Hemp advocates tend to get a rapturous look when they talk about their favorite plant. And they have some very good reasons for that.

You can make hemp into clothing, paper, wood composites, personal care products, paint, and food, among other things. Hemp yields several times the amount of fiber per acre that trees do, and as an annual crop, is easier to manage. It doesn’t require the huge amounts of pesticides and herbicides that cotton does, and doesn’t come from fossil fuels like synthetic fabrics. Hemp fiber is also particularly strong, meaning that paper can be recycled more times and textiles last longer. And hempseed oil is a great source of healthy essential fatty acids.

But advocates often go a bit overboard when they describe the benefits of hemp. The plant actually has some of the same problems as others grown on a large scale. It requires about as much nitrogen fertilizer as wheat and is comparable to other crops in terms of water use. Also, as an annual crop, hemp doesn’t do much to preserve the soil or provide animal habitat. It requires a lot of energy for harvesting and processing, and like any monoculture crop, it doesn’t help biodiversity.

Using hemp will give you some good eco-karma, just not as much as, say, eating all organic or vegetarian. So get some hemp products, but also check out clothes made from organically produced cotton, and paper and wood from sustainably harvested trees or recycled pulp. And as always, look for ways to consume less, rather than just shifting to new sources.

This article was written by Noah Grant as part of "YES! But how?" To read more, click here.

my fave is jeff hardy

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  The sun is out here and there's a real feeling that Summer is now properly on the way. My brief investment in the veg garden a month or so ago is now multiplying at a tropical rate thanks to the combination of the rain showers and that ferocious southern hemisphere sun.

 The runner beans and new potatoes seem to be growing five inches a day, a phenomenon which was partly explained to me yesterday when I was weeding and paused to delve into the rich soil in pursuit of a stubborn root. It was warm as bathwater.

 That said, for a northern hemisphere-born lad, this change of the season sits incongruously with the approach of Christmas.

 There's no lights or helium Santas up in Takaka high street just yet (not sure if they go in for that sort of tat here) although I did spot that the Big Blue Barn (aka The Fresh Choice supermarket chain) has parked a Santa's slay in front of its doors, although as yet no Santa or reindeer to go in it.

 So what do Kiwi's do for Xmas, I wonder?

 We spent the last four Christmases in India, and even though it didn't snow exactly, there was a kind of foggy, need-a-fire-on, let's-make-some-gluvine, chilliness in New Delhi that helped nurture the festive spirit.

 Even at the risk of upsetting the expectations of my unflinchingly traditional mother, who's coming to visit this year, I absolutely refuse to sit down to sprouts, devils-on-horseback and bread sauce just for the sake of it.

 Equally, I think for an Englishman abroad (if NZ counts) Christmas deserves more recognition than a plain old sausage sizzle on the beach, which has also been mooted in some rebellious quarters here.

 What, I wonder is the halfway house?

 Best suggestion so far (mine, of course) is to go the local salmon farm at Anatoki on Christmas Eve, catch a couple of decent-sized fish and poach them up to be eaten cold the next day with some of the first new potatoes (fingers crossed) from the garden. A dollop of homemade dill mayo to go with; a glass of high-end New Zealand Riesling to wash down.

 Or is even that too fancy for a Kiwi Christmas? Answers on a comment please.

Hello WWE Universe, 

There are rumours going around that the Shawn Micheals will call out the Undertaker and challenge him to a match at Wrestlemania 25.  I think that would be a great match.  What do you guys think about that?  It has been ten years since3 they last fought each other and it was in 1997 at Badd Blood in a first Hell in a Cell match.  Which Shawn Micheals cheated.  I hope you will agree.

Distant Thunder Radio is featuring an Entertainer each month. Our DJs will throw their favorites in, but I want WWE Universe to be involved as well. (After all, you are all here for WWE, correct? Shouldn't YOU get a say in something like this?) So here it is:

Send me a message or comment, and let me know who YOU want as Distant Thunder Radio's WWE Entertainer of the Month, and why! I'd like something besides "because he/she is hot!" 

We will play a commercial each day for the winner, theme song, and I may even have some fans call station to record comments for their favorite Entertainer. (MAN I miss the word "WRESTLER"!) My shows are recorded, so you never know what may end up on YouTube or Blogs!

