Medical Marijuana Goes Even More Corporate

Medical Marijuana Goes Even More Corporate


Medical Marijuana Goes Even More Corporate

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:17 PM PDT

It's hard to ignore the prevalence of medical marijuana dispensaries in California and elsewhere. They are on the corner and in the news. If you are a tax lawyer, it is even harder to ignore them, for there are big tax problems in this industry. See Voters Say Yes To Marijuana, IRS Says No. But when I said I thought the industry was going corporate—Is Medical Marijuana Going Corporate?—I didn't realize how true it was.

Japan, Australia to sanction North Korean bank as part of U.S.-led crackdown

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:23 PM PDT

North Korean bank notes are seen at a pavilion, just south of the border between the two Koreas, in PajuBy Antoni Slodkowski and Warren Strobel TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan and Australia plan to sanction North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank as part of U.S.-led efforts targeting Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank for the role Washington says it has in funding the country's nuclear program. A Japanese government source said Tokyo could act within the next two to three weeks. Australian Foreign Ministry sources said Canberra might also unveil sanctions soon. A senior U.S. ...


Taliban suicide bombers kill five Afghan police as Kerry visits Kabul

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:35 PM PDT

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban suicide bombers killed at least five policemen in Afghanistan's restive east on Tuesday, officials said, in a three-hour attack that coincided with a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The pre-dawn attack on a police compound in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan's largest city, came as the country braces for the beginning of the spring fighting season in the 11th year of the war. ...

Kerry meets again with Afghan President Karzai

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:46 PM PDT

Secretary of State John Kerry walks to a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday, March 25, 2013. Kerry embarked on talks Monday with Karzai amid concerns Karzai may be jeopardizing progress in the war against extremism with his anti-American rhetoric. The session came shortly after the U.S. military ceded control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan, ending a longstanding irritant in relations. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)KABUL (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met again Tuesday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a day after they put on a show of unity as they tried to end recent bickering over anti-American comments made by the Afghan leader.


Taliban suicide bombers kill five Afghan police as Kerry visits Kabul

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:36 PM PDT

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban suicide bombers killed at least five policemen in Afghanistan's restive east on Tuesday, officials said, in a three-hour attack that coincided with a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Japan, Australia to sanction North Korean bank as part of U.S.-led crackdown

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:23 PM PDT

TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan and Australia plan to sanction North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank as part of U.S.-led efforts targeting Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank for the role Washington says it has in funding the country's nuclear program.

CapCom Is Remastering The Classic NES DuckTales Game

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:20 PM PDT

For video gamers of a certain age, DuckTales does more than conjure up a reminder of one of our favorite cartoons. It also conjures up one of the best video games of all time. Which is incredible, because anyone who was playing games in the late 1980s and early 1990s knew that a licensed game for the NES was pretty much a guarantee of a lousy game. DuckTales was an exception. Built along similar lines as its Mega Man games, DuckTales was both fun and hard.

African nations increase farm spending, winning poverty battle

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:13 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hosts the leaders of four African nations this week, all of which are cited in a new report for effectively increasing spending on agriculture to combat extreme poverty and hunger.

Egyptian kidnappers release Norwegian, Israeli tourists

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:51 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Kidnappers released a Norwegian woman and an Israeli man held in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for four days following negotiations led by Bedouin, security sources said.

Egyptian kidnappers release Norwegian, Israeli tourists

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:29 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Kidnappers released a Norwegian woman and an Israeli man held in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula following negotiations mediated by Bedouin leaders between authorities and the group that seized the tourists four days ago, security sources said on Tuesday. The tourists had been kidnapped on Friday while driving between the resort towns of Dahab and Taba on the Red Sea coast. The sources said the kidnappers' aim was to put pressure on Egyptian authorities to release two of their relatives held for alleged drug dealing. The police had agreed to review the case. ...

African nations increase farm spending, winning poverty battle

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:13 PM PDT

TO MATCH FEATURE AID-DEVELOPMENT/MELONSWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hosts the leaders of four African nations this week, all of which are cited in a new report for effectively increasing spending on agriculture to combat extreme poverty and hunger. The report by the ONE Campaign, an anti-poverty group co-founded by Irish rockers Bono and Bob Geldof, said Senegal, Malawi, Cape Verde and Sierra Leone either met or were close to meeting targets for increased budget spending on agriculture. All of the countries, except Cape Verde where there is little data, are also on track or close to meeting a U.N. ...


Chimps, gorillas, other apes struggling to survive

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:24 PM PDT

FILE - In this Saturday, April. 30, 2005 file photo, an infant Bonobo looks on while the substitute mothers Marthe Mianda, left, and Michelline Mzozi, right, spend time with baby Bonobos at the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary around fifty kilometers outside of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Endangered chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos are disappearing from the wild in frightening numbers, as private owners pay top dollar for exotic pets, while disreputable zoos, amusement parks and traveling circuses clamor for smuggled primates to entertain audiences. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)BANGKOK (AP) — The multibillion-dollar trade in illegal wildlife — clandestine trafficking that has driven iconic creatures like the tiger to near-extinction — is also threatening the survival of great apes, a new U.N. report says.


Afghan police killed in suicide bombings

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:35 PM PDT

Taliban claims responsibility after eight suicide bombers kill five security officers in attack on a base in Jalalabad.

VIDEO: Reinventing the New York payphone

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:00 PM PDT

With mobile phones part of everyday life, the city of New York holds a competition to reinvent the payphone and ensure it will remain relevant in the future.

Can CMOs Create A Better World Through Marketing?

