Do you ever wonder if you are really at some kind of futuristic amusement park?
The "ride" is over, you disconnect yourself from the machine.
Your friend asks "How was it?"
You answer "It was forty five years!"
You ask "How long was the ride?"
Your friend replies "About five minutes."
Whenever I get too serious, I just think:
"This is probably just a real good virtual reality ride."
"So why get all bent out of shape?"
Monday, February 28, 2011
Shino Aburame on naruto Shippuden
Shino Aburame Shippuden (1)
Shino Aburame Shippuden (2)
Shino Aburame Shippuden (3)
Shino Aburame Shippuden (4)
temari have a date wallapeper
Shikamaru And Temari (1)Shikamaru And Temari (2)
Shikamaru And Temari (4)
sasuke moonlight chidori wallpaper
sasuke chidori (1)
sasuke chidori (2)
sasuke chidori (3)
sasuke chidori (4)
sasuke chidori (5)Animation Kakasi rare collection
Kakashi Chidori Animation(1)
Kakashi Chidori Animation(2)
Kakashi Chidori Animation(3)
Kakashi Chidori Animation(4)
Kakashi Chidori Animation(5)
Democracy in Iraq
How's that working out for you?
Security forces in Iraq detained nearly 300 people, mostly intellectuals such as lawyers, artists and journalists who were involved in demonstrations Friday.
Why detain intellectuals?
Could be an effort to intimidate and muzzle those who influence public opinion.
After their release on Saturday, journalist told of being handcuffed, beaten, blindfolded and threatened with death by Iraqi intelligence soldiers.
So, this is what American soldiers died for?
We (the U.S.) brought them torture, one million dead and "democracy" all because of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking of democracy, I don't remember getting to vote on the invasion of Iraq.
Security forces in Iraq detained nearly 300 people, mostly intellectuals such as lawyers, artists and journalists who were involved in demonstrations Friday.
Why detain intellectuals?
Could be an effort to intimidate and muzzle those who influence public opinion.
After their release on Saturday, journalist told of being handcuffed, beaten, blindfolded and threatened with death by Iraqi intelligence soldiers.
So, this is what American soldiers died for?
We (the U.S.) brought them torture, one million dead and "democracy" all because of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking of democracy, I don't remember getting to vote on the invasion of Iraq.
New Zealand Earthquake Spurs Giant Glacier Collapse
Christchurch temblor likely gave weakened glacier "last kick," expert says.
Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News
Published February 23, 2011
The New Zealand earthquake broke an iceberg the size of 20 football fields off the country's longest glacier.
A huge vertical slab calved off the front of the Tasman Glacier (see map) into Tasman Lake after the 6.3-magnitude quake had hit Tuesday afternoon. The temblor was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) away, near Christchurch (see map). (See pictures of the New Zealand earthquake's aftermath.)
The chunk is estimated to have been three-fourths of a mile (1,200 meters) long by 250 feet (75 meters) wide, scientists say.
The iceberg's collapse also kicked up 10-foot (3.5-meter) waves in Tasman Lake.
"We heard a large crack like a high-powered rifle," a U.S. tourist who had been on a glacier tour at the time told the New Zealand Herald.
Story Continues at nationalgeographic.com
Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News
Published February 23, 2011
The New Zealand earthquake broke an iceberg the size of 20 football fields off the country's longest glacier.
A huge vertical slab calved off the front of the Tasman Glacier (see map) into Tasman Lake after the 6.3-magnitude quake had hit Tuesday afternoon. The temblor was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) away, near Christchurch (see map). (See pictures of the New Zealand earthquake's aftermath.)
The chunk is estimated to have been three-fourths of a mile (1,200 meters) long by 250 feet (75 meters) wide, scientists say.
The iceberg's collapse also kicked up 10-foot (3.5-meter) waves in Tasman Lake.
"We heard a large crack like a high-powered rifle," a U.S. tourist who had been on a glacier tour at the time told the New Zealand Herald.
