BRINK OF WW3: ‘You PLANNED THIS!’ Putin accuses USA of plotting strike BEFORE chemical hit – Express.co.uk

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A staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he regarded the US action as "aggression against a sovereign nation" on a "made-up pretext.

And he savaged the cynical attempt to distract the world from civilian deaths in Iraq, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Just hours after the strikes, he announced the attacks had seriously damaged ties between Washington and Moscow - which a spokesman claims was already in tatters.

Adding the missile strike broke international law, Russias foreign ministry also said it was obvious that the US strikes had been prepared before the chemical attack.

REUTERS GETTY

REUTERS

Two US warships fired 59 cruise missiles from the eastern Mediterranean Sea at the Syrian airbase today following a poison gas attack in a rebel-held area on Tuesday.

At least 70 people, many of them children, were killed in the chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun - but the Syrian government has denied it was behind the atrocity.

Now the US has launched its toughest direct action so far during Syria's six-year-old civil war.

DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCES SYRIA AIRSTRIKES - SPEECH IN FULL

Getty/Reuters

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Trump ordered a massive military strike against a Syria

Washington's step will inflict major damage on US-Russia ties

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov

And the move has left Donald Trump facing his biggest foreign policy crisis since his inauguration, further heightening tension with Russia and Iran.

Announcing the attack, President Trump said: "Years of previous attempts at changing Assad's behaviour have all failed and failed very dramatically.

US officials said they informed Russian forces ahead of the missile attacks and took great pains to avoid hitting Russian troops at the base.

GETTY

GETTY

But Russian strongman Vladimir Putin has lashed out at the controversial decision - which Trump claims was in Americas vital national security interest.

Kremlin and pro-Kremlin lawmakers have since suggested the missile launch had dealt a significant blow to any hopes of doing business with Trump.

Mr Peskov said: Putin views the U.S. strikes on Syria as aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law and on a made-up up pretext.

"Washington's step will inflict major damage on US-Russia ties.

REUTERS

He added Russia did not believe that Syria possessed chemical weapons and that the move would cause a serious obstacle to creating an international coalition to fight terrorism.

Russia is now expected to call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the matter.

Iran also denounced the "destructive and dangerous" strike, the Students News Agency ISNA quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

REUTERS

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Still image shows Russian Bastion coastal missile launchers launching Oniks missiles at unknown location in Syria

The spokesman added: Iran strongly condemns any such unilateral strikes ... Such measures will strengthen terrorists in Syria ... and will complicate the situation in Syria and the region.

However Britain gave its backing to the military action in thebeleagueredregion.

A government spokesman said: The UK government fully supports the U.S. action, which we believe was an appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime and is intended to deter further attacks.

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BRINK OF WW3: 'You PLANNED THIS!' Putin accuses USA of plotting strike BEFORE chemical hit - Express.co.uk

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WW3 fears grow as US signs $2.2 BILLION plane deal to tackle China nuclear subs – Daily Star

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THE US has just signed a huge new defence contract as it looks to tackle Chinese military action in the Pacific with fears of all-out-war increasing.

It has sealed a $2.2 billion deal with Boeing for at least 17 state-of-the-art anti-submarine planes, named P-8A Poseidon.

And video revealed the Navy has already been training its Thai allies in using the planes, which have the worlds most advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The training exercise named Cobra Gold 2017 took place over the western Pacific Ocean last month and was the largest security cooperation exercise in the region.

The South China Sea remains one of the world's most tense areas as it provides the main route for Chinese nuclear submarines.

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We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility

For these submarines missiles to pose a first or second strike threat to the continental US, they must transit the South China Sea and enter the Western Pacific, Malcolm Cook, senior fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, explained in a report last year.

Fears were heightened last month when China conducted its own military training exercise in the area that involved bombers, fighter jets and early-warning aircraft.

It resulted in Japan scrambling its own aircrafts in response.

But Chinese state media claimed the exercise did not target any specific countries or goals and was conducted in accordance with relevant international laws and conventions.

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It is the latest in a line of aggression after Chinas first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, cruised into the Western Pacific for the first time in December.

And officials in China have confirmed that the up-tempo pace of exercises will continue.

We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility, Wang Weiming, deputy chief of staff of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, told the official Xinhua News Agency.

With relations between the US and China fragile, holding a joint live-fire military display with the Thai army could be seen as making things worse especially when Trump's chief advisor Steve Bannon believes America and China will be at war 'within a few years.'

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Thai and US military tanks participate in a live fire military display

With President Trump continuing to be outspoken on international matter, the massive US deal with Boeing includes options for 32 additional aircraft, as well as money for long-lead parts for future orders.

The Navy will receive 11 aircraft, while Australia will expand its P-8A fleet with four more. The UKs first two P-8A jets are part of the agreement, with first delivery set for 2019.

It comes as a Pentagon report revealed US would LOSE WW3 to China as it was not ready to take on highly capable opponents.

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WW3 fears grow as US signs $2.2 BILLION plane deal to tackle China nuclear subs - Daily Star

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Topic: April 6 1917 = WW1 does April 6 2017 = WW3, chv? – The … – Yeshiva World News

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April 6 1917 = WW1 does April 6 2017 = WW3, chv?

The USA entered into World War I on April 6 1917, it looks like exactly 100 years later, on the same day, it might have entered WW3

what do you mean by that?

As if anyone seriously worries about the US bombing the Syrians. You do realize that using poison gas against civilians is considered a heinous war crime. Though if you want an analogy, if the US enters the Syrian War on one side it could tilt the war in that sides favor (presumably the Kurds and/or the Syrian insurgents, to the detriments of ISIS and the Syrians (backed by the Iranians and Russians). However there is minimal chance of this leading to something bigger (since as it is the Russians are not in a position to do much, and the Iranians dont want to totally alienate the rest of the Islamic world by supporting Assad after he goes around gassing people).

It does seriously hurt the Democratic party in the USA which invested much political capital in arguing that Trump is a Russian agent. It also might warn both Russia and North Korea that the mad man in the White House isnt to trusted to turn a blind eye to their aggression (unlike his super-cool risk-averting predecessor).

Akuperma, while its convenient to put all the bad guys on the same side, ISIS and the Syrians are opponents in this war, not allies. Hizbullah and the Russians are with Syrian regime aka Assad. ISIS is on the same side as Syrian rebels aka insurgents, and apparently the USA. If it sounds like a mess, thats because it is. As for the title of this thread, Al tiftach peh Its almost Pesach. May we be zoche to a true zman cheiruseinu!

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Topic: April 6 1917 = WW1 does April 6 2017 = WW3, chv? - The ... - Yeshiva World News

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Meditation and the psychedelic drug ayahuasca seem to change the brain in surprisingly similar ways – Businessinsider India

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At the end of a dark earthen trail in the Peruvian Amazon stands a round structure with a thatched roof that appears to glow from within. In the Temple of the Way of Light, as it is known, indigenous healers called Onanya teach visitors about the therapeutic uses of ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew that's been used by locals for thousands of years.

