Nebraska Legalizing Marijuana???????

http://www.mpp.org/states/nebraska/

Medical Marijuana was approved by the committee on April 20th, and will be voted upon by the full State. If it is approved, then Nebraska will become the 24th state to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Obviously there will be tight restrictions to the use of it; only serious cases will be able to receive the use of medical marijuana if approved by their doctor, such as: multiple sclerosis, aids, cancer and other serious conditions if recommend upon. Of course, the restrictions and penalties will increase as this continues to get approved. The sentencing will increase on fines and amount of jail time if caught with possession of the substance. Except, Nebraska is a decrim state, so it is 1 out of 19 states to not jail individuals found in possession of small amounts of cannabis ( marijuana) for the first time at least. After the first offense, the fine continues to increase and jail time is added to the penalties of illegal possession of marijuana. 

I don't disagree with Nebraska's choice of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes only. If they decide to legalize it and distribute it like alcohol ( for adults 21 or older), then that would be a very bad idea. Medical marijuana is for the doctors to prescribe the correct amount in small doses to patient who are in dire need of it. They can control what they decide to do with the substance, but if they release it like alcohol then there will be no control over it and it will get out of hand. The police have enough trouble with neighboring states, such as Colorado, with legalizing marijuana because they are arresting more people crossing the border with illegal substances in Nebraska. The penalties should continue to increase as this continues to go along throughout the State, so they can help limit illegal use, Otherwise, it is fine with me for the State of Nebraska to legalize medical marijuana if they believe it will really help some patients and make a significant difference in the medical field. 

Ex-NFL Star Aaron Hernandez Convicted of Murder, Sentenced to Life

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/us/where-aaron-hernandez-will-serve-life-prison-sentence/index.html

If you don't know the back story to this case, Aaron Hernandez is an Ex-NFL tight end who once played for the New England Patriots. He is now about to serve life in prison for a 1st degree murder charge.

 Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to life without parole in Massachusetts' maximum-security prison, The Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. It is one of the most high-tech jails in the United States with no history of any breakouts. Opening in 1998, it's the states newest prison equipped with 366 cameras recording live all the time and a microwave detection perimeter with taut wire. Leslie Walker, executive director of Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, says that the prison is one of the nicest, it is very sterile, but inside it is a hostile environment, says that it is very violent and dangerous. Prison safety is very important for the guards. Prison officials will have to be concerned about Hernandez's safety and watch for other inmates who will try to hurt Hernandez because they might have some beef with him. Otherwise, the inmates are locked up in their cells for 19 hours a day with very little to do. 

For Aaron Hernandez it sounds like he was on top of the world at one point then with one little slip, he fell to the bottom. He had a $40 million dollar contract, now he is stuck in jail for the rest of his life.  It'll be hard for him living there and he's going to have some problems with some inmates because he is a "star." If it is really one of the best maximum security prisons then Hernandez should be fine and not cause too much trouble, and the guards will have to watch for the other inmates trying to get to him. It's good to at least see they are going to take care of him, like they are putting him in a high security prison for the people's safety and his own. Life in prison would be difficult. There is nothing to do in the cell and you are stuck there the whole day except 5 hours, that's tough.  At least he'll have a lot of time to think, to think about what he did, and how that changed everything. Good luck Aaron Hernandez, life is a lot different. 

Possible Rule Changes in the NCAA???

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2015/04/06/possible-ncaa-rule-changes-shorter-shot-clock-new-timeout-setup/25389285/

The NCAA is debating about the time length in the shot-clock in college basketball. Some believe that it should be shorten to 30 seconds like the women's basketball games to help increase the speed and tempo of the game. They believe this will help with higher scoring games and allow for the game pace to move faster. In regards to this, some believe this change is a bad idea because with the longer time it gives teams the ability to set up there offense and run new plays. Another rule change they are thinking about implementing is changing the restricted area mark under the basket from 3 to 4 feet. They say this will help refs enforce more calls and ultimately eliminate so many collisions under the basket. One other thing they are thinking about changing is the time-out system. Debating about using less time-outs or keeping the shot-clock time where it is when they resume play from a time-out. This change would be to help the game flow and make the games go smoother and have a faster pace on the game.

I like the idea of shortening the shot-clock to 30 seconds because it is the same as women's and it is closer to NBA's shot-clock so it would help the players adjust. Also, it would just speed up the pace of the game and allow for a more exciting game with the offense having to do more. Most of the time they don't need 35 seconds to set up there offense and run a play anyways. This also helps the defense and allows for more offense in the game all together because it will increase the game speed and make the transition for both teams faster. I hope they don't change the 3 foot arc restriction because contact is part of the sport and moving it further away just makes it easier for the offense and will eliminate some of the better plays from down low. Where it is now allows for some movement down low for the defense and gives the offense more of a challenge to get around the defender. I don't think this will help the refs with calling fouls down low, I think it will be basically the same as it is now. Finally, the time-out change just doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Time-outs are there for a reason to stop the clock and allow the teams to re-adjust and get a break. And making these shorter or have less of them impacts the teams and its harder for them to play well, so I hope they don't make too many changes in relations to the time-outs. Overall, seeing them think about some new changes to help the pace of the game and allow for more scoring and more excitement on the offensive end is nice to see.