It’s a two for one special! Come for the paraphrasing of a pretty funny BBC article, and stay for the hook up on ancient cannabis usage!
I happened to pop my head into the ectochat and what to my wondering eyes did appear but a BBC article link!
Upon following it I discovered that this story was indeed lol-worthy as had been indicated.
A rather dedicated but less-than-thorough customs official at Japan’s Narita airport hid a 142 gram baggie of weed into the side pocket of a traveller’s suitcase. The goal was to test the sniffer dogs in a real-life training exercise.
The dogs, however, failed their exercise by not detecting the baggie at all. To make matters worse, the official who hid the 142 gram (that’s 5 ounces for those not familiar with metric) bag couldn’t remember in which suitcase he’d hidden the weed!
That’s right, some lucky schmuck walked out of Narita airport with 5 ounces of free marijuana! Awesome right? Not really, when you consider Japan has rather strict laws against possession which could net this traveller a prison sentence. Officials admitted their mistake and are encouraging the person who got the baggie to come forward in order to avoid unnecessary legal troubles.
In my search for more specifics about the laws, I came across a really interesting history of cannabis, beginning with its place in the ancient world. Which is admittedly far more entertaining than the original BBC story I mentioned. After discussing the knowledge - or lack thereof - by the Greeks, and the ancient Japanese and Indians, it moves on to an entire passage on the history of cannabis in the Arab world.
One of the most fascinating ways to explore the ancient world, I think, is to track a substance or supply through the ages. It brings to light ancient trade routes, how information was shared, which cultures were accepting of new things and which closed themselves off. Following marijuana in such a way is a two fold path. On the one hand you get to see which cultures adapted the plant for use as hemp fibers, and how as a valuable supply the plant travelled the world. You also get to track its history when grown and used as a psychoactive substance, and the attitudes of the cultures which were aware of those properties.
All of that and much, much more at druglibrary.org. If you’re someone who visits Erowid frequently for reference on drug-related matters, I might suggest adding this to your repertoire also.
Most especially the picture. That woman has less body fat on her now in total than I did at the ripe old age of 10, I’d wager. What’s she got to lose? Why take the desire to be in better overall shape in a direction like “I want to be skinny” when she clearly already is. That implies to me that she sees herself as somehow not good enough, and that seems really disheartening.
I’m all for people finding their own happiness. I’ll even let the pro-ana people be, but I won’t lie that I find it disgusting.
I suppose the underlying message here is to help people actually be healthier, which typically does involve loss of body fat, but this approach is seriously fubar.
The Point is one of my favorite animated films of all time. I first saw it on the Disney Channel in the early-to-mid 80’s. I remember that distinctly because the narrator for the film was Alan Thicke, not the more commonly known narrators of Ringo Starr (VHS release) or Dustin Hoffman (special TV presentation, NBC I think).
I discovered later in life that this melodic fable began its life as the musings of a man on acid. I purchased the album version of The Point! and in the booklet contains the backstory on how Nilsson had a revelation in the wee hours of the morning. To explain what exactly occured to him would spoil watching the film, and the last thing I wish to do is ruin the experience by allowing any of you gentle readers to allow presuppositions to cloud your minds.
I think that all folks young and old should get a chance to see this film, as the message within is one that applies to all of us. Not to mention the rich-yet-rough, hand crafted nature of this gently watercolored piece of animated cinema is so engaging that it appeals to all kinds of visual tastes, not just fans of animation. (Read: It’ll make you look like an important, artsy person if you watch it.)
For you to get a taste of this delightful film, I have put together a block of four selections of music from the film, and one extra Nilsson song that just so happens to rock pretty hard.
“Hide Your Old Pills in Poop, Government Says” - That’s the title of the Reuters article. It includes tips from government officials on how to hide old, high-powered prescription pills in foul substances for purposes of disposal.
Use them or lose them, people. If there is someone you know of who might steal your old prescriptions either from your house or from your TRASH unless it’s smothered in cat shit, then maybe it’s time to have a talk with that person. Either that or call the police because someone’s rifling through your trash.
I’m not going to get into a big huff over how I feel about the War on Drugs - not today anyway - but I am going to point out a line which really highlights the absurdity of government solutions to social issues.
“Ferret waste, like nearly any other form of pet waste, can be effectively used to help prevent the abuse of unused prescription drugs,” SAMHSA spokesman Mark Weber said.
Behold the philosophical wonders that unfold when you find everything to do but update!
G: you know what’s a funny word? “crunk” kittymcgee: agreed
why was it invented? G: as a descriptive term for being various kinds of loaded, instead of just drunk, is my assumption kittymcgee: true….but what does the c stand for?
cocaine drunk? kittymcgee: aha! G: I always assumed it was “crazy drunk”
And in a slightly more “philosophical” vein….
me: The two rules for success are:
1. Never tell them everything you know. pick007: yay!
uhm,
yay! me:http://web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/selfref.html pick007: before i open this, is it a link to the second rule, or is it a lnading page of icons that make fun of me etc… me: tsk tsk
would I make fun of you? pick007: ok, hold on
yes!
