North Korea WW3: Japan prepares for EVACUATION after missile tests – Daily Star

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NORTH KOREAS latest missile tests have forced Japan to undergo evacuation drills with over fears of an impending attack.

Kim Jong-uns tyrannical state fired an unidentified warhead last week which fell close to the neighbouring country.

Days after on Sunday (June 4) hundreds of residents from a small Japanese coastal town took part to simulate a ballistic missile strike.

The town of Abu which faces the Sea of Japan is surrounded by the Yamaguchi prefecture range, which host a major US Marine Corps air station.

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I was able to stay calm and evacuated in a few minutes, 67-year-old Yuriko Suewaka, who was among the 280 people involved in the exercise, told Jiji Press.

As WW3 tensions escalate further, there are plans to conduct more drills later this month in Yamagata and Niigata which both also face the Sea of Japan.

The government has requested local communities to prepare for the holding of an evacuation drill, an official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

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North Koreas long-running tension with the West hit new levels on Friday after a US official claimed the country does not have the capability to stop Kims deadly missiles.

John F. Tierny executive director of the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation said the system aimed to intercept nuclear bombs has failed to destroy its target three out of the last five attempts.

Kim is also providing a new threat with claims he has an army of 6,000 hackers ready to gain access into Western computer systems.

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North Korea facing new alliance to stop WW3 as Japan pledges to team up with China – Express.co.uk

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told China's top diplomat he would like to work with China to try to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

Prime Minister Abe said: To resolve this problem peacefully, we would like to work with China, which has strong influence (over North Korea).

In return, Mr Yang said he hoped all parties play a constructive role in resolving the issue.

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This partnership takes on an especially symbolic importance given the dark history of Sino-Japanese relations, highlighted by the Rape of Nanking in 1937, an atrocity committed by Japan which left hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians dead.

And in 2014 a poll revealed 90 per cent of Chinese people polled expressed a negative view on Japan, while 85 per cent of Japanese people concerned disputes between the two nations could lead to another war.

READ MORE: Will the USA attack North Korea?

Eric Lafforgue/Exclusivepix Medi

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Taking pictures in the DMZ is easy, but if you come too close to the soldiers, they stop you

But North Koreas increasingly erratic actions could force the two rivals to come together in order to bring stability to the region.

Kim Jong-un regularly threatens Japan, seen as one of the countrys biggest enemies, promising several times this year to reduce Tokyo to ashes.

But more worrying in recent weeks has been the emergence of North Korean threats against China, traditionally seen as one of Kims biggest ally.

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Last month North Korean state media accused China of a betrayal following the introduction of coal imports to the country

It said: China should no longer recklessly try to test the limitations of our patience. We have so devotedly helped the Chinese revolution and suffered enormous damage.

READ MORE: Who is on North Korea's side? Who are Kim Jong-un's allies?

North Korea should be very careful

Odd Arne Westad

And one North Korean expert warned Beijing was quickly losing patience with North Korea.

Odd Arne Westad of Harvard University said: North Korea should be very careful. It's clear Beijing now sees further, deeper urgency in getting talks started and these talks have to centre on North Korean nuclear and missile programmes.

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The end point will have to be at least a freeze on North Korean nuclear and missile programs with an aim of its abolition, not necessarily to insist on its immediate disarmament.

Prof Westad said relations had never been as bad as they are today - and they seem to be getting worse very quickly.

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North Korea facing new alliance to stop WW3 as Japan pledges to team up with China - Express.co.uk

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North Korea WW3: US official claims defences ‘can’t stop Kim Jong un’s nukes’ – Daily Star

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THE US will not be able to stop a North Korean nuke, an official has claimed.

John F. Tierney, executive director of the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, believes the US may not currently have the capability to stop Kim Jong-un's deadly missiles.

Donald Trump successfully tested a system aimed at intercepting nukes from North Korea in the Californian desert this week.

But Tierney warned that, despite the success, the US is not bulletproof.

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Since 2008, photographer Eric Lafforgue ventured to North Korea six times. Thanks to digital memory cards, he was able to save photos that was forbidden to take inside the segregated state

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Taking pictures in the DMZ is easy, but if you come too close to the soldiers, they stop you

Six tests have failed to destroy the target, including three of the last five tries

"Of the 10 tests of the system since 2004, when the Bush administration prematurely declared it operational, six have failed to destroy the target, including three of the last five tries," he wrote in the New York Times.

"The timing and other details are provided in advance, information that no real enemy would provide. The weather and time of day are just right for an intercept.

"An adversary would use complex countermeasures, such as decoys, alongside the real missile to try to fool the defence system, but only simplistic versions of this trick have been included.

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President Trump answered Kim Jong-un's missile test with his own display of power, with this test of a defensive Interceptor missile, designed to blow up enemy missiles in space

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The ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) element of the US ballistic missile defense system launches during a flight test from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

"Under realistic testing conditions, the programs success rate would almost certainly be lower."

Kim has promised "weekly" tests in the face of US aggression and recently carried out North Korea's largest nuke test ever.

In response, Trump has despatched his "armada" led by the USS Carl Vinson to the peninsula.

Trump has also vowed to keep developing his nuclear missile defence programme.

But Tierney warned that a peaceful solution is the only way to end the North Korean crisis.

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As Donald Trump has promised to start an arms race, we take a look at the futuristic weapons being developed for the US military.

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The Lockheed Martin HULC is an exoskeleton that allows soldiers to carry loads of up to 200lbs for long distances

"If lawmakers are serious about defending the homeland from rogue states like North Korea, they should prioritise diplomatic action," he added.

"Expanding the programme before it is proved to be effective under realistic conditions would mark the height of irresponsibility.

"The Missile Defence Agency might be celebrating now, but the latest test is at best a small step forward on a very long journey."

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America’s Trippiest Chemist: Making Psychedelics ‘Was Fun’ – Motherboard

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This story is part of When the Drugs Hit, a Motherboard journey into the science, politics, and culture of today's psychedelic renaissance. Follow along here.

After a flurry of scientific research in the 1950s and 60s, all human psychedelic drug trials in the US were effectively banned with the passage of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act in 1970. This moratorium on psychedelic research lasted until psychiatrist Rick Strassman's DMT trials at the University of New Mexico opened the door for new psychedelic research in 1990.

Since then, a number of studies have looked at the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances. And in almost all of these trials, including Strassman's landmark study, the drugs have been supplied by a single individual: Dave Nichols.

As a chemist at Purdue University, Nicholas was in the business of supplying America's psychedelic research compounds from 1969 until he retired in 2012. He is perhaps best known for synthesizing the MDMA, DMT, LSD and psilocybin (the psychedelic compound in "magic mushrooms") that have been used in the new wave of psychedelic research. But most of Nichols' career was spent researching psychedelic analogs, molecules which have similar structures or effects to their well-known controlled relatives.

Despite his academic pedigree, Nichols has come under fire for fueling a "designer drug" boom that resulted in obscure research chemicals making their way from the lab to the street and resulted in a few deaths along the way. But this is merely an unfortunate side effect of his researchanyone with access to chemistry journals and a decent lab set up would be able to reproduce his research. Nichols has also strongly condemned a number of designer drugs, particularly synthetic cannabinoids like spice, as dangerous for consumption.

In many ways, Nichols is like a contemporary Sasha Shulgin, the infamous chemist who co-authored TIHKAL and PIHKAL , which are essentially psychedelic cookbooks interwoven with a love story (indeed, Nichols was actually the first to synthesize a handful of chemicals described in PIHKAL). But whereas Shulgin was getting high on his own supply in his backyard lab, Nichols isn't trying to spark a psychedelic awakening and was certainly not tripping in his Purdue laboratory.