Across the Atlantic, researchers in an ornate blue-tiled hospital in Barcelona, Spain are studying ayahuasca's physical effects on the brain.

The teams in those two disparate locations approach the study of the psychedelic drug very differently, but researchers at each one are coming to similar conclusions about the way ayahuasca affects the mind.

Among volunteers who take ayahuasca for studies, scientists have documented a rise in certain key traits that mirror those of experienced meditators . These changes include increases in openness, optimism, and a particularly powerful ability known as decentering.

Amanda Feilding, the founder and director of the UK-based nonprofit Beckley Foundation , collaborates with scientists around the world to understand how psychedelic drugs affect the brain. Feilding describes decentering as "the ability to objectively observe one's thoughts and feelings without associating them with identity."

Decentering might sound esoteric, but it's one of the key aims of mindful meditation and is also a goal of successful depression treatments in some cases. In volunteers who've taken ayahuasca as part of Beckley's research, decentering has been linked with higher scores on questionnaires designed to measure well-being and happiness and lower scores on measurements of depressive or anxious thoughts and symptoms of grief.

"It's interesting because even though our research out of Peru is based on surveys, while in Barcelona it's based on more traditional scientific research , our results out of both places are showing an increase in these traits," Feilding says, adding, "It seems patients are finally able to liberate themselves from the emotional pain they've long been suffering from. To calmly observe one's thoughts and feelings in an objective way in order to become less judgmental and more self-accepting."

Since the findings out of Peru are based on surveys, they can't prove that ayahuasca caused the reduction in symptoms of depression and grief - only that there's a connection between the two. But in Spain, as part of a collaboration between Beckley and Sant Pau hospital, neurologist Jordi Riba is looking at the brain activity in depressed volunteers who are given ayahuasca. His findings indicate that in addition to people simply reporting that they feel more decentered and less depressed after taking ayahuasca, there is a corresponding neurological change in their brain activity.

One small study of 17 depressed volunteers who took ayahuasca saw a decrease in activity in areas of the brain that tend to be overactive in conditions like depression and anxiety. And a new study of regular ayahuasca users suggests a physical shrinking in these parts of the brain, though that work has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

These findings are bolstered by other research on the potential therapeautic effects of psychedelics. Studies out of New York University and Johns Hopkins suggest that the psychedelic drug psilocybin - the ingredient in magic mushrooms - elicits similar effects among depressed people.

"With the psilocybin, you get an appreciation - it's out of time - of well-being, of simply being alive and a witness to life and to everything and to the mystery itself," Clark Martin, a patient who participated in one of the Johns Hopkins trials, previously told Business Insider of his experience.

David Nutt, director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit at Imperial College London, has been working with Feilding, and says the brains of people with depression or addiction get locked into patterns of thinking driven by the brain's control center.

"Psychedelics disrupt that process so people can escape," he says.

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Meditation and the psychedelic drug ayahuasca seem to change the brain in surprisingly similar ways - Businessinsider India

Tripping out: the highs and lows of psychedelic therapy – Marie Claire UK

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A growing number of women are swapping the therapists sofa for hallucinogenic medicine. But does science back up the benefits? And whats it really like to get high for therapeutic purposes? Health journalist Charlotte Haigh experiences the highly controversial world of psychedelic psychiatry first-hand to find out

Im sitting in the humid blackness of a wooden hall in the depths of the Peruvian Amazon. The only sound is the clicking of a shamans beads as he pours out shot glasses of a murky brown liquid. The substance is ayahuasca, a traditional hallucinogenic medicine made of up of two plants: chacruna, which contains a substance called DMT generating visions, and the ayahuasca vine itself, which allows DMT to work in the brain. Its a Monday night and it suddenly strikes me how far away I am away from my regular Monday evening routine scanning the latest news on my phone in my flat in the London suburbs after a long day meeting deadlines as a freelance health journalist.

I look around at the 20 other people in the room, mostly European professional men and women in their late twenties to mid-forties. Were all here on an organised retreat, to participate in four ayahuasca ceremonies in an attempt to sort out deep-rooted emotional or psychological problems, or simply work out our next steps in life. Were hoping this strange brew, used by Peruvian shamans for centuries, might just give us the answers were struggling to find at home. In fact, studies are now suggesting psychedelics may help a range of mental health conditions, which is why Im here.

The strongest evidence is currently for addiction, then depression and anxiety, followed by moderate evidence for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), says Professor David Nutt, a psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist I speak to for advice, and who has pioneered the research. In a study we published in The Lancet, one dose of psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, produced lasting changes in people with chronic depression who hadnt responded to medicines or to therapy. Half of the participants were still well after six months. Its not a magic bullet, but its very promising.

Psychedelics are considered relatively safe in comparison to alcohol, but experts strongly advise against trying them in a recreational or non-clinical setting, as you may have a disturbing experience. As psychedelics loosen your brains usual patterns, defences start to dissolve, says Dr Rucker, a psychiatrist who researches the effects of psychedelics. That can be hard, because its the things you dont want to deal with that you keep locked away. Thats why you need a safe, supportive environment and someone you trust like a therapist to help you work through difficult things. Anyone with a family history of mental-health conditions such as schizophrenia, and anyone taking drugs, including SSRI antidepressants, should avoid them completely.

As I gulp down the thick, sickly drink and lie down on my assigned mattress, I wonder what will come next. As a health journalist, Ive done my research and spoken to many people whove taken it. I know its considered safe, but Im nervous about what my subconscious mind might show me under the influence. Im not a natural risk-taker so its certainly a step outside my comfort zone, but it may help me work through some relationship issues Ive been struggling to process this past year. Thankfully, this is not like taking drugs in a nightclub. It feels like a safe environment and there are experienced assistants and shamans on hand to offer support. We are sitting in a large, circular wooden building and mattresses are arranged around the outside of the room. For a few days before, I follow the special cleansing diet no alcohol, sugar, caffeine, pork or fatty foods and as requested by the organisers, I have set an intention in my mind of what I want to gain from the journey.

After half an hour of drinking the liquid, a wave of nausea surges through me. The medicine is infamous for causing vomiting. I grab the plastic bowl next to the mattress but the feeling passes and then Im plunged into a vision, like a hyper-vivid dream. Im on a rain-whipped beach, trailed by three shivering, sad-eyed children. I recognise at once that theyre the babies I lost in successive miscarriages while trying for a longed-for child with my then-husband, who Im now in the process of divorcing. I cuddle them but theyre still cold, so I put them all into a sack and search for a sanctuary. When I open the sack again, theres just a pile of ashes. Im distraught. And then a huge sun bursts the clouds open and I see a woman in the sky, smiling and cradling the children. Im crying, but then Im overwhelmed with a sudden sense of peace.

Later, when I come to process my journey, as ayahuasca trips are termed, I know Ive finally reached a point Ive been struggling to get to for months: Ive accepted my losses. In my trip, I came to a forest, where I saw a vibrant woman with a group of people, laughing and watering plants. It was me. It seemed to suggest that I still have a role in society even if Im never a mother which is something Id been grappling with.