Story Continues at nationalgeographic.com
Sunday, February 27, 2011
'Magic mushrooms' ingredient may ease end-of-life anxiety
(Health.com)
By Anne Harding, Health.com
September 6, 2010 8:47 p.m. EDT
-- Terminally ill cancer patients struggling with anxiety may get some relief from a guided "trip" on the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin, a new study suggests.
The study included 12 patients who took a small dose of psilocybin -- the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms" -- while under the supervision of trained therapists. In a separate session, the participants took a placebo pill, which had little effect on their symptoms.
By contrast, one to three months after taking psilocybin the patients reported feeling less anxious and their overall mood had improved. By the six-month mark, the group's average score on a common scale used to measure depression had declined by 30 percent, according to the study, which was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Can psychedelic drugs treat depression?
In follow-up interviews with the researchers, some patients said their experience with psilocybin gave them a new perspective on their illness and brought them closer to family and friends.
"We were pleased with the results," says the lead researcher, Charles Grob, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in Torrance, Calif.
Notably, the psilocybin did not aggravate the patients' anxiety or provoke any other unwanted effects besides a slight increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
Health.com: 7 types of therapy that can help depression
Grob's findings are "important because he's showing that you can administer these compounds safely to cancer patients with anxiety," says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore.
"They're not substances that should be used recreationally or casually, but nonetheless it appears that we can conduct research with these compounds safely," adds Griffiths, who was not involved in the study but has researched the therapeutic effects of psilocybin. (He and his colleagues are currently enrolling patients in a similar study that will use larger doses of the drug.)
Researchers investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and other hallucinogens have been keen to demonstrate the safety of the drugs in clinical settings.
Health.com: Supplements for depression: what works
Psychiatrists and psychologists began exploring the effects of hallucinogens on the mood and anxiety of dying patients in the 1950s, but the research stopped abruptly when psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and other mind-altering drugs were outlawed in the 1970s.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a handful of small studies involving hallucinogens since the 1990s, but the field is still emerging.
Grob's study is the first of its kind in more than 35 years. It was funded by private foundations and the Heffter Research Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that has been a major sponsor of the second-generation hallucinogen research.
The patients in the study were all close to death (10 of the 12 have since died), and they had all diagnoses of anxiety or acute stress relating to their prognosis.
"We were really looking for people who were really struggling with the predicament that they found themselves in," Grob explains.
Health.com: What an anxiety disorder feels like
cnn.com
During the psilocybin sessions, which lasted six hours, the patients lay on a couch and listened to music through headphones.
Although they spoke only briefly to the therapists while under the influence of the drug, they continued to meet periodically with the research staff for six months to discuss their experience and to fill out questionnaires assessing their mood and anxiety levels.
"I think we've established good grounds for continuing the research," Grob says. "That's the goal right now, just to develop more studies."
Copyright Health Magazine 2010
By Anne Harding, Health.com
September 6, 2010 8:47 p.m. EDT
-- Terminally ill cancer patients struggling with anxiety may get some relief from a guided "trip" on the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin, a new study suggests.
The study included 12 patients who took a small dose of psilocybin -- the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms" -- while under the supervision of trained therapists. In a separate session, the participants took a placebo pill, which had little effect on their symptoms.
By contrast, one to three months after taking psilocybin the patients reported feeling less anxious and their overall mood had improved. By the six-month mark, the group's average score on a common scale used to measure depression had declined by 30 percent, according to the study, which was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Can psychedelic drugs treat depression?
In follow-up interviews with the researchers, some patients said their experience with psilocybin gave them a new perspective on their illness and brought them closer to family and friends.
"We were pleased with the results," says the lead researcher, Charles Grob, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in Torrance, Calif.
Notably, the psilocybin did not aggravate the patients' anxiety or provoke any other unwanted effects besides a slight increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
Health.com: 7 types of therapy that can help depression
Grob's findings are "important because he's showing that you can administer these compounds safely to cancer patients with anxiety," says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore.
