So I have read a few interesting articles about food and gardens today and I think they might be kinda related a bit. I know that I eat a lot of food that seems to be very bad for me. I can't help it the taste is so good, by that I mean fast food. I think Sub-Way is most likely the least deadly but when you ad sauce and cheese and Bacon, like the Bacon Chicken Ranch it changes that. When I was on Yahoo today I saw a pretty interesting article about how much food costs by the calorie and it has an entire breakdown of a bunch of fast foods. I will admit there is one thing that I find Ironic as I read this it made me hungry or maybe that was just all the pictures.

Big Macs and Fries: What You Pay Per Calorie
by Jason Kephart
Friday, April 24, 2009provided bySmartMoney.com

Even with glimmers of hope for the recovery, consumers are still cutting back - especially when it comes to dining out. But turning to some of fast food's biggest bargains in order to stretch your dollar in the recession may be one belt-tightening measure that could end up forcing you to loosen your buckle by a couple of notches.



Going out for cheap eats is an obvious way for consumers to keep their spending in check. That's why fast food restaurants are seen as a good investment in tough times. McDonald's and Yum! Brands, which operates Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut (among others) both reported stellar fourth quarters as proof. Bucking that trend were Burger King and CKE Restaurants, the operator of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Burger King, reported that it experienced "significant" traffic declines in March (it reported 1% same-store sales growth) and CKE's same-store sales were down 2.7%. Nevertheless, that slide is still modest when compared with the double-digit losses at higher-end restaurant chains like Ruth's Hospitality Group's Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Benihana.



Bang for your buck continues to be one of the biggest selling points for fast food right now. But how much food are you really getting for your money? SmartMoney.com sought to find out which menu items are the costliest and cheapest per calorie. The results may surprise you. Looking at the cost per 100 calories of some items underscores what nutritionists have been saying for years: The cheapest calories typically aren't the healthiest.

Here's our dish-by-dish look at some popular menu items and their total cost per 100 calories - from the most expensive to the cheapest.

1. Premium Southwest Salad With Grilled Chicken

McDonald's
Cost per 100 calories: $1.47
Calories: 360
Calories from fat: 29%

McDonald's answered the call of health-conscious consumers by adding salads to its menu in 2003. No one can deny that it's a healthier option than, say, a Quarter Pounder with cheese, but it will cost you. Once we added some Newman's Own low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing (another 40 calories and three grams of fat) for a little extra taste, this salad became the costliest per calorie dish on our menu.

2. Mandarin Chicken Salad

Wendy's
Cost per 100 calories: 96 cents
Calories: 540
Calories from fat: 43%

In the 1980s, Wendy's was asking "Where's the beef?" These days, the chain is a lot less meat-focused. Wendy's now offers four varieties of salads and five varieties of chicken sandwiches (it also offers fish fillet sandwiches during Lent). Of course, burgers still reign supreme: There are currently 12 different types of hamburgers on the menu.



3. Large Popcorn Chicken

KFC
Cost per 100 calories: 94 cents
Calories: 550
Calories from fat: 58%

Typically chicken is considered the cheaper meat. The average retail price for chicken is $1.75 a pound, 56% less than the average price of a pound of beef, according to the National Beef Cattlemen's Association. But if you want KFC's bite-sized popcorn chicken with the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices, be prepared to pay up. This is the most expensive per calorie item on our list that isn't a salad.

4. Steak Gordita Baja

Taco Bell
Cost per 100 calories: 90 cents
Calories: 320
Calories from fat: 47%

Jack Russo, an analyst at financial-services firm Edward Jones, says Taco Bell is considered one of the industry's leaders when it comes to menu innovation. The Gordita - a soft taco made using flatbread rather than a tortilla - may very well be proof of that. Since it first debuted in 1998, the Gordita has helped boost sales at the chain significantly, he says.



5. Low-Fat Footlong Turkey Sandwich

Subway
Cost per 100 calories: 89 cents
Calories: 560
Calories from fat: 14%

Since the ads featuring Jared Fogle (who lost 245 pounds purely by eating Subway sandwiches) first launched in 2000, Subway's sales have more than tripled to almost $13 billion. A Subway spokesman says that while several factors contributed to that growth, Jared's weight-loss campaign played a significant role. Unfortunately for waist-conscious consumers, the low-fat sandwich comes at a premium per-calorie price compared to our other menu items.

6. Croissan'wich

Burger King
Cost per 100 calories: 75 cents
Calories: 330
Calories from fat: 44%

Breakfast has been driving the fast food industry. "That's where all the growth has been," says Steve Solomon, president of FSInsights, a menu development company. In February, Burger King's CEO said that breakfast made up 15% of its sales. This rival to the Egg McMuffin made its debut in 1984.



7. Big Mac

McDonald's
Cost per 100 calories: 74 cents
Calories: 540
Calories from fat: 48%

Since its debut in 1968, the Big Mac has been McDonald's flagship burger. More than 550 million are sold world-wide every year, according to the company. Compared to its double-decker rival, the Double Whopper, the Big Mac is pricier on a per-calorie basis.

8. Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza

Pizza Hut
Cost per 100 calories: 68 cents
Calories: 660
Calories from fat: 42%

On a per 100 calorie basis, the six-inch pepperoni personal pan pizza lands in the middle of our roundup, but you can actually save yourself 20% (per 100 calories) by ordering the large pepperoni pan pizza and eating a slice. Doing so will also trim about 43% off the total calories.



