Sunday, April 22, 2012

In the Forest - Warsaw Village Band - Dublin 2006


In the Forest - Warsaw Village Band - Dublin 2006 - YouTube
Warsaw Village Band
"In the Forest" from CD "Uprooting" [JARO 2004]
Dublin - Ireland - Global Village Festival 27.08.2006

Maja Kleszcz - voice, cello
Magdalena Sobczak - voice, dulcimer
Sylwia Świątkowska - voice, violin
Piotr Gliński - baraban drum
Wojtek Krzak - violin
Maciej Szajkowski - frame drum
Mario Activator - soundman

video production, etc: Paradise Pictures, Dublin


> more WarsawVillageBand on YouTube


Friday, April 20, 2012

BP Oil Spill Cover Up in 2008 May Have Led To Gulf Spil


gather | April 20, 2012

Years of investigative reporting have uncovered what appears to be a trail of information showing a BP oil spill cover up on a rig off the coast of Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea in 2008.


EcoWatch reveals shocking information of a BP cover-up of a blow-out prior to the deadly Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf. Special report from the Caspian sea. for Ecowatch.org by investigative reporter Greg Palast. BP Blow-out Cover-Up - EcoWatch.org - YouTube

The bombshell aspect of this EcoWatch.org report from Greg Palast is not necessarily the cover-up, but the suggestion that the Caspian Sea blow-out on the Central Azeri platform in 2008 was due to the same cost-saving practice of using "quick-dry" cement to plug holes in well caps.

That same practice is largely believed to have been the cause, or at least a contributing factor, to the Deepwater Horizon blowout BP suffered two years ago today in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in 11 deaths, 17 injuries and untold environmental and economic damage for the Gulf Coast of the U.S. This excerpt from Palast's report on this alleged BP oil spill cover up explains the connection: "One cause of the blow-outs was the same in both cases: the use of a money-saving technique—plugging holes with "quick-dry" cement. By hiding the disastrous failure of its penny-pinching cement process in 2008, BP was able to continue to use the dangerous methods in the Gulf of Mexico—causing the worst oil spill in U.S. history."

Palast's investigation relies on confidential informants familiar with the Caspian Sea blow-out, as well as shoe-leather efforts to explore the BP oil terminal in Azerbaijan, which resulted in the arrests of Palast, his crew, and the "disappearing" of men who were willing to talk about the 2008 blow-out...


more > BP Oil Spill Cover Up in 2008 May Have Led To... | Gather


Lynx image captures world's imagination | Local News | Rocky Mountain Outlook



A Canada lynx uses the Redearth Creek wildlife overpass to cross the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park at 8:34 a.m. on March 28. Since 1996, over 200,000 animals, including grizzlies, wolves and cougars, have safely crossed the highway using wildlife overpasses and underpasses. Highwaywilding.org PHOTO


Apr 19, 2012 | Rocky Mountain Outlook | Cathy Ellis

A rare photo of a lynx crossing a wildlife overpass on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park has captured the imagination of people around the world.

The high quality image of the lynx from a motion-sensitive camera has garnered media attention from across Canada, the United States and England, including a feature piece on the Discovery Channel earlier this week.

Tony Clevenger, lead scientist on crossing structure research, said the photo highlights the importance of these structures for wildlife conservation, but the real story lies in the impact of this photo.

“I think it demonstrates the power of compelling photos in telling the story and educating the public about the importance of crossing structures as a form of highway mitigation,” he said.

“If we can educate people about these safe passage measures and the importance of them, we’ll get better traction when we try to mitigate highways elsewhere.”

The rare image of the lynx was captured by remote camera on March 28 at 8:34 a.m. It’s the sixth lynx recorded using either the underpasses or overpasses since monitoring began in 1996.

This was the second lynx crossing at the Redearth Creek overpass this year.