You can check www.distantthunderradio.com to find out who we pick for the month!

From the latest LPU exclusive CD MMM...COOKIES - Sweet Hamster Like Jewels from America! Chester is channeling his inner Fergie, I think. XD

I'll just say to those who had a problem with my last blog - Considering i don't live in canada or the states i would not have seen chris's story on the news and i know coz i watch the news every day.

Sorry, sassy sisters. The December 13 event is canceled due to low response. I will get something on the calendar for January, once the holiday dust settles. If anyone wants a get-together, please contact Tara, owner of the Indianapolis North Quad group, as she's got one or two events in play for December!!! Best to confirm the latest details with her directly, though. Best of all throughout the season, and I look forward to starting 2009 as one of the sassiest years ever!!!!!!!

Hey guys! What's happening? How are you all? Here is the first of 2 wrestling updates for today, this one includes an updated Armageddon PPV card & your official Friday Night SmackDown! preview for tomorrow night's show. Enjoy!

WWE ARMAGEDDON

Sunday, December 14th, 2008 | HSBC Arena | Buffalo, NY

8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

Matches:

- John Cena (C) vs. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Championship Match)

- Edge (C) vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy (Triple Threat WWE Championship Match)

- Batista vs. Randy Orton*

* Newly Added Match

Friday Night SmackDown! Preview (12.5.08):

Matches:

- Kung Fu Naki vs. Edge

- Maria vs. Michelle McCool

- Gregory Helms "Hurricane" vs. MVP

- Triple H & Jeff Hardy (Tag Team Gauntlet Match)

- Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero

- The Undertaker vs. Big Show (Steel Cage Match)

*Credit To WWE.com & WrestlingDotCom.com For The Update & Preview*

Do you think that Charlie Haas should become the next World Heavyweight Champion? If not, then what title do you think he should go after next?

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 Dejo claro desde el principio que para mí la monarquía española no es más que un residuo histórico fruto del precio que se hubo de pagar durante la transición para conseguir la democracia. Pero, ¿se puede considerar a la monarquía una institución democrática?

En mi opinión sí, por cuanto que el art.1.3 de la Constitución establece que la forma política del Estado español es la Monarquía parlamentaria. Desde luego esto la aleja de otros tipos de monarquía como por ejemplo la marroquí. No obstante, considero que esta legitimación es meramente de origen e indirecta porque que yo sepa a nadie excepto los constituyentes han decidido al respecto.

La Constitución española otorgó amplias funciones al rey pero todas ellas tienen un carácter meramente protocolario o representativo y así sancionar y promulgar leyes, disolver las Cortes y convocar elecciones, nombrar candidato al presidente del Gobierno, ser el comandante supremo de las Fuerzas Armadas, asumir la más alta representación del Estado en el exterior etc...

Sin duda su principal contribución a la democracia desde un punto de vista histórico fue el aborto del golpe militar del 23F mediante un discurso televisivo en el que ordena que las autoridades civiles y militares a que tomen las medidas para la preservación del orden constitucional dentro de la legalidad vigente. Sin embargo a mi entender esto se trata de un hecho puntual que no debe impedir ver el bosque ya que la democracia no se la debemos a ningún rey sino como decía Unamuno a la "intrahistoria", es decir, a gente anónima de a pie como obreros, campesinos, estudiantes, sindicalistas  etc, que en su tiempo fueron duramente represaliados por el régimen que les tocó vivir por reclamar los derechos que les correspondían como personas.

El argumento más esgrimido de los defensores de la monarquía es la unidad y la estabilidad que ofrece, por aquello de ser una figura que está por encima de las tendencias de los partidos políticos. Esto sin embargo desprende un innegable tufo paternalista por cuanto pone en duda la capacidad de los españoles de organizarnos políticamente.

Las críticas más duras contra la monarquía provienen de los sectores más radicales de la sociedad: por una lado la izquierda (postura de Izquierda Unida), los nacionalismos (con manifestaciones públicas como la quema de banderas) y últimamente la de la ultraderecha (véase la petición de abdicación del inefable Jiménez Losantos. 

Un aspecto controvertido es la tipificación en el Código Penal de los delitos contra la Corona, para los que se establecen penas superiores a las normales. Esto puede incluso a estar hasta justificado por cuanto que se trata de una institución del Estado y en todo caso su alcance práctico es muy limitado a excepción del delito de injurias a la corona que puede llegar a constituir una severa limitación al derecho fundamental a la libertad de expresión,  como ocurrió con el secuestro de la revista El Jueves.

