'Old' Therapy New Again

I thought this was great. Bravo to the one's who considered the benefits of this!!!

Psychedelic trips aid cancer patients in study

By MALCOLM RITTER (AP) – [April 23, 2010]

NEW YORK — The big white pill was brought to her in an earthenware chalice. She'd already held hands with her two therapists and expressed her wishes for what it would help her do.

She swallowed it, lay on the couch with her eyes covered, and waited. And then it came.

"The world was made up of jewels and I was in a dome," she recalled. Surrounded by brilliant, kaleidoscopic colors, she saw the dome open up to admit "this most incredible luminescence that made everything even more beautiful."

Tears trickled down her face as she saw "how beautiful the world could actually be."

...

This patient has ovarian cancer and was very anxious and fearful. This study and a handful of others like it, using plain ol' LSD, MDMA (i.e., Ecstasy) and the primary ingredient of "magic mushrooms" (psilocybin), otherwise known as "mind-altering drugs" and which could also be titled "mind-expanding drugs", are getting a second look.

"There is now more psychedelic research taking place in the world than at any time in the last 40 years," said Rick Doblin, executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which funds some of the work. "We're at the end of the beginning of the renaissance."

Of special note, every single participant in the study stated they would . . .

" . . . do it a second time in a New York minute."

Our Future Today

I haven't posted for quite a while. Sorry. Have had to go into contemplation mode. We've all been waiting for "the change" to come along, and it is. We have earthquakes, volcanoes, market crashes and the like happening all around us. These things have happened . . . and will continue to occur . . . until we are forced to or have no choice but to change and adapt.

But these event are not and should not be our focus. Deep within our being we know Spirit is working its magic and all will be well in our world if we are open and are aware. So I want to focus on magical opportunities instead of the miraculous ways Spirit puts us in positions where we have little choice but to change and grow.

The strange image above is actually something right out of "The Jetsons" futuristic cartoon show from the 1960's & '70's. Except, this isn't fantasy. That weird egg-shaped thing is constructed of sand and a special adhesive and was created by . . . a printer.

3D printer could build moon bases

PhysOrg.com) -- An Italian inventor, Enrico Dini, chairman of the company Monolite UK Ltd, has developed a huge three-dimensional printer called D-Shape that can print entire buildings out of sand and an inorganic binder. The printer works by spraying a thin layer of sand followed by a layer of magnesium-based binder from hundreds of nozzles on its underside. The glue turns the sand to solid stone, which is built up layer by layer from the bottom up to form a sculpture, or a sandstone building.

The D-shape printer can create a building four times faster than it could be built by conventional means, and reduces the cost to half or less. There is little waste, which is better for the environment, and it can easily “print” curved structures that are difficult and expensive to build by other means. Dini is proving the technology by creating a nine cubic meter pavilion for a roundabout in the town of Pontedera.

The printer can be moved along horizontal beams and four vertical columns, and the printer head is raised by only 5-10 mm for each new layer. The printer is driven by a computer running CAD software and prints at a resolution of 25 dpi (dots per inch). The completed material resembles marble, is stronger than concrete, and does not need iron reinforcing. The printing process can successfully create internal curves, partitions, ducting, and hollow columns. (Bold mine)

. . .

Now, don't think this is destined for outer-space only. Yes, it can be used to create structures on the moon or Mars or any other planet for that matter . . . even ours.

Nine cubic meters BTW is approximately 29 square feet.

Here's a video of the technology in action. Tres cool, huh?

Wireless Power

Ever misplaced your cell phone charger and your battery is screaming to be charged up? Wanna hang your wonderful new flat-screen television over there on the big wall, but that's not where the outlet is? Have a dark closet or pantry where you can never, ever find what you're looking for? Have you ever taken your laptop outside to enjoy the weather and are working away, only to have the bettery die on you? You buy this great toy for your two-year-old and in no time the battery dies, they're upset and crying, and you have to drop everything and make a run to the store because you're out of replacements? Have you built or remodeled and when you meet with the contractor you start adding more electrical outlets everywhere because, well, you can never have enough outlets?

All of that may be a thing of the past. The US firm Witricity may have solved the issue of transporting electrical power . . . without using literally miles and miles of wires.

They have come up with a way to turn electricity into safe, low-frequency electromagnetic waves that can be transmitted or broadcast the same as radio or television, which we've been using safely for almost a century.

From their web site . . .

Here's a video from the BBC that explains more.

Pretty cool, huh? Think this may change the way we live, work and play?

Iran Leading the Way, Zimbabwe Not With the Program Yet

Thought I had better comment on the latest in the world, specifically in Iran. Wanted to wait and see what the reaction would be to the brutal suppression of protests by the government and get a sense as to where this was going.

Appears the Islamic government of Iran is no more. What has taken its place would best be described as akin to a military dictatorship. Any and all dissent is being quashed. And an intensive governmental media and communications clampdown has only grown. Despite the government's best efforts to control the Iranain people, protests are still alive and well.

The yearning for freedom continues unabated.

As I write this, there is a power struggle unfolding between the Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and Ahmadinejad. The alleged winner of a second term as Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, recently appointed Esfandiar Rahim Mashai to be his first vice president. This did not meet with Khamenei's approval, so he in essence ordered Ahmadinejad to find someone else. Ahmadinejad refused. So Khamenei sent a letter to Mashai dismissing him. Ahmadinejad merely reinstated him. Oops!!! Here's a news post about this. Also a short post at The Atlantic.

And these types of splits are not confined to those at the very top. Clerics are also choosing sides. And of late, also the . . . military. Double Oops!!! Me thinks when you begin arresting military officers you're fairly well hitting the bottom of the barrel.

And as if it couldn't possibly get much worse, the grandson of the first Ayatollah Khomeini, respected and revered Hassan Khomeini, has fled the country to avoid being forced to attend Ahmadinejad's second inauguration. Triple Oops!!!

While this is unfolding, not nearly enough light (i.e., attention) is being paid to Zimbabwe. In the early part of this year inflation was in the sextillion range, meaning it was so high it could not be calculated, and unemployment was around 95%. In other words, the structures and systems of the nation have completely collapsed. They have no choice but to rebuild from scratch.

Will their efforts be from the top - down, or bottom - up? What are they learning as they go through this painful process? Is there anything we can do to help? What can they teach us? Should we keep one eye on Iran and the other on Zimbabwe?

I think we should.

Iran

I'm watching the developments in Iran closely. And hoping for the best.