"There was nobody else really doing what I was doing so it was fun and I didn't have to worry about getting scooped."

Still, life ain't easy for a psychedelic scientist, so I caught up with Nichols to learn about how he became one of the largest producers of psychedelic research chemicals in the US, and what that experience was like at a time when there was zero tolerance for psychedelic research on humans.

Motherboard: How did you get started making psychedelic drugs? David Nichols: I started in this field in 1969 as a graduate student, doing my PhD on mescaline analogs, basically. Then I got an academic position at Purdue and that allowed me to pursue whatever I wanted to follow, so I just kept working on psychotomimetics. I was lucky to get a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse and that grant continued for about 29 years. There was nobody else really doing what I was doing so it was fun and I didn't have to worry about getting scooped by someone else working in the same area because we were doing a pretty novel thing.

Was it hard getting approval to make Schedule I psychedelics? Not really. When I made the MDMA it was before it was illegal so there wasn't a problem with that. And with Rick Strassman's DMT, I had a schedule I license for DMT already. Same thing was true with the psilocybin I made for Johns Hopkins. You're allowed to make a Schedule I substance if it's in collaboration with someone else who has a Schedule I license so that wasn't that difficult. I had to get the Schedule I license in the beginning, which required getting everything certified, but it wasn't as difficult as people might imagine.

The DEA never pushed back against your research? I had a license for 15 different Schedule I substances. At one point they started getting really pushy. Do you have an active protocol? Do you need all these? We'd like to get some of them out of your lab if you don't really need these 15. How often do you use them?

So I had to write a letter saying we don't do the kind of research you're used to. We don't fit in a boilerplate. We do studies where we modify a receptor and mutate different amino acids in the receptor. We have a whole library of compounds we want to put in there and see what did that mutation do to the activity of those structures. We never know which compound we might need on any given day.

The DEA aren't scientists, they're basically policemen. At a certain point they started sending protocols over to the FDA, which is totally inappropriate. But anyway they'd ask if this [is] research worth doing. That's an inappropriate question. If you're qualified, you have an academic appointment, you're respected, and you've got a CV, the DEA shouldn't be asking whether this research should be done. Anyway, if they got feedback saying the project was worth doing, then they'd come and investigate your facilities. They wanted to see what kind of safe you were going to keep substances in, where the safe's located. They're basically concerned with diversion of controlled substances. They want to make sure if you get it, no one else can get it.

What was your security like for these substances you were making? My office had a two-inch solid oak door that had a key lock that would've been difficult to pick. Inside my office I had a big, heavy steel fireproof file cabinet. In addition to the regular pushlocks, it had a hasp welded on top with another place welded on the bottom so that a one-inch steel bar could fit in front of the drawers with a padlock on the top. To get in that you'd have to be able to break through a solid oak door, then pick or cut off a substantial padlock, and then use a crowbar or something to break open the file cabinet.

Read more: A Beginner's Guide to Tripping on Acid

How long did it take you to get your license? That can take six months to two years depending on how you appear to the DEA. It's supposed to be a non-political process, but I've known people who've taken two years because the DEA said they lost their inspection forms after doing an inspection. You don't know if these things are willful are not. I've always had the impression that the DEA doesn't appreciate having to do Schedule I. They think these things are so dangerous, why should we be working with them. But that's just my own impression.

This was back in the 70s. Do you think studying psychedelic drugs has gotten easier? I think the DEA has gotten more stringent. When I first started the process seemed more transparent and I didn't have any trouble getting a license. I've talked to many people over the years who've really had a difficult time. Also the DEA didn't used to send the protocols to the FDA to get a ruling as to whether they were worth doing or not. It's like the DEA saying, "we don't trust you, we need to get an outside check to make sure you're a legitimate guy." They're real suspicious.

Outside of your lab, who else was synthesizing psychedelics? I don't know that there were that many people just making things. We generally made them because we had a certain hypothesis. So when we were doing the MDMA work, we were trying to develop a molecule that had MDMA-like activity but which was completely new so we wouldn't have to worry about the stigma of it being a research chemical or drug of abuse.

That was what drove a lot of the MDMA research. We basically were trying to understand the features of the receptor that were necessary for activity. It was a pretty complex program designed to understand how the molecules were interacting with biological targets. We didn't just make compounds like Sasha Shulgin, just to see what we could make and take. He was an alchemist, not a scientist. We had specific hypotheses, we made the molecules with specific ideas of what we wanted to figure out. I don't know anyone else who was really doing that with respect to psychedelics.

"I think it's because of the internet that these things have just proliferated."

A lot of your work was focused on psychedelic analogs. In recent years, the DEA has really been cracking down on analogs. Why do you think this is? Well, there are a lot more analogs out there than people are aware of now. In fact, a lot of the things I've made are now called designer drugs and are out on the street. But they don't have to cause any damage, they don't even have to be problematic. All the DEA has to do is suspect that they have abuse potential, then all of a sudden say we better control this. They don't wait for something to show up as a problem, they try to think of everything possible.

I think they can probably wait and see until these things are showing up on the street in a significant amount. They can quickly schedule with emergency scheduling. But they claim it makes their life easier if they have these things scheduled already, but it does shut off legitimate research. If these things have medical potential, nobody is going to look at them. So then that means they'll only be examined in the context of being drugs of abuse. So any potential benefit will never be studied.

A lot of the chemicals made in your lab have shown up on the street. How did it feel to know people were recreationally taking these obscure compounds you created? I was surprised. Some of the things we made were not that simple of a synthesis to carry out. So when these things showed up, I thought, "wow, someone's gone to a lot of trouble to make these." We published a lot of these things years ago, but they just started showing up in the last few years.

I think it's because of the internet that these things have just proliferated. Now people can go on sites like Erowid and read about these different substances and say, "oh, that sounds interesting," and there's people that sell the stuff so they can go buy a sample. That didn't used to happen. They used to have to go to a library and do some actual research.

Were pharmaceutical companies showing any interest in psychedelic analogs when you were working in the lab? Drug companies have stayed away from this field entirely. It was the case in their research that if they found a molecule that activated the serotonin 2A receptor, which is the target for psychedelics, it was a kiss of death for that molecule right off the bat. I think the drug industry has been very circumspect about things hitting targets that could be drugs of abuse. I don't really think that the drug industry as a whole sees these things as any sort of profit source for them now or in the future.

In terms of the paradigm, using psilocybin once or twice a year maybe, isn't the model that the pharmaceutical industry follows. Most of the research chemicals are like that. They're analogs of psychedelics. But pharmaceutical companies are looking for a pill you take everyday for the rest of your life. That's how they make their money.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

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Stop Policing Psychedelic Science – Motherboard

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This story is part of When the Drugs Hit, a Motherboard journey into the science, politics, and culture of today's psychedelic renaissance. Follow along here.

In 1988, Rick Strassman set out to do what seemed to be impossible: convince the US government to let him give people illegal drugs.

But not just any illegal substances. Strassman, a psychiatrist at the University of New Mexico, wanted to dose subjects with one of the most potent psychedelics ever discovered: dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a neurotransmitter and tryptamine molecule that naturally occurs in the plant and animal kingdoms, including in humans. Strassman hoped to investigate the physiological and psychological effects of DMT, the so-called "spirit molecule," but knew that getting approval to do this research was a long shot.

Like pretty much every other psychedelic drug known at the time, DMT had been classified as a Schedule I substance under the 1970 Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. This meant that there was no recognized medical use for the substances and effectively placed a moratorium on all psychedelic research using human subjects. Studying and administering substances gets progressively easier as you move from Schedule I to Schedule V. Substances in Schedule I, including heroin, are the only ones, in fact, that require a special license to study.