9. Toasted Wrap With Tender Roast Filet

KFC
Cost per 100 calories: 64 cents
Calories: 310
Calories from fat: 42%

KFC was slow on the uptake when it came to catering to the health-conscious crowd. It just started offering its grilled chicken lineup earlier this year - a move that probably should have made about five years ago, says Edward Jones' Russo. "It's what the consumer clearly wants today," he says.

10. Medium French Fries

McDonald's
Cost per 100 calories: 58 cents
Calories: 380
Calories from fat: 26%

Before 1949, McDonald's didn't offer French fries; burgers came with a side of potato chips instead. In fact, it wasn't until the 1960s - when potato farmer J.R. Simplot pioneered the first frozen French fry - that these fast food staples started becoming the popular McDonald's side dish they are today.



11. Butterfinger Blizzard

Dairy Queen
Cost per 100 calories: 49 cents
Calories: 990
Calories from fat: 31%

Surprisingly, the Butterfinger Blizzard - a vanilla-flavored milkshake with bits of Butterfinger candy bars chopped up in it - has one of the lowest percentage of calories from fat in the foods we looked at (that may be because it's not made with real milk). In fact, the percentage is impressively close to what nutritionists generally recommend for a healthy diet - 30% of one's daily calories can come from fat. But that doesn't mean you should be going on an all-Blizzard diet. One of these large-size concoctions is a full 990 calories - nearly half your recommended daily intake.

12. Double Whopper With Cheese

Burger King
Cost per 100 calories: 49 cents
Calories: 1010
Calories from fat: 59%

The average person spends around $247 on beef a year, up from $48 in 2001. That amount of cash could buy you 49 Double Whoppers with cheese. And you'd get a pretty good return on your investment: The Double Whopper's cost per 100 calories is about two-thirds of what the Big Mac costs.



13. Fiesta Taco Salad

Taco Bell
Cost per 100 calories: 48 cents
Calories: 840
Calories from fat: 47%

The Fiesta Taco Salad is the only salad on Taco Bell's menu, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's the healthiest item. In fact, the salad has the highest calories and fat content of any single item on the menu. Its 840 calories and 45 grams of fat are equal to four Crunchy Taco Supremes, three MexiMelts, or two Spicy Chicken Burritos.

14. Cheeseburger Slyder

White Castle
Cost per 100 calories: 41 cents
Calories: 170
Calories from fat: 47%

At 41 cents per 100 calories, White Castle's snack-sized cheeseburger bested every other sandwich in our survey when it came to cost per calorie. In 1930, White Castle conducted a study (it later dubbed it the "Craveology" study) that monitored the health of a student who lived on nothing but the Slyders and water for 13 weeks. According to the company, the student maintained good health. Barbara Baron, a New York registered dietician, says you probably don't want to follow suit. "I wouldn't advise anyone to eat only one food item for 13 weeks," she says.



15. 32-Ounce Coca-Cola

Subway
Cost per 100 calories: 38 cents
Calories: 330
Calories from fat: 0

Here it is, the cheapest per calorie item in our survey of fast food land: the large Coca-Cola. Beloved by many, but eyed by some as a major contributor to the obesity problems in this country. Our brains process calories from liquids differently than those from solid food, so we don't feel full and are more likely to overeat, says Karen Ansel, a spokeswoman for the New York State Dietetic Association. If you really need to have your soda with your meal, order a Diet Coke.
Copyrighted, SmartMoney.com. All Rights Reserved.

So as I'm sure most people on this site Knows there has been a lot of talk locally about that family who wants to buy land and make an urban farm. I admit I wonder why they didn't look into that before they moved here but I guess that doesn't matter. In today's Buffalo News there is a big article about Urban Farming. I think these two stories kinda could be linked together in a way. One could argue that if one had an urban farm you would eat healthier. You don't need all those pesticides since you will be eating the stuff locally. I would also suggest following the link or picking up the paper so you have the photos to go along with it.

Updated: 04/26/09 08:43 AM
"There really is this exciting revitalization going on in Buffalo."
Community garden projects take root in Buffalo
Urban gardens are no longer a rare breed
By Maki Becker
NEWS STAFF REPORTER


Planting has just started on a tree farm in a vacant lot on Buffalo's West Side.

A community garden where neighbors can grow their own vegetables and children can learn about the origins of their food broke ground this weekend at a long-empty school in the Seneca- Babcock area.

Back on the West Side, one organization begins its seventh season of growing vegetables on several vacant city lots, providing fresh food for neighbors and jobs for local teenagers. A second group is getting ready to start planting on another urban farm.

Mark and Janice Stevens, the East Side couple who want to start a farm on vacant city-owned land on Wilson Street, aren't the only ones in Buffalo interested in urban agriculture.

Across the city, garden projects are sprouting up as Buffalonians embrace a national movement toward creating green spaces, eating local food and connecting with nature.

"There really is this exciting revitalization going on in Buffalo," said Cheryl Bird, one of the organizers of the Seneca- Babcock garden. "There seems to be a movement toward empowerment in neighborhoods. . . . I definitely see it happening. The excitement builds on itself."

While community gardens have been popular for years, new excitement is mounting here and nationwide for all types of urban farming as people have become more concerned about eating locally and more healthy, saving money in the face of a slumping economy and caring for the environment.

From thriving cities where real estate is at a premium to struggling Rust Belt towns where vacant lots are sadly plentiful, communities are transforming gray concrete cityscapes into gardens, farms and other green spaces, said Samina Raja, an assistant professor in the University at Buffalo's urban and regional planning department. She is nationally recognized for her research on the relationship between communities and health.

