ADDICTED TO INTERNETS, Y’ALL!
(But srsly, think this whole thing is making us a little nutso? That’s our cover this week: How ‘connection addiction’ is re-wiring our brains.)
An excerpt:
Questions about the Internet’s deleterious effects on the mind are at least as old as hyperlinks. But even among Web skeptics, the idea that a new technology might influence how we think and feel—let alone contribute to a great American crack-up—was considered silly and naive, like waving a cane at electric light or blaming the television for kids these days. Instead, the Internet was seen as just another medium, a delivery system, not a diabolical machine. It made people happier and more productive. And where was the proof otherwise?
Now, however, the proof is starting to pile up. The first good, peer-reviewed research is emerging, and the picture is much gloomier than the trumpet blasts of Web utopians have allowed. The current incarnation of the Internet—portable, social, accelerated, and all-pervasive—may be making us not just dumber or lonelier but more depressed and anxious, prone to obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit disorders, even outright psychotic. Our digitized minds can scan like those of drug addicts, and normal people are breaking down in sad and seemingly new ways.
Want more? Read: Is the Web Driving Us Mad?
(via 30casterlyrock)
Where in the world do people smoke the most dope? According to the United Nations’World Drug Report 2012 released today, it’s the Pacific island of Palau. As reported inThe Economist, “Nearly a quarter of people aged 15 to 64 (in Palau) smoked pot in the past year. Italians and Americans also like to get high, with rates of 14.6% and 14.1% respectively.”
Interestingly, the unemployment rate in Palau is 4.2% versus the unemployment rate in the U.S. which is at 9.0%
Good to see the war on drugs in America as being very effective.
#NextStopUruguay
I wish my travel agent could make this happen ^_^
“Bitponics”
It’s a device and a website that will simplify hydroponic gardening. You tell it about your setup and what plants you’re growing, and it provides you with a personalized growing plan that tells you how to achieve the best possible results. Sensors in your garden send readings to your account on the Bitponics website. The website then processes that information and sends notifications back to your device to control things such as pumps and lights. You can track your results and share your experiences with other users, so that we all help each other become better gardeners.
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For future reference.
With Heroes, Willie Nelson is still a rebel rebel
“We had a couple of pots over there at the Bulldog and then at The Grey Area and then hit two or three good spots after that,” Nelson says, adding, “you probably wouldn’t remember it,” when asked what a night on the town is like in Amsterdam with him and Snoop Dogg. However, Nelson takes his advocacy seriously and is not only the president of the 26-year-old Farm Aid, which has raised US$39-million to help the American family farmer, but is outspoken on everything from the war in Afghanistan to ending the marijuana laws that have imprisoned about 20 million Americans since 1965.
“Most people who know anything at all know that marijuana is a good medicine for stress and a nice recreational drug for responsible adults and it should not be criminalized,” he says. “If we legalize it and bring our folks home from around the world fighting wars over oil, we’d all be a lot better off.” (Illustration by Kagan McLeod/National Post)
(via nationalpost)
The New Hampshire house of representatives recently passed Senate Bill 409, by a vote of 236 to 96. This is a wonderful Bill that allows for qualified medical marijuana patients to cultivate and have their own medicinal cannabis for therapeutic purposes.
“The veto-proof majority approval came following renewed veto threats by Democrat Gov. John Lynch, who previously rejected a separate, more restrictive medical marijuana measure in 2009.”
Even though the New Hampshire Senate had already passed a relatively similar cannabis measure in March by a vote of 13 to 11; because their was a fiscal note (written estimate of the costs, savings, revenue gain, or revenue loss that may result from implementation of a bill) added to this bill, it must now be sent to the House Finance Committee before the Senate will be able to do a concurrence vote, and although Gov. Lynch is expected to veto this bill once it’s passed and presented to him, with only three more senate votes, his anticipated veto will be overrode.
“Separate legislation — HB 1526, which sought to decriminalize the possession of up to one-half ounce of marijuana for adults for non-medical purposes — was rejected by the Senate on Wednesday. The House had previously voted in favor of the measure in March.” —10 days ago.
Hopefully New Hampshire will get the required Senate votes to override any veto that may occur. Individuals deserve an organic medicinal alternative, and hopefully the people of New Hampshire will soon have that right; a right we should have had many years ago.
Stay High, Stay Educated, STAY REAL.
