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Mono Lake

Not Expected

Road to Death Valley.

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Let it be known, Robert bought some Facebook shares today.  Just for fun. 

Can We Have a President Named Barry?

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Inhale To The Chief: More Details Of Obama's Pot-Smoking Youth Revealed May 25, 2012 The first sneak peak a few weeks back inside journalist David Maraniss' highly anticipated biography of President Obama served up glimpses of the president as a young man in romantic relationships, with information gleaned from early girlfriends.The latest preview of "Barack Obama: The Story" provides details on Obama's days in high school and college when passing a bong or a joint appears to have been a regular part of his routine. Aptly, it's BuzzFeed where you can find Maraniss excerpts that shed light on the president's smoke-shrouded past: "A self-selected group of boys at Punahou School who loved basketball and good times called themselves the Choom Gang. Choom is a verb, meaning 'to smoke marijuana...' "... As a member of the Choom Gang, Barry Obama was known for starting a few pot-smoking trends. The first was called 'TA,' short for 'total absorption.' To place this in the physical and political context of another young man who would grow up to be president, TA was the antithesis of Bill Clinton's claim that as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford he smoked dope but never inhaled." Obama revealed in his memoir "Dreams for My Father" his youthful use of illegal drugs as he grew up in Hawaii. But Maraniss apparently fills in the picture with quite a few colorful details. Maraniss tweeted a message Friday that sounded somewhat exasperated by all the attention being paid to young Obama's romances and pot use: "No controlling the twitterverse, but...so much more to The Story than Genevieve diary and high school Choom Gang." No doubt. But the book's June 19 release date is still a few weeks away. Meanwhile, presumably it's publisher, Simon & Schuster, deciding what spicy morsels to release ahead of time to whet our appetite for the book. We're just working with what they've doled out. That said, you can imagine that there could be some very challenging conversations, at least from a parent's perspective, around the Obama dinner table between the president and his daughters about illegal drug use. How, for instance, does he respond to the line: "Well, Dad, it doesn't seem to have hurt you or your career." Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Here's This

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10563

Creation

In Vitro Case

As a follow-up to my March 19 post, the Supreme Court has ruled as I suggested in a case that asked to what extent, under the Social Security Act, the social security administration can grant the benefits of a deceased beneficiary to children born from eggs fertilized after the death of that beneficiary. As I guessed, the Court denied benefits and suggested that Congress clarify the statute.

 From the New York Times.

"The case, Astrue v. Capato, No. 11-159, turned on the interpretation of provisions of the Social Security Act. “The technology that made the twins’ conception and birth possible, it is safe to say, was not contemplated by Congress” in 1939 and 1965, when those provisions were enacted, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the court.

The law was designed, she wrote, “to benefit primarily those supported by the deceased wage earner in his or her lifetime.”

Its key provision, Justice Ginsburg wrote, was one calling for the Social Security Administration to look to state laws concerning inheritance “in determining whether an applicant is the child” of the parent in question.

The Capatos lived in Florida, and Mr. Capato’s will was signed there. Under Florida law, a child born after a parent’s death may inherit property from the parent only if conceived during the parent’s lifetime.

State laws take varying approaches to that question, meaning that whether such children are entitled to survivors’ benefits under Social Security will also vary. Justice Ginsburg said that looking to state law to decide eligibility for Social Security benefits was “a workable substitute for burdensome case-by-case determinations whether the child was, in fact, dependent on her father’s earnings.”

Congress remains free to adopt a different approach, Justice Ginsburg concluded."

Something for Grandma

Memorial Day

The Pierces will be at the Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley for the Memorial Day Holiday.  Nights of May 27-29.  It was only 111 degrees there yesterday, so we are looking forward to a pleasant stay by the pool.

Here's a link to make hotel reservations if you'd like to join us.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/lodging.htm

Mini Tears

Very cool.

http://www.minitears.com/