wandjina

I should perhaps also warn ppl my daughter will be in attendance...be prepared to be jumped on and generally harrassed

Whilst I agree its a sad site its purely animal instinct. Every animal acts on its surrounding to make them more favourable for themselves or their species. Eg soft corals produce highly cytotoxic compounds so thay other corals wont grow next to them. Whilst I believe in peace and respect for nature, the more I learn and the closer I look the more I see how close we are to other animals and their behaviours. The idea that humans are like a virus is silly, we are nothing but animals and whilst I believe we are overpopulated we havent reached our survival limit yet, that is all. yes... As a part of nature, isn't everything we do therefore natural?

Marijuana causes low BP. Very common side effect of cronic use. hrmmm...vasodilation...so maybe elevated BP is a rebound effect?

thanks for the vote of confidence, but I reckon el Duderino is your man...anyways, my head is stuffed full of tawny frog mouths and Tarot atm ;)

A friend of mine just got clean (off pot and other stuff) and also had some weird visual disturbances, bit different from yours though, mostly blurryness. Turned out it was high blood pressure, which sorted itself out quite quickly...on its own. Maybe cannabis withdrawal can effect blood pressure?

bella-uomo!

severe airway problems what do they mean by this? 'Airway problems' kinda connotes obstruction/constriction/depression.... meth ODs cause rapid heart rate and breathing (high BP, vascular constriction) - this can damage the heart and kidneys, but depressed or 'constricted' breathing isn't a typical feature of meth OD as far as I know. Annoying how adverse effects of OD's are automatically blamed on the demon-drug of the minute, when people were clearly consuming a variety of illicit substances. But I suppose 'severe airway problems' could be read to mean anything...still, I've never heard respiratory distress/collapse ever referred to as direct result of the drug 'ice'. VIVAIDS rock btw...here's hoping such worthy orgs get more funding under the new govt

i got migraines in my teens. i don't anymore, but i occasionally get the aura thing you're talking about. does that mean i might get another migraine one day?? that would suck. Isn't LSD being trialled/used for treating migraines?

Seems to be high proportion of migraine sufferers here, or ex migraine sufferers. I got them as a kid...with the exception of the blinding visuals, they were a terrible experience with alot of nausea and pain. I was prescribed these scary little green pills to take if I felt one coming on, and an ergotamine inhaler! Of course I had no idea of ergotamines provenence at the time lol I just stopped getting them at around 11-12...they seemed to be associated with the start of puberty. Nmethyl...a Claytons migraine? I envy you :D

On the way to EGA passed through an area outside Camden that was once filled with Obs apparently, and alot of ppl knew about it...we walked quite a way up the old fire trail, and not even one! It had been 7-8 yrs since my friend had been for a walk there, he grew up in the area... but we couldn't find a single along the road or in the wider area. Quite sad and dissapointing...the trees in that little patch may have been unique.

woot woot! I hope you can make it too Apo

I'm surprised anyone here would find anal/rectal admin of psychoactive materials offensive or abnormal...people have been doing it for ages. Literally. As my work-mate just commented..."it's just another orifice"... and only think of the various enemas used by Amerindians past and present. By-passing the GI tract has it's advantages, and may be the only practicable route of admin for some individuals. Witches and broomsticks also come to mind, but that's going in another direction lol EDIT - posted pre last post. Don't wanna add too much fuel to any fires

Does naming something a habit or addiction help in the treatment of it? Quite possibly, perhaps especially given that 'habit' denotes 'addiction' for many heroin users ;) (i.e. 'I had a really big habit'...as opposed to 'I had a really big addiction' ...whilst it goes without saying that attitude can play an enormous part in overcoming or managing any dependency, to alot of people who get in deep with opiates, 'habit' vs. 'addiction' is prolly not gonna be the make or break - for all intents and purpose the two terms are synonymous in this instance). I guess words mean different things to different people in different places (not one connotation, but many), and this will also change over time... Addiction can be understood or interpreted in many ways I guess...my take would be that external and internal cannot be neatly defined for 'habit' or 'addiction'. It seems to be boiling down to semantics ;) ... Sorry, I'm taking this thread on a tangent. heheh...

