All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Archbishop’s defiance threatens Putin’s vision of Russian greatness

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The archbishop of Constantinople has granted Ukraine’s wish for a church independent of Moscow

Donald Trump seems strangely in awe of Vladimir Putin. Theresa May’s attempts to face down the Kremlin after Salisbury have had limited impact. But has Putin finally met his match in Bartholomew I, the 270th archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome, ecumenical patriarch, and “first among equals” of the Eastern Orthodox church?

In the 2,000-year struggle between church and state, Barth-olomew chalked up a notable victory last week. Defying protests from the Kremlin and Russia’s clergy, the archbishop granted Ukraine’s wish to establish an independent church that will no longer answer, as it has since 1686, to the Moscow patriarchate. The decision was taken at a synod at Orthodox “headquarters” in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople.

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How profit-driven inbreeding could bring the world dairy herd to its knees

bovine pandemic here we come.

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The drive for genetic selection means cattle are increasingly vulnerable to deadly new epidemics that could emerge as the climate warms

Known for their distinctive long horns, the Ankole cattle of western Uganda have evolved over millennia to withstand their harsh environment, with its lengthy dry spells and abundance of local maladies such as trypanosomiasis, a disease spread by the tsetse fly. But after flourishing for almost 10,000 years, the Ankole have begun to rapidly disappear.

Farmland is dwindling in Uganda due to the expanding human population, and Ankole require vast areas to graze. Local herders have responded to the pressure by replacing them, cross-breeding Ankole cattle with industrial species such as the European Holstein. But while these hybrids gain favourable genetic traits from the Holstein, producing more milk and meat, and requiring less land to keep, there is a hidden cost.

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Matteo Salvini orders removal of refugees from Riace

IL Duce 2.0 wannabe scum fascist!

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Mayor of Italian town hailed as a model of migrant integration is under house arrest

Italy’s far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has ordered hundreds of refugees to be moved out of Riace, a small town in Calabria celebrated around the world as a model of integration.

The decision, which follows the house arrest earlier this month of the town’s mayor, Domenico Lucano, effectively shuts down a project that also provided work for Italians.

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Saudi Arabia says it will hit back against Jamal Khashoggi ‘threats’

Saudi Prince as thin skinned as Trump

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Pressure grows on Riyadh as Turkey presses UK to force it to cooperate with investigation

Saudi Arabia has warned it will respond to any “threats” against it as its stock market plunged following President Donald Trump’s warning of “severe punishment” over the disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump made a point of visiting Saudi Arabia on his first overseas trip as president and has touted arms sales to the kingdom. But both the White House and Saudi Arabia are under mounting pressure over the disappearance and probable murder of Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

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Those Were The Days

I admit it….I was a acid rock fan….those were the days….Bennies, Dex, Yellow Jackets, Acid, Weed, ‘shrooms, etc…..

But recent scientific research has shown that some of the magic drugs of my youth can be beneficial in treating PTSD……

Those magic mushrooms that grow liberally in cow dung could indeed have properties that could help those suffering from PTSD……

Want to quit smoking or alleviate depression? In a few years you might be taking the psychedelic “magic” in magic mushrooms—if the FDA ever agrees, the New York Times reports. Researchers from John Hopkins University suggest the FDA should reclassify psilocybin—the psychedelic drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms—to a Schedule IV drug, meaning it can serve a medical use and isn’t likely to trigger addiction or abuse. It would be like sleeping pills, but not a simple prescription: “We believe that the conditions should be tightly controlled and that when taken for a clinical reason, it should be administered in a health care setting” under professional guidance, study co-author Matthew Johnson tells Fortune.

Published in Neuropharmacology, the study looks at psilocybin data going back to the 1940s. “In the 1960s, they were on the cutting edge of neuroscience research and understanding how the brain worked,” says Johnson. “But then it got out of the lab.” Research stopped partly because the hippie counterculture embraced mind-altering drugs like mushrooms and LSD, but a recent cultural shift has seen professionals adopt “microdosing” to increase productivity, and consumers—particularly women—use psychedelics to alleviate anxiety and depression. And while psilocybin poses some health risks, Johnson says in a press release it’s safer than other surveyed drugs. But don’t hold your breath: FDA approval could take more than five years.