Source: NORML
“The Stealthvape™”
The device fits snugly in your palm, making it the most discreet portable vaporizer ever.
Reaches a vaporization temperature of 250°C within seconds.
No unhealthy combustion by-products.
Powered by the included rechargeable Ni-MH AA battery.
Weighs only 1 ounce.
Ideal for vaporizing menthol-eucalyptus, lavender, chamomile, peppermint and other useful vaporizable materials.
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#Other
(via swollenpinkbits)
The United States, the only developed nation that does not allow hemp as an industrial crop, continue to hold their stance on keeping the beneficial plant illegal. Both Canada and the European Union are two examples of places that use hemp for commericial reasons, such as food, textiles, and fibers.
Cannabis and Hemp describe two different things, and to read more about differentiating between the two, click Here. Hemp contains very little THC, an amount that is so low that a person would not be able to get high off of it, for it only contains about 0.3% THC. Hemp refers to the commercial/industrial use of the plant.
Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske (Person in charge of drug-control propaganda in the US) stated on the White House’s “We The People” website, this statement: “Federal law prohibits human consumption, distribution, and possession of Schedule 1 controlled substances. … While most of the THC in cannabis plants is concentrated in the marijuana, all parts of the plant, including hemp, can contain THC, a Schedule 1 controlled substance. The Administration will continue looking for innovative ways to support farmers across the country while balancing the need to PROTECT public health and safety.”
The government still holds to their claim that they are protecting people’s health by keeping our cannabis plant illegal, but it is only increasingly more obvious, with each passing day, that our government is not protecting the people, they are protecting the profits that their industries and pharaceutical companies accumulate. Hemp is an annual plant, providing yearly work, as well as a yearly surplus of hemp. Are our officials motives not clear enough, yet?
It is hard to ignore the state of economic peril our country is in, as well as the ways that legalization would help, if they would only allow it. We are living in a country governed by individuals who care only about profit, and about accumulation of wealth. Our wellbeing, our happiness? Do not be silly.
Stand up for what you believe,
and don’t ever quit fighting for what you know is right!
Source Here
“The Top Five Special Interest Groups Lobbying To Keep Marijuana Illegal”
Last year, over 850,000 people in America were arrested for marijuana-related crimes. Despite public opinion, the medical community, and human rights experts all moving in favor of relaxing marijuana prohibition laws, little has changed in terms of policy.
There have been many great books and articles detailing the history of the drug war. Part of America’s fixation with keeping the leafy green plant illegal is rooted in cultural and political clashes from the past.
However, we at Republic Report think it’s worth showing that there are entrenched interest groups that are spending large sums of money to keep our broken drug laws on the books:
1.) Police Unions: Police departments across the country have become dependent on federal drug war grants to finance their budget. In March, we published a story revealing that a police union lobbyist in California coordinated the effort to defeat Prop 19, a ballot measure in 2010 to legalize marijuana, while helping his police department clients collect tens of millions in federal marijuana-eradication grants. And it’s not just in California. Federal lobbying disclosures show that other police union lobbyists have pushed for stiffer penalties for marijuana-related crimes nationwide.
2.) Private Prisons Corporations: Private prison corporations make millions by incarcerating people who have been imprisoned for drug crimes, including marijuana. As Republic Report’s Matt Stoller noted last year, Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison companies, revealed in a regulatory filing that continuing the drug war is part in parcel to their business strategy. Prison companies have spent millions bankrolling pro-drug war politicians and have used secretive front groups, like the American Legislative Exchange Council, to pass harsh sentencing requirements for drug crimes.
3.) Alcohol and Beer Companies: Fearing competition for the dollars Americans spend on leisure, alcohol and tobacco interests have lobbied to keep marijuana out of reach. For instance, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors contributed campaign contributions to a committee set up to prevent marijuana from being legalized and taxed.
4.) Pharmaceutical Corporations: Like the sin industries listed above, pharmaceutical interests would like to keep marijuana illegal so American don’t have the option of cheap medical alternatives to their products. Howard Wooldridge, a retired police officer who now lobbies the government to relax marijuana prohibition laws, told Republic Report that next to police unions, the “second biggest opponent on Capitol Hill is big PhRMA” because marijuana can replace “everything from Advil to Vicodin and other expensive pills.”