Locally, the photo illustrates the important role wildlife structures play in helping prevent animal deaths on roads, as well as providing lynx with access to diverse habitats on both sides on the Trans-Canada Highway...


more > Lynx image captures world's imagination | Local News | Rocky Mountain Outlook

RockyMountainOutlook | Great West Newspapers


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Robert Mandel - Hungarian hurdy gurdy virtuoso



Robert Mandel - YouTube

Hungarian hurdy gurdy virtuoso Robert Mándel, at Concordia University (Chicago) on February 8th, 1982. Robert talks about the hurdy gurdy, plays some tunes and then there are some closeups of the gurdy.

Quoted from one of his recordings:
'The hurdy-gurdy came to Eastern Europe at the beginning of the nineteenth century and was brought in by Western European travelling musicians, and by the middle of the 20th century it was no longer part of living folk music anywhere. The instrument had no repertoire of its own and bagpipe music, of a similar sound, was usually played on it. These days in Hungary one can bare by meet a hurdy-gurdy player or two of the older generation in the rural farmstead regions of Szentes, Csongrád, Kecskemeét."

Like many folk events, there wasn't enough light to make my early 1980s vintage camera very happy, hence the blurred / smeared video. You should see the un-processed original ;)


thanks to Gurdypedia!
who also shared this -

A more recent video of Robert Mandel and the Mandel Quartet performing a number of French renaissance dances by Claude Gervaise (c.1550) on the hurdy-gurdy and other period instruments.



ROBERT MANDEL and the Mandel Quartet
French renaissance dances composed by the editor and arranger Claude Gervaise. Gervaise was an assistant to Pierre Attaingnant too, and also the editor on the title pages for several of Attaingnant's books of instrumental dances.


thanks to Gurdypedia!
posted > The Hurdy Gurdy Weekly


Monday, April 16, 2012

new at what it is: French Session | Hurdy Gurdy 120411


gaia's garden • santa rosa ca • 11 apr 2012


We are a "session," which is not the same thing as a performing band. We don't know in advance what tunes we will play, and we don't rehearse together. Instead, we rely on our musicianship and knowledge of the genre to choose and play tunes on the fly. It's spontaneous, relaxed and participatory...



more > what it is: French Session | Hurdy Gurdy 120411


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Did offshore war games kill endangered West Coast orca?


VANCOUVER — Marine officials hope an analysis of tissue samples in coming days by labs in the U.S. and Canada will solve the mystery of why a bloodied and battered young female killer whale washed up on a beach in Washington State in February.

For weeks there has been speculation that naval military exercises in either Canadian or U.S. waters may have been responsible for the endangered whale's death, but officials are urging the public not to jump to conclusions.

"In an investigation, you don't try to eliminate anything or focus on anything too early. Let the evidence lead you," said Brian Gorman, a spokesman for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its law enforcement branch launched an investigation about three weeks ago.

The carcass of the three-year-old orca, known among marine scientists as L112, washed up on the shores of Long Beach, along Washington's southern coast, on Feb. 11. It showed obvious signs of trauma.

But whether the whale suffered those injuries before or after it died is still under investigation, Gorman said.

Some of the dead whale's tissue has been sent to Oregon State University for analysis and investigators hope to begin getting results of that analysis in two or three weeks, he said.


more > Did offshore war games kill endangered West Coast orca?



Wednesday, April 11, 2012

100,000 Strong (The 99% Spring) #99spring




100,000 Strong (The 99% Spring) - YouTube

A government that can be bought? Or a democracy that is truly of the people?

We're training 100,000 people in one week to make their choice. Join us. #99spring


Youth sit-ins, banner drops, and campaigns -- the 99% Spring is here! | We Are Power Shift

Students and young people seem to have spring fever, and it couldn’t be coming at a more important time. This week a massive coalition of economic and environmental justice groups are kicking off the 99% Spring trainings to train over 100,000 leaders in nonviolent direct action. Young people are at the center of it, hosting over 75 trainings, and already springing into action...