"Nationally," she said, "community gardens and urban agriculture have had a tremendous resurgence in the last five to six years."

Last month, first lady Michelle Obama helped break ground on the South Lawn of the White House for a kitchen garden - a move hailed by urban agriculture and local food advocates.

In California, Berkeley chef Alice Waters, who introduced diners to organic, locally grown fare nearly 40 years ago, helped establish a one-acre garden in a vacant lot next to a school. There, the children learn to grow food and then eat the food they grow. Her foundation also worked with the Berkeley Unified School District to eliminate processed foods from cafeteria menus and introduce fresh and organic foods instead.

In Milwaukee, Will Allen won a $100,000 MacArthur Fellowship for his urban farm, which not only provided a poor neighborhood with jobs and fresh produce, but also managed to turn a profit. His farm, Growing Power, includes six greenhouses, fish runs, poultry hoop houses, outdoor pens for livestock and an apiary with five beehives.

In Madison, Wis., Troy Gardens, a 31-acre development, combines 30 units of mixed-income housing, a five-acre farm and community gardens.

In Detroit, a nonprofit is battling city officials for the right to buy 2.5 acres from the city to turn into an urban farm. A massive 70 acre urban farm also has been proposed for vacant lots. On a smaller scale, a coalition of local urban agriculture and gardening groups, working with Michigan State University, helps residents build their own urban farms.

In New York City, which has had a rich, and at times raucous, history of community gardening, minifarms on vacant lots are growing produce sold in farmers' markets, and some city residents are raising chickens for eggs.

A decade ago, community gardeners fought then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who wanted to hand over gardens built in vacant lots to housing developers. They reached a deal putting some land into a trust for public land and transferring other lots to the Parks Department. A review process was set up requiring developers to notify the gardeners about plans to take over the land. New land would have to be found for gardens that were displaced.

Contaminated soil

Planners recently have begun focusing on growing food in urban settings as a way to combat diet-related medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the nation's poorest inner-city neighborhoods, where fresh produce is often hard to find, UB's Raja said.

"Urban planners want to understand how to build communities so people have access to food and the food system," she said.

Recent interest in urban agriculture here in Buffalo, highlighted by coverage of the Stevens family's bid to buy vacant land from the city for their farm, shows city residents are open to the idea, even though some in city government are wary, Raja said.

"It's a cultural issue: Does farming really belong in the city?" she said.

An advocate of growing and eating local food, Raja believes Buffalo is in a good position to give it a try.

"The best, thriving cities have urban agriculture," she said. "This is a relatively new area. Some are reluctant. At the same time, this is a great opportunity to think big. I don't sense that people are unwilling to do that."

Growing food in a city obviously poses challenges. The soil in vacant lots often is contaminated. Urban farmers have found a way around that by building raised beds using new soil. They also have found ways to collect rain water on site to irrigate their crops.

Youth employment

You can't talk about urban farming in Buffalo without talking about the Massachusetts Avenue Project. The West Side nonprofit organization started farming on seven vacant city lots about six years ago as a way to provide fresh produce and constructive jobs for local teenagers.

Diana Picard, the executive director, is thrilled with the recent interest in urban farming, even though some think it is novel idea.

"It's funny to me that in some ways people think this is such a new thing," she said. "In reality, up until 1945, we grew a lot of food in cities. But it's really exciting for us to see what's going on."

The Massachusetts Avenue Project farm employs 50 youths every year who are taught how to farm, develop recipes with fresh produce and market their goods, including a chili starter and a salsa. The group is also preparing to start a mobile farmers' market using a recreational vehicle painted purple like an eggplant, which they will drive to low-income neighborhoods around the city where fresh produce is hard to find.

Picard supports the Stevenses' bid to farm on vacant land on Wilson Street in the Fillmore Council District.

The East Side couple is likely to agree to leasing the land from the city, rather than buying the land as they had originally hoped because the city wants to keep it available for housing. Picard said she hopes the city eventually will become more amenable to selling or even giving land to urban agriculture projects.

"They think housing is development," Picard said. "But housing alone is not going to develop the city. Food has implications for so much: for the health of our people and the health of the community."

Picard says that Buffalo's bounty of empty lots makes it a perfect place for urban agriculture. "I'm not saying we need every vacant lot in the city. It should be part of the lots."

A second urban farm is getting started on the West Side. A group calling itself CurbSide Croft - croft means small farm -is getting ready to start planting on vacant land at Vermont Street and West Avenue, some of which they purchased and the rest leased from neighbors. The farmers here are particularly interested in providing pesticide- free produce in a neighbor-hood where many people rely on food stamps, which generally don't cover costly organic foods in supermarkets.

The CurbSide growers are applying for permits to be able to accept food stamps for the produce, which will include heirloom vegetables and ethnic crops that they hope will be ready for harvest around late June.

West Side tree farm

This weekend, two new urban agricultural projects are breaking ground.

Re-Tree New York, formed to help reforest Buffalo and the suburbs following the 2006 October snowstorm that destroyed thousands of trees, is opening a tree farm on vacant land on 14th Street on the West Side. The land, three vacant lots, was acquired by PUSH-Buffalo, a West Side community group, and developed for Re- Tree.

"It's in an area that once had homes that have been taken down," said Paul Maurer, Re- Tree chairman. "It looks bad. There's junk laying there and stuff like that. It'll be much better looking when we get done with it."

