SeaLand is now Dometic | Dometic – Mobile living made easy.

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Founded in 1984, SeaLand leads the marine industry in sanitation technology.Featuring odor-free performance, easy operation and outstanding efficiency, SeaLands patented VacuFlush technology has become one of the most sought-after sanitation systems for boat manufacturers and boat owners around the world. Acquired by Dometic in 2002, SeaLand is an important part of the Dometic brand portfolio.

The use of fresh-water eliminates the odors associated with raw-water flushing systems, while powerful vacuum action keeps toilet bowl and lines clean and improves holding tank efficiency with only 1 pint (0.5 liter) used per flush.

SeaLand sanitation products enhance the pleasure-boating lifestyle and reinforce SeaLands dedication to keeping the marine environment clean for every living being.

The annual First Watch Clean Water Awards are sponsored by SeaLand and given in tribute to people and organizations that keep boating waters free of pollution.

SeaLand is now sold under the Dometic brand, and the product assortment can be found in the following categories:

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The 3 Types of Quantum Computers and Their Applications

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on March 14, 2016 at 11:42 am

Its an exciting time in computing.

Just days ago, Googles AlphaGo AI took an insurmountable lead in the 3,000 year-old game of Go against the reigning world champion, Lee Sedol. In a five-game series, the score is now 3-1 for the machine with one game left on March 15, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea.

While IBMs Deep Blue beat reigning chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997 by using brute force, Go is a game with more possible moves than atoms in the known universe (literally). Therefore, the technology doesnt yet exist to make such calculations in short amounts of time.

Google had to take a different approach: to beat the grand master, it needed to enable AlphaGo to self-improve through deep learning.

AlphaGos historical decision is a milestone for artificial intelligence, and now the technology community is anxiously waiting to see whats next for AI. Some say that it is beating a human world champion at a real-time strategy game such as Starcraft, while others look to quantum computing technology that could raise the potential power of AI exponentially.

While everyday analog computing is limited to having a single value of either 0 or 1 for each bit, quantum computing uses quantum bits (qubits) that are simultaneously in both states (0 and 1) at the same time.

The consequence of this superposition, as its called, is that quantum computers are able to test every solution of a problem at once. Further, because of this exponential relationship, such computers should be able to double their quantum computing power with each additional qubit.

Image credit: Universe Review

There are three types of quantum computers that are considered to be possible by IBM. Shown in the above infographic, they range from a quantum annealer to a universal quantum.

The quantum annealer has been successfully developed by Canadian company D-Wave, but it is difficult to tell whether it actually has any real quantumness thus far. Google added credibility to this notion in December 2015, when it revealed tests showing that its D-Wave quantum computer was 3,600 times faster than a supercomputer at solving specific, complex problems.

Expert opinion, however, is still skeptical on these claims. Such criticisms also shed light on the major limitation of quantum annealers, which is that they may only be engineered to solve very specific optimization problems, and have limited general practicality.

The holy grail of quantum computing is the universal quantum, which could allow for exponentially faster calculations with more generality.

However, building such a device ends up posing a number of important technical challenges. Quantum particles turn out to be quite fickle, and the smallest interference from light or sound can create errors in the computing process.

Doing calculations at exponential speeds is not very useful when those calculations are incorrect.

IBM highlights just some of the possibilities around universal quantum computers in a recent press release:

A universal quantum computer uses quantum mechanics to process massive amounts of data and perform computations in powerful new ways not possible with todays conventional computers. This type of leap forward in computing could one day shorten the time to discovery for life-saving cancer drugs to a fraction of what it is today; unlock new facets of artificial intelligence by vastly accelerating machine learning; or safeguard cloud computing systems to be impregnable from cyber-attack.

This means that quantum computing could be a trillion dollar market, touching massive future markets such as artificial intelligence, robotics, defense, cryptography, and pharmaceuticals.

However, until a universal quantum can be built, the market remains fairly limited in size and focused on R&D. Quantum computing is expected to surpass a market of $5 billion market by 2020.

As a final note: its worth seeing where quantum computing sits on Gartners emerging technology hype cycle:

Gartner still describes it as being 10 years or more away from reaching the plateau.

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Jeff is the Editor-in-Chief of Visual Capitalist, a media site that creates and curates visuals on business and investing. He has been quoted or featured on Business Insider, Forbes, CNBC, MarketWatch, The Huffington Post, The World Economic Forum, and Fast Company.

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What Is Psoriasis | Psoriasis.com

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It's easy to think of psoriasis as just a "skin condition." But psoriasis actually starts underneath the skin. It is a chronic (long-lasting) disease of the immune system that can range from mild to severe.

Like most chronic illnesses, psoriasis may be associated with other health conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The good news is that there are available treatment options and strategies that can help you live well with psoriasis. Start here by learning as much as you can about psoriasis and exploring it from the inside out.

To fully understand psoriasis, you need to see whats happening underneath the skin.

What you're watching is an example of what happens underneath your skin when you have plaque psoriasis.

While symptoms may appear on the surface of the skin, what you can see is only part of the story.

With normal skin, your body takes about 28 to 30 days to produce new skin cells and shed the old ones.

When your body has plaque psoriasis, your immune system is overactive, triggering skin inflammation and causing skin cells to be produced faster than normal. New skin cells are pushed to the skin's surface in 3 to 4 days instead of the usual 28 to 30.

But your body can't shed the new skin cells at that fast of a rate. So while new skin cells are being produced, the old, dead skin cells pile up on top of each other.

As more and more new skin cells are produced rapidly, the old skin cells are pushed to the surface, forming the thick, red, itchy, flaky patches known as plaques.

The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown.

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List of Psoriasis Medications (207 Compared) – Drugs.com

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clobetasol Rx C N 57reviews

8.0

Generic name:clobetasol topical

Brand names: Clobex, Temovate, Olux, Dermovate, Clobevate, Clodan, Cormax, Cormax Scalp, Embeline, Embeline E, Impoyz, Olux-E, Olux / Olux-E Kit, Temovate E showall

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:adalimumab systemic

Drug class: antirheumatics, TNF alfa inhibitors

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:methotrexate systemic

Brand names: Otrexup, Trexall, Rasuvo

Drug class: antimetabolites, antirheumatics, antipsoriatics, other immunosuppressants

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:ustekinumab systemic

Drug class: interleukin inhibitors

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

6.0

Generic name:triamcinolone topical

Brand names: Kenalog, Aristocort A, Aristocort R, Cinolar, Pediaderm TA, Triacet, Trianex, Triderm showall

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:mometasone topical

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:clobetasol topical

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:fluocinonide topical

Brand names: Fluocinonide-E, Vanos

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, Prescribing Information

6.0

Generic name:calcipotriene topical

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:tazarotene topical

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:triamcinolone systemic

Brand names: Kenalog-40, Kenalog-10, Aristospan, Clinacort showall

Drug class: glucocorticoids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:mometasone topical

Brand name: Elocon

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:acitretin systemic

Drug class: antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:calcipotriene topical

Brand names: Dovonex, Calcitrene, Sorilux

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:betamethasone / calcipotriene topical

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

10

Generic name:clobetasol topical

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

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9.0

Generic name:desonide topical

Brand names: Desonate, DesOwen, LoKara, Verdeso showall

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

6.0

Generic name:prednisone systemic

Drug class: glucocorticoids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

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List of Psoriasis Medications (207 Compared) - Drugs.com

Plaque Psoriasis Causes, Treatment, Symptoms & Diet

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REFERENCES:

Armstrong, April W., et al. "From the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation: Treatment Targets for Plaque Psoriasis." J Am Acad Dermatol Nov. 22, 2016: 1-9.

Burden, A.D. "Management of psoriasis in childhood." Clin Exp Dermatol 24.5 Sept. 1999: 341-5.

Feely, M.A., B.L. Smith, and J.M. Weinberg. "Novel psoriasis therapies and patient outcomes, part 1: topical medications." Cutis 95.3 Mar. 2015: 164-8, 170.

Greb, Jacqueline E., et al. "Psoriasis." Nature Reviews: Disease Primers 2 Nov. 24, 2016: 1-17.

Jensen, J.D., M.R. Delcambre, G. Nguyen, and N. Sami. "Biologic therapy with or without topical treatment in psoriasis: What does the current evidence say?" Am J Clin Dermatol 15.5 Oct. 2014: 379-85.

Kim, Whan B., Dana Jerome, and Jensen Yeung. "Diagnosis and Management of Psoriasis." Canadian Family Physician 63 April 2017: 278-285.

Mansouri, B., M. Patel, and A. Menter. "Biological therapies for psoriasis." Expert Opin Biol Ther 13.13 Dec. 2013: 1715-30.

Maza, A, et al. "Oral cyclosporin in psoriasis: a systematic review on treatment modalities, risk of kidney toxicity and evidence for use in non-plaque psoriasis." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 25 Suppl 2 May 2011: 19-27.

Michalek, I.M., B. Loring, and S.M. John. "A Systematic Review of Worldwide Epidemiology of Psoriasis." JEADV 2016: 1-8.

Paul, C., et al. "Evidence-based recommendations on conventional systemic treatments in psoriasis: systematic review and expert opinion of a panel of dermatologists."J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 25 Suppl 2 May 2011: 2-11.

Sbidian, E., et al. "Efficacy and safety of oral retinoids in different psoriasis subtypes: a systematic literature review." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 25 Suppl 2 May 2011: 28-33.

van de Kerkhof, P.C. "An update on topical therapies for mild-moderate psoriasis." Dermatol Clin 33.1 Jan. 2015: 73-7.

Villaseor-Park, Jennifer, David Wheeler, and Lisa Grandinetti. "Psoriasis: Evolving Treatment for a Complex Disease."Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 79.6 June 2012: 413-423.

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Plaque Psoriasis Causes, Treatment, Symptoms & Diet

Psoriasis Signs and Symptoms – Health

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Psoriasis is a disease that kicks skin-cell production into overdrive. New cells surface in a matter of days, instead of weeks, piling up faster than theyre shed. With plaque psoriasis, the most common type of this skin condition, rapid skin-cell renewal creates scaly, raised patches, called plaques, on the skins surface.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, meaning the bodys own immune system is somehow tricked into attacking healthy cells. In the case of psoriasis, this process causes the skin to become scaly and inflamed.

Why does this happen? Its clear that the genes you inherit play a role, since psoriasis tends to run in families. But even if you have a genetic predisposition, it doesnt mean you will develop the skin condition. Scientists think something in your environmentbe it stress, injury, infection, medication, or weather (particularly extremely cold or dry air)must trigger or worsen symptoms.