Following my four-hour trip, I feel newly calm and positive about my future; a sense that something deep has shifted. Six months on, that feeling hasnt left me. Your brain is like a snow globe capable of being shaken up. Psychedelics may help get you out of an entrenched perspective, Dr Rucker tells me later. Biologically, all psychedelics, including ayahuasca, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and LSD, stimulate the 2a serotonin receptors, found most commonly in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, the area that processes and coordinates complex information to help you think and get perspectives on different situations. This area also helps you define your sense of self and the world, so that can become distorted when something goes wrong here.

Brain scans show that in depression, the prefrontal cortex is overactive, as people become trapped by repetitive negative thinking. By triggering the type 2A serotonin receptor, the psychedelic encourages the brain to broaden its scope and come up with other ways of seeing things. Under the influence of a psychedelic, the overactive bit of the prefrontal cortex quietens down, and parts of the brain that werent talking to each other start communicating, adds Dr Rucker.

This cross wiring may be one of the reasons why synaesthesia where your senses get mixed up is a common experience with psychedelics (on my first ayahuasca journey, I associated yellow colours with an intense raspberry flavour).

But while the brains biological response to the drug is key, the trip itself also plays an important role. The more spiritual or personal the experience, the more likely people are to have long-term benefits, says Dr Rucker. Theres no guarantee youll get a big breakthrough and not everyone has powerful visions, but for some it can be profound. Sarah, a 32-year-old solicitor, spent two weeks in Peru at an ayahuasca retreat, drinking the medicine every other night to help her overcome grief following her sisters death. Id become scared of losing people I cared about and was avoiding relationships, she says. On my journey, I saw a coffin and the lid started to open. I was terrified, but when I looked inside I saw galaxies of moons and stars. Ive never been religious, however I had a new understanding that nothing is truly final, and that life can be beautiful again. Somehow, it moved me on.

Ayahuasca can be challenging, though. It made me look at things Id been avoiding in real life, says Susannah, 26, a social-media manager from London. I went to a retreat in the Netherlands because I was having relationship problems and wanted to work through them. Id never taken drugs in my life. A friend had found ayahuasca helpful with body image issues and I thought it might be what I needed. In one journey, I saw myself on a battlefield trying to help someone who was badly injured, but they bled to death. Afterwards, I realised the person who died represented my relationship Id been trying to fix it but the medicine showed me I couldnt. Although it was upsetting at the time, it gave me the confidence to leave. Dr Rucker believes millennials may be more willing to look to psychedelics for answers because theyre more educated about the risks and benefits. This generation has always been exposed to the internet and many different sources of information theyre more curious about the psychedelic experience and dont believe the demonisation of drugs. Magic mushrooms and ayahuasca are both natural substances and ayahuasca has been used in a sacred way for thousands of years, which might be part of its appeal.

In the UK, psychedelics are illegal, so its not possible to take them in a clinical setting. This may be a reason why retreats in Peru like the one I attended are soaring in popularity. Ayahuasca is taken in a group ceremony led by highly experienced shamans and assistants to keep an eye on everyone, so you feel safe, says Skie Hummingbird, a UK-based shaman who takes groups out to Peru (sungate.org.uk). But you need to choose the right place, as some centres are run by unscrupulous people who arent properly trained. Personal recommendation is the best way. And shes seen radical transformations. Some people undergo dramatic changes on a ten-day retreat, overcoming lifelong problems, she says. But its not for everyone: some people do report having highly distressing journeys.

Some of the latest research suggests ayahuasca could generate the birth of new brain cells, potentially treating neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimers, as well as psychiatric illnesses, while LSD and psilocybin show promise in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, Professor Nutt advises caution. We need more studies, and such studies are limited by the law. Psychedelics are currently schedule 1 substances, which means theyre considered dangerous, making further research almost impossible. Nevertheless, the growing wave of interest in psychedelic psychiatry (a recent public talk at University College London sold out in 20 minutes) may address that. As Professor Nutt observes, Its groundbreaking science. These substances could potentially change peoples lives, providing we can do more thorough testing.

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Tripping out: the highs and lows of psychedelic therapy - Marie Claire UK

Hallucinogens Help, According to a Mom’s Memoir and Son’s Documentary – Bedford + Bowery

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Still from The Last Shaman (Courtesy of Raz Degan, Peace Productions)

There seems to be a growing consensus that conventional pharmaceuticals are not so great, as Cat Marnell makes clear in her recently published memoir, How to Murder Your Life. She describes how an Adderall prescription helped her ADD but also put her on a path that led to some serious Sid and Nancy and Girl, Interrupted scenarios(she also got to hang out with Courtney Love, but whatever).

So where to turn when legal drugs fail you? The answer might just be hallucinogens, if were to believe A Really Good Day, a new book about a writers experiment with LSD microdosing, and The Last Shaman, a forthcoming documentary about a young mans experiments with ayahuasca.

This isnt the first filmabout ayahuasca, and microdosing seems to be the trend du jour, but these two releases represent a new level of mainstreaming both are the accounts of relative drugvirgins who take drastic measures because all else has failed to treat their depression and anxiety. (Oh, and thisayahuasca doc is co-produced by Leo DiCaprio.)

Still from The Last Shaman (Courtesy of Raz Degan, Peace Productions)

The author of A Really Good Dayis Ayelet Waldman, who has made a nice life for herself as an essayist, novelist, and mother in Berkeley, California. Shes by no means deeply depressed, but she has been diagnosed with bipolar II disordershe has trouble sleeping, suffers from mood swings and self-doubt, and often finds herself arguing with her husband (the novelist Michael Chabon). Therapy, anti-depressants, and meditation havent helpedthough the occasional MDMA trip has served to reboot her marriage.

Desperate for a solution, Waldman scores some LSD from an old hippie who calls himself Lewis Carroll (get it?) andundergoes a regimenrecommended by former psychedelics researcher Dr. Jim Fadiman: ten micrograms of LSD (one tenth of what youd take to trip) every three days for thirty days, accompanied by active self-monitoring.

Fadimans USDA-permitted trials with LSD in the mid-60s found that the drug helped Silicon Valley types with creative problem solving. Since the publication of his 2011 book, The Psychedelic Explorers Guide, Fediman has collected dozens of microdosing reports. Theyre overwhelmingly positive, and involve claims of anxiety reduction, mood elevation, sustained creativity, and improved relationships.

A Good Day which is what many of Fadimans correspondents reported having reads like a real-time journal of Waldmans daily self-evaluations, interspersed with background information about the governments misguided, hysteria-driven, racially discriminatory drug wars, and the history of psychedelic research. (Fun fact: one of the cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous had a positive experience with LSD therapy and sought to make it a part of AA. Not-so-fun fact: The CIA experimented with weaponizing psychedelics, and once set up brothels in San Francisco where drinks were spiked with LSD.)