But these obstacles didn't deter Strassman. After 19 months of arduous paperwork and a seemingly interminable argument with the Drug Enforcement Administration, in early 1990 he dosed his first participant with DMT. It was the first psychedelic study using humans in two decades.

"I figured as long as the DEA weren't saying no, it remained a potential yes," Strassman told me recently. "I never really gave up."

"'I don't care if you guys are smoking mushrooms back there, just keep out of the paper, get your grants and keep your cards close to your chest.'"

In the nearly three decades since Strassman's groundbreaking DMT study, little has changed for researchers hoping to study the effects of psychedelic compounds on humans. Although psychedelic research is experiencing a sort of renaissance, getting approval to study these substances is more difficult than ever.

At the same time, recent work done on psychedelics has shown potential in treating everything from post-traumatic stress in veterans to promoting creative problem solving and treating addictions.

If the federal decision to classify these substances as having no medical value was premature, then understanding the benefits (and dangers) of psychedelics in a rigorous and empirical way has been hindered by bureaucracy and authorities policing research laboratories. I reached out to Strassman and contemporary clinicians to learn more about their experiences and the difficulties faced by psychedelic researchers today. Just how hard was itis itto get the greenlight from Uncle Sam?

That's getting ahead. For most psychedelic scientists, problems begin at the local level.

*

To do science on humans with illegal substances, researches are required to submit a proposal to an institutional review board, which is supposed to ensure the experiment is both ethical and safe. Given the taboo surrounding psychedelics and universities' tendency to avoid controversy, even the safest and most well-designed studies may flounder on the shores of a dean's idea of what constitutes respectable science.

Fortunately for Strassman, he said the University of New Mexico was somewhat "off the beaten path," and that his psychedelic study was much less likely to draw significant attention than if it had been conducted at an Ivy League institution. Moreover, Strassman said neither his department chair nor the university president really cared what he was up to in his lab, so long as he "kept his nose clean."

Read More: America's Trippiest Chemist Says Making Psychedelics 'Was Fun'

"I spoke with the chairman of the research unit and he said, 'I don't care if you guys are smoking mushrooms back there, just keep out of the paper, get your grants and keep your cards close to your chest,'" Strassman remembered.

After gaining approval from the university, Strassman then had to make his pitch at the federal level, specifically the DEA and the Food and Drug Administration. The DEA was responsible for doling out Schedule I licenses, which authorized licensees to possess these illicit substances. The FDA, for its part, would give Strassman approval for what's known as an IND, or Investigative New Drug trial, which would allow him to administer the Schedule I substance to human subjects.

There was only one problem: The DEA wanted to see the FDA's IND license before granting its Schedule I license, and the FDA, in turn, wanted to see that Strassman was approved to use the Schedule I substance before granting the IND. It was a catch-22.

But as Strassman began to facilitate unprecedented degrees of contact between these two federal agencies, he realized he had a far more pressing problem to deal with: how to procure the DMT for the trials in the first place. In order to get his Schedule I license from the DEA, he would have to show that the DMT was pure, and that he would only have access to a limited and necessary amount of the substance.

Eventually Strassman linked up with Dave Nichols, a chemist at Purdue University with DEA approval to synthesize 15 Schedule I psychedelics and 20 years of experience doing just that. After finding a hookup for the DMT, Strassman returned to the DEA and started filling out the paperwork.

Several months later, Strassman had his Schedule I license and IND. It had been over a year-and-a-half of starts, stops, and red tape. But he was finally set to begin his research.

DMT crystals. Photo: Psychonaught/Wikimedia Commons

When Strassman was setting out, he had to rely on trial and error in his dealings with the feds, who were less than receptive to the idea of allowing Schedule I substances to be opened for research purposes.

The first paper Strassman wrote after receiving approval for his study was about how he managed to even make this happena kind of blueprint for getting approval to do psychedelic science. Although he was criticized for revealing hard-won, "sensitive" information about government legal processes, his blueprint was effective. According to Strassman, it helped guide researchers at the University of Arizona, University of Miami, and Johns Hopkins University set up their own studies on psilocybin (the psychedelic compound in "magic mushrooms") and ibogaine in the late 90s and early 2000s.

But overregulation continues to crush psychedelic science. Even with Strassman's blueprint and a number of precedents in place, getting approval to study psychedelics is still a steep challenge.

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), for example, has been pushing the limits of psychedelic research for decades now, yet its trials on MDMA and PTSD keep stalling out in a maze of bureaucratic and legal obstacles.

MAPS hopes to begin the third and final FDA study this year, and to see MDMA be a FDA-approved prescription medicine by 2021. But the phase 3 study is also the most difficult since it requires special parameters for the trials, which include large cohorts of study participants as well as using chemicals produced under a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regime. GMPs are mostly quality control measures, but since the MDMA used in the first two phases was already 99 percent pure, this means that GMP is mostly a regulatory requirement that places copious paperwork and protocols on the researchers for the duration of the trial phase.

"Rescheduling would release a lot of these barriers that exist only for Schedule I substances."

This also means that MAPS will have to find a new source for its MDMA since the drug must be manufactured under GMP conditions. Even though pharma companies like Sigma-Aldrich have websites set up where you can order small quantities of every imaginable psychedelic, these won't meet the phase 3 GMP requirements. Natalie Ginsberg, a MAPS policy and advocacy manager, said so far just finding a manufacturer for the stuff has been hard enough.

Then there's the money problem. Historically, most psychedelic studies have been funded by the National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA). Although NIDA's pockets run deep, the agency is particular about the kind of drug research it will fundthat is to say, only research that investigates the abuse potential of substances, not their therapeutic potential. As such, organizations like MAPS have had to seek private funding for studies, which, all told, will cost millions of dollars. The GMP MDMA alone will cost nearly $500,000 for 1.5 kilos.

In this respect, Strassman realizes he was lucky. For his DMT trials, he had secured two competitive grants to support him during the year-and-a-half it took to get approval just to begin his research. Without this grant money, Strassman said it's unlikely he would've had the time or energy to pursue this research project.

Ultimately, he and Ginsberg see the difficulties faced by researchers as a consequence of the War on Drugs and its scheduling regime.

"All these extra burdens put on researchers like waiting for a Schedule I license, finding the right location, finding a manufacturer of the drug, add months or years to the process," said Ginsberg. "People who do psychedelic research aren't just any old researchersthey have to be committed and willing to fight through the regulations and have patience to wait for months on end for approval. Rescheduling would release a lot of these barriers that exist only for Schedule I substances."

Read More: How to Legally Buy a Kilo of Pure MDMA

Strassman likewise said he'd like to see psychedelic substances rescheduled, though he realizes researchers are caught between a rock and a hard place. To keep psychedelics as Schedule I substances makes researching them prohibitively hard, but to call for reclassifying them as Schedule II substances is unlikely to succeed either.

Schedule II substances, including stimulants like cocaine and Adderall, can be prescribed by everyone from dentists to veterinarians. As Strassman sees it, trying to argue that something like LSD should be as easily accessible as Adderall is a non-starter. Instead, he advocates for a new, intermediate schedule between I and II, that would make the substances easier to study, but not absurdly easy for a layperson to obtain.

"I think that category of clinical reality ought to be combined with a legal category of the scheduling," Strassman said. "People wouldn't be able to possess and give these drugs without special training and without certification and supervision, but if you keep them kind of behind the lock and key of Schedule I, you're also not going to be able to give them to people who might benefit."