Lamentablemente creo que los españoles no estamos preparados para la instauración de la república y ello por 2 motivos: El primero de ellos es que el rey goza de una gran popularidad debido a factores personales (carácter campechano y cercano de Don Juan Carlos), como a factores de índole externa y estoy pensando en el excesivo protagonismo que recibe en los medios de comunicación ya sea a nivel informativo como a nivel de entretenimiento los miembros de la familia real en los deleznables programas de la farándula.

El segundo motivo tiene que con el blindaje que le brinda la Constitución por cuanto que su derrocamiento pasa inexorablemente no ya por la reforma constitucional sino por la revisión de la misma, lo que implica la aprobación del principio por mayoría de dos tercios de cada Cámara así como el consiguiente referéndum.

Mi conclusión es que la monarquía al igual que toda clase de residuos está condenada a desaparecer  pero ello tendrá lugar a largo plazo cuando futuras generaciones vayan tomando conciencia de la inutilidad e irracionalidad de esta figura, y pasemos de una vez por todas a tener una forma política que venga a significar cosa pública y no poder de uno.

ME GUSTARIA COMPARTIR MIS PENSAMIENTO ..

 December 04, 2008. Kanye West is looking to be a fashion intern at Louis Vuitton. We expect that it will be the shortest internship in Louis Vuitton's history

Here's how the NY Times is reporting it:

In the hope of better understanding the design process, Mr. West has announced that he wants to take time off from his music career and intern at a fashion house. Preferably, Louis Vuitton or Raf Simons.
"I was blown away from the planet when he told me," said Mr. Simons, by phone from Antwerp, Belgium. "I know he's very serious about this - I don't take it as a joke - but how can I imagine him being my intern? It's a very extreme situation."

Here's how we expect day 1 of the internship to go:

Designer: Mr. West can you get a needle and thread
Kanye: Why I gotta get the needle and thread ... give an intern a chance, I'm trying hard man, I have the ... number one record, man
Designer: You're fired

Another 'Christmas-is-Banned-even-though-it's-not' story from the Daily Mail. Don't look so surprised. Yet another school is forced to issue a statement refuting the basis of the original article. Not that it'll be much use; it will pass into the annals of myth-as-fact.

The DM headline is Primary School Cancels Nativity Because It Interferes With Muslim Festival of Eid.

As Mail readers need a bit more coaxing, there's even a lovely picture of a traditional nativity scene. So, what's the score?

• A primary school infuriated parents after cancelling the traditional Christmas nativity play to make way for the Muslim festival of Eid.

Traditional........nativity...............Christmas...............Muslim.................cue frothing readership.

• Is this the thin end of the wedge ? They will be banning all Christian activities next, just wat and see.
  This is Britain ( no longer Great ), BUT still our country.

  - JAYGEE, United Kingdom, 3/12/2008 12:41

• We live in a christian society, why have we yet again had to bow down to the minority and suspend the Nativity until after the CHRISTMAS PERIOD, what is the point in that. The political correctness in this country has now gone way too far and something should be done about it

  - Sam McCormick, Denton, Manchester,

Now, it's tempting to be charitable to these people. After all, they're only commenting on what they have read. But, what exactly have they been given? Aside from the headline and opening sentence, where is the evidence?

• In a letter, sent by the staff at Greenwood Junior School, mothers and fathers were told: 'It is with much regret that we have had to cancel this year's Christmas performances.

So, it must be a nativity performance then? With Christian connotations? Three Wise Men, donkey, wobbly scenery, angels, shepherds washing their socks etc?

• Why do we have this sort of thing repeated year after year? Wouldn't it be much easier for all concerned to abandon our long-held traditions and hand over the country to whoever wants it. That's obviously what's going to happen eventually anyway so why don't we just get on with it? Then we won't have this silly Christmas thing interfering with other, apparently more important, beliefs.

  - Frank, Lancaster, UK, 3/12/2008 13:19

Let's be Frank. No, let's not. I agree that we shouldn't have this repeated every year, but it will be whilst this despicable excuse of a newspaper gets away with twisting the truth to lie to its readers. Frank then goes into a sulk and sounds like a child that's just been told he is to be a cloud in the nativity whilst his nemesis is to play Joseph. Sound familiar, Frank?

