The old wisdom of holding marijuana illegal is no longer sacrosanct. There is now an open debate regarding the legalization of this drug. In the US, a recent and just-released Zogby poll reveals that ‘52 percent support the legalization, taxation and regulation of pot.’ Pot freedom has now become mainstream discussion.

It seems that some authorities see marijuana as a source of tax revenues very similar to those from alcohol. Whatever shape the debate is taking, one thing is clear: the hot talks on marijuana legalization has been getting tons of press.

As more arguments come out for marijuana legalization, the old wisdom of marijuana prohibition starts to crumble at the edges. However, no action can be achieved by pro-legalization campaigners and lobbyists unless actual legalization laws can be passed and enacted. Here lies the rub.

The marijuana debate is as wide as its clandestine plantations the world over. It will take a lifetime to discuss it thoroughly – if not a lifetime, then at least a presidential term. Obama seems to have heaps of concerns on his hands that some people think that any bill pointing to marijuana legalization cannot possibly see the light of day in the next four years.

The harsh realities of drug wars in Mexico are too close in proximity. So in the meantime, the debate remains a discussion and the plant stays illegal.

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Via newsreview.com

The Nike Woman campaign for Nike Women is truly inspirational for all those women who are made to feel weaker gender. Campaign designed by Ogilvy, Johannesburg depicts differences between men’s world records and women’s world record as small ignorable ‘distances’. It will motivate sportswomen to wear smart sports shoes and head for training.

What is intriguing is that a social gender construct has been diluted so subtly in this advertising campaign. Modern women are almost equal to men in all endeavors including sports. The difference between world records or ‘distances’ shown in this ad campaign reinforces this fact. Between hundred meters record the distance is as small as a width of a bus-stop, long jump its mere a bench long difference and high jump it is just a step higher.

This is an intelligent campaign for selling women sports shoes. It would have been too jaded had they focused on sportswomen and the shoe designs. It is step away from usual advertising where sportswomen are used to draw eyeballs just like any other sexy models. For a change Nike ad is inspiring women to market their shoes!

Via The Inspiration Room Daily

Starting today, early afternoon we would be showcasing the best weekly finds across fêted blogs, ensuring that our readers miss nothing while catching up with the latest trends. To begin with, we are simply floored by the inclusive compilation and presentation of trends by Jeremy Gutsche  and his team, therefore we move ahead in starting our series by capturing the best of best over trend hunter in past week.

Stay around to get your daily dose of trends across various channels and do send a teaser (via comments) if you happen to discern out-of-box trends featured on established or newbie blogs, worth covering as a part of our weekly recap series.

Quilted Capelets:  Dressed to Kill! Alexis Mabille warmly commemorate its 150th anniversary of making goose and down-filled fashionable stuff by offering curious collection for Pyrenex

90 Stellar Supercars: Ready for a stylish warp drive?

Vintage Slide Handbags:  Designer RedCamper handbags’ collection stands at par in recalling you the origin of the slides. They are also known for creating on-demand customized work with your own vintage slides.

Solar Panel Necklaces:  Kudos to Mae Yokoyama for such intelligent offering. The tiny solar powered shingles on the neck piece can be charged in the sunlight, facilitating the LEDs on it to gleam at late night parties, thereby not only rotating few eyelids but breaking heads.

Foldable Scooters:  Yes, you heard it right. I stayed quiet for a while and so must be the designer as RoboScooter bagged Buckminster Fuller Prize.

19 pioneering Laptop Concepts:  When did the need for laptops or netbooks to go innovative aroused? The answer lies with you my dear geeks. It was when you starting considering them as more of a lifestyle statement.

Philippe Starck’s Sleek ‘Starck K’ Collection for Duravit is eye catching and aims at adding beauty to your kichen decors.

We would bring you the best of INHABITAT in our tomorrow’s weekly recap.

Green responsibility and eco-consciousness is something that needs to extend a lot beyond a single day and that is exactly why we are bringing you the Mode Deluxe Recycler on the occasion of Earth Day. While the $200 price tag on the gadget might be a bit hard to get a pass in these recession hit times, we are sure the green savvy will find a way around the green bucks trouble. With an ability to recycle paper, plastic and glass in three separate compartments and a capacity of 17-gallon, this is for those households that put in plenty of trash in their plastic bags each week!