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Psychedelics touted as solution for society – Ashland Daily Tidings

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By John Darling for the Tidings

While psychedelic drugs rose to prominence in the 1960s, the attendees at an Ashland conference say the nation and world would be a better place if the non-addictive drugs regained their footing in society.

The peace and love message of the '60s inspired in part by psychedelic drugs hasnt changed over the last five decades, speakers told the approximately 300 attendees at the fourth annual Exploring Psychedelics conference, held May 25-26 at Southern Oregon University.

Pointing to a spiritual crisis in the west, conference organizer Martin Ball, an SOU adjunct faculty member, said mind-altering substances such as psilocybin mushrooms have been a positive part of culture since the beginning of history. But the federal government's War on Drugs over the last 50 years demonized the non-addictive entheogens (literally: generating god within) and pushed the movement to the periphery of society.

A psychedelic renaissance is underway as researchers and society learn of its benefits in health, healing and creativity in art, music, philosophy and a greater understanding of how to solve societys problems, says Ball. Were not talking about back-alley druggies and Grateful Dead concerts here. These are important members of our society.

Ball produces a podcast, the Entheogenic Revolution, with a motto, Just Say Know, a play on the Drug Wars just say no credo. Noting that psychedelics are not in the same category as meth or crack, he said they should stop being criminalized.

In the wake of the states legalization of marijuana, Tom and Sheri Eckert of Portland have organized the Oregon Psilocybin Society, which they said is promoting a ballot measure to legalize the mind-altering substance. The measure would set up a process for overseeing and training facilitators of trips, licensing, getting medical clearance for users who must be over 21 but would not legalize personal possession.

The psychedelic movement is rising to prominence and if humanity is to survive, we need to heal the culture, said Sheri Eckert. "Its bottoming out and forcing us to look at ourselves. We have to evolve and claim our higher consciousness or else. Psilocybin helps us reclaim our truth.

The plant offers relief for depression, end-of-life anxiety, addiction and PTSD, the Eckerts said.

When the history of this time is written in a thousand years, said Tom Eckert, a therapist, I bet they wont focus on our absurd politics but how we valued the inner dimension.

In a talk on marijuana, Michael Scott said psychoactive drugs are at the tipping point, with less and less suppression. More and more folks are talking about changing the world to a better place.

John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.

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How Do Various Nootropics Work? – Serie A Weekly

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If you, or more likely your child, have been diagnosed with ADHD, the doctor may have suggested a nootropic. Nootropics are cognitive enhancement drugs. Essentially, theyre drugs that boost memory, focus, and the other mental abilities people need to interact with day to day life. There are a lot of myths about these drugs, so hopefully, youre here to learn.

What Things Are Nootropics?

By and large, nootropics are stimulants. There are things called racetams, but these have questionable effects on the body. Most doctors will stay away from racetams, instead going with something stimulant based.

That said, nootropics dont have to be pharmaceutical grade stimulants. Some stimulants such as caffeine can often work as nootropics, and be capable enough on their own.

How Do Various Nootropics Work?

Caffeine is an excellent example of a mild nootropic. Everyone knows how that works. It helps kick your brain into working, helping you wake up and pay attention. This is exactly what you want in a nootropic!

The next step up is a class of drugs called Eugeroic. These are wakefulness promoters. These work in a similar way to dopamine reuptake inhibitors work. That is, they keep the brain from processing dopamine quite as quickly as it would normally process. This helps keep you awake, and as a side effect improves other cognitive abilities.

The step up from that is Methylphenidate. This is a potent dopamine reuptake inhibitor, keeping the brain from processing the dopamine for a much longer period. This not only helps with cognitive functions but also with mood issues. Doctors have been known to prescribe methylphenidate for depression, though this practice is not commonly used today.

The big guns on the list of nootropics are amphetamines. The most common prescription amphetamine currently is Adderall, though there are other medications. These are not dopamine reuptake inhibitors but instead floods the brain with it. This causes there to be so much more dopamine within the brain that it cant help but process more.

Are Nootropics Dangerous?

The pharmaceutical nootropics can be dangerous, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. Just like too much coffee can cause your heart to race, too much of any stimulant can cause issues. In the case of overdose, people have been known to die of heart attacks.

Also, some people tend to exhibit a style of mania. Because theyre so happy and feeling so high, they start to make poor choices. This is similar to use of the illegal drug cocaine.

And lastly, many studies indicate long-term use in children can stunt a childs growth. Many doctors will suggest waiting until the child is around 12 before prescribing prescription stimulants.

Ultimately, nootropics are a necessary medical substance for many people. While its true they sometimes get abused by those just looking for a good time, individuals with ADHD and other cognitive illnesses need nootropics. It can help them lead a working, fulfilled life. So if your doctor is suggesting one of these drugs, either for you or your child, dont dismiss it out of hand. You might be surprised at what happens!

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How Do Various Nootropics Work? - Serie A Weekly

Best Nootropics Smart Pills – Serie A Weekly

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Without a doubt, youve stumbled across the term nootropics somewhere on the internet and wondered what they were. Theyve become one of the hottest trends, driven in popularity by celebrity endorsements that tout claims that theyll enhance your memory and focus, and increase your intelligence. But what exactly are nootropics, and are they beneficial for your cognitive function?

The word itself was coined by a Romanian chemist and psychologist, Dr. Corneliu Giurgea, who was the first to synthesize a nootropic more than 50 years ago. According to Dr. Giurgea, his piracetam was able to enhance learning, disassociate memories to conditions that led to the development of undesirable learned behaviors, protect the brain from chemical injury, and was very low toxicity, thereby producing very limited side effects.

Today, there are a wide variety of nootropics, often grouped in with what is frequently referred to as smart drugs. In actuality, they are a class of supplements, made from both naturally occurring chemicals and synthetic, that are designed to enhance the cognitive functioning of the brain. Theyre often used to help individuals focus and increase attention span, especially as they age, though many college students have begun to use them as study aids.

Unlike real smart drugs, nootropics do not produce the adverse side effects when used long-term. They are safe, posing little risk of any side effects, and are neuroprotective when used as directed.

All nootropics operate by enhancing communication between neurons in the brain, improving neurotransmitter functioning and promoting brain health. There are even some that believe that nootropics stimulate neuron growth, facilitate the formation of synapses in the brain, enhance neuroplasticity, and improve energy metabolism in the brain.

Essentially, your brain is a network of neurons, which are interconnected through pathways called synapses. There are billions of neurons in your brain, and their purpose is to communicate through neurotransmitters, specific chemicals that facilitate the ability to send signals from one neuron to another. When your neurons operate efficiently, you experience better moods, the capacity to process mental work more quickly, longer attention spans for even the most tedious of tasks, and better memory and concentration.

Supplementation with nootropics improves the synaptic plasticity of your brains neurons to provide all these benefits. Over an extended period of time, consistent supplementation with nootropics can even slow down the signs of aging, such as brain fog and memory loss. Theyre even able to counteract the development of brain disorders, like Alzheimers Disease.

In addition to improving the synaptic plasticity of your neurons, Nootropics improve the health of your brain, and thereby its functioning, by increasing the amount of blood flow to it. This increased blood flow carries with it more nutrients, glucose, and oxygen, all primary fuel sources that your brain uses for energy when it focuses.

Interestingly, the brain only makes up 2% of your total body weight, but it is responsible for 20% of your energy consumption. This is because the brain requires a lot of energy to function properly and to be able to focus on the external environment. It even takes a significant amount of energy just to sustain consciousness.

