#the downside to his memory and research board however

[tangledinink]

Would it be better if the siblings brought swanatello a picture or something, like Leo had in the movie?

He does have some pictures, and it does help! He has a whole conspiracy-theory bulletin board that one of his brothers brought him that he uses to try to keep track of things, but...

It can be difficult for him to keep things organized, considering his current capabilities re: memory and overall state of mind. He does also sometimes lose notes or portions of his work, and he's not sure if he himself is doing this and then just not remembering it, or if it is a result of outside sabotage?

The problem is also that when he's in Full Guardian Defense Mode and focused on driving out intruders, he doesn't really remember about the board or his notes. He's certainly not going to take a break in driving out what he views as a dangerous intruder so that he can go and pick through his notes... But it does help. Donnie is more likely to recognize them since they got the bulletin board set up.

[skelebellie]

FIRST MEETINGS

million knives [stampede] x plant?reader drabble

synopsis: you meet knives for the first time. he thinks your someone else.

content warning: mentions of sharp weapons, blood, and physical altercations

this an equal household. i pine after all siblings equally. [aka i think knives is a goofy dude and his characterization in stampede is kiss kiss].

—————

it was a particularly normal day as you spent your time around town, discovering odd patterned geological formations that helped adhere the homes to the sand below it.

was it the smartest idea to go into a dark alley alone. no. did you think anything would happen to you in the middle day. also no.

you were lost in the sauce. failing to notice the screams of town folk as you observed the calcified rock. one moment you were holding it and then boom, it was dark.

when you woke up, you were shocked to be in a white room. it sent shivers up your spine, as the environment caused old memories to rise to the surface. questions could wait until later, for now you’d try to get out of here. hopefully the town was still there when you got back.

the door was unlocked, odd considering you were kidnapped.

you also didn’t have shoes on, thankfully that old socks separated the floor and your feet. you could sense your bag somewhere within the building, your body able to feel the shawl of plant material that you had been born with, always tucked into your bag.

it was like you were an assassin, peering around every corner and ears on high alert.

the closer you got to your objective, the quieter it seemed to get. an odd sense of loneliness filling the room.

you had found your bag and shawl, even your shoes (thank god, you didn’t have the money for new ones). the only downside being that some blondie covered in a robe was holding it, allowing light to shine through the transparent shawl.

you became defensive knowing he was touching something as important as your shawl, so you started making fast paces towards him. “Hey! You shouldn’t touch things that don’t belong-“. The sense of danger came first, luckily stopping you from making too much contact with the tail of sharp objects that wrapped around you. it certainly didn’t save your overalls, as a large rip formed across the front panel. damnit, now you’d have to sew it back again.

“anything plant belongs to me. im its rightful owner, a god” blondie chided at you, only causing more anger to bubble up to your throat. “J.J Doe, right? Elusive scientist who has published series of plant based experiments. No committee or board to shift through your work, your research seems to pop up in small town libraries. Never the same one.” The man stepped down from his pedestal, inching closer to you. You backed up, only for a reactive spindle of metal(?) to wrap around your neck. it swiped, leaving a sliver of blood and for the stop part of your turtleneck to fall to the ground. the more he keeps going the more work you’ll have to do to fix whatever clothes you have.

“i detest humans, a species of parasitic worms who use plants as tools for their selfish survival. however, I hate those who knowingly use their will to torture my brotheren even more.” he was too close for comfort now. a string of knives swiping close to your forehead, which you barely dodged by shifting backwards. the shift in weight caused you to fall backwards, rows of spindles wrapping around your legs, keeping you from getting up from the floor.

“should i take a finger for each sin you have committed. maybe slowly sever you limb from limb, so you may know the suffering of the plants who you experimented on. maybe-“ You were too focused on the rows of knives wrapped around your legs to notice that he now stood atop of you. crouching to straddle you as his eyes sent daggers into your mind, like a searing hot flash of static. “i should do it with my own hands. as disgusting as you vile creatures are.” his hand slowly began to approach your neck. his weapons should have instilled enough fear into you, but now you seemed petrified, tears threatening to pour at the very thought of him touching you.

“disgusting.” he muttered, looking down as you. his hand wrapped around your neck, and immediately began to squirm, your leg receiving shallow cuts as it brushed against the sharp cage around it. the contact sent an immediate blossom of heat from your neck. you wish it was another gang of badland raiders, anything but an independent plant. you covered yourself up to avoid making contact with anyone, trying to prevent the surge of information that you would receive and give which writhed out of your control.

behind closed eyes, you could see the blossom of blue, geometric shapes spreading from your chest to your neck, reaching out to the man who’s hand was around your neck. the closer it got the more erratic you reacted. It seemed like the man above you no longer intended to kill you, for now. Instead he fixated his eyes to the spread of patterns slowly approaching his hand, his own body reacting in a similair manner. the contact left your mind heavy with shocks of malice, anger, and pain? The scorching sensation caused a moan of pain to spill from your lips as fat tears fell from your eyes.

The man above you felt the fear over the connection, a dark pit of misunderstanding and embarrassment overflowing with an ebb and flow of confusion. flashes of images of syringes and scalpels as you held the blade towards yourself, harvesting your flash to run under analysis. you hadn’t been experimenting on other plants, you had been experimenting on parts of yourself.

the cage around your legs unwinded, as did the hand around your neck. you quickly moved your arms to cover your eyes, still unable to cope with the wave of information that was forced into your head. however, your action failed as another hand wrapped around your wrists to move your arms from your face, revealing puffy eyes and still falling tears. another hand came up to caress underneath your lashes, gathering the salty tears before they could run onto the floor.

“interesting. not entirely human, not entirely plant.” the contact caused a shocking sensation underneath your skin, flinching as his thumb made lazy circles on your cheek. you relaxed, feeling as if the threat of danger was finally over with. until the blunt end of a knife slammed into the already bruised skin at the base of your neck. knocking you out once more.

[things2mustdo]

Bigger muscles, fat-loss, and a heightened sex drive are probably the first things that come to mind when you think of testosterone. But did you know that your testosterone also determines your mental health? Or that it determines your risk tolerance and how you show up against competition? That’s right.

In this article, I’ll discuss 4 little-known benefits of having optimal testosterone levels. See which ones affect you and which ones don’t.

Sign #1 – Sharp memory

In this study, men with higher levels of testosterone scored significantly better on tests of visual and spatial memory. These results were mirrored in another study where researchers randomized 37 subjects to receive either a weekly dose of testosterone or placebo for 4-weeks. After 4-weeks, the men receiving testosterone treatments scored significantly better on tests of verbal fluency.

How does testosterone impact brain health?

Well, preclinical observations assert that testosterone protects brain cells against damage and decay. This is why brain fog, memory loss, and difficulty concentrating are some common symptoms of having sub-optimal testosterone. This is also why men with lower levels of T have an increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.

To ensure that your brain maintains optimal health and function into old age, it’s important that you start taking the steps right now to achieve and maintain optimal testosterone levels for years to come.

Sign #2 – Positive outlook

Have those Monday blues turned into an everyday thing? If so, chances are that sub-optimal testosterone levels are a contributing cause. In this meta-analysis spanning over 16 scientific studies and more than 900 subjects, researchers came to the conclusion that testosterone exerts a significant positive impact on mood.

On the flip-side, low levels of testosterone have been found to be a major contributor to depression. And when depressed men are given testosterone treatments, they report significant improvements in mood.

All-in-all, your testosterone has a significant impact on your mood. If you feel like you’ve lost your zest for life, it’s important that you get your testosterone level measured to figure out your room for improvement moving forward.

Sign #3 – Increased risk tolerance

In this study, researchers brought in 154 subjects (78 men, 76 women) and had them engage in a gambling task. Blood samples were collected before the experiment. Across the board, both the men and women with higher levels of testosterone engaged in a greater amount of risk.

In this study on MBA students, the ones with the highest levels of testosterone chose the riskiest careers. And finally, in this study on financial traders it was revealed that a traders early morning level of testosterone accurately predicted his profits for the day. High risk equals high reward, and the traders willing to engage in the highest amount of risk also set themselves up for the greatest amount of profit.

Now, of course taking risks comes with a potential downside – that’s what makes it a risk – but without risk there is no growth. Taking risks is what’s allowed mankind to conquer the world, build nations, and even land on the moon. No great feat was ever accomplished without some element of risk being involved. What risk are you procrastinating on that has the possibility of taking your life to the next level?

Sign #4 – Competitive drive

In this study, men were brought in to compete in a rigged 1-on-1 competition. Blood samples were collected before and after each loss. Results revealed that the men who experienced a spike in testosterone after the loss were more likely to choose to compete again compared to the men who experienced a drop in testosterone.

In a study on university tennis players, it was revealed that the players with the highest pre-match testosterone levels reported the most significant positive effects on mood. Also, the post-match T-levels rose higher for the match winners compared to the match losers. Furthermore, the rise in T induced the winners to be even more focused and motivated for the next round of competition.

In biology, this is referred to as the winner-effect and it was first demonstrated in mice. Right off the bat, a smaller and weaker mouse is unable to overcome a larger and more dominant opponent. But, when a smaller mouse is allowed to win against a drugged mouse of similar size, his chances of overcoming the larger and more dominant mouse in the next round of competition increase – despite no improvement in fighting ability. The reason? Winning the first round of competition causes the mouse to experience a spike in testosterone, which increases his focus and drive for the next round.

The winner-effect occurs in humans as well. Overcoming obstacles and setting personal records induces a  testosterone increase which, in turn, makes us more focused and motivated in the next round of competition.

Testosterone is the fuel to your competitive drive and the winner effect is a feedback loop that feeds into this drive to make you more aggressive and dominant in each subsequent encounter.

The winner-effect could, however, easily go the other way. Each winning encounter could spike your testosterone levels to the point where your estimation of your abilities become exaggerated and impair your decision making. This is why media commentators have mentioned the winner-effect as a possible cause of the 2008 financial crisis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP6Th1Gi-lQ

Conclusion

Yes, testosterone determines your ability to gain muscle, lose fat, and express your sexuality but its true impact extends far beyond just these three areas. Your mental health, your outlook on life, your tolerance for risk, and your ability to show up against competition are all factors impacted by the amount of testosterone running through your veins. Maintain optimal testosterone levels and you’ll maintain your health, well-being, and virility well into old age.

https://www.returnofkings.com/163166/5-myths-about-testosterone-that-seriously-need-to-die

Testosterone is what makes a man, a man. In a society that’s increasingly lacking a positive masculine identity, testosterone has become a hot topic of discussion. Today, I will dispel five of the most common myths associated with the master male hormone.

Myth #1: Declining Testosterone Is Primarily a Result of Aging

Although older age is correlated with lower testosterone levels, aging is not the cause of low T.

I’m sure that you’ve read or heard about the, now famous, Massachusetts Male Aging Study. If not, here’s a quick recap: Researchers found that average testosterone levels in men across the American population dropped by 1.2-1.3% every year from 1987 to 2004 (1). Assuming that this trend has continued at the same pace, the average 40 year old in 2018 has 40% lower T-levels than the average 40 year old did in 1987. In other words, the generational decline in testosterone is taking place independently of age.

In another study, Australian researchers recruited 325 men between the ages of 40-97 with self-reported excellent health. Nine blood samples were collected from each participant over the course of 3-months. When looking at the data across the entire sample size, age had no effect on testosterone (2).

The lesson? You can maintain optimal testosterone levels, no matter how old you are.

Myth #2: Only Older Guys Have to Worry About Low Testosterone

Just like older men write off their “low T” as an inevitable part of aging, younger guys think that youth is what keeps them immune to it. The truth is guys as young as 20 are suffering from sub-optimal testosterone levels.

There is currently no published research on the decline of T in men under 30, but there’s no shortage of anecdotal evidence:

Scott had a total T-level of 273 ng/dL at the age of 25 (source).

Oskar had a total T-level of 297 ng/dL at the age of 18 (source).

At 24, my total testosterone level came out at 564 ng/dL. This is a level that falls well within what’s considered the “normal range”. Still, I could barely crawl out of bed each morning, I was skinny-fat, and my sex drive was nowhere to be seen. Since taking the steps to naturally optimize my T, all of these symptoms have completely disappeared.

Any man, regardless of age, can have sub-optimal T. I highly recommend that you have your blood work done at least once per year to get an idea of where you stand and where you need to be.

Myth #3: The Only Way to Increase Testosterone Is With Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

Is TRT effective at raising T? Of course. Is it the only way to raise T? Hell no.

I naturally increased my total testosterone level from 564 ng/dL to 902 ng/dL and it was all by making simple changes in my diet and lifestyle. My beef with TRT comes down to the fact that it’s basically a band-aid approach. TRT addresses the symptoms of low T while completely ignoring the root cause of low T, which is usually a sub-optimal lifestyle.

When something as simple as sleeping more can boost T-levels by more than 60% (3), is it really wise to jump the proverbial TRT gun before taking the steps to optimize your lifestyle?

Now, I know that a lot of you have had great results with TRT. The thing is, though, that your body is still unable to produce testosterone. And with so much exogenous T coming in, your body has completely shut off its own natural production.

In other words, once started on TRT, you’re effectively chained to using the treatment for the rest of your life – or for as long as you care about getting a boner. Before trying to get a prescription for TRT, fix these 5 lifestyle factors.

Myth #4: Having High Testosterone Increases Your Chances of Developing Prostate Cancer

In the early 40s the medical community began to ascribe prostate cancer as a result of high testosterone. This assumption came from a single medical case study where a patient’s prostate cancer regressed after he was castrated.

Since then, a meta-analysis of 18 studies involving 5,091 patients with prostate cancer and 11,930 controls has reported that there is no link between endogenous testosterone levels and prostate cancer (4).

Myth #5: High Testosterone Makes You Angry

This is a myth mostly peddled by effeminate SJWs and feminists, but it could not be further from the truth. In a study of adolescent boys, researchers found that the boys with the highest levels of T were considered the most socially adept amongst their peers.

And the boys with lower levels of T? They were the ones most prone to the expression of aggressive behavior. They were also failing in school and unpopular with their peers.

Researchers concluded that testosterone levels are positively correlated with social success rather than with physical aggression (5). In another study, men suffering from low T were given testosterone treatments after which they experienced a significant reduction in tension and anger (6). All of this brings us to the conclusion that it is in fact low T that leads to the expression of negative emotions.

