Odds & Ends: Provigil, Medical Marijuana, & Chris Brown and Rihanna

Provigil, an amazing little pill that makes you alert but not jittery, 'may be' addictive. I've only used it a few times and it's done a perfect job of keeping me awake. Going into the general election this year, I was in New Hampshire organizing GOTV, and hadn't slept more than three or four hours a night the week leading up to the big day. Provigil got me through a sixteen hour Election Day without any withdrawals.

The Obama Administration is taking my advice and leaving medical marijuana policy up to the states. From Huff-Po: "Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a change on medical marijuana policy Wednesday, saying federal agents will target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state law. That would be a departure from the policy of the Bush administration, which targeted medical marijuana dispensaries in California even if they complied with that state's law." Good news for dying cancer patients treating their nausea with medicine their doctor prescribes.

Why celebrity's responses to Chris Brown & Rihanna matters: "Of the 200 Boston youths (ages 12 to 19) surveyed last month, 51 percent said Chris Brown was responsible for the incident, 46 percent said Rihanna was responsible and 52 percent said both were to blame; 52 percent said the media was treating Brown unfairly; 44 percent said fighting was a normal part of a relationship; and a “significant” number said “Rihanna was destroying Chris Brown’s career.” Women blamed Rihanna as much as men did." Chris Brown gets off easy.

Mya Releases Domestic Violence Track - Blackout

Pop singer Mya has released a portion of her new song Blackout (Explicit Lyrics), which addresses domestic violence. The song was recorded before the Chris Brown/Rihanna situation, but one can't help but make the connection.

Mya said in an interview with Honey Magazine, that at first she didn't believe the Chris Brown story, "I assumed it was another outrageous, untrue rumor from an illegitimate gossip site." It wasn't until she was playing tracks of her upcoming album for friends that she realized the song's impact.

Blackout was inspired by two friends who were abused by their boyfriends.

Mya wouldn't give Rihanna any advice, saying that she wasn't in any "position to give proper advice unless I’ve been given all facts from the direct source." She also stressed that she believes abusers can change, "I think anyone can change if they truly want to. It’s internal first. Regarding violent partners, it helps if a strong support system is in place to monitor and see the process through. "

The response from the male members of the pop/hip-hop world has been underwhelming, with many performers sounding like wife-beater apologist. It's nice that some members of the music world are trying to speak out.

Mya has been active in organizations that combat domestic violence, including her own, The Mya Arts and Tech Foundation.

(See also, Where Is The Outrage...)

Originally posted on The Huffington Post.

Odds & Ends

The first day of Vote! rehearsals in Bloomington was a blast. We've got a great cast up here (comprised mostly of IU students) and I think the show is gonna be lots of fun. I'll try and get some pictures for you all soon.

Lots of Odds & Ends today:

-- Gay City News has a great feature on gay marriage in New York, with lots from Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. Also, a little shout-out to yours truly for my article on Daniel Squadron. (Also, thanks to the NY Daily News for their link last week.)

-- We may finally be able to visit Cuba legally.

-- Christopher Hitchens on Zimbabwe.

-- I'm really fucking disappointed in Chris Brown. I thought more of him. Apparently Rihanna's injuries are "horrific."

-- Huge study out that appears to show that multivitamins may not work at all.

-- Looks like Connecticut voters are finally done with Joe Lieberman.

-- Shepard Fairey, Obama's Hope artist, is fighting back against those assholes at the AP.

-- How awesome is it that Obama called on The Huffington Post's White House correspondent last night? Welcome to the future.

-- Catholicism is back in the dark ages! You can now pay to get rid of sin again.