"They're not substances that should be used recreationally or casually, but nonetheless it appears that we can conduct research with these compounds safely," adds Griffiths, who was not involved in the study but has researched the therapeutic effects of psilocybin. (He and his colleagues are currently enrolling patients in a similar study that will use larger doses of the drug.)
Researchers investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and other hallucinogens have been keen to demonstrate the safety of the drugs in clinical settings.
Health.com: Supplements for depression: what works
Psychiatrists and psychologists began exploring the effects of hallucinogens on the mood and anxiety of dying patients in the 1950s, but the research stopped abruptly when psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and other mind-altering drugs were outlawed in the 1970s.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a handful of small studies involving hallucinogens since the 1990s, but the field is still emerging.
Grob's study is the first of its kind in more than 35 years. It was funded by private foundations and the Heffter Research Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that has been a major sponsor of the second-generation hallucinogen research.
The patients in the study were all close to death (10 of the 12 have since died), and they had all diagnoses of anxiety or acute stress relating to their prognosis.
"We were really looking for people who were really struggling with the predicament that they found themselves in," Grob explains.
Health.com: What an anxiety disorder feels like
cnn.com
During the psilocybin sessions, which lasted six hours, the patients lay on a couch and listened to music through headphones.
Although they spoke only briefly to the therapists while under the influence of the drug, they continued to meet periodically with the research staff for six months to discuss their experience and to fill out questionnaires assessing their mood and anxiety levels.
"I think we've established good grounds for continuing the research," Grob says. "That's the goal right now, just to develop more studies."
Copyright Health Magazine 2010
There Should be Two Lines at the Airport
There should be two lines at the airport.
One for the people that don't mind going through scanners that may or may not cause cancer do to exposure to high amounts of radiation. The same line for people that don't mind being molested by TSA workers.
There should be a different line that uses the security that worked for many years, involving no radiation exposure to the individual and no molestation by TSA workers.
(P.S. for the mentally impaired, the lines would obviously lead to two different planes.)
The people could use something you don't here about much anymore, freedom of choice. The individual could decide for himself which line to go through.
Here is a related story.
One for the people that don't mind going through scanners that may or may not cause cancer do to exposure to high amounts of radiation. The same line for people that don't mind being molested by TSA workers.
There should be a different line that uses the security that worked for many years, involving no radiation exposure to the individual and no molestation by TSA workers.
(P.S. for the mentally impaired, the lines would obviously lead to two different planes.)
The people could use something you don't here about much anymore, freedom of choice. The individual could decide for himself which line to go through.
Here is a related story.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
X-Men: First Class (2011) Trailer
X-Men First Class was at some point a reboot, then maybe a re-imagining and then we finally found out it was going to be a prequel of the last 3 X-Men films. With rumors of the film being rushed into production with a deadline and then with a miny fiasco with leaked pics. People didn't know what to really think about the upcoming film and its quality. But now with the official trailer out, I believe that it can be shown pretty clearly that film not only looks cool, shows to have a important story to tell, boasts a incredible cast but also and most importantly seems to be very faithful to the previous x-men films at being in line with film continuity instead of butchering it like that other piece of crap Wolverine Origins.
See the trailer make up your own mind but I think this one is going to be worth the price of admission and a hell of a good time in the cinema.
See the trailer make up your own mind but I think this one is going to be worth the price of admission and a hell of a good time in the cinema.
IMDb page
Release Date: June 3rd, 2011 (U.S.)
Release Date: June 2nd, 2011 (Greece)
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saudi man charged with plotting terrorist attack
WASHINGTON (AP) ap.org — The FBI has arrested a 20-year-old Saudi student in Texas suspected of planning a terrorist attack using explosive chemicals. The FBI says his possible targets included the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, attending college near Lubbock, Texas, was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Federal prosecutors say he had been researching online how to construct an improvised explosive device using several chemicals as ingredients.
Federal authorities say Aldawsari's diary indicated the young man had been plotting an attack for years and obtained a scholarship so he could come directly to the United State to carry out jihad.