This shouldn’t be surprising given the fact that depression is a known side-effect of low T (7) and that anger, hostility and irritability are frequently observed in men diagnosed with depression (8). Could it be that low testosterone is a contributing factor to the expression of toxic masculinity? That low testosterone is contributing to the violent outbursts of anger we so commonly see in the news?

Conclusion

Age is not an excuse. Prescriptions aren’t your only option. High testosterone won’t give you prostate cancer and it won’t make you angry. The fact that you’re reading this right now means that you’re unplugged from mainstream consciousness.

As such, don’t fall for these mainstream myths. Take charge of your hormonal health and become the man you can be.

https://www.returnofkings.com/68664/3-reasons-low-testosterone-is-dangerous-for-your-health-and-what-you-can-do-about-it

The following article was sponsored by Bill Hamzi

Some of the common signs of low testosterone are fatigue, lethargy, erectile dysfunction, creaky joints, irritability, depression, difficulty concentrating, and loss of muscle mass combined with weight gain. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may need to get your testosterone checked. In fact, there is an ongoing low testosterone epidemic in many Western countries: 50% of men over age 40 have low testosterone, and that skyrockets to 80% of men over 50. Most men are not aware of this, accepting these symptoms as “getting old.”

I personally started having symptoms including erectile dysfunction when I hit 30. My personal low testosterone horror story then ensued and left a shattered marriage in its wake. Fortunately, my story has a happy ending.

I got on a proper Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) regimen, and my erections are back, stronger as ever. I dropped 30 pounds. I bedded more than a dozen young nubile women this year alone, with no “technical difficulties” whatsoever. I have more energy now at age 35 than ten years ago. My mind is sharper as ever.

I’ve been through hell and back, and lived to tell the tale. I wrote a book about my experience, and how men can combat low testosterone without wasting precious time and money: The No Nonsense Guide To Testosterone Replacement Therapy.

By now, it should be clear what low testosterone can do to a man. But it gets worse: Low testosterone is not just an inconvenient malady to bull through. It is a very real and insidious medical condition that, at best, severely stunts your masculine potential. At worst, it ruins lives, destroys relationships, rips families apart, and ultimately increases your risk of heart attack, diabetes, brittle bones, and cancer. Here are three surprising reasons low testosterone is dangerous for your health:

1. Erectile Dysfunction Is The First Warning Sign Of Heart Disease

You may have heard that testosterone increases the risk of heart attacks. This is completely false. It’s a myth and I blow it to smithereens in Part 3 of my book. The longer your testosterone remains low, the higher your risk of heart attacks climbs every year.

Let me explain: heart disease begins when arterial plaque build up begins. It starts out slow, just a few little buildups along the arteries. A little plaque here and there is no big deal and won’t impede any blood flow through the biggest arteries.

But, the blood vessels in the penis are extremely tiny compared to the big coronary arteries around the heart. A “little plaque” within those narrow vessels may just be enough to gum up the works during a hot date. While blood flow remains perfectly unimpeded through the rest of the body, blood flow through the tiny penile capillaries may not be optimal even with smallest bits of plaque. So a “little plaque here and there” may seem like no big deal, UNTIL it starts affecting you in the bedroom.

Testosterone has a profound effect on a man’s lipid profile by increasing fat metabolism and optimizing endothelial function. Low testosterone decreases fat metabolism, impairs endothelial function, reduces the production of HDL, a good cholesterol. These cascading effects allow LDL, a bad cholesterol, to increase as well as enlarge LDL particle size. This promotes arterial plaque in many men beginning as early as age 20 to 25. In fact, recent studies (like this and that) show that by raising your testosterone from below 350 to over 550, you decrease your heart attack and stroke risk by over 30%!

2. Lower Testosterone Levels Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer

The testosterone-causes-prostate-cancer is a widely-believed myth that has been disproved by recent studies. In fact, the lower your testosterone levels are, the higher your risk for prostate cancer. Recent studies thoroughly debunk this long-standing myth. A report in the Urology Times by Wayne Kuznar also asserts that there is no link between TRT and prostate cancer.

As Dr. Yassin puts it, we’ve experienced a “paradigm shift in the last decade that testosterone replacement therapy does not cause or increase the incidence of prostate cancer.” Prostate cancers are sensitive to changing concentrations of testosterone when the testosterone levels are very low. However, once the prostate tumor is saturated with testosterone, adding more testosterone will have little, if any effect, on the tumor growth.

In addition, nearly 45% of men with hypogonadism had prostate cancer in Dr. Yassin’s study, “meaning that hypogonadism offers no protection against prostate cancer. Patients with lower testosterone values had higher staging and higher [prostate cancer grade] scores,” he said. Furthermore, his study concludes that testosterone replacement therapy is safe in hypogonadal men.

3. More Men Are At Risk Of Osteoporosis Due To Low Testosterone

The fact that we have lower testosterone than our own grandfathers shows how sad the state of affairs are today. To make matters worse, osteoporosis is becoming an increasingly important public health problem. The main cause of osteoporosis in men is testosterone deficiency, according to this WebMD article. A NIH publication also lists low testosterone as one of the causes of osteoporosis in men.

An essential hormone to support bone density is estrogen, and in men, some testosterone converts to estrogen in order to maintain strong bone mass and density. When testosterone falls too low, there isn’t enough testosterone to be converted to estrogen, so bones begin to weaken. Given that testosterone usually decline by 1% per year in aging men, it is not surprising that bone mineral density also declines by 1% per year as per this study.

As a young man, osteoporosis may be one of the last things in your mind right now, but with low testosterone levels left unchecked, you can look forward to a future of unexplained fractures, being confined to a wheelchair, and watching your retirement savings get drained by a constant stream of five-figure medical bills. Sustaining your testosterone at healthy levels help maintain strong bone density to support an increased muscle mass, along with experiencing a myriad of other immediate benefits. Multiple birds with one stone.

How I Fixed My Low Testosterone

Now, you cannot just walk into a doctor’s office, get on testosterone, and be done with it. So many men do TRT all wrong, making their condition even WORSE than before they started.

First, some doctors may not order all the necessary prerequisite baseline tests before starting their patients on TRT, or will they adequately monitor patients on TRT. This is a grievous mistake that may mask other health problems or root causes of low testosterone until it’s too late. Second, many men are on ineffective and/or expensive forms of TRT such as gels or patches. Third, many men are dosing testosterone incorrectly, potentially causing their estrogen levels to climb to unhealthy levels, leading to man-boobs or an enlarged prostate. These problems arise from doctors who don’t really know what they are doing with respect to TRT:

In my book, I explain how to do it the right way, and make it work for YOU. Indeed, one of the hardest parts of getting on a TRT protocol that works is finding a good doctor who knows what he is doing. Here’s a brief recap of what you get from my reading my book:

A thorough explanation behind low testosterone levels: causes and symptoms.

Lists of blood tests to help you and your doctor make a full diagnosis and treatment plan.

Options for your TRT regimen, and how to tailor them to yourself individually.

How to navigate a broken healthcare system to find the best TRT doctor for you.

Your TRT Toolbox: An information-packed system to manage your own TRT.

The No-Nonsense Guide to Testosterone Replacement Therapy is currently available on Amazon, and will soon be available in other electronic formats as well as in print. Also visit TRT Guide for more information on Understanding Lab Tests, and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for periodic updates on the book’s availability, new studies on testosterone, and how TRT has been working for many men around the world.

[scifigeneration]

Stephen Hawking: Martin Rees looks back on colleague's spectacular success against all odds

by Martin Rees, University of Cambridge

Lwp Kommunikáció/Flickr, CC BY-SA

Soon after I enrolled as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964, I encountered a fellow student, two years ahead of me in his studies, who was unsteady on his feet and spoke with great difficulty. This was Stephen Hawking. He had recently been diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and it was thought that he might not survive long enough even to finish his PhD. But he lived to the age of 76, passing away on March 14, 2018.

It really was astonishing. Astronomers are used to large numbers. But few numbers could be as large as the odds I’d have given against witnessing this lifetime of achievement back then. Even mere survival would have been a medical marvel, but of course he didn’t just survive. He became one of the most famous scientists in the world – acclaimed as a world-leading researcher in mathematical physics, for his best-selling books and for his astonishing triumph over adversity.

Perhaps surprisingly, Hawking was rather laid back as an undergraduate student at Oxford University. Yet his brilliance earned him a first class degree in physics, and he went on to pursue a research career at the University of Cambridge. Within a few years of the onset of his disease, he was wheelchair-bound, and his speech was an indistinct croak that could only be interpreted by those who knew him. In other respects, fortune had favoured him. He married a family friend, Jane Wilde, who provided a supportive home life for him and their three children.

Early work

The 1960s were an exciting period in astronomy and cosmology. This was the decade when evidence began to emerge for black holes and the Big Bang. In Cambridge, Hawking focused on the new mathematical concepts being developed by the mathematical physicist Roger Penrose, then at University College London, which were initiating a renaissance in the study of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Using these techniques, Hawking worked out that the universe must have emerged from a “singularity” – a point in which all laws of physics break down. He also realised that the area of a black hole’s event horizon – a point from which nothing can escape – could never decrease. In the subsequent decades, the observational support for these ideas has strengthened – most spectacularly with the 2016 announcement of the detection of gravitational waves from colliding black holes.

Hawking at the University of Cambridge. Lwp Kommunikáció/Flickr, CC BY-SA

Hawking was elected to the Royal Society, Britain’s main scientific academy, at the exceptionally early age of 32. He was by then so frail that most of us suspected that he could scale no further heights. But, for Hawking, this was still just the beginning.

He worked in the same building as I did. I would often push his wheelchair into his office, and he would ask me to open an abstruse book on quantum theory – the science of atoms, not a subject that had hitherto much interested him. He would sit hunched motionless for hours – he couldn’t even to turn the pages without help. I remember wondering what was going through his mind, and if his powers were failing. But within a year, he came up with his best ever idea – encapsulated in an equation that he said he wanted on his memorial stone.

Scientific stardom

The great advances in science generally involve discovering a link between phenomena that seemed hitherto conceptually unconnected. Hawking’s “eureka moment” revealed a profound and unexpected link between gravity and quantum theory: he predicted that black holes would not be completely black, but would radiate energy in a characteristic way.

This radiation is only significant for black holes that are much less massive than stars – and none of these have been found. However, “Hawking radiation” had very deep implications for mathematical physics – indeed one of the main achievements of a theoretical framework for particle physics called string theory has been to corroborate his idea.

Indeed, the string theorist Andrew Strominger from Harvard University (with whom Hawking recently collaborated) said that this paper had caused “more sleepiness nights among theoretical physicists than any paper in history”. The key issue is whether information that is seemingly lost when objects fall into a black hole is in principle recoverable from the radiation when it evaporates. If it is not, this violates a deeply believed principle of general physics. Hawking initially thought such information was lost, but later changed his mind.

Hawking continued to seek new links between the very large (the cosmos) and the very small (atoms and quantum theory) and to gain deeper insights into the very beginning of our universe – addressing questions like “was our big bang the only one?”. He had a remarkable ability to figure things out in his head. But he also worked with students and colleagues who would write formulas on a blackboard – he would stare at it, say whether he agreed and perhaps suggest what should come next.

He was specially influential in his contributions to “cosmic inflation” – a theory that many believe describes the ultra-early phases of our expanding universe. A key issue is to understand the primordial seeds which eventually develop into galaxies. Hawking proposed (as, independently, did the Russian theorist Viatcheslav Mukhanov) that these were “quantum fluctuations” (temporary changes in the amount of energy in a point in space) – somewhat analogous to those involved in “Hawking radiation” from black holes.

He also made further steps towards linking the two great theories of 20th century physics: the quantum theory of the microworld and Einstein’s theory of gravity and space-time.

Declining health and cult status

In 1987, Hawking contracted pneumonia. He had to undergo a tracheotomy, which removed even the limited powers of speech he then possessed. It had been more than ten years since he could write, or even use a keyboard. Without speech, the only way he could communicate was by directing his eye towards one of the letters of the alphabet on a big board in front of him.

But he was saved by technology. He still had the use of one hand; and a computer, controlled by a single lever, allowed him to spell out sentences. These were then declaimed by a speech synthesiser, with the androidal American accent that thereafter became his trademark.

His lectures were, of course, pre-prepared, but conversation remained a struggle. Each word involved several presses of the lever, so even a sentence took several minutes to construct. He learnt to economise with words. His comments were aphoristic or oracular, but often infused with wit. In his later years, he became too weak to control this machine effectively, even via facial muscles or eye movements, and his communication – to his immense frustration – became even slower.

Hawking in zero gravity. NASA

At the time of his tracheotomy operation, he had a rough draft of a book, which he’d hoped would describe his ideas to a wide readership and earn something for his two eldest children, who were then of college age. On his recovery from pneumonia, he resumed work with the help of an editor. When the US edition of A Brief History of Time appeared, the printers made some errors (a picture was upside down), and the publishers tried to recall the stock. To their amazement, all copies had already been sold. This was the first inkling that the book was destined for runaway success, reaching millions of people worldwide.

And he quickly became somewhat of a cult figure, featuring on popular TV shows ranging from the Simpsons to The Big Bang Theory. This was probably because the concept of an imprisoned mind roaming the cosmos plainly grabbed people’s imagination. If he had achieved equal distinction in, say, genetics rather than cosmology, his triumph probably wouldn’t have achieved the same resonance with a worldwide public.

As shown in the feature film The Theory of Everything, which tells the human story behind his struggle, Hawking was far from being the archetype unworldy or nerdish scientist. His personality remained amazingly unwarped by his frustrations and handicaps. He had robust common sense, and was ready to express forceful political opinions.

However, a downside of his iconic status was that that his comments attracted exaggerated attention even on topics where he had no special expertise – for instance, philosophy, or the dangers from aliens or from intelligent machines. And he was sometimes involved in media events where his “script” was written by the promoters of causes about which he may have been ambivalent.

Ultimately, Hawking’s life was shaped by the tragedy that struck him when he was only 22. He himself said that everything that happened since then was a bonus. And what a triumph his life has been. His name will live in the annals of science and millions have had their cosmic horizons widened by his best-selling books. He has also inspired millions by a unique example of achievement against all the odds – a manifestation of amazing willpower and determination.

Martin Rees is Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

[soldierstark]

How To Save A Life | JUGHEAD JONES X READER

Description: When Betty finds out that Jughead's sister Jellybean is dying of an inoperable brain tumor, she enlists the help of her best friend (the reader) who just so happens to be a kickass Neurosurgeon.

