The Monday Night Muse - November 24 2015

If you want to know what’s going on in the world, there are places that will tell you the truth, not paint you a picture, maintain the status quo or be part of any international/inter-business synergy.

This is one of those places.

Stories, truths and angles that you need to know and have probably been sheltered from by the powers that be or your own search bubble.

Every Monday evening.

 

 

Can Pot cure Parkinson's? The science says so

 

 

  

Despite the political controversy surrounding medical marijuana use, research has begun to emerge showing that a component of this plant known as cannabidiol (CBD), and which does not have the controversial psychoactive properties associated with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), may have a wide range of therapeutic applications, including treating conditions that are refractory to conventional drug-based approaches.

One such condition is Parkinson's disease, to which there is, at present, no effective conventional treatment. In fact, the primary treatment involves dopamine increasing drugs that also increase a neurotoxic metabolite known as with 6-hydroxy-dopamine, and which therefore can actually accelerate the progression of the disease. This is why natural alternatives that are safe, effective, and backed up by scientific evidence, are so needed today. 

Thankfully, preclinical research on cannabidiol has already revealed some promising results, including two studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) assessing its neuroprotective properties:

"In the first one, Lastres-Becker et al. (2005) showed that the administration of CBD counteracted neurodegeneration caused by the injection of 6-hydroxy-dopamine in the medial prosencephalic bundle, an effect that could be related to the modulation of glial cells and to antioxidant effects (Lastres- Becker et al., 2005). In the next year, Garcia-Arencibia et al. (2007) tested many cannabinoid compounds following the lesion of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra with 6-hydroxy-dopamine and found that the acute administration of CBD seemed to have a neuroprotective action; nonetheless, the administration of CBD one week after the lesion had no significant effects (Garcia-Arencibia et al., 2007). This study also pointed to a possible antioxidant effect with the upregulation of  mRNA of the enzyme Cu-Zn-superoxide dismutase following the administration of CBD."

In addition to these animal studies, the following three human clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate cannabidiol's neuroprotective effects.

 

 

Greece Hit By Bomb Blast

 

 

The blast, in the business centre of Athens, went off in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

 

Prior to the blast at 2:50am an anonymous caller notified the Lambrakis Press that a bomb has been placed near the offices on the Xenophon, warning that the bomb would explode roughly 40 minutes after the call ended. The journalists immediately notified Athens police who dispatched special units to the scene.

Prior to the blast, authorities completely cordoned off the area of the specified threat. A violent explosion indeed followed, with witnesses reporting hearing the blast in several different parts of the capital.

Police are now examining security footage from surveillance cameras surrounding the area. So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police sources told Reuters, that domestic guerrilla groups are most likely behind the assault. Attacks against the Greek political establishment and business interests have become pretty commonplace in the wake of harsh austerity measures in the country that were first introduced in 2010.

The last time a similar incident took place was April 2014 when a group of activists called the Revolutionary Struggle attacked the Bank of Greece.

 

 

Moscow bans Church of Scientology

 

 

Moscow City Court has ordered the dissolution of the local branch of the Church of Scientology, ruling that religious freedom must not be restricted by trademarks. Scientologists vowed to appeal the alleged “anti-religious” abuse of their worshipers’ rights.

The Russian Ministry has argued that the since the term Scientology is registered as a US trademark, the Church cannot be considered a religious organization, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

“The representatives of the Church of Scientology themselves have created many legal conflicts by restricting the religious freedom through the use of trademarks,” the Ministry of Justice said. “So it turns out a commercial partnership was spreading the religion, while religion can only be spread by religions organisations,” the ministry said, adding that the organization should rather be regulated by consumer protection laws.

Now the Moscow branch of the Church of Scientology has six months to officially cease activity in the Russian capital under the court’s ruling. However, the organization plans to appeal the Moscow court’s ruling in High Court as it, they claim, violates the rights of its parishioners in Russia.

Facebook post of the week

This award has to go to The Rubberbandits for the dig at the ridiculous response to the terror attacks that are happening all over the world.

Just look at the reaction, a mere hour after posting. It says it all really! 

Never accept the world with which you are presented.

The Monday Night Muse - November 10 2015

If you want to know what’s going on in the world, there are places that will tell you the truth, not paint you a picture, maintain the status quo or be part of any international/inter-business synergy.

This is one of those places.