Trees of varying maturity will be planted in buried pots and grown until they are ready to be planted around the region. By raising the trees itself, Re-Tree will save a dramatic amount of money. The young trees will cost about $10 each while buying them more mature costs "about 10 times that," Maurer said.

To visitors, the farm won't look like a commercial nursery, he said. The trees won't be arranged in neat rows.

"We don't want it to look antiseptic," Maurer said. "We want it to seem like they're in a forest in the city."

In the Seneca-Babcock area, community residents, with the help of Daemen College, LUSH - a Canadian organic cosmetics company - and local foundations celebrated a "sod busting" Saturday at former School 26 on Harrison Street.

Gardening enthusiasts are putting in 20 raised beds on the lawn of the old school. Half of the beds will be available to neighborhood residents, and the rest will be divvied up among community agencies, said Bird, executive director of the Daemen Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement.

Like the Massachusetts Avenue Project, the Seneca- Babcock garden began with community residents concerned about the lack of activities for local teens and access to fresh produce.

Bird said she hopes that the garden will just be the beginning for the old school.

"Our hope is that we can take this vacant school and make it into a huge resource center," she said.

mbecker@buffnews.com

The Last story I'm going to Post Has nothing to do with food really. First of all I didn't know that the maid of the mist was open yet. I know it starts giving rides during the spring but wasn't sure when. Well Brad Pitt took the kids to ride it. Of course it was on the Canadian side. Not sure if that is the only side that was open or not. But I know if I had kids that is the side I would go to, I'm guessing he did more then just that but who knows the story doesn't really say.

Superstar Brad Pitt, in hood, was just another tourist in a plastic rain poncho Saturday on the Maid of the Mist.
James P. McCoy / Buffalo News


NIAGARA FALLS, Ont.-People magazine may have named him "Sexiest Man Alive" twice, but even Brad Pitt looked a little goofy in his blue Maid of the Mist poncho.

The superstar actor was in Niagara Falls, Ont., on a picture-perfect afternoon to take in the sights of the world-famous cataracts Saturday. In tow were two of his sons, Maddox and Pax; his parents, Bill and Jane, and his bodyguards. The group enjoyed the attractions while remaining relatively under the radar.

Not with them was Pitt's equally famous partner, Angelina Jolie, who has been filming the thriller "Salt" in Albany.

"He was looking good," sighed a star-struck Melissa Harris, 17, of Niagara Falls, Ont., as the hunky actor rushed past her. She conceded she was a little chagrined that she didn't have her camera with her for the celebrity sighting.

A pair of German tourists also recognized the famous dad and delightedly snapped photos with their cell phones.

But for the most part, Pitt remained largely unnoticed- just another dad enjoying a tourist attraction with his family.

Pitt managed to keep a low profile by sporting a look closer to that of the Unabomber than a movie star. He wore big, dark sunglasses and a paperboy-style cap with the hood of his oversized black sweat shirt pulled over his head.

The Pitt family was given the star treatment at the Maid of the Mist. When their black SUV with tinted windows was escorted down to the dock about 3 p.m., they were discreetly whisked to the front of the line. The family gathered on the upper deck as bodyguards kept careful watch.

During their ride, the Pitts took turns snapping photos of each other and the falls, and the little boys seemed to enjoy getting drenched.

Most of the tourists seemed oblivious to the famous family in their midst.

"Aaaahhhh!" screamed a distressed Raisa Monteiro, 18, a Brazilian exchange student, after learning that she had been on the same boat as Pitt, but hadn't even caught a glimpse of him.

"Maybe we can find them!" her friends cried, as they frantically tried to figure out where the family had gone.

But Pitt was long gone, apparently headed back to Albany. U.S. border officers said the actor was very pleasant as he crossed through the checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge.

mbecker@buffnews.com

That does remind me of two other things Brad Pitt related. I don't have a link for it but the Suicide Girls did a full Photo set of them playing out that movie. Some of you might say so what they take lots of photo sets. Since it is some year (not sure how many 10 maybe) anivesrary of when the movie came out the set is up on their page and you don't have to be a paying member to see all the pictures, 1st time I think they have done that, that I know of. Also I haven't seen legends of the Fall in a long time but remember it was a pretty good movie, had to bring that up since the tittle of the article is a play on that movie tittle.

So there is a story in the Buffalo News today that they think Medical Marijuana might become legal in New York State My thoughts are we shall see. I only have one problem with the bill. I think one of the good things is that it moves drugs off the street and into places that are more legit. If you have people who have scripts being able to go get weed from drug dealers it could get complicated. The Other question is would the DEA Honor the fact that places that sell Weed now is legal or would they go after them Federally like they do in CA. in any event here is the article

Approval predicted for medical marijuana
State legislators likely to act this session
By Tom Precious
NEWS ALBANY BUREAU


ALBANY - Long-stalled efforts to permit the medicinal use of marijuana in this state appear to have a good chance of passage before lawmakers end their session in June. It would make New York the 15th state to legalize the drug for medical reasons.

Advocates say they believe the Democratic- controlled Senate and Assembly have the votes to pass legislation permitting qualified patients to grow their own marijuana plants, or obtain the drug on the streets or through a state-sanctioned dispensary.Gov. David A. Paterson also is said to be supportive of the legalization.

"It's looking pretty darn good," Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, a Manhattan Democrat and Health Committee chairman, said of the bill's chance to become law this session.