RELATED: 18 Famous People With Psoriasis

Every persons psoriasis experience is unique, explains Brian Keegan, MD, PhD, of Windsor Dermatology and the Psoriasis Treatment Center of Central New Jersey. Psoriasis can start slow and can even be difficult to diagnose in its early or limited stages or can present full-blown, affecting more than 20% of the body in a few weeks, he says. Theres no standard or predictable way that this skin condition occurs.

Knowing the signs and symptoms of psoriasis in its many forms may help you recognize this common skin disorder. Dr. Keegan urges psoriasis sufferers to start treatment as soon as possiblebecause ignoring your condition can lead to more serious complications. Left untreated, psoriasis may contribute to issues with your heart, liver, blood vessels, and more, he says. Heres what to look for.

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FAQ | Jitsi

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Featured questions (hide)

How do I get the latest Jitsi source code?

You could either clone the Git repository from GitHub (see Retrieving and Building the Sources for details) or use one of the nightly source snapshots (check the Download page).

Ive discovered a bug, what can I do?

Please, report it to the developers!Take a look at the Reporting bugs guidelines page describing the steps to report bugs effectively.

Where is the user profile directory?

Jitsis user profile directory is where Jitsi keeps its configuration, logs, etc. Its location depends on the operating system.

Where do I find the log files?

The easiest way to get hold of the log files is to save them to a location of your choice using Jitsis GUI. You can do so by clicking on ToolsOptions (JitsiPreferences on OS X), then selecting the Advanced tab and opening the Logging form. Youll see the Archive Logs button in there.

Check out the screenshot for an even better description.

Important Note: When asked for logs, please make sure that you provide the full set of logs, or better yet, the zip that Jitsi generates when following the above instructions. Please do not send separate files or file snippets as those are likely to be insufficient. If you need to provide the logs for a GitHub issue, send them to Dev Mailing List and link to the thread in the archive or create a Gist and link to it. Please DO NOT paste the log as a comment.

Otherwise, if you really want to know, the log files are located in:

Where is the configuration file?

Jitsis main configuration file is called sip-communicator.properties and is in the user profile directory.

How do you spell Jitsi and what does it mean?

The correct spelling of the application name is Jitsi (jitsi also works). The origin of the name is Bulgarian (spelled ). It means wires and the point is that the application allow you to connect to many network and people just as wires do. Of course no one other than Bulgarians is supposed to know what this means and we picked the name mainly because it was short and sounded good.

Id like to see a new feature in Jitsi, can you do that for me?

Yes, developers take feature requests into account. Send an email to the development list with a detailed description of the requested feature. After we examine its feasibility and decide whether it can be included in the Jitsi distributions you would likely be asked to open a ticket in our issue tracker. It is worth mentioning though, that handling feature requests is highly dependent of the developers availability and there is no guarantee that all requests will be satisfied.

How do I subscribe to mailing lists?

Please visit the Mailing Lists page to learn more about Jitsis mailing lists.

How do I contact the project developers?

You can ask questions concerning usage of the Jitsi on the dev mailing list (Note that the mailing lists are moderated, so, unless you subscribe to them, there may be a delay before your post shows up). For all urgent queries you could also use IRC at irc.freenode.net, channel #jitsi.

How do I send a patch?

Mail patches to the dev mailing list, with a subject line that contains the word PATCH in all uppercase, for example

A patch submission should contain one logical change; please dont mix N unrelated changes in one submission, send N separate emails instead.

The patch itself should be generated from within the project root directory using unified diff format. The following example shows one way to generate it:

You should give your patch files meaningful names. For instance if you fix a socket bug in the foo class do not call your patch file patchfile.txt but instead call it foo-socket.patch.

If the patch implements a new feature, make sure to describe the feature completely in your mail; if the patch fixes a bug, describe the bug in detail and give a reproduction recipe. An exception to these guidelines is when the patch addresses a specific issue in the issues database in that case, just make sure to refer to the issue number in your log message.

Note that unless you are describing a change rather than posting one, we would probably need you to sign our contributor agreement as either an individual or a corporation

I would like to update this wiki - what can I do?

Currently, only project developers are permitted to update the wiki. Please send your suggested changes to the dev mailing list.

A wiki page can be updated by appending the string ?action=edit to the current url and refreshing the page. The page will then be displayed with an extra menu line that includes a Page Edit item.

If you click on the Page Edit item, you will be redirected to a logon page. Enter your developer username and password and you should be redirected back to the original page. Click on Page Edit again to access the source content of the page (a quick reference to wiki markup syntax is also displayed).

Why cant I connect to ekiga.net?

NB: the problems described in this section also apply to other providers such as 1und1.de

Short Answer: The ekiga.net SIP servers are configured in a way that prevent Jitsi (and many other SIP user agents for that matter) to register with the service. Please use iptel.org or ippi.com instead.

Slightly Longer Answer: The service at ekiga.net is configured to only accept SIP REGISTER requests that contain a public IP address in their Contact header. This means that registration from Jitsi would fail unless you actually have a public IP address. The Ekiga client circumvents this by using STUN to learn the address and port that have been allocated for the current session. It then uses the pair in the SIP Contact header. This kind of use was common for the first version of the STUN protocol defined in RFC 3489 which was sometimes referred to as classic STUN.

The IETF has since significantly reviewed the way STUN should be used. The new version of the protocol is now defined in RFC 5389 which, among other things, advises against the use of STUN as a standalone NAT traversal utility:

Today STUN represents one of the tools used by complete traversal mechanisms such as SIP OUTBOUND (RFC 5626) or ICE (RFC 5245). Neither of these includes sending a STUN obtained address in a Contact header.

So, where does Jitsi currently stand on all this? At the time of writing, we support the ICE protocol but only use it with XMPP. Use with SIP is likely to come in the near future. The reason we havent implemented it yet is that most SIP servers currently open to use over the Internet, use a technique called latching. When such servers detect you are connecting from behind a NAT, they would start acting as a relay, receiving media from your peers and then forwarding it to you (and vice versa). While this is by far the most reliably way of traversing NATs, it does indeed imply some scalability constraints.

ICE on the other hand would only fall back to relaying if no other way was found to connect the two participants. This is why it is considered as a more optimal solution and why its also on our roadmap.

Note however that the constraints on ekiga.net would continue preventing Jitsi from connecting even when we do implement support for ICE.

Why do I see ICE failed errors when trying to make calls.

Jitsi implements a number of NAT traversal methods as described here. In many situations we will be able to setup a call directly between you and other users but in order to be able to reliably establish calls, your XMPP or SIP provider has to provide relaying capabilities such as TURN, Jingle Nodes or . If looking for services that support these you can try jit.si or ippi. Also note that both you and your partner need to have unhindered outgoing UDP access to the Internet or at least to your VoIP service provider. You DO NOT however need to map any port numbers on your home router. At best this is going to have no effect.

Does Jitsi support STUN? (and how about TURN, UPnP and Jingle Nodes?)

STUN, together with TURN, Jingle Nodes, IPv6 and UPnP, is one of the techniques that Jitsi uses as part of the Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) protocol to handle NAT traversal for calls made over XMPP.

For its SIP calls, Jitsi currently relies on servers to relay media (a technique also known as Hosted NAT Traversal or latching, which would be the case of the majority of the SIP servers used on the Internet today. Note that in terms of reliability Hosted NAT Traversal gives the same results as use of ICE. It even works better in some ways because the connection is setup immediately and no time is waisted for gathering candidates and making connectivity checks. The only downside of HNT is that it may put a strain on SIP providers requiring more bandwidth. This could become a problem especially in environments with a high number of all IP high quality video calls.

It is likely that ICE support for SIP calls would also be added to Jitsi in 2014 especially since this would also help with WebRTC compatibility.

Standalone support for STUN is NOT going to be part of Jitsi. Check out the ekiga entry for more information on the shortcomings of STUN as a standalone NAT traversal utility.

I have a few questions regarding ZRTP, SRTP and VoIP security in general. Where can I find some answers?

Check out our ZRTP FAQ.

Why does my call stay in the Initiating Call status and I can never connect?

A common reason for providers not to respond to calls is that they simply dont get the INVITE request Jitsi sends to them. This can happen if you are using UDP. The Jitsi INVITE requests may often exceed the maximum allowed packet size (MTU) for your network or that of your server. In such cases packets may be fragmented by your IP stack and fragmentation for UDP does not always work well in certain networks. This is what happens when a client supports multiple features ;). To resolve the issue you can do one of the following:

How does on-line provisioning work?

On-line provisioning is the feature that allows Jitsi to connect to an http URI every time it starts and retrieve part or all of its configuration there. On-line provisioning is often used by providers to remotely configure the clients they maintain. It can be used to set any property in Jitsi such as the codecs used, the features that users can manually configure and even protocol accounts.

When requesting its provisioning information Jitsi can transmit any of a number of parameters to the server, like for example: the OS it is running on, user credentials, a unique ID and others. This way the provisioning server can fine-tune the parameters it sends to Jitsi.

For more information, please check our on-line provisioning manual(approve sites)

Are my chat sessions protected and if so, how?

Jitsi supports the OTR encryption protocol. OTR stands for Off-the-Record Messaging and once youve set it up (i.e. clicked on that padlock icon in a chat window and verified the identity of your contact) it allows you to make sure that no one other than you two can read your messages, not even your service provider. You can find more on the OTR mechanisms here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-the-Record_Messaging

Should logging be disabled by default when using OTR?

By default Jitsi stores all chats so that if you need any information from them it would always be available. If you would like to disable this behavior you can currently do so by opening Jitsis Options/Preferences, selecting the General pane and then unchecking the Log chat history option near the top. It is also possible to disable chats for specific contacts, to erase their history. An indicator in the chat window makes it aware at all times whether history is on or off while chatting with someone.

OTR protected chats follow the same pattern and some users have expressed concerns that this might be incompatible with their security expectations. Our position on this is that Jitsis role is to protect your communication. We also strive to offer usability. The current defaults represent these objectives: most people would prefer for their private communication not to be readable by third parties and most of the time people use Jitsi from personal devices where they are in control of the access policy.

In some cases users may wish for their communications not to be stored locally. This can be the case when using Jitsi on devices that others may also have access to. In such cases users need to be able to easily see whether history is being logged. They would also need to easily turn this off and potentially even erase previous history.