Aldawsari is expected to appear in federal court in Lubbock on Friday morning.
***********************************************************************
Maybe I shouldn't think this way, but this story makes me wonder.
Remember when the Patriot Act extension was having trouble being passed by the house? bluebeerriver so-incredibly-predicable
Napolitano said that the threat from Al Qaeda cells and their allies - is increasingly coming from inside the country, ominously noting that another attack could come "with little or no warning."
"The terrorist threat to the homeland is in many ways at its most heightened state since 9/11,"
Since then, the Patriot Act was extended and now they can claim that provisions of it allowed them to stop this terrorist attack.
I can't help but wonder, if the Patriot Act had not passed, would they have allowed this guy to continue and let him blow up some stuff?
(I think they would.)
Then they could say
"See?"
"We told you, this is what happens when you don't pass unconstitutional legislation that violates the rights of every American citizen!"
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, attending college near Lubbock, Texas, was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Federal prosecutors say he had been researching online how to construct an improvised explosive device using several chemicals as ingredients.
Federal authorities say Aldawsari's diary indicated the young man had been plotting an attack for years and obtained a scholarship so he could come directly to the United State to carry out jihad.
Aldawsari is expected to appear in federal court in Lubbock on Friday morning.
***********************************************************************
Maybe I shouldn't think this way, but this story makes me wonder.
Remember when the Patriot Act extension was having trouble being passed by the house? bluebeerriver so-incredibly-predicable
Napolitano said that the threat from Al Qaeda cells and their allies - is increasingly coming from inside the country, ominously noting that another attack could come "with little or no warning."
"The terrorist threat to the homeland is in many ways at its most heightened state since 9/11,"
Since then, the Patriot Act was extended and now they can claim that provisions of it allowed them to stop this terrorist attack.
I can't help but wonder, if the Patriot Act had not passed, would they have allowed this guy to continue and let him blow up some stuff?
(I think they would.)
Then they could say
"See?"
"We told you, this is what happens when you don't pass unconstitutional legislation that violates the rights of every American citizen!"
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Riot Police
"They look so intimidating, like they're indestructible, then someone with a bottle and 50 cents worth of gas reminds us that they aren't."
Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators
By Michael Hastings
February 23, 2011 11:55 PM ET
The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war, Rolling Stone has learned – and when an officer tried to stop the operation, he was railroaded by military investigators.
The Runaway General: The Rolling Stone Profile of Stanley McChrystal That Changed History
The orders came from the command of Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops – the linchpin of U.S. strategy in the war. Over a four-month period last year, a military cell devoted to what is known as "information operations" at Camp Eggers in Kabul was repeatedly pressured to target visiting senators and other VIPs who met with Caldwell. When the unit resisted the order, arguing that it violated U.S. laws prohibiting the use of propaganda against American citizens, it was subjected to a campaign of retaliation.
"My job in psy-ops is to play with people’s heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave," says Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes, the leader of the IO unit, who received an official reprimand after bucking orders. "I’m prohibited from doing that to our own people. When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressman, you’re crossing a line."
King David's War: How Gen. Petraeus Is Doubling Down on a Failed Strategy
The list of targeted visitors was long, according to interviews with members of the IO team and internal documents obtained by Rolling Stone. Those singled out in the campaign included senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Jack Reed, Al Franken and Carl Levin; Rep. Steve Israel of the House Appropriations Committee; Adm. Mike Mullen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Czech ambassador to Afghanistan; the German interior minister, and a host of influential think-tank analysts.
The incident offers an indication of just how desperate the U.S. command in Afghanistan is to spin American civilian leaders into supporting an increasingly unpopular war. According to the Defense Department’s own definition, psy-ops – the use of propaganda and psychological tactics to influence emotions and behaviors – are supposed to be used exclusively on "hostile foreign groups." Federal law forbids the military from practicing psy-ops on Americans, and each defense authorization bill comes with a "propaganda rider" that also prohibits such manipulation. "Everyone in the psy-ops, intel, and IO community knows you’re not supposed to target Americans," says a veteran member of another psy-ops team who has run operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It’s what you learn on day one."
