Land Of The Flea

Dark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs

"The state is on a hiring binge to fill what eventually will be hundreds of new government positions by 2019 intended to bring order to the legal pot economy, from keeping watch on what’s seeping into streams near cannabis grows to running background checks on storefront sellers who want government licenses. Thousands of additional jobs are expected to be added by local governments. Last January, just 11 full-time workers were part of what’s now known as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the state’s chief regulatory agency overseeing the pot market. Now, it’s more than doubled, and by February the agency expects to have more than 100 staffers."

Continue ReadingDark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs

FAA begins granting drone overflight waivers to large corporations

"CNN has won an interesting waiver regarding its commercial drone operating license with the FAA – an exemption that allows it to fly its Vantage Robotics Snap drone over open-air crowds of people at altitudes of up to 150 feet. This is a new precedent in this kind of waiver: Previous exemptions allowed flight of drones over people in closed set operations (like for filmmaking purposes) and only when tethered, with a max height of 21 feet. The new waiver granted to CNN, as secured through its legal counsel Hogan Lovells, allows for flight of the Vantage UAV (which is quite small and light) above crowds regardless of population density."

Continue ReadingFAA begins granting drone overflight waivers to large corporations

FAA Proposes Worldwide Laptop Ban For Checked Bags On Int’l Flights

"The proposal, which will no doubt upset some frequent travelers, will be considered by the United Nations in the coming weeks. The FAA is concerned about the lithium-ion batteries that are common in electronic devices like laptops. Tests conducted by the agency have concluded that when large electronics overheat in luggage they run the risk of combustion when packed with aerosol canisters like hairspray and dry shampoo."

Continue ReadingFAA Proposes Worldwide Laptop Ban For Checked Bags On Int’l Flights

Some startups find the American dream in China

"Wang is part of a group of Chinese nationals known as haigui or sea turtles, who return to the country after gaining knowledge and skills abroad. Last year, 432,500 Chinese who studied abroad returned to China, an increase of 58 percent compared with 2012, according to the country’s Ministry of Education. The boomerang effect is aided by the strength of China’s economy and the promise of its homegrown tech industry, including social networking giant Tencent, e-commerce firm Alibaba and search engine Baidu. Local governments provide incentives to startups that open offices."

Continue ReadingSome startups find the American dream in China

Will Trump Make a Deal with the CIA on JFK Records?

"The JFK Records Act, enacted in 1992 in response to public outrage over continued official secrecy in the JFK assassination, required the CIA and other federal agencies to release all their records relating to the JFK assassination. Someone, however, slipped a provision into the law entitling the CIA (and other federal agencies) to wait another 25 years to release their records. Taking advantage of that provision, the CIA withheld tens of thousands of pages of records, no doubt thinking that another 25 years was a long time away."

Continue ReadingWill Trump Make a Deal with the CIA on JFK Records?

Parody a police officer on Twitter, go to jail in America

"Something similar happened back in 2014, when police in Peoria, Illinois, arrested a man for impersonating the town's mayor on Twitter. The man (Jon Daniel) sued the city with the help of the ACLU and argued that the arrest violated his First Amendment rights. Ultimately, the city was forced to pay $125,000 to settle the case."

Continue ReadingParody a police officer on Twitter, go to jail in America