The anecdotal evidence supports claims that nootropics can provide all of these benefits, but there is still the need for more studies. If you choose to try them out for yourself, look for signs that they are working, such as less brain fog and more mental clarity. They may just be what your brain needs, and could even be life-changing.

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Best Nootropics Smart Pills - Serie A Weekly

Brief Guide To Nootropic Supplements – Serie A Weekly

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To start with, nootropics are simply supplements used to enhance the function of the brain. In more technical terms, cognitive enhancing supplementsare used to boost the brains memory power and improve concentration. These supplements are often used as studying aids, to help with individual focus and increase attention spans. You may occasionally find these supplements been referred to as smart drugs because they increase mental energy, motivation, intelligence.

Not all smart drugs are efficient and safe. However, nootropics are considered safe and do not have any side effects with short or long term use. When used correctly, these supplements pose little or no risk of side effects. A huge majority of nootropics work by increasing communications between neurons, assisting to balance neurotransmitter levels and improving energy metabolism in your neurons. They also promote the health of brain cells as well as stimulate the growth of new synapses and neurons.

The history of nootropics dates back to the 1960s when Belgian pharmacologists V. Skondia and S. Giurgea invented the first nootropic. They created the first smart drug that could be used as a cognitive booster with minimal side effects. This first supplement was able to improve brain functions and promote positive brain stimulants. Some of the most common cognitive enhancing supplements out there today include Piracetam, Coluracetam, Nefiracetam, Oxiracetam, Pramiracetam, Phenylpiracetam, Aniracetam, Nebracetam.

There are also some popular natural nootropics that are present in the foods that we eat. Foods such as licorice, yerba mate, bacopa monnieri, grape seed extract and fish oil are all rich in cognitive enhancing substances. Most nootropic supplements are actually made using the prior mentioned ingredients. This is what makes the supplements effective in boosting memory power and concentration. However, it is important to note that these supplements do not instantly give you a better intellect or a higher IQ.

The brain is made up of billions of neurons that are connected to each other through synapses. Neurons communicate with each other using specific neurotransmitters. When neurotransmitters send signals faster and more efficiently, the brain is able to do more. This is where you experience longer attention spans, increased processing ability for mental work, mood elevation, better memory and improved concentration. All these cognitive enhancements are made possible with appropriate and consistent use of nootropic supplements.

With continued use of these supplement, you can significantly improve your brain function and also increase the flow of blood to your brain. Increase in flow of blood to your brains results in an enhanced supply of nutrients, oxygen and glucose which is the primary source of energy required for extended hours of brain usage. For the brain to function at its best, it must have adequate energy to power the neurotransmitters that are vigorously at work.

Neuro-preservation and neuro-protection are also some of the other results of using quality nootropics. This means that you can effectively slow down the ageing of your brain and preventing damage to brain cells as well.

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Brief Guide To Nootropic Supplements - Serie A Weekly

‘Techno trance for tiny ears’: taking your newborn to a rave – The Guardian (blog)

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Techno, trance and house is played quietly enough for babies at Big Fish Little Fish. Photograph: Stephanie Malkoun

Big Fish Little Fish started in London in 2013 with the slogan 2-4 hour party people. On Sunday afternoons, big-name DJs play family-friendly timeslots at licensed premises a welcome antidote to the nauseating mums and bubs activities that fill suburban libraries and yoga studios on weekdays. The events soon spread across the UK and this weekend past, they launched in Australia. Our family was intrigued.

My partner spent his youth raving in London, and devoted several summers to chasing sound systems across Europe. Hes now a 40-year-old father of two who plays classic rave anthems to the newborn. The six-year-old was keen to go because the event promised bubbles, dancing and face paint but at two weeks postpartum, I was less convinced. Taking a newborn to a rave didnt exactly sound like a relaxing Sunday.

At 2pm, Melbournes La Di Da is packed, but the atmosphere is genial, relaxed and wholesome. Half the brightly dressed clubbers totter around at knee height, wide-eyed and ecstatic as if someone spiked the cordial. Parents take selfies to capture this milestone: their familys first rave. A teething baby gnaws on a glowstick. Apparently the biggest security problem is baby shoes going missing on the dancefloor.

Techno, trance and house is played quietly enough for tiny ears. Thanks to a quality PA system, it still sounds rich and bass-heavy. The headline DJ Jamie Stevens is known for playing at grown-up music festivals, and I throw some shapes in an arrhythmic, motherly fashion.

My partner looks at ease bouncing to Underworld, while the newborn sleeps on his chest in a harness

Its hard to cut loose while trying to avoid kneeing a child in the face, plus my daughter keeps tugging at my hem to beg for money to buy cupcakes. I fantasise briefly about creche facilities. But it feels uplifting to dance, as if my body is waking from the hibernation of pregnancy.

The line for face painting is longer than the bar queue. I had expected to see some heavy boozing, but the parents seem to be pacing themselves. Champagne is popular, befitting the mood of tentative, responsible celebration.

Everyone at the event is either under six or over 35. Some parents look like theyve come straight from supervising their kids footy match, but many have dug out their old reflective baggy trousers and furry waistcoats. There are plenty of dads, which is refreshing when so many family activities are targeted to women. I overhear one father reminiscing that he took his now-wife to this same nightclub on their first date.

It seems to be a bonding opportunity, where couples can relive their pre-kids days without forking out for a babysitter. In the UK, music festivals such as Camp Bestival have been tapping into this market for years, and Australia is finally catching up. While cuddling his baby on the dancefloor, one of the DJs tells me he is thrilled to play a gig that his family can attend. My partner looks at ease bouncing to Underworld, while the newborn sleeps on his chest in a harness.

The clock strikes 4pm and, as a finale, a parachute is unfurled over the dancefloor. Kids lose their minds with glee as their parents hold them aloft.

As we walk to the car, the six-year-old says she enjoyed the parachute and drinking a fizzy drink the most. My partner says the event reminded him of the 90s club night Whirl-Y-Gig. Oh, and the newborn? She has slept through the whole event a sure sign of her approval.

Mark Dynamix is DJing the Sydney launch of Big Fish Little Fish at Portugal Madeira Club in Marrickville on Saturday 24 June. A second Melbourne event, on 23 July, is already sold out

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'Techno trance for tiny ears': taking your newborn to a rave - The Guardian (blog)

Trance Is Springing Down in Orange County This Saturday – Mix 247 EDM

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Mix 247 EDM
Trance Is Springing Down in Orange County This Saturday
Mix 247 EDM
Come experience Trance bliss at the Garden of Eden at the all-new Circle Nightclub! This Saturday, June 10th, there will be two areas of world-class talent all day, with headliners Indecent Noise, Neptune Project, Nifra, and more! Straight out of ...

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Trance Is Springing Down in Orange County This Saturday - Mix 247 EDM

Take A Journey Into Space with Trance Pioneer Ferry Corsten – EDM Sauce

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For many music fans, the art and craft of the album have been lost to a digital age, for others, the vision of a concept album often lacks that atmosphere-enhancing quality. Dutch electronic music producer Ferry Corsten is an artist who shares this view. Music fans wanted the old Ferry back. I was getting sick of my music I was sucked into this, spending the whole EDM everything that sounds the same, Im at fault, I felt I was going to deep into it. You know your f****** hands up, everybody jump, and I was like Ok Im done with this. What do I really like, you what I am longing for, its the sound of the early 00s. Trance fans got exactly what they wished for as Ferry Corsten releases a true concept album conceived by a wilful passion for recording how the music delivers its story, entitled Blueprint. EDM Sauce had the opportunity to interview Trance pioneer about his new album and documentary setting release later this month.

Your new album Blueprint, cant stop listening to it, it's like a storybook.