Will try and make it, no promises. aww come on L...pleeeeeeease

habit and addiction...from one angle couldn't that be 6 of one 1/2 doz of the other? imo and ime, anything that depresses the central nervous system is potentially addictive...somatically and psychologically. I guess it could depend how one defines soma and psyche, how one demarcates them...likewise what constitutes habit and addiction. In my view they are not mutually exclusive. Nothing is lol For me, cannabis was a huuuuuuuuuuge addiction, the biggest of them all! I have a penchant for CNS depressants..or rather I HAD one. Eventually the cons outweighed the pros with pot for me, which was a god-send otherwise I'd still be having brekky cones, moping round the house and forgetting where i'd left my bowl of cereal. and yep, had night sweats too....with strange, vivid dreams

i might be able to get palo santo from another person i know he sells it in smaller quantities so i can ask him he also sells beautiful perfumes such as agua de florida and kananga water from peru. ooh, yes please...I've wanted some agua de florida for aggggessss, never heard of kananga water though. Not the same as cananga is it? I'm just thinking...my ex is in Brasil, and has access to alot of insence and other materials used in ritual there...perhaps I should ask about sending a package. The insense you mentioned sounds very similar to one he brought back last time. It was powerful stuff.

Thought I'd beat Tarnicus to the chase Sydney meet When: Sunday the 16th, noon Where: Royal Botanic Gardens, Herb garden under the brugmansias (follow the signs)

for real, id definately love some, its powerful stuff, hope yas dontmind me highlighting the endangerment and all. not tryin to be holier -than- thou, its justoften plantconservation is taken alot less seriously than a cuddly,cute little mammal. It's an important issue too often overlooked. The friend I travelled down to EGA with was livid re similar issues surrounding acacias...he's a regen/remediation guy, and was appalled that ppl weren't following certain guidelines re seed collection and other harvesting. Even removing dead/dying trees is not problem free imo...I've posted about this before so won't go into much detail...but there does seem to be a trend to overlook conservation values (and biodiverstity, ecological succession, nutrient cycling) in some circles...which is really quite bizarre given the context. A dead/dying tree is still a part of an ecosystem, a valuable part...arguably more so than younger trees (in respect to acacias at least)

so yeah i will get onto it if the need for palo santo is high otherwise iw ill wait until next year what you guys think? If it passes the ethics committee...I'm in. I trust your instincts Hebrew

I'm in too...but am wary if it's endangered. Can anyone verify?

yeah, Happy Birthday Trippi... Now is the time to get you a copy of the Monkey soundtrack (uber version of Gandhara!)

was great to meet jono, amulte, apothecary, wandjina, alkatrope, cough, El D, bacchant, Luke, and the others who I have no doubt forgotten. was great to meet you too Creach...and nice to be back

Gee, there's some choice material (and blatant bait) i'd love to respond to all of you guys, fellas, boys, chaps, lads...but I'm gonna try an' be lady-like (and btw el Duderino, its more about the context in which the word is used by sobriquet....I'm all for pungent yeast extracts, but Smarmite's revolting no matter how thin you spread it, heheh) and bow out....permanently. I am sorry that I challenged your authority Sina, but I really do feel that editing in this instance, and in some others recently, has been unnecessary, petty and, well, somewhat autocratic/arbitrary....Its simply editing for the sake of editing when no offence has been incurred. Or if an insult is eloquent, does it count? Ultimately, unless something is truly objectionable, grossly, appalling offensive...censoring is unnecessary IMO. There are many ways to insult someone, not limited to 'dirty words'. If the rule is 'no insults'...you'd be hard pressed to find a member who hasnt either deliberately or inadvertatntly offended someone else....your good self being a case in point. What ever happened to standards? I can't keep track of 'em 'round here. Ah well, the one thing we can count on is change! I could argue long and hard against this hypocrisy, because I know I've caused upset, offence and hurt elsewhere on these forums without censure...and that the rules are appplied inconsistently by moderators over time or between sub forums... but I've made my bed and now i'll lie in it. And to be perfectly honest, it's something of a relief. The forums have meant alot to me over the past two years, I have made some special friends and learnt so much....the intellectual exercise both during my studies and since suspending my candidature has also been wonderful, and I thank each and every one of you for everything you've posted....the good, the bad and the fugly. there have even been times ive felt the forums saved my life, and i do not say that lightly. You really are such a unique, diverse and special group of people. I truly love you....(through my) warts and all I will mourn this loss, I will miss the discussion, the orange and the friends (you guys know how to reach me)...but I leave knowing that it is also something I need to let go of. There are pressing issues in my 'real' life I must address, and sometimes I expend too much energy on these forums...energy that is sorely needed elsewhere. Erm, one other practical matter I need to address as i won't get another chance.....I can't imagine you'll still be up for helping me with the web site thingy Sina (and to honest, energy wasn't really flowing in that direction...but that's OK)...I really need to get my art off the ground, and I dont really know any place else so chockers with IT ppl....so if theres anyone out there who would be willing to help me out... in exchange for your services i offer you a choice of one of my latest series (with the exception of the cockatoo and basilisk sorry). Pm me if interested...I'll check in-box over the next coupla weeks. Theres probably a lot of other things I'll wish i'd said later....but the main thing is that you know that I love you, that I am grateful, that I appreciate and admire you, and that all is well. That's all folks