Author's Note: It's been a hot minute since I wrote for Riverdale but I'm back! Both Betty and Jughead are adults in this fic as well as the reader if you couldn't tell and I imagine Jellybean to be around 16. Anyways let me know what you think and if you want a part 2. Grey's Anatomy greatly influenced this by the way.

Word Count: 2847

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

Betty checked her watch once again and sighed at the time. She was starting to get worried, Jughead was never late. If anything he tended to be a few minutes early to everything.

The blonde leaned back into the booth she was in all alone and took a long drawn out sip of coffee, savoring the bittersweet taste. She turned her head and looked out into rainy streets of Seattle, watching pedestrians rush to their destination while covering their heads with whatever they could get their hands on.

Betty was shook out of her reverie by the sound of a bell ringing above the door/ entrance to the coffee shop she was in. She saw her friend rush in frantically and look around before settling his eyes upon her.  He sighed in relief and started walking over to her.

“Hey sorry I’m late, I uh- lost track of time,” Jughead rushed out, sitting across from Betty. His dark hair was wet from the rain and sticking to his forehead messily.

Betty pursed her lips and studied Jughead’s demeanor. Something was off. The playful spark that usually adorned his crystal blue eyes was gone and replaced by complete and utter dullness. By now he’d usually make a sarcastic comment about something but… nothing.

“It’s fine Jughead. Don’t worry about it,” she replied waving her hand dismissively.

Jughead leaned back into the booth and pushed his hair out of his face. “So uh, what’s been going on with you? Anything interesting I should know about?”

Betty leaned forward and rested her arms on the table between them, quirking an eyebrow. “I was about to ask you the same question.”

“Well,” Jughead started shrugging his shoulders. “My publisher extended my deadline another 6 months so you know, now I can afford to leave my apartment and step away from my computer for once.”

“Why’d she extend it?”

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. It was quiet for a moment. “No reason.”

Betty sighed. “Jughead…” she said softly. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird for weeks now.”

Jughead rubbed his eyes tiredly before responding. “Nothing Betty. I’m fine.”

“We’ve known each other for over 20 years now I can tell when you’re lying.”

They stared at each other quietly, waiting for the other to back down but neither wavered. Jughead was the first to concede. “Betty I want to tell you but… I know you’re just gonna try to fix it and I really can’t have you do that.”

“Why not?” Betty asked confused.

Jughead looked down at his hands and twiddled his thumbs together. “It’s complicated.”

“My shift doesn’t start for another 4 hours Jug I have time.”

He looked up at her with a vulnerable look and sighed deeply. “Jellybean is dying… Betty. She only has about 6 months left.”

Betty could feel the blood drain from her face. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open slightly. “What?” she whispered in disbelief.

“Yea, turns out those headaches she got were, you know, a little bit more than just headaches. She has this massive brain tumor and no surgeon will go anywhere near it because apparently it’s inoperable,” Jughead continued sounding strangely calm and collected.

“You do know that I am an OR Nurse at one of the best hospitals in the country, and that my specialty is Neuro? I literally work with brain surgeons everyday Jughead I can find a way to help. There has to be someone who will at least try,” Betty said pleadingly.

“We’ve seen 6 doctors Betty… and they all said no.”

“We’ll keep looking!”

Jughead shook his head. “See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. Betty I said I don’t want you to try and fix this.”

“Why not Jughead?” Betty asked in disbelief, her cup of now cold coffee long forgotten. “This is your sister’s life we’re talking about! Why is it so terrible that I want to help?”

Jughead ran a hand through his hair and wiped the water off of his hand onto his jeans. “We found out around 2 months ago and we both just got okay with the fact that Jellybean isn’t going to live long enough to see her next birthday. It kills me knowing that I can’t help her Betty but the last thing she needs… the last thing I need right now is false hope. That’s why I need you, to no try and fix this. Okay?”

Betty bit her bottom lip and began to nod her head slowly. “Alright,” she conceded quietly, but that was far from the truth.

    I ripped my surgical mask off as I walked out of the OR and into the hospital hallway, my knees burning in protest at every step.  There were a lot of downsides to 10 hour surgeries but the aching that came from your joints after standing almost completely still for that long was almost unbearable. I’ve learned to live with it over the years though because you don’t become a good surgeon from staying in your comfort zone.

My legs took me around the hospital by memory, the destination in mind was the Neurology ICU. Before I left for the day I needed to check all of my post ops and make sure my department was running smoothly.

However I never got that far because right as I turned down the hall that lead my destination, a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into what we called a ‘planning rooms’.

The walls were lined with light boards used to view X-Ray, MRI, and CT scans while a desk in the center had computers for research.

“What the h- Betty?” I yelped in disbelief, seeing the familiar face of my best friend.

She gave me a sheepish smile and shut the door behind me as well as locking it. The lights flickered on and she started walking around the perimeter of the room turning on the light boards one by one. Each adorned a different view of something I’ve come respect.

Brain tumors.

“Betty who ar-“

“I did something bad (Y/N)” she interrupted me while turning on the last light board. Betty turned around rubbed her hands on the pant leg of her light blue scrubs.

I walked further into the room and started looking over the scans one by one. The dates on the bottom left showed a fast progression of size and the different views showed just how monstrous this mass of cells was.

“Care to elaborate?” I asked, turning around to face her with a quirked eyebrow.

Betty laughed nervously and started pacing around the room. “I might’ve… sort of stolen these films from another hospital.”

“What? Betty you can’t j-“

She waved her hand dismissively.  “I know I know but I had to okay. This was the only way I’d be able to get you to look at them.”

“And why is it so important that I see them?” I asked taking another scan of the room.

“Because this girl is going to die (Y/N). And you’re the only neurosurgeon I know who’d have enough balls to try to resect this thing,” she said picking up a manila patient folder and handing it to me. I took it from her skeptically and started flipping through the pages of information.

“Six surgeons have already said it’s inoperable,” she continued.

I snorted and gestured around the room. “Yea Betty I can see why. Butterfly Glioblastoma’s are notoriously hard to resect and this one… well it invades every major part of the brain. It would be almost impossible for this patient to wake up without deficits. That’s assuming the patient would ever wake up or even live through the operation.”

“You said almost impossible… does that mean you’ll do it?” Betty asked hopefully.

I turned another page of the patient’s file and kept reading. “Do what?” I questioned absentmindedly, my focus being on the chart I was reading.

“Do the operation (Y/N). I want you to resect this girl’s tumor”

My eyes looked up from the file and focused on Betty. She was looking at me with a look of hopefulness and pleading. I could tell there was something she wasn’t telling me.  “But why this girls tumor? You’ve never brought a case to me before Betty so why start now?”

It was quiet for a moment before she answered with a question. “Do you remember my friend Jughead?”

“Is he the friend that used to wear that weird hat or the red head who slept with his high school music teacher?” I asked for clarification, recalling the many friends Betty has told me about.

She cracked a smile and let out a short laugh. “The one who wore the hat. Anyways, the girl with the tumor is his younger sister. He told me this morning about the tumor and wanted me to stay out of it but I just couldn’t! They’re both convinced she’s gonna a die because no one will operate on her. I couldn’t not help when the one person who might be able to is my best friend.”

I began to chew my bottom lip and went back to reading the girls file. “You were right to come to me with this Betty,” I stated not looking up.

“I was?” she whispered hopefully.

I nodded my head yes and stood up straight, shutting the file. “Call your friend Jughead. Tell him that I’m about to save his sister’s life.”

Betty clapped her hands together excitedly and ran up to me, squeezing me tightly. “Oh my god (Y/N) thank you so so so so so much!” she squealed.

Releasing my shoulders, Betty grabbed her phone from her scrub pocket and rushed out of the planning room, leaving me alone in a room full of Butterfly Glioblastoma scans.

As my eyes looked around the room one last time, I sat down in one the desk chairs by a computer and sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

“What the hell did I just get myself into?” I grumbled to myself.

    Jughead walked into the usual coffee shop he and Betty met at apathetic to his surroundings. His eyes did a brief scan of the room and when he didn’t see a familiar blonde he decided to go ahead and order.

The line was short and the only person in front of Jughead was a lady around his age. He couldn’t see her face because her back was facing him but she had beautiful (Y/H/C) hair and her arms were filled with various files.

“I’ll have a large black coffee please,” she said politely, walking up to the register.

The cashier chuckled and started writing the order on a cup. “You mean venti?”

The woman snorted and pulled out a $5 bill, placing it on counter. “Sure. Here’s 5 dollars you can keep the change,” she said then stepped to the side so Jughead could order.

“I’ll have the same,” he said walking up to the register while reaching his hand into his pocket for his wallet.

“No I got it,” the woman said from beside Jughead. He looked down and for the first time he got a good look at her face. “Just use my change to pay for it,” she continued with a smile.

She had sparkling (Y/E/C) eyes and full pink lips. Her (Y/H/C) hair framed her face and extenuated her natural beauty. Jughead couldn’t help but admire how pretty she was.

“Uh thanks,” Jughead replied, putting his wallet back into his pocket. The girl readjusted her grip on the many files she had so Jughead reached out and held a few for her. “Here let me help.”

She sighed in relief. “You really don’t have to but thanks,” she said gratefully. “I’m (Y/N), by the way. I’d shake your hand or something but uh, you know.”

For the first time in a while, Jughead felt a smile break out across his lips. He chuckled lightly and resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair, something he tended to do when he was nervous.

“My name is Jughead, and yes I’m being serious. My name is Jughead,” he introduced himself.

(Y/N)’s eyes widened and her lips parted slightly. “Wait a se-,” she started, but was interrupted by the bell ringing signaling someone has entered.

Both of their heads turned towards the door and their eyes fell upon their blonde friend, still wearing scrubs. She looked over at them and smiled then began to approach them. “Oh good, you two have already met,” she said.

Jughead looked between (Y/N) and Betty confused. “What?”

“Did he not know I was coming?” (Y/N) asked, glaring at Betty.

“To be fair I thought the new information would come best coming from you. He’s still going to need to be convinced,” Betty replied, wringing her hands together.

“You haven’t told him yet?” she yelped in surprise. “Betty!”

“Woah woah woah ladies,” Jughead interrupted stepping between the two. “I have…. So many questions but I’m gonna start with tell me what?”

Betty and (Y/N)’s eyes snapped towards each other in an instant. They appeared to be having a telepathic conversation but about what Jughead had no clue.

The barista called out for Jughead and (Y/N)’s order which interrupted the silent conversation. “Here Betty take these and I’ll meet you two at the table,” (Y/N) said handing the files to Betty. She then walked off the get the coffee while Jughead followed Betty to a table.

“Betty what is this all about?” Jughead asked sitting down in a chair. He placed (Y/N)’s files on the table and Betty set the rest on top in a pile.

“First promise you won’t get mad at me,” Betty said sitting across from him.

Jughead groaned. “Oh my god what did you do?”

“Here’s your coffee,” (Y/N) said placing his cup in front of him. She then proceeded to take a seat next to Betty and stare at the both of them expectantly. “Well?”

Betty sighed and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “Fine. So Jughead, do you remember when yesterday I promised to leave the whole Jellybean situation alone?” Jughead nodded his head. “Yea well I was lying. Of course I tried to fix things and before you get mad at me, I did fix it so really you should be thanking me.”

Jughead ran a hand through his hair. “Betty I swear to god,” he mumbled before looking up at her. “What do you mean by ‘I fixed it?”

“I found a surgeon who will operate on Jellybeans tumor.”

He sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow. “Really? Who?”

(Y/N) raised her hand slightly. “That would be me.”

“Seriously?” he responded in disbelief. “You’re going to remove my sister’s inoperable tumor?”

“That’s right,” (Y/N) replied nodding her head. “And I’m gonna do you one better. I’m gonna make sure the dam thing never grows back.”

Jughead shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Okay, uh assuming both Jellybean and I agree to this, what makes you so sure you’re able to do this? No offense but 6 doctors have already said it’s impossible. What make you different than them?”

(Y/N) leaned forward and rested her arms on the table. “I graduated from Princeton top of my class and went to Harvard for medical school. I did my residency here in Seattle at one of the best programs in the country, and now I work there. I’m head of Neurology and frankly my cup of tea is inoperable brain tumors. Trust me I am more than qualified to do this surgery and I wouldn’t say I could do it if I couldn’t.

I already looked over all of Jellybeans scans and read through all her charts. Now I’d like to get some more scans before surgery because I want them up to date but I’m sure I can get this tumor. It’s not going to be easy but I don’t shy away from a challenge.

Also, we don’t have a lot of time left Jughead. I know you probably already know this but her tumor is getting dangerously close to the optic chiasm. Once it breaches that space no one, not even me will dare go near it.

We need to get started with this as soon as possible. That is assuming you two agree to this surgery because there are a lot of risks,” she finished taking a deep breath.

Jughead leaned back into his chair and took a long drawn out sip of coffee. “If you can save my sisters life then by all means I’m not going to stop you. I’ll talk to Jellybean when I get home but I don’t think she’ll say no.”

(Y/N) smiled brightly and for some reason unbeknownst to him, Jughead got a weird fluttery feeling in his stomach. He tried to ignore it but it was proving to be difficult.

“I look forward to working with you and your sister Mr. Jones.”

“Please… just call me Jughead.”

[jaspernnhf181-blog]

A Quick Discussion About Medical Cannabis

"At the Tranquility in Medicine Healing Center in Sebastopol, the items on screen consist of dried out marijuana - featuring brand names like Kryptonite, Voodoo Dad and Train Accident - and medicinal cookies ranged listed below an indicator saying, ""Stay out of Reach of Your Mother.""

A number of Bay Location medical professionals who recommend medical cannabis for their patients claimed in current interviews that their customer base had actually expanded to consist of teens with psychiatric problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"" It's not everyone's medication, but also for some, it can make a profound difference,"" said Valerie Corral, a creator of the Wo/Men's Partnership for Medical Cannabis, a clients' collective in Santa Cruz that has 2 dozen minors as signed up customers.

Because The golden state does not need doctors to report situations entailing medical marijuana, no dependable data exist for how many minors have been accredited to obtain it. Yet Dr. Jean Talleyrand, that founded MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 facilities who license people to use the medication, said his staff members had actually treated as many as 50 clients ages 14 to 18 who had A.D.H.D. Bay Location medical professionals have been at the leading edge of the fierce dispute regarding clinical marijuana, winning tolerance for people with severe illnesses like incurable cancer cells as well as HELP. Yet as these doctors utilize their discernment a lot more freely, such support - also here - may be tougher to summon, especially when it comes to utilizing marijuana to deal with teens with A.D.H.D.