Waldman is deeply aware that for every level-headed LSD user and researcher, there are gonzo psychonauts like Timothy Leary or Ken Kesey, whove made it tough for the government to reverse its course on hallucinogensand whove made it hard for her to admit her use to her kids, despite her belief that honesty is the best policy in drug education. Still, there are clinical studies of psilocybin being conducted, as Michael Pollan noted in a 2015 New Yorker article. An NYU researcher told Pollan that he had witnessedunprecedented results:People who had been palpably scared of deaththey lost their fear.

By the end of the book, Waldman definitely seems sold on the therapy. Normally a pessimist, she finds herself experiencing surprising moments of optimism and being more aware of her surroundings, and her chronic shoulder pain decreases. But she acknowledges that microdosing isnt a cure-all: Microdose Day is fun and productive, but sometimes it has an edge, she observes on Day 19. Senses are ever so slightly heightened, which can be pleasurable, but does incline me to a version of my infamous irritability, albeit a mellower one. Still, she no longer finds herself flying into a rage at the sound of her husband chewing, and she doesnt completely freak when she thinks her daughter has gotten a bad tattoo.

Waldman also found that her productivity shot up, but she acknowledges that it might not have been the microdosing. I dont know if this is a result of the protocol itself or the means to force myself to put words on paper each and every day.

And theres the rub. Is the microdosing working because it stimulates serotonin receptors and effects parts of the brain associated with growth, memory, and learning, or is it working simply because Waldman is being more mindful and is focused on recovery? Not to mention, actively occupied with writing what she must know will be a very sexy and salable a book?

That paradox arises in The Last Shaman, as well. At one point during the documentary, its protagonist James Freeman is shown pouring flower water over his head, a cleansing that precedes an ayahuasca ceremony. Im just trying to keep an open mind and not be judging any of this, he says of the rituals. And I think theres a part of me that believes that that itself is healing. So, the journey is the reward?

Still from The Last Shaman (Courtesy of Raz Degan, Peace Productions)

The film follows Freeman, a young preppie from Boston, as he ventures into the jungles of Peru to find a shaman who can cure him of the suicidaldepression that hit him during his late teens, when he finally buckled under the stress of trying to live up to the expectations of his father. His parents, both accomplished doctors, seem okay with electroshock therapy, but, like some of Waldmans peers, theyre dubious about the whole hallucinogen thing.

Filmmaker Raz Degan decided to make the documentary after his own ayahuasca experience helped cure a bout of pneumonia; the experience convinced him to arrange an ayahuasca retreat for his mom that he says helped with her depression. Once he left his acting career in Italy and started shooting the doc, however, he discovered the sacred brewwasnt all rainbows and unicornsthe docs early scenes show the corpse of a man who suffocated to death while under the care of a shaman at the Anaconda Cosmica in Iquitos (ayahuasca can be fatal when taken with other medications; according to aMens Journal article about the drugs dark side, this wasnt the only death that occurred at Anaconda).

Still from The Last Shaman (Courtesy of Raz Degan, Peace Productions)

Freeman, who was also present for the incident, remains undeterred, and links up with a wild-eyed American expat an ex-addict and ex-con from Kentucky who organizes cockfights but also considers himself a spiritual warrior. The gringo shamans treasure chest is said to contain some $250,000 worth of ayahuasca.

Ultimately, however, Freeman opts for a shaman who isntso set on monetization, which is depicted in the documentary as an increasing threat to indigenous communities. He finds one in the Shipibo village of Santa Rosa de Dinamarca. The gold-toothed shaman prescribes strict isolation, ingestion of a variety of plants, and regular tokes off a pipe containing mapacho, a highly potent jungle tobacco thats often used in conjunction with ayahuasca. During the dubstep montage of Freemansmarathontreatment, he speaks of an exorcism-like combination of fevers, cramps, sweats, nightmares, incredible visions, and a letting-go of anger toward his father. It all looks very intense, and yet somehow after five months of this he emerges looking rested, healthy, and suddenly capable of frolicking with street dogs and playing soccer with the local kids.

Though I wasnt necessarily cured, I feel like I came back with a will to live, he later says, which more or less jibes with Waldmans thoughts about macrodosing.

Clearly, both the film and Waldmans account aim to encourage less anecdotal experiments. Andthose are actually happening just this week, the Guardian wrote about a study of ayahuascas effects on people with PTSD, and Business Insider reported that ayahuasca has been shown to affect the brain in the same way meditation does. At the same time, a new study of LSD conducted by scientists at the University of Basel indicates that 100 micrograms reduces activity in the region of the brain related to the handling of negative emotions like fear a finding that could be useful in the treatment of depression and anxiety.

Of course, that LSD study was just one of the results when I searched LSD on Google News. Most of the others involved people getting arrested.

But hey, watching a documentary that uses dubstep to simulate an ayahuasca trip is still legal. The Last Shaman is in theaters May 12, and A Really Good Day is in bookstores now.

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Hallucinogens Help, According to a Mom's Memoir and Son's Documentary - Bedford + Bowery

Take a Chill Pill (How to Relax in the Modern Age) – Huffington Post

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There are millions of people using smart drugs every day and this world of self-experimenters is expanding rapidly. As the self-tinkering becomes more mainstream, its possible to find more of these cognitive enhancing nootropics across the internet. Tim Ferriss is one of the main motivating forces increasing the reach of nootropics and helping them reach more people than ever.

Most recently, he has advocated for medicinal mushrooms, such as mushroom coffee with chaga and reishi mushroom. While these nootropics are thousands of years old, only recently are they seeing a resurgence in the mainstream discourse.

Most people think of improving their brain power by simply taking stimulating drugs and getting to work harder and for longer periods. While this is great, it can also be problematic at times. Many people experience burnout and it can take a toll on many aspects of your performance.

Tim Ferriss once discussed CILTEP and remarked that it would require him to sleep for an entire day afterwards! Not something that you want.

Even though it isnt popular wisdom, one of the main ways to increase cognitive performance (on tests, for example) is to reduce anxiety and relax. A lot of people are so worried about the results that they do not perform their best mentally and it shows. There are many nootropics that you can use in order to reduce anxiety and stress, but what about enjoying some time outside with friends?

A simple win is to find a game of foosball with friends, which can help you to blow off some steam and enjoy the best experience that you can. Most of the time, people who are experiencing a fun time with outdoor activities find that at least some of the stress melts away.

For the stress that doesnt, there are a few great options within the nootropic family, which can help. Rhodiola rosea is a great adaptogenic herb that can help to improve resilience in the face of stress. Many of the Vikings have used this hundreds of years ago.

Combining these tactics can go a long way in improving your mental performance and it doesnt have to hurt you in the long run. Too many people think of using nootropics and smart drugs as such a short term endeavor. Instead of worrying about that, just make sure to reduce anxiety and symptoms of stress and mental performance will benefit as a result.

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Take a Chill Pill (How to Relax in the Modern Age) - Huffington Post

Sharp & Energized! IMPRESS! Dietary Supplement for Men Unleashes Nootropic Power of Cereboost from Naturex – Digital Journal

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MaxLabs US, designer and marketer of IMPRESS! Dietary Supplement for Men, officially announces Cereboost from Naturex (Avignon, France) has been selected as one of the major branded ingredients in their new high-potency "crossover" supplement to keep men "Sharp & Energized Today," "Impressive Tonight" and "Clear Tomorrow."