Some excellent points (sounds like one of my SSK essays - sociology of scientic knowledge)...though I was under the impression you were rather enamoured of science? I'm guessing it's Establishment science you are critiqeing here? I had no idea you were such a constructivist when it came to science...really. I am well aware of bias in 'big S' Science, and how it effects research (theory and practice etc)...I did my undergrad thesis on the social construction of drug debates. So yes, again, you've made some excellent points here re impetus for research, especially in regards to funding and the WOD episteme or 'knowledge gathering/producing community'. No doubt this flavours what gets published....but that doesnt mean peer-reveiwed journals are all shit, or that all 'peers' are numb-nuts....some of our communities greatest heroes are or were sanctioned scientists, published in peer-reveiwed journals etc etc...and whilst things have changed in regards to scientific research (perhaps especially in regarsd to drugs, where most funding is corparate...hence commerical agendas etc or anti-drug campaigns)...we shouldnt throw the baby out with the bathwater. I do not call myself a scientist, because I see the folly in Establishment science, and can not realte to the extant connotation. In the ture sense of the word (or rather my interpretaion of it), yes, i ama scientist...a seeker of truth...but Science, like religion, appears to be lapsing into fundamentalism. It appeasr narcissistic to jme soemtimes, infatuated with its own illusory infallibilty...though at the core it is about closer and closer appraoximations to truth. I could bang on for ages, but ultimately i love science, and beleive it to be a very uselful and vaulable way for interpreting/understanding the world. It certainly beats soem other knowledge systems, I for one would look up a biomedical text over an astrological one if I was sick, or go to a hospital over a vibrational healer if i had a heart attack, or conduct research through extensive data bases and peer-reviewed journals than google... Laslty, re bias and interests...we are all biased and have interests. I catch myself being postively biased when it comes to psychoactive plants, in part this is a reaction to the PTb (powers that be) hysterical over-reaction...hype and propaganda can make one sensitive, soemtimes over sensitive...and devils advocate can lead to positive bias. It is possible that amongst the betel papers are some that are good science, some that indicate carcinogenicity. Over use of anything, addiction to anything, is not healthful...we just dont know with absolute certainty that areca, on its own, is or isnt carcinogenic. Just because Establsihment science is often biased doesnt mean its always biased. Its a short step to saying all scientists educated in establsihment institutions are brainwashed and incapable of independant thought. I've been brainwashed by social constructivists and cultural relativists...so its too late for me.

I am glad you feel so strongly about deleting offensive material. Feel free to start your own forum if you do not like the rules here. They have worked quite well so far and by and large most censoring that has been done was a good choice in retrospect. It is done judiciously and without altering the sense of the post. You can avoid censoring by simply sticking to the rules. Well, that's the point...I believe I have stuck to the rules. I've done worse than call someone an imbecile or pussy (though, to be nit picky i was 'asking' if sobriquet was an imbecile, and the use of 'pussy' was suppsed to be humorous...albeit dry), and no action was taken against me..so why now? How can one be expected to stick to 'the rules' if they are so plastic? Quite simply, this just isn't fair. Whilst i feel some posts in this thread are more offensive than others, and should have been more specifically addressed, I dont think any need be deleted. But if it's decided that I'm a rule-breaker, then so be it. I'll just take your oh-so-friendly advice and bugger off.