Article Continues at rollingstone.com
Senator vows to reform the PATRIOT Act
By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 -- 10:37 pm
rawstory.com
A Democratic senator from Oregon said Tuesday that Congress must use the three month extension of the PATRIOT Act to amend the legislation so that it does not violate American's civil liberties.
"Americans deserve laws that strike the best possible balance between fighting terrorism ferociously and protecting the rights and freedoms of law-abiding American citizens," Senator Ron Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.
Congress passed a bill last week that extended three controversial provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act until May 27.
The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama in the coming days.
"The Patriot Act does not strike that balance," he continued. "It was written and passed six weeks after the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history. Congress wisely included sunset dates for the Patriot Act’s most controversial provisions, so that they could be thoughtfully considered at a later time. After ten years, it is clearly time for that debate."
Last week, Sen. Wyden introduced a bill to narrow the PATRIOT Act's section 215 provision, which allows law enforcement to obtain "any tangible thing," including library and bookstore records.
Under the PATRIOT Act, that information can be obtained without demonstrating that the person whose records are sought is connected to terrorism in any way.
"Government agents should not be able to collect this sort of information on law abiding American citizens without showing that they have at least some connection to terrorism or other nefarious activities," Sen Wyden said.
Wyden's bill would force law enforcement to demonstrate that the records were in some way connected to terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities before gathering the information.
"Senator Wyden should be commended for his effort to narrow the Patriot Act’s reach," ACLU Legislative Counsel Michelle Richardson said. "Holding law enforcement accountable for how it uses its authority will not only help to protect Americans’ privacy, it will ultimately keep us safer. We hope the Senate will strongly consider this bill in the next three months as it moves forward with debate on Patriot Act."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has also recently sought to reform the PATRIOT Act by increasing judicial oversight of government surveillance powers.
"I support strengthening oversight while providing the intelligence community the certainty it needs to protect national security," Sen Leahy said. "The bill I hope we will consider before May 27 would give the intelligence community the certainty it needs by extending these expiring authorities while also strengthening congressional and judicial oversight."
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 -- 10:37 pm
rawstory.com
A Democratic senator from Oregon said Tuesday that Congress must use the three month extension of the PATRIOT Act to amend the legislation so that it does not violate American's civil liberties.
"Americans deserve laws that strike the best possible balance between fighting terrorism ferociously and protecting the rights and freedoms of law-abiding American citizens," Senator Ron Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.
Congress passed a bill last week that extended three controversial provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act until May 27.
The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama in the coming days.
"The Patriot Act does not strike that balance," he continued. "It was written and passed six weeks after the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history. Congress wisely included sunset dates for the Patriot Act’s most controversial provisions, so that they could be thoughtfully considered at a later time. After ten years, it is clearly time for that debate."
Last week, Sen. Wyden introduced a bill to narrow the PATRIOT Act's section 215 provision, which allows law enforcement to obtain "any tangible thing," including library and bookstore records.
Under the PATRIOT Act, that information can be obtained without demonstrating that the person whose records are sought is connected to terrorism in any way.
"Government agents should not be able to collect this sort of information on law abiding American citizens without showing that they have at least some connection to terrorism or other nefarious activities," Sen Wyden said.
Wyden's bill would force law enforcement to demonstrate that the records were in some way connected to terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities before gathering the information.
"Senator Wyden should be commended for his effort to narrow the Patriot Act’s reach," ACLU Legislative Counsel Michelle Richardson said. "Holding law enforcement accountable for how it uses its authority will not only help to protect Americans’ privacy, it will ultimately keep us safer. We hope the Senate will strongly consider this bill in the next three months as it moves forward with debate on Patriot Act."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has also recently sought to reform the PATRIOT Act by increasing judicial oversight of government surveillance powers.
