(David Edwards, RawStory.com, April 22, 2013)
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Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on Sunday told a British literary festival that parents who forced their children to believe that religion was a fact were guilty of “child abuse.” . . . Speaking about his family-friendly book The Magic of Reality at the Chipping Norton Literary Festival, the University of Oxford professor warned against the “indoctrination of children,” according to The Daily Mail. . . . “What a child should never be taught is that you are a Catholic or Muslim child, therefore that is what you believe. That’s child abuse.” . . . The author of The God Delusion recommended that children be taught religion in the same way that they are taught literature. . . . “There is a value in teaching children about religion. You cannot really appreciate a lot of literature without knowing about religion. But we must not indoctrinate our children,” he said. . . . In an interview with Al Jazeera late last year, Dawkins had said that being raised as a Catholic was similar to sexual abuse. . . .  » Continue reading “Richard Dawkins: “Indoctrination of religion” is “child abuse””

(Allan Badiner, Alternet, November 23, 2012)
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there is an increasing consensus that the medicinal benefits of psychoactive THC pale in comparison to the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) from the leaves of the same plant–raw and unheated. Depending on the strain, some plants are high in CBD but also contain a lesser amount of THC which is said to enhance the healing potentiality. CBD does not make people feel “stoned” and actually counters some of the effects of THC (for example, suppressing the appetite vs. stimulating it). CBD is beginning to be recognized by researchers at mainstream medical institutions around the world as a potentially very powerful weapon against cancer.  . . . Other studies point to CBD as having great promise as a defense against Alzheimer’s disease. In a 2006 study published in Molecular Pharmaceutics, a team of University of Connecticut researchers reported that cannabis “could be considerably better at suppressing the abnormal clumping of malformed proteins that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease than any currently approved prescription.” The research team predicted that cannabinoid-based medications “will be the new breakout medicine treatments of the near future.” . . . Cannabis medicine has distinct advantages. CBD, as well as THC, can be given in massive doses with no side effects. In fact, it has performed very effectively as an anti-psychotic when given in high doses. . . . Meanwhile, it’s useful to note that since 2003, the U.S. federal government has held a “medical patent” for the marketing of cannabinoids as antioxidants or neuroprotective agents. The patent states that cannabinoids are “useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases such as inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.”

PRWEB, November 13, 2012 )
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What do the wings of a hummingbird, the 600 mph explosion from the crack of a whip and the perfect execution of a tennis serve have in common? They all follow the principles of the universal philosophy and phenomenon known as “The Infinity Zone”.

In this groundbreaking new book, “The Infinity Zone: A Transcendent Approach to Peak Performance” award-winning author and shamanic explorer, Matthew J. Pallamary with professional tennis coach Paul Mayberry, offer a fascinating exploration of the phenomenon that occurs at the nexus of perfect form and motion, bringing balance, power, and coordination to physical and mental activities.

“The Infinity Zone” book launch coincides with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Philosophy Day, Thursday, November 15, 2012, and serves as an educational, scientific and cultural learning tool for future generations.

Inspired by the philosophical studies of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf Schools, the authors draw upon the works of Einstein, Fibonacci, Schwaller de Lubicz, and other brilliant minds whose scientific, philosophical, and mathematical principles support how harnessing The Infinity Zone enhances the body, mind and spirit.

Packed with photos, illustrations, diagrams, and formulas, “The Infinity Zone” is a fun, educational read that may become required reading in varied levels of education. The e-book is an enhanced version with active links to more in-depth information and interesting facts.

David Brin, author of “EARTH” and “EXISTENCE”, says The Infinity Zone is “A nifty tour of gorgeous patterns, fun coincidences and inspiring rhythms in nature, body and mind.”

(NAC)
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Within the next year or two, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will instantly know everythingabout your body, clothes, and luggage with a new laser-based molecular scanner fired from 164 feet (50 meters) away. From traces of drugs or gun powder on your clothes to what you had for breakfast to the adrenaline level in your body—agents will be able to get any information they want without even touching you. . . . And without you knowing it. . . . The technology is so incredibly effective that, in November 2011, its inventors were subcontracted by In-Q-Tel to work with the US Department of Homeland Security. In-Q-Tel is a company founded “in February 1999 by a group of private citizens at the request of the Director of the CIA and with the support of the U.S. Congress.” According to In-Q-Tel, they are the bridge between the Agency and new technology companies. . . . Their plan is to install this molecular-level scanning in airports and border crossings all across the United States. . . . But the machine can sniff out a lot more than just explosives, chemicals and bioweapons. The company that invented it, Genia Photonics, says that its laser scanner technology is able to “penetrate clothing and many other organic materials and offers spectroscopic information, especially for materials that impact safety such as explosives and pharmacological substances.” [PDF] . . . There has so far been no discussion about the personal rights and privacy issues involved. Which “molecular tags” will they be scanning for? Who determines them? What are the threshold levels of this scanning? If you unknowingly stepped on the butt of someone’s joint and are carrying a sugar-sized grain of cannabis like that unfortunate traveler currently in jail in Dubai, will you be arrested? . . . And, since it’s extremely portable, will this technology extend beyond the airport or border crossings and into police cars, with officers looking for people on the street with increased levels of adrenaline in their system to detain in order to prevent potential violent outbursts? And will your car be scanned at stoplights for any trace amounts of suspicious substances? Would all this information be recorded anywhere? . . . According to the undersecretary for science and technology of the Department of Homeland Security, this scanning technology will be ready within one to two years, which means you might start seeing them in airports as soon as 2013. . . . In other words, these portable, incredibly precise molecular-level scanning devices will be cascading lasers across your body as you walk from the bathroom to the soda machine at the airport and instantly reporting and storing a detailed breakdown of your person, in search of certain “molecular tags”. . . Going well beyond eavesdropping, it seems quite possible that U.S. government plans on recording molecular data on travelers without their consent, or even knowledge that it’s possible—a scary thought. While the medical uses could revolutionize the way doctors diagnose illness, and any technology that could replace an aggressive pat-down is tempting, there’s a potential dark side to this implementation, and we need to shine some light on it before it’s implemented.

This is a short, but extremely important interview. Most people will want to watch it more than once. And the second time listen with a thought to what YOU can do to address the issues discussed here, not what you can do in a political sense but how you can adjust your own life in ways that leave a smaller footprint on this lovely little planet. . . . Become the change that you want to see.

[ Bill Rees // Why We’re in Denial ] from Extraenvironmentalist on Vimeo.

Reinventing Fire Web site

I think that you will find it very much worth your time to watch this TED talk.

“The crisis is now inevitable. The issue is how will we react.” -Paul Gilding . . . and as he says, what are you going to tell your children you did, once you realized that our current lifestyle is no longer sustainable? What are you doing about it . . . right now?

If you are the kind of person who likes to plan for the future, then this talk has some important information for you.

Jeff was one of the first economists to accurately predict soaring oil prices in 2000. At that time, Jeff said that oil prices would hit $50 (U.S.) a barrel within five years. Although other economists balked, time proved him correct. . . . Jeff has been named Canada’s top economist 10 times, and has had 10 number one rankings by international economists, such as in the Brendan Woods annual survey.