Weekend Thoughts - 12.10.16

Image by Andrea Kirkby, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:

1. Evidence supporting the Theory of Evolution was located when a fossilized dinosaur tail was found earlier this week. The 99-million-year-old dinosaur tail, which is the size of an apricot, was preserved in an amber tomb. Perhaps the most important discovery was the fact that feathers were found on the tail, which further bolsters the idea that dinosaurs had feathers instead of scales. The tail belonged to a Cretaceous-era young coelurosaurian, which was roughly the size of a modern sparrow and could easily fit in a human hand.

2. I found the tale of this account of a second-round interview for a job at Amazon to be rather disturbing. It certainly sounds frustrating for the interviewee, who was asked to install software that allowed the proctor to remotely control the entire machine, and repeatedly asked to use his computer's camera to show the proctor the contents of his bedroom. Even worse, when he asked to end the interview, he was kept on hold multiple times by the proctor. If anyone is interested in possibly working at Amazon in the near future, you really ought to give this interviewee's experience a read.

3. Fans of Robert Anton Wilson, rejoice! A lost 1975 book by the author titled Starseed Signals will be published next year. The book was written during a time of close collaboration with Timothy Leary and formed the basis for some of Wilson's later books, such as Cosmic Trigger: The Final Secret of the Illuminati. Clocking in at around 340 pages, the book is expected to be fairly substantial. If you haven't read any RAW yet, I would suggest starting with The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which are some of my favorite books ever written.

That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.

Book Review - Essence of World Religions

I was fortunate to receive a free copy of Essence of World Religions during a local all-vegan Thanksgiving Dinner that I attended this year. It piqued my interest because it appeared to be a basic introduction to many of the common world religions, some of which I had never even heard of before. A few of friends that were seated at my table mentioned that they had read the book the previous year and found it to be a good overview of the topic and a valuable resource.

The book was originally published in 1994 as part of the JAINA Education Series program, and the edition I received is the Third Edition, published in November 2004. The preface of the book stresses that it is intended to be an introductory resource, stating "The strength of this book is its simplicity." Because of that, many complex and subtle distinctions between the religions have been left out of the book. The main focus is on providing a basic comparative summary of the following religions:

• Religions of India

1. Hinduism
2. Buddhism
3. Jainism
4. Sikhism

• Religions of the Far-East

1. Confucianism
2. Taoism
3. Shintoism

• Religions of the West

1. Judaism
2. Zoroastrianism
3. Christianity
4. Islam
5. Bahä'i

Each religion's section covers the time it was founded, a description of the founder (if there was one at all), the major scriptures that are consulted, any sects that may exist, the number of current adherents, the ultimate goals and beliefs, identifying symbols, and a list of observed holidays. Some religions have additional sections added that are specific to them.

I found this book to be extremely eye-opening, because there is a lot in common between these religions. Of course, there is a lot of different between them as well, but the book primarily focuses on the similarities. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who is interested in a primer for these religions or spirituality in general.

3/5 stars. 80 pages.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.9.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Congressional Republicans Vow To Block Marijuana Amendments (Marijuana.com)
• Here Is the Trouble With Legalized Cannabis (Merry Jane)
• White House Hints At Possible Marijuana Moves (Marijuana.com)
• Medical cannabis shop touts plant as alternative to opioids (Belleville News-Democrat)
• In Remote Indian Village, Cannabis Is Its Only Livelihood (The New York Times)
• 7 Reasons President Trump Is Unlikely To Fight Legal Marijuana (TIME)
• The Big Business of Making a Cannabis Surveillance State (Motherboard)
• Memory Impairment Caused By Marijuana Can Both Assist and Hinder PTSD Therapy (Psychedelic Times)
• Cannabis use spikes 70% among Americans aged 50 and above (The Independent)
• Marijuana Advocates Are Celebrating This Small Victory (ATTN:)
• Maine Marijuana Opponents Can't Get Enough Volunteers for Legalization Recount (Reason)
• Legal cannabis in NZ? Green Party offers green light to pot smokers (Stuff.co.nz)
• This Company Wants To Super-Chill Your Coffee With Cannabis (The Huffington Post)
• Cannabis Business Hype Is About to Go Up in Smoke (Fortune)
• Steve Kerr Admitted to Using Marijuana For Back Pain (ATTN:)
• 13 Chicago High School Students Hospitalized After Eating 'Laced' Gummy Bears (TIME)
• Cannabis 'affects your eyesight': Study finds regular marijuana use damages link between retina and brain (Daily Mail)