Note however that this subject is entirely different from the encryption one. They are separate measures meant to protect you against separate attacks or problems. We dont believe that the need for one would necessarily imply the need for the other. We are hence committed to also keeping that separation in the user interface.

Force SIP Message support.

Some SIP servers (Asterisk in particular) do not announce the MESSAGE support, despite supporting it. If you enable the account property FORCE_MESSAGING, Jitsi will attempt to use MESSAGE for chats, despite your configured SIP server not explicitly announcing this support to connected clients. For example, if your SIP account is john.smith@example.com, go to property editor type that in the search field and look for something like

net.java.sip.communicator.impl.protocol.sip.acc0123456789.ACCOUNT_UID with the value SIP:john.smith@example.com

The property to add in that case would be:

net.java.sip.communicator.impl.protocol.sip.acc0123456789.FORCE_MESSAGING with the value true.

How to add/edit configuration properties.

You can do so by clicking on ToolsOptions (JitsiPreferences on OS X), then selecting the Advanced tab and opening the Property Editor form. There you can search edit/delete or create new properties.

Is there an an Android version of Jitsi?

Yes, but it is still in an early alpha stage and further development has been put on hold until further notice. A lot of the user interface is not yet implemented. You can find the apk on the Download page.

Is there an iPhone/iPad version of Jitsi?

No. Due to the restrictions imposed by the platform it is highly unlikely this answer is going to change.

The cc-buildloop target of ant fails with the following error message: Could not create task or type of type: junitreport.

On some Linux distributions such as Debian, the ant package is actualy subdivided into multiple packages. So when you chose to install junit and ant with the distribution specific package system, dont forget to install ant-optional too.

The cc-buildloop target of ant fails with the following error message: No test with id=IcqProtocolProviderSlick.

Have you created your own accounts.properties file in the lib directory? Youll need to define two ICQ test accounts at least, and preferably some test accounts for the other supported protocols.

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FAQ | Jitsi

TMS – Wholesale

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TMS - Wholesale TMS Wholesale

Welcome to a totally different kind of mortgage lender. At TMS, we speak a different language, we do business in a different way. And everything we do revolves around a single mission: to Grow Happiness. With us, youll know things like Joyitude, the unexpected adjustment in attitude one experiences after discovering it takes as little as 24 hours to get to the underwriting stage. And find out what its like to work with Endorphinators, a term used to describe the TMS loan team, those who provide such exceptional service that it releases a chemical in our clients' brain that causes extreme happiness. Experience the difference today.

This website is intended for the exclusive use of mortgage professionals only and is not for use by consumers. Information contained on this website is not considered an advertisement for consumer credit pursuant to Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. 1026.24. Information, rates, and data are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. All Rights Reserved.

Site pending approval by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

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Ayn Rand, Objectivism – The Atlas Society

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Details February 26, 2015

Ayn Rand is Americas most controversial individualist. She was a bold woman who produced brilliant worksfusing fiction and philosophy. Her best-selling novels, like Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, have sold millions of copies and continue to influence independent thinkers and celebrities the world over, from Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales to Angelina Jolie and Hugh Hefner.

Rand cut a striking figure, with her long-stemmed cigarette holder and intense gaze. Known for her fearless denunciations of irrationalism, Rand issued blistering critiques of powerful leaders, from the Pope to President Nixon. She could not be pigeon-holed as Right or Left, although she was known for her scathing attacks on Communism and all forms of collectivism.

She penned philosophical non-fiction works of such originality and power that she was credited by a small group of stunned intellectuals as having single-handedly solved an ancient philosophical puzzle. Yet the elite of her day refused to accept her as a legitimate philosopher. She derided them and their ideas; they returned the favor.

The new philosophy which she founded through her books andessays is called Objectivism. It is a philosophy that celebrates the power and potential of the individual, and reveals the principles necessary for developing a flourishing

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Eugenics: eugenics, transhumanism and selective breeding

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My parents are a third-world equatorial people who moved to America and became citizens. They then decided to reproduce, and I was born.

Coming from this background, I have hypothesized that the Ashkenazim hired hypothesized genetic psychopath Donald Trump for the position of President to destroy the Caucasians, to bring the remaining independent nations under Ashkenazi control, which are Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Palestine, and Venezuela, and to aggressively facilitate the territorial expansion of Israel. And to create the illusion of Donald Trump being legit, I have hypothesized that the Ashkenazim have been staging all the opposition to Trump, such as the hypothesized staged caravan invasion from Mexico, with the premeditated plan for Trump to send the military to the border, thus creating the public illusion of sincerity. I have also hypothesized that in order to get the Republicans to win the Congressional mid-term elections, the Ashkenazim told Trump to create a fraudulent message on Twitter claiming that he is going to sign an Executive Order criminalizing Birthright Citizenship, but then to not actually ever sign it. The hope of the Ashkenazim was that with the extremely low median IQ of only 100 possessed by the Caucasians, they will be deceived by the fraud.

So, my question is that even though the Ashkenazim have been achieving high relative success, such as by successfully getting Donald Trump to deceive the Caucasians, will their success reduce due to dysgenics and genetic load? Are the Ashkenazim experiencing dysgenics and genetic load, and if they are, how much? Michael A. Woodley of Menie claims that historically, 30 to 50 percent of humans' offspring died before reproducing due to genetic mutations. Did this include the Ashkenazim?

If the Ashkenazim are indeed experiencing dysgenics and genetic load, how many years will it be before they start behaving like Africans?

Unlike most equatorial individuals, I possess a high level of empathy and guilt. As such, I have much sympathy for how the Ashkenazim are suffering from extreme levels of genetic ethnocentrism. To give an example of their ethnocentrism level, if every Ashkenazi person would be guarantied, let's say, one million dollars if they agreed to round up every Gentile child from the ages of one-day old to seventeen years old, place them in containers full of boiling water while they are still alive and conscious, and watch them slowly die as they scream in agonizing pain, calling for their parents and/or gods, the Ashkenazim would agree to do it and would experience zero levels of empathy and guilt. And this is why I have such a high level of empathy for the Ashkenazim - because they are burdened with genes which cause them to display such a high level of psychopathology towards Gentiles. Their ethnocentrism serves as a modulatory switch for psychopathology, turning on the psychopathology when interacting with Gentiles, but turning it off when interacting with fellow Ashkenazi individuals. These ethnocentric neural circuits are formed in the womb due to genes, so the Ashkenazim have no choice about the behaviors they display. And it is for this reason that I become lachrymose when thinking about this Ashkenazi suffering.

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Eugenics: eugenics, transhumanism and selective breeding

Entheogens and Psychedelics including Ayahuasca, LSD, Peyote …

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1.Entheogens & Psychedelics

"'Entheogen' is a word coined by scholars proposing to replace the term 'psychedelic' (Ruck, Bigwood, Staples, Ott & Wasson, 1979), which was perceived to be too socioculturally loaded from its 1960s roots to appropriately denote the revered plants and substances used for traditional sacred rituals.What kinds of plants or chemicals fall into the category of entheogen is a matter of debate, as a large number of inebriants - from tobacco and marijuana to alcohol and opium - have been venerated as gifts from the gods (or God) in different cultures at different times (Fuller, 2000). For the purposes of this paper, however, I will focus on the class of drugs that Lewin (1924/1997) terms 'phantastica,' a name deriving from the Greek word for the faculty of the imagination (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1973). Later these substances became known as hallucinogens or psychedelics, a class whose members include lysergic acid derivatives, psilocybin, mescaline and dimethyltryptamine; these all shared physical, chemical, and, when ingested, phenomenological properties and, more importantly, have a history of ritual use as cultural tools to cure illness and/or to mediate cosmological insight (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1998; Rudgley, 1994, Schultes & Hofmann, 1992;)."

Tupper, Ken, "Entheogens & Education: Exploring the Potential of Psychoactives as Educational Tools," Journal of Drug Education and Awareness, Vol. 1, No. 2, p. 146.https://www.researchgate.net/p...

"Another peculiar effect of these drugs is a dramatic change in perception: it appears to the person as if the eyes (the 'doors of perception') have been cleansed and the person could see the world as new in all respects 'as Adam may have seen it on the day of creation' as Aldous Huxley (1954, p. 17) pointed out in his popular and influential book. This new reality is perceived and interpreted by some individuals as manifestation of the true nature of their mind; hence, the term 'psychedelic' was suggested by Osmond (1957). This interpretation has been embraced not only by professional therapists but also by some segments of the public, and gave rise to the 'Summer of Love' in San Francisco in 1967 with free distribution of LSD. This perception resulted in the formation of numerous cults, communes, and drug-oriented religious groups (Freedman 1968), permeated the lyrics and style of popular music (acid rock), and was viewed by some as one of the contributing sources of the occasional resurgence of popularity of illegal drug use (Cohen 1966, Szra 1968)."

Szra, Stephen, "Are Hallucinogens Psychoheuristic," National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph Series (Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, 1994) NIDA Research Monograph 146, p. 36.http://archives.drugabuse.gov/...

"The term 'hallucinogen' is widely used and understood in both professional and lay circles, in spite of the fact that hallucinations in the strict psychiatric sense of the word are a relatively rare effect of these drugs (Hollister 1962). What is probably the first reference to hallucinations as produced by peyote appears in Louis Lewins book published in 1924 in German and later translated into English with the nearly identical title Phantastica (Lewin 1924, 1964). In this book by the noted German toxicologist, the term 'hallucinatoria' appears as a synonym for phantastica to designate the class of drugs that can produce transitory visionary states 'without any physical inconvenience for a certain time in persons of perfectly normal mentality who are partly or fully conscious of the action of the drug' (Lewin 1964, p. 92). Lewin lists peyotl (also spelled 'peyote') (Anhalonium lewinii), Indian hemp (Cannabis indica), fly agaric (Agaricus muscarius), thornapple (Datura stramonium), and the South American yahe (also spelled 'yage') (Banisteria caapi) as representatives of this class."

Szra, Stephen, "Are Hallucinogens Psychoheuristic," National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph Series (Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, 1994) NIDA Research Monograph 146, p. 34.http://archives.drugabuse.gov/...

"Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic tea originally from the Amazon Basin that is supposedly able to induce strikingly similar visions in people independent of their cultural background. Ayahuasca users commonly claim that this regularity across peoples visions is evidence that their visions are not simply the products of their own brains, but rather are representations of spiritual information learned from plant-spirits that one gains access to by drinking the tea."