Friday, April 6, 2012

Charlie Pisuk | IsumaTV





Charlie Pisuk is your uncle, your cousin, your brother-in-law. What do you have to say about him? Someone is listening...

- some comments from the page-

• I love this video! I am an Inuit woman living and working in a western academic world and my thinking patterns are vastly different than those that surround me. Many of the folks in the video cannot easily give a one word answer - they need to explain, give context to their answers. This is so me! Its a great, funny, insightful way to highlight the differences in cultures.

• This was wonderful! How insightful! It is sad to see how a majority culture assumes a linear way of thinking is the most effective and the most true...

• Well I guess I have to reveal that we were all making fun of the many surveys that are done and that are not quite useful or maybe a bit not culturally appropriate...It is based on a real survey, same questions exactly, but people are acting...creating their own characters.


Charlie Pisuk | IsumaTV


IsumaTV | IsumaTV
IsumaTV is an independent interactive network of Inuit and Indigenous multimedia. IsumaTV uses the power and immediacy of the Web to bring people together to tell stories and support change.


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Outlawing the Occupy Movement: H.R. 347 Makes Free Speech A Felony - Occupy Together Forum




Once signed, HR 347 will empower federal agents to arrest and bring felony criminal charges against citizens engaged in political protests anywhere in the USA.

OUTLAWING THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: HR 347 MAKES FREE SPEECH A FELONY

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America reads as follows:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

At 7:03pm ET on Tuesday, 28 February 2012, our 112th Congress violated this covenant with the American people by voting 399 to 3 in favor of H.R. 347, a bill which breezed through the Senate with unanimous consent and now lacks only corporate fascist puppet President Barack Obama's signature to become law. The three patriots who voted Nay were Paul Broun (R-GA-10), Justin Amash (R-MI-3) and Ron Paul (R-TX-14). The traitors who voted Yea are listed here:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-149

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Euphemistically titled the "Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act" and referred to by our corporate-controlled mainstream media as a "non-controversial bill", a more truthful moniker for HR 347 would be the "First Amendment Rights Eradication Act". As Representative Amash lamented on his Facebook page:

"Current law makes it illegal to enter or remain in an area where certain government officials (more particularly, those with Secret Service protection) will be visiting temporarily if and only if the person knows it's illegal to enter the restricted area but does so anyway. [H.R. 347] expands current law to make it a crime to enter or remain in an area where an official is visiting even if the person does not know it's illegal to be in that area and has no reason to suspect it's illegal... [And to] show you the extent to which the public is misled and misinformed about the legislation we are voting on, read one prominent media outlet's coverage of the same bill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/212873-house-approves-white-house-trespass-bill-sends-to-obama

The report mischaracterizes not only current law but also the changes proposed by the bill."

The full text of H.R. 347 is available here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-347

Obviously aimed at the Occupy Movement, these modifications to U.S. Code Title 18 Section 1752 will seriously diminish the right of American citizens to petition their Government for a redress of grievances by outlawing protests where key government officials or other VIP's may be nearby. Federal law enforcement agents will be empowered to bring these charges against Americans engaged in political protests anywhere in the country, and violators will face criminal penalties that include imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Welcome to Fourth Reich Amerika...

http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/11043-congress-passes-bill-severely-curtailing-first-amendment-liberties

NO MORE LEFT. NO MORE RIGHT. TIME TO UNITE. STAND AND FIGHT!

IronBoltBruce via VVV PR ( http://veritasvirtualvengeance.com | @vvvpr ) Img: http://veritasvirtualvengeance.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/hr347_free_speech_is_now_a_felony.jpg Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9cp7aVH7OE&feature=player_embedded Spt: https://www.wepay.com/donate/ironboltbruce Tag: #hr347, #martiallaw, #fascism, #fascist, #fascists, #occupy, #ows, #vvvpr Key: hr347, hr 347, h.r.347, h.r. 347, Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011, martial law, fascism, fascist, fascists, ows, occupy wall street, vvv pr


Outlawing the Occupy Movement: H.R. 347 Makes Free Speech A Felony - Occupy Together Forum


