http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/11/19/the-line-is-open Comments On: The line is open by Max Brantley en-us Copyright 2013 Arkansas Times. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Arkansas Times readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Arkansas Times. robert@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Webmaster) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:01 -0500 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:45:00 -0500 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by citizen0001]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:06:21 -0500 Arkansas Times
"The Dust Bowl" was another great documentary from Ken Burns. Even if it's a topic that I may not be especially interested in, it is usually presented so well that it engages. It would be a shame if PBS went away, as that would mean Burns's work would be much less accessible. Perhaps he should do a documentary on The Great Depression next.
Posted by MarcKyle1964]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:02:34 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by plainjim]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:32:34 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by radical centrist]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 01:55:48 -0600 Arkansas Times
They're starting to use Ecstasy to help mend the shattered veterans returning from our many many wars for nothing. It shows to help people with super serious drug addictions. Plus they're finding X to be a very nice thing for terminally ill patients scared and depressed about coming to the end of the line.

In my opinion if we added Ecstasy to our drinking supply most of our social problems would quickly go away. Can't do no hating on X, can't do no robbing on X, can't even kick your dog.

I had one experience with it back in 1995 and I've been pining for more ever since. There's not really a high...there's a total draining of negativity. It's like 3 months of fantastic therapy in 4 or 5 delightful hours. Hours of thinking your parents were wonderful, your life is beautiful and ohmygod....I never noticed what beautiful hands I have! And I felt better for the next month than I had since I was a child.

For reasons yet unknown one silly little pill fixes...well, let's say relieves a lifetime of doubts, worries, hurts, sadness....for a fairly good length of time. It resets your files, it's a vacation from every doubt you ever had about your self or the world. It restoreth my soul....for a while anyway.

I was reminded of all this by a good article that just went up on the NY Times that discusses surprising new uses for a generation X party drug from the 90s. I also thought about the recent push to legalize medical marijuana and recreational marijuana which according to this last election is coming to a future near us.

Why not pay more attention to the benefits of Ecstasy? If you could feel 50 to 75% better for the rest of your life....why not?

Take a gander at the most common effects reported by users:


A general and subjective alteration in consciousness
A strong sense of inner peace and self-acceptance
Diminished aggression, hostility, and jealousy
Diminished fear, anxiety, and insecurity
Extreme mood lift with accompanying euphoria
Feelings of empathy, compassion, and forgiveness toward others
Feelings of intimacy and even love for others
Improved self-confidence
The ability to discuss normally anxiety-provoking topics with marked ease
An intensification of all of the bodily senses (hearing, touch, smell, vision, taste)
Substantial enhancement of the appreciation of music quality
Mild psychedelia, consisting of mental imagery and auditory and visual distortions
Stimulation, arousal, and hyperactivity (e.g., many users get an "uncontrollable urge to dance" while under the influence)
Increased energy and endurance
Increased alertness, awareness, and wakefulness
Increased desire, drive, and motivation
Analgesia or decreased pain sensitivity
Spiritual or mystical experiences

Tell me America doesn't need a big dose of this stuff every couple of weeks instead of or perhaps with a nice glass of Arkansas wine from Altus, Arkansas.

I'm not a druggie but I have had the happiness and relief that Ecstasy brings. One time 17 years ago and on days like today when my body aches and my mind is troubled.....I lust for the calming peace I experienced so many years ago. Misery isn't a character builder, unwanted, out of date baggage brings everyone down. A quiet night of loving the world is a mighty healing thing especially when you catch yourself loving YOU. Let me plant this seed in hopes of a happier future....even if it comes from a pill.
Posted by DeathbyInches]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:41:49 -0600 Arkansas Times
Burns' "The Dust Bowl" was simply excellent and informative. If you missed it AETN should be showing it again.
Posted by eLwood]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:52:11 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by eLwood]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:49:27 -0600 Arkansas Times
eL, This is an interesting chart with more bad news for the Goobers. It turns out that President Obama's "Christian Coalition" is way younger than Romney's. Along with Hispanics, women, blacks, GLBT's and Asians, you can add young Christians to the mix.

http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/…
Posted by the outlier]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:30:43 -0600 Arkansas Times
Let us pray that preacher Weinland will be prepared when Jesus arrives, since he was sentenced last week to 42 months in prison for failing to pay $245,000 in taxes on his $4.4 million income from 2004 through 2007. In addition to his time in the slammer, Weinland has been ordered to pay the $245,000 in back taxes plus a $7,000 fine.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a federal lawsuit last week against the IRS claiming that the IRS violates the Constitution by allowing tax-exempt churches and religious organizations to become increasingly more involved in political campaigns, "blatantly and deliberately flaunting the electioneering restrictions."

