Psychedelic philanthropist and computer shareware pioneer Bob Wallace -- Microsoft Corp.'s ninth employee -- died at his San Rafael, Calif., home Friday. He was 53. During the past decade, Mr. Wallace championed such psychoactive drugs as MDMA, or Ecstasy, donating up to $350,000 a year to groups studying the drug. "MDMA seems to help reduce the fear people have of really looking at themselves, and it really helps people communicate well," Mr. Wallace told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in May. He said he had tried Ecstasy and felt it had "a lot of good therapeutic uses." He also felt the drug helped people feel compassion. [continues 417 words]
Seattle Hempfest is not your average summer festival. This ain't the Warped Tour, End Fest or any other fun-in-the-sun event (although for the past eight years running, attendees have had plenty of both.) Hempfest pushes for the decriminalization of marijuana and the processing of industrial hemp products without scrutiny from the Drug Enforcement Administration -- a controversial agenda for what thousands consider summer entertainment. But really, it's more of a demonstration meant to raise awareness -- with lots of food and music. A crowd of 90,000 people showed up last year. [continues 587 words]