LSD

• Wildlife cameras unexpectedly snap naked man high on LSD who thought he was a Siberian tiger (Mirror)
• Did HALLUCINOGENS spark the Salem witch trials? Experts say locals may have eaten bread contaminated with a fungus found in LSD (Daily Mail)
• And You're Making Me Feel Like I've Never Been Born: The Beatles' Second Acid Trip (VICE)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin, the Active Ingredient in 'Shrooms, Is Looking More and More Like a Potential Wonder Drug (New York Magazine)
• How A Psychedelic Drug Helps Cancer Patients Overcome Anxiety (NPR)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• MDMA Is Now One Step Away From Being a Prescription for PTSD (New York Magazine)
• UK nightclubs will offer free cocaine and MDMA booths to test Class A's are safe to take (The Sun)
• The MDMA being used to treat trauma is different from the street drug Ecstasy (The Conversation)
• MDMA for PTSD? How Ecstasy Ingredient Works in the Brain (Live Science)
• Teenager battling depression took potentially fatal dose of ecstasy before she killed herself at a beauty spot (Mirror)
• Heartbroken mum of ecstasy death victim begs teens not to 'play Russian roulette' with drugs (Mirror)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Study: Single Session of Ayahuasca Can Defeat Depression (Collective Evolution)
• Silicon Valley's new craze is flying to Peru to take a psychedelic you can't legally get in America (Business Insider)
• Hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca 'stimulates the brain to fight Alzheimer's, study claims (Daily Mail)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• A Drug for All Ailments (Roads and Kingdoms)
• A Long Strange Trip to Gabon (Slate)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Deadly designer drugs now in the workplace (SafeToWork)

Dissociatives

• Anaesthetists to study ketamine for post-surgery pain (Newstalk ZB)
• For one NC veteran, ketamine offers a treatment breakthrough (WNCN)
• 'My wonk addiction is destroying my bladder': Ketamine dealer knows he has a problem (Gloucestershire Live)
• Man Sentenced for Conspiring with Postal Carrier to Distribute PCP (Kansas City infoZine)
• 1-year-old poisoned by PCP recovering (The Port Arthur News)

Opiates/Opioids

• "I am a human being:" Heroin user speaks out after overdose streamed on Facebook Live (FOX 6 Now)
• Heroin deaths exceeded gun murders for 1st time last year – CDC (RT)
• Heroin overtakes cocaine as the biggest concern for local cops (VICE News)
• Mexican cartels are expanding their control over the US heroin market (Business Insider)
• Why all the opium in the world won't make America happy (The Hill)
• Utah pharmacists can now dispense naloxone without a prescription (Deseret News)

