Day: March 23, 2015

Corruption, Globalization, Mafia, Politics, Technology, War1 Comment

Companies Profiting the Most From War

Fernando Kaskais

By Thomas C. Frohlich and Mark Lieberman Worldwide military expenditure shrunk in 2013 for the second consecutive year, falling by 1.9% to $1.75 trillion. The 100 largest arms-producers sold a combined $402 billion worth of arms and military services in 2013, also down — for the third consecutive year. However, not all countries are spending less. Military spending in North America and in Western and Central European countries has continued to decline, while other countries such as Brazil and Russia have increased their arms investments. Despite the global drop, weapons producers generated massive profits from arms sales, and U.S. and … Continue reading Companies Profiting the Most From War

Activism, Bizarre, Eco, Globalization, Health, PlanetLeave a comment

Surprise Finding Heightens Concern Over Tiny Bits Of Plastic Polluting Our Oceans

Fernando Kaskais

by Lynne Peeples Scientists are looking for — and finding — little bits of plastic in a lot of places lately: ice cores, deep sea sediments, coral reefs, crab gills, the digestive system of mussels, even German beer. Now, new research suggests they need not actually be searching for the man-made material to discover it. “We never thought of looking for plastic,” said Javier Gomez Fernandez, a biologist at Singapore University of Technology and Design. His team’s accidental finding of plastic in the skin of both farmed and wild fish, published online this month in the supplementary section of their … Continue reading Surprise Finding Heightens Concern Over Tiny Bits Of Plastic Polluting Our Oceans

Brain, Drugs, Health, Living, Media&Culture, Psychology1 Comment

Marijuana is ‘three times more potent than it used to be’: Experts warn today’s weed is super strength compared to pot smoked in the 80s

Fernando Kaskais

  Extra potent: Concentrations of marijuana’s active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (pictured) have increased from less than 10 per cent in samples from the 1980s to up to 30 per cent in samples tested today Cannabis has tripled in strength in the last three decades, scientists warn They analysed levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana Found THC concentrations of 30%, compared to 10% three decades ago Scientists also discovered bacteria, fungi, butane and heavy metals in pot By Madlen Davies for MailOnline Marijuana is much stronger than it was three decades ago, experts have warned. Scientists found cannabis smoked today has … Continue reading Marijuana is ‘three times more potent than it used to be’: Experts warn today’s weed is super strength compared to pot smoked in the 80s

Bizarre, Curiositys, Freak U.S.A, Manipulation, Media&Culture, Psychology, SexLeave a comment

Snuff Films, White Slavery and Trafficking: America’s History of Hysterical Sex Fear and Fantasies

Fernando Kaskais

Pernicious myths and propaganda distort reality and put sex workers in mortal danger. By Chris Hall Of all the myths about porn, sex and crime to get a footing in popular culture, the belief in snuff films is one of the most improbable, yet enduringly resilient. For decades, journalists, politicians, law enforcement officials, and anti-porn crusaders talked about snuff films as if their reality had been as firmly documented as the address of the White House. Forty years after the idea of snuff films was sold to America via a cheap marketing gimmick by filmmakers Michael and Roberta Findlay, the … Continue reading Snuff Films, White Slavery and Trafficking: America’s History of Hysterical Sex Fear and Fantasies

Brain, Health, Living, Media&Culture, Psychology2 Comments

Status: suicidal

Fernando Kaskais

  The stigma of depression is lifting on social media, so if suicide is signalled in your newsfeed, should you intervene? by Megan Moreno (Megan Moreno is a physician and principal investigator at the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team at Seattle Children’s Hospital.) Edited by Pam Weintraub She sat before me, feet in combat boots tapping an irregular rhythm on our muted yellow clinic floor. She was twirling a strand of long black hair and chewing some gum as she ticked off her symptoms in a bored voice with just a hint of well-hidden angst. There were the … Continue reading Status: suicidal

Curiositys, Esoteric, Matrix, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

Three Solutions to the Death Problem

Fernando Kaskais

by Waking Times Video – In this video, Alan Watts and Jason Silva discuss Ernest Becker’s three main solutions to the death problem: the religious solution, the romantic solution, and the acceptance that death is inevitable. http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/03/21/three-solutions-to-the-death-problem/   Continue reading Three Solutions to the Death Problem

Buddhism, Curiositys, Living, Media&CultureLeave a comment

This Buddhist Life

Fernando Kaskais

Photograph by Don Curry by Emma Varvaloucas, Managing Editor Q&A with Pauline Sherrow Profession: Dancer Location: New York City You’re a member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI). How were you introduced to Nichiren Buddhism? My best friend from college was an SGI member who was born into the practice. I would see her chanting all the time, but it never occurred to me to ask her about it—it literally took me four years to go, “What are you doing?” She explained to me that she was chanting “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” the mystic law of the universe and part of the title of … Continue reading This Buddhist Life

Curiositys, Esoteric, Freak Religion, Living, Matrix, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

God, Immortality and the Futility of Life

Fernando Kaskais

By John Danaher This was originally published on Philosophical Disquisitions. William Lane Craig has a pretty dispiriting take on the atheistic view of life: If there is no God, then man and the universe are doomed. Like prisoners condemned to death, we await our unavoidable execution. There is no God, and there is no immortality. And what is the consequence of this? It means that life itself is absurd. It means that the life we have is without ultimate significance, value or purpose. (Craig 2008, 72) Embedded in this short quote are a number of important claims. The first is … Continue reading God, Immortality and the Futility of Life

Bizarre, Curiositys, Freak Religion, History, Living, Manipulation, Media&Culture, Philosophy, Psychology1 Comment

What the Hell Is the Purpose of Hell?

Fernando Kaskais

Dante And Virgil In Hell (1850) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau by Candida Moss Whether hell is other people, a place, or just a bad date, it’s deeply ingrained in society’s collective consciousness. But why? Whether hell is an expletive, a coercive threat to keep naughty congregants in line, or a euphemism for a bad date, it seems that hell is thoroughly ingrained in our religious and cultural consciousness. But this wasn’t always the case. And there are many believing theologians today who think that hell is immoral, nonexistent, or both, prompting the question: where does hell come from and why do … Continue reading What the Hell Is the Purpose of Hell?

Activism, Bizarre, Conspiracy, Mafia, Pedo, Politics, Sex, UnbelievableLeave a comment

VIP paedophile files: The sick web of high-powered and well-connected child abusers

Fernando Kaskais

Since Labour MP Tom Watson stood up in the Commons in October 2012 to ask Prime Minister David Cameron to probe a high-powered ­paedophile ring with links to Number 10, the Sunday People has led the way. We have produced a string of exclusive stories tracking the progress of Operation Fairbank and its offshoots. Shocking revelations about the Elm Guest House dominated the early part of our investigation as traumatised victims came forward. They claim the property in Barnes, south-west London, was used by a host of Establishment figures who attended sex-abuse parties there. Among the names said to have … Continue reading VIP paedophile files: The sick web of high-powered and well-connected child abusers