Stories, truths and angles that you need to know and have probably been sheltered from by the powers that be or your own search bubble.

Every Monday evening.

 

 

SeaWorld to pull the plug on orca captivity at only one centre

 

 

 

SeaWorld will end theatrical orca shows at its theme park in San Diego next year as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the company in the wake of mounting protests over its treatment of animals. 

 

Joel Manby, SeaWorld’s chief executive, said he had listened to guests’ criticism of its Shamu stadium whale circus and it would end the “theatrical killer whale experience” in San Diego by the end of 2016.

He said the company will replace its Californian Shamu show – in which whales dive, jump and splash guests to the demands of their trainers – with “an all new orca experience focused on the natural environment [of the whales]”.
 

“We are listening to our guests, evolving as a company, we are always changing,” Manby said as he unveiled a new corporate strategy on Monday. “In 2017 we will launch an all new orca experience focused on natural environment [of whales]. 2016 will be the last year of our theatrical killer whale experience in San Diego.” 

He said the decision to end the orca shows in California was in direct response to customers, who he said had made it clear that they want less of a theatrical experience and would rather see the whales in a more natural setting. Attendance at the San Diego park is falling fast. Visitor numbers dropped 17% last year to 3.8 million, according to city authorities, and Manby warned investors last week that numbers are still falling and would contribute to a $10m hit to SeaWorld’s profits this year.

The orca whale theatrical performances will continue at SeaWorld’s other killer whale parks in San Antonio, Texas, and Orlando, Florida.

NASA scientists reveal similarities between Earth and Mars 

Last weekend, NASA called for a press conference to announce a major discovery regarding the planet Mars. During the meeting, they revealed some pretty shocking information, completely changing what we once thought about the “red” planet that, suddenly, doesn’t seem so red anymore.

1. Mars Has Flowing Rivers Of Water On It

Yesterday, NASA announced that Mars actually has rivers of flowing water on it. What we once believed to be an arid and rocky desert of a planet is actually seasonal, not unlike our own planet Earth.

Lujendra Ojha, a planetary scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, made the discovery by using images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

This raises a number of other questions, many of which are brought up in the press conference below.

“Mars is not the dry, arid planet that we thought of in the past … [and] liquid water has been found on Mars.” – James Green, NASA director of planetary sciences

2. Mars Could Have Had Extraterrestrial Life Living On It

“We are going to Mars, our journey to Mars is a science led expedition right now, but soon I hope we’ll be sending humans to the red planet to explore and science will lead the way. And today’s announcement of a really fascinating result about current water on Mars is one of the reasons why I feel it’s even more imperative that we send astrobiologists and planetary scientists to Mars to explore the question of, ‘Is there current life on Mars?’ ” – John Grunsfeld, five time space flown astronaut, Associate Administrator Head of NASA Science Mission Directive.

Obviously, with the announcement that there is water on Mars, the possibility of life near the surface becomes ever more plausible. The press conference also goes into more details about the atmosphere and condition of Mars, and how the planet could have supported life in the past. I will elaborate on this in the next section.

  

3. Mars Was Once A Planet Very Much Like Earth, With A Giant Ocean

“The more we observe Mars, the more information we’re getting that it really is a fascinating planet, from the Curiosity Rover we now know that Mars once was like a planet very much like Earth, with long salty seas, with fresh water lakes, probably with snow capped peaks and clouds and a water cycle just like we’re studying here on Earth … Something has happened to Mars, it lost its water.” – John Grunsfeld, five time space flown astronaut, Associate Administrator Head of NASA Science Mission Directive

John also goes on to discuss the high likelihood that Mars previously sustained life, before whatever happened to the planet that lead to its change in climate. Scientists are still struggling to work out what exactly that event or series of events may have been. 

“Mars is the planet most like Earth … [and in the past,] Mars was a very different planet, it had an extensive atmosphere, and in fact it had what we believe was a huge ocean, perhaps as large as two thirds the Northern Hemisphere. And that ocean may have been as much as a mile deep. So Mars indeed three billion years ago had extensive water resources. But something happened. Mars suffered a major climate change and lost its surface water.” – James Green, NASA director of planetary physics

As pointed out in the press conference, this discovery is so exciting because it suggests that Mars could possibly sustain life in the present day. This is not only due to the presence of water; rovers have discovered that there is a lot more humidity in the air than we once thought. Indeed, the soils are moist, hydrated, and full of water.