This ‘un will be interesting to watch.
Posted by Durango]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:09:28 -0600 Arkansas Times
Rubio’s whole 7-Day-Earth thing is just a blatant appeal to the very base of idiotic religious extremists that lost the election for the GOP.

But what else can they do? Where else can they go?

“We didn’t mean it, over the last 50 years?” “Now we’re all FOR women’s right to choose and stem-cell research and same-sex marriage and legal weed and higher taxes for the super-rich?” “Forget that Democratic administrations historically have the best economic records and gave America our great social safety nets. We’ve seen the light! Trust us.”

The GOP really can’t flip to the future since nobody would believe them. Nobody does anyway, since they’re not very convincing as Christian fundamentalists either. Now, ever since McCain hooked up with that Bering Strait Bimbo, they’re shame-facedly trying to repudiate and expurgate their Tea Party shack-ups.

They’ve placed ALL American voters in the Holly Petraeus role, the lying cheats.

Have you ever met her? Holly’s no Hillary.

Trust me.
Posted by Norma Bates]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:42:09 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by YossarianMinderbinder]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:22:06 -0600 Arkansas Times
"If income tax is the price you have to pay to keep the government on its feet, alimony is the price we have to pay for sweeping a woman off hers."

---Groucho Marx
Posted by Cato]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:21:14 -0600 Arkansas Times
This tells you how out of touch the entire republican party is---not just the mittster. They think they can just put up any brown skinned (well, sort of) man who can roll his r's and the entire Hispanic community will buy in. It's really an insult to the entire Hispanic population. Insulting constituents they need to win is what they do best.
Posted by the outlier]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:19:55 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Goof]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:17:19 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by bopbamboom]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:08:14 -0600 Arkansas Times
Nothing major happening now, but a few long-shots are coming in - Davy Carter, Fred Smith and Cody Belew.
Posted by radical centrist]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:56:46 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Max Brantley]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:51:56 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by sylviat]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:31:26 -0600 Arkansas Times
Here we go again, then. So much for the GOP "modernizing."

Can't wait for the one where she stomps grapes with Mike Huckabee in that vat. Classic!

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/19/rubi…
Posted by Norma Bates]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:10:51 -0600 Arkansas Times
"Notes on the Decline of a Great Nation"
--By SPIEGEL Staff

(most of article is a reiteration of what most of us know but below is a little diddy that caught my attention:)

No System to Protect Against Storm Surges

Although parts of New York City, especially the island of Manhattan, are only a few meters above sea level, the city still has no extensive system to protect itself against storm surges, despite the fact that the sea level has been rising for years and the number of storms is increasing. In the case of Sandy, the weather forecasts were relatively reliable three or four days prior to its arrival, so that the time could have been used to at least make improvised preparations, which did not happen. The only effective walls of sandbags that were built in the city on a larger scale did not appear around power plants, hospitals or tunnel entrances, but around the skyscraper of the prescient investment bank Goldman Sachs.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/…

(If a print instruction pops up on L side just hit the cancel button)
Posted by eLwood]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:18:25 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by eLwood]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:11:21 -0600 Arkansas Times
There was an article in the ADG (really AD as they have nothing in common with the quality or accuracy of the AG) on the Fayetteville school systtem and their grant on a farm-to-school program to buy local. There is one really interesting sentence buried in the later parts of the article that the school person responsible for the menu writes the entire memnu for the whole school year in August about the time that school starts. The new grant will allow them to adjust to available local supplies and they may write the menu as often as 4 times during the 9 months.

Hell, I had no idea what was for dinner when I walked in at 5:30 and will eat a good meal. Really good small restaurants in Europe don't have printed menus but go to the market in the mornings first to see what is available and then come back and write the blackboard menu. We must be a lot "slower" than those in Europe if we have to write the menu for the last full day of school 270 days before. Afterall, how hard is it to write "hamburgers, French fries, mystery vegetable".
Posted by couldn't be better]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:09:36 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by radical centrist]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:04:15 -0600 Arkansas Times
When did some folks forget how to apologize or admit they are wrong? Genetically mis-wired, maybe?
Posted by Sound Policy]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:00:50 -0600 Arkansas Times
rc, you seem to think the CIA is under the State Department. It's my understanding the CIA is an independent agency and does not fall under any other executive branch agency, including State. Do you have information to the contrary? If not, State can't tell the CIA to do diddly squat.
Posted by Sound Policy]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:55:00 -0600 Arkansas Times