"I support strengthening oversight while providing the intelligence community the certainty it needs to protect national security," Sen Leahy said. "The bill I hope we will consider before May 27 would give the intelligence community the certainty it needs by extending these expiring authorities while also strengthening congressional and judicial oversight."
DEA to legalize marijuana only for ‘Big Pharma,’ NORML claims
By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 -- 8:33 pm
rawstory.com
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposal to reclassify the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana as a Schedule III substance would allow pharmaceutical companies to market the drug while still penalizing common recreational use, according to marijuana law reform advocates.
The main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is currently a Schedule I substance within the US Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive schedule with the greatest criminal penalties.
In November 2010, the DEA proposed reclassifying dronabinol, a synthetic THC, as a Schedule III substance, which would place it among substances such as hydrocodone and allow it to be dispensed with a written or oral prescription.
"The DEA's intent is to expand the federal government's schedule III listing to include pharmaceutical products containing naturally derived formations of THC while simultaneously maintain existing criminal prohibitions on the plant itself," Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), wrote at AlterNet.
With its proposal, the DEA is responding to the demands of large pharmaceutical companies, he claimed.
Marijuana plants and THC extracts would remain illegal under the proposal, but companies would be able to purchase THC from a government-licensed provider to develop pharmaceutical products.
"While the DEA's forthcoming regulatory change promises to stimulate the advent of legally available, natural THC therapeutic products... the change will offer no legal relief for those hundreds of thousands of Americans who believe that therapeutic relief is best obtained by use of the whole plant itself," Armentano added.
"Rather the DEA appears content to try to walk a political and semantic tightrope that alleges: 'pot is bad,' but 'pot-derived pharmaceuticals are good.'"
THC can help cancer patients regain their appetites and sense of taste, according to a study published on Wednesday.
"This is the first randomized controlled trial to show that THC makes food taste better and improves appetites for patients with advanced cancer, as well as helping them to sleep and to relax better," Dr. Wendy Wismer, associate professor at the University of Alberta, said. "Our findings are important, as there is no accepted treatment for chemosensory alterations experienced by cancer patients."
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 -- 8:33 pm
rawstory.com
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposal to reclassify the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana as a Schedule III substance would allow pharmaceutical companies to market the drug while still penalizing common recreational use, according to marijuana law reform advocates.
The main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is currently a Schedule I substance within the US Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive schedule with the greatest criminal penalties.
In November 2010, the DEA proposed reclassifying dronabinol, a synthetic THC, as a Schedule III substance, which would place it among substances such as hydrocodone and allow it to be dispensed with a written or oral prescription.
"The DEA's intent is to expand the federal government's schedule III listing to include pharmaceutical products containing naturally derived formations of THC while simultaneously maintain existing criminal prohibitions on the plant itself," Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), wrote at AlterNet.
With its proposal, the DEA is responding to the demands of large pharmaceutical companies, he claimed.
Marijuana plants and THC extracts would remain illegal under the proposal, but companies would be able to purchase THC from a government-licensed provider to develop pharmaceutical products.
"While the DEA's forthcoming regulatory change promises to stimulate the advent of legally available, natural THC therapeutic products... the change will offer no legal relief for those hundreds of thousands of Americans who believe that therapeutic relief is best obtained by use of the whole plant itself," Armentano added.
"Rather the DEA appears content to try to walk a political and semantic tightrope that alleges: 'pot is bad,' but 'pot-derived pharmaceuticals are good.'"
THC can help cancer patients regain their appetites and sense of taste, according to a study published on Wednesday.
"This is the first randomized controlled trial to show that THC makes food taste better and improves appetites for patients with advanced cancer, as well as helping them to sleep and to relax better," Dr. Wendy Wismer, associate professor at the University of Alberta, said. "Our findings are important, as there is no accepted treatment for chemosensory alterations experienced by cancer patients."
