Amidst oil spillage, budget shortfalls, and Drakegate, it's difficult to keep sane. The New York State Senate must have sensed this when they approved (albeit narrowly) the legalization of mixed martial arts yesterday, providing New Yorkers a new avenue of vicarious stress release. With the 32-26 vote on Bill No. S2165B, which "authorizes mixed martial arts events in this state" and "imposes taxes on gross receipts of such events," the state may finally be establishing MMA as a mainstream sport cash cow. more ›

When asked during his 2001 mayoral campaign if he ever smoked marijuana, Mayor Bloomberg replied, "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it." And over the weekend, he dressed up like a hippie and clowned around with cast members from Hair. But don't be fooled! Nanny Bloomberg is still a prohibitionist; when asked about a coming marijuana legalization referendum in California, Bloomberg said, "I would vote against legalizing marijuana." The Mayor explained that the stuff "keeps getting stronger and stronger" and could lead to "greater use of drugs, which isn't good." Meanwhile, the New York State Senate is preparing to vote on a bill that would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for medicinal purposes in New York. more ›

It's 4/20, brah, that happy day when burnouts across America reinforce the cliched stereotype of pot smokers as badly dressed, self-righteous libertines. But it's also the day when the more politically active puffers out there try to rally support for legalization, and this year some of the movement's leaders are reporting unprecedented progress in the battle to end prohibition. Public support has been voiced by everyone from Representative Barney Frank to demagogue Glenn Beck; and Bruce Mirken at the Marijuana Policy Project tells the Times, "We’ve been on national cable news more in the first three months than we typically are in an entire year. And any time you’ve got Glenn Beck and Barney Frank agreeing on something, it’s either a sign that change is impending or that the end times are here." NORML says donations to the group have surged recently, and they're using the momentum to pressure President Obama with a new commercial. Locally, 4/20 will be observed tonight at Studio B, where High Times magazine throws its annual party that promises to "turn the Big Apple into the Baked Apple." more ›