Kratom

• DEA refuses to release evidence backing Kratom ban (MuckRock)
• Kratom and Cannabis Combination – The Medicinal and Psychological Effects (Kratom Guides)
• Drug policy experts and advocates implore DEA to keep opiate-like plant legal (The Washington Post)
• Kratom Mixed with Coffee (Kratom Guides)
• Kratom & Yerba Mate Tea—Is It A Safe Combination? (Kratom Guides)
• Kratom and Chamomile - A Great Combination to Potentiate the Effects (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Study probes kava effectiveness on anxiety (Radio New Zealand)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Integrating Your Experience: Why You May Question Your Sexuality After Using Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)
• How Donald Trump's Cabinet Could Affect Executive Polices on Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)
• Why Psychedelic History Matters (VolteFace)
• The Different Approaches to Appropriate Dosage Amounts In Psychedelic Therapy (Psychedelic Times)
• Rodrigo Duterte: Donald Trump Endorsed Deadly War on Drugs as 'The Right Way' (TIME)
• Microsoft says virtual reality could make you HALLUCINATE in the same way as LSD (Daily Mail)
• VR Isn't Going To Be Like LSD – It's Going To Be Much Better (Inverse)
• Can Psychedelics Make You Smarter and More Creative? (TalkingDrugs)
• Blue Lotus: The Ancient Egyptian Dream Flower (World of Lucid Dreaming)
• China's 'Walter White' Sold $600,000 Worth of Illegal Drugs Every Month to U.S. and Europe (TIME)
• Psychedelic War Stories & Cosmic Flights: An interview with Andy Roberts (Psychedelic Press UK)
• This Is the Latest Chilling Statistic to Emerge From the Philippine War on Drugs (TIME)

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Go Take the 2017 Global Drug Survey

Image by Thomas Hawk, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

The Global Drug Survey has been collecting useful and enlightening drug usage data since 2014, and has recently launched its 2017 Global Drug Survey.

From GDS' About Us page:

"GDS is an independent research company based in London. We produce reports for global media, public health and corporate organisations. GDS use its data and expertise to create digital health applications delivering screening and brief interventions for drugs and alcohol. We create free online harm reduction resources and anonymous, confidential self-assessment tools. GDS also produces a range of drug education materials for health and legal professionals, the entertainment industry and the general public.

GDS aims to make drug use safer, regardless of the legal status of the drug, by sharing information with individuals, communities, health and policy organisations.

Using anonymous online research methods Global Drug Survey runs an annual survey in 10 languages, which is hosted by partners in over 20 countries. We work with global media giants around the world who act as hubs to promote our survey and our findings, ensuring that the first people to see the results are the general public.

Survey findings are frank, honest, and revealing. GDS explores the positives and negatives of drug use and detects new drugs trends as soon as they appear. GDS has a unique insight into personal decision-making about drug use . Our international networks of researchers and specialists have extensive experience in data analysis and report writing."

I have already submitted my survey, and highly suggest that you do the same by clicking here. The survey period will remain open until December 31st, 2016, at which time it will be closed and no longer accepting responses.

Weekend Thoughts - 12.3.16

Image by madaise, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:

1. Most modern scientists assume that the speed of light is constant, which is part of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Specifically, this theory plays a role in the conceptualization of what occurred in the very early universe, seconds after the Big Bang. However, some researchers have recently posited that the speed of light may have been much higher in this early universe than it currently is. This is one of many concepts that parapsychology researcher Rupert Sheldrake presented in his research on how the universal gravitational constant varies. These researchers have developed a test that will be able to identify changes in light speed, which would change our understanding of how the universe expanded. One of the issues with the constant light speed theory is that it doesn't allow for enough time for light to have traveled to where it is in the cosmos. However, light traveling at a faster initial speed would fill in that gap and force scientists to rethink their idea of how the early universe was formed.

2. As a former librarian (I worked at a music library for a couple years in college), I would've loved to have seen this recent video from TED-Ed that explains the quickest way to sort books. The technique is borrowed from computer programming language and is able to sort books (or other items) much quicker than other techniques. During the past few moves that I have gone through during the last couple years, I have found myself naturally using this technique to sort my own items—DVDs, CDs, books, etc. However, I'm also in the process of getting rid of nearly all of my physical media. In fact, I no longer have any DVDs or CDs in my house, and have sold/donated/gifted over half of my print book collection within the past year. Regardless, this educational video is a fun watch for anyone interested in learning to sort more efficiently!

That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.