i am your underling, me: well that doesn’t mean I have to make fun of you pick007: well it doesnt mean you wont either! me: we’re getting into a bit of a loop here pick007: maybe im just drawing on harsh experiences, and I SHOULD BE PRAYING AND GIVIING THANKS THAT I HAVE A NEW AND MORE UNDERSTANDING (goddamn caps lock) nurturing cult leader me: Yes I’m much more forgiving and kindly than your average brainwashing group alpha pick007: yes! you must be punished! now drink that keg cup! and no sipping, take it down! me: At least until the proper initiation starts, but the best way to break free of previous imprints to make room for new imprints and ways of thoughts is through shock, and sometimes that means violence and debasement pick007: see thats what i was expecting, harsh debasement, and otherwise initiation me: I’m experimental. The traditionalist ways of fear, mystery, and sometimes bloodshed WORK, but I question their necessity pick007: …and the only way to know for sure is to practice them, and take in the effects me: Consider the zen roshi, who beats the pupil on the head with his staff, sometimes for no reason at all. it works, but is there another way? pick007: no. me: Destruction of the ego results in rebirth into a fresher mindstate, but there’s got to be a safer way pick007: i suppose one could ask: if there were another way, how would one still valiate their roshidity me: well the pupil eventually becomes the master, and despite the paradigm-breaking nature of their learning, they may still take on some prorgramming and mannerisms of those who guided them pick007: yes. for paradigm breaking itself is a structured paradigm, which is even desirable for human purposes, I mean, purposes
but without stick whacking, would they still be roshi?
or are they roshi because they whack stick?
on a related note: would investiagtion of Godel’s theorem provide more insight into how to define a self reference joke? for a minute, I would have said “i get it” but upon further reading, I question it now, as there seem to be jokes which, uhm, well, for lack of a better term, “dont reference themselves”. or the people telling them.
would possibly either of the words: ironic, or oxymoronic appear in its definition? or for that matter, any of the “…ronic” words? me: chronic? pick007: exactly me: I would say the most amusing, directly self-referential “joke” in there is the Recursive loop statement pick007: i like that one
i like them all, and i think theyre all funny.
it was just the name i questioned mostly for examples like: anyone who sees apsychiatrist… me: mm
yes pick007: yes you agree? or yes is the answer? like 42? me: yes I agree
on a somewhat side, but still related note, theoretical math is downright sexy pick007: oh my god yes!
that goes without… me: :3
I wonder if anybody’s done a shirt that says I <3 Quantum Mechanics
maybe Quantum Theory would be better pick007: yea, or, ” I 2x= y,z <{3.1} quantum theory
?
you should do it
but i want 3% royalties for giving you the encouragement and support to live your dreams
so, I cam up with 3 self reference jokes, and i want you to tell me what you think, which one's your favorite, and if any of them fits the theme better. ready? a) bob sagat
b) bob sagat is.
c) bob sagat is not. me: ahahaha
wtf pick007: dammit. i was afraid youd say that.
ok, what about, d) Bob Sagat is funny. me: well that’s just all lies
To this very day, I maintain that this is one of the most awesome songs I have ever heard. I like it well past its usefulness as a learning aid. As learning aids go, this has to be one of the catchiest things anyone ever came up with. Besides, who doesn’t freaking LOVE that pinball table action? Even the “ADD” kids (or ADHD, as is more popular these days), with the short-ass attention spans could appreciate something like this. It’s got so much to offer. I really can’t stress enough how much classic Sesame Street rocked.
This message brought to you by my extreme nostalgia, and the IRC channel associated with SubGenius.com.
Via The Underwire:
UK Food retailer Tesco is going to spend $10 million on testing of foods at Oxford University in order to develop a carbon labeling system, letting their customers know exactly what kind of “carbon footprint” their cereal and steaks leave on the environment.
It seems to me that putting “Carbon Footprint” labels on foods is just another waste of energy. It would require more paper, more ink, more physical printing (which adds to the carbon footprint!), and would require a lot of changes to current labels. Not to mention the inherent consumer education issues. It is very popular to be passionate about the environment, especially the Global Warming issue and humanity’s role in it. However, does that mean that a lot of day-to-day consumers are going to understand these labels if and when they are implemented? Not likely.
How many people read and understand current labels? Do you know what Riboflavin is? How many diabetics use the exchange list information accurately?
Incidentally, for a quick reference on all the food you eat, I recommend NutritionData.com. They break things down much more in depth than the food labels can. (Incidentally, I bet the carbon footprint of running their servers for ANYONE to access this information is much smaller than the printing, applying, and shipping of all the individual labels, not to mention all the other work needed to get said labels to the consumers!) Take one of my favorite foods: Liverwurst (hush, it’s not gross!). Nutritiondata tells me how filling it is versus how nutritious it is. It will tell me exactly what vitamins and minerals are in the average serving. I can search for substitutions for liverwurst based on my needs, like weight loss, optimum health or weight gain. Granted, not all the data options are FDA approved, but the FDA also allows a certain amount of wasps’ heads in your fig newtons, too. Go ahead, scroll down and read it, I’ll wait. Yeah, don’t read the rest of that.
Still I think the poster that Underwire writer Sonia Zjawinski cited, from the NY Farm Bureau, really does sum things up the best.
Reposted here for your convenience:
Some kids play in the sandbox. We play in the.... litterbox??? The RKNet staff is pleased that you decided to stop by. Currently this is a multi-author project, with a rotating cast of totally kooky characters. Contact giania [at symbol] gmail [dot] com if you'd like to play here too.