“Today’s announcement  is one of the reasons why it’s even more imperative that we send astrobiologists and planetary scientists to Mars to explore the question of is there current life on Mars.” – Alfred McEwen, Principal Investigator, HiRISE, University of Arizona.

4. Something Happened To The Planet That Drastically Changed Its Climate

As you can see from the two quotes in the above section by John Grunsfeld and James Green (taken from the press conference below), something happened to Mars that drastically changed its environment. It seems the climate altered significantly, but what caused this change? Scientists at NASA have yet to figure this out, but some interesting theories have been proposed.

US soldier claims to have fought soldiers on Mars

 

The ex marine, who goes by the name of Captain Kaye, says that there are five human colonies on the Red Planet and he has spent 17 years fighting to protect them.

Serving in a space fleet known as the Earth Defense Force – that recruited military personnel from countries like America, Russia and China – the one-time ex-naval infantryman was trainee to fly a variety of bombers and Star Wars-style space fighters.

He then spent his time protecting the colonies from martians, who presumably wanted to take over and make the planet their own.

Captain Kaye's incredible testimony to ExoNews TV doesn't end with Mars, either.

Spacecraft training apparently took place on the MOON, as well as on Saturn's moon Titan and even in deep space.
His retirement ceremony after 20 years of service also took place on the moon, with guests including ex US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfield.

 And finally...something you should watch because nobody in the western media will show you...

Putin addresses US and IS in bid to puncture New Cold War balloon

 WATCH THIS!!!!!!

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/11/05/putin-the-russian-president-says-something-about-isis-that-western-media-wont-air/ 

Never accept the world with which you are presented.

The poppy - war propaganda and social fascism

Social media and regular media outlets are filled with people discussing the reasons behind wearing a poppy. Turn on any British news outlet and you will see folk with a little red flower upon their lapel. It is a tradition at this time of year but why? Why do British people wear them? Why is there an abundance of people wearing the flower in the British media? Why do people receive such widespread criticism for refusing to wear one?

You have to challenge your views sometimes and research objectively. A history lecturer once told me that it is impossible to research objectively, that the impetus for knowledge mining comes from a desire to reinforce your own prejudices. She also said that sitting on a fence is very difficult; there are too many nails on it and you never stay up there for long.

Historically the poppy was originally worn to represent those who died in the First World War.  American poet, John McCrae, wrote a poem entitled In Flanders Fields at an unspecified time during the war. Though he originally discarded the poem, believing it to be substandard, the poem would be printed in Britain’s Punch magazine.

Here are the opening lines of the poem:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

From then on, the poem was used to commemorate soldiers who died in battle. Such was the popularity of the poem, the Americans used it as a propaganda tool, recognising the emotion McCrae’s words elicited and capitalising on a resurgence in the war machine. From World War I through to World War II and beyond, the Americans and the British (among others) adopted the tradition of wearing a poppy to remember their men and women who died in service of their country. 

From here, we shall focus on Britain’s use of the poppy as it is Britain which is the subject of this blog.

During both world wars, on a very human level, men and women at home in the UK suffered tremendous losses of life throughout their circles of friends and family. The average Blighter sought to wear the poppy as a comfort, an outward representation that they had suffered immeasurable loss in wartime. It was also a badge of honour; their friend/family member died doing what was right; fighting the villainous, imperious Hun and keeping alive the principles of democracy and freedom.

 

World War I ended in 1918.

World War II ended in 1945.

These days, the poppy is worn to commemorate every soldier killed in the line of battle. Every soldier. What should be recognised is the fact that every conflict that Britain has been involved in since the Second World War has occurred for one reason only; monetary gain/power. There are those that believe British imperialism ended with the dawn of the modern age or indeed the turn of the twentieth century, depending on your historical perspective. 

However, there are many who believe that British imperialism continues to this day. Since 1945, Britain and her allies have been involved in numerous conflicts and not once was the instigator of the conflict an opponent. People rightly blame the USA for much of the world’s conflicts since 1945 – Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan etc – but rarely do the USA bombard a country without the support of their historical enemy yet modern ally – Britain. No more so than the Americans, the British have never had moral right or reason, other than monetary gain/power, to invade any of these countries and to murder their locals. 