The lawmaker, who has sponsored the measure for years, renewed a public push Tuesday, using the cases of two New Yorkers who have turned to marijuana to relieve their chronic pain as evidence of the need for the bill.

"I'm looking for all the help we can get to get this passed," said Joel Peacock, a Buffalo resident and self-described conservative, who turned to the drug in the past to help with severe pain he still feels from a 2001 car accident.

The effort was jump-started by the Obama administration's decision in February to stop raids on marijuana-dispensing centers in California, where medical marijuana is legal. U. S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. signaled that federal prosecution would cease in states that legalize medical marijuana, even though U. S. law bans the drug's use.

The Assembly is considered certain to pass the measure. Advocates are working on the Senate Senate, where control switched in January to Democrats from Republicans.

In 2007, the measure had the backing of a half-dozen Republicans. Supporters say they fear as many as four Democrats, including Sen. William T. Stachowski, D-Lake View, might oppose it. That would require GOP help to get it passed in a chamber where Democrats hold a thin, 32-30 majority. Stachowski could not be reached to comment Tuesday.

Paterson's office said the governor is not taking a stance on the bill, but sources described him as very supportive and said he even offered to introduce his own legislation legalizing medical marijuana.

Proponents say marijuana helps to relieve pain from such diseases as multiple sclerosis and to calm nausea, as well as to aid the appetite of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The measure has the backing of groups representing physicians, nurses and hospices.

The association representing the state's district attorneys has not taken a formal position on the bill, said Daniel Donovan, the Staten Island district attorney and president of the group.

Speaking for himself and not his organization, Donovan, said a number of other drugs - from methadone to oxycondone - have been legalized to help with such things as relieving pain. "I'm not opposed to the idea. I'm open to the idea of seeing studies - and will trust the medical field," he said.

The most vocal opposition comes from the state's small but influential Conservative Party, which helped to kill the 2007 bill in the Republican-led Senate.

"If this passes, this is the beginning of a slippery slope that opens the door to legalize drugs," said Michael R. Long, the party's chairman.

Long said patients have plenty of alternatives to marijuana for pain relief. He claimed a lack of controls to prevent marijuana prescribed for a patient from getting into the hands of the patient's children or from being sold on the streets.

"This is not helpful to our society," Long said.

But Peacock, the subject of a 2007 profile in The Buffalo News, said his pain medications cost him and his insurer $39,000 a year. Pulling a package of painkillers from his pocket Tuesday - which cost $26 a dose - Peacock said marijuana would be both cheaper and more effective.

Peacock, who is enrolled in the Conservative Party, used marijuana during a construction job in Louisiana several years ago and then in Florida. He does not use it now because it is illegal in this state. "It took the pain away. I was absolutely amazed," he said Tuesday at a news conference in Albany.

Joe Gamble, a Liverpool resident, a former Army paratrooper and commercial pilot, turns to marijuana now to relieve his pain from multiple sclerosis. He called for "a little compassion."

"It's not for everybody, but it certainly does work for me," he said.

Backers say this is the first time the Assembly and Senate have had the same versions of medical marijuana bills. They note its Senate sponsor - Sen. Thomas K. Duane, a Manhattan Democrat - is chairman of the Health Committee, which has oversight of the matter.

Duane predicted the bill will pass with Democratic and Republican backing, saying: "This is about compassion. This is about medicine. This is not about politics."

The bill would make marijuana legal for those sanctioned by a physician with a "serious condition," defined as a "severe debilitating or life-threatening condition or a condition associated with or a complication of such a condition or its treatment, including but not limited to inability to tolerate food, nausea, vomiting, dysphoria or pain."

It permits the possession of up to 12 marijuana plants or 2z ounces of marijuana. Those approved for the program can grow the plants from seeds purchased in the illicit drug market or through state-approved dispensing centers. The centers also could dispense marijuana.

The bill calls for the state Health Department to play a role in regulating entities that produce and sell marijuana to eligible patients. Patients that violate the terms of the bill would be subject to stricter penalties than someone now caught possessing marijuana.

Those eligible to legally smoke the drug for medical reasons would be given a card good for a year before requiring new approval by a physician or an approved caregiver. Doctors could not prescribe marijuana for themselves.

Patients deciding to grow their own marijuana must keep it in a locked, enclosed area, such as a greenhouse or closet accessible only to the patient or caregiver. Patients could not smoke the drug in a public place, and no caregiver could be responsible for more than five patients approved for medical marijuana.

The bill allows the state to charge dispensers a fee, and the entities could be anything from a pharmacy to a hospital clinic to a registered marijuana producer. It does not require insurers to cover the treatments.

Critics have said wording that lets eligible patients get the drug on the streets will only encourage the illegal drug trade.

A growing number of states, including Minnesota, Illinois and New Jersey, are considering medical marijuana laws, especially after the Obama administration's policy change on the issue. In November, voters approved the drug's use in Michigan and Massachusetts.

tprecious@buffnews.com

I know some people think that this would and is a first step to make it legal to sell and to Tax it. I think those days are a long way away. There are still so many people who get all upset over that. Not to mention the cotton industry.

First of all Happy 4/20 or should I say 420 for those that partake hope it is a good one. Well I assume that it is the good kind and not the Hitler stuff. I didn't even notice the 4/20 until today.