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Naruto Manga Chapter 529 Golden Bonds
Naruto sense a disturbance during his training and lost his concentration. Probably Naruto sense chakra from Kinkaku which was released nine tailed chakra from his body. Long time ago, Kin and Gin were swallowed by nine-tailed fox and spent two weeks inside its gut and survived by eating the meat of its stomach. Darui's division is in danger, without backup its almost impossible to stopping Kinkaku. There is only one way to stop Kinkaku, by using The "Amber Purifying Pot", one of the five ultimate treasures, they planned to send it to Darui and trap Kinkaku inside. The "Amber Purifying Pot" is the tool that they used to seal the eight tails. So using Mabui's (Raikage's secretary) transfer technique, The Pot has been sent to Darui's place in speed of light. And with shikaku's plan they finally succesful to defeat Kinkaku.
Read the rest of story by download Naruto Manga Chapter 529 Golden Bonds directly or here.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Former CIA analyst accosted during Clinton speech about tolerating free expression
By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, February 17th, 2011 -- 10:45 am
rawstory.com
The official position of the US Secretary of State is that countries around the world should respect their citizens' rights to free speech, free expression and free assembly -- and that's precisely what Sec. Hillary Clinton said during a Tuesday speech at George Washington University.
Unfortunately, as she spoke, not 15 feet in front of her, a series of events unfolded that utterly undermined the message.
Former CIA agent Ray McGovern, an outspoken critic of US foreign policy, stood silently in the auditorium's center aisle, and turned his back on Clinton.
For his symbolic and otherwise non-disruptive protest, he was quickly accosted by security agents. As they struggled to pull him out of the room, a CNN news camera caught the tail end of the ordeal.
"SO THIS IS AMERICA?!? This is America? Who are you?" the 71-year-old McGovern shouted as he was hauled away.
He claims to have been "bloodied" and "bruised" (photo) by one man in uniform and an unnamed, plain-clothes security worker.
Clinton didn't even skip a beat.
This video is from CNN, broadcast Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011.
McGovern was being represented by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF).
"It is the ultimate definition of lip service that Secretary of State Clinton would be trumpeting the U.S. government's supposed concerns for free speech rights and this man would be simultaneously brutalized and arrested for engaging in a peaceful act of dissent at her speech," a spokeswoman for the group said in a published statement.
US officials came under similar rhetorical fire in December, when they announced plans to host "World Press Freedom Day." The announcement was made on the same day that Sen. Joesph Lieberman (I-CT) declared that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be prosecuted for espionage over his role in the release of US diplomatic cables.
"When people die because we have hypocrites at the top of our government, that compels me to make a statement in whatever way I can," McGovern later told Rob Kall, who posted the remarks to Op Ed News. "It was not the theme of her speech that I was protesting. It was her war policies and support of Mubarak."
Thursday, February 17th, 2011 -- 10:45 am
rawstory.com
The official position of the US Secretary of State is that countries around the world should respect their citizens' rights to free speech, free expression and free assembly -- and that's precisely what Sec. Hillary Clinton said during a Tuesday speech at George Washington University.
Unfortunately, as she spoke, not 15 feet in front of her, a series of events unfolded that utterly undermined the message.
Former CIA agent Ray McGovern, an outspoken critic of US foreign policy, stood silently in the auditorium's center aisle, and turned his back on Clinton.
For his symbolic and otherwise non-disruptive protest, he was quickly accosted by security agents. As they struggled to pull him out of the room, a CNN news camera caught the tail end of the ordeal.
"SO THIS IS AMERICA?!? This is America? Who are you?" the 71-year-old McGovern shouted as he was hauled away.
He claims to have been "bloodied" and "bruised" (photo) by one man in uniform and an unnamed, plain-clothes security worker.
Clinton didn't even skip a beat.
This video is from CNN, broadcast Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011.
McGovern was being represented by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF).
"It is the ultimate definition of lip service that Secretary of State Clinton would be trumpeting the U.S. government's supposed concerns for free speech rights and this man would be simultaneously brutalized and arrested for engaging in a peaceful act of dissent at her speech," a spokeswoman for the group said in a published statement.