5.) Prison Guard Unions: Prison guard unions have a vested interest in keeping people behind bars just like for-profit prison companies. In 2008, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association spent a whopping $1 million to defeat a measure that would have “reduced sentences and parole times for nonviolent drug offenders while emphasizing drug treatment over prison.”
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Who’s more addicted to marijuana: the police or the people?
“Infographic: Breaking down the costs of trucking”
The crew at Easy Lift Equipment worked up an infographic filled with examples of just how pricey it can be to operate an eighteen wheeler. According to the information, only eight percent of all trucks on the road are privately operated. The rest are run by larger trucking companies.
No surprise there. A new cab can cost upwards of $100,000, while a trailer will set you back $50,000. Companies typically pay around $30,000 a year on their truck loans, which actually makes it the third largest expense in operating a big rig. Number one? Diesel fuel. A single truck can suck down 20,500 gallons of fuel in a year, which can add up to over $70,000 depending on location. Driver pay falls second, with operators earning around $0.36 per mile. Maintenance, meanwhile, can cost around $15,000 annually.
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The trucking industry would benefit from renewable sources of biodiesel.
My final pro-marijuana legalization rant…for the day
I believe in the power of good design.
Designers (or anyone who has to make copies of anything) know that if the original or mold for the thing being made is of a poor quality, the copy of the thing being made will be of a poor quality. And post-production efforts to rectify a poorly made object can be costly. The laws which govern us are no different and the mold which originally made marijuana illegal almost 3 generations ago is evident to have been fundamentally flawed…spread across 50 states.
My research seeks to be forward-thinking beyond just the legalization of hemp and marijuana with three primary objectives:
- The first of which is to create much needed jobs.
- The second goal is to remove the criminal element.
- Third, these steps will hopefully put America on a path which embraces sustainable practices.
Hemp is illegal to grow in America primarily because it looks like marijuana and we are practically the only developed country in the world to outlaw this plant. The law is also highly critical of marijuana because of the effects it has on our bodies yet we are not free from fossil fuels which, when burned, are significantly more damaging to our bodies and our environment with longer lasting effects beyond the span of generations. A visit to Los Angeles, Linfen (China), or Mexico City and you will literally see the problem. The lingering effects of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico 2 years ago today is also a testament to this fact.
The leaders of our nations need to recognize some form of compromise with our drug control laws. My reasons for marijuana legalization are for them.
Thank you for reading this…I hope you have a safe and #Happy420.
© 2012 Jerry D. Elmore
8 Myths About Marijuana
This information is important because, despite his campaign promises prior to the 2008 election, in which he said federal resources shouldn’t be wasted busting medical marijuana patients and the state-compliant businesses that serve them, Obama has lately been embarked on a medical marijuana crackdown that Rolling Stone reported is on pace to go beyond George W. Bush’s undertaking. Leaders in his administration routinely deny that marijuana can be medicinal and have reverted back to the Reagan-era fear mongering about how any slip in the public’s perception of its harm poses a grave threat to the nation’s youths.
But it’s precisely because of medical marijuana laws that are now in place in 16 states and Washington D.C. that more accurate knowledge of marijuana’s relative risks and benefits are becoming more widely known. Think what you will about these often vague and easy to abuse laws; if nothing else, they’ve raised the level of debate in this country about a substance that has been maligned and vilified for more than seventy years, for no good reason.
2.) Marijuana is a “gateway” drug.
3.) Marijuana has no medicinal value.
4.) Smoking marijuana can cause lung cancer.
5.) There is no “safe dosage” of marijuana.
6.) Teen use of marijuana increases in medical marijuana states.
7.) Hemp is the same as marijuana.
8.) Marijuana can cure illnesses.
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“I don’t need a gun to rebel / the mind, educated, will do just as well”
#Happy420
’ 1. Paper & Cardboard Products
Hemp regenerates in months; it grows extremely quickly, sounds like a perfect thing to make paper with. Unlike trees that can take over 30 years to be ready to harvest hemp is ready to go right away! Why are we still clear cutting forests? Hemp is a way better alternative! The paper that is made from hemp doesn’t become yellow or brittle because hemp is naturally acid free. Did you know that the original declaration of independence was written on hemp paper? Hemp can be recycled up to 7 times, while wood pulp paper can only be recycled a maximum of 3 times. Not to mention that 220 million pounds of toxic pollution or added into the air and water every year during the production of wood paper and pulp. Hemp paper does not need to be bleached with chlorine; it can be whitened with hydrogen peroxide, which is a lot safer for the water and soil of the earth.