Last night on Fox they had an episode of Family Guy, that dealt with Weed. It was great it really was. Quigmire (or how ever you spell it) gets a cat. So the guys go over to shave it and Peter kills it and is covered in blood and has the cat it the back seat. So the cops pull them over and could care less about the blood and let them go but then Brian drops some weed and things get very interesting from there. Brian brings up reasons why it should be legal and why it was made illegal. So it winds up hurting this guy who sells cotton or something like that and so Brian in the end sells out his ideas to his book will sell. It was a funny episode Wish I could explain it better.

The thing that is funny is Fox has this going green message during some of their shows, but I don't think they thought of how ironic this is. I also saw a couple of the above the influence ads. I like those. They do make a good point that you need to be your own person and not do things because others do. But see that is kinda tough because a lot of people find out about family guy or some other show through friends and this is true of music and movies also. So it is tough to say that is ok to find out about a band from a buddy and not drugs of course it is still your choice to pick if you like both of those things.

So yesterday I went to Go see Crank High Voltage. If you liked the crazy style of the first one then you will love this. I was laughing through some of it and closing my eyes to a bit of the gore. But wide awake for all the nudity, sex and violence. Now the idea in the first one was that he gets this drug that is supposed to kill him in an hour and adderline keeps him alive. There is a scene in witch he has sex with Amy Smart that I think won the award for worst sex scene, well that was an amazing scene but sex wise it was crazy, if you saw the first one you know what I mean. From the previews I knew Amy would be in this movie again. I didn't know how she would be in it but it was funny to me how they brought her in, or at least I thought it was. Now in this new movie as shown in the previews he has Heart taken and he is given a replacement one that is made to last like and hour or something (can't say more with out giving away some plot so I won't) so he has to track it down. The premise here is that every so often he need to shock himself or the box to charge it so the heart keeps going. I don't know if the funny parts where written to be funny. I don't know if these movies are kinda a parradoy. I just think they are a different way to look at action movies and I like it. I will admit that things get a little crazy with the camera work but it was like that in the 1st one to. So if you like crazy violence both fighting and guns, naked chicks, a scene where they used pixels (maybe I shouldn't have said) and to laugh go see it, it is a short wild ride. I think if it where 2 hours it would be to much. I was pumped after seeing it and was pumped going right into the bandits game.

Now in Terms of the Bandits they wound up losing in Overtime and the New York Titans won. That made there be a 3 way tie for 1st place and the Titans because of the tie Breakers win the East, The Bandits come in second, and Boston came in 3rd. What that means is May 2nd the Bandits play Boston again in the first round of the playoffs. If the Bandits can win that then I'm not sure if there next game is home or away I assume that if NY wins it would be away and if the #4 team wins they would come to Buffalo But Buffalo has to beat a team they just lost to so lets not get ahead of our selves.

So before the game and the movies and After the movies I took some Buffalo Pictures.






































I assume that Boston has some Home Uniforms that look nicer then this but here are pictures of them during Warm ups. Ok Plus a few Bandettes Pictures as well before the game.











































Here are some Game shots:

































































































Well there was one odd thing in the game the goalies where big equipment and pads and sometimes they make a save and the ball gets stuck and on one save they couldn't find it so the goalie had to leave the field for a couple of minutes that was very odd. Well I hope everyone had a great weekend and I hope the Bandits win the next time we play Boston.

So today I went into Price Rite to buy some food. It was a quick trip just to check the place out. I just wanted to get something to drink and get some frozen stuff. In terms of the frozen stuff the prices seemed very good. The one draw back is I didn't see any of the small sized frozen stuff Like Michellines or what ever it is called. The one thing that is tough to get used to is the buying the bag thing, how do you know how many you need, In my case it wasn't much but oh well. The other thing I didn't like is they only have these big carts. I like a hand basket for a couple of reasons. First of all in a cart you can over buy. For example I need 10 Pot pies not 30 and with a cart you would tend to try and fill it. The other reason why I like the hand thing is that you shouldn't buy more then you can carry. With a shopping cart this is easy to do. With the hand basket once it starts getting heavy you stop. Hopefully soon I will go back and buy more stuff, I want to check out there soups and canned stuff and see what that is like.

So for those that may not know on Saturday I went to a concert at the Tralf. I think it was an all day thing but I thought the doors opened at 6pm so I got there then and had a great time. I heard some bands I liked and some that where not my thing. It has been so long since I've been to a show with Heavy Music. It Felt pretty good. I'm not a pit guy so I stayed away from the stage. I had a problem in that I never got my ticket, As Summer Dies worked things out for me so that was pretty cool of them, they could have been dicks about it.

The second to last band I heard people yelling get off the stage and stuff. I guess when there are a lot of bands and you are there to see the band you want to see then that might happen. The good side to that is that you get to see a bunch of bands. The down side is they don't get to play that long. All in all it was a good time. I really liked the closing band. Yes I had trouble hearing the vocals but that might have been the way the guys voice is or maybe it is from my ears being blasted or a tech issue not sure. Here is the band that I have no Idea who they are.

























I also wanted to see a Band called His Name was Yesterday. I saw them once before and remembered liking them.






























The Band that got me to go to the show is As Summer Dies. I can't say what I really like about them. To say I like how the guy sings is true. I also like Angel on base with her awesome hair and Ink plus she spins and stuff you would have to see her in person. I wouldn't know how to say what there sound is but they have some really great songs. Well here they are.





















































I had a great time and did buy some Merch as well.















I know I'm a bit early but hope everyone has a great weekend.

