This was a good opportunity for me to have a practice with my camera, I am just a beginner in the world of photography and have a lot to learn but I find getting out there and experimenting is the best way for me to learn and it is a lot of fun.

I have to admit, I have a thing for trees, I love the shapes, shadows and different forms that they give.

I really like this photo (above), instantly it reminds me of the glorious winter sunshine, fresh country air and the birds singing in the background.

These photos were taken with my old camera, Canon EOS 400D, which is still a pretty good camera but my new camera, Canon 7D is much better. Frustratingly, the battery was dead in my new camera, and even the spare battery I packed was dead, pays not to buy a cheap battery, lesson learnt!

It was truly a lovely few hours out and we all felt much better for it.

I had such a fun morning walking around the countryside of my village with a good friend. We are both new comers to the world of photography so it was pure experimentation which we both enjoyed!

I loved the ice on these plants and has inspired me to create some new fabric designs.

Sometimes we don’t realise that beauty is right on our doorsteps.

And when I say doorstep, I mean it literally with the image below!

I’m eager to start creating some new designs having been inspired by these images, I can visualise them already.

However, I have a small matter of making enough stock for the market stall in March so I must get back to sewing. Nice to have a break and step outside and have fun exploring and developing my photographic skills. Sometimes taking breaks is just what one needs!

Having been to Brussels twice before I was reasonably familiar with the city and what to expect, however travelling with kids puts a different perspective on a city.

We arrived late Saturday afternoon to a very cold Brussels but we were prepared as it was freezing when we left home. The next two days were cold and wet which in a city is not a lot of fun with two restless children, but we made the most of the situation, and went for waffles and lots of chocolate tastings!

I love the contrast here of old meets new, it is quite striking. During the day you could climb the top of the Christmas tree for a great view over Grand Place.

The electronic Christmas tree is made of steel, covered with wood and a screen.  At night you are treated to a sound and light show of the Christmas tree and with lighting on the City Hall and the Kings House.  It did look very effective, quite creative and modern.

Love this street art of Tintin on the streets of Brussels.

The last day the weather was perfect and we made the most of it by enjoying the outdoor ice skating rink at the Christmas markets, it felt very festive and was a lot of fun although I have to say I am rubbish at ice skating, didn’t leave the side much!  Unlike my 6 year old whom it was her first time ice skating and by the end was doing fancy turns, oh to be young again!!

All in all it was a lovely break away, great to spend time with a good friend from home, and the kids enjoyed a new culture and even picked a few French words.

View from our hotel room balcony – just beautiful!

We enjoyed cycling around the hotel estate on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, so lovely and peaceful.

Gorgeous Autumn colours at Skipton Castle which is in amazing condition for 900 years old, so much history.

My kids had a lot of fun exploring Brimham Rocks, lots of places to climb and a fabulous view too.

It was the first time on a bike since 1996 for me! The old saying ‘just like riding a bike’ is so true, you never forget how to ride a bike although I have to admit I was a bit more cautious going downhill than my 6 year old!

If you ever want a place to go recharge the batteries and take in some stunning English countryside, I would definitely recommend Yorkshire, especially in the Autumn, the colours and scenary was stunning.

Now I’ve had a break, I will be back to designing, creating and making new things….watch this space!

 September in London is buzzing with design, creativity and endless inspiration with lots on offer to see during the London Design Festival.  I go into London every September to be inspired and wowed by talented and creative individuals who showcase their work.  The piece above is made of dominos, really effective and so creative, this was on display at SuperBrands show at the Old Truman Brewery.

Really love these side tables from Invisible City, and also this desk, so seamless and beautifully made.

I also went to the Renegade Craft Fair at the Old Truman Brewery which was full of wonderful inspiring works and you even had the opportunity to give some crafts a go with workshops which I thought was a lovely idea.

I thought these cute Thumbooks were a great idea to make unique and personal books using your thumb prints as a portrait or drawing and recording a special message, quote etc.  I particularly liked the idea of doing this with my children as a special keepsake to look back on.