"" The number of methods can one say 'among the worst suggestions of all time?'"" asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology division at the University of The Golden State, Berkeley. He cited research studies showing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the energetic ingredient in cannabis, disrupts interest, memory, and focus - features currently endangered in people with attention-deficit condition.

Advocates are just as adamant, though they are in an unique minority. ""It's more secure than aspirin,"" Dr. Talleyrand stated. He and also various other marijuana supporters keep that it is likewise much safer than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the energizer prescription medication usually made use of to deal with A.D.H.D. That medication has actually documented potential negative effects consisting of insomnia, depression, facial tics, and stunted development.

In 1996, citizens accepted a ballot proposition making The golden state the first state to legalize clinical marijuana. Twelve other states have actually done the same - allowing cannabis for a number of specified, significant problems including cancer as well as HELP - however only The golden state adds the grab-bag expression ""for any other health problem for which cannabis supplies relief.""

This has actually left those physicians willing to ""suggest"" marijuana - in the Alice-in-Wonderland globe of medical cannabis, they can not lawfully prescribe it - with the freedom that some usage to a bold degree. ""You can get it for a backache,"" said Keith Stroup, the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Regulations.

Nonetheless, expanding its use among youngsters is controversial even among physicians who authorize clinical marijuana.

Gene Schoenfeld, a medical professional in Sausalito, stated, ""I wouldn't do it for any person under 21 unless they have a lethal trouble such as cancer cells or HELP.""

Dr. Schoenfeld included, ""It's harmful to teens who constantly utilize it, and also if it's being utilized clinically, that indicates chronic use.""

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, supervisor of the National Institute on Substance abuse, stated she was especially worried about the danger of dependency - a danger she stated was already high among teens as well as individuals with attention-deficit problem.

Counterproductive as it might seem, nevertheless, clients and also physicians have been reporting that cannabis helps relieve some of the signs, especially the anxiety as well as rage that so frequently accompany A.D.H.D. The problem has actually been diagnosed in greater than 4.5 million youngsters in the United States, according to the Centers for Condition Control and Prevention.

Scientists have linked using marijuana by teens to boosted danger of psychosis and also schizophrenia for people genetically predisposed to those illnesses. However, one 2008 report in the journal Schizophrenia Study suggested that the incidence of mental illness among teenagers with the problem that utilized marijuana was less than that of nonusers.

Marijuana is ""a blessing"" for some people with A.D.H.D., said Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist that has actually composed numerous books on the disorder. However, Dr. Hallowell claimed he prevents his individuals from using it, both due to the fact that it is - mostly - illegal, and since his observations show that ""it can bring about cbdforsalenearme.com a disorder in which all the individual intends to do throughout the day is obtain stoned, and also they do nothing else.""

Till the age of 18, clients requesting clinical cannabis needs to be gone along with to the medical professional's visit and to the dispensaries by a moms and dad or licensed caregiver. Some medical professionals talked to said they suspected that in a minimum of some cases, parents were accompanying their youngsters primarily with the hope that medical authorization would certainly permit the adolescents to prevent purchasing medications on the street.

A recent College of Michigan study found that more than 40 percent of senior high school pupils had actually attempted cannabis.

"" I don't have a problem with that said, as long as we can have our clinical discussion,"" Dr. Talleyrand claimed, including that people have to have medical records to be seen by his physicians.

The Medical Board of The golden state began checking out Dr. Talleyrand in the springtime, said a board spokeswoman, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV report thorough questionable techniques at MediCann clinics, which, the record stated, had actually grossed at the very least $10 million in five years.

Dr. Talleyrand and his employee are not the only one in wanting to suggest cannabis for minors. In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido said he was examined by the clinical board however ultimately not disciplined after he licensed cannabis for a 16-year-old boy with A.D.H.D. who had actually attempted Ritalin unsuccessfully and also was acquiring a record of small apprehensions.

Within a year of the new therapy, he claimed, the young boy was improving qualities as well as was also elected head of state of his special-education course. ""He was informing his mom: 'My brain functions. I can think,'"" Dr. Lucido stated.

"" With any kind of medicine, you weigh the benefits against the threats,"" he included.

However, MediCann people that receive the consent must sign a kind listing feasible downsides of marijuana use, consisting of ""psychological sluggishness,"" memory issues, nervousness, confusion, ""enhanced talkativeness,"" fast heart beat, difficulty in finishing intricate jobs and also hunger. ""Some people can come to be based on marijuana,"" the firm likewise warns.

The White House's current signals of more government tolerance for state clinical cannabis legislations - which pointedly left out sales to minors - reignited the argument over medical cannabis.

Some advocates, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate teacher emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard University, suggest that clinical marijuana's preconception has much less to do with questions of medical efficacy and also more to do with its association, in pop culture, with illegal satisfaction and dependency.

Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Setting up, argue for even more oversight in general. ""The cannabis is a great deal a lot more effective these days than when we were growing up, as well as too much is being dispensed for nonmedical factors,"" he said in a meeting recently, candidly including, ""Any type of children being provided medical marijuana is inappropriate.""

As supporters of raised acceptance attempt to win support, they might find their significant disagreements endangered by the dispensaries' spirited environment.

OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Website ad noting the ""edible of the week"" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a gift box with a bow. OrganiCann also uses a 10 percent discount rate, every Friday, for customers with a valid student ID."

[fernandobpdy046-blog]

A Brief Discussion About Medical Cannabis

"At the Tranquility in Medication Recovery Center in Sebastopol, the merchandises on display include dried out cannabis - including brands like Kryptonite, Voodoo Daddy as well as Train Accident - and also medical cookies arrayed below an indicator saying, ""Keep Out of Reach of Your Mother.""

A number of Bay Area doctors who suggest clinical marijuana for their clients said in current meetings that their customer base had actually increased to consist of teens with psychiatric conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"" It's not everybody's medication, however, for some, it can make a profound difference,"" stated Valerie Corral, a creator of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Cannabis, a people' collective in Santa Cruz that has two lots minors as signed up clients.

Due to the fact that California does not need physicians to report situations including medical cannabis, no reputable information exist for the number of minors have actually been authorized to get it. However Dr. Jean Talleyrand, who started MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 facilities that authorize individuals to utilize the medicine, claimed his staff members had dealt with as numerous as 50 patients ages 14 to 18 who had A.D.H.D. Bay Area physicians have actually gone to the forefront of the intense dispute regarding clinical cannabis, winning resistance for people with major health problems like incurable cancer cells as well as HELP. Yet as these physicians utilize their discretion much more freely, such assistance - also here - may be more difficult to summon, especially when it involves utilizing cannabis to deal with adolescents with A.D.H.D.

"" The number of ways can one claim 'one of the most awful ideas of perpetuity?'"" asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology department at the University of The Golden State, Berkeley. He cited research studies revealing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, disrupts attention, memory, and also focus - features currently endangered in people with attention-deficit disorder.

Supporters are just as adamant, though they are in a distinctive minority. ""It's much safer than aspirin,"" Dr. Talleyrand stated. He as well as other cannabis advocates keep that it is likewise safer than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the energizer prescription drug most often made use of to deal with A.D.H.D. That medicine has actually recorded potential negative effects consisting of sleeping disorders, clinical depression, face tics, as well as stunted development.

In 1996, citizens authorized a ballot suggestion making California the first state to legislate medical cannabis. Twelve other states have followed suit - enabling marijuana for a number of specified, severe problems consisting of cancer cells as well as HELP - yet only California adds the grab-bag phrase ""for any other health problem for which cannabis gives relief.""

This has actually left those doctors ready to ""recommend"" marijuana - in the Alice-in-Wonderland globe of clinical marijuana, they can not lawfully prescribe it - with the flexibility that some use to a daring level. ""You can get it for a backache,"" stated Keith Stroup, the creator of the National Company for the Reform of Marijuana Rules.

However, expanding its use amongst youths is questionable also among physicians that authorize medical cannabis.

Genetics Schoenfeld, a medical professional in Sausalito, stated, ""I wouldn't do it for anyone under 21 unless they have a dangerous trouble such as cancer or AIDS.""

Dr. Schoenfeld included, ""It's harmful to adolescents that constantly use it, and if it's being made use of clinically, that suggests chronic use.""

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stated she was particularly bothered with the danger of dependence - a threat she said was already high among teens and people with attention-deficit problem.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, however, clients and medical professionals have been reporting that cannabis assists ease several of the signs, specifically the anxiousness and temper that so frequently go along with A.D.H.D. The problem has been diagnosed in greater than 4.5 million children in the USA, according to the Centers for Disease Control and also Prevention.

Scientists have actually linked using marijuana by teenagers to raised danger of psychosis as well as schizophrenia for people genetically inclined to those ailments. However, one 2008 record in the journal Schizophrenia Research study recommended that the incidence of psychological health problems amongst teenagers with the disorder who utilized cannabis was less than that of nonusers.

Marijuana is ""a godsend"" for some people with A.D.H.D., said Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist who has actually created numerous publications on the disorder. However, Dr. Hallowell stated he inhibits his individuals from using it, both due to the fact that it is - primarily - unlawful, as well as since his observations reveal that ""it can lead to a disorder in which all the person intends to do throughout the day is obtain stoned, as well as they not do anything else.""

Till the age of 18, people asking for medical cannabis must be accompanied to the medical professional's visit and to the dispensaries by a moms and dad or authorized caretaker. Some physicians talked to said they thought that in at least some cases, cbdforsalenearme.com parents were accompanying their kids primarily with the hope that medical permission would certainly enable the adolescents to avoid acquiring medications on the street.

A current College of Michigan research study found that more than 40 percent of secondary school students had actually attempted marijuana.

"" I don't have a trouble with that, as long as we can have our medical discussion,"" Dr. Talleyrand stated, including that individuals must have medical records to be seen by his physicians.

The Medical Board of California started checking out Dr. Talleyrand in the spring, claimed a board spokesperson, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV record detailed doubtful practices at MediCann facilities, which, the report said, had actually earned at the very least $10 million in 5 years.

Dr. Talleyrand as well as his staff members are not the only one in agreeing to advise marijuana for minors. In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido claimed he was examined by the clinical board yet inevitably not disciplined after he licensed marijuana for a 16-year-old kid with A.D.H.D. that had attempted Ritalin unsuccessfully and was racking up a record of minor arrests.

Within a year of the new therapy, he claimed, the boy was improving grades and was also elected head of state of his special-education class. ""He was informing his mom: 'My mind works. I can believe,'"" Dr. Lucido claimed.

"" With any medicine, you weigh the benefits against the risks,"" he included.

Even so, MediCann clients who receive the permission needs to sign a form listing possible downsides of cannabis usage, including ""psychological sluggishness,"" memory issues, anxiousness, complication, ""enhanced talkativeness,"" quick heart beat, trouble in completing complex jobs and appetite. ""Some patients can come to be dependent on marijuana,"" the firm likewise cautions.

The White House's current signals of more federal tolerance for state medical cannabis legislations - which specifically excluded sales to minors - reignited the argument over clinical marijuana.

Some advocates, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate teacher emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard College, suggest that medical marijuana's preconception has less to do with inquiries of medical efficacy and more to do with its association, in popular culture, with illicit enjoyment as well as addiction.

Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Assembly, argue for even more oversight as a whole. ""The marijuana is a lot a lot more effective nowadays than when we were growing up, and also excessive is being given for nonmedical reasons,"" he stated in a meeting last week, bluntly including, ""Any kind of youngsters being offered clinical marijuana is inappropriate.""

As advocates of increased approval attempt to win support, they may discover their significant disagreements jeopardized by the dispensaries' spirited environment.

OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Web site ad detailing the ""edible of the week"" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a present box with a bow. OrganiCann additionally uses a 10 percent discount, every Friday, for consumers with a valid pupil ID."

[vsplusonline]

Wendell in the Bardo

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/wendell-in-the-bardo/

Wendell in the Bardo

For a story published last year in the New York Times, designer Wendell Rodricks, now no more, spoke mystically to journalist Sarah Khan about the house he had lived in for the last 24 years with his partner Jerome Marrel. A 400-year-old structure, formerly called Casa Dona Maria in Colvale, Goa, it had belonged to a lady named Olinda Braganza. Wendell had seen the house in a dream and would later visit it to take Mrs Braganza around her own home and narrate intimate details that no one could have known. No one but someone who had lived there before. In spirit or flesh.

Some years later, Braganza wanted to sell the house, but only to Wendell. “A dream leads to a house. A house leads to a book. A book leads to a museum,” Wendell told Khan. “That doesn’t happen often in people’s lives unless dharma decides it.”

Wendell often spoke about dreams intersecting realities. Of the fashion industry and Moda Goa, the museum of Goan costumes and jewellery from pre-Portuguese rule to now, that he was painstakingly and passionately putting together over the years. He would later bring in an architect company, an archiving firm and a board of advisors. Brick by breath, with time and team, ebb or tide, with penitent patience and the perseverance of a man possessed.

Wendell Rodricks with life partner Jerome Marrel   | Photo Credit: Instagram

State of consciousness

Where is Wendell now, four days after his untimely passing at 59 years? A death that shocked the Indian fashion industry, leaving many wrapped in dark grief. We may not know where he exactly rests but, by existentialist rumination, he will be in his house-home forever — Casa Wendell and Jerome in Colvale. In memories, laughter, warmth, shared or/and secret worries, photos, collectibles, in the silent wails of his bereft pet dogs (some who are dead, others alive), in the emotions of his friends who will visit Jerome.

In spirit, Wendell will also transit to Moda Goa that will house more than 800-plus costumes and articles he collected. When the doors finally open, visitors will feel and miss Wendell.

Nobody really dies as long as they live in the memories of those alive. It applies to Wendell, too. Now though, while he is presumably in ‘bardo’, the intermediary state between death and nirvana, we must rewind thoughts. Bardo, described in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy as a transitional stage between states of consciousness, resembles the idea of the Christian purgatory. “A temporary state after physical death for expiatory purification.” Not everyone agrees with these post-mortem projections.

Wendell Rodricks with Sophie the boxer   | Photo Credit: Instagram

However, in the days soon after a death, a person is remembered, eulogised, loved, missed and talked about persistently. That places a person in a transitional state. Wendell is in media and in minds. What he stood for, what shaped him, who he shaped, his whims and idiosyncrasies, his devotion to detail and the extraordinary hard work he put in becoming the man he wanted to be.