Of course, the truth, as Mulder and Scully would say, is out there. Oh yes it is!

• A school has had to defend itself against claims that it rescheduled its Christmas show to make way for Eid.

  Greenwood Junior School, in Nottingham, told pupils' families that the pantomime would be held in January because of a "full calendar of events" this month.

  It said the move was in keeping with the tradition of pantos in the New Year.

We see now that the Christmas performance was in fact that well-known religious extravaganza, Cinderella. Unlike this panto, Chris Johnson's scoop is all balls!

Chris must be so proud. So many Mailites queuing up to agree how terrible this decision is, suckered in by his lies. I hope your family google you Chris and see this blog showing what a worthless journo you are.

Even The Daily Express - although still having a dig at Muslims for the cancellation- managed to get the Cinderella part right.

• A SCHOOL’S traditional Christmas pantomime was scrapped to make way for the Muslim festival of Eid, it emerged yesterday.

There does seem to have been a slight administrative error in that it might have been expected for a multi-faith school like this one to know the dates of the Eid festival (which varies a bit like Easter) but we can all have hindsight. The school also seem to suggest that it was not a concrete date anyhow.

The worrying aspect is that the school has been forced onto the back foot and needed to issue a second letter. From the Press Association:

• In a statement, the school said it planned to stage Cinderella on January 28 and 29.

  It said: "The date of the pantomime was only set recently, once we were confident that pupils and staff would be fully prepared.

  "Because of this, and the full calendar of events happening in the lead-up to Christmas, we were unable to fit it into the schedule.

  "In order to avoid any disappointment, a letter was sent out to parents advising that a performance would not take place in December."

  The "full calendar" comprised a range of events, including a Christmas carol concert and Eid celebrations, a Nottingham City Council spokeswoman said.

So, here we go again. The Mail has not issued an update to this to clarify matters because that would have involved a grovelling admission of fault.

The Mail also knew about the second letter:

• Yesterday, a statement issued by the school said: 'We would like to apologise for any confusion caused as a result of [the original] letter we sent out and would like to reassure parents and the community that Christmas has not been cancelled at Greenwood Junior School.

The Mail knows quite well that for all its readership's mocking of education standards, its army of admirers tend to read bold type only. This makes this article doubly deceitful.

As I mentioned in my criticism of The Liverpool Echo over the Santa story, I would have thought it appropriate to contact the subject at the centre of the story before letting rip. That would have ruined the headline, of course. The Mail could still have had a thinly-veiled attack on Muslims like The Express, but it wouldn't have enabled them to imply the banning of not only a seasonal tradition but a Christian one at that.

I hope the Governors and Head of Greenwood Junior School make an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. Whilst not much will happen, it's important that such sham journalism designed to create intolerance as much as the BNP, is officially recognised.

Merry Xmas and Eid Mubarak. I hope the children enjoy all the festivities in December and January.

UPDATE:

I should have predicted that the odious BNP would make something of this. They refer to the story and chillingly ask:

• Does your child attend ‘The School that Cancelled Christmas?’ Did you receive the Scrooge letter? Please contact the BNP National Enquiry Line and we will do everything we can to help you fight for your children’s British culture and heritage.

The Youth BNP site also asks people to contact the school and provides names, address and telephone and fax number (admittedly in the public domain). It says,

• Please be polite, and ask why the school discriminates against indigenous British people. We would also urge local parents to put on their own Nativity play, or attend one nearby

As I said before Chris Johnson and the other vile journos must be very proud. On the one hand writing for papers that publicly distance themselves from the BNP; with the other hand reaching out and providing alms.

When the school receives an avalanche of protests from fascist morons, I hope you can all sleep at night!

During Day 3 of Tribute to the Troops, Michael Cole had the opportunity to talk to many servicemen about their time in Iraq and the WWE's visit.

Here are some of their thoughts in their own words:

Staff Sgt. Stephen Sandoval, US Army
Colorado Springs, Co.
I have been in Iraq for 12 months on this, my third tour of this country. I am a mechanic and a scout. I am in charge of vehicle maintenance. I am really excited to be a part of the Tribute to the Troops show, and even more excited to be a part of the set-up of the arena.