Right! So it's great when you say that that is exactly what I was hoping it's amazing I mean yes it is a story is what I try to do, I knew that a new Ferry Corsten album was due same time I felt like I don't want to just do another collection of music with an album. As well as many people playing like the phenomenon of the album is dead and I disagree, you know and vinyl is coming back too.

While the album transports you into a portal of sound and light, escaping from the reality we all face, a concept that will inspiration to another artist or trance fan. Helping you to face your fears and dont take no for an answer, Blueprint is more than an album its an audio book.

Vinyl sales are shooting up right now I cannot imagine a case like people listening to vinyl, you take the record to put it on for 2 seconds, to you talk the needle and put it on the record, it doesnt work like that as soon as people are listening to vinyl again then that there's patience you don't just put vinyl on and subconsciously in my mind it helped make the decision of doing this but actually I want to do something like this or even for a long time like I like the music album that had something more like a different dynamic to it and just the music and so I think I created my hybrid between them, an audio book.

Feeling stuck in the EDM scene, Ferry wanted to explore his appreciation for the art of screenwriting and film scores and bring to the project a wider scaling approach. Workingwith friend and acclaimed screenwriter David H Miller (of House Of Cards and Rosewood fame), the pair worked closely on storyboarding a narrative to accompany the album's conceptual direction. It was all a reaction to a response.

Yeah so basically my dad said to me when I was filming the Gouryella documentary (coming out in June) and he said Ferry why you take the next step? Take a plunge, do something with an unspoken word. He hit the nail on the head. My friends manager is David H Miller so its him and me and we had a sit down, so I hit it off straight having the same likes in science-fiction, and he said now let me put a dress something up and shoot it over to you and we made a concept and thats how it was made.

Throughout the storyline giving nods to the proses of iconic sci-fi authors such as Jules Verne, Hugo Gernsback and most distinctively HG Wells, whilst equally sharing familiarities with modern day shows such as The OA, Westworld and retro Sci-fi-fest Stranger Things, Blueprint is an explorative piece of work that puts Sci-fi at its interstellar core. Hollywood actor Campbell Scott (known for The Amazing Spider-Man and The Exorcism of Emily Rose) provides his voice as the narrative of the album flirts between first and third person narration. A unique style for one of the biggest names in the electronic scene but Ferrys attempts with Blueprint is to bring a wider perspective to the listener, and give what the fans they want, as he aims the album to be inclusive of dimensions of religion, history, idea and science fiction.

It was very cool what I really liked about this whole process is you sit down with some writers and ok I think the hardest part of writing a song is to find the actual concept and the actual thing to write about with this having a story ultimately gives you that platform that that first wave of inspiration to write and you know. It's very cool but it sent on everything had to work together with the song had to make sense with the story but script separate a story and the song still had to make sense without the story for people who don't know the story just you know what I mean so I the only difference like that pitfall along the way.

Can you talk about your documentary?

When I brought it back after thirteen years, I said you know it's like OK what did I do what ferry was 25 years old you know when I was in 1998 what was I thinking so I went back to my old projects just trying to find the younger Ferry back then I found this one this older synthesised track, which was only was released and in Japan. So this is what the younger was thinking so I took the melody from the track then brought it up to todays standers but with the old vibe and there was an era you know so, when it came out the response what so touching that the trance wanted that not like the EDM trance stuff and the track got released based on the response I brought it back as live show and based on that response I decided to bring to bring it back with an album and some scenes from concerts and make into a DVD. This is what the fans wanted.

I started working on Blueprint right around the same time I was bringing back Gouryella, so thats why Gouryella is on the album so Im merging the two.

Can you give some inspirational words to the up and coming producers out there?

The thing that I firmly believe in is to stick to your guns, do your thing, dont copy that track that you're a fan of, invent your own music.

Order your copy of Blueprint today!

Follow Ferry Corsten: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | VK |Download

Meagen Surowiecki, also known as Tookie as my close friends call me. I am 27 years old and a recent graduate from Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. I have a passion for the music industry, I love EDM, I came to the realization that I have always loved "EDM" it just wasn't called EDM when I was a teenager. My range of EDM artists range from Adam Beyer, Nicole Moudaber, Chris Liebing, Carl Cox, Saeed Younan, Green Velvet, Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Pretty Lights, Oliver Heldens, Tommy Trash, Arty, Diplo, Tritonal, Vicetone, Tchami, Danny Howard, Sam Feldt, Kill the Noise, Bassnectar, Fedde Le Grand, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, Above and Beyond, Dash Berlin, Sander Van Doorn, Simon Patterson, Bryan Kearney, Deorro, Showtek, Firebeatz, Dada Life, Eric Prydz/ Pryda/ Cirez D, Audien, Markus Schulz, Ferry Corsten, Tiesto, Avicii, and so much more.

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Take A Journey Into Space with Trance Pioneer Ferry Corsten - EDM Sauce

This New Trance Event in UK Announces an Incredible Lineup – Trance Hub (satire) (press release) (blog)

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One of Manchesters premier trance music production company Rong has announced the lineup for their latest new event Kinetic Trance Gathering. We cant stop raving about it, its stunning.On Saturday 7th October, the new era of UK Trance Events begins. Inside Manchesters prodigious Victoria Warehouse, at precisely 6PM, the KINETIC experience comes to life!

Boasting an unrivalled visual performance from one of the incredible Tomorrowland VJ teams, KINETIC promises a breathtaking 17-hour event with awe and wonder proudly atop the bill. A completely bespoke lighting, laser and pyro FX set-up has been engineered to surround the dancefloor with a 60 foot wide, unique curved stage at the helm. The colossal platform itself stands 25 foot tall and will deliver a complete visual knockout with its configuration of over 300 Ultra HD resolution 4K panels.

You can buy your tickets here Skiddle

More than 40 artists will assemble on October 7th to be a part of this immersive debut experience and KINETIC invites you to champion the rise of UK clubbings next major hallmark. Its time to take the hard-line against the establishment. Music is our answer and together we unite, for something big, something beyond-compare, one night at a time.

Know more http://kinetictrancegathering.com/

Co-Founder of Trance Hub, Curator of The Gathering events in India and ALT+TRANCE in Czech Republic. By day, a Digital Marketing Enthusiast with love for Food and Technology. By night, a dreamer who wants to grow the Trance scene in India.

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This New Trance Event in UK Announces an Incredible Lineup - Trance Hub (satire) (press release) (blog)

Trance Duo Announces New Album After 10 Year Hiatus – EDM Sauce

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You heard it right. Trance DJs Grabriel and Dresden are coming out of the shadows and are now planning to release a full length album.

Anyone who knows trance is familiar with this legendary group. They have been touring and releasing music since their inception in the early 2000's, and after being absent for so long they have now finished an album which has been in the works since November 21st, 2016.

Quoting from their Kickstarter update on May 28th:

We are happy to report that we finished mixing the album yesterday morning just before our flight to Phoenix to go and DJ. We are overwhelmed, exhausted but also so grateful for what we have achieved thus far and excited about the road ahead.

The only issue for them right now is finding the right record label to release this body of work under. We all know how important marketing is in the music world today and how much of an effect a record label can have on the actual release. They have usually released through the Organized Nature label but have decided they want to find, A record label who can do the proper marketing of this project so maybe we can get our music on the radio, In films, on tv shows and hopefully even in the charts. They also have yet to master the album and decide on artwork.

Regardless of everything that this album still has to go through before it can be released to the masses, it is really great to see this amazing trance duo come out and release music again. I am very excited to see the finished product and I am sure you all will be too.

The album is set for a mid-June release. Get ready for the return of trance.