Another favourite was the very sweet designs from LadybirdLikes, loved the originality and the butterflies were a personal favourite.

This jewellery holder from Mr.Nico was a great idea for those of us who have lots of lovely necklaces that you just don’t want to get tangled up.

I’ve just showcased a few snap shots of my visit to Tent, Superbrands and the Renegade Craft Fair.  There were many wonderful innovative designs on display, I came away so inspired and I just wished I had more money to buy some of the lovely pieces!  So if you happen to be in London in September, I recommend you check out the London Design Festival as there is so much on offer and it is definitely worth a visit.

I wanted to write about a wonderful day that I had last week, one where I felt truly humbled, a day which was the final chapter of something special that first started about this time last year.   A good friend of mine, Nicky, who had recently recovered from Breast Cancer decided to participate in the London Moon Walk (Walk the Walk – a fundraiser marathon walk for Breast Cancer), she asked if I would like to join their group called ‘The Marathon Mummies’.  I thought this was a fabulous opportunity to raise money for a charity, get fit and meet new friends.

Marathon Mummies; Me, Jo S, Jo J, Nicky, Deb, Nicole and Helen

However, instead of the usual asking people for donations, Nicky came up with a great idea to have a Charity Ball as a fun way to fundraise for Walk the Walk and Cancer Research UK.  The ball was held on the 28th April and was a huge success, far bigger success than any of us had anticipated.

We raised a fantastic £21,000 which was split between Walk the Walk (Breast Cancer Charity) and Cancer Research UK.  We donated £11,000 to Walk the Walk and £10,000 to Cancer Research UK.

At the end of the marathon walk, London Hyde Park.

Now this brings me back to my wonderful day last week when we presented Cancer Research UK with the £10,000 cheque.

We were all invited to Cancer Research UK in Cambridge for a special presentation and a show around the research centre, unfortunately one of our Marathon Mummies, Helen, could not make it which was a shame.   It was fascinating to get a better understanding of Cancer, the presentation was so informative and interesting, I learnt so much.  The tour around the research centre was also very informative, and I was amazed at the level of progress in technology that has happened over the last 3-5 years, which is sure to benefit future generations.

We were all deeply humbled by our visit, to see first hand what fantastic work these very clever scientist and researchers are doing, and to know that we were able to help them in this process with our donation.  This visit has certainly inspired me to do more fundraising in the future for Cancer Research, everybody knows someone who has had cancer, it touches so many peoples lives.

I’m looking forward to creating a home that has personality, putting our mark on it as such, although my daughter has literally already put a felt tip mark on the wall, it was an accident apparently!

It is a fairly typical new build with a very small garden, however it does have a few added luxuries such as underfloor heating and a lovely wet room with a massive shower head which I can’t wait to try!

The kitchen is my favourite part of the house, it has so much bench space and storage, well at least three times more than I have had for the past 3 years.  I do enjoy cooking and this space will serve me well.

We are in the process of moving, hence the lack of furniture, we have a very busy day tomorrow of moving everything in, we opted to do it ourselves as we are only moving down the road, hope this isn’t a silly idea especially as we will have two little people helping!  It will be interesting to see how the lounge looks with our furniture in, I’m hoping it all fits nicely.

This my new study/studio, it is smaller than my current room but I will not be sharing it with a collection of toys so that has to work better I think. I can’t wait to design this work space, I have so many ideas, most importantly I want to have my fabrics out on shelving and not hidden away.

I am looking forward to working on these blank canvases to create a truly unique and personable home, one thats speaks for itself and is of course homely!

Alex and Maddy being my models!

I decided to enter into the bunting competition, having only last week mastered the technique of making bunting, although I have to say this time it took a bit longer as I did several layers to add texture and colour.