IMPRESS! Dietary Supplement for Men disrupts the world of nootropics and "smart drugs," largely by including Naturex Cereboost in the innovative U.S. Pat. Pend. Formula. Many discussions about IMPRESS! are centered on its traditional "male enhancement" and athletic performance properties, but its support of brain and cognitive performance are equally important. Men often take multiple supplements - some for energy, physical performance and "nootropics" for mental agility and alertness. Cereboost is a superior nootropic choice that helps IMPRESS! keep men "Sharp & Energized."

The "nootropic" category is largely served by ingredients not well-suited to the lifestyle of our customers seeking energy and clarity. Prescription CNS stimulants like Armodafinil vs. Modafinil have many side effects. Over-the-counter nootropic options consist of synthetics like Adrafinil, Noopept and Phenylpiracetam, while Huperzine-A and Bacopa have been popular herbal nootropics. Unlike Cereboost; Huperzine-A and Bacopa lacked sufficient evidence to earn a place in the "Sharp & Energized" portion of our formula.

Data on Huperzine-A and Bacopa as "cognitive enhancers" is largely based on rodent studies or long term use in the elderly or those with head injuries - hardly convincing. Compare this to the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover study that determined Cereboost improves cognitive performance in healthy individuals. Additionally, many of the old nootropics are banned from sport by WADA or have been discontinued in other countries.

There is additional value in the fact Health Canada has granted Cereboost important cognitive health claims for support of cognitive function, cognitive performance and working memory. Documented performance, an excellent safety profile and suitability for competitive athletes are nootropic characteristics that truly IMPRESS!. We are honored to collaborate with Naturex on this new concept for men that's a safe, fun and enjoyable addition to their lives.

Naturex Nutrition & Health Business Unit Director, Elizabeth Bui on Cereboost and IMPRESS!:

We're thrilled to see Cereboost incorporated in this high-performance combination product designed specifically for men. Clinically proven to enhance working memory and attention, Cereboost was the perfect match for IMPRESS!, providing just the right action to keep men feeling awake, alert and sharp. We know how seriously MaxLabs US takes its mission of providing effective quality dietary supplements that go the extra mile, and we're honored to have them put their reputation behind our ingredient.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover studies were conducted to test the efficacy of Cereboost. The results clearly demonstrate that 200 mg of supplementation with Cereboost significantly increases working memory and supports attention.

Carefully selected by Naturex, Cereboost is obtained by a patented process from high quality American ginseng, and is subjected to rigorous ID testing to guarantee its authenticity. Its specific and unique profile in ginsenosides ensures its action and efficacy.

About MaxLabs US

MaxLabs US designs and markets premium quality nutraceutical products for human use. With a business model built on Innovation, Quality & Value, the company is led by a core team possessing over 75 years of collective experience in business leadership, healthcare and medical devices. The new company is focused on quickly establishing dominance over direct competitors and expanding its portfolio based on market needs. Design, quality assurance, testing, manufacturing and packaging of MaxLabs US products are proudly U.S.-based. MaxLabs US is headquartered in Washington, MI USA.

About Naturex

Naturex sources, manufactures and markets natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries. As the Natural Maker, the company actively supports the global shift to natural by directly addressing key consumer expectations through an offer built on two main focus areas: My Natural Food and My Natural Selfcare. Naturex's portfolio includes colors, antioxidants, specialty fruits & vegetables, phytoactives, and numerous other plant-based natural ingredients, designed to help its customers create healthy, authentic and effective products. The Group's strong commitment to sustainability, continuous innovation process, and the talent of its people are at the heart of its success.

Headquartered in Avignon, France, Naturex has experienced steadily-increasing growth throughout the last 20 years. The group posted 397.8 million in sales in 2015 and employs 1,700 people worldwide. Naturex is listed on Euronext Paris, Compartment B Index: Euronext Next 150, Enternext CAC PEA-PME 150, CAC Small & Mid, CAC Small, Gaa - Ticker: NRX - Reuters: NATU.PA - Bloomberg: NRX:FP - DR SYMBOL: NTUXY.

These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease.

Contacts

MaxLabs US Charles Kraft 844.MAX.LABS

NATUREX PRESS CONTACT Alizee Le Quang 201.440.5000

Follow the full story here: https://przen.com/pr/32059230

Source: MaxLabs US

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Sharp & Energized! IMPRESS! Dietary Supplement for Men Unleashes Nootropic Power of Cereboost from Naturex - Digital Journal

The trance of the Tungna – The Kathmandu Post

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"Yo pani bhavi le lekheko chha tyo pani bhavi le lekheko chha bhavi le lekheko metdaina tala tala nepal ma jada daju bhai nepala jane bato mapani khane padhero sangai ko sathi bhai sansarai ghumda malai chha diusai andhero malai chha diusai andheroEverythingis written by fateAnd fate cannot be erased.On the road down to Nepal, O Brother,So many sights to seeBut when I travel this world, my friendIts all just darkness to me" Bir Bahadur Bishwokarma

Apr 8, 2017- As Bir Bahadur Biswokarma begins strumming the Tungna, anticipation among those who have gathered begins to peak.

We are sat at the courtyard of the Patan Museum where an album launch for the folk ensemble Kutumba has been transformed into a giant, public busk. As a travelling minstrel (gaine) who makes a living out of busking at bustops and chautaris of towns along the Kodari Highway, Biswokarma is used to the attention the Tungna attracts. But even he has never had an audience this big. Then as he begins to sing Kangla ko bato in his uniquely rustic voice, the donations begin to pour in.

Patan has a long history of being generous to its artists, and it doesnt look like it will disappoint us tonight.

***

When I found Bir Bahadur Biswokarma on YouTube, under labels like A blind man singing, or A beggar plays the Tungna, I had reached a dead-end of sorts. As a student of Ethnomusicologywhich studies music through cultural and anthropological lensesI had scoured what little literature is available on the Tungna, but had been left with more questions than answers. Even then, all roads seemed to eventually lead to Biswokarma, who had found small-time fame on the internet through mobile phone videos uploaded by curious travellers, arrested as much by his blindness as his music.

Bir Bahadur Biswokarma is 32, and he has been visually impaired since birth. A resident of Listikot in Sindhupalchowk, near the Kodari border, he picked up the Tungna when he was 16, after deciding that, because it allowed him to sing as he played, it yielded more returns at bus stops than just the flute. As hard as the Tungna is to master, Biswokarma plays it purely by ear; and while he does rely on traditional bhakas and tonal signatures, his penchant for improvisation means that no two songs that he plays is quite the same. Like the long line of traditional minstrels that he belongs to, Biswokarma is no stranger to inducing guffaws for moulding his music according to the crowd that he is playing for, in any of the four languages he can sing in.

