdays at either really early or really late times (or, sometimes during midday).
• Have a flexible schedule – Oftentimes, flights offered either one day earlier or later than your planned departure date will costs hundreds of dollars less.
• Shop around - Try contacting your local travel agent or do a search on a metasearch site (a site that only offers links to other web sites), such as Cheapflights. Not only does Cheapflights save money by showing you the lowest prices, but it also saves you time by searching the most popular travel sites for you.
• Book last minute – Most airlines will significantly lower the prices of tickets that don’t sell, sometimes as far as two weeks before the flight departs. These deals are often most easily accessed through Web sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline
• Watch out for fees and taxes – See a flight that’s so cheap it’s almost too good to be true? It probably is. I recently tried to book a flight for two to Germany through Iberia Air. Orbitz listed the flight as $195. Great. I selected it and looked at my total. Instead of a little under $400, with taxes and fees, the flight costs well over $1,200. Needless to say, I didn’t book it.

While this is by no means an endall list, it will help you get started in the right direction when finding airline tickets. Just remember, sometimes, for some destinations, it’s next to impossible to get cheap airfare. So, if you really want to go there, you may have to swallow your pride and dish out some cash.

Stay tuned for more out of The Black Lagoon…

-dave

For instance, take Hotels.com. Their rate for a room in Boston for one night is $125. After taxes and fees, it costs $149. Now, that may not be a bad deal for someone with some extra cash to spend but for those of us who try and save every penny, those fees are way too much. To get rid of the extra fees, the best way to deal is directly with the hotel, with a AAA card.

Without the AAA card, the room costs the same as Hotels.com, with the AAA card, your base price will bump down to $110 and, after $15 in taxes (no fees!) your price is up to the $125 listed on Hotels.com. The AAA savings truly outweighs its $50 cost. With discounts on shopping, air travel and roadside help, it seems to be one of the better ways to spend your money in today’s failing economy. Check it out if you haven’t yet.

Now, that isn’t to say you’ll always get the best prices directly from the hotel. By using services such as Hotels.com or Travelocity, you can oftentimes get a steal on last minute deals that hotels only offer to these companies. Hotels.com offers rooms for as low as $56/night, if you book within two weeks. If you’re going on a weekend trip, or just need to get away for a night, consider using these services instead. But, as always, shop around before you make any decisions.

Stay tuned for more out of The Black Lagoon…

-dave

The great thing about college sports is that they’re cheap. Real cheap. Oftentimes, student go for either free or a nominal price. Adults and other non-students have to pay a little more, never too much, for a game (unless you can borrow an ID from a friend).

When you’re there, try and find the student section – that’s where all the fun happens. Whether it’s the (often profane) chants or “booing” the other team it gives the game a whole new experience.

The great thing about the games aren’t just the chants, but the atmosphere. With semi-drunk students packed wall-to-wall, the overall excitement radiates throughout the entire venue.

So, if you live near a college campus, try visiting for a game or a night. If you aren’t near one, maybe it’s time to visit your alma mater.

• Buy, don’t rent. Rental companies (especially for elementary and high school students) charge exorbant fees for lackluster instruments. These “deals” that are usually offered through the school, are blatant rip-offs. Instead, search on eBay and you’re guaranteed to find a deal (I once bought a guitar on eBay for $100 less than Guitar Center was selling it for). Or, if you prefer to deal locally, try Craigslist. Either way, it may seem like more money now but buying rather than renting is a value in itself becasue, when you outgrow (or out perform) the current instrument, you can trade it in, which leads to the next point…
• Buy used. Just like cars, sometimes the best instruments are the used ones. Not only are they cheaper, but (minus a few dings) they are generally free from problems. Reputable instrument dealers will tune up all of their used instruments, if they’re selling a broken one and require you fix it through them, I would strongly suggest heading to another store.
• Not sure what you want to play? Try listening to your favorite music and determining what you like best. Vocals? Try singing (yes, the voice is an instrument… and it’s cheap!). Like classical? How about the piano or cello? Like Eddie Van Halen’s blistering solos? Electric guitar is for you. The list goes on. Or, even better, if you can, try going down to an instrument dealer and just playing around with different things. See what feels right, what sounds the best, and take out your check book.
• Don’t let other people influence your choice. Pick what you want to learn, not what your mother, father, girlfriend, boyfriend, children or spouse want you to play. They’ll have to listen, but it’s your escape.

So, try something new… get an instrument.

Stay tuned for more out of The Black Lagoon…

- dave