I also entered cheese scones into the baking section.  I was a bit concerned as I had tried several recipes and none of them really turned out great.  This morning I thought I would give my lemonade scone recipe a go even though the original recipe stated soda water, I stuck with lemonade as I wanted them to be quite light.  However, when I came to put all the ingredients together this morning, I realised I didn’t have enough flour so substituted 2 cups for self raising…..and raise they did, some were well over an inch high!

I was glad I added my own twist to the original recipe as the scones came out light and very tasty, and I came first which I was very pleased with and somewhat surprised! I have to say I don’t want to eat another cheese scone for a long while!

Another surprise was my first place with my bunting, I was very happy with that result, it has encouraged me to start making more things and start up a business which I do hope to do later this year.

My daughter, Maddy, got a second for her Olympic medal in her class section and a third for her paper flag in her age section, she was very happy and of course I was very proud of her! All in all, it was a lovely street party in our village despite the on and off rain that we experienced, wouldn’t be an English summer without rain!!

I sketched the flowers, then got my watercolours out and had fun painting them and then went over it with an art pen.  I decided to cut the flowers out and arrange them in a bouquet style, then I scanned it in for editing in Photoshop, I wanted to create a more 3D effect by doing it this way.

I mainly use Illustrator so it was a learning curve to create a seamless pattern in Photoshop as it has been almost 10 years since I last used it!  I found a really easy to understand tutorial to create a seamless pattern in Photoshop.  I tried the pattern with a light yellow background but it kind of looked light green and not quite right.  So I went with an even lighter yellow background.

This is the one I decided to enter into the contest, I like it and I will be ordering a sample soon as it would be interesting to see how the colours print on cotton, you can view my entry here.  I’m not sure I will make the cut for the final 100 designs, I think there were well over 800 entries and a lot were simply stunning, you can view some of the other entries here.   I will keep you posted if I do make the cut!

Simply add; 4 cups of self raising flour, 300 mls of cream, ¼ cup of sugar, 1 can of lemonade (I used the no sugar brand), and ½ tsp of salt, mix all together until it forms a dough, then put on a lightly floured bench/board and knead to right shape and thickness, I made mine about an inch thick.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cut out into circles or any shapes that you wish, I only had loveheart cookie cutters so that’s why mine look slightly different to the normal scone.

Cook for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool, then dress them how you like, cream then jam, jam then cream or just plain jam, whatever you do, you will love these scones, they really are delicious!

You can use this recipe and add to it, things like 1 cup of dried fruit, or a cup of chocolate chips for a truly yummy treat. To make savoury scones, simply change the can of lemonade to a can of soda water, then add an onion, a cup of cheese, maybe some bacon if you fancy and 3 tablespoons of parsley or fresh herbs, the choices are unlimited, depending on what takes your fancy.

Hope you enjoy using this recipe.

View from my parent’s dining room on a misty early morning looking out to the Southern Alps.

Beautiful Tahunanui Beach in Nelson, the weather was perfect and the water wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be, although I was not brave enough to wear a swimming costume!

At Ruby Bay looking towards Nelson. Kids had a lot of fun collecting interesting shells and stones, some of the shells would be great for some future craft projects so hopefully I will have enough room to bring them back with me.

At the centre of New Zealand in Nelson. It was a steep walk up but very much worth it for the stunning views of Nelson and surrounding areas.

Fur Seals on the coast near Kaikoura. We stopped at a look out and there were hundreds of fur seals, lots of cute babies.
I have another 10 days in New Zealand, I am hoping to get something crafty made whilst I am here but like most holidays, they always seem to go by so fast. However, once back in the UK I should be more regular with postings and sharing my creations.

I hope to add new posts whilst in New Zealand but this will depend on the internet connection that I will have access to. 

So I bid farewell for now and hope you all send me some luck to stay sane after the long haul journey!

Melanie

My new purchase, a 1950′s Bookcase by Robin Day for Hille of London, it looks great and now I have some where nice to store my favourite books and magazines.