Anderson, Brian, ""Entheogenic Visions: The Sacred Union of Word & Image," Undergraduate Humanities Forum, Mellon Research Fellows 2005-2006, Word & Image (Philadelphia, PA: May 5, 2006), pp. 2 and 30.http://repository.upenn.edu/...

"Ayahuasca is a psychedelic decoction made from plants native to the Amazon Basinmost often Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridisand which contains harmala alkaloids and N,Ndimethyltryptamine (DMT), the latter being a controlled substance scheduled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances."

Anderson, B. T.; Labate, B. C.; Meyer, M.; Tupper, K. W.; Barbosa, P. C. R.; Grob, C. S.; Dawson, A. & McKenna, D., "Statement on ayahuasca,". International Journal of Drug Policy (London, United Kingdom: International Harm Reduction Association, March 2012) Vol. 23, No. 2.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...

"On February 21 of this year, 2006, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Centro Esprita Beneficente Unio do Vegetal (the UDV) in the case Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General, et al. Petitioners v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Unio do Vegetal et al. The UDV is now legally allowed to drink ayahuasca (which contains the controlled substance DMT) in their ceremonies here in the US."

Anderson, Brian, ""Entheogenic Visions: The Sacred Union of Word & Image," Undergraduate Humanities Forum, Mellon Research Fellows 2005-2006, Word & Image (Philadelphia, PA: May 5, 2006), pp. 2 and 30.http://repository.upenn.edu/...

"Cross-cultural vegetalismo refers to ayahuasca ceremonies based, to varying degrees, on vegetalismo or equivalent traditions from other regions of the Amazon, but conducted primarily for (and increasingly by) non-Amazonians. Urban centres in the region are presently witnessing a boom in what has been pejoratively characterized as 'ayahuasca tourism' (Dobkin de Rios, 1994; see also Davidov, 2010; Holman, 2011; Razam, 2009), but cross-cultural vegetalismo ceremonies are also increasingly common outside the Amazon (Labate, 2004). Canadians and other foreigners regularly invite indigenous or mestizo Amazonian ayahuasqueros to their home countries to conduct ceremonies for people in the circles and networks of the sponsors friends and acquaintances (Tupper, 2009asee Appendix). Some individuals are undertaking apprenticeships in the vegetalismo tradition to become neo-shamanic practitioners of ayahuasca healing, in a manner similar to how yoga, Buddhist monastic, ayurvedic, or Chinese medicine practices have been taken up by modern Western disciples exogenous to the respective cultures and traditions of origin."

Tupper, Kenneth William, "Ayahuasca, Entheogenic Education & Public Policy," University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC: April 2011), pp. 14-15.http://www.kentupper.com...

"Vegetalismo is a Peruvian Spanish term denoting the folk healing traditions of mestizo curanderos, or healers of mixed indigenous and non-indigenous ancestry who use ayahuasca and other 'master' plants for diagnosis and treatment of illnesses (Beyer, 2009; Dobkin de Rios, 1972; Luna, 1986). Known as ayahuasqueros, such folk healers undergo a rigorous process of initiation and training, requiring adherence to strict dietary and sexual abstinence protocols, and sometimes prolonged isolation in the jungle."

Tupper, Kenneth William, "Ayahuasca, Entheogenic Education & Public Policy," PhD Thesis, University of British Columbia Faculty of Graduate Studies (Educational Studies) (Vancouver, BC: April 2011), pp. 14-15.http://www.kentupper.com...

"Aside from indicating a general lack of harm from the religious use of ayahuasca, biomedical and ethnographic studies have also generated preliminary evidence in support of the therapeutic potentials of ayahuasca or its constituents for alleviating substance dependence (Grob et al., 1996; Labate, Santos, Anderson, Mercante, & Barbosa, 2010) and mood and anxiety disorders (Fortunato et al., 2010; Santos, Landeira-Fernandez, Strassman, Motta, & Cruz, 2007). The study of ayahuasca could thus contribute to advances in ethnopharmacology and the cognitive sciences (Shanon, 2002), yet such studies are severely compromised when these traditions face the threat of legal sanction."

Anderson, B. T.; Labate, B. C.; Meyer, M.; Tupper, K. W.; Barbosa, P. C. R.; Grob, C. S.; Dawson, A. & McKenna, D., "Statement on ayahuasca,". International Journal of Drug Policy (London, United Kingdom: International Harm Reduction Association, March 2012) Vol. 23, No. 2.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...

"LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals. It was discovered in 1938 and is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009).http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide)also known as acid, blotter, doses, hits, microdots, sugar cubes, trips, tabs, or window panes is one of the most potent moodand perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. It is a clear or white, odorless, water-soluble material synthesized from lysergic acid, a compound derived from a rye fungus. LSD is initially produced in crystalline form, which can then be used to produce tablets known as 'microdots' or thin squares of gelatin called 'window panes.' It can also be diluted with water or alcohol and sold in liquid form. The most common form, however, is LSD-soaked paper punched into small individual squares, known as 'blotters.'"

"Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs, including LSD, PCP, Ketamine, Dextromethorphan," National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report Series (Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, 2001), p. 3.http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs in people under the influence of LSD. The user may feel several different emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in large enough doses, the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations. The users sense of time and self is altered. Experiences may seem to cross over different senses, giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes can be frightening and can cause panic. Some LSD users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings of despair, fear of losing control, or fear of insanity and death while using LSD."LSD users can also experience flashbacks, or recurrences of certain aspects of the drug experience. Flashbacks occur suddenly, often without warning, and may do so within a few days or more than a year after LSD use. In some individuals, the flashbacks can persist and cause significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning, a condition known as hallucinogen-induced persisting perceptual disorder (HPPD)."Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not considered an addictive drug since it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior. However, LSD does produce tolerance, so some users who take the drug repeatedly must take progressively higher doses to achieve the state of intoxication that they had previously achieved. This is an extremely dangerous practice, given the unpredictability of the drug. In addition, cross-tolerance between LSD and other hallucinogens has been reported.

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009).https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfro...

"Past-year use of LSD, one of the major drugs in the hallucinogen class, has been hovering for about a decade at its lowest levels recorded by the study (Figure 5-4e). In 2015 the levels of use for students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade were 0.9%, 2.0%, and 2.9%, respectively. Consistent with most other drugs, use increased during the 1990s relapse and peaked in the mid-1990s. It then subsequently declined to its lowest levels ever in the early 2000s, where it has since plateaued."LSD was one of the first drugs to decline at the start of the 1980s, almost surely due to increased information about its potential dangers. The subsequent increase in its use during the mid-1980s may reflect the effects of generational forgettingthat is, replacement cohorts know less than their predecessors about the potential dangers of LSD because they have had less exposure to the negative consequences of using the drug.3"We believe that the decline prior to 2002 might have resulted in part from a displacement of LSD by sharply rising ecstasy use. After 2001, when ecstasy use itself began to decline, the sharp further decline in LSD use likely resulted from a sudden drop in the availability of LSD, because attitudes generally have not moved in a way that could explain the fall in use, while perceived availability has."

Miech, R. A., Johnston, L. D., OMalley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2016). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 19752015: Volume I, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, p. 161. Available at http://monitoringthefuture.org...http://monitoringthefuture.org...

"Our results indicate that this population of sexually active female adolescents and young adults have similar rates of lifetime use of LSD (13%) as reported in other surveys,1,30 and half of these young women report using LSD one or more times in the last year. Prior data suggests that the use of hallucinogens by African Americans is virtually nonexistent across all ages of adolescents and young adults.2,9 In fact, we found that none of our African American young women reported using LSD. However, the proportion of African Americans who reported using marijuana was much greater than either caucasian or Mexican American women."

Rickert, Vaughn I.; Siqueira, Lorena M.; Dale, Travis; and Wiemann, Constance M., "Prevalence and Risk Factors for LSD Use among Young Women," Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (Washington, DC: North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, April 2003) Volume 16, Issue 2, p. 72.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...http://www.jpagonline.org/...

"The effects of LSD depend largely on the amount taken. LSD causes dilated pupils; can raise body temperature and increase heart rate and blood pressure; and can cause profuse sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009).https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfro...

"Chemist Albert Hofmann, working at the Sandoz Corporation pharmaceutical laboratory in Switzerland, first synthesized LSD in 1938. He was conducting research on possible medical applications of various lysergic acid compounds derived from ergot, a fungus that develops on rye grass. Searching for compounds with therapeutic value, Hofmann created more than two dozen ergot-derived synthetic molecules. The 25th was called, in German, Lyserg-Sure-Dithylamid 25, or LSD-25."

"Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs, including LSD, PCP, Ketamine, Dextromethorphan," National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report Series (Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, 2001), p. 3.http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"The physiological effects of this powerful drug have been well documented. These effects can be grouped into five general areas of action: LSD works on the sympathetic nervous system (which is involved in regulation of heart muscle, smooth muscle and glandular organs in a response to stressful situations); the motor system (which is involved in carrying out limb movements); the affective states; thought processes; and it has profound effects upon the sensory and perceptual experience.

"LSD is a semisynthetic preparation originally derived from ergot, an extract of the fungus Claviceps purpurea, which grows as a parasite on rye wheat. The dosage that is required to produce a moderate effect in most subjects is 1 to 3mcg per kilogram of body mass, and the effects can last from seven to 10 hours (Bowman & Rand 1980).

"Stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system following LSD ingestion can lead to effects such as hypothermia with piloerection (hairs standing on end, such as can be found in reports of religious ecstasy), sweating, increased heart rate with palpitations, and elevation of blood pressure and blood glucose levels. These reactions of the autonomic nervous system are not as significant as other effects upon the body: action on the motor system can lead to increased activity of monosynaptic reflexes (such as the knee-jerk response), an increase in muscle tension, tremors, and muscular incoordination. This latter effect of muscular incoordination is also a symptom of religious ecstasy in many cultures, where the worshipper has such a profound feeling of love of God that he is said to be 'intoxicated by God.'"

Goodman, Neil, "The Serotonergic System and Mysticism: Could LSD and the Nondrug-Induced Mystical Experience Share Common Neural Mechanisms?" Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (San Francisco, CA: Haight Ashbury Publications, July-September 2002), Vol. 34, No. 3, p. 266.http://www.cnsproductions.com/...

"Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not considered an addictive drug since it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior. However, LSD does produce tolerance, so some users who take the drug repeatedly must take progressively higher doses to achieve the state of intoxication that they had previously achieved. This is an extremely dangerous practice, given the unpredictability of the drug. In addition, cross-tolerance between LSD and other hallucinogens has been reported."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009).http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"Peyote is a small, spineless cactus in which the principal active ingredient is mescaline. This plant has been used by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of religious ceremonies. Mescaline can also be produced through chemical synthesis."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"The top of the peyote cactus, also referred to as the crown, consists of disc-shaped buttons that are cut from the roots and dried. These buttons are generally chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid. The hallucinogenic dose of mescaline is about 0.3 to 0.5 grams, and its effects last about 12 hours. Because the extract is so bitter, some individuals prefer to prepare a tea by boiling the cacti for several hours."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"The long-term residual psychological and cognitive effects of mescaline, peyotes principal active ingredient, remain poorly understood. A recent study found no evidence of psychological or cognitive deficits among Native Americans that use peyote regularly in a religious setting.2 It should be mentioned, however, that these findings may not generalize to those who repeatedly abuse the drug for recreational purposes. Peyote abusers may also experience flashbacks."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"Its effects can be similar to those of LSD, including increased body temperature and heart rate, uncoordinated movements (ataxia), profound sweating, and flushing. The active ingredient mescaline has also been associated, in at least one report, to fetal abnormalities."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is obtained from certain types of mushrooms that are indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mexico, and the United States. These mushrooms typically contain less than 0.5 percent psilocybin plus trace amounts of psilocin, another hallucinogenic substance."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"Mushrooms containing psilocybin are available fresh or dried and are typically taken orally. Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and its biologically active form, psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), cannot be inactivated by cooking or freezing preparations. Thus, they may also be brewed as a tea or added to other foods to mask their bitter flavor. The effects of psilocybin, which appear within 20 minutes of ingestion, last approximately 6 hours."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"The active compounds in psilocybin-containing 'magic' mushrooms have LSD-like properties and produce alterations of autonomic function, motor reflexes, behavior, and perception.3 The psychological consequences of psilocybin use include hallucinations, an altered perception of time, and an inability to discern fantasy from reality. Panic reactions and psychosis also may occur, particularly if a user ingests a large dose. Long-term effects such as flashbacks, risk of psychiatric illness, impaired memory, and tolerance have been described in case reports."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"[Psilocybin] can produce muscle relaxation or weakness, ataxia, excessive pupil dilation, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. Individuals who abuse psilocybin mushrooms also risk poisoning if one of many existing varieties of poisonous mushrooms is incorrectly identified as a psilocybin mushroom."

NIDA InfoFacts, "Hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP" National Institute on Drug Abuse (Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, June 2009)http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites...

"Overall, the present study shows that psilocybin can dose-dependently occasion mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior. The observations that episodes of extreme fear, feeling trapped, or delusions occur at the highest dose in almost 40% of volunteers, that anxiety and fear have an unpredictable time course across the session, and that an ascending sequence of dose exposure may be associated with long-lasting positive changes have implications for the design of therapeutic trials with psilocybin. Considering the rarity of spontaneous mystical experiences in the general population, the finding that more than 70% of volunteers in the current study had 'complete' mystical experiences suggests that most people have the capacity for such experiences under appropriate conditions and, therefore, such experiences are biologically normal."

Griffiths, Roland R.; Johnson, Matthew W.; Richards, William A.; Richards, Brian D.; McCann, Una; and Jesse, Robert, "Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects," Psychopharmacology (Heidelberg, Germany: May 2011), p. 16.http://link.springer.com/artic...

"Today, the medical value of hallucinogens is again being examined in formal psychiatric settings. One substance under investigation is psilocybin, 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, which occurs in nature in various species of mushrooms. Psilocybin is rapidly metabolized to psilocin, which is a potent agonist at serotonin 5-HT1A/2A/2C receptors, with 5-HT2A receptor activation directly correlated with human hallucinogenic activity.16 Psilocybin was studied during the 1960s to establish its psychopharmacological profile; it was found to be active orally at around 10 mg, with stronger effects at higher doses, and to have a 4- to 6-hour duration of experience. Psychological effects were similar to those of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), with psilocybin considered to be more strongly visual, less emotionally intense, more euphoric, and with fewer panic reactions and less chance of paranoia than LSD."17,18

Grob, Charles S.; Danforth, Alicia L.; Chopra, Gurpreet S.; Hagerty, Marycie; McKay, Charles R.; Halberstadt, Adam L.; Greer, George R., "Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer, "Archives of General Psychiatry," (Chicago, IL: American Medical Association, January 2011), Volume 68, Number 1, p. 71.http://www.scribd.com/doc/3703...

"An important finding of the present study is that, with careful volunteer screening and preparation and when sessions are conducted in a comfortable, well-supervised setting, a high dose of 30 mg/70 kg psilocybin can be administered safely. . It is also noteworthy that, despite meetings and prior sessions with monitors ranging from 8 h (when psilocybin was administered on the first session) up to 24 h (when psilocybin was administered on the third session) of contact time, 22% (8 of 36) of the volunteers experienced a period of notable anxiety/dysphoria during the session, sometimes including transient ideas of reference/paranoia. No volunteer required pharmacological intervention and the psychological effects were readily managed with reassurance. The primary monitor remained accessible via beeper/phone to each volunteer for 24 h after each session, but no volunteer called before the scheduled follow-up meeting on the next day. The 1-year follow-up is ongoing but has been completed by most volunteers (30 of 36). In that follow-up, an open-ended clinical interview reflecting on the study experiences and current life situation provides a clinical context conducive to the spontaneous reporting of study-associated adverse events. To date, there have been no reports of persisting perceptional phenomena sometimes attributed to hallucinogen use or of recreational abuse of hallucinogens, and all participants appear to continue to be high-functioning, productive members of society."

Griffiths, R. R.; Richards, W. A.; McCann, U.; Jesse, R., " Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance,"Psychopharmacology (Heidelberg, Germany: August 2006), Volume 187, Number 3, p. 281.http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org...

"Our investigations provided no cause for concern that administration of PY [psilocybin] to healthy subjects is hazardous with respect to somatic health. However, as our data revealed tendencies of PY to temporarily increase blood pressure, we advise subjects suffering from cardiovascular conditions, especially untreated hypertension, to abstain from using PY or PY-containing mushrooms. Furthermore, our results indicate that PY-induced ASC [altered states of consciousness] are generally well tolerated and integrated by healthy subjects. However, a controlled clinical setting is needful, since also mentally stable personalities may, following ingestion of higher doses of PY, transiently experience anxiety as a consequence of loosening of ego-boundaries."

Hasler, Felix; Grimberg, Ulrike; Benz , Marco A.; Huber, Theo; and Vollenweider, Franz, "Acute psychological and physiological effects of psilocybin in healthy humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled doseeffect study," Psychopharmacology (Heidelberg, Germany: March 2004) Volume 172, Number 2, p. 151.http://www.beckleyfoundation.o...

"Despite the limitations, this study demonstrates that the careful and controlled use of psilocybin may provide an alternative model for the treatment of conditions that are often minimally responsive to conventional therapies, including the profound existential anxiety and despair that often accompany advanced-stage cancers. A recent review from the psilocybin research group at Johns Hopkins University describes the critical components necessary for ensuring subject safety in hallucinogen research.36 Taking into account these essential provisions for optimizing safety as well as adhering to strict ethical standards of conduct for treatment facilitators, the results provided herein indicate the safety and promise of continued investigations into the range of medical effects of hallucinogenic compounds such as psilocybin."

Grob, Charles S.; Danforth, Alicia L.; Chopra, Gurpreet S.; Hagerty, Marycie; McKay, Charles R.; Halberstadt, Adam L.; Greer, George R., "Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer, "Archives of General Psychiatry," (Chicago, IL: American Medical Association, January 2011), Volume 68, Number 1, p. 77.http://www.scribd.com/doc/3703...

"Salvia divinorum is a perennial herb in the mint family native to certain areas of the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant, which can grow to over three feet in height, has large green leaves, hollow square stems and white flowers with purple calyces, can also be grown successfully outside of this region. Salvia divinorum has been used by the Mazatec Indians for its ritual divination and healing. The active constituent of Salvia divinorum has been identified as salvinorin A. Currently, neither Salvia divinorum nor any of its constituents, including salvinorin A, are controlled under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA)."

Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, "Salvia Divinorum and Salvinorin A," (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, October 2013).https://www.deadiversion.usdoj...

"Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive plant that can induce dissociative effects and is a potent producer of visual and other hallucinatory experiences. By mass, salvinorin A, the psychoactive substance in the plant, appears to be the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen. Its native habitat is the cloud forests in Mexico. It has been consumed for hundreds of years by local Mazatec shamans, who use it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions.57 It is also used in traditional medicine at lower doses as a diuretic to treat ailments including diarrhoea, anaemia, headaches and rheumatism. Effects include various psychedelic experiences, including past memories (e.g. revisiting places from childhood memory), merging with objects and overlapping realities (such as the perception of being in several locations at the same time).58 In contrast to other drugs, its use often prompts dysphoria, i.e. feelings of sadness and depression, as well as fear. In addition, it may prompt a decreased heart rate, slurred speech, lack of coordination and possibly loss of consciousness.59"

UNODC, World Drug Report 2013 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.13.XI.6), p. 66.https://www.unodc.org/unodc/se...

"Consistent with results from nonhuman animal research (Mowry et al.,2003), the present results suggest a safe physiological profile for salvinorin A at the studied doses, under controlled conditions, and in psychologically and physically healthy hallucinogen-experienced participants. Salvinorin A produced no significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure; no tremor was observed; and no adverse events were reported. Participants tolerated all doses. However, because of the small sample and the healthy, hallucinogen-experienced status of participants, conclusions regarding safety are limited."

Johnson, Matthew W.; MacLean, Katherine A.; Reissig, Chad R.; Prisinzano, Thomas E.; Griffiths, Roland R., "Human sychopharmacology and dose-effects of salvinorin A, a kappa opioid," Drug and Alcohol Dependence (Philadelphia, PA: The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, December 3, 2010), p. 4-5.http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

"The putative primary psychoactive agent in SD [Salvia divinorum] is a structurally novel KOR [kappa opioid receptor] agonist named salvinorin A (Ortega et al., 1982; Valds et al., 1984). Consistent with KOR agonist activity, users describe SD in lay literature as hallucinogenic: it produces perceptual distortions, pseudo-hallucinations, and a profoundly altered sense of self and environment, including out-of-body experiences (Aardvark, 1998; Erowid, 2008; Siebert, 1994b; Turner, 1996). SD therefore appears to have the potential to elucidate the role of the KOR receptor system in health and disease (Butelman et al., 2004; Chavkin et al., 2004; Roth et al., 2002)."