Another drug of choice in those days was the sugar cubed “ACID”…LSD…..and yes they are finding it useful in moderation……go figure (we could have told them that but no one would listen)….

Microdosing” on psychedelic substances like LSD—ingesting just enough to heighten cognitive faculties, enhance creativity, improve concentration and alleviate depression—is currently back in vogue among people not normally associated with anything remotely ‘countercultural’ in the USA.

The term psychedelic was coined in 1958 by British psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond and is derived from the Greek words psyche (“soul, mind”) and delein(“to manifest”), hence “soul-manifesting,” the implication being that psychedelics can access the soul and develop unused potentials in the human mind. It’s a contention that’s gaining increased acceptance in mainstream universities.

https://theantimedia.com/political-significance-lsd/

Fascinating stuff, eh?

Some related reading……

https://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/martharosenberg/why-are-suicides-climbing-military-lets-look-drugs-being-prescribed

https://lobotero.com/2016/05/06/the-war-on-drugs-failed-so-why-isnt-it-over/

For your musical enjoyment…..

We Stand with Moira Donegan

When I learned that Stephen Elliott is suing Moira Donegan for $1.5 million in damages, I was both shocked and unsurprised.

I was unsurprised because, well, we live in a world where white men can and do behave in absurd and abusive ways without consequence. We live in a country that elected Donald Trump as its president and just last week appointed an unhinged man, likely guilty of sexual assault, to its highest court.

The shock is harder to explain—I’ve navigated patriarchy my entire life but am still shaken to the core by the harm it allows and by its disregard for women. I am angry each time like it is the first time; I am devastated despite knowing the harm is inevitable.

The Rumpus was founded by Stephen, but it was always a community effort. The Rumpus’s mission statement was written by a woman, still an editor with us, Julie Greicius, who went uncredited for her enormous contributions to the site for years. Women—Roxane Gay, Cheryl Strayed, Zoë Ruiz, Lisa Dusenbery, Elissa Bassist, Julie and many more—have always been the heart of The Rumpus.

When I made the decision to purchase The Rumpus, I knew firsthand about Stephen’s lack of boundaries and disrespectful behavior toward female employees. But I hadn’t had the distance from him to speak out; I feared my powerful and famous boss. In the months following the sale, I gained that distance and was able to begin articulating what I’d experienced. Moreover, as we began the work of reclaiming The Rumpus and refocusing its mission, women spoke with me and wrote to me about their own experiences.

Stephen’s decision to go after Moira is hostile and reprehensible. For me, it is unforgivable. He has aligned himself with a lawyer who stands with and for rapists, and is suing a woman who did nothing more than try to keep other women safe. Stephen’s desire to remain in the spotlight, to refuse to have his career wrested from him as a consequence of his own actions, has taken primacy over logic and sanity.

The Rumpus hasn’t been affiliated with Stephen Elliott since January 2017, and we will continue to focus on our work: Giving a platform to marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere; shining a light on stories that build bridges and tear down walls; and speaking truth to power.

I am tired. I’ve been fighting this fight since before I remember. I have thrown myself in front of trains again and again. I do this because I am lucky to be able to. I do this because those in power would prefer to see us silenced. I would like to give up, truly—but I never will. I don’t know that this is a fight that can be won; hope is in short supply these days. It doesn’t matter, because it is the fight most worth fighting.

I, and The Rumpus, stand firmly with Moira Donegan. Please consider making a donation to Moira’s legal defense fund.

Related Posts:

Jared Kushner ‘likely paid little or no income tax’ for years – report

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New York Times says confidential financial documents reflect his use of real estate tax benefits but no suggestion he broke the law

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, likely paid little or no federal income taxes between 2009 and 2016, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing confidential financial documents.

Related: We need tax police – and they should go after the likes of Donald Trump | David Cay Johnston

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