Alex's 4th Birthday Cake

 My husband and I attempted to create a rocket ship for my ‘space mad’ 4 year old, however it kind of looks like an odd jelly fish!!  Oh well, at least it tastes good and went down well with the children!

So it turns out that the author started a twitter account and put up random quotes his dad would say to him in everyday conversation.  He got really lucky and the people following the twitter account snowballed into over a million followers I believe.  Eventually he decided to write a memoir loosely based on his dad’s quotes.  The things he said were so blunt, so true, so funny that it reminded me of Red Forman from “That 70′s Show,” but without the censorship. 

I usually never buy books for the compulsion of instant gratification. Then as I read that he was from San Diego, and as he spoke with our CRM I realized he was only a year or 2 older than I.  I had to buy this book.  I had it a little over a day and I’ve got about 20 pages left to go.  Very short book, but very much worth it.  Especially since I got mine autographed!

Click on the picture of the book to go to the website.

Cheers,

Marc

“Marc’s Guide to Learning About Life.”

When you’re not feeling sad, Try to smile.
When giving a hug, don’t be the first to let go.
Try not to bottle things up.
Get to know your acquaintances, so they can become friends.
Make sure you cry when you feel like it. (remind yourself that you’re human)
Try to find the right timing for things – let it be natural.
Say thank you whenever possible. and When doing so, say it genuinely like you mean it.
Let the people around you know how you feel about them.
Be honest as much as possible..
Lie only if you HAVE to.
If you have an opinion, let people know. Some times the worst thing to say are the things that AREN’T said.
Close your door so the cat doesn’t piss on you’re bed or clothes.
When you see a child, try to make them smile so they can make you smile (even if you hate kids)
Give yourself “Alone Time” to think and contemplate about life.
There is nothing wrong with talking to yourself.
When in the car, sing along, but drive safe.
ALWAYS introduce friends and people to you’re other friends and people.
Don’t eat TOO much before drinking.
Say “I love you” only when you really mean it. @ other times replace “love” with the word “like” ex) “I like you”
If the timing isn’t right, explain things later.
Don’t break promises (or pinky promises)
Learn WHO you trust, and how to GAIN trust from others.
Don’t look at the ground when walking past people.
If you feel someone is looking at you, make eye contact and smile.
Make all things positive about you contagious.
Always look at the situation from more than 1 perspective.
Try to finish the conversation before leaving.

more to be added at random times.

