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Could an Acid Trip Help to overcome anxiety ?

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:19:58 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: This is an important article. I believe that psychedelic drugs not only have highly valuable therapeutic properties, but they can serve when responsibly used, to expand one's consciousness and boost intelligence and creativity in many aspects of life. The use of psychedelic drugs is one of those case where something which is highly beneficial to the individual is arbitrarily banned by the 'system' because the system do not want us too conscious, or too creative, not even too intelligence. All these threat the stability of the system while promoting independent thought.
It is worth mentioning that the family of psychedelic drugs DO NOT contain dangerous addicting drugs such as opium, heroin, cocaine, crack, meth, etc.

Clip Source: discovermagazine.com

Researchers are again using mind-bending drugs as a means of treating mental disorders.

Worry and nausea had been the 37-year-old performance artist’s constant companions during his treatment for metastatic colon cancer that was diagnosed a year earlier.

Yet the shroud of negativity lifted under the influence of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in the hallucinogenic mushrooms used in sacred Native American rituals.

“I had dealt with the big, earth-shattering problems, but the day-to-day anxieties were the hard part,” Genise recalled five months later,

First, here I was in a hospital having a pleasurable experience, which immediately cured my anxieties. And it suddenly clicked in my head that I didn’t need to cling to my ex. It was a spectacular experience, because in a short time I was able to work through some serious issues on a very deep level.”

Tags: anxiery treatment, psychadelic drugs

Eat Your Vegetables !!!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:34:04 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Eat your vegetables, or else....

Clip Source: www.toshistation.com

Tags: vegetables, diet

World's Biggest Restaurant is in Syria

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:37:18 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Syria may already boast some of the world's best food, but now it can also claim the world's largest restaurant.

The 6,012-seat Damascus Gate has taken the accolade from a Bangkok eatery serving a mere 5,000 diners.

The crucial test for Guinness World Record officials is all the tables are properly catered for, and they likened the Syrian kitchen to a "mini-factory".

Located in a Damascus suburb, the restaurant, known as Bawabet Dimashq in Arabic, has been operating since 2002.

It has a huge open air area complete with pools, fountains and replicas of archaeological ruins for the summer, and separate themed areas for Chinese and Indian cuisine.

During the busy summer months up to 1,800 staff are employed in the 54,000 sq-m dining area and 2,500 sq-m kitchen.

Tags: syria, restaurants

The coming famine

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:32:27 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.cosmosmagazine.com

BARRING NUCLEAR WARS, pandemics and cosmic accidents, there will be about 9.1 billion people living in the world in 2050. Yet they will eat as much food as 13 billion people at today's nutritional levels. So how will we feed them all? The answer to this question could be the greatest scientific challenge of the 21st century – greater even than finding a solution to climate change.

The problem is that humanity is consuming more food, year-on-year, than it produces, especially as demand for high-protein food increases in high population developing countries like China and India.

The world is also moving towards a water crisis: cities are now taking up to half of the water that was once used to grow food, while groundwater levels are declining in every country where it is used for food production.

Tags: food, water, resources, population, economy, production, famine, drought, world

Susan Blackmore on Memes and Temes

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:13:00 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Video at source.

Clip Source: www.spring.org.uk

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is probably the best idea that anybody has ever had. Darwin's idea is not just applicable to biology, though, it also applies to culture.

The application of natural selection to culture has been called 'memetics'. This is the theory that, like living things, ideas - or 'memes' - naturally vary and that (generally) the 'fittest' ideas survive and are replicated across generations.

Neuroscientist Susan Blackmore, who has studied memetics, introduces a new type of meme which she calls the 'teme': the technological meme. Technology, through temes, she argues, is now driving us forward, whether we like it or not.

In this talk Blackmore uses the idea of the 'teme' to pose some interesting questions. She asks whether there are other lifeforms out there in the universe and also whether humanity will survive the arrival of the 'temes'.

Tags: ted, meme, evoultion, susan blackmore, teme

Pew Poll, Obama vs McCain

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:08:55 GMT

clipped by: sahara

Clip Source: people-press.org

Overview

Obama

is tested against John McCain in a general election matchup, he now runs about even against the presumptive Republican nominee. Previously, Obama had led McCain by modest margins in three Pew surveys conducted since late February.

Obama's favorable rating among voters has slipped eight points since late February, from 59% to 51% in the current survey

asked what they do not like about Obama, most (54%) cite his political beliefs

McCain's personal image among voters also has become more negative since February.

McCain also is less popular among independents than he was earlier in the year,

Currently, Obama and McCain run even among independents (44% to 44%); in April, Obama enjoyed a 52% to 41% advantage among these pivotal voters.