So on Friday I had a good time at the Bandits game. The Bandits won an important game and that all ways makes it better. The down side of that is they lost the next Night in NYC. That means they lost both games to the titans. That makes this final game with Boston very important. No matter what happens the Bandits are in the playoffs. If they Win they get the #1 seed in the east. Hopefully that happens and if that does I think that means we get Home Field for however many games we can win (2) until the championship game. I assume that the two teams who play for that the home field is decided by who has the best record but not sure. Now if the Bandits lose then things get tricky but they at least can become the 2nd place team. So this Saturday night is a big game. Before I get to the game pictures here are some I took before the game and yes some of them will be the Aud again.































Well here are some pictures from the Bandits Vs. the Knightshawks and some Bandettes pictures also.







































































































I should explain that if the Bandits win the game they do this victory lap where they run and some people pound on the glass I have even seen a player jump up and try to high five them, the person was leaning over the glass after either a playoff win or a the championship, buy the way security really frowns on that.

So first of all Sorry (e:strip) yes I have been reading but haven't had time to post. Well there are various reasons. Thursday of last week went to the Bisons game. Then on Friday I went to the Bandits Game. Then On Saturday Night I went to a concert. Then Sunday was Easter. Then in terms of using the internet I have myspace (blogs to read) then there is facebook (that is an addiction sometimes). The thing is linking a story from a site is so easy. It isn't that it is better then (e:strip) because it isn't but news sites are set up where you just push like one button and it shares it on facebook. Then of course I have pictures to upload and also to upload on to webshots. Not to mention I have TV shows I watch. Shows like Terminator, 24, and Dollhouse all have message boards I'm a part of. Plus there is the fact that I can't really do any of that stuff from work so I haven't had that much time really.

So on Thursday I went to Opening day and the bisons lost but I had a good time. Since I had the day off I thought I would take some pictures from the top of city hall, not sure how many I'm going to post but here are some of them at least.



















































































































Yes I did put up a couple pictures of the Aud coming down and Coca-Cola field. I think I wrote a blog about how things changed or changes or something like that last week (Hey I liked it at least). Here are a few pictures from the park not any sports ones though that in that case might be kinda dull.

So Many Blogs so Little time. Monday the bandits game pictures I guess and maybe the As Summer Dies pictures. For now the story of where music is at by me....... Yes I wrote every thing in the ""s just wanted to be different then my other blogs.

First of all I want to thank all the bands who performed on Saturday at The Tralf. It has been so long since I have seen a heavy show. I don't use the term metal for multiple reasons. The first is that when people hear metal they want to define what kind of metal a band is. I get why people do that. But just because a band thinks of its self as Death Metal doesn't mean they growl. Even if they do some bands some bands you can understand and some you can't. Another example is Hardcore is a sub type of metal but is it really I'm not sure. The other reason I use the term Heavy is that something can be heavy or sound tormented and not be what some would call metal. Is something Metal if the band becomes pop like say Linkin Park and Korn? But they are for sure heavy. What if a band has a heavy message but it plays the music softly, HA, joking. But there was a band from Buffalo called The Sheila Devine who where kinda like that. One minute Aaron would be signing then it was like a Yell and he was all red on stage. I miss that band I really do. Another quick example was The Tea Party, they where pretty dark and I think heavy in there way but they weren't metal. The other reason why I like to use the term Heavy is because metal has changed over time. For example when I was in High School you had all those "Hair Bands" (hate the term) or what might have been called "Glam". Yes some of that stuff was pretty good by how bands play now it wouldn't be metal. Ok back to the bands does anyone know the name of the last band that Performed they where pretty good and there where a few other bands I liked, ASD, His Name was Yesterday, and then two bands who's full name I didn't catch One's own Blood, and some band from Niagara Falls Something like in progression they where really good to. Again I want to thank everyone and want to encourage people to go out to shows and watch bands.

I'm not your sterotypical metalhead (I don't really think there are as many of them as people think). What I mean is there is this sterotype that people who like this kind of music are young kids, who want to rebel. That is true for some people but if so whats a better way then dance in a pit and get out agression more people should do it. People who listen to metal have no job and do drugs. Again I disagree with that I work and a lot of people who listen to Heavy music have jobs. If they didn't how would they buy shirts, CDs, and go to shows.

Do all must genres have sterotypes? Yes of course they do. It would be nice if we could blow up those little boxes. I admit that I like music that isn't heavy at all. Often though if you are seen wearing a band shirt people think that is the only thing you are into. Yes some people all they like is that genre. Ok back to those bands that might carry some negatives from others Coldplay, Transiberian Orchestra, Christina Agullera, and a few dance songs that I only know when I hear them. I like lots of different bands and Judge them by there sound not the genre. I wonder what the percentage of people who do this is vs. people who only like their genre of music.

I think that the barriers of how music is defined is slowly breaking down. Years ago country was country and pop was pop. But now there has been a lot of crossovers (won't name them) and some songs in the past have been written and performed as rock by one artist and country by someone else. You also have people who sing one way go over to country music like Darius Rucker from Hotie and the blowfish. I admit I have no idea what producers do but I know some of them now do what we would call "Pop" and "country" so the music styles are starting to blend. Heavy music and rap kinda blended some and I don't just mean Run DMC, Beastie Boys, and Kid Rock. When I first heard a Hardcore song oh so long ago (thanks cuse) I don't know who it was but it sounded kinda like rap but it wasn't.

