The first of The Four Noble Truths in the teachings of Buddhism is the truth of suffering - that life is suffering, and this encompasses birth, disease, old age and death. My friend Barbara was not Buddhist, but she did experience suffering and death ... she didn't make it to old age. Barbara was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1995. During the next several months of weekly chemotherapy treatments, she lost her thick and curly hair, lost way too much weight and lost her exuberance and zest for life. [continues 635 words]
Although the scheduled demonstration by the Silicon Valley Cannabis Patients Union sparked the limited interest of just a handful of onlookers, this did not prevent union President Jim Lohse from igniting a pipe full of marijuana outside of the San Jose State University Police Department at 4:20 p.m. on Friday. Lohse said the 4:20 start time for the demonstration was a direct reference to SB420, which outlines provisions for distributing medical marijuana. "It's actually legal for me to stand here and smoke," Lohse, 32, said. [continues 504 words]