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Trance Duo Announces New Album After 10 Year Hiatus - EDM Sauce

Five Trance Artists You Must Catch at EDC Las Vegas 2017 – EDM Identity (blog)

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Maybe you love your beats with an uplift, or you crave some psy to take you to a new dimension,or you are in the mood to amp up the energy with a healthy dose of tech trance, then make quantunVALLEY your home at EDC Vegas 2017!

At EDC Las Vegas, trance has always had a welcome home, and with the announcement of the quantumVALLEY Stage this year, we couldnt be more excited! Trance has been long overdue for a dedicated stage and after a solid Dreamstate takeover of the circuitGROUNDS stage last year on Sunday the stars aligned for this years edition of EDCLV!

The stage itself was leaked by Pasquale on Instagram and was officially announced to the delight of trance enthusiasts who plan on attending this year. That announcement was only boosted by the lineup for the stage, which features 27 artists who will be bringing some unreal vibes and quality beats for your ears.

We already know that for dedicated trance fans the quantumVALLEY will be considered home for the duration of the festival, but if youre just an electronic music fan who decides to wander, there are a few trance acts that you are not going to want to miss! Here are my top trance artists who will be playing at EDC Las Vegas 2017 that I urge you to check out!

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It goes without saying that Markus Schulz is an artist who has had an unstoppable presence at EDC Las Vegas since the very beginning; whether gracing the stage as a solo act or joining ranks with his good buddy Ferry Corsten to shake things up as New World Punx. This year marks a new era in his massively vibrant EDC journey as he will descend upon the quantumVALLEY stage as Dakota, a project that has stolen the hearts of his dedicated fans since releasing Thoughts Become Things under the Dakota alias in 2009. His performance at EDC Las Vegas 2017 will be his second go-around at The Nine Skies project since its unveiling at Dreamstate San Francisco.

With a focus on the darker side of trance with even a little bit of a techno twist as evident in his latest release called Mota-Mota, Dakota has entered a new chapter called The Nine Skies, a tour concept focusing on the nine steps to enlightenment. Check out The Nine Skies trailer and info about the project righthere!

The Nine Skies is my representation of the nine steps we all go through to reach enlightenment in life. I want people to come to these special Dakota shows and open their minds to its music, message and its visuals the trinity of which will take them on a journey. Your journey, their journey, everybodys journey together. Dakota is darker in its beats, and wiser with the messages it wants to share with the world. Questions like what is the secret of life? Why are we here on earth? What is our purpose? These are just some of the questions we have and The Nine Skies show will explore.

Markus Schulz

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Since stepping onto the scene back in the mid-2000s Sander van Doorn has wowed fans all over the globe with a tech trance flair that instantly ignited an incredible following for a man dripping in dance music expertise. Eventually, he would gravitate to a more progressive style breaking out of the genre bubble and expressing his love for dance music in a new light. Fast forward to 2017 and Sander fans were presented with a curious unveiling as his socials went completely dark, signaling a coming change in this dance music gurus repertoire. Purple Haze would ultimately reveal itself as Sanders new alter ego and with a preview of his new track Neilojon A State of Trance Episode 804, Purple Haze was up and running.

Ultra Music Festival would mark Sanders first performance as Purple Haze and with the tech trance vibes blasting through the speakers, it was clear that the true Sander van Doorn was back and better than ever. If you love your beats dark, smothered in energy, and sharp in production and delivery then you would be a fool to miss his performance at EDC Las Vegas!

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My next pick comes from a DJ/producer that has been on fire recently. His performance at Dreamstate San Francisco just this past week that got the trance world buzzing with nothing but adoration for this masterful trance kingpin, and it seems as if John OCallaghan has hit a stride unmatched by any who even attempt to deliver the quality of work that seems to run effortlessly through his veins.

Whether he is in the mood to take his crowd on a rollercoaster ride of 138 or blast event attendees up with an uplifting set that sends chills to the deepest depths of your soul, a John OCallaghan set seems to always stand apart from the pack. With go-to tracks like Find Yourself, Big Sky, and Stay WIth Me, just to name a few, John OCallaghan has fast become one of the greatest artists to ever grace our scene. What does he have in store for EDC Las Vegas 2017? Only time will tell. But I guarantee that catching his set will be one of the biggest highlights of your EDC experience. You can quote me on that!

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You may know him as Armin van Buurens faithful sidekick on A State Of Trance radio show or through his extensive work with the massive Armada record label as well as his own imprint, Statement!. You may know him as the artist behind the Sound of Holland weekly radio show or as the man behind incredible productions like Forever In Our Hearts, Grands Boulevards, and Stoer. You also cannot forget his domination among the festival circuit, unleashing his talent at massive events like Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Dance Valley, Nature One, Kazantip, a slew of A State of Trance live events and gracing half a million people welcoming in Hanois new year. No matter how you know Ruben, history has shown us that this is a man who has established himself among the trance elite, building an empire in his wake.

Walking the fine line of trance, house, and progressive, Ruben de Ronde refuses to be contained by boundaries focusing on next level production, letting his music speak for itself. Just recently, he joined forces with fellow trance aficionado Rodgto develop a brand new album called Togetherr, set for release on June 16, the same weekend that he will bring his divine trance tunes to EDC Las Vegas! I am going to go out on a limb and say that if you choose to check out his set, your ears will be graced with a lot of new music premieres from Togetherr. All the more reason that you should refuse to miss this set!

Check out Ruben de Rondes new track with Orjan Nilsen and Rodg along with album details by clickinghere!

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A top five trance artist pick would not be complete without showing some love to the subgenre that shoots us straight in the outer reaches of the universe. A subgenre that tantalizes the senses with alienistic sound bytes, driving basslines, and underground flair. Yes, I am speaking about the deep, dark, twisted, subgenre known as psytrance! If you are a fan of psy then Ace Ventura is an artist that you simply cannot deny!Behind the Ace Ventura project is Yoni Oshrat, one of Israels biggest talents in electronic music, with a career on top of the scene, stretching for over a decade.

Ace Ventura, while amazing on his own has been known to join forces with some of the biggest names in trance including a divine partnership with Astrix as Alpha Portal delivering one of the most electrified performances at Dreamstate San Bernardino last November and with Liquid Soul as Liquid Ace where they rocked the socks off concert goers at Dreamstate San Francisco just this past week.

For EDC Las Vegas 2017, Ace Ventura will put his partnerships on hold to sit solo in the drivers seat to dish out a set that will reach far beyond what the conscious mind can comprehend. Prepare yourself for a performance that will astound the senses, far more unique than anyone else on the massive EDC trance lineup.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Featured Photo Credit: Insomniac Events

Maria first fell in love with electronic music in the early 2000's when she heard a little tune called "Satisfaction" by Benny Benassi. Since then she has dived head first into the scene and become passionate about the trance, techno, and tech house genre's. Festival's like EDC, Dreamstate, and TomorrowWorld hold the key to her soul and dance music will always and forever be a major part of her life.

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Five Trance Artists You Must Catch at EDC Las Vegas 2017 - EDM Identity (blog)

TMS Website/Grades – Thurston Middle School

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6300 Thurston Road, Springfield, OR 97478 Ph: 541-744-6368 Fax 541-744-6372 Attendance Hotline 541-744-6371

Check us out on Facebook for regular updates FACEBOOK

Inclement Weather Alert or Closure Information for Springfield School District click here for complete details/information: Weather or Closure Info

If we are experiencing inclement weather (snow/ice) click link below for quick info from Flash Alert to see if school is open today the District will determine this and post by 6:30 a.m. School Closure Information

ANNUAL NOTIFICATION: 2016-Annual-Notifications

Family and Friends are invited to join us on Tuesday, June 20th at 6:30 pm for our 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony. The celebration ceremony will be held at Thurston High School in the Gymnasium.