US officials came under similar rhetorical fire in December, when they announced plans to host "World Press Freedom Day." The announcement was made on the same day that Sen. Joesph Lieberman (I-CT) declared that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be prosecuted for espionage over his role in the release of US diplomatic cables.
"When people die because we have hypocrites at the top of our government, that compels me to make a statement in whatever way I can," McGovern later told Rob Kall, who posted the remarks to Op Ed News. "It was not the theme of her speech that I was protesting. It was her war policies and support of Mubarak."
Fox Does it Again
Fox reverses poll results to portray public as anti-union
Posted on 02.23.11
rawstory.com
A new poll was released Wednesday showing the public strongly supports union bargaining rights by a two-to-one margin. The Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” program displayed and voiced the results of the poll backwards, in a way that depicts the public as strongly opposed to unions.
Could this be another “honest mistake” by the conservative network? Or something else?
This is how the poll results were displayed by Fox:
Posted on 02.23.11
rawstory.com
A new poll was released Wednesday showing the public strongly supports union bargaining rights by a two-to-one margin. The Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” program displayed and voiced the results of the poll backwards, in a way that depicts the public as strongly opposed to unions.
Could this be another “honest mistake” by the conservative network? Or something else?
This is how the poll results were displayed by Fox:
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Lindsey Says
I was listening to Lindsey Williams on the Alex Jones Show.
If he's right, oil is going to go up to $200 a barrel.
The U.S. Dollar will be dead by the end of 2012.
The turmoil in the middle East will be so bad that it will disrupt the flow of oil to the U.S.
Oil companies will finally start drilling the vast oil reserves in the U.S.
The dollar will get so weak that people won't be able to afford food even though it will be available.
If he's right, oil is going to go up to $200 a barrel.
The U.S. Dollar will be dead by the end of 2012.
The turmoil in the middle East will be so bad that it will disrupt the flow of oil to the U.S.
Oil companies will finally start drilling the vast oil reserves in the U.S.
The dollar will get so weak that people won't be able to afford food even though it will be available.
Libyan turmoil weighs on stocks as oil surges
Pan Pylas, AP Business Writer, On Tuesday February 22, 2011, 11:49 am
LONDON (AP) -- Mounting concerns over Libya's violent crisis weighed on stocks Tuesday and sent oil prices surging, while the earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch pushed the country's currency sharply lower.
With deep rifts opening up in Moammar Gadhafi's regime, air force pilots defecting and a bloody crackdown in the capital of Tripoli, investors are fretting over how the crisis will end and what the impact on the North African country's oil production will be.
Libya is the world's 18th largest oil producer, pumping out around 1.8 million barrels a day, or a little under 2 percent of global daily output. The OPEC country also sits atop the biggest oil reserves in the whole of Africa.
With so much uncertainty surrounding a large chunk of the world's daily oil production, market prices surged. Benchmark crude for March delivery was up $4.80 a barrel, or 5.6 percent, at $92.55 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, it had it had been even higher above $94 a barrel.
Article Continues at yahoo.com
LONDON (AP) -- Mounting concerns over Libya's violent crisis weighed on stocks Tuesday and sent oil prices surging, while the earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch pushed the country's currency sharply lower.
With deep rifts opening up in Moammar Gadhafi's regime, air force pilots defecting and a bloody crackdown in the capital of Tripoli, investors are fretting over how the crisis will end and what the impact on the North African country's oil production will be.
Libya is the world's 18th largest oil producer, pumping out around 1.8 million barrels a day, or a little under 2 percent of global daily output. The OPEC country also sits atop the biggest oil reserves in the whole of Africa.
With so much uncertainty surrounding a large chunk of the world's daily oil production, market prices surged. Benchmark crude for March delivery was up $4.80 a barrel, or 5.6 percent, at $92.55 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, it had it had been even higher above $94 a barrel.
Article Continues at yahoo.com
Monday, February 21, 2011
Naruto Vs
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