Baggott, Matthew J.; Earth Erowid; Fire Erowid; Galloway, Gantt P.; Mendelson, John, "Use patterns and self-reported effects of Salvia divinorum: An internet-based survey," Drug and Alcohol Dependence (Philadelphia, PA: College on Problems of Drug Dependence, October 2010), p. 2.http://www.maps.org/w3pb/new/2...http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...

"There was little evidence of dependence in our survey population. At some point, 0.6% (3 people) felt addicted to or dependent upon SD, while 1.2% (6) reported strong cravings for SD. The DSM-IV-R psychiatric diagnostic system in the United States classifies people as drug dependent based on seven criteria. Of the three who reported feelings of addiction or dependence on SD, only one endorsed any DSM-IV criteria (strong cravings and using more SD than planned). When asked about these signs and symptoms individually, 2 additional respondents (0.4%) reported three dependence criteria. None of these individuals reported more than 2 of 13 after-effects characteristic of mu-opioid withdrawal (such as increased sweating, gooseflesh, worsened mood, and diarrhea)."

Baggott, Matthew J.; Earth Erowid; Fire Erowid; Galloway, Gantt P.; Mendelson, John, "Use patterns and self-reported effects of Salvia divinorum: An internet-based survey," Drug and Alcohol Dependence (Philadelphia, PA: College on Problems of Drug Dependence, October 2010), p. 4.http://www.maps.org/w3pb/new/2...

"A tripwire question asks about use of salvia (or salvia divinorum) in the last 12 months. Salvia is an herb with hallucinogenic properties, common to southern Mexico and Central and South Americas. Although it currently is not a drug regulated by the Controlled Substances Act, several states have passed legislation to regulate its use, as have several countries. The Drug Enforcement Agency lists salvia as a drug of concern and has considered classifying it as a Schedule I drug, like LSD or marijuana. Annual prevalence of this drug has been in a steady decline, and in 2015 levels were only 0.7%, 1.2%, and 1.9% among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, respectively."

Miech, R. A., Johnston, L. D., OMalley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2016). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 19752015: Volume I, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, p. 93. Available at http://monitoringthefuture.org...http://monitoringthefuture.org...

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Entheogens and Psychedelics including Ayahuasca, LSD, Peyote ...

Erowid Psychoactive Vaults : Term Definitions

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ENTHEOGENtheo=god, spiritgen=creation

Substances which generate god or spirit within. Peyote or psilocybin mushrooms are traditional examples of this.

(from Entheogens and the Future of Religion)

Carl A.P. Ruck, Danny Staples, Jeremy Bigwood and I, in collaboration with Wasson, proposed the neologism entheogen[ic] in 1973, as a term "appropriate for describing states of shamanic and ecstatic possession induced by ingestion of mind-altering drugs." Noting that shamanic inebriants did not provoke hallucinations or other psychiatric pathologies, we deemed hallucinogen[ic], psychotomimetic and its congeners to be pejorative, prejudicing "transcendent and beatific states of communion with deity" characteristic of traditional use of visionary drugs. We noted that, besides being pejorative outside of the counterculture, psychedelic was "so invested with connotations of the popculture of the 1960s that it is incongruous to speak of a shaman's taking a 'psychedelic' drug."

Entheogen[ic] (literally 'becoming divine within') was derived from an obsolete Greek word describing religious communion with visionary drugs, prophetic seizures and erotic passion, and is cognate with the common word enthusiasm. Since the neologism is apposite to traditional contexts of use of shamanic inebriants, it has met with an enthusiastic reception by ethnographers and historians, and has appeared in print in all of the major European languages, plus Catalin. Entheogen[ic] has now become the primary term for shamanic inebriants in the Spanish-speaking world, and bids fair to become the predominant term for these drugs in the ethnographic and ethnopharmacognostical literature worldwide.

Although we have thus elegantly solved the problem of a culturally-appropriate, non-pejorative term to describe the context of use of these drugs, the phytochemists and pharmacologists have yet to agree on a term to categorize their pharmacological action. There is no facile chemical classification, as many structural types of alkalolds, terpenoids, amino acids, even coumarins are psychoactive in various shamanic inebriants. Similarly, there is considerable pharmacological variability within this class of drugs. Hallucinogen[ic] remains the predominant term for the older generation of scientists, despite the fact that most of these drugs usually do not produce hallucinations in the clinical sense.

Psychedelic is still much used by younger scientists, but generally only in reference to drugs with effects like LSD or mescaline; while important shamanic inebriants like the mushroom Amanita muscaria(l. ex Fr.) Pers. ex Gray, the mint Salvia divinorum Epling et Jativa, tobacco (the shamanic drug of the Americas par excellence)-- all likewise used culturally as entheogens--are said not to evoke psychedelic effects. Although we may presently speak of all these shamanic 'plant-teachers' as entheogenic drugs or as entheogens, we as yet have no single word to describe their pharmacological effects, and must still have recourse to cumbersome binomials, like visionary effects, ecstatic effects, etc.; and we might just as well resurrect the obscure, but quite elegant, term psychoptic: 'producing mental or spiritual vision.'

Definition of "Entheogen"by R. Gordon Wasson

ENTHEOGEN nov. verb.: 'God within us', those plant substances that, when ingested, give one a divine experience, in the past commonly called 'hallucinogens', 'psychedelics', 'psychotomimetics', etc etc, to each of which serious objections can be made. A group headed by the Greek scholar Carl A.P. Ruck advances 'entheogen' as fully filling the need, notably catching the rich cultural resonances evoked by the substances, many of them fungal, over vast areas of the world in proto- and prehistory. See Journal of Psychedelic Drugs Vol 11.1-2, 1979, pp 145-6. We favor the adoption of this word. Early Man, throughout much of Eurasia and the Americas, discovered the properties of these substances and regarded them with profound respect and even awe, hedging them about with bonds of secrecy. We are now rediscovering the secret and we should treat the 'entheogens' with the respect to which they were richly entitled. As we undertake to explore their role in the early history of religions, we should call them by a name unvulgarized by hippy abuse."

Substances which cause or help one to identify with the feelings of others or feel a sense of connectedness with others. MDMA is a good example.

The term was originally coined by Dave Nichols (co-founder of the Heffter Institute) to refer to substances which generate a sense of "the touch within". Again, a good examples of this would be MDMA. Entactogen is used interchangeably with empathogen, by some. However, the literal derivation of the word --to create or causes a change in the sense of touch--has also led to the word being used to describe substances which affect an individual's physical sensations of touch.

Literally, substances which cause dreams. . . or which cause changes in or effect to dreams.

Describes substances that, to some measure, duplicate the symptoms of mental illness and, as such, might serve as exploratory tools in the study of some forms of psychosis and sensory disorder.-- from TIHKAL

Substances which create sensory experiences in the mind (cause hallucinations).

Coined by Humphry Osmond in his 1957 article "A Review of the Clinical Effects of Psychotomimetic Agents".

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Erowid Psychoactive Vaults : Term Definitions

NASA Earth Science | Science Mission Directorate

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Send us your questions about the Decadal Survey.

NASAs Earth Science Division (ESD) missions help us to understand our planets interconnected systems, from a global scale down to minute processes. Working in concert with a satellite network of international partners, ESD can measure precipitation around the world, and it can employ its own constellation of small satellites to look into the eye of a hurricane. ESD technology can track dust storms across continents and mosquito habitats across cities.

ESD delivers the technology, expertise and global observations that help us to map the myriad connections between our planets vital processes and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused changes.

Using observations from satellites, instruments on the International Space Station, airplanes, balloons, ships and on land, ESD researchers collect data about the science of our planets atmospheric motion and composition; land cover, land use and vegetation; ocean currents, temperatures and upper-ocean life; and ice on land and sea. These data sets, which cover even the most remote areas of Earth, are freely and openly available to anyone.

The four program elements of ESD design the science and technology, launch airborne and space missions, analyze the data and observations, and develop ways to put the information to use for societal benefit. ESD also sponsors research and extends science and technology education to learners of all ages, inspiring the next generation of explorers.

More than collecting the data, however, ESD works with government and commercial partners in the U.S. and internationally to put that unique information to work as we explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard the future for people all over the world. Earth science research also helps advance space exploration by helping scientists recognize the basic markers for life across the universe.

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NASA Earth Science | Science Mission Directorate

Top 5 Online Gambling Sites – Play for Real Money in 2018

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Enjoy the Most Trustworthy Gambling at Online Casinos

Looking for the top US online gambling sites in 2018? Over the last few years, the global online casino and betting market has exploded. Today, there are hundreds of options for players across the world, from internet poker sites to great online and mobile casinos like the #1-ranked .

Whether you're playing on a desktop or on the move with a mobile, we have a definitive guide to the biggest and best online gambling sites around. US players can play for real money or just give an exciting casino game a try and play for free. Many casinos also offer a healthy welcome bonus when you sign up which is perfect for giving your bankroll a lift.

On this page you will be able to:

Top Rated Casino

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1

For each and every casino that we rate, review and verify, we perform a background check to ensure that they all have some kind of verified licence which compels them to adhere to the standards of fair play. We also like to know that each and every casino site is secure and has fully encrypted software, secured over SSL. Finally, we perform a background check on the company to see where it's registered, and we investigate their online presence.

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Perhaps one of the most important things for us to consider in an online casino, is the ease of making a deposit. We want to ensure that each casino site we recommend has a variety of deposit methods and it is easy to deposit funds there. In this step, we also contact the customer support of the site. We want to know for our own peace of mind that they respond quickly and have the answers to some key industry questions that we ask.

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From there, it's important that we experience exactly what the customer would experience. We play a variety of slot and table games, both for free and at real money online casinos. We try our best to win on as many games as possible and then cash out, measuring how quick and easy it is to get our money out of the gambling site as well as how long it takes for the money to reflect in a variety of bank accounts and e-wallets.

In the final step of our review process, we carefully score the online casino on the above criteria and then write a detailed review about our findings and score individual sections of each casino. We then put them on our site in a list and display both the positive and negative points on each review along with important information you'll need to know. We have an ever changing list of top casinos as well as blacklisted casinos that we check and review every 3 months so that everything is kept up to date.

8.2

What game do you want to play most?