Food for Lane County is once again supporting our community kids with their Summer Lunch Program:

Free lunches for kids ages 2-18

Program begins June 26 at most sites, weekdays (except July 4) from 12 to 1 (at most sites). There are lots of sites in Springfield at schools and parks.

Go to http://bit.ly/LANEsummerfood to see a full list of sites, menus, and volunteer opportunities.

Attention 8th Grade Students and Parents:

Thurston High Schools online Sports Registration is open July 1st for all2017 Fall Sports Activities. If you have an incoming Freshman who wishes to participate in any Fall Sportsactivity please be sure to register through the online site prior to the deadline ofAugust 2nd.Links for theOnline SportsRegistrationcan be found on the THS website (http://www.thscoltspace.com)and/or the Thurston Athletics website (http://www.thurstonathletics.org).

Any questions please call Lisa Minium, Athletic Secretary, 541-744-5049.

Congratulations to our Semi-Finalists for the 2017 Geography Bee! The students participated in a competition Friday afternoon and the Finalist for our school was Colby Wolf!

Semi-Finalists: Natalie Averill, Andrew Booren, Isaiah Burke, Quealey Carpenter, Brian Jenkins, Anna Johnson, Colleen Lovdokken, Delores Towery, Carson Uffens, Colby Wolf

Congratulations to our TMS students who participated in this years MLK Contest. Click on this pic for our students who won recognition in the 6th 8th Grade Categories.

A special thank you to Miss Kerr and Mrs. Bonar in assisting with this project!

Please click on this link to learn about School Transfer Information for next year:

Transfers 17-18

Congratulations to our talented 8th grade student, Allison Brooks! Her art work that she submitted last year was selected and published in the 2017 Bring Recycling Calender.

Way to go Allison!

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TMS Website/Grades - Thurston Middle School

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Embarcadero and TMS Software Team Up for Application … – Business Wire (press release)

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AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Embarcadero Technologies (a division of IDERA), a leading provider of software solutions for application development, today announced a partnership with TMS Software to offer seamless application integration capabilities with popular cloud services. The open component architecture in Embarcadero Delphi alongside TMS Softwares ready-to-use components allows developers to access cloud services programmatically in a matter of minutes instead of studying service API documentation for hours.

TMS Software offers components that provide easy, object oriented access to popular cloud services such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft Live Calendar, PayPal, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more. With this partnership, Delphi developers can now integrate cloud services fast without having to worry about keeping track of changes and new versions of APIs introduced by the cloud service. This saves a significant amount of time and money for the initial development as well as for the maintenance of applications integrating cloud service use. The components work with either VCL for Windows or FMX for multi-platform and are available via GetIt.

TMS Softwares commitment to supporting our developers on every platform is a huge asset to the developer community, said Jim McKeeth, chief developer advocate and engineer at Embarcadero. They bring the RAD concept to integration of applications with cloud services, providing the kind of components essential to modern software development projects. TMS Software is a prime example of the kind of technology partner that helps make our developers so incredibly productive with all these ready made components.

TMS cloud components include abstractions for cloud file storage services that now allow Delphi developers to switch an integration from one cloud file storage service to another by simply swapping a component with no code changes required. This enables developers to offer customers more choices of cloud file storage integrations without any additional effort.

Delphi has always helped developers be extremely productive by allowing them to focus on their own business logic instead of the underlying technical complexities of operating system, graphics, database and networking. With this partnership, were now simplifying developer access to REST based cloud services even more, said Bruno Fierens, CTO of TMS Software. Delphi Tokyo, the latest iteration of the language and IDE, elevates these productivity gains and is what our team uses day-in, day-out with joy.

About Embarcadero

Embarcadero tools are built for elite developers who build and maintain the worlds most critical applications. Our customers choose Embarcadero because we are the champion of developers, and our tools help them build more secure and scalable enterprise applications faster than any others on the market. In fact, ninety of the Fortune 100 and an active community of more than three million users worldwide rely on Embarcaderos award-winning products. To learn more, visit http://www.embarcadero.com.

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Embarcadero and TMS Software Team Up for Application ... - Business Wire (press release)

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TMS, Levy Restaurants Unveiling Hawg Heaven BLT Dawg – Speedway Digest (press release) (blog)

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Texas Motor Speedway and Levy Restaurants have come up with another unique food item that combines the best of two American food classics - the hot dog and BLT sandwich.

TMS and Levy Restaurants Executive Chef Lincoln Engstrom have added a distinctive twist to these two favorites to create a mouth-watering meal that all race fans will want to make sure to check out. (Click here for video of Chef Engstrom showcasing the Hawg Heaven BLT Dawg.)

The Hawg Heaven BLT Dawg is an oversized global mashup of flavors inspired by the classic BLT sandwich. It begins with an East-West Kobe beef frank, crispy thick cut bacon, Italian-inspired double tomato bruschetta, and a Korean fusion smoky bacon kimchee instead of lettuce. It is then topped off with a French-inspired fine herb aioli sauce and served on a poppy seed bun. (Click here to see Verizon IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver John Hunter Nemechek take their turn at assembling the Hawg Heaven BLT Dawg.)

"The Verizon IndyCar Series is a global sport so I decided to use flavors from around the world to create the Hawg Heaven BLT Dawg," Engstrom said. "As with the other items, it features plenty of bacon but the ingredients mesh well together and turns this BLT Dawg into a special meal. I'm sure race fans at Texas Motor Speedway during the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 will enjoy eating this version of this popular line of concession items."

This specialty concession item is only available at concession stand 405 inside Gate 4. Priced at $12, it will be on sale during the weekend that features the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winstaronlinegaming.com 400 on Friday (7 p.m.) and the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 on Saturday (7:30 p.m. CT). The weekend also will feature the SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks and the Texas Off-Road Ruckus expo on both days as well.

The Hawg Heaven concession line began in 2013 with Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy and has featured the Shake 'n Bacon Brew bacon-infused beer milkshake, Bacon Nachos, Queso Wings, Double Barrel Dawg, the Final Rocky Road-eo ice cream sundae honoring Jeff Gordon's final season in 2015, the BBQ Melt, the Ranchero Dawg, the Three Little Pigs and most recently the Burro Grande at April's race weekend.

TMS PR

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TMS, Levy Restaurants Unveiling Hawg Heaven BLT Dawg - Speedway Digest (press release) (blog)

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Parity is prevalent in IndyCar as series races to its TMS weekend – Fort Worth Star Telegram

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Fort Worth Star Telegram
Parity is prevalent in IndyCar as series races to its TMS weekend
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Seven races, seven different winners so far in the open-wheel circuit. Parity is even prevalent in the winners, too, with five different countries being represented. A couple Frenchmen, an Aussie, two Americans, a Canadian and now a Japanese driver ...

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Parity is prevalent in IndyCar as series races to its TMS weekend - Fort Worth Star Telegram

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Runner-up James Hinchcliffe eyeing Victory Lane visit in Texas this year – Fort Worth Star Telegram

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Fort Worth Star Telegram
Runner-up James Hinchcliffe eyeing Victory Lane visit in Texas this year
Fort Worth Star Telegram
He doesn't think he could have done anything differently to win the TMS race, and he broadened his fan base by appearing on Dancing with the Stars a decade after fellow IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves won it. [Growing my fan base] was a huge ...

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Runner-up James Hinchcliffe eyeing Victory Lane visit in Texas this year - Fort Worth Star Telegram

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