Of the Faerie and Faun



Green leaves by *Niiveleggelja


Of the Faerie and Faun
pagan culture & music


Gurdypedia


DOCUMENTING THE CURIOUS WORLD OF THE HURDY GURDY

Hurdy-Gurdy Playing Satyr with a Sleeping Nymph Master of 1515 (Italian [?], active ca. 1515) Engraving with drypoint burr plate: 6 1/4 x 7 in. (16 x 17.8 cm), sheet: 6 3/8 x 7 1/8 in. (16.3 x 18.1 cm) Gift of Henry Walters, by exchange, 1931 (31.31.19)


> Gurdypedia


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Lessons from the Elgin | Stop Shell's Arctic drilling



Lessons from the Elgin gas leak: why we must stop Shell's Arctic drilling | Greenpeace Blogs

Blogpost by Bex, Greenpeace UK


Ten days after the leak began, Total is still struggling to contain the gas pouring from its North Sea Elgin platform, citing bad weather as the cause of the delays. Yet, in just 100 days’ time, Shell wants to start drilling for oil in the remote and extreme Arctic environment – claiming it has the technology and the tools to deal with any spill...


full article: Lessons from the Elgin gas leak: why we must stop Shell's Arctic drilling | Greenpeace Blogs

...In the past 30 years, we’ve lost 75 per cent of the Arctic sea ice. Drilling for and burning more fossil fuels in its melting waters is pretty much the last thing we should be doing.

It’s reckless. It’s stupid. It’s plain wrong.

Please help to stop it.



TAKE ACTION > Greenpeace: Tell Shell: Don't Destroy the Arctic






Tuesday, April 3, 2012

NEW: The Robert Cherwink Daily @paper.li







The Robert Cherwink Daily

Monday, April 2, 2012

Cell Phone Tracking - policies in state of chaos



The Results From Our Nationwide Cell Phone Tracking Records Requests


Ten. That's the number of law enforcement agencies that responded to our coordinated public records requests on cell phone location tracking and reported that they, in fact, do not track cell phones. The number of agencies queried: 383. The number that responded (so far): some 200.

We've just released the documents those law enforcement agencies turned over to us, and The New York Times has run a front-page story on our findings.

If you're living in one of the places where local law enforcement agents reported tracking cell phones, or for that matter anywhere else in the country, you might be wondering under what circumstances your law enforcement agents are getting access to cell phone location information.

Given the intimate nature of location information, the government should have to obtain a warrant based upon probable cause to track cell phones. That is what is necessary to protect Americans' privacy, and it is also what is required under the constitution. But is that what the police do? The answer is it depends. Law enforcement agencies' tracking policies are in a state of chaos, with different towns following different rules — or in some cases, having no rules at all.

A number of enforcement agencies across the country, in states as diverse as Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, and New Jersey, reported obtaining a probable cause warrant in order to access cell phone location information. The takeaway here? If these police departments can protect both public safety and privacy by meeting the warrant and probable cause requirements, then surely others can as well...



more | American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)


Even After Supreme Court GPS Decision, Feds Still Want Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking

Even after January's landmark Supreme Court decision cast significant doubt on the government’s ability to electronically track a person’s location without a warrant, the Justice Department continues to defend this practice. On Friday, the ACLU, along with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, arguing that the government should be required to obtain a warrant based on probable cause before seizing 60 days’ worth of location information generated by an individual’s cell phone.

The appeal by the government comes after a federal district court judge in Texas held that the constitution does indeed require a warrant for such information. As long as a cell phone is turned on, it automatically registers its estimated location with the nearest cell towers as frequently as every seven seconds. This means that every person who uses a cell phone is creating a vast record of personal information, from doctors’ visits to church attendance to visits to friends’ homes.