The Tungna, Biswokarmas lute of choice, is a stringed folk instrument, one of the half a dozen guitar-like lutes found in Nepal. Played by the Tamang, Sherpa, Hyolmo and other communities, it is a close cousin of other Sino-Tibetan lutes like the Bhutanese Dramyin (Damgyang) and yet unique in its form. Fretless and without a standard scale length, the Tungna, like the 362 different musical instruments in the country, has traditionally been confined to its region, keeping it in a very crude form, making it hard to tune; and harder to master. And like many other folk instruments, the Tungnas popularity is on the wane, despite it being central to cultural staples like the Tamang Selo.

In 2015, while travelling with an arts initiative to Gatlang, Rasuwa, a scenic, traditional Tamang community, I was surprised to learn that there was just one individual in the large network of villages, that could make the instrument. At a school, when we asked the students to draw the first thing that came to their mind when thinking about music, almost all drew guitars and drums. A few drew madals, even fewer sketched a Tungna.

There are people like Agrim Lama, who makes the instrument in Kathmandu per custom orders; Arun Manandhar of Kutumba; and the Project Tungna which have sought to popularise, preserve and document the instrument in the past years, but the tungna continues to remain an obscure and mysterious instrument, its use limited to large cultural showcases or the handful of travelling minstrels, like Biswokarma.

***

When Bir Bahadur Biswokarma ends his song with a frenzied crescendo, nearly Rs 30,000 has been collected through the donations. They will go a long way in helping his young family repay debts incurred while rebuilding their house after the 2015 earthquake. His 10-minutes in the limelight at the City of Fine Arts, we hope, will bring him further attention in the future.

For many like me, the impromptu set, served as a reminder that even while we sit in the cities and make tall claims and demands about the preservation of folk tunes and instruments, musicians like Biswokarmawho are keeping the traditions alive in their indigenous formare now more important than ever. Music, after all, is more than just entertainment; it is intricately tied to culture, society, religion, history and local lifestyles. And once an instrument or a musical tradition disappears, a part of our shared heritage and history dies with it.

Which is not to preach a purely nativistic approach to music; modern-day fusion ensembles have shown the versatility of folk instruments when paired with western musical styles. But as long as sarangi players continue to be labelled as pakhe or dalit, things are unlikely to change. In fact, a majority of traditional musiciansthe Gandarvas, Damai, Jugi, Badiare Dalit, and while social perception about caste is changing, without concerted effort, it might be too little, too late. But still, if Bir Bahadur Biskwokarmas entrancing Patan performance is anything to go by, there is hope yet.

- Deshar is a student of ethnomusicology at Kathmandu Universtiy and a member of the folk-fusion band Ma

***

Watch Bir Bahadur Biswokarma's Patan Musuem performance here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go-L2LJTl9I

Published: 08-04-2017 09:07

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The trance of the Tungna - The Kathmandu Post

Chartwell Dutiro, Niyaz & Riyaaz Qawwali Set for A WORLD IN … – Broadway World

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A World in Trance, featuring the music of Zimbabwe, Iran, India and Pakistan in this third edition of the festival, transcends boundaries and brings the listener to a state of ecstasy and enchantment.

This year's series includes the entrancing mbira music of Zimbabwe with master musician Chartwell Dutiro (Apr 28); mesmerizing 21st century global trance music with Niyaz featuring the spellbinding vocalist Azam Ali (Apr 29); and riveting interpretations of Sufi qawwali with the US-based Riyaaz Qawwali (Apr 30).

Since earliest times music and dance have played a major role in uniting people through ritual, often seeking union with the divine through trance or ecstasy. This festival seeks to bring back some spiritual nourishment to our lives; to focus our physical and mental selves. While the music and rituals associated with each genre are very different from each other, they share a common thread in bringing people together in search of enlightenment. These are just a few of the many forms that music takes to enrich our lives.

IF YOU GO:

A WORLD IN TRANCE

Fri Apr 28, 2017 8pm $25; students, seniors $21

CHARTWELL DUTIRO

Voices of the Ancestors: Mbira Music of Zimbabwe

Sat Apr 29, 2017 8pm $30 students, seniors $26

NIYAZ featuring AZAM ALI

21st Century Global Trance Music

Sun Apr 30, 2017 7pm $30; students, seniors $26

RIYAAZ QAWWALI

Sufi Music of Pakistan & India

At Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave at 3rd Ave near BAM & Barclays Center, Downtown Brooklyn

Tickets: roulette.org, 917-267-0363

Info, videos, & tickets: http://www.aworldintrance.com

Fri Apr 28

Chartwell Dutiro

Voices of the Ancestors: Mbira Music of Zimbabwe

"If you can talk you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance - or just sit and reflect." - Zimbabwean proverb

This performance of entrancing mbira music features the internationally renowned traditional mbira master Chartwell Dutiro (mbira, lead vocal, dance), who played at all-night ritual ceremonies (biras) in his native Zimbabwe from the age of four and is best known for his eight-year stint with Zimbabwe's famEd Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited. He is joined by his son Shorai Dutiro (mbira, vocal), David Holmes (mbira, vocal), Nora Balaban (mbira, vocal) and Bill Ruyle (hosho - gourds, tabla - tuned drums, percussion).

For centuries the Shona people of Zimbabwe have connected with the spirits of ancestors. These spirits are summoned by spirit mediums at biras, all-night ritual ceremonies where mystical mbira (metal-pronged thumb piano) music is played and people participate through dancing, singing, ululating and sometimes whistling. The collective energy created evokes a trance atmosphere that summons the spirits of ancestors to come and give daily guidance and healing. Mbira music has played an important role in the recent history of Zimbabwe. After being banned by missionaries in colonial Rhodesia for its erroneous association with devil worship, it took a role in the liberation struggle in the '70s, where it became crucial in politicizing and encouraging people. During the '80s, it came to symbolize the country's independence.

Chartwell Dutiro has been dedicated to spreading mbira music worldwide. As a child in rural Zimbabwe, he and his brother often played mbira all night, calling the ancestral spirits for guidance, as has been done in Zimbabwe for centuries. When he was a teenager, he joined the Salvation Army band, and played in a military marching band when he moved to the capital of Harare. From 1986 to 1994 he toured the world with the legendary Thomas Mapfumo. Since 1994 he has been based in Britain, performing, recording, teaching, and building bridges through his infectious music. He has appeared at WOMAD festivals in such places as Singapore, Australia and Reading; founded the long-running International Mbira Gatherings; composed and performed with England's Serenoa String Quartet; collaborated with refugee musicians from Africa in anniversary celebrations of the UNHCR; and composed and performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning Breakfast with Mugabe. Chartwell has a degree in ethnomusicology from SOAS University of London, where he taught for many years.