A friend who has eclipsed, a mentor who taught debutants the shallows and deeps of fashion, an ordinary man who loved food, then dieted and exercised, and loved East European cruises. Who lost no opportunity to proclaim love for his partner Jerome. A designer who created anti-embellished textiles in a country that worships bling. Who spoke for sustainability, simplicity in design and became the most known cultural ambassador of Goa. Who spoke his mind and bared his heart.

Wendell is in bardo because all these things are up in the air. Including the factoid that among Moda Goa’s collections is a seventh century Apsara found in a Colvale field where a Buddhist monastery once stood.

Schulen Fernandes, Wendell Rodricks, Manish Arora, Anamika Khanna and Rajesh Pratap Singh at the Lotus Make-Up India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2020 Finale   | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Thinker, designer, revivalist

I spent much of last night, unusually awake, burrowing into the transitional complexity of this theme to locate Wendell’s relevance in Indian fashion. The idea is not unique. I have been morbidly fascinated with death states since childhood due to my writer father’s melancholic personality and his death dialogues. That was why I read and reread George Saunders’ 2017 Man Booker-winning novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, with deep interest.

It surprises me in the research of my own work that a large of number of subjects I explored over the last two decades as a fashion journalist led me to Wendell now and again. Gay rights and fashion or unfashion. Size charts in India, the downsides and triumphs of modelling, his discovery of some of India’s top glamour names, textile innovation, authoring books, winning the Padma Shri in 2014. Sending out the reimagined Kunbi sari on the ramp on actor-model Lisa Ray, who was recovering from multiple myeloma. He held back tears when veteran crafts practitioner Jasleen Dhamija (with actor Nandita Das) spoke about the Kunbi project (a loom and weaver revival project that, from 2012, continued at the government polytechnic in Panjim) at the then Wills India Fashion Week in 2010 in Delhi.

“This is not about commercial gain. Sometimes fashion needs to distance itself from finance that it feeds on so voraciously. When you see a Louis Vuitton or a Hermes Birkin bag, you think of money. When you see the Kunbi sari, you see a culture and a tribe,” he told me for a story for The Indian Express.

Then there was an offbeat story on secret couture owned by Indians for Mint Lounge. I have no idea why I reached out to Wendell. However, there he was talking about the clothes and accessories he was collecting for Moda Goa with pieces from private collections. It included a gold embroidered Bishop’s mitre, a gold coin pendant that dated back to the Knights of Malta circa 1500s, garments and jewellery from the last century.

Conversations would plod on, on the phone and in person. He would continue to send links to new fashion films, news and books via email. I enjoyed his witty, ironic, sometimes sardonic assessments of fashion as celebrity theatre. I loved the way he dressed his models but did not always admire how he undressed his remarks on social media.

Wendell is in bardo as these thoughts have bubbled up in no chronological order. Must have, in other minds too.

With charm in plenty

A poignant one springs from 2015. My close friend, Sharda Ugra, a well-known sports journalist and I visited Wendell and Jerome at their Colvale residence for dinner. Earlier that day, I had picked up my long-ordered Kunbi sari from Wendell’s Retreat & Style store in Panjim, but didn’t have a white petticoat to do justice to its white field. I wore it with a red blouse and a dark petticoat. Sharda wore a hand blocked-printed sari.

We arrived, excited and mismatched. The house is built on different floor levels with an architectural grammar that compels you to look around to orient yourself. The whisky was fabulous, the dogs were delightful, and the irresistible Jerome in a checked lungi was just the kind of husband material one would need to make a case for marriage. I felt lightheaded and funny. Sharda was in great spirits, too. Wendell and Jerome spoke cricket with her and fashion with me. Life and death, Rekha and Sachin Tendulkar, Goa and Paris, masala mussels, multiple sclerosis, his muse Malaika Arora, books and bum trips, it all came up. Wendell talked about the “smallness” of two inches that makes women go mad if they gain that extra and how his fashion teacher in France, who called him “Mr Rodriguez”, asked him to design clothes for women who have hips.

Later that year, the hand-signed New Year card Jerome and Wendell would always send arrived with warm adjectives. An email preceded that. “Take care of the Kunbi. Cool wash on low spin short cycle. And don’t tear the manjistha strips for a wound. Wear with the happiness it was woven with…” wrote Wendell. Manjistha, the red vegetable dye, is derived from a plant with healing properties according to Ayurveda.

Quick to hurt from fashion industry barbs as to healing and moving on, the guru of persistence, Wendell Rodricks was Indian fashion’s Mr Diehard.

Then God cast the die.

Shefalee Vasudev is editor of The Voice of Fashion.

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[devinexok987-blog]

The Unique Difficulties Facing Medical Marijuana Sellers and Users

"At the Peace in Medicine Healing Center in Sebastopol, the merchandises on display include dried out marijuana - including brand names like Kryptonite, Voodoo Father as well as Train Wreckage - and also medical cookies ranged listed below an indication stating, ""Shut out of Reach of Your Mom.""

A number of Bay Area medical professionals that suggest medical cannabis for their people said in recent interviews that their customer base had expanded to include young adults with psychological problems consisting of attention deficit disorder.

"" It's not everybody's medicine, but for some, it can make a profound difference,"" claimed Valerie Corral, an owner of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Cannabis, a patients' collective in Santa Cruz that has 2 dozen minors as signed up customers.

Because California does not require physicians to report cases entailing medical marijuana, no dependable information exist for the number of minors have actually been accredited to get it. However Dr. Jean Talleyrand, that started MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 centers who authorize patients to make use of the medication, said his team member had dealt with as numerous as 50 patients ages 14 to 18 who had A.D.H.D. Bay Area physicians have been at the forefront of the strong dispute about clinical cannabis, winning tolerance for individuals with major health problems like incurable cancer and HELP. Yet as these medical professionals use their discretion more freely, such assistance - also here - may be more challenging to muster, especially when it involves using cannabis to treat adolescents with A.D.H.D.

"" How many ways can one say 'one of the worst suggestions of all time?'"" asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology division at the College of The Golden State, Berkeley. He cited research studies showing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, interferes with attention, memory, and concentration - features already jeopardized in individuals with attention-deficit problem.

Advocates are just as adamant, though they are in a distinctive minority. ""It's much safer than aspirin,"" Dr. Talleyrand stated. He and also other cannabis supporters keep that it is likewise more secure than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the energizer prescription medicine usually used to treat A.D.H.D. That drug has actually recorded possible negative effects consisting of sleeping disorders, anxiety, facial tics, and stunted growth.

In 1996, voters authorized a tally suggestion making The golden state the initial state to legislate medical marijuana. Twelve various other states have actually followed suit - permitting cannabis for a number of specified, major conditions including cancer and also AIDS - however just California includes the grab-bag expression ""for any other disease for which cannabis provides alleviation.""

This has left those physicians willing to ""suggest"" cannabis - in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of clinical marijuana, they can not legally prescribe it - with the freedom that some use to a bold degree. ""You can get it for a backache,"" claimed Keith Stroup, the owner of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Rules.

However, expanding its use among young people is controversial even among physicians who authorize medical marijuana.

Gene Schoenfeld, a doctor in Sausalito, stated, ""I would not do it for anybody under 21 unless they have a serious trouble such as cancer cells or HELP.""

Dr. Schoenfeld added, ""It's detrimental to teens that chronically utilize it, and if it's being made use of clinically, that implies persistent use.""

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stated she was particularly bothered with the risk of reliance - a risk she said was currently high amongst adolescents and individuals with attention-deficit condition.

Counterproductive as it might seem, nevertheless, individuals and also medical professionals have been reporting that cannabis assists ease several of the signs, specifically the anxiousness and also temper that so frequently come with A.D.H.D. The problem has actually been diagnosed in more than 4.5 million kids in the USA, according to the Centers for Illness Control and also Avoidance.

Scientists have connected the use of marijuana by adolescents to enhanced threat of psychosis and schizophrenia for individuals genetically predisposed to those diseases. However, one 2008 report in the journal Schizophrenia Research study recommended that the incidence of mental health problems among adolescents with the problem that made use of cannabis was less than that of nonusers.

Marijuana is ""a blessing"" for some people with A.D.H.D., claimed Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist who has actually written a number of publications on the problem. Nevertheless, Dr. Hallowell stated he discourages his clients from using it, both since it is - mainly - prohibited, and since his monitorings reveal that ""it can cause a syndrome in which all the person wishes to do all the time is obtain stoned, as well as they do nothing else.""

Until the age of 18, individuals asking for clinical marijuana must be accompanied to the physician's visit as well as to the dispensaries by a parent or accredited caretaker. Some doctors talked to claimed they believed that in at the very least some instances, moms and dads were accompanying their kids largely with the hope that medical authorization would certainly allow the teens to stay clear of buying medications on the street.

A recent College of Michigan research found that greater than 40 percent of senior high school pupils had tried cannabis.

"" I don't have a problem keeping that, as long as we can have our clinical discussion,"" Dr. Talleyrand claimed, including that individuals should have medical records to be seen by his doctors.

The Medical Board of The golden state started checking out Dr. Talleyrand in the spring, claimed a board spokeswoman, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV report comprehensive questionable practices at MediCann centers, which, the report stated, had actually grossed a minimum of $10 million in five years.

Dr. Talleyrand as well as his employee are not the only one in being willing to advise cannabis for minors. In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido claimed he was questioned by the medical board however eventually not disciplined after he accredited cannabis for a 16-year-old young boy with A.D.H.D. cbdforsalenearme.com who had attempted Ritalin unsuccessfully and also was acquiring a document of small arrests.

Within a year of the new treatment, he stated, the boy was improving grades as well as was also chosen head of state of his special-education course. ""He was informing his mom: 'My brain functions. I can think,'"" Dr. Lucido claimed.

"" With any kind of drug, you evaluate the benefits versus the risks,"" he included.

However, MediCann people who receive the permission has to sign a kind listing possible downsides of cannabis usage, including ""psychological sluggishness,"" memory issues, anxiousness, complication, ""raised talkativeness,"" quick heart beat, trouble in completing intricate jobs and also hunger. ""Some people can become depending on cannabis,"" the company likewise advises.

The White House's current signals of more federal tolerance for state medical cannabis laws - which pointedly omitted sales to minors - reignited the argument over medical marijuana.

Some supporters, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard College, suggest that clinical cannabis's stigma has less to do with inquiries of scientific efficiency as well as more to do with its organization, in pop culture, with illegal enjoyment as well as addiction.

Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Assembly, argue for even more oversight in general. ""The cannabis is a great deal much more effective these days than when we were maturing, as well as excessive is being given for nonmedical reasons,"" he stated in an interview recently, candidly including, ""Any kids being provided medical marijuana is undesirable.""

As advocates of enhanced acceptance try to win assistance, they may discover their significant arguments compromised by the dispensaries' spirited atmosphere.

OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Web site promotion providing the ""edible of the week"" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a gift box with a bow. OrganiCann additionally provides a 10 percent discount, every Friday, for customers with a legitimate trainee ID."

[louisysgm970-blog]

Medical Marijuana Use as well as Child Custodianship

"At the Tranquility in Medicine Healing Facility in Sebastopol, the merchandises on display screen consist of dried marijuana - featuring brands like Kryptonite, Voodoo Dad and Train Wreck - and also medicinal cookies organized listed below an indicator claiming, ""Keep Out of Reach of Your Mother.""

Numerous Bay Area doctors that suggest medical marijuana for their clients claimed in current interviews that their customer base had actually expanded to consist of teens with psychological conditions consisting of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"" It's not everyone's medicine, but also for some, it can make a profound difference,"" said Valerie Corral, a creator of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Cannabis, a patients' collective in Santa Cruz that has 2 dozen minors as signed up clients.

Because The golden state does not need physicians to report cases entailing medical cannabis, no reputable data exist for how many minors have been accredited to obtain it. However Dr. Jean Talleyrand, who established MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 facilities who license individuals to use the medicine, stated his employee had treated as lots of as 50 people ages 14 to 18 that had A.D.H.D. Bay Area physicians have gone to the leading edge of the fierce argument about clinical marijuana, winning resistance for people with serious ailments like incurable cancer cells as well as AIDS. Yet as these doctors utilize their discernment extra liberally, such support - also below - may be more challenging to round up, specifically when it comes to making use of marijuana to deal with adolescents with A.D.H.D.

"" How many methods can one say 'one of the worst concepts of perpetuity?'"" asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology department at the University of The Golden State, Berkeley. He pointed out studies revealing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active component in cannabis, interrupts focus, memory, as well as focus - features currently jeopardized in people with attention-deficit problem.

Supporters are just as adamant, though they are in an unique minority. ""It's much safer than aspirin,"" Dr. Talleyrand claimed. He and various other marijuana supporters preserve that it is additionally more secure than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the stimulant prescription medication usually used to treat A.D.H.D. That medication has actually documented potential adverse effects consisting of sleep problems, clinical depression, face tics, and stunted development.

In 1996, voters approved a ballot suggestion making The golden state the first state to legalize clinical marijuana. Twelve various other states have actually done the same - enabling cannabis for a number of defined, serious conditions consisting of cancer and also AIDS - yet only The golden state adds the grab-bag phrase ""for any other health problem for which cannabis supplies alleviation.""

This has actually left those medical professionals willing to ""recommend"" marijuana - in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of clinical marijuana, they can not legitimately prescribe it - with the flexibility that some usage to a bold level. ""You can get it for a backache,"" said Keith Stroup, the owner of the National Company for the Reform of Cannabis Rules.

Nevertheless, broadening its use among youths is debatable even amongst doctors that authorize clinical cannabis.

Genetics Schoenfeld, a doctor in Sausalito, claimed, ""I would not do it for anybody under 21 unless they have a life-threatening trouble such as cancer cells or AIDS.""

Dr. Schoenfeld added, ""It's detrimental to adolescents that persistantly use it, as well as if it's being utilized medically, that implies persistent use.""

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, claimed she was specifically fretted about the danger of dependence - a risk she stated was already high amongst adolescents and individuals with attention-deficit condition.

Counterintuitive as it may appear, nonetheless, patients and also doctors have been reporting that cannabis aids ease some of the signs and symptoms, especially the anxiousness as well as temper that so often go along with A.D.H.D. The cbdforsalenearme.com problem has actually been detected in greater than 4.5 million youngsters in the USA, according to the Centers for Disease Control as well as Avoidance.