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:05 PM PDT

One billion people globally entered the 21st century being unable to read or write and 80% live on less than $10/day according to recent statistics on poverty .  At the recent Winter AMA conference, Dr. Philip Kotler, often called the Godfather of Marketing Management, reminded scholars from across the globe of the unique power that marketers have in serving consumers. While many deride CMOs, marketers, and marketing, Dr. Kotler talked about the nobility of a profession that seeks to deeply understand consumers and works every day to solve their significant problems. No other function in the firm can have such an important and life-changing impact on the globe's consumers.

Yelp Launches Revenue Estimator Tool For Merchants

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:01 PM PDT

Yelp has been best known to small business for its extensive user ratings and reviews.

5 Afghan police killed in suicide attack in east

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:32 PM PDT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Eight suicide bombers attacked a police headquarters in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, killing five officers and wounding four others, a security official said.

Arab League summit to begin in Doha

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 07:28 PM PDT

Syria conflict and Afghan government peace talks with Taliban high on Qatar agenda at organisation's meeting.

Magic: The Gathering At PAX East 2013

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:36 PM PDT

Magic: The Gathering and Wizards of the Coast had plenty to offer PAX East 2013 goers.  Chandra goggles, a Pinny Arcade pin, a chance to play the upcoming Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014, and a panel revealing the guild champions of Dragon's Maze.  The panel also revealed the next block scheduled to kick off in September.

US Supreme Court to hear gay marriage cases

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 04:20 PM PDT

Protesters on both sides gather for cases that could redefine marriage in 40 states that forbid same-sex couples to wed.

Photos of the Day: March 25

Photos of the Day: March 25


Photos of the Day: March 25

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PDT

In today's photos, a girl poses with a butterfly in London, Spanish Catholics hold Holy Week processions, people apply for unemployment benefits in India, and more.

Chile miner trapped 300m underground

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:35 PM PDT

A collapse in a mine in northern Chile in the early hours of Monday leaves a miner trapped 300m underground.

2012: Knox's ex talks

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PDT

2012: Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, tells Anderson Cooper he still keeps in touch with her.

Deadly landslide hits Indonesia's main island

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:21 PM PDT

At least eight people killed, including four children, and 18 more missing on island of Java, according to officials.

Asylum-seeker boat capsizes off Australia

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:52 AM PDT

At least two people dead and many hurt after boat overturns off Christmas Island, according to local media.

Fears for animals amid snow chaos

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:35 PM PDT

Farmers fear that thousands of sheep and cattle have died in the snow.

Ethiopia says foils Somali rebel plot to kidnap U.N. workers

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:30 PM PDT

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's intelligence agency said on Monday it had detained eight members of Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist militant group who it accused of plotting to kidnap U.N. workers.

U.S. wants EU to put North Korean bank on sanctions list

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:07 PM PDT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States is urging the European Union to impose sanctions on North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank, which Washington believes helps finance North Korea's ballistic missile program, a U.S. State Department official said on Monday.

EU suspends most Zimbabwe sanctions after referendum

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:00 PM PDT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union suspended most sanctions on Zimbabwe on Monday after the country's voters approved a new constitution limiting presidential powers and paving the way for an election.

World Briefing | Asia: Tibetan Mother Self-Immolates to Protest Chinese Rule

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:57 AM PDT

The woman, Kalkyi, set fire to herself near a monastery in the county of Dzamthang in Ngaba Prefecture, according to a report by Radio Free Asia.

Bernanke defends low interest rates

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PDT

Ben Bernanke defends the low interest rate policies of the US Federal Reserve and central banks in Europe, saying they were helping to boost the global economy.

Israel’s Prisoner X Said to Have Exposed Spies

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:38 AM PDT

Two news organizations have reported that the man, Benjamin Zygier, unintentionally revealed the identities of two top spies for Israel in Lebanon to a man known to be close to Hezbollah.

In Asteroid’s Aftermath, a Sigh of Relief

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:36 AM PDT

Scientists say luck played a role in sparing Chelyabinsk, Russia, from devastation as a space rock exploded.

Saudi Arabia 'threatens Skype ban'

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:51 AM PDT

Saudi authorities reportedly threaten to ban encrypted messaging services such as Skype, Viber and WhatsApp, causing upset among their many users.

Zainab's War: A mother risks everything for dignity

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:29 AM PDT

On Sunday, Zainab al-Khawaja, a 29-year-old human rights activist and mother from the tiny and pro-American nation of Bahrain, did two things.

First, she wrote an open letter, from prison, asking the U.S. to reconsider its support for the increasingly authoritarian Bahraini monarchy and imploring her fellow activists, frustrated by two years of mass protest that had achieved some of the most meager gains of the Arab Spring, to never give up their commitment to nonviolence.

Read full article >>

Appeal opens for jailed Rwandan opposition leader

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:47 AM PDT

KIGALI (Reuters) - A jailed Rwandan opposition leader was in court on Monday to appeal against her conviction in a case linked to the 1994 genocide after a trial last year that Amnesty International called "flawed".

UN to reduce staff in Syrian capital

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Spokesperson says decision to move some of 100 foreign personnel comes after shells landed near hotel where staff stay.

Leader of Central African Republic, François Bozizé, Is in Cameroon

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:06 AM PDT

A day after being ousted by rebel forces, President François Bozizé turned up in Cameroon, where he will remain temporarily.

Political Memo: In Less Than 50 Years, a Sea Change on Gay Rights

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:00 AM PDT

This week, as the Supreme Court hears two landmark cases on same-sex marriage, the speed and scope of the gay rights movement are astonishing supporters.

Cypriots Are Wary of Bailout Deal

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 01:00 PM PDT

Cypriots expressed anger and uncertainty after their country struck a bailout deal with its euro-zone partners that will significantly curtail banking operations.