We know how important it is to only play at the best online gambling sites and casinos out there. That's why we have a strict set of criteria that each US site must meet before we recommend them to our readers.

Along the way, we've stumbled across a few bad eggs. Some are so bad that they've made their way onto our blacklist. Discover a collection of the worst sites we've come across with our handy links. Each of our 'must avoid' websites feature slow payments, lousy customer support, and terrible security:

4.2 / 10

3.1 / 10

2.3 / 10

Our Top Recommended Casinos

Find out how to play or improve your skills and discover everything you need to wager and win on the most popular online casino games.

Online gambling sites offer superior entertainment to playing in a land-based casino. Perhaps you live in an area miles away from a gambling mecca like Las Vegas or even just your nearest casino, or you live in a country where land-based gambling just isn't available.

The truth is that in most countries, even a big land-based casino can't compete with what online casinos and gambling sites have to offer. Internet gambling can provide hassle-free sign-ups, super-quick banking, and a choice of games you won't find in a live setting. After all, how many brick 'n mortar casinos near you offer hundreds of slots and table games, and low stakes that cater for casual gamblers?

A Better Range of Games: That's where gambling online really comes into its own. You can choose from a huge selection of games and try many titles out for free first. Many casinos even have sportsbooks, bingo and poker rooms attached. Funds can easily be transferred from one tab to another, giving real-money players in the USA even more choice. All players have to do is log into their favorite casino website to be able to play hundreds of slots games, craps, baccarat, video poker, blackjack, roulette, faro, keno and more for real money.

Big Bonuses: Next, online gambling rooms on the web offer lucrative welcome bonuses to new players. These bonuses offer hundreds of dollars, pounds or Euros in free cash, just for playing your favourite games. You may even get some free spins on the latest slot, which is a great way of earning real money without spending a penny.

Great Security: Finally, all online gambling casinos abide by the strictest security standards. All regulated online gambling sites use industry-standard 128-bit or higher encryption to protect players. They will even have independent auditors in place to test the software before it hits the market. Auditors also make sure that a casino site's payouts are accurate on a regular basis.

To ensure you make the most out of your real-money casino gaming, we asked our expert reviewers for five handy top tips.

Use A Trusted US Site - Don't hand over a Euro, pound, or dollar until you've established that you're on a licensed casino site that is independently audited to provide fair games, and which meets all of the industry standards for quality.

Boost Your Bankroll With A Bonus - Kick-start your gaming with some extra cash. It will make your money go further to have a bigger sum to start with, and if you find play-through requirements relevant to your gaming preferences then you can make your real-cash online gaming go even further.

Pick The Games You Love - Whether it's poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, or slots that you enjoy, you want to make sure your money goes on your favourite games. It's important to shop around for the sites with the best choices available online before you start laying down your own money.

Choose The Best Payment Options - Some banking options for internet gambling are free to use. They also provide quick deposits and withdrawals where you live. Always check whether your local currency is available, and make sure you are eligible to make real-money transactions where you are. There may also be some form of ID verification process before a withdrawal is authorised.

Try An International Site - Don't just stick to the casinos open to you locally, there are some fantastic online casinos based overseas that are available to players in your country. They should still have respectable licenses, of course, and be available in a language that's right for you.

Find Top Online Gambling Apps For Mobile - Tablet and smartphone gamers can enjoy comprehensive real-money online casino gambling for Android and iOS devices. Pick the right gambling sites that offer no-hassle download apps and instant-play games through your smartphone.

Our online gambling experts select the greatest websites just for you. But to make it into our top rankings, sites have to pass our strict tests:

Reliability & Security - All of our top picks for gambling online come with proper licenses from respected jurisdictions. The best sites are licensed in places like Malta, Gibraltar, Alderney or the UK. Security is also a big concern. We look for signs that betting sites have proper encryption practices in place before players start gambling there.

Range Of Games - How many betting markets does a site have? Is the casino well-stocked with slots and table games, and is that poker room full of tournaments? We examine all of the best online gambling sites to make sure they offer plenty of games.

Deposits & Withdrawals - Getting your money in and out quickly and safely is vital when you are gambling online. That's why all of our rooms offer a range of banking options in lots of currencies. Whether you're wanting to move your money with a credit card, debit card or e-wallet, our online gambling sites will cater for you.

Customer Support - Everyone gets stuck sometimes. Perhaps your withdrawal request is taking a long time, or you feel the bonuses aren't strong enough. Customer service should be available by Live Chat, swift email, or even freephone. We check all of the available methods with a range of potential problems.

Spread of Bonuses and Promotions - All online gambling operators offer bonuses to draw players in. Welcome bonuses can be generous, even on sportsbetting sites, but they require different wagering, or "play through", amounts.

Ongoing promotions and VIP schemes should also be generous and open to US players on all budgets. We test out all our top gambling sites with our own real cash to make sure those bonuses really deliver.

In 2018, it's possible to win real money by betting on gambling sites via your smartphone or tablet. Gamblers across the globe can log in to a gaming account on their phones and access the best in sportsbooks, table games, and slots.

Touch-screen games are adapted especially for your smaller screen. Tables and game-screens look very similar to their online cousins, but you may miss some of the features normally found on a desktop version.

And it doesn't matter whether you're on Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone: there will be a native app or "instant-play" site just for you.

The best slots and table games load in seconds, and you can even make real-cash deposits with a swipe of the finger. Sites are reconfigured for your smaller touch-screen but with minimal disruption. Slots and table games work in HTML5 or Flash, while poker players can compete against the same opponents as at an online client.

Apple iOS: In general, US players on an iPhone or iPad can find and download apps from the App Store. Alternatively, download straight from the casino website where you see the Apple logo. Apple devices have traditionally had a huge problem with Adobe Flash, but with dedicated apps or HTML5 slots and table games, you shouldn't have any issues.

Android: Android KitKat users and above can usually find download apps too by visiting the Google Play Store or visiting the casino or betting site direct. Whether you have a Samsung Galaxy, Kindle Fire Tablet, or HTC phone, you're in luck.

Windows Phone: Windows users are growing all the time. While Windows 8 has been rightly slated, devices like the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL and excellent Surface Pro can be used to gamble seamlessly online. You won't find too many Windows apps, but Windows mobile OS supports HTML5, Java, or Flash - whatever software is used to power instant-play games.

BlackBerry: BlackBerry have powered back from the doldrums with a series of exciting phones like the Bold Touch 9900 and BlackBerry Priv. Their new range of touch-screen devices will power many instant-play casinos and gambling sites. BlackBerry even handles Android so you can sometimes access games that way.

Our team is made up of industry experts that have been gambling online since the early slots first came out. They have been betting their own money on roulette, poker and sports since the late 1990s. That means they are perfectly placed to rate and review the best sites in the US, Europe, and beyond.

Players across the globe can rest assured that the online gambling casinos featured on our site have rated extremely high for safety, security, quality of software, range of games and markets offered, and quality of the welcome bonus.

Whether you're into poker cash games, slots tournaments, or football betting, we have a top selection of gambling sites on the net. Dip into your virtual wallet and discover the best the USA has to offer in online gambling for real money.

Want To Play Now? Try The Top US Casino Now!

What is Online Gambling?

Online gambling is playing risk-based games over the internet in the hopes of winning more than you lose from them. This can include things like slot machines, table games or video poker.

How Popular Is Online Gambling?

Huge. The global online gambling market is worth over $35 billion and is continuing to grow. It's expected to be worth over $55 billion by 2018. More countries are embracing internet gaming, and licensed sites can be accessed in dozens of countries around the world.

Which Sports Can I Bet On?

Sports betting sites are licensed in the same way as online casinos. Gamblers can place bets on hundreds of markets on sports as diverse as football/soccer, basketball, and ice hockey. The best sports betting websites even have live betting where you can place wagers on matches as they are in progress.

Can I gamble on my mobile device?

Yes. Most casinos, poker sites and sports gambling sites offer apps for Android or iOS phones. In many cases, however, you can simply log in via your mobile web browser to access games.

Can I gamble for free?

Yes. The good news is that most (if not all) online casinos offer free-play options alongside their real-money games. In some cases, you don't even need to register an account. Just open the casino and try some games for nothing.

Will I get a welcome bonus?

Yes. Most casinos, poker sites and sportsbooks offer players some free cash when they join up. This can range from a simple deposit bonus to free slots spins, or even a little cash with no strings attached. You gamble the cash, and all winnings you make are yours to keep.

Is it safe to gamble online?

Yes. On the whole, most online casinos are safe to play at, however, there are unfortunately some that don't always play by the rules. When looking for a safe site, ensure that it has a license, particularly from a reputable regulatory authority, uses encryption to protect your data, and offers trusted banking methods. If you are unsure about where to go, take a look at our top list, where all of our recommended sites have trusted reputations and offer the highest levels of security to players.

What kind of games do they have at online casinos?

Online casinos are packed with all the games you'll find in any land casino. Take your pick from slots, roulette, blackjack, poker and many other favourites and pick your stakes from just a few cents to $500 a spin. You can even enjoy gambling online against a human croupier with 'Live Dealer' games. Take on a human dealer via a webcam and even chat to them in real time!

Can online casinos scam you?

Yes, there are some low quality online casinos that may cheat you out of money by manipulating the games, or not paying out money once you've amassed a considerable balance. The more reputable casinos go through a rigorous testing process and abide by certain fair play rules in order to maintain a trusted reputation, and earn their profit from the house edge that they enjoy. They'll win more than they lose over time because of that edge, even if they lose over the short-term to a few players. That's why we only recommend sites that are trusted, safe and secure.

What are the best online gambling sites?

The ones that have been checked and rated here by our experts. The key features players look for are variety in casino games and sports betting options, a strong selection of bonuses and promotions, and a healthy payout rate to players, with the money coming back to your account fast. Our reviews team also ensure that sites accept all popular payment methods for real money play, offer excellent device compatibility on mobile, and are tested by recognised gambling authorities for fairness.

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Top 5 Online Gambling Sites - Play for Real Money in 2018

How Crypto Mining is Getting People Out of ICE Custody

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An activist group called Bail Bloc collects cryptocurrency mined from volunteers' computers. It's using it to free people from ICE custody.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Mainstream online activism is all about making things easy — a like or retweet doesn’t do much, but it sure feels good. That’s why activists from the group Bail Bloc found a way to raise money that requires almost zero effort.