How Mao Went Wrong

Mao: She would have appreciated me. She’s was a nice girl, and I AM the nice guy anyway. She was the perfect all-American girl with her blonde hair tied up in a pony tail, her blue eyes, her red lips that would always smile whenever she walked…
McCarthy: SHUT upppppp! You know that’s a dam lie and there was no way in your life that she would have gone out with you. COME ON….. ! What with that flat nose? Plain black hair? And lets not forget all 5 feet and 2 inches of you! Face it Mao, she would have never gone out with a yellow chink like you.
(silent pause)
Mao: I’m not only Chinese you know. I’m ½ Filipino, 1/8th Scottish, another 1/8th Castilian, ¼ Taiwanese, and a small drop of a Vietnamese. Some would even say I’m the person to go to when they want to take a trip around the world.
McCarthy: Blah blah blah…. You think you know everything don’t you?
Mao: I DO!
McCarthy: You don’t.
Mao: Yes I do, I even know our history teacher Mrs. Washington is scared of you.
McCarthy: Shut the hell…
Mao: Haven’t you seen the terror in her eyes when you walk in the room. You don’t see it, but whenever she calls out attendance she pauses for one whole second before saying your name, as if you never really existed.
McCarthy: Oh. Well… we both know why she does that.
Mao: Because we’re one person?
McCarthy: YEAH!
Mao: HAHAHAH isn’t it great how you can get away with so many things because of a mental illness?
McCarthy: And the best part is how you try to justify why “I” exist to the other kids that don’t know your story. HHAHHAH the looks on their faces!! You remember don’t you?
Mao: Yes…. You don’t have to bring it up all the time.
McCarthy: Ah.. come on suck it up douche bag. You see, THIS is why no one will ever accept you. You’re such a cry baby Mao.
Mao: Shut up. Shut up. Shut up, Shut up, shuuuuuut up! Just shut the F*$k up! You weren’t here during my child hood so you don’t know what I’ve been through! All you do is judge me after I told you my life story! You’re a fucker you know?
McCarthy: Mao. I know why people don’t accept you. I KNOW why they never let you eat lunch with them at their table, I know how momma used to hit you for not bringing home an A+, and I know how pops committed suicide. I was there Mao. Just because you weren’t classified as a schizophrenic yet didn’t mean I didn’t exist. During those times, I was there, but just couldn’t say anything.
Mao: Really? You were? Then why are you such an asshole to me?
McCarthy: Someone’s gotta raise you tough son! And that someone might as well be me.
Mao: I remember that day. Momma was in the backyard watering the garden. I was doing my math homework while eating the Pho and Pan de Sal that momma would make me on Saturday afternoons. It was such a strange coincidence. That warm august afternoon. I had my pencil in hand and I was right at the last problem of my math homework. 18 X 11 = 187… BOOM! Momma dropped the hose and ran inside. I followed where the loud bang came from and opened momma and pop’s bedroom door as momma followed behind me. Pop’s was laying on the bed with a colt 45 in his right hand. The first thing I noticed was the red water spilling off the side of the bed. I wasn’t sure what just happened.
McCarthy: That was in 4th grade right?
Mao: Yeah. I was 10. I didn’t even understand the word suicide. I remember momma running to pops while he was sleeping in the red water on the bed. She started to cry, but I didn’t know why. I even asked momma “why are you crying momma? Dad’s just sleeping isn’t he|?”
McCarthy: I remember that. That was when she cried all through the afternoon until you had to call the police on your own.
Mao: Yeah. And I didn’t call because pops shot himself. I didn’t even know he killed himself. The only reason why I called the police was because momma wouldn’t stop crying.
McCarthy: Well, if you look at it this way. His death was a new birth of the man that would save your own life, Mr. McCarthy himself! Me (points at himself)
Mao: You always have to be the tough guy huh?
McCarthy: No shit, if it weren’t for me you would have never had the balls even say a word to Demi.
Mao: You’re an idiot. I had the chance to say something normal to her in Geometry class like “Hi, I’m Mao.” But noooooooooooo… you had to fuss up and make me say the most embarrassing words said to a girl for the first time. “Hey, I’m Chinese, I can do your math homework for you anytime!!!”
McCarthy: You weren’t going to say anything kid. You froze up, so SOMEONE had to say something. Better to say something to a girl that doesn’t make sense, than not saying anything ever.
Mao: I beg to differ. It was because of YOU that the Demi, the teacher, and the whole classroom laughed at me. It was because of YOU that I was stuck with the nickname “Ching Chong China Math Man” for the whole year.
McCarthy: Hey sometimes that’s what happens in a city like…. Like.. a city like ….. wait where do you live again?
Mao: Detroit.
McCarthy: Deeee-troit! 15 years in the murder capitol of the country and you STILL haven’t grown enough pubic hairs to walk to school alone. I mean what kind of kid still walks to school holding his moms hand in high school?
Mao: Hey hey now!
McCarthy: What?!@ It’s the truth! You can’t hear the truth? I swear on my life that you’ll always that lonely kid that eats lunch in the classroom just so that everyone else wont’ see you eating by yourself. Pffff.. Pansy!
Mao: self-loathing free loader
McCarthy: Wus
Mao: Inarticulate thug.
McCarthy: You, yo- … You kung fu fighting laundry-mat worker!
Mao: You big-headed over-zealous, callous narcissist, ignorant redneck wannabe!
McCarthy: Get some balls!
Mao: Get a brain!
McCarthy: (pause) abused bastard.
Mao: HEY!