Sat Apr 29

Niyaz featuring Azam Ali

21st Century Global Trance Music

Niyaz has created a 21st century global trance tradition by seamlessly blending Sufi poetry and folk songs from its native Iran and surrounding countries with rich acoustic instrumentation and modern electronics. Formed in California in 2004 and based in Montreal, Niyaz has a far-reaching repertoire that tears down cultural boundaries and bridges the gap between East and West. The group was founded by the spellbinding vocalist/composer Azam Ali, whose Iranian heritage and Indian upbringing have deeply influenced her music, and multi-instrumentalist/composer Loga Ramin Torkian (oud & kamaan lutes). They are joined by Didem Basar (kanun-zither), Gabriel Ethier (keyboards, programming), Vaneet Vyas (tabla-drums), and whirling dervish dancer Miriam Peretz.

Performing uplifting, transformative music, Niyaz, (which means "yearning"), was established as a platform to create social and political awareness through music rooted in, yet not limited by, tradition. Niyaz is committed to creating music with a deep social message aimed at uniting people from different cultural and religious backgrounds through our shared humanity. Guided by the mystical poetry of legendary Sufi poets and the ancient wisdom of traditional folk songs that impart the beauty of ethnic and religious minority groups in Iran and its surrounding regions, Niyaz steps into a future that is ancient and invites listeners to embark upon a philosophical quest into the depths of humanity. The group conveys a message of hope against injustice and oppression, as well as a universal tribute to beauty, cultural and spiritual diversity, freedom and dignity for all.

Niyaz's four bestselling albums, released on Six Degrees Records, debuted at #1 on iTunes and garnered the band media attention, including features on NPR, PRI, BBC World and the Huffington Post. Its most recent album, The Fourth Light, is a tribute to the first female Sufi mystic and poet Rabia Al Basri who was born in the 8th century in Iraq. Recognized as a saint, she had set forth the doctrine of Divine Love and non-duality, which today lies at the heart of Sufi mysticism. Though her role continues to be diminished in value because she was a woman, it bears great significance in today's modern world where women are still relentlessly striving in every aspect of life, to rise above the status of inferiority placed on them by patriarchal societies and laws. "Tam e Eshq," which appeared on the album, was named one of NPR's favorite songs of 2015 and called "a mesmerizing mix of rapturous vocals and electro-acoustic beats."

Since 2005, the group has performed in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Turkey, India, Russia, Dubai, Morocco, and Tunisia. Its music has been featured in various major film and television scores, including Prince of Persia, Body of Lies, Crossing Over, True Blood, Nip Tuck, Bones, and Alias.

Sun April 30

Riyaaz Qawwali

Sufi Music of Pakistan & India

Riyaaz Qawwali performs the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, enthralling listeners with its lively rhythms, joyous melodies and inspirational poetry. In addition to paying homage to traditional qawwali that has been in existence for over 700 years, the ensemble also weaves various songs and poetry of South Asia into the qawwali framework, using qawwali as a universal message of oneness that transcends religious boundaries. Most qawwali troupes are composed of Muslim family members, but Riyaaz Qawwali, which is based in Texas, is composed of musicians who represent the diversity of South and Central Asia; they are of Indian, Pakistani, Afghani, and Bangladeshi descent, and come from various spiritual backgrounds, including Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism.

Qawwali is a musical tradition that dates back to the late 13th century and is typically associated with Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam popularized throughout the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa through various "brotherhoods." Qawwali means "utterance" in Urdu and is derived from the Arabic word qaul (saying). Said to have been introduced to the Mughal court of India by the Persian mystic, poet, musician and philosopher Amir Khusrau, it is essentially a form of sung poetry. The qawwal engenders a state of transcendence in his audience, drawing on verses that ponder the meaning of Divine love through allegory, or are devoted to the sayings of the Prophet (Mohammed) or a particular Sufi saint. The ensemble builds a state of ecstasy through rhythmic handclapping, drumming and powerful vocals (similar to gospel in its call-and-response manner). While originally a form of prayer associated with Sufi shrines, over the past 30 years qawwali has been performed on secular stages throughout the world and has even found its way into Bollywood.

Riyaaz Qawwali is an ensemble of eight musicians who have been professionally performing qawwali for a decade, appearing across the US at such venues and festivals as Asia Society (Texas), the 2015 globalFEST, and the Richmond Folk Festival. Numerous languages are used, including Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Gujarati, and Hindi. The ensemble is under the artistic direction of Sonny Mehta, its lead vocalist, whose musical influences include Ravi Shankar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sher and Mehr Ali, Jagjit Singh, Pandit Jasraj, Bhimsen Joshi and Abida Parveen. His poetry favorites are Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid, Amir Khusrau, Saint Kabir, Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.

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Chartwell Dutiro, Niyaz & Riyaaz Qawwali Set for A WORLD IN ... - Broadway World

Central Europe’s biggest trance event Transmission announces date – Trance Hub (satire) (press release) (blog)

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Transmission Prague is pleased to announce the date for Transmission Prague 2017is set for Saturday the 25th of November 2017. ALimited amount of early bird tickets will go on sale on Thursdaythe 6thof April2017 at 9AM (CEST) through Ticketportal and Paylogic network http://www.bit.ly/TMTICKETS

After last years sold out edition which attracted visitors from over 60 countries to Prague, and the very successful introduction in Asia a few weeks agowhich attracted visitors from over 50 countries to Thailand, a new experience and a new mind blowing show will be created for Transmission Prague.

Once again, thebeautiful O2 arena in Prague, one of Europes most modern multifunctional venues, will be transformed into a giant dance temple to celebrate in style all night long. Transmission has developed and evolved into one of Planet Earths most spectacular trance events and has built a reputation its showcasing outstanding productions with mind blowing light and laser extravaganza.

Paving the way to the future with a deep-rooted passion and drive, Transmission will continue to dazzle the senses and astonish the crowds. The theme and line-up for this edition will be announced in a later phase but its well known that every edition is a new exciting adventure

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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Central Europe's biggest trance event Transmission announces date - Trance Hub (satire) (press release) (blog)

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action on Steam

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Reviews

VA-11 Hall-A is a funny, thought-provoking, and sometimes tragic work of art, with truly original gameplay and a beautiful aesthetic unlike anything else on the market. 10/10 CG Magazine

VA-11 HALL-A is a damn fine video game, and thats the bottom line. 9/10 Destructoid

VA-11 Hall-A is a stunning adventure that manages to deliver one of gaming's greatest stories. 9.5/10 TechRaptor

In this world, corporations reign supreme, all human life is infected with nanomachines designed to oppress them, and the terrifying White Knights ensure that everyone obeys the laws.

But, this is not about those people.

You are a bartender at VA-11 HALL-A, affectionately nicknamed "Valhalla." Although it is just a small bar downtown, it attracts the most fascinating people this side of dystopia. Keep your clients lubricated and you will be made privy to the most interesting stories.