For the past year, Bail Bloc has been collecting the cryptocurrency Monero by running software in the background on volunteers’ computers to raise money for the Bronx Freedom Fund, a charity that helps pay the bail of people caught up in the NYC legal system. Starting Thursday, the group changed gears to start paying for people’s release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Beginner’s Hacktivism

When people sign up for Bail Bloc, they agree to lend some of their computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency, which is automatically collected by the Bail Bloc team to pay someone’s bail or immigration bond, reports IEEE Spectrum.

Each individual’s contribution is small because cryptocurrency mining has long since stopped being accessible or cost-effective for hobbyists. But many computers working together can add up. Bail Bloc calculates on its website that it would take 113 people running the app during a 40-hour work week for 12 months to free one person from ICE detention at an average cost of $2,010.

White Hat

Distributed crypto mining of this sort was once popular among malware developers. Often, people would write a program — or even hide it in the code of an app — that automatically hijacked part of people’s computers to run mining software in the background.

Bail Bloc, and other groups like it, use the exact same technology. But they introduce transparency and user consent into the equation, so people know exactly how their computer is being used and where the money is going.

READ MORE: Charity Lets You Mine Monero to Post Bail [IEEE Spectrum]

More on distributed crypto mining: Crypto Mining for Charity: Your Processing Power Could Save the World

The post How Crypto Mining is Getting People Out of ICE Custody appeared first on Futurism.

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How Crypto Mining is Getting People Out of ICE Custody

An Edible Controller Moves Gaming From the Screen to Your Gut

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Australian scientists created a new kind of video game where you swallow a high-tech pill and win by changing your gut chemistry.

Gamer Fuel

Just like “Back to the Future Part II” predicted, Gamepads are so old-fashioned.

A new pill acts as the controller for a new video game out of Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In “The Guts Game,” two players will have anywhere from 24 to 36 hours to kill off a digital parasite by raising and lowering the temperature of their digestive systems as measured by the pill, reports New Scientist.

Eating for Two

Players are encouraged to do whatever they need to raise or lower their body temperature and kill off their virtual bugs: eat spicy food, drink ice water, go for a jog, or anything else.

When The Guts Game was presented at Chi Play 2018, a gaming technology convention held in Melbourne in late October, New Scientist reports, the developers reassured the crowd that any temperature changes in the body were completely safe. After all, people eat spicy food and exercise all the time; there’s nothing about doing so for a new video game that suddenly makes it dangerous.

Presumably, The Guts Game’s version of cheat codes would be popping the pill before sweating your virtual parasite out in a sauna, but since you would have to buy each single-use pill, this sort of defeats the point.

Race Against the Clock

Like all good things in the world, this game too must end. Players in The Guts Game are in an endless race against time, against whom there are no victors.

Win or lose the game ends the moment the controller leaves the body.

READ MORE: A computer game’s edible controller lets you play it with your gut [New Scientist]

More on gastrables: Edible Tech is Finally Useful, is Here to Help You Poop

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An Edible Controller Moves Gaming From the Screen to Your Gut

A Super-Spicy Plant Could Help End the Opioid Crisis

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Researchers are looking to the resin spurge, a plant with a super-hot active ingredient, as the potential future of pain relief.

Watch Your Tongue

You probably don’t go around biting into plants covered in needles. But if you happened to chomp down on Euphorbia resinifera, a cactus-like plant also known as the resin spurge, you’d seriously regret it — and not for the reason you might think.

The plant’s active ingredient, resiniferatoxin (RTX), is incredibly spicy — a full 10,000 times hotter than the world’s hottest pepper on the scale used to measure hotness. But in an ironic twist, RTX could actually be the future of pain relief.

Nerves Ending

According to a newly published story in WIRED, researchers across the globe have taken a keen interest in RTX as a painkiller.

They’ve discovered that, when injected into the body, the chemical binds to TRPV1, a molecule found in the nerve endings that sense pain. This opens a channel in the nerve ending that calcium can then flow through. This calcium overload deactivates the pain-sensing nerve without affecting other sensory neurons, such as those that allow a person to feel a light touch.

RTX researcher Michael Iadarola has tested RTX on dogs, injecting the chemical into the animals’ knees to alleviate joint pain, with promising results.

“It is profoundly effective there, and lasts much, much longer than I might have expected, maybe a median of 5 months before the owners of the dogs asked for reinjection,” he told WIRED. “The animals went from basically limping to running around.”

Crisis Diverted

Besides simply being effective, RTX has numerous benefits over existing painkillers: It doesn’t require frequent dosing, targets only the area causing pain, and doesn’t produce a potentially addictive high.

If the powerful chemical becomes widely available for human use, it could eventually begin to replace opioids as the go-to medication for addressing major pain issues — helping society address its major opioid addiction issue in the process.

READ MORE: This Chemical Is so Hot It Destroys Nerve Endings-in a Good Way [WIRED]

More on opioids: Four Reasons Why the Opioid Epidemic Is Getting Worse, Not Better

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A Super-Spicy Plant Could Help End the Opioid Crisis

Here’s How You Can Help Scientists Craft a Message to Aliens

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The Arecibo Observatory has unveiled the details of its New Arecibo Message global challenge, a contest to craft a new message to aliens.

Let’s Talk

In October, we reported that scientists planned to craft an updated version of the Arecibo Message — a radio message sent into space 44 years ago to draw the attention of aliens — and they wanted the public’s help deciding what the new message should be.

Now that you’ve had a couple of weeks to think about what you’d say to aliens if given the chance, here’s how you can make your voice heard.

A True Challenge

On Friday, the Arecibo Observatory (AO) posted details on the New Arecibo Message global challenge to its website.

According to the site, teams of 10 students in kindergarten through college can participate in the challenge, but doing so won’t be as simple as emailing a proposed message to the AO.

The students will need to break coded messages, solve brain puzzles, and more at various points throughout the year in order to unlock details about the challenge, including instructions for registering their team and specifications for crafting their message.

These mini challenges will require each team to demonstrate knowledge of the AO, the scientific method, the space sciences, and other AO-related topics.

Get Ready

The AO will release the first part of the challenge on December 16, so students have just under a month to form their teams and get ready to put their knowledge of space to the test.

The challenge will continue for approximately nine months, with the AO declaring a winning team during a week-long event in October 2019 celebrating the observatory’s 56th anniversary.

“We have quite a few surprises in store for participants and we will be sharing more details as the competition progresses,” AO Director Francisco Cordova said in a press release. “We can’t wait to see what our young people across the globe come up with.”

READ MORE: New Arecibo Observatory Message Challenge Announced [University of Central Florida]

More on the Arecibo Message: Scientists Want Your Help Crafting a Message to Aliens

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Lab-Grown Mini Kidneys Keep Spawning Rogue Brain Cells

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Up to 20 percents of the cells in our lab-grown mini kidneys are actually brain and muscle cells, according to new research.

Unwanted Guests

Brain cells are not something you want to find growing where you don’t expect them. But that’s the surprise that awaited a team from Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) when it analyzed the mini kidneys researchers have been growing from stem cells in the lab.

Thankfully, the WUSTL team also found a way to prevent most of the brain cells from turning up in lab-grown mini kidneys — and the technique could prevent rogue cells from developing in other mini organs, too.

Tiny Organs, Big Problem

Lab-grown mini organs, or organoids, are clusters of cells that mimic the functionality of full-grown organs, which makes them highly useful for medical research. To grow them, scientists place human stem cells into chemicals that encourage them to develop into various types of adult cells.

For their study, which was published Thursday in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the WUSTL team analyzed 83,130 cells from 65 kidney organoids using a technique called single cell RNA sequencing. This analysis returned some startling news: between 10 and 20 percent of the cells in the organoids were actually brain or muscle cells — not kidney cells, as expected.

These off-target cells could render mini organs fall less useful for research, so the next step for the WUSTL team was finding a way to stop their development.

Back On Track

By analyzing the process through which stem cells become brain and muscle cells, the team identified the point in the kidney organoids’ development when some cells went rogue. From that, they were able to discern that they could decrease the number of brain and muscle cells by 90 percent if they just inhibited certain growth factors during the organoids’ development.

“This should really accelerate our progress in making organoids better models for human kidney disease and drug discovery,” researcher Benjamin D. Humphreys noted in a press release, “and the same technique could be applied to targeting rogue cells in other organoids.”

READ MORE: Brain, Muscle Cells Found Lurking in Kidney Organoids Grown in Lab [Washington University in St. Louis]

More on mini organs: Robots Can Grow Humanoid Mini-Organs From Stem Cells Faster and Better Than People

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DARPA Spent $68 Million on Technology to Spot Deepfakes

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DARPA spent $68 million over two years on deepfake-spotting AI. It's making progress, but the government might be fighting a losing battle.

Fake News

DARPA, the U.S. military’s research division, is hell-bent on fighting high-tech forgeries. In the past two years, it’s spent $68 million on digital forensics technology to flag them.

For DARPA, spotting and countering “deepfakes” — doctored images and videos that can be used to generate propaganda and deceptive media like fictionalized political speeches or pornography — is a matter of national security, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Losing Battle

For all of its hard work to spot edited videos, DARPA may still be fighting a losing battle. That’s according to Hany Farid, a computer scientist and digital forensics expert at Dartmouth College.

“The adversary will always win, you will always be able to create a compelling fake image, or video, but the ability to do that if we are successful on the forensics side is going to take more time, more effort, more skill and more risk,” Farid told the CBC.

The CBC acquired some videos and images of DARPA’s deepfake-spotting artificial intelligence in action and it’s not the most impressive highlight reel.

In one, the algorithm is able to go frame-by-frame to spot discrepancies. This is an impressive feat for an automated system, but the video in question is clearly edited — it’s nowhere near as sophisticated as the most advanced deepfakes out there, which can imitate a real person’s voice and facial expressions.

Putting a Finger on it

Other examples obtained by CBC showed off DARPA’s algorithm spotting inconsistencies in lighting and other subtle cues that give away a doctored video.

People who want to create misleading deepfakes may always be a step ahead of the people trying to stop them, but DARPA’s digital forensics program still has another two years of research ahead of it.

As long as they stay on top of new deepfake techniques and keep their algorithms on the cutting edge, they may be able to spot all but the most advanced, high-budget and high-tech productions.

That way, when a video of Donald Trump announcing a nuclear strike plunges the world into the apocalypse, we’ll at least know it was the real thing.

READ MORE: A new ‘arms race’: How the U.S. military is spending millions to fight fake images [CBC]

More on DARPA’s deepfake research: If DARPA Wants To Stop Deepfakes, They Should Talk To Facebook And Google

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