I will admit that I don't read music reviews at all. The reason being is that saying one band sounds like another doesn't mean much. Music is to complex to say they have this part of this band and that part of that band. To know if you like it you need to hear it on CD, the web, or live in some form. A good example of this is I liked Metallica and Guns N' Roses but (if memory serves me right) a friend of mine (Bill if you are reading this correct me if I'm wrong) didn't like Guns because of Axels voice. I totaly get that. The point I was trying to make is how do you find out about new music and saying I don't use magazines. Well you have the radio stations, Music stations like music choice, then video stations that sometimes have more shows then videos like MTV (they have a bunch of stations and you can find music there) or even Fuze or some other station maybe. But the question is how do those bands get to that level. I have no idea other then by playing and touring and word of mouth.

That word of mouth is nice and everything. But I think where a lot of bands are now found out is through myspace (and other social networking sites also). I don't know if that is enough to be honest. Yes it is a good way to sell CDs and get your music out there. But I don't know if the big record companies are looking for bands through myspace or not. What is great about myspace though is that a band can request you as a friend you go and check them out and their songs play if you like them then you can friend them and if not just decline them. Plus then you can find out when they are playing or even buy stuff of there website. I'm not sure how well that really works. I think that this is going to be the wave of the future, but I could be wrong. I'm not sure how the buying of songs through myspace works but for bands who want they can do it or even just say they have the song on itunes, not sure how much of a cut either place gets they must get something I'm sure.

The other thing I like about music on the internet and not only myspace is I think it will help break down the Genre labels. The reason I say this is when you go into a store to buy music most places have it by type of music. It makes it quick to identify and to find what you are looking for. But see on the internet what type of music it is has no purpose. It isn't like if a band is pop you will go oh this is a pop band I'm not even going to listen to it, then just deny the friends request. That label isn't there so you will go check it out. I have gotten requests from bands that where great and other that I didn't like so I declined the one I didn't like (don't know who it was might have been some form of hip hop). This idea works as long as you only ad bands that you think you want to keep up with. If you ad to many bands it can be hard to keep up with them and all their music, so I admit there is a drawback. But see that is more of a drawback in the way the person use the website.

Well if anyone has made it to the bottom congrats. I feel like I had more to say but don't know how to say it, so I'll end it here.

So On Thursday I went to the Bisons Opening day game. There have been changes this year. The Team's park is now Coca-Cola Field. Yes it has changed names plenty of times in its 22 years or is that seasons not sure. I think this time that name is going to stay for some time. In triple A baseball they use the "Farm System" I don't know how it works completely but it is a feeding system where people can up a level or down a level from single A to the Major leagues. Well our Major league team changed it was the Cleveland Indians and now it is the New York Mets. That takes me back to the fact that I used to be a Mets fan so many Years ago. Back when they Had Dwight Gooding (how ever he spell his last name)who then latter became Doctor K and then on some baseball cards Doc replaced Dwight. That was kinda strange. Yes I was a Strawberry fan also. Yes they are going to bring him back to the ball park for a game, some kind of promotion. But here is where things get weird. I have seen him there before. Yes it was when he was having a tough time and the fans do that mocking thing where they hold a letter of his name like maybe the R in his first name. I wonder if he remembers that and is coming back anyways or if it was so common if that doesn't matter. The Mets have a mascot called Mr. Met . Since Mets is short for Metrapolitins (how ever it is spelled see why they never use that) Shouldn't he be like a building instead of a baseball? Any Mets fans have an answer for that? Does anyone remember if they had a mascot before that and if so who? I've been going to opening day for a Long time (22 years at least) and don't remember who was before Buster Bison if anyone. For some of you, you may remember that one year in High School we had to take one of those "non graded" tests at Grover. I brought in a note that I was taking the day off with lots of time and was told NO. So over at Grover the test was half over and there was a break so I left. And now you know why that school get no funding. I will admit I haven't seen every opening day. Some got moved or canceled but I have gone to everyone of them, since the new ball park. I know I went to games at the old rock pile but not sure about opening days. Some people (assuming you are still reading this horid run on block of words) may have ran track or played football at the stadium, well the one that took its place. I have gone there for a few things but don't think I ever ran there.

Before the bisons game. I went to look at the Old Aud being torn down. Yes I do that before each Bandits game also, and did so on Saturday. There have been some people who have written some great stuff about old memories and the like. Mine won't be great just reflective. Yes the oranges where scary, oh man How did I live through that. I bet that can cause a fear of heights. I have seen all kinds of things there. I know I saw Hockey Games there. I think I saw Metallica there (not sure though). Back when wrestling wasn't live every week I saw them film a bunch of Snake Pits. That was weird cause you couldn't hear what they where saying. But then later you got to see what was said on TV. I know I went to other events there also. I think at the time Filming Wrestling there, and Having Hulkamania running wild there was a big deal. So many times they would have a Main event and Hulk wouldn't wrestle in it. But that is how things where then and now things are so different. I'm not saying change is bad, it is not good or bad on its own. It is kinda sad that the AUD will gone and that no one could find a good use for it. But that being said then if you can't find a good use for it then maybe it should be gone. The one thing that was so nice was when you where in the good seats you really knew it. They where nice and soft and a better color. But that is what is better about HSBC Arena is that all the seats are the same if you are on the glass or by the cat walk.

I kinda lost my train of thought. This sounded a lot better when the thoughts hit me last night. So I guess my point is that things change. Yes the stuff in the past was cooler, yes those where the good times. But one still needs to see how things change and go with the things they like and don't go with the stuff they don't like.