2. Clothing & Fabrics
As a fabric, hemp is the optimal choice! ‘Hemp doesn’t wear out, it wears in!’ Hemp clothing becomes softer every time you wash it. Growing hemp requires the use of very little pesticides and no herbicides, so not only is this great for the environment, but in turn, if used for clothing and blankets, it is not harmful for your skin. One acre of hemp will produce as much material as 2-3 acres of cotton. Wow, this hemp really is amazing isn’t it? Hemp material will keep you cool in the heat and keep you warm in the cold, it is known to be 4 times warmer than cotton material! The production of hemp into fabric instead of cotton, as if there aren’t enough amazing facts about hemp fabric as it is, it is also naturally fire retardant! So as oppose to most other fabrics, clothing, bed sheets, linens etc.. it would not need to have fire repellant chemicals added, what a great bonus! :P
3. Plastic & Building Materials
Did you know that Henry Ford made a body for a car that was lighter than steel but could stand 10 times the impact without denting? Of course, it was made of hemp! Hemp can be made into various different building materials, hempcrete, fiberboard, carpet, stucco, cement blocks, insulation, and plastic. Not only are Hemp building supplies a lot better for the environment but also walls made from Hemp are rot free, pest free, mold free and fire resistant! Walls made from hemp can last up to 500 years. How’s that for sustainability? Hemp plastic can completely replace oil based plastic materials that we are using today that contain large amounts of dangerous chemicals such as the very well known Bisphenol A. If all our plastics were made from hemp material you could literally purchase something that came in a plastic hemp container and then throw that container directly into the compost, as hemp plastics are completely biodegradable. Now why have we even been using the other harmful destructive ways of producing plastic?
4. Fuel
Hemp can be made into fuel in two ways: The oil from the pressed hempseed can be turned into biodiesel. The fermented stalk can be made into ethanol and methanol. Biodiesel is completely biodegradable and a much cleaner fuel for the air. Even the exhaust produced from burning hempseed biodiesel has a pleasant smell. Although hemp is not the greatest alternative to fuel that is available, hemp fuel can be used temporarily because it can be used in all the existing vehicles today without making any alterations. Both sources of hemp fuel are non-toxic and are completely biodegradable.
5. Nutrition
So, not only is hemp great for the environment, it is great for your body too! Hemp seeds are known to be one of the most nutritious seeds on the planet! Quite impressive, I know. Along with magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber and almost every vitamin and mineral that the body needs, Hemp seeds contain high amounts of essential omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Hemp seeds are very high in protein, containing 25% protein content. They do not contain phytic acid, which means every last bit of goodness that these tiny seeds have to offer can be absorbed and utilized by the body! Hemp seeds have a great nutty taste to them too, so you’ll enjoy sprinkling them over salads or your other favorite dishes!’
Alternate title:
5 Industries Threatened By Hemp Which Is Why It’s Illegal In America
1.) Logging / Timber Industries
2.) Cotton / Synthetic Textiles (See also #3)
3.) Petrochemical Industries (See also #1)
4.) See #3
5.) Soy and Corn Farming
From the Justice Dept: The total number of marijuana plants alone seized from indoor & outdoor cultivation (assuming they are non-farming property) between 2004 and 2008 = 27,688,500.
And from 2005 to 2009, the amount (in weight) of marijuana seized along the Southwest and Northern borders (NOT including what’s been seized from the interior) has averaged at least 1 million kilograms per year for a total of 6,420,074 kgs (14,153,840 lbs.).
Just to help visualize this quantity, one 40’ high-cube shipping container (typically seen being transported via tractor trailers on the highway) can hold a net weight of 57,759 lbs.
Imagine 245 of these filled up with seized marijuana. Or, an average quantity of 61.25 PER YEAR!
Making hemp and marijuana illegal has done absolutely NOTHING to curb production and has only aided in protecting the profits of the aforementioned industries while wasting time, money, resources, and energy all for some plants which have been responsible for no cases of overdose…ever.
The only threat from hemp and marijuana comes from law enforcement which has resulted in pets and innocent people being shot and killed during militarized drug raids.
#Happy420
(via urissdp)
