Orange Time

[PetePierson]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Just when you think Comrade's BFF couldn't get more unlikable...




And take it easy on the botox, Matt. The ole tweeter box is prison raping him with memes.

[The Outsider]

Rating for RNC are down bigly. Not great for the GOP considering what happened this past weekend, the amount of coverage and some Dems trying Sanders, Joey.

Our whole political landscape is fucked when it's so obvious that both parties really aren't popular.

Yet so few people vote in the primaries let alone state & local elections. Races that have the most immediate impact on their lives. But people love to bitch about it.

#Merica

Frankly I think voting should be compulsory, election days should be local, state, or federal holidays, and voting should be as accessible as possible. So mail in, early voting, etc.

[PetePierson]

Frankly I think voting should be compulsory, election days should be local, state, or federal holidays, and voting should be as accessible as possible. So mail in, early voting, etc.

Other than mail-in voting (excluding service members posted out of country), I accept your terms.

[emby]

It's more indicative of how good life in the USA actually is. For all it's needless suffering and outrageous prices, most people can and do manage to make a life for themselves and there's no promise of government that is going to lead to self actualization outside of higher ed. which now comes with its own existential problem and mixed results so asking your average American working stiff to give enough of a shit about abstract concepts like economics and social democracy that they'll head out the first week every November to cast a ballot is a big ask when all they want to do is go home, order Chinese, and binge watch shows they don't even like.

The participation rate in democracy south of the border is much higher because there is so much more at stake in those elections.

[emby]

Speaking of better living through higher education...

A gentle LA breeze floats through a wall of green plants as you watch a butterfly flap its wings in the air. A friendly person hands you an ecstasy pill over the sound of gently gurgling water.

It seems like a dreamy, psychedelic party at a hippie’s house in Venice, but this is actually part of UCLA’s vision for a new plan to build a “living laboratory.” The university is hoping to build a plant-filled rooftop garden designed specifically for psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy, in which people take drugs like MDMA (the active compound in ecstasy) under the supervision of a psychiatric professional, has generated intense interest at universities across the country. The therapy has shown promise in treating a wide range of mental health disorders, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. UCLA is a leader in this research, with nearly a dozen different ongoing clinical trials studying psychedelics, including work with MDMA and psilocybin, the active compound found in magic mushrooms, according to UCLA Health.

The new “living laboratory” has been proposed on the eighth floor of the university’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, according to a presentation given at the university in May.




Helena Hansen, the institute’s director, said in a Monday story published by the university that the lab was part of an “audacious vision” to reimagine medicine at UCLA. The news story said the outdoor garden will help the university study how “interacting with plants and animals in the living laboratory” might affect traditional and psychedelic therapy sessions.

The university said it is still raising funds for the project and did not give a price tag for the outdoor garden in its Monday story. Current plans for the outdoor deck include group areas and private rooms as well as a garden of native plants aimed at attracting butterflies and birds. Jennifer Wolch, a UC Berkeley professor, said during the May talk that the university is intentionally hoping the garden cultivates soothing sounds like “birdsong, insect noises, [and] water features that have gentle water sounds as well that can be very relaxing.”

Researchers believe that a person’s surroundings affect the success of psychedelic therapy, and increasing attention has been paid to creating soothing environments where these cutting-edge therapies can take place.

Kelly O’Donnell, a professor at New York University and an expert in psychedelic-assisted therapy, said during the May presentation at UCLA that she was “extraordinarily jealous” of the rooftop garden proposal because it was much more welcoming than the clinical rooms she has worked in.

O’Donnell said the university is being “really thoughtful about what is the space into which this person will return” after they’ve gone through a psychedelic trip.

[emby]

And before Pete gets to fuming about the cost, a molly is $20 and somebody on or near the campus is already growing shrooms.

[PetePierson]

It's more indicative of how good life in the USA actually is. For all it's needless suffering and outrageous prices, most people can and do manage to make a life for themselves and there's no promise of government that is going to lead to self actualization outside of higher ed. which now comes with its own existential problem and mixed results so asking your average American working stiff to give enough of a shit about abstract concepts like economics and social democracy that they'll head out the first week every November to cast a ballot is a big ask when all they want to do is go home, order Chinese, and binge watch shows they don't even like.

The participation rate in democracy south of the border is much higher because there is so much more at stake in those elections.

Finally, we agree on something.

[PetePierson]

And before Pete gets to fuming about the cost, a molly is $20 and somebody on or near the campus is already growing shrooms.

A) I am certain even though a "public" university that they are getting some funding from at least a few of the 1000's of multi-millionaire alums.
B) Leagalize all drugs is where I am at. Especially if it comes from nature. Big Pharma stuck their claws into me 1 1/2 years ago and SHOCKING - things haven't gotten much better. Also really pissed it is none of the good opioid shit.

[emby]

It's more indicative of how good life in the USA actually is. For all it's needless suffering and outrageous prices, most people can and do manage to make a life for themselves and there's no promise of government that is going to lead to self actualization outside of higher ed. which now comes with its own existential problem and mixed results so asking your average American working stiff to give enough of a shit about abstract concepts like economics and social democracy that they'll head out the first week every November to cast a ballot is a big ask when all they want to do is go home, order Chinese, and binge watch shows they don't even like.

The participation rate in democracy south of the border is much higher because there is so much more at stake in those elections.

Finally, we agree on something.

Where you and I diverge is how to proceed from there.

End the colonialization and rule by proxy of central and south America and I promise you immigration from those nations will slow down considerably.

If you're going to be ruled from Washington DC you may as well be where the money ends up.

[PetePierson]

Where you and I diverge is how to proceed from there.

End the colonialization and rule by proxy of central and south America and I promise you immigration from those nations will slow down considerably.

If you're going to be ruled from Washington DC you may as well be where the money ends up.

I am down with not being involved with any country at all levels. All this talk about a "Global Economy"... We can produce pretty much anything in the lower 48. Sure, it will be more expensive at first but when we zero out the 100's of billions (including military) in annual foreign aid, that money can be used as a supplement to American Citizens.

I have become an isolationist the last few years.....

[emby]

Where you and I diverge is how to proceed from there.

End the colonialization and rule by proxy of central and south America and I promise you immigration from those nations will slow down considerably.

If you're going to be ruled from Washington DC you may as well be where the money ends up.

I am down with not being involved with any country at all levels. All this talk about a "Global Economy"... We can produce pretty much anything in the lower 48. Sure, it will be more expensive at first but when we zero out the 100's of billions (including military) in annual foreign aid, that money can be used as a supplement to American Citizens.

I have become an isolationist the last few years.....

Try this on for size...

There is no such thing as "American based corporations" anymore.

Obviously, I'm not talking about mom and pop running the local greasy spoon. I'm talking about...General Electric. GE was and is one of the American Icon corporations. But today, institutional investors from around the world own those companies. Hedge funds and private equity have no allegiance to the US government aside from the interests of it's own business dealings and the sensibilities of any US citizens who happen to work there.

As all corporations are flow through entities for their investors, no amount of government corruption in Washington could disperse as much American wealth as quickly around the world as the publicly traded corporation. Gordon Gekko doesn't live in New York anymore. He more often than not lives in Dublin, or Dubai, or Kuala Lumpur, or Tel Aviv.

Is taxation theft in this instance or collecting due rent?