Driving along the Massachusetts Turnpike today, I noticed 2 very large, professionally designed (and presumably expensive) billboards advocating that the state legalize and tax marijuana. The name of the group sponsoring the advertisements is Change the Climate, and they are claiming that the initiative would produce something like $138 million annually for the state treasury. I'd be curious to know how that number was generated, given that the price of grass would likely plummet if it were legalized. In any case, the people behind this seem to be taking their cues from the gaming industry, which has very successfully exploited the fact that most state governments are deeply in debt and desperate for revenue from any source. It'll be interesting to see if the prospect of some fresh revenue motivates the social conservatives to reconsider their position on this issue. Here's a link-

http://www.changetheclimate.org/

I grew up in Minnesota, where snowmobiling is a holy rite in the culture. My father was a small town photographer, and in 1966 he was engaged by the local newspaper to photograph the very first "Blessing of the Snowmobiles," which took place outdoors, on the steps of the nearby Catholic church. (I truly am not making this up.) Apparently the church decided that a blessing might help to prevent the inevitable tragedies, which included decapitation by barbwire fence, and drowning in frozen lakes-- these things occurred regularly each winter. The parish priest stood up on the steps and sprinkled holy water upon the gathered multitudes, but most of it froze in the -20 air before it hit the ground.