Britain has been involved in many armed conflicts that we are aware of and many British soldiers have been killed in the line of duty. According to figures by the British Ministry of Defence, over 7,000 men and women were killed serving Britain since 1945. Make no mistake about it, that is a tremendous loss of life and a waste of human potential. However, to commemorate their deaths is to justify their part-taking in worldwide, imperialistic campaign of bigotry. To commemorate their deaths is to commemorate the war machine with machinations on the death, destruction, capitalist gain, the imposing of their political will, the writing of their own skewed history and worldwide pillaging that the British still bring to parts of the world today.

These “fallen heroes” have been taken for fools and been nothing more than gears in the British war machine, convinced to commit horrible acts for what they believe to be a worthy cause. This machine is allowed to motor on because young, talent and most importantly, expendable Brits are brainwashed into thinking that going to the Middle East is justified and that their deaths are mere collateral damage, unfortunate occurrences on the road to final and just victory. Sympathy must be limited; picking up a gun and invading a country where you are not wanted or needed, a country where there are plenty of people equally armed and determined to remove you from THEIR land, is tantamount to suicide; you are the insurgent.

There are arguments for wearing a poppy.

- Your ancestors fought for the British

You may hear that many of your ancestors donned a British military uniform and murdered for the queen. The fact is that this is true and it is true of my ancestors on both sides of the family. To that I simply say that yes, my own relatives murdered for the British but that was at a time when your choice in life was to starve and see your wife and children starve or go fight with the British. At times they were literally the only options available to an Irishman. Antiquarianism is rife in modern times.

- Soldiers perform important peacekeeping duties

It may be put to you that the military undertake the important task of peacekeeping in exotic yet dangerous locations. The fact is that the loss of lives while peace keeping deserves sympathy, empathy and commemoration but this service of peacekeeping is often required in states that were initially thrown into disarray by the nations deploying the peacekeepers. It is common that peacekeeping is the extensive cleaning up of spilled milk.

- The poppy represents all life lost

There is a truth to the adage that poppies represent all of life lost and by wearing a poppy, you are remembering everyone that dies, not just British soldiers. However, there remains an unavoidable question; why only wear one in early November if this is true? By wearing a poppy around Remembrance Day you are taking part in Remembrance Day, not celebrating a romantic and general loss of life in your own idealistic way.

- The money raised looks after the injured

This has to be the most valid reason to buy a poppy and to donate to the British Legion and other charities. Soldiers, poor men and women, are injured in battle and upon return, require expensive medical attention. Sometimes around the clock care is required. However, the cost of this should and easily could lie with the government. If you insist on supporting the British Legion for this reason, call them or go to their website (www.britishlegion.org.uk/) to donate money. The trouble is that people need the world to see the great things that they do anonymously.

The fact is that the cost should lie with the government and no amount of poppy-wearing, faux nationalism will change their minds. The cost of veteran care should be included in the war machine’s budget. According to the MoD, in 2014, the British government spent more than £43bn on 'defence'. In terms of defence expenditure as a percentage of GDP, it is second in the world, only behind the war industry of the USA. So much being spent to murder, so little done to care for their own.

Since the Thatcher government and crushing of the Argies in the Malvinas, the poppy has been used by the British establishment to support foreign military adventures and these days there is a social fascism attached to wearing one. It is sustained propaganda, there to instill a sense of pseudo-nationalism and build a community of support for future and sadly inevitable foreign invasions.

Everyone is entitled to their beliefs but everyone is also entitled to keep those beliefs to themselves. You are entitled to believe in god but you are not entitled to ram it down my throat. You are entitled to celebrate murder but to wear a poppy in its honour spits on the graves of over a million lives lost and generations of families ruined.

The dead are nothing more than poor men that died for the will of rich men. That is all that any war is. No more. No less.

There are reasons to wear a poppy, however, the reasons not to far outweigh them and are far greater in number.

By not wearing a poppy, I am supporting those who died at the hands of the British and her allies.

Here is a small example of who I support.

Kenya – 2,000+ estimated killed

Northern Ireland – 4,000+ estimated killed (many more pre-1945)

The Gulf War – 35,000+ estimated killed

The Bosnian War – 100,000+ estimated killed

The War on Terror – 1,300,000+ estimated killed

Post WWII occupation of Palestine – thousands and still climbing

I feel I have to make something clear for the narrow-minded reader; I am not in any way anti-British, I am an anti-war journalist.