In our brief, we urge the court to hold that the Fourth Amendment requires the government to obtain a warrant and demonstrate probable cause before obtaining cell phone location data. Most people are unaware that their every movement can be tracked through their phones, and we maintain an expectation that such information will remain private. Cell phone location data, especially data collected over a prolonged period of time, is simply too sensitive to allow the government access without proving to a judge that there’s good reason to believe it will turn up evidence of a crime.

This is the first time in years that a higher court will consider the constitutionality of this issue. By refusing to appeal lower-court decisions where a judge required a warrant, the government has avoided allowing appeals courts to make a ruling.

Unfortunately, the government believes that most people know that their cell phones are generating a near-constant record of their locations and movements, and it argues that individuals cannot reasonably expect that this information will remain private.

The government is wrong. We shouldn’t have to choose between using the modern technology that society has come to rely upon and being able to expect that our private information will remain private. Instead, our brief encourages the court to recognize that when we take our cell phone to the gym or to a political rally, we certainly don’t intend for the government to be following along.


American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The U.S. Supreme Court had yet to uphold a single free speech claim when Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver and others formed the ACLU in 1920. Activists languished in jail for distributing anti-war literature. State sanctioned violence against African Americans was routine. Women won the right to vote only in August of that year. Constitutional rights for lesbians and gays, bisexual and transgender people in those days were unthinkable.
The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

These rights include:

• Your First Amendment rights - freedom of speech, association and assembly; freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
• Your right to equal protection under the law - protection against unlawful discrimination.
• Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
• Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; prisoners; and people with disabilities.

If the rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, everybody's rights are imperiled.



Feds Raid Oaksterdam




Oaksterdam University - Quality Training for the Cannabis Industry
America's first cannabis college was founded in 2007 to provide students with the highest quality training for the cannabis industry. Our faculty is comprised of the most recognized names in the California cannabis legalization movement. Since opening its doors in November of 2007, thousands of students have taken classes with the hope of entering the budding cannabis job field.
This morning around 8am Federal Marshalls raided Oaksterdam University, a cannabis college, medical marijuana training school at the epicenter of the marijuana movement in Oakland, California. Various cars without licence plates swept into the parking lot, armed agents wearing masks entered the building along with a locksmith, other agents roped off the scene with yellow tape while others stood guard outside…hiding behind dark glasses, weapons strapped to their legs. Around the corner, the Oaksterdam University gift shop also had armed Federal Marshalls guarding its entrance. City Council member Rebecca Kaplan said that Oakland Police nor the city were notified of this raid.



more > Federal Agents Raid Oakland's Oaksterdam University | STUFF STONERS LIKE
page includes some youtube videos


Kush Magazine - PRESS RELEASE: Gun Violence Kills 7 as Feds Target Medical Cannabis in Oakland

...The voters of the City of Oakland have repeatedly affirmed their support for the regulated distribution of medical cannabis. In response, elected officials and city staff developed the most successful model of cannabis regulation in the state. This system stands in stark contrast to the failed policies of the federal government.

Oakland's successful system has provided safe access for patients, created hundreds of well-paying jobs, generated millions of dollars of tax dollars, and reduced the burden on law enforcement. It is a system that has benefited all Oaklanders, not just those who rely on cannabis for medicine.

In contrast, if the US Attorneys are successful in their nationwide campaign, millions of patients will be taken out of safe facilities and returned to street dealers, tens of thousands of well-paying jobs will be destroyed, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue destroyed—and all those assets will be returned to the criminal underground.

It is a policy with all downsides and no upsides; it’s a policy which hurts all Americans, not just those who rely on cannabis for medicine. Medical cannabis patients and their supporters should express their outrage directly to the US Attorneys, who have initiated and are continuing to prosecute this vicious campaign to suffocate safe access....