McCarthy: That’s right.
Mao: (silence) Every single thing you say to me is supposed to be some sort of way to make me better, but I don’t buy it. At first I thought you brought out a side of me that I needed.
McCarthy: You do need me.
Mao: Fuck you, shut up. I’m in control now.
McCarthy: Ok let’s not get crazy here son.
Mao: You see! It’s the little things like that, that piss me off. I don’t need you. When dad shot himself after coming home from the war I was alone. When everyone in high school kicked me and threw sand at me during lunch I was alone! Whenever mom would come home from a 12 hour shift from I was alone! And even when she vent her stress out on my by looking for the smallest thing to get mad at me, like not getting an A+, not taking out the trash, and staying up late to finish my homework that I didn’t get to finish because of chores I WAS ALONE! You were never there. You were just a voice in my head that would talk back. You never helped me during any of those times.
McCarthy: Ok. Ok I get your point.
Mao: NO YOU DON’T! When mom locked me in my room on weekends where were you?!@! When she made me sleep outside the house for forgetting to wash the dishes where were YOU!? When the kids stared and spit at me you weren’t there, and afterwards when they kicked my ass YOU weren’t there to help me!
McCarthy: I get! I get it.. (silence) You had a hard life.
Mao: You don’t get anything. The only thing you get is the pure satisfaction at seeing me go through misery you sick basard. You see these scars? I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t just mom giving them to me. You helped her put gashes on me left them there to burn. You made everything worse. Now I know what I have to do.
McCarthy: uhm….
Mao: I have to get rid of you Mac.
McCarthy: WHAT!@? Hahahah what nonsense are you talking now?
Mao: (takes gun and points it at his head) This is the only way. It’ll do everyone a good deed. You, me, momma.
McCarthy: (in a quivering voice) Hey. Hey now Mao. Come on. Can’t we work this out? Come on… We can do this. You & me, together. Like Tom & Jerry, Batman & Robbin, the Olsen Twins?
Mao: No McCarthy.
McCarthy: Starsky & Hutch?
Mao: (pause) Goodbye Mac. (looks up while holding gun to his temple) I’m coming POPPA! I’m coming!

[Soung: Gunshot]

I’m in the Asian American Studies 325b (creative performance) class at CSUN. One of our assignments was to write something we would be able to perform or have someone else to perform. It was just kind of an interesting experience writing and reciting this piece. So please all feedback is encouraged. The following is my proposal for the paper

Marc P*******
Professor Ropp
AAS 325B

For my individual project I am going to write a story of an Asian American male teenager who has developed schizophrenia. As he unfolds certain memories of his childhood it becomes more apparent as to how his schizophrenic behavior started. He tells absurd and traumatic stories about his life. The root of his insanity becomes clear after learning about how his father committed suicide, his mother abusing him as a child, how Caucasian children would torment him because of his chinky eyes, and how he was the lonely outcast of society.
The name of the character is Mao. The conflict is Mao’s personal struggle with his alter-ego personality, McCarthy. The names of the characters symbolize two polarizing schools of thought (Mao Tsetung and communism V.S. McCarthyism and the red scare ) A side character that is mentioned is a girl by the name of Demi Krosy, which represents Democracy. Demi represents a goal that Communisim (represented by Mao) wants to conquer, but cant.
The character is an Asian American who develops a Caucasian opposite personality that constantly discourages him from doing things and explains to him that he will never be accepted in society. The character wants to be more American after he notices the privileges that many of his white peers receive unknowingly. As a result, he uses McCarthy as a way to express his feelings about white America since his Caucasian peers simply ignore him.
The climax of the story comes during a dialogue between McCarthy and Mao as they argue over why and why not a certain girl, Demi, will go out with him. Mao gets riled up and realizes the only way he can express his love for Demi is by eliminating his main obstacle, McCarthy. He decides to kill McCarthy.