I am just glad to have the opportunity to come out here and show my support for WWE and the Superstars who have given up their time to come here. It is so important the soldiers are entertained, and I just want to thank WWE for doing this.

It’s a bit different then I expected, the stage, the ring, the ringside area is much different than I imagined. I am learning a ton.

I have a wife and four kids at home. My wife is the true hero; she is a strong woman dealing with everything at home while I am over here. I am just asking her to hang on a little bit longer, I will be home soon.

Seaman Gavin Riley, US Navy
Rockaway Queens, N.Y.
I am one of the few from the Navy here, and I believe the only Navy man helping with the set-up of the WWE arena for the Tribute to the Troops show. Volunteering to help the show gives me a chance to work with my hands out here. My main job is personnel; I just provide support for those on the front line. The Navy is here to make their jobs easier, taking care of paperwork and the like.

I am a huge part of your WWE Universe! This is so much different than I was expecting. This is so much more than I expected. At the end of the day when my family records this show and we watch it when I get home I can tell them “Hey I built that ring, hey I built that stage!” It’s wonderful. 

I have a wife, my parents and two brothers supporting me back home.  This is my first deployment and it’s been so tough being away from home. My wife and I are coming up on our one-year wedding anniversary, yet we were together only about a month before I shipped out. It is incredibly tough, but she is incredibly supportive. I get to go home just after the first of the year so I am excited.

I just want to tell my wife I love you! I want to tell the rest of my family I love you and I miss you. And I want to thank everyone at WWE who are here and at home, thanks! This is incredible.

Sgt. Michael Stanke, US Army
Wisconsin. (Stationed in Fort Hood, Texas)
This is my second deployment in Iraq. Over past few years I have spent 27 months in Iraq and only 19 months in the states. I have been on this tour for a little more than a year now, and still have about four months left. My daily job is I am in charge of all personnel in my unit, more than 400 people. I handle everything from pay to redeployment issues. 

I volunteered for this WWE detail because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I watch WWE all the time here in Iraq! I love it; I have been a WWE fan for my whole life! The ring set-up was the most interesting thing I have done. We got a behind-the-scenes view of how everything is set-up and built from the ground up. It has been so cool being so interactive with the workers, the camera crew, the directors, everyone.

I respect WWE and all it does to support us out here. They do an incredible job and I wanted to help WWE as a way of saying thanks! 

John Cena is my favorite WWE Superstar. He seems to embody everything the Armed Forces are about. He respects all his fans and respects the troops. He wears his dog tags out to every show and he always does the salute, and is one of the only people I have seen who actually does the salute correctly. His whole mentality, toughness, work ethic, the whole package! I also respect the fact he played college football.

I want to tell my mom and dad and my family that I miss them and I wish I could be home for Christmas. It’s been a long time since I could spend the holidays in the states. 

I want to send a special shout-out to my friend James Richardson from Texas, a prior serviceman. He was injured over here on his last tour! Just wanted to say we are thinking about you.

Spc. Richard Litz, US Army
Virginia
On a daily basis I resupply more than 800 soldiers with food, water, MREs, and stuff of that nature. I have been in Iraq for a bit over a year and I hope to head home in February.
 
I volunteered to help WWE during its tour here because I have been a lifelong fan! But this is so much more than I expected. I figured I would just be out here escorting people around, I didn’t realize I would be actually setting up this whole arena! This is an experience of a lifetime and now I get to go home and tell my family and friends “Hey guess what I got to do!”

I can’t believe I am actually here doing this! Every time WWE has come here I have missed them, but this time I get to be a part of it and will be right there in the front row!

I thought the actual wrestling ring was going to be more bouncy, with springs everywhere, almost like a trampoline.  But once I actually got in there I was amazed it was nothing like I thought.

I can’t wait to see Mickie James because she is a Virginia girl and Jeff Hardy. I have been watching Jeff for years and I can’t wait to watch them in action. I also want to thank John Cena for all he has done for the troops. 

I want to tell my sweetie and my son, I love you and wish I could be with you for Christmas. Also, Austin, I wish you were here to see all this!

Editor's Note: The preceeding was relayed from e-mail message reports from the WWE's Tribute to the Troops mission. Names of the bases visited have been omitted at