Researchers have actually linked making use of cannabis by teens to increased risk of psychosis as well as schizophrenia for people genetically inclined to those illnesses. Nonetheless, one 2008 report in the journal Schizophrenia Study suggested that the occurrence of mental illness amongst teens with the condition that used cannabis was lower than that of nonusers.

Cannabis is ""a godsend"" for some individuals with A.D.H.D., claimed Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychoanalyst that has composed numerous books on the problem. Nonetheless, Dr. Hallowell stated he inhibits his clients from utilizing it, both because it is - mainly - unlawful, as well as due to the fact that his monitorings reveal that ""it can cause a disorder in which all the individual wants to do throughout the day is obtain stoned, as well as they not do anything else.""

Till the age of 18, patients requesting medical cannabis needs to be come with to the physician's consultation and also to the dispensaries by a parent or authorized caretaker. Some physicians talked to stated they believed that in a minimum of some cases, moms and dads were accompanying their kids largely with the hope that medical authorization would certainly allow the teens to stay clear of purchasing medications on the street.

A recent College of Michigan research study discovered that greater than 40 percent of senior high school students had actually tried marijuana.

"" I don't have a trouble keeping that, as long as we can have our clinical discussion,"" Dr. Talleyrand claimed, adding that patients have to have medical records to be seen by his medical professionals.

The Medical Board of California began checking out Dr. Talleyrand in the springtime, stated a board spokesperson, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV record detailed doubtful techniques at MediCann facilities, which, the record said, had grossed at the very least $10 million in five years.

Dr. Talleyrand and his team member are not alone in wanting to recommend marijuana for minors. In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido said he was questioned by the medical board but eventually not disciplined after he licensed cannabis for a 16-year-old child with A.D.H.D. that had actually tried Ritalin unsuccessfully and was acquiring a document of small apprehensions.

Within a year of the brand-new therapy, he said, the boy was improving grades as well as was also elected president of his special-education course. ""He was telling his mother: 'My mind functions. I can believe,'"" Dr. Lucido said.

"" With any type of medicine, you consider the benefits versus the dangers,"" he included.

Nevertheless, MediCann individuals who obtain the consent has to sign a kind listing feasible downsides of cannabis use, including ""mental slowness,"" memory problems, uneasiness, complication, ""raised talkativeness,"" rapid heart beat, difficulty in finishing complex jobs and also hunger. ""Some individuals can end up being depending on cannabis,"" the firm likewise cautions.

The White House's recent signals of even more federal resistance for state clinical cannabis laws - which pointedly omitted sales to minors - reignited the debate over clinical cannabis.

Some advocates, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard College, suggest that medical marijuana's preconception has much less to do with inquiries of scientific efficiency and also even more to do with its organization, in pop culture, with immoral pleasure and also addiction.

Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Setting up, argue for even more oversight as a whole. ""The cannabis is a whole lot a lot more effective these days than when we were maturing, as well as way too much is being given for nonmedical reasons,"" he said in an interview recently, candidly adding, ""Any type of youngsters being provided clinical cannabis is inappropriate.""

As supporters of increased approval attempt to win assistance, they may locate their severe debates jeopardized by the dispensaries' playful environment.

OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Web site advertisement providing the ""edible of the week"" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a present box with a ribbon. OrganiCann likewise uses a 10 percent discount, every Friday, for consumers with a valid trainee ID."

[raymondxgew863-blog]

Try Try Once More Rhode Island - Get Those Empathy Centers Open Up!

"At the Peace in Medication Healing Facility in Sebastopol, the products on display screen consist of dried out marijuana - including brands like Kryptonite, Voodoo Daddy and also Train Accident - and medical cookies arrayed listed below an indication claiming, ""Stay out of Reach of Your Mother.""

A number of Bay Location physicians who advise clinical cannabis for their people said in recent meetings that their client base had actually broadened to consist of teenagers with psychiatric conditions consisting of attention deficit disorder.

"" It's not everyone's medication, however, for some, it can make an extensive distinction,"" stated Valerie Corral, an owner of the Wo/Men's Partnership for Medical Marijuana, an individuals' cumulative in Santa Cruz that has two loads minors as registered customers.

Since California does not require medical professionals to report instances involving medical cannabis, no trusted data exist for the number of minors have actually been licensed to get it. Yet Dr. Jean Talleyrand, who founded MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 facilities that license individuals to utilize the medicine, stated his employee had treated as several as 50 clients ages 14 to 18 that had A.D.H.D. Bay Location physicians have actually been at the forefront of the tough debate about medical cannabis, winning tolerance for people with major diseases like terminal cancer cells and AIDS. Yet as these doctors use their discretion a lot more liberally, such assistance - even here - may be more difficult to round up, particularly when it pertains to making use of cannabis to treat teens with A.D.H.D.

"" The amount of means can one claim 'one of the worst ideas of all time?'"" asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology department at the College of The Golden State, Berkeley. He cited research studies revealing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, disrupts attention, memory, and also concentration - features currently compromised in people with attention-deficit disorder.

Supporters are just as adamant, though they remain in an unique minority. ""It's safer than pain killers,"" Dr. Talleyrand stated. He and also various other marijuana advocates keep that it is additionally more secure than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the stimulant prescription drug frequently utilized to treat A.D.H.D. That medicine has actually documented prospective negative effects including sleep problems, anxiety, facial tics, as well as stunted development.

In 1996, citizens authorized a tally proposal making The golden state the initial state to legalize medical cannabis. Twelve other states have done the same - permitting cannabis for a number of specified, serious conditions including cancer and HELP - yet only California adds the grab-bag expression ""for any other illness for which marijuana provides relief.""

This has left those physicians happy to ""suggest"" marijuana - in the Alice-in-Wonderland globe of medical cannabis, they can not legally suggest it - with the flexibility that some usage to a daring level. ""You can get it for a backache,"" claimed Keith Stroup, the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Nevertheless, broadening its use among youngsters is debatable also amongst doctors that authorize medical cannabis.

Genetics Schoenfeld, a doctor in Sausalito, claimed, ""I wouldn't do it for anyone under 21 unless they have a dangerous problem such as cancer or HELP.""

Dr. Schoenfeld added, ""It's destructive to teenagers who constantly utilize it, and also if it's being utilized medically, that implies persistent use.""

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, supervisor of the National Institute on Substance abuse, claimed she was especially bothered with the danger of dependence - a danger she stated was already high among teens and also people with attention-deficit disorder.

Counterproductive as it might appear, nonetheless, patients as well as medical professionals have been reporting that cannabis assists minimize several of the symptoms, especially the stress and anxiety as well as temper that so frequently go along with A.D.H.D. The problem has been diagnosed in greater than 4.5 million children in the USA, according to the Centers for Illness Control and also Prevention.

Researchers have actually connected using cannabis by teenagers to increased risk of psychosis and schizophrenia for people genetically inclined to those health problems. Nonetheless, one 2008 record in the journal Schizophrenia Research recommended that the incidence of psychological health issue amongst teens with the condition who used marijuana was lower than that of nonusers.

Cannabis is ""a blessing"" for some individuals with A.D.H.D., claimed Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist that has actually composed several books on the problem. Nonetheless, Dr. Hallowell said he prevents his clients from using it, both since it is - mainly - unlawful, and also because his monitorings reveal that ""it can bring about a disorder in which all the person intends to do all day is get stoned, as well as they do nothing else.""

Up until the age of 18, clients asking for clinical cannabis should be gone along with to the doctor's appointment and to the dispensaries by a parent or licensed caregiver. Some doctors spoke with stated they suspected that in at least some situations, parents were accompanying their children mostly with the hope that medical authorization would certainly enable the teenagers to stay clear of getting drugs on the street.

A recent College of Michigan research study located that more than 40 percent of secondary school pupils had actually attempted cannabis.

"" I don't have a problem keeping that, as long as we can have our clinical discussion,"" Dr. Talleyrand stated, including that people must have medical records to be seen by his doctors.

The Medical Board of The golden state started exploring Dr. Talleyrand in the spring, said a board spokesperson, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV report comprehensive suspicious practices at MediCann facilities, which, the record stated, had earned a minimum of $10 million in 5 years.

Dr. Talleyrand and his team member are not alone in wanting to recommend cannabis for minors. In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido claimed he was questioned by the medical board but eventually not disciplined after he authorized marijuana for a 16-year-old kid with A.D.H.D. that had actually attempted Ritalin unsuccessfully and was acquiring a record of minor apprehensions.

Within a year of the brand-new treatment, he said, the kid was improving grades as well as was even chosen president of his special-education class. ""He was telling his mommy: 'My brain works. I can believe,'"" Dr. Lucido stated.

"" With any type of medication, you weigh the benefits versus the threats,"" he added.

However, MediCann individuals who obtain the authorization needs to sign a form listing feasible downsides of marijuana usage, including ""psychological sluggishness,"" memory issues, anxiety, complication, ""boosted talkativeness,"" rapid heart beat, trouble in finishing complicated jobs and cravings. ""Some patients can come to be depending on cannabis,"" the firm additionally warns.

The White House's recent signals of more federal resistance for state medical cannabis laws - which pointedly omitted sales to minors - reignited the argument over medical cannabis.

Some advocates, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate teacher emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard College, recommend that clinical marijuana's preconception has much less to do with questions of scientific effectiveness as well as more to do with its organization, in pop culture, with immoral pleasure and addiction.

Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Setting up, argue for more oversight generally. ""The cannabis is a great deal extra powerful nowadays than when we were maturing, and also excessive is being given for nonmedical factors,"" he claimed in an interview last week, candidly adding, swift cannabidiol spray ""Any kids being given medical cannabis is inappropriate.""

As supporters of boosted acceptance attempt to win assistance, they may locate their severe arguments compromised by the dispensaries' spirited ambience.

OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Website promotion listing the ""edible of the week"" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a present box with a ribbon. OrganiCann also uses a 10 percent discount, every Friday, for customers with a valid pupil ID."

[casinoonlinestuff]

Medical Marijuana For ADHD

At the Peace in Medicine Healing Center in Sebastopol, the wares on display include dried marijuana - featuring brands like Kryptonite, Voodoo Daddy and Train Wreck - and medicinal cookies arrayed below a sign saying, "Keep Out of Reach of Your Mother."

Several Bay Area doctors who recommend medical marijuana for their patients said in recent interviews that their client base had expanded to include teenagers with psychiatric conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"It's not everybody's medicine, but for some, it can make a profound difference," said Valerie Corral, a founder of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a patients' collective in Santa Cruz that has two dozen minors as registered clients.

Because California does not require doctors to report cases involving medical marijuana, no reliable data exist for how many minors have been authorized to receive it. But Dr. Jean Talleyrand, who founded MediCann, a network in Oakland of 20 clinics who authorize patients to use the drug, said his staff members had treated as many as 50 patients ages 14 to 18 who had A.D.H.D. Bay Area doctors have been at the forefront of the fierce debate about medical marijuana, winning tolerance for people with grave illnesses like terminal cancer and AIDS. Yet as these doctors use their discretion more liberally, such support - even here - may be harder to muster, especially when it comes to using marijuana to treat adolescents with A.D.H.D.

"How many ways can one say 'one of the worst ideas of all time?' " asked Stephen Hinshaw, the chairman of the psychology department at the University of California, Berkeley. He cited studies showing that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, disrupts attention, memory and concentration - functions already compromised in people with the attention-deficit disorder.

Advocates are just as adamant, though they are in a distinct minority. "It's safer than aspirin," Dr. Talleyrand said. He and other marijuana advocates maintain that it is also safer than methylphenidate (Ritalin), the stimulant prescription drug most often used to treat A.D.H.D. That drug has documented potential side effects including insomnia, depression, facial tics and stunted growth.

In 1996, voters approved a ballot proposition making California the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Twelve other states have followed suit - allowing cannabis for several specified, serious conditions including cancer and AIDS - but only California adds the grab-bag phrase "for any other illness for which marijuana provides relief."

This has left those doctors willing to "recommend" cannabis - in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of medical marijuana, they cannot legally prescribe it - with leeway that some use to a daring degree. "You can get it for a backache," said Keith Stroup, the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Nonetheless, expanding its use among young people is controversial even among doctors who authorize medical marijuana.

Gene Schoenfeld, a doctor in Sausalito, said, "I wouldn't do it for anyone under 21, unless they have a life-threatening problem such as cancer or AIDS."

Dr. Schoenfeld added, "It's detrimental to adolescents who chronically use it, and if it's being used medically, that implies chronic use."

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said she was particularly worried about the risk of dependency - a risk she said was already high among adolescents and people with attention-deficit disorder.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, however, patients and doctors have been reporting that marijuana helps alleviate some of the symptoms, particularly the anxiety and anger that so often accompany A.D.H.D. The disorder has been diagnosed in more than 4.5 million children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers have linked the use of marijuana by adolescents to increased risk of psychosis and schizophrenia for people genetically predisposed to those illnesses. However, one 2008 report in the journal Schizophrenia Research suggested that the incidence of mental health problems among adolescents with the disorder who used marijuana was lower than that of nonusers.

Marijuana is "a godsend" for some people with A.D.H.D., said Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist who has written several books on the disorder. However, Dr. Hallowell said he discourages his patients from using it, both because it is - mostly - illegal, and because his observations show that "it can lead to a syndrome in which all the person wants to do all day is get stoned, and they do nothing else."

Until the age of 18, patients requesting medical marijuana must be accompanied to the doctor's appointment and to the dispensaries by a parent or authorized caregiver. Some doctors interviewed said they suspected that in at least some cases, parents were accompanying their children primarily with the hope that medical authorization would allow the adolescents to avoid buying drugs on the street.

A recent University of Michigan study found that more than 40 percent of high school students had tried marijuana.

"I don't have a problem with that, as long as we can have our medical conversation," Dr. Talleyrand said, adding that patients must have medical records to be seen by his doctors.

The Medical Board of California began investigating Dr. Talleyrand in the spring, said a board spokeswoman, Candis Cohen, after a KGO-TV report detailed questionable practices at MediCann clinics, which, the report said, had grossed at least $10 million in five years.

Dr. Talleyrand and his staff members are not alone in being willing to recommend marijuana for minors - weed shop online . In Berkeley, Dr. Frank Lucido said he was questioned by the medical board but ultimately not disciplined after he authorized marijuana for a 16-year-old boy with A.D.H.D. who had tried Ritalin unsuccessfully and was racking up a record of minor arrests.

