Our thoughts form the universe. They *always* matter.

******

The universe speaks in many languages but only in one voice. The language is not Russian or English or French or Japanese or Spanish.

It speaks in the language of hope.

It speaks in the language of trust.

It speaks in the language of reason and the language of sensuality.

It speaks in the language of interaction and the language of creativity.

But always it is the same voice.

It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us,

And the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born.

It is the small, still voice that says: "We are one."

No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the country, no matter the flag: we are one.

No matter the pain, no matter the loss, no matter the darkness, no matter the fear: we are one.

Here gathered together in common cause we agree to recognize this singular truth and this singular rule: that we must interact with one another.

Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost, diminishes us.

We are the voice of the universe, the mind of creation, the spirit of intelligence,

The fire that will light the way to a better future.

We are one... 

******

...Now, if you ever do come aboard, remember one thing: No one there is exactly what they seem. But then, who is...? 

Paraphrased from the dialogue of G'Kar, Babylon 5. (In fond memory of Andreas Katsulas 1946-2006)

Here's another new year; that's another new chance
To remake our lives, you and me;
A world without borders or barriers or bounds

A world some don't want us to see...

Each year I resolve with the strongest intent
To go farther this year than the last.
And to look back and see how far last year I went,
Though distractions distract me so fast!

I did meditation and lay on my bed,

I just started to feel where its at,

With a wonderful warmth round the top of my head,

Then I looked up and saw its the cat.

I threw out my TV! My girlfriend went too,

But that's a good lesson you see;

It was 50” wide, and I think on the side

She was living with it, not with me.

I went low GI and I've lost lots of weight

And now eating whatever I please,

But last night I dreamed I had antlers and wings,

So I really must lay off the cheese.

My new GSR made an interesting noise,

Which I hoped was my mind rearranging,

Then I read the instructions; my genius it seems

Was just that the batteries need changing.

But with this new year I just know I’ll win out,
Just watch how I do and you’ll see!
I’m not going to head for another blowout;
I’ll be cool as I know I can be.

Cos when stupid things beckon, and I’m not so strong,
When I snapback and fall on my ass,
I’ll be thankful again you folks help me along
As you have during all the years past.

I’m so grateful that you’re all here! Happy New Year!

potmouse

Hi dudes,

 a juicy delivery from the forgotten realm this time with... ladies and gentlemen....:

* In the Drugs and Chemicals Section:

D&C Introduction Part II: Synthetic Introduced Chemicals

D&C Introduction Part III: Natural Introduced Chemicals

* In the Methods and Technology Section:

Methods and Technology Intro - Part I: Methods

(and part II is on the way...)

Have fun!

Scalino

“The Tell Tale Brain” by V. S. Ramachandran

http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Tale-Brain-Neuroscientists-Quest-Makes/dp/0393077829

Reviews of “The Tell Tale Brain” (and look who some of the reviewers are!)

The twentieth was the century of physics, with the grand unified theory its quest and goal. The twenty-first is shaping up as the century of neuroscience, with its quest and goal the reaffirmation of human exceptionalism. Boldly asserting, right off the bat, that Homo sapiens is “no mere ape,” Ramachandran tells us why the day of neuroscience has dawned. The discovery of mirror neurons (see Marco Iacoboni’s exciting Mirroring People, 2008) has made a real science out of psychology, for it gives the study of consciousness and the host of mental states contingent on it something physical to theorize about and experiment with. A physician (like Oliver Sacks, a neurologist) as well as a researcher, Ramachandran uses his neurology patients’ predicaments to inspire inquiries into how we see and know, the origins of language, the mental basis of civilization, how we conceive of and assess art, and how the self is constructed. Always careful to point out when he is speculating rather than announcing research findings, he is also prompt to emphasize why his speculations, or theories, are not just of the armchair variety but can be put to the test because of what neuroscience has already discovered about the active structures of the human brain. --Ray Olson

A neurologist as well as a researcher, Ramachandran uses his neurology patients’ predicaments to inspire inquiries into how we see and know, the origins of language, the mental basis of civilization, how we conceive of and assess art, and how the self is constructed. Always careful to point out when he is speculating rather than announcing research findings, he is also prompt to emphasize why his speculations, or theories, are not just of the armchair variety but can be put to the test because of what neuroscience has already discovered about the active structures of the human brain. (Booklist )

Ramachandran has written an astonishing book. His humanity, humor and scientific genius inform every passage. The Tell-Tale Brain is a veritable Voyage of the Beagle through the terrain of brain science and psychology. (Nicholas Humphrey, author of Seeing Red )

A masterpiece. The best of its kind and beautifully crafted. Alluring story telling, building to a penetrating understanding of what it is to be uniquely human. Ramachandran is the foremost pioneer—the Galileo—of neurocognition. (Allan Snyder, FRS, Director of the Centre for the Mind )

No one is better than V. S. Ramachandran at combining minute, careful observation with ingenious experiments and bold, adventurous theorizing. The Tell-Tale Brain is Ramachandran at his best, a profoundly intriguing and compelling guide to the intricacies of the human brain. (Oliver Sacks, author of The Mind’s Eye)

Ramachandran is the modern wizard of neuroscience. In The Tell-Tale Brain, we see the genius at work, tackling extraordinary cases, many of which mark turning points in neuroscientific knowledge. We see him hypothesizing, experimenting, failing, having epiphanies, experimenting, succeeding. In this utterly entertaining account, we see how these fascinating cases fit together, and how he uses them to explain, from a Darwinian point of view, how our brains, though evolved from those of other animals, become neurologically distinct and fundamentally human. (Norman Doidge, M.D., author of The Brain That Changes Itself ).