For Obama, one of the most striking positives in the survey is the extent to which his supporters in the general election test say they are voting for him rather than against McCain

the economy (88%) and jobs (78%) will be very important in their vote

Tags: election

Four Reasons We Procrastinate

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:31:32 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.positivityblog.com

1. Fear of Failure.

Many people put off doing things because they are afraid of failing. If they only speak of their hopes and dreams, but make no firm effort towards achieving their goal, they cannot fail.

2. Feeling Overwhelmed.

Many times we look at a goal and feel that there is too much that needs to be done in order to accomplish it. The sense of being overwhelmed paralyzes us, preventing us from taking even the first step towards achieving our goal.

3. Human Nature.

We naturally tend to avoid that which causes us hardship or pain, and gravitate towards that which is easy or gives us pleasure. In order to avoid procrastination due to the unappealing or difficult nature of a task, commit to complete the most unpleasant jobs first.

4. Perspective.

If we view a task as being difficult, then that is exactly what it will be for us. Rather than dreading a given assignment, view it as an opportunity to excel.

"Horror frog" breaks own bone to form claw

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:14:21 GMT

clipped by: Oortcloud
clipper's remarks: Life is just full of little surprises. A hairy frog? Weird.

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

"Amphibian horror" isn't a movie genre, but on this evidence perhaps it should be. Harvard biologists have described a bizarre, hairy frog with cat-like extendable claws.

Trichobatrachus robustus actively breaks its own bones to produce claws that puncture their way out of the frog's toe pads, probably when it is threatened.

"Some other frogs have bony spines that project from their wrist, but in those species it appears that the bones grow through the skin rather than pierce it when needed for defence," says Blackburn.

The end result may look like a cat's claw, but the breaking and cutting mechanism is very different and unique among vertebrates. Also unique is the fact that the claw is just bone and does not have an outer coating of keratin like other claws do.

"Being amphibians, it would not be surprising if some parts of the wound heal and the tissue is regenerated," says Blackburn.

They might admire the USA again

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:12:08 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: World admires US after years of damaged reputation

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

For much of the world, Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the Democratic primaries was a moment to admire the United States at a time when the nation's image abroad has been seriously damaged.

"This is close to a miracle. I was certain that some things will not happen in my lifetime," said Sunila Patel, 62, a widow encountered on the streets of New Delhi. "A black president of the U.S. will mean that there will be more American tolerance for people around the world who are different."

The primary race generated unprecedented interest outside the United States, much of it a reflection of a desire for change from the policies of President Bush, who surveys show is deeply unpopular around the globe. At the same time, many people abroad seemed impressed -- sometimes even shocked -- by the wide-open nature of U.S. democracy, and the history-making race between a woman and a black man.

Tags: obama, politics

Holodeck 1.0? Star Trek-style 3-D displays make their debut

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:19:32 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

True 3-D display technology developed by European researchers offers enormous potential for design, education and collaboration.

Star Trek's holodeck is a famous science fiction concept.

The holodeck is still science fiction, but last year researchers took the first, confident steps towards its realisation with the Coherent project. This EU-funded research project, developed a commercial, true 3-D display that could one day be called Holodeck version 1.0. It is called HoloVizio.

The researchers based the display component on innovative holographic techniques that can present, at natural human interaction scale, realistic animated 3-D images simultaneously to an unlimited number of freely moving viewers.

Tags: visualization, 3d displays

Human stem cells used to cure brain disorder

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:08:45 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver

Clip Source: www.nature.com

Success in mice could be a breakthrough for disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Human stem cells have been used to correct abnormal brain development in mice with fatal brain disorders, offering hope for treating a range of neurological disorders including some deadly childhood genetic diseases.

Those behind the new treatment hope that human clinical trials could be just a few years away.

The treatment uses human glial progenitor cells — cells that can differentiate into the glial cells that, among other things, make up myelin. Myelin, a protein that insulates the long 'arms' of nerve cells, called axons, helps the conduction of neural signals throughout the nervous system.

The breakthrough is “stunning”, says Ian Duncan, who studies myelin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The work will have greatest relevance in treating congenital childhood diseases, he says, although he warns that a practical therapy is still some way away. ”This is a therapy for the future,” he says.

Tags: medicine, stem cell therapy, brain

Eat more insects, scientists say...:)

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:54:32 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: bonn a'petit

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Eat more insects, scientists say

Eating insects such as wasps and grasshoppers has health benefits and should be encouraged in the Western diet, scientists have said.

The bugs are rich in protein and some minerals and are lower in cholesterol than beef or pork.

Research carried out at the National Autonomous University of Mexico found that 1,700 species are eaten in at least 113 countries across the world, usually as a substitute for meat.