I empathise with the abused not the abuser.

Never accept the world with which you are presented.

The Monday Night Muse - November 3 2015

If you want to know what’s going on in the world, there are places that will tell you the truth, not paint you a picture, maintain the status quo or be part of any international/inter-business synergy.

This is one of those places.

Stories, truths and angles that you need to know and have probably been sheltered from by the powers that be or your own search bubble.

Every Monday evening.

 

 

Over 2,500 Palestinians shot in October

Israeli forces shot and wounded at least 2,617 Palestinians with live and rubber-coated steel bullets through October, the Palestinian Red Cross said Sunday, as clashes carried on into the new month.

A Red Crescent spokesperson told Ma’an that at least 760 Palestinians were shot with live rounds across the occupied Palestinian territory, while another 1,857 were hit with rubber-coated steel bullets.

He said that a further 5,399 Palestinians were treated for excessive tear gas inhalation during the period, while another 246 were injured in other ways, including assault by Israeli soldiers and burns from tear gas canisters.

The spokesperson said that it brought the total injured during October to 8,262 Palestinians. For most parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, October was also the deadliest month since the Second Intifada, with at least 69 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.

While 26 were shot dead during clashes, another 40 Palestinians were shot dead after Israel alleges they attempted or carried out attacks on Israelis.

While Palestinians agree that a number of Palestinians were shot dead while carrying out attacks — ultimately claiming 10 Israelis’ lives — footage and witness testimony have raised serious doubts over the Israeli army’s version of events in many of the other cases.

Officials claim that 4,000 could die in Qatar 2022 preparation

It has been projected that by the time all of the stadiums and infrastructure required to host the world cup in Qatar are built, up to 4000 workers will have died during the construction process.

Temperatures in Qatar can reach up to 125º F, which is quite obviously a danger to public health, and medics say they can’t accept responsibility for these risks.

At least 1,200 workers enduring slave like conditions have died creating infrastructure in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup that a FIFA executive just claimed won’t be happening, although Qatari world cup chiefs refute this. Theo Zwaniger says that he does not believe Qatar’s climate is mild enough to host the event. Qatar contend that they will be able to cool the stadiums, while Zwaniger maintains that the World Cup goes on in many places other than inside the stadiums, putting tourists at risk.

What’s worse is that Qatar has imported at least 90% of the workers who have been building world cup infrastructure, and dying at astounding rates of heat exhaustion and heart attacks. Workers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, and the Philippines were recruited in their home countries and sent to Qatar.

This is an example of one of the richest countries in the world extracting slave labour from some of the poorest. Workers are caught in huge debts to these recruiters, and are living in deadly conditions, including overcrowded and filthy hostels. They endure unpaid wages, heat exhaustion, and brutality on a daily basis.

Russian spokesman blames airplane crash on external event

The Russian passenger jet that crashed in Sinai, Egypt, must have been damaged by a force in flight and couldn’t have just broken apart, the airline of the ill-fated Airbus A321 said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged an end to speculation until the investigation is complete. 

“It would be wrong to articulate any preliminary guesses or voice statements that are not based on anything,” said Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian president, on Monday. “Let the investigators produce at least some results first.”

The crew of Kolavia Flight 7K9268 was apparently disabled before the aircraft started its rapid descent and crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, Viktor Yung, deputy director of the airline told the media on Monday. “As the catastrophic incident started to develop, the crew members were rendered completely incapable. This explains why they didn’t attempt to contact air traffic and report the incident happening on board,” he said.

The airline doesn’t believe human error could have been the cause of the disaster either, citing the experience of its captain and other crewmembers. “We are certain that neither technical malfunction nor pilot error” can be blamed for the disaster, Aleksandr Smirnov, who supervises the company’s fleet, said.

Man has sunglasses tattooed onto his face on stag do

Stags can be messy. The man, pictured above, was left with a permanent memory of a stag trip to Blackpool after waking with a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses tattooed on his face.

He initially thought that the specs had been scrawled on with permanent marker but soon realised that they were even worse than that.

The unnamed reveller, from Swansea, said: ‘Waking up the morning after, I thought someone had used a permanent marker on my face.

Judging by the rest of this man’s ink, this tattoo is only marginally worse than his existing tattoos. Something tells me it was all his idea.