I hope you’re all well-rested after watching an acceptance speech after 1 a.m. As usual, the Americans blew my minds with how they report on their elections. CNN turned the Empire State Building into a giant electoral voting meter. And yet, no holograms were shown all night. That was pretty disappointing but there are more important things to think about right now. Here are six of those things:
1 A LITTLE EQUALITY A major decision happened last night but it had nothing to do with the White House, Senate, or Congress. Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. Those states become the seventh and eighth states to allow same-sex couples to marry. Apparently this ends a streak that existed since 1998, where every state has said no to same-sex marriage when there’s been a vote on it.
2 UP IN SMOKE Colorado and Washington made history as well, though nobody can remember why. Oh, right. You can carry up to an ounce of marijuana in Colorado. In Washington, you’ll be able to buy the stuff at state-licensed retailers. In both states that applies to adults who are 21 or older. This does not mean medicinal use. This means recreational. This is state-regulated pot smoking.
3 MIXED REACTIONS Mixed as in, mixed drinks, because the Saskatchewan government has opened the debate on lowering the drinking age from 19 to 18. This article has a bunch of different opinions included in it. Persuasive arguments on both sides. The University of Regina’s Students’ Union President Nathan Sgrazzutti said that it’s better for kids to drink at the Owl where bouncers and bartenders can take care of them than at home where they can pass out in their own vomit. Nathan, we’ve had strikingly different Owl experiences.
4 ONLINE GREY (GAMBLING) AREA The province hasn’t approved the Northern Bear Casino’s online gambling website. White Bear First Nation had the site operational for the first time yesterday. It’s already been reported to the RCMP. The website operates through servers in the British Virgin Islands. This could create an interesting legal debate. If there’s money to be made, Mr. Wall’s government will be there with hands out.
5 NEW MONEY The painfully slow release of polymer bills continues today with the new $20 bill. The bill pays tribute to the sacrifices of men and women in all military conflicts, just in time for Remembrance Day. The twenty is still green. The new $5 and $10 bills should be out by the end of 2013, or long after the world has ended.
6 JUNGLE CAT I saw this story yesterday and thought it was bizarre. A family in Regina have been ordered by the Ministry of Environment to get rid of their Serval cat, Jagger. He’s eight months old and close in size to a fully-grown German Shepherd. I know I’m supposed to find only the most current of stories but this cat infiltrated my dreams last night. You have to see this thing. Watch the video in the link of Jagger chasing the laser pointer.
That’s a nice mix of stories to continue your day with. In case you couldn’t stay up late enough to watch President Obama’s remarks, I have included the video at the bottom. The speech is what I expected of the guy but I still feel like Obama wasted an opportunity to do a quick spin or a cool dance move as the music was still playing.