With an options to pre-set a recycling day reminder that suits your needs, the Recycler center is also a fine alternative for all of us who are forget about such trivial stuff by getting engrossed in the TV soaps and Saturday night sports frenzy… So how about bringing home some order to your junk?

Link: peoplepoweredmachines /greenlaunches

At this point it seems frustratingly ironic that the major reason why South Africa was picked over England for its ‘sunnier’ weather and yet we have been forced to see more highlights packages waiting for skies to clear and covers to come off rather than LIVE action. Not just for television viewers who were hotly anticipating another mini tussle between the titans, but also the patient Kingsmead crowd that left home disappointed. Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals captains never even came out for the toss as they left to their hotel rooms each picking up a single point.

Neither of the teams will be too happy though with the charged up Indians wanting to double their tally while the Royals wanted to show that their last defeat was just a freak. At this point we would like to really know who was actually advising Lalit Modi on the weather in late April in South Africa. While organizers are saying these are ‘freak showers’, the freakishness seems to becoming an all too common addition to the tournament at this point. It takes 5 overs a side to squeeze in a 20-20 contest and at this point we are even unable to squeeze in that!!

We have just discovered an advance stick called “Slik-Stik” for the senior citizens to help them walk better. Dissatisfied with the poor ergonomics and ordinary functions of conventional walking sticks, Denise Anstey, a disabled woman designed the Slik-Stik.

This stick comes with various features that will be interesting to the old folks. Its height is adjustable and therefore, you can adjust it according to your comfort. It has a rubberized non-slip hand grip. The bright LED torch light, which is incorporated on the front of the hand grip, will add safety and security when walking near traffic or while crossing the road at night. The Slik-Stik is an eco-friendly product and you do not require the use of disposable batteries. The latest state-of-the-art induction generator system has been skillfully incorporated by the engineers at BAYLIS.

In case of emergency illumination, a minute winding of the retractable handle will provide suffice the purpose, whilst it will take up to three hours to fully recharge the main charger. The idea sounds very cool to me. The Slik-Stik will perhaps be useful for the old folks.

Via: Gizmag

Motorola is a brand that has made its comeback thanks largely to the RAZR series that it has produced and despite all the variations it seems to be offering after that, it is still the good old ‘RAZR’ that has been the reason for its revival. Yet, Motorola seems to be merrily continuing its experimentation process trying to bring out the next big hit and that process has lead us to the highly ungainly, overly blinged A1600.

The A1600 is one of those mobiles which you either take or leave after first glance and we are expecting most people to leave it on the store shelf rather than take it home in their pockets. Of course, if you wish to take home this mobile that is a part of the bling series much like the V8, then it will set you back by $ 867. It has got gold on the sides, crocodile skin on the back and really a shape that tells you that money alone cannot buy taste. You get a Cartier bundle business card holder along as well, but that is about it when it comes to good things regarding the A1600.

Via: Engadgetmobile

The whole ‘iPod’ revolution has really changed the way people look at music needs and gadgets and while Apple is not the only mp3 producing company out there, iPod has stolen the show to such an extent that in much of the world a mobile mp3 player pretty much equates to an iPod. (Microsoft must be kicking itself for Zune right now). But this little concept design could very well be the next step in the evolution of the iPod.

Designed by Isamu Sanada, the iPod Shuffle Bracelet integrates your music needs with a fashion conscious look and ultra-cool portability. Now you can just strap on your iPod and move around with Bluetooth enables wireless headsets streaming over sixteen hours of music on the run. The dock connector and rugged casing makes its design more user friendly, while the superb design makes it an absolute delight. There is absolutely no reason why Apple cannot pick this design up barring the technical ones of course!

Via: Techeblog / Drbig

Solar Sailor surely looks like a damn good personal yacht that you can brag about to everyone you know not just because we like ‘green gadgets’, but because it amalgamates style with performance, green features with ergonomics and luxury with reduction in carbon footprints. Designed by a team of engineers in Australia, the lavish yacht has solar panels studded on its sail and these panel are programmed to sway with the sun, so to speak (much like a Sunflower farm!)

The concept creation will apparently soon start taking shape and it aims at reducing conventional fuel consumption by 10 percent. So what if the stats are not that great, it looks great, feels great and does its little bit for the planet!

Via: Tuvie