Within a year of the new treatment, he said, the boy was getting better grades and was even elected president of his special-education class. "He was telling his mother: 'My brain works. I can think,' " Dr. Lucido said.

"With any medication, you weigh the benefits against the risks," he added.

Even so, MediCann patients who receive the authorization must sign a form listing possible downsides of marijuana use, including "mental slowness," memory problems, nervousness, confusion, "increased talkativeness," rapid heartbeat, difficulty in completing complex tasks and hunger. "Some patients can become dependent on marijuana," the form also warns.

The White House's recent signals of more federal tolerance for state medical marijuana laws - which pointedly excluded sales to minors - reignited the debate over medical marijuana.

Some advocates, like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard University, suggest that medical marijuana's stigma has less to do with questions of clinical efficacy and more to do with its association, in popular culture, with illicit pleasure and addiction.

Others, like Alberto Torrico of Fremont, the majority leader of the California Assembly, argue for more oversight in general. "The marijuana is a lot more powerful these days than when we were growing up, and too much is being dispensed for nonmedical reasons," he said in an interview last week, bluntly adding, "Any children being given medical marijuana is unacceptable."

As advocates of increased acceptance try to win support, they may find their serious arguments compromised by the dispensaries' playful atmosphere.

OrganiCann, a dispensary in Santa Rosa, has a Web site advertisement listing the "medible of the week" - butterscotch rock candy - invitingly photographed in a gift box with a ribbon. OrganiCann also offers a 10 percent discount, every Friday, for customers with a valid student ID.

[erraticfairy]

Here’s Why Your’s & Elon Musk’s Lack of Sleep is Bad

If you wonder what lack of sleep looks like, look no further than Elon Musk’s erratic behavior over the past few months. From believing that he alone had the time and unique resources to save the Thai boys trapped in a cave to prematurely tweeting that he had “funding secured” (when he didn’t) for a private buyout of Tesla, his embattled electric car company, Musk has shown a troubling pattern of ignoring his own self-care.

So what does lack of sleep look like, and why is it so bad? Let’s take a look.

Sleep is vital to our body’s functioning, our mental and cognitive abilities, and our overall health. Research has shown that a person who constantly and consistently deprives themselves of a good night’s sleep can also have a shorter life expectancy. Lack of sleep can literally kill you sooner.

Most people put off these concerns with, “Well, I’ll sleep more when X is done,” or, “I’ll catch up with sleep on the weekend.” Not only do these things never happen, they can actually hurt. For instance, one study found that skimping on sleep and then trying to catch up on it later hurts both attention and creativity. But problems with lack of sleep don’t end there. Lack of sleep leads to increased anxiety — hardly something you want to be cultivating in your life.

Elon Musk’s Workaholism

Lack of sleep can be tied to workaholism, and an overarching belief that a person needs to continue working because only he or she can get the work needed done, done right, and done in a timely manner. In an interview with the New York Times published in mid-August, Elon Musk detailed the “excruciating” year he’s had as the chairman and chief executive of Tesla, the electric car maker.

He said he had been working up to 120 hours a week recently — echoing the reason he cited in a recent public apology to an analyst whom he had berated. In the interview, Mr. Musk said he had not taken more than a week off since 2001, when he was bedridden with malaria.

“There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days — days when I didn’t go outside,” he said. “This has really come at the expense of seeing my kids. And seeing friends.”

This is concerning behavior for anyone. If a loved one started acting this way in our lives, I think we’d all be concerned and reach out to him or her to express our desire to help this person slow down a bit.

Most companies — even startups — don’t require or need their chief executive to work 120 hours a week. That’s not normal behavior for a chief executive. If he or she is working that much, that indicates a serious leadership and organizational problem within the company.

More concerning is that if Musk really is working 120 hours a week, that means he’s working an average 17 hours per day. That leaves only 7 hours a day for things like commuting, eating, and sleeping — not to mention his constant tweeting and conversations with others on social media. It’s no wonder a person in Musk’s position might feel overwhelmed, because that’s not enough time to actually engage — for most people anyway — the most meaningful part of our lives: friends and family.

Social connections define most people’s lives, they aren’t just an afterthought or something you have to schedule around your work. It would be concerning to me if a loved one was acting in this way, putting such an unnatural emphasis solely on work. Nobody is at their best when they engage 17 hours straight, 7 days a week, in activities requiring consistent and reliable cognition, attention, and focus.

Good Sleep via Ambien

Although Ambien (zolpidem) increases sleep quality and quantity in most people who take it (Huang et al., 2012), using it regularly to get a good night’s sleep is not usually recommended. Joshua Lio, MD, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School wrote a few years ago about the downsides of Ambien:

On one hand, sleep medications like Ambien can work, and work well. Insomnia can be debilitating. Many have used them safely and effectively, and some people swear by them. On the other hand, they can lead to dependence and worsen the mental clouding that many insomniacs already experience.

More importantly, by limiting discussions to specific medications and their doses, we miss a fundamental issue in treating insomnia: sleep hygiene. By focusing on “hygienic” habits around sleep (avoiding napping, not eating or drinking caffeine or alcohol right before bed, establishing regular bedtime routines, exercising, using beds only for sleep, etc.) many people can achieve better sleep. Adopting those habits can often mean that medications can be used more sparingly, and at lower doses, if at all.

Some research has shown that certain kinds of use of Ambien (zolpidem) can result in memory issues (Hall-Porter et al., 2014; Pompeia et al., 2004; Wesensten et al., 1995). A meta-analysis and review of the research of Ambien’s cognitive effects (Stranks & Crowe, 2014) found:

[T]he effect sizes calculated for each domain of cognitive functioning based on data of participants who ingested zolpidem prior to bedtime revealed that performance on attention, performance on verbal memory, and performance on psychomotor speed were each impaired as compared to that of controls, with attention and verbal memory both found to be moderately impaired.

Overall, this pattern of results indicates that the use of zopiclone has fewer deleterious effects on cognition in healthy adults than does zolpidem, which has additional specific adverse effects on attention and processing speed.

In other words, according to the research, use of Ambien impacts a person’s next-day cognitive abilities.

Ambien & Odd Behavior

Ambien is a sedative hypnotic that binds selectively at the benzodiazepine site containing GABAA receptors. Because of it where it binds to other neurotransmitters in the brain, it makes a person more susceptible to things like sleepwalking and memory blackouts. It’s no wonder then that Ambien has been linked to some odd behavior in some people who rely on it regularly to get to sleep. John Cline, Ph.D., a sleep psychologist, wrote,

Over the past decade, I have worked with a number of patients who could probably sympathize with [Roseanne] Barr’s situation. I have, not infrequently, encountered people who have engaged in sleepwalking, sleep driving, and even criminal activity while under the influence of Ambien. I’ve heard sometimes amusing but more often frightening stories of people who have done things they don’t remember, such as making a purchase and driving to the store to pick it up.

While Roseanne Barr attributed her recent twitter behavior to Ambien, the most famous example of odd behavior while on Ambien takes us back to 2006. That year, Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island had a motor vehicle accident in Washington, DC, which he later attributed to Ambien use. Such odd behavior has been documented in the research literature as well (for example, Farkas et al., 2013).

From the NYT interview article, Musk also appears to be engaging in some odd behaviors of late, including the recent “funding secured” tweet:

[Musk] wrangled with short-sellers and belittled analysts for asking “boring, bonehead” questions. And after sending a team of engineers from one of his companies to help rescue members of a stranded soccer team [the Thailand cave rescue, which ultimately was done without Musk’s help], he lashed out at a cave diver who was dismissive of the gesture, deriding him on Twitter as a “pedo guy,” or pedophile.

To help sleep when he is not working, Mr. Musk said he sometimes takes Ambien. “It is often a choice of no sleep or Ambien,” he said.

But this has worried some board members, who have noted that sometimes the drug does not put Mr. Musk to sleep but instead contributes to late-night Twitter sessions.

It should worry them, since the effects of Ambien are really unknown in any specific person unless that person undergoes neuropsychological testing or has been to a sleep lab.

The NYT’s article notes that for years, Tesla’s board has been trying to recruit a chief operating officer to help take some of the work off of Musk’s crowded plate. It’s unlikely anybody reasonable would want the job, however, because it would require the tunnel-vision dedication to work (“Willing to work 120 hours/week? Have I got the job for you!”) that most people simply don’t have. Not because they’re not dedicated to the work, but because it’s not healthy or normal to work that many hours at a job. For anything.

What’s normal is celebrating your birthday every year with friends and family. What’s normal is taking a day or two off to celebrate your brother’s wedding. What’s normal is finding a balance in your life between work and home. Musk hasn’t done these things, demonstrating traits that some may find attractive — but that most would find concerning, especially if they appeared in a loved one. We hope Musk finds that balance in his life and takes care not just of his physical health, but his mental health too.

  Conflict of interest disclosure: The author has no financial stake and holds no positions or interests in TSLA or any of Elon Musk’s companies.

  References

Farkas, Ronald H.; Unger, Ellis F.; Temple, R. (2013). Zolpidem and driving impairment—Identifying persons at risk. The New England Journal of Medicine, 369(8), 689-691.

Hall-Porter JM; Schweitzer PK; Eisenstein RD; Ahmed HAH; Walsh JK. (2014). The effect of two benzodiazepine receptor agonist hypnotics on sleep-dependent memory consolidation. J Clin Sleep Med, 10, 27-34.

Huang, Yuli; Mai, Weiyi; Cai, Xiaoyan; Hu, Yunzhao; Song, Yuanbin; Qiu, Ruofeng; Wu, Yanxian; Kuang, J. (2012). The effect of zolpidem on sleep quality, stress status, and nondipping hypertension. Sleep Medicine, 13, 263-268.

Pompéia, S.; Lucchesi, L. M.; Bueno, O. F. A.; Manzano, G. M.; Tufik, S. (2004). Zolpidem and memory: A study using the process-dissociation procedure. Psychopharmacology, 174, 327-333.

Stranks, Elizabeth K.; Crowe, Simon F. (2014). The acute cognitive effects of zopiclone, zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 36, 691-700.

Wesensten, N. J., Balkin, T. J., Belenky, G. L. (1995). Effects of daytime administration of zolpidem versus triazolam on memory. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 48, 115-122.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/2BG5rjP via theshiningmind.com

[psychotherapyconsultants]

Here’s Why Your’s & Elon Musk’s Lack of Sleep is Bad

If you wonder what lack of sleep looks like, look no further than Elon Musk’s erratic behavior over the past few months. From believing that he alone had the time and unique resources to save the Thai boys trapped in a cave to prematurely tweeting that he had “funding secured” (when he didn’t) for a private buyout of Tesla, his embattled electric car company, Musk has shown a troubling pattern of ignoring his own self-care.

So what does lack of sleep look like, and why is it so bad? Let’s take a look.

Sleep is vital to our body’s functioning, our mental and cognitive abilities, and our overall health. Research has shown that a person who constantly and consistently deprives themselves of a good night’s sleep can also have a shorter life expectancy. Lack of sleep can literally kill you sooner.

Most people put off these concerns with, “Well, I’ll sleep more when X is done,” or, “I’ll catch up with sleep on the weekend.” Not only do these things never happen, they can actually hurt. For instance, one study found that skimping on sleep and then trying to catch up on it later hurts both attention and creativity. But problems with lack of sleep don’t end there. Lack of sleep leads to increased anxiety — hardly something you want to be cultivating in your life.

Elon Musk’s Workaholism

Lack of sleep can be tied to workaholism, and an overarching belief that a person needs to continue working because only he or she can get the work needed done, done right, and done in a timely manner. In an interview with the New York Times published in mid-August, Elon Musk detailed the “excruciating” year he’s had as the chairman and chief executive of Tesla, the electric car maker.

He said he had been working up to 120 hours a week recently — echoing the reason he cited in a recent public apology to an analyst whom he had berated. In the interview, Mr. Musk said he had not taken more than a week off since 2001, when he was bedridden with malaria.

“There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days — days when I didn’t go outside,” he said. “This has really come at the expense of seeing my kids. And seeing friends.”

This is concerning behavior for anyone. If a loved one started acting this way in our lives, I think we’d all be concerned and reach out to him or her to express our desire to help this person slow down a bit.

Most companies — even startups — don’t require or need their chief executive to work 120 hours a week. That’s not normal behavior for a chief executive. If he or she is working that much, that indicates a serious leadership and organizational problem within the company.

More concerning is that if Musk really is working 120 hours a week, that means he’s working an average 17 hours per day. That leaves only 7 hours a day for things like commuting, eating, and sleeping — not to mention his constant tweeting and conversations with others on social media. It’s no wonder a person in Musk’s position might feel overwhelmed, because that’s not enough time to actually engage — for most people anyway — the most meaningful part of our lives: friends and family.

Social connections define most people’s lives, they aren’t just an afterthought or something you have to schedule around your work. It would be concerning to me if a loved one was acting in this way, putting such an unnatural emphasis solely on work. Nobody is at their best when they engage 17 hours straight, 7 days a week, in activities requiring consistent and reliable cognition, attention, and focus.

Good Sleep via Ambien

Although Ambien (zolpidem) increases sleep quality and quantity in most people who take it (Huang et al., 2012), using it regularly to get a good night’s sleep is not usually recommended. Joshua Lio, MD, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School wrote a few years ago about the downsides of Ambien:

On one hand, sleep medications like Ambien can work, and work well. Insomnia can be debilitating. Many have used them safely and effectively, and some people swear by them. On the other hand, they can lead to dependence and worsen the mental clouding that many insomniacs already experience.

More importantly, by limiting discussions to specific medications and their doses, we miss a fundamental issue in treating insomnia: sleep hygiene. By focusing on “hygienic” habits around sleep (avoiding napping, not eating or drinking caffeine or alcohol right before bed, establishing regular bedtime routines, exercising, using beds only for sleep, etc.) many people can achieve better sleep. Adopting those habits can often mean that medications can be used more sparingly, and at lower doses, if at all.

Some research has shown that certain kinds of use of Ambien (zolpidem) can result in memory issues (Hall-Porter et al., 2014; Pompeia et al., 2004; Wesensten et al., 1995). A meta-analysis and review of the research of Ambien’s cognitive effects (Stranks & Crowe, 2014) found:

[T]he effect sizes calculated for each domain of cognitive functioning based on data of participants who ingested zolpidem prior to bedtime revealed that performance on attention, performance on verbal memory, and performance on psychomotor speed were each impaired as compared to that of controls, with attention and verbal memory both found to be moderately impaired.