*from http://www.mailordercomedy.com

Harry Weisiger is charged with felony reckless endangerment.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Nashville man says he and his 10-year-old daughter were victims of road rage Thursday afternoon, all because of a political bumper sticker on his car.

Mark Duren told News 2 the incident happened around 4:30p.m., while he was driving on Blair Boulevard, not far from Belmont University.

He said Harry Weisiger gave him the bird and rammed into his vehicle, after noticing an Obama-Biden sticker on his car bumper.

Duren had just picked up his 10-year-old daughter from school and had her in the car with him. “

He pointed at the back of my car,” Duren said, “the bumper, flipped me off, one finger salute.”

But it didn’t end there.

Duren told News 2 that Weisiger honked his horn at him for awhile, as Duren stopped at a stop sign.

Once he started driving again, down Blair Boulevard, towards his home, he said, “I looked in the rear view mirror again, and this same SUV was speeding, flying up behind me, bumped me.”

Duren said he applied his brake and the SUV smashed into the back of his car.

He then put his car in park to take care of the accident, but Weisiger started pushing the car using his SUV.

Duren said, “He pushed my car up towards the sidewalk, almost onto the sidewalk.”

Police say Harry Weisiger is charged with felony reckless endangerment in the incident.

*Posted from Nashvilles WKRN website

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12208009

By Greg Moran, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Originally published March 25, 2010 at 5:29 p.m., updated March 25, 2010 at 6:55 p.m.

A jury acquitted a medical marijuana collective operator of drug possession and sales charges yesterday.

The acquittal of Eugene Davidovich after two weeks of trial in front of Superior Court Judge Kenneth So is the second time in the past four months that juries have found medical marijuana operators not guilty of drug charges.

In December, Jovan Jackson, who was the manager of a medical marijuana dispensary in Kearny Mesa, was acquitted of five counts of possessing and selling the drug.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has aggressively pursued medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives that she contends are not complying with Proposition 215, the voter-approved initiative that legalized the drug for medical purposes.

Davidovich was charged with selling the drug to an undercover officer posing as a patient in November 2008, with a doctor’s prescription for the drug. The transaction was captured on videotape.

Davidovich insisted he had done nothing wrong and believed that the man was a legitimate patient and the purchase was part of the legal operations of the collective. In phone conversations before the transaction he had emphasized that the purchase was being done as part of the collective’s work and for no other reason, said Davidovich’s lawyer, Michael McCabe.

Jurors acquitted him of four charges relating to the transaction, which was part of a larger investigation of medical marijuana collectives dubbed Operation Green Rx, McCabe said.

“The jury saw this for what it was,” McCabe said. “They thought it was a trumped up case from the get go.”

Deputy District Attorney Theresa Pham could not be reached for comment on the verdicts. Steve Walker, a spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office, said the trial’s outcome is “disappointing, but we respect the jury’s verdict.”

Greg Moran: (619) 293-1236; greg.moran@uniontrib.com

*Reposted from http://www.signonsandiego.com

1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. South Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Maine
11. Alaska
12. North Carolina
13. Wyoming
14. Idaho
15. South Dakota
16. Texas
17. Arkansas
18. Vermont
19. Georgia
20. Oklahoma
21. Colorado
22. Delaware
23. Utah
24. New Mexico
25. North Dakota
26. Minnesota
27. New Hampshire
28. Virginia
29. Wisconsin
30. Oregon
31. Iowa
32. Kansas
33. Nebraska
34. West Virginia
35. Kentucky
36. Washington
37. District of Columbia
38. Missouri
39. Nevada
40. Maryland
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Massachusetts
44. Ohio
45. Illinois
46. California
47. Indiana
48. Michigan
49. New Jersey
50. Connecticut
51. New York

16/51 isn’t too bad I guess. But New York? Cheer up people, you’ve got a great city nestling your backyard.

The Canada United States Law Institute organizes every year a “court competition” based on international law issues.

That would be interesting to participate to or attend..