Cartoon by Paresh Nath, The Khaleej Times, UAE
AS IT STANDS My name is Dave Stancliff. I'm a retired newspaper editor/publisher; husband/father, Vietnam vet, Laker fan for 63 years. All opinions are mine unless otherwise noted. I also share original short stories.
Researchers have shown for the first time today that a vaccine can help reduce drug abuse. There's currently no FDA-approved treatment to get people off of cocaine (or crack), so this could really help out the 2.5 million Americans dependent on cocaine.
Thirty-eight percent of drug abusers who were given the vaccine produced anti-cocaine antibodies. Over the course of seven weeks, these subjects were 45 percent likely to have a cocaine-free pee test, as opposed to 35 percent for those who got placebo vaccine instead.
The vaccine works similar to vaccines for microorganisms, training your body to view cocaine as a bad invader. The shots, which include a cocaine-like substance (succinylnorcocaine), encourage the body to pump out antibodies against cocaine. The antibodies bind to the coke, which prevents it from getting into the brain, and theoretically prevents people from getting high. Right now, only about 38 percent of the subjects who got the vaccine produced high levels of antibodies, so there's room for improvement.
Study leader Dr. Thomas Kosten, a psychiatrist at Baylor College of Medicine, told Popsci.com that they're planning to confirm the results in a larger study in six cities in January and that the vaccine could become widely available in two to three years.
The study was published in the October issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
Story from Popsci.com
Two weeks ago I weighed in on our war in Afghanistan - “History shows why we should get out of Afghanistan” – This article, on the same subject, goes into more depth than I was able to within the confines of my word limit.
Scheer also points out facts showing al-Qaida is practically a non-presence in Afghanistan.
Every once in a while, a statistic just jumps out at you in a way that makes everything else you hear on a subject seem beside the point, if not downright absurd. That was my reaction to the recent statement of the president’s national security adviser, former Marine Gen. James Jones, concerning the size of the terrorist threat from Afghanistan:
“The al-Qaida presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies.”
Less than 100! And he is basing his conservative estimate on the best intelligence data available to our government. That means that al-Qaida, for all practical purposes, does not exist in Afghanistan—so why are we having a big debate about sending even more troops to fight an enemy that has relocated elsewhere? Because of the blind belief, in the minds of those like John McCain, determined to “win” in Afghanistan, that if we don’t escalate, al-Qaida will inevitably come back.
Read the rest here via Truthdig
Photo Credit: Flickr/The U.S. Army
Meet Jackie Knott. The Alabama woman, 37, is facing a child endangerment rap for allegedly having her teenage daughter ride in a cardboard box atop her minivan as it traveled along an interstate highway Saturday morning. Knott, pictured in the below Albertville Police Department mug shot, told cops that her 13-year-old daughter Haley was serving as a human paperweight to keep the box from falling off the vehicle (and careening down U.S. 431). While Knott explained that the box was too large to fit inside her van, it is unclear why she did not seek to simply flatten it in an effort to squeeze the box into her crowded vehicle. When stopped by cops, Knott, a Boaz, Alabama resident, noted that "the box was tied to the van with a clothes hanger," according to a police press release. That assurance did not sway cops, who arrested Knott in the shadow of a Tyson Foods poultry processing facility, according to an October 3 police report.
Photo and text via The Smoking Gun
There was a time “tree huggers” were an issue in Humboldt County. Nowadays you just don’t hear much about them. That is until I found this article in the WebUrbanist
Written by Urbanist
So you are really passionate about trees want to take your tree house adventures to the next level? These tree houses are not just amazing to behold but are actually complex protest structures. By locking onto and relying on the surrounding trees for support they prevent logging of large old-growth trees while providing an amazing living experience to their residents.
The king of stoner moviemakers, Kevin Smith, never really smoked much marijuana until Seth Rogen talked him into it last summer, he says.
Now he sparks up at least three times a day and credits pot for helping him to dig his way out of a creative slump.
Not the sort of advice responsible parents, doctors or educators are likely to embrace, Smith told The Post's Don Kaplan, "I know you're supposed to tell kids not to do drugs, but, kids, do it! Do weed! Don't do the other stuff, but weed is good . . . What you want to do is what I did, build a movie empire and, at age 38, smoke it all away."
Smith is pushing his new book, "Shooting the S - - t With Kevin Smith," a project he claims he didn't even write because it's a transcription of SModcast, his regular podcast with pal Scott Mosier. "I did so little work to put this book together, but I did everything to make the podcast happen, so by virtue of that I am the author," he says.
Click here to read the rest at the New York Post online
Being motivated is a wonderful state of your being. In that state your body leverages huge amounts of energy. Your emotional field is totally balanced, physically you’re able to climb the Everest and mentally you understand the whole Universe in a split of a second. I know you know the feeling. The good news is that you can re-create this state pretty much whenever you want. Here are 33 tips to help you get and stay motivated. By the way, if you’re into long lists, you may also check this one: 100 Ways To Live A Better Life.
Learning to ignore is a fantastic lesson. Much more rewarding that you think. There must be an art of ignoring and they should teach it in universities. Spanning your focus in so many areas will only weaken you. Ignoring what’s unimportant will free up energy and help you stay focused and productive.
Click here to read the rest at Dragos Roua – The choice of a personal path
The G4S facility outside Stockholm that was spectacularly robbed
“Show you have a sense of humor by placing a bag outside the cops’ helicopter hanger with the word BOMB written on it. This will stop the police chasing you in the sky.
Scatter small sharp objects on the roads around the bank you’re targeting to slow down approaching police cars.
Rather than targeting a regular bank, choose a facility that stores banknotes for them.
Get schematics of the building.
Plan the raid for the day before people get paid, so there’ll be lots of cash kicking around.
Hover the chopper over the bank while your men abseil in.
Have a pilot so good that authorities suspect military experience.
Set off some minor explosions to get to the cash.
Chuckle at the cops as they try to get into the fortified building using a battering ram.
Leave all the staff unharmed.
Return to the helicopter and fly into the pre-dawn sky.
Land the chopper in a field.
Disappear into the woods with the loot.
Roll around in your money.”
thanks to The Punch for the above photo and article.
People love the Roomba. Why? Because it allows you to vacuum a room while sitting on the couch. Also because it seems more attainable than the Segway. And then a cat rode one, and it was glorious. Now comes something truly groundbreaking -- Roomba art. As far as we can tell, the trend started on a blog called Signal Theorist, who got the idea to set up a camera, turn off all the lights, and take a long-exposure photo of the Roomba's path as it "did its thing." The result looked like an awesomely psychedelic electrical spider web. Now more people are getting inspired to try variations on the same technique, and the creativity seems to be concentrated in the Flickr group, Roomba Art.
Chief Oliver Red Cloud, Lakota, issued a statement to President Obama requesting a meeting more than two weeks ago and is yet to receive a response. Chief Red Cloud, 90, told Obama the Black Hills are not -- and have never been -- for sale
Dear Mr. President:
I am the Itancan (chief) of the Oglala Lakota Band of the Great Sioux Nation and Chairman of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, the traditional governing body of the eight bands of the Lakota Nation.
The Lakota Nation entered into and has always abided by the provisions of the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868. However, the United States of America has repeatedly violated and unilaterally attempted to abrogate the Treaties in violation of accepted international standards and codified international treaty law.
Click here to read the rest at Censored News
When the time comes in our lives that we find ourselves grieving the loss of a loved one it's good to know we're not alone. Grief i...