Overall, this pattern of results indicates that the use of zopiclone has fewer deleterious effects on cognition in healthy adults than does zolpidem, which has additional specific adverse effects on attention and processing speed.

In other words, according to the research, use of Ambien impacts a person’s next-day cognitive abilities.

Ambien & Odd Behavior

Ambien is a sedative hypnotic that binds selectively at the benzodiazepine site containing GABAA receptors. Because of it where it binds to other neurotransmitters in the brain, it makes a person more susceptible to things like sleepwalking and memory blackouts. It’s no wonder then that Ambien has been linked to some odd behavior in some people who rely on it regularly to get to sleep. John Cline, Ph.D., a sleep psychologist, wrote,

Over the past decade, I have worked with a number of patients who could probably sympathize with [Roseanne] Barr’s situation. I have, not infrequently, encountered people who have engaged in sleepwalking, sleep driving, and even criminal activity while under the influence of Ambien. I’ve heard sometimes amusing but more often frightening stories of people who have done things they don’t remember, such as making a purchase and driving to the store to pick it up.

While Roseanne Barr attributed her recent twitter behavior to Ambien, the most famous example of odd behavior while on Ambien takes us back to 2006. That year, Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island had a motor vehicle accident in Washington, DC, which he later attributed to Ambien use. Such odd behavior has been documented in the research literature as well (for example, Farkas et al., 2013).

From the NYT interview article, Musk also appears to be engaging in some odd behaviors of late, including the recent “funding secured” tweet:

[Musk] wrangled with short-sellers and belittled analysts for asking “boring, bonehead” questions. And after sending a team of engineers from one of his companies to help rescue members of a stranded soccer team [the Thailand cave rescue, which ultimately was done without Musk’s help], he lashed out at a cave diver who was dismissive of the gesture, deriding him on Twitter as a “pedo guy,” or pedophile.

To help sleep when he is not working, Mr. Musk said he sometimes takes Ambien. “It is often a choice of no sleep or Ambien,” he said.

But this has worried some board members, who have noted that sometimes the drug does not put Mr. Musk to sleep but instead contributes to late-night Twitter sessions.

It should worry them, since the effects of Ambien are really unknown in any specific person unless that person undergoes neuropsychological testing or has been to a sleep lab.

The NYT’s article notes that for years, Tesla’s board has been trying to recruit a chief operating officer to help take some of the work off of Musk’s crowded plate. It’s unlikely anybody reasonable would want the job, however, because it would require the tunnel-vision dedication to work (“Willing to work 120 hours/week? Have I got the job for you!”) that most people simply don’t have. Not because they’re not dedicated to the work, but because it’s not healthy or normal to work that many hours at a job. For anything.

What’s normal is celebrating your birthday every year with friends and family. What’s normal is taking a day or two off to celebrate your brother’s wedding. What’s normal is finding a balance in your life between work and home. Musk hasn’t done these things, demonstrating traits that some may find attractive — but that most would find concerning, especially if they appeared in a loved one. We hope Musk finds that balance in his life and takes care not just of his physical health, but his mental health too.

  Conflict of interest disclosure: The author has no financial stake and holds no positions or interests in TSLA or any of Elon Musk’s companies.

  References

Farkas, Ronald H.; Unger, Ellis F.; Temple, R. (2013). Zolpidem and driving impairment—Identifying persons at risk. The New England Journal of Medicine, 369(8), 689-691.

Hall-Porter JM; Schweitzer PK; Eisenstein RD; Ahmed HAH; Walsh JK. (2014). The effect of two benzodiazepine receptor agonist hypnotics on sleep-dependent memory consolidation. J Clin Sleep Med, 10, 27-34.

Huang, Yuli; Mai, Weiyi; Cai, Xiaoyan; Hu, Yunzhao; Song, Yuanbin; Qiu, Ruofeng; Wu, Yanxian; Kuang, J. (2012). The effect of zolpidem on sleep quality, stress status, and nondipping hypertension. Sleep Medicine, 13, 263-268.

Pompéia, S.; Lucchesi, L. M.; Bueno, O. F. A.; Manzano, G. M.; Tufik, S. (2004). Zolpidem and memory: A study using the process-dissociation procedure. Psychopharmacology, 174, 327-333.

Stranks, Elizabeth K.; Crowe, Simon F. (2014). The acute cognitive effects of zopiclone, zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 36, 691-700.

Wesensten, N. J., Balkin, T. J., Belenky, G. L. (1995). Effects of daytime administration of zolpidem versus triazolam on memory. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 48, 115-122.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/heres-why-yours-elon-musks-lack-of-sleep-is-bad/

[harlanweld549-blog]

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[abigailswager]

Litecoin vs Bitcoin | the differences between these 2 Cryptocurrencies.

New Post has been published on https://onlinelitecointrading.com/litecoin-vs-bitcoin-differences/

Litecoin vs Bitcoin | the differences between these 2 Cryptocurrencies.

  Litecoin and Bitcoin can be spoken in one sentence and many people do not yet understand what set them apart. and yet they are not the same. See them as Brothers with Bitcoin being the Big brother of the Two. that said as a little brother myself , i am sure you agree that also we have our uses.

Lets Start to explain Litecoin vs Bitcoin

Back In 2009, a janapense programmer going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto launched bitcoin as the world’s first cryptocurrency or atleast that is what is believed , since then many pother rumours and scenarios have surfaced , but it matters less tothe current situation.

The code of the Bitcoin was and still is open source, this means in laymans terms that it can be changed and altered by anyone and to be used for any project they see fit. that was the start of many other digital currencies that used this original code to create their own cryptocurrency . some were made successful other not so much.

Litecoin was build and designed like the robin to Batman, not to just replacve them but to assist and in its own terms become successful.

Litecoin vs Bitcoin | The crucial difference between bitcoin and litecoin.

bitcoin litecoin Coin limit 21 Million 84 Million Algorithm SHA-256 Scrypt Mean block time 10 minutes 2.5 minutes Difficulty retarget 2016 block 2016 blocks Block reward details Halved every 210,000 blocks. Halved every 840,000 blocks Initial reward 50 BTC 50 LTC Current block reward 25 BTC 50 LTC Block explorer blockchain.info block-explorer.com Created by Satoshi Nakamoto Charles Lee Creation date January 3rd, 2009 October 7th, 2011 Market cap $10,467,596,650.78 $540,274,528.26  Bitcoin Statistics  Litecoin Statistics

Litecoin vs Bitcoin Mining differences

Just like bitcoin, litecoin is a crytocurrency that is generated by mining. Litecoin was created in October 2011 by former Google engineer Charles Lee. The motivation behind its creation was to improve upon bitcoin. The key difference for end-users being the 2.5 minute time to generate a block, as opposed to bitcoin’s 10 minutes. Charles Lee now works for Coinbase, one of the most popular online bitcoin wallets.

Litecoin Mining

ASIC Mining

For miners and enthusiasts though, litecoin holds a much more important difference to bitcoin, and that is its different proof of work algorithm. Bitcoin uses the SHA-256 hashing algorithm, which involves calculations that can be greatly accelerated in parallel processing. It is this characteristic that has given rise to the intense race in ASIC technology, and has caused an exponential increase in bitcoin’s difficulty level.

“scrypt algorithm“

Litecoin, however, uses the “scrypt algorithm” – originally named as s-crypt, but pronounced as ‘script’. This algorithm incorporates the SHA-256 algorithm, but its calculations are much more serialized than those of SHA-256 in bitcoin. Scrypt favors large amounts of high-speed RAM, rather than raw processing power alone. As a result,”scrypt” is known as a ‘memory hard problem’.

The consequences of using “scrypt” mean that there has not been as much of an ‘arms race’ in litecoin (and other scrypt currencies), because there is (so far) no ASIC technology available for this algorithm. However, this is soon to change, thanks to companies like Alpha Technologies, which is now taking pre-orders.

GPU mining

To highlight the difference in hashing power, at the time of writing, the total hashing rate of the bitcoin network is over 20,000 Terra Hashes per second, while litecoin is just 95,642 Mega Hashes per second.

Current Mining activity

For the time being, ‘state of the art’ litecoin mining rigs come in the form of custom PCs fitted with multiple graphics cards (ie: GPUs). These devices can handle the calculations needed for scrypt and have access to blisteringly fast memory built into their own circuit boards.

There was a time when people could use GPU mining for bitcoin, but ASICs have made this method not worth the effort.

Transaction differences Litecoin vs Bitcoin

The main difference is that litecoin can confirm transactions must faster than bitcoin. The implications of that are as follows:

Litecoin can handle a higher volume of transactions thanks to its faster block generation. If bitcoin were to try to match this, it would require significant updates to the code that everyone on the bitcoin network is currently running.

The disadvantage of this higher volume of blocks is that the litecoin blockchain will be proportionately larger than bitcoin’s, with more orphaned blocks.

The faster block time of litecoin reduces the risk of double spending attacks – this is theoretical in the case of both networks having the same hashing power.

A merchant who waited for a minimum of two confirmations would only need to wait five minutes, whereas they would have to wait 10 minutes for just one confirmation with bitcoin.

Transaction speed (or faster block time) and confirmation speed are often touted as moot points by many involved in bitcoin, as most merchants would allow zero-confirmation transactions for most purchases. It is necessary to bear in mind that a transaction is instant, it is just confirmed by the network as it propagates.

Litecoin vs Bitcoin Summary

Both Bitcoin and Litecoin are deflationary.

Litecoin payment confirmations are faster.

Litecoin is more adaptive to technical up-scaling.

Both coins can compliment each other.

Comparing two stocks to find out the relatively better value buy is quite easy for a traditional research analyst who deals with equity market. The number of parameters available for comparison is wide and time tested, starting from a simple quarterly result’s net profit to complex ones like debt equity ratio, PE, trailing EPS etc.

Let us first discuss about the similarities

Stocks are categorized by its market capitalization and industry to make the study more focused. But when comes to crypto world, we don’t have any time tested parameters to filer out the naked ones from others which are promising and disruptive in nature. So an investor who decided to invest in crypto currencies have to overcome this black-hole by using some simple traditional techniques which requires normal IQ level only. Let us first discuss about the similarities between these two coins and then step in to future outlook of Litecoin.

1.Both Bitcoin and Litecoin are deflationary

These crux behind the deflationary nature is simple defined by the demand supply logic in basic economics. The supply of both these coins will be tapered in coming years and at the same time demand will be increasing if something catastrophic is not happening in crypto space.

Bitcoin will have 21 million coins in its entire life span and Litecoin will have 84 million, which is exactly 4 times that of Bitcoin. Considering the fact that in early days, people gave little importance on secure storage, millions worth coins were lost which cannot be recovered by any chance. This is the reason why both of these coins are considered deflationary in nature. The current supply of Bitcoin is nearly 16.4 million whereas Litecoin has 51.85 million coins in circulation.

“When I released Litecoin there were a lot of other cryptocurrencies that were pre-mined by founders wanted to be super rich. I preannounced Litecoin on Bitcointalk, so people could mine it from the get go. It was more widely distributed from the start than Bitcoin.” Charlee Lee, Litecoin founder

2. Litecoin payment confirmations are faster

The block generation time of Bitcoin is 10 minutes and Litecoin is 2.5 minutes. In simple terms, it means that transactions are confirmed 4 times faster in Litecoin. The downside of smaller block generation time is, it is easy for reversal of transaction compared to a larger block. Since the value of Bitcoin is high, Litecoin’s future lies in using it for small transactions as the transaction fees associated is negligible compared to Bitcoin’s transactions.

Litecoin has a large economy and our technology works on Litecoin with almost no changes. We like ethereum too, but ethereum is too different from bitcoin for us to easily switch. Litecoin has the best combination of economic size and technical similarity to bitcoin. On Litecoin, transaction fees are only a few cents. This means users can comfortably load only $1 onto our network while still paying negligible fees. This is a radically lower barrier to entry compared to $100 for bitcoin. Litecoin is one hundred times better for our application today than bitcoin. Ryan X. Charles, Yours

3. Both coins are based on “Proof of Work” concept.

The coin rewarding functionality of both Bitcoin and Litecoin are based on the concept of proof of work, though their algorithms differ. Bitcoin is using SHA-256 and Litecoin is using scrypt algorithm. SHA-256 is a complex algorithm and data block processing with SHA-256 possess slower—transaction turnaround times with less room for error. Successful mining of coins using SHA-256 requires hash rates at the giga hashes per second range or higher which means miners need high performing ASIC chips. Scrypt is simpler and it is is much easier to run on GPUs, and tends to use up less energy than using SHA-256.

Future Outlook for Litecoin

Litecoin is more adaptive to technical up-scaling.

If we compare the history and road-map of Bitcoin and Litecoin, it is evident that the later has been well ahead in adapting new improvement plans. Segwit is already activated in Litecoin without any political doldrums. The founder Charlee Lee has joined back at Litecoin foundation after his stint in coinbase. The team behind Litecoin is now working on Lightning network and adding smart contracts. Once implemented successfully, these two projects can change the future of Litecoin.

Lightning Network.

I believe Litecoin will be the first crypto to implement lightning network which would increase the scalability of transactions. Ind is one of the implementations which is in the final stages and expected to complete in next 6 months. Once lightning network is implemented, the number of transactions per second can grow to millions.

Smart Contracts.

The future road-map of Litecoin shows its interest in anonymous smart contracts. Smart crypt vault is one of the items on the roadmap Charlie Lee is excited about. The technology combines MAST (Merkelized abstract syntax trees) and covenants – script combinations that restrict how coins are spent. The team is expecting a positive outcome in this month on this as per Charlie’s tweet.

Litecoin vs Bitcoin Conclusion

Charlee Lee introduced Litecoin as “silver crypto currency” when Bitcoin took the name of “Crypto gold”. If we understand the fundamental logic behind both the coins, we don’t need rocket science knowledge or high IQ to understand the fact that Litecoin is heavily undervalued. The ideal price of Litecoin is ultimately pegged with 1/4th of Bitcoin price. This is by the simple calculation of supply of coins, 21 million vs 84 million. According to google keyword search, Litecoin is still not in limelight like Bitcoin or Ethereum. This can change in near future and both the coins can compliment each other on a long run.

“Litecoin vs Bitcoin is like Facebook versus Google Plus,” says Lee. “It would be hard for Plus to overtake Facebook. But if something catastrophic happens to Bitcoin, I could see Litecoin positioned to overtake it.” Charlee Lee, Litecoin founder