April 2 (Bloomberg) -- Oaksterdam University, which calls itself the first marijuana "college" in the U.S., was raided by the Internal Revenue Service and Drug Enforcement Administration. Federal agents raided the Oakland, California-based school today to serve a search warrant as part of a continuing investigation, said Arlette Lee, a spokeswoman for the IRS. The warrant was filed under seal in federal court, she said, declining to comment further. Jack Gillund, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag in San Francisco, also confirmed the raid and declined to comment. The school was founded in 2007. It offers classes in the chemistry and growing of marijuana, methods of ingestion, and a class on the legal issues concerning cannabis, including an introduction on the conflict between state and federal laws over the drug, according to its website.

"Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation division are searching the university, owned by Richard Lee, at the corner of 16th Street and Broadway," the school said on its website.

Conflict Increased

The conflict between California and federal authorities over the enforcement of marijuana sales has increased since last year, when a Justice Department memo to U.S. attorneys said large-scale growers, sellers and distributors of marijuana may be prosecuted in states that have passed laws permitting medical use of the drug. California was the first state to permit marijuana consumption for medical purposes when voters approved a 1996 ballot measure. The dispensaries generate sales of as much as $1.3 billion a year and sales taxes of as much as $105 million annually, according to the Board of Equalization, the state's tax administrator. Last year's Justice Department memo supplemented a 2009 letter advising prosecutors that enforcement efforts against people using marijuana to treat cancer or other serious illnesses in accordance with state laws may not be "an efficient use of federal resources." The 2009 letter was "never intended to shield" larger scale cultivation, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole wrote in last year's memo.

State laws or local ordinances are "not a defense" to civil or criminal prosecution of such cultivation, according to the memo. Lee didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. Some San Francisco supervisors and state politicians planned a demonstration in the city tomorrow to protest federal crackdowns on medical marijuana dispensaries. Oaksterdam University sponsored a 2010 ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use in California. The measure failed in a statewide vote.


Oaksterdam Marijuana School in California Raided by U.S.


OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - Federal agents raided a cannabis cultivation college on Monday in the San Francisco Bay area widely known as the "Princeton of Pot" and the "Harvard of Hemp," authorities said, as the U.S. government pressed its clamp-down on medical marijuana.

The sweep turned the college, which offers courses in the growing and dispensing of marijuana, into the latest flashpoint between federal law enforcement and medical cannabis advocates in California and other states where pot has been decriminalized for medicinal purposes.

"This is clearly an attack on regulation," Oaksterdam University Chancellor Dale Sky Jones said. "They just went after a school that tries to teach people how to do things legally."

Several dozen protesters gathered at the school after the raid, some of them openly smoking joints as they carried signs that read "End federal interference" and "Cannabis is medicine."

Oakland police handcuffed at least one demonstrator, but the reason for the arrest was not immediately clear.

Jones said veteran medical marijuana activist and Oaksterdam founder Richard Lee was awakened on Monday morning by federal agents conducting a separate search of his home, but he was not arrested.

Federal authorities said raids at Oaksterdam and other unspecified locations were carried out under a federal search warrant that was sealed by a judge, and they gave few details.

David McCullick, a faculty member at Oaksterdam, said a marijuana museum near the school and a medical cannabis dispensary run by Lee were also raided. He said the school's "grow lab" contained at most 80 to 90 small cannabis plants, while the museum contained a single plant encased in glass.

"Here you've got a school that's licensed by the city," he said. "It's just a school. It's freedom of speech," he said.

Joycelyn Barnes, special agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's San Francisco Division, said DEA officers were joined by personnel from the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Marshals Service in the operation...

...The Obama administration has said it would not single out individual patients who possess or grow their own marijuana in states with medical pot statutes. But U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and various federal prosecutors have said the government would continue to target operations that support for-profit, illegal drug dealing under the guise of medical marijuana.

Oaksterdam holds classes on Wednesday mornings and one weekend every month.

One demonstrator outside the school on Monday, a 50-year-old laborer on disability with a back injury, said he had taken a class called "Horticulture 102."

"I tried it (marijuana) and it worked," said Michael Little Bear. "So the next step was I wanted to make it. There's goodness here. ... They teach the right way to do things," he said.

- Noel Randewich | Reuters