---

"Although there aren't dialogue options, VA-11 HALL-A creates a storytelling experience that's grippingly personal. If, like many game theorists argue, story should always act as a supporter to mechanics, then VA-11 HALL-A is the exception that makes the rule." - Kill Screen

"Never falls into the trap of simply alternating gameplay and story as so many narrative-based games do; rather, everything you do feels relevant to what is unfolding in front of you." - Moe Gamer

"It's through these brief, unguarded conversations that the cyberpunk bartending sim slowly unfolds its story; not of a dystopian world, but of the people living in it." - PC Gamer

---

2014-2017 SUKEBAN GAMES LLC

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VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action on Steam

Digital love: why cinema can’t get enough of cyberpunk – The Guardian (blog)

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Scarlett Johansson Ghost in the Shell. Photograph: Jasin Boland/AP

Code streams across a computer screen; hackers bark at each other in techno-jargon and hammer at keyboards; the real world seamlessly shifts into the virtual, and back again. This is the sort of scene that is instantly recognisable as a cyberpunk film, the subgenre of sci-fi that meshes together technology and counterculture of which Ghost in the Shell, the live-action remake of the Japanese anime classic, is the latest high-profile example.

It is little surprise that cyberpunk has proved irresistible for many film-makers over the decades since the term was coined, by the author Bruce Bethke, in the early 1980s. With its visions of postapocalyptic futures, advanced technologies and virtual realms, they get to pack their films with visual effects to sweeten the (red) pill, while wrestling with weighty existential themes.

Yet, for all its enduring popularity which owes so much to Ridley Scotts 1982 classic Blade Runner cyberpunk has often proved a tough nut to crack on the big screen. Even the author William Gibson, a founding father of the genre on the page, struggled to bring its dystopian charms to the cinema. Gibsons first significant foray into film came in 1995 with Johnny Mnemonic an adaptation of his short story about a data courier with a chip implanted in his head and was an confused and poorly received flop, even if it did feature psychic dolphins. Gibson described the film as two animals in one skin constantly pulling in multiple directions.

He had identified a problem that would plague many cyberpunk films thereafter. A decade before Johnny Mnemonic was released, Gibson had written Neuromancer, a genre-defining novel that thrust readers into a noirish dystopia. Neuromancer, published in 1984, came at a time of change. Computers were yet to become ubiquitous, and a strange subculture of phreaks and hackers was brewing. Slowly, governments were realising that the kids tinkering in their bedrooms with soldering irons and motherboards could be capable of disrupting the status quo. Technology was becoming threatening, and even political. In short, great material for screenplays.

However, the resulting films over the last two decades have varied in quality, to say the least. The biggest hit at the box office has been the Wachowskis Matrix trilogy for which a controversial reboot is being planned. Then there are curios, like Abel Ferraras New Rose Hotel (based on another Gibson novel), which starred Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe and Asia Argento. Theres Wim Wenders postapocalyptic odyssey Until the End of the World (five hours, if you manage to see out the directors cut), and Kathryn Bigelows Strange Days, a critically divisive film that explored the impact of virtual reality. More recently, weve had Carleton Ranneys lo-fi slow-burner Jackrabbit and David Cronenbergs unsettling short, The Nest. Cyberpunk has come to the small screen, too: Mr Robot is a modern incarnation, as was the TV show Orphan Black.

In truth, cyberpunk themes existed in film long before the phrase did. Fritz Langs 1927 film Metropolis envisaged wealthy elites, oppressed masses and a unnerving fusion of woman and machine all themes explored in the remake of Ghost in the Shell. That lineage can be traced through to Blade Runner, based on Philip K Dicks 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which was set in a smog-filled futuristic LA, dominated by the Tyrell Corporation, where Harrison Fords retired cop hunts replicant cyborgs while musing on humanitys metaphysical quandaries.

A turning point for cyberpunk in film came from an in 1988, with Katsuhiro tomos landmark anime Akira. A fusion of rebellious youth culture and groundbreaking animation, its story of teenage biker gangs in a postapocalyptic Tokyo became an international cult hit. The film paved the way for a wave of animations for adults that peaked in 1998 with Ghost in the Shell. That films arresting visuals, existential questions and a pared back, cat-and-mouse narrative was unlike anything audiences had seen before.

Crucial to cyberpunk is a countercultural take on social issues, albeit often viewed though a Hollywood lens. As Iain Softley, the director of the tongue-in-cheek 1995 thriller Hackers, says: As far a cyber culture is concerned, it is this mixture of technological culture with underground movements. That appeals to younger audiences and that is also the appeal for film-makers.

Hackers, he says, was never about the technology. It was about the popular culture that it generated.

But how do film-makers ensure that the genre remains cutting edge? The remake of Ghost in the Shell, directed by Rupert Sanders, will be the first big-budget outing for cyberpunk since the Matrix films. Guillaume Rocheron, who worked on the film as a visual effects supervisor, says that while the original animation was a key source, the makers took a lot of inspiration from glitch art, various art installations inspired the architecture.

Rocheron explains that the films solograms (Solid volumetric projections of people and advertisements you see in our city shots) required them to develop a new camera system. This is a common feature of cyberpunk films: the pioneering of visual effects technologies to create new worlds, such as the bullet-time technique that was developed for The Matrix.

In todays increasingly technology-driven world where our work depends on connectivity, our leisure on social networks, our economy on digital information cyberpunk remains more pertinent than ever. News headlines are dominated by email hacks, the growing clout of mega-corporations, and rapid developments in AI and virtual reality. Cyberpunk remains a genre that pushes the boundaries, opening audiences eyes to the intersection of technology and humanity and the blurring lines between artificial and organic intelligence. The questions about what makes something real and who exactly is in control are left to us to work out.

Originally posted here:

Digital love: why cinema can't get enough of cyberpunk - The Guardian (blog)

‘Ghost in the Shell’ is more cyberposeur than cyberpunk – Engadget

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Beyond the gunplay and set pieces, the Ghost in the Shell anime also set itself apart by throwing you into the deep end of a world where technology is completely integrated with humans. Most people have cyberbrains -- metal cases for their organic brains that allow them to "jack in" to computers and networks. The film doesn't slow down much to explain the concept of a cyberbrain to you, but you eventually grasp it by how characters use them. At one point, you see an official's hands expand into a multitude of robotic digits, which is clearly a big help for typing faster. While the remake echoes this imagery, it doesn't do anything thoughtful with it.

Take the character of Togusa, for example. In the anime, he's established as the least augmented member of Section 9, the intelligence group led by Major Kusanagi. He uses a traditional revolver, and his lack of cybernetic implants seems like a detriment when he's surrounded by literal supersoldiers. But as he starts to question why he's even on the team, Kusanagi makes an intriguing point: A system with standardized components will inevitably fail. If every member of her team was cybernetically enhanced in the same way, that leaves them open to an attack that could take them all out.

Togusa's mere presence is a check against that design flaw. The entire exchange is something we see often in cyberpunk: Technology doesn't always mean progress. In the remake, they point out that Togusa uses an old gun and that's it.

Perhaps the biggest failure of the American version of Ghost in the Shell is that it simply doesn't do anything new. Whereas the original brought plenty of innovative ideas to the table -- it was one of the few science fiction films to actually build on the Blade Runner aesthetic -- the adaptation is perfectly content with copying surface-level style while dumbing down deeper concepts. While the film has been praised for its style, ultimately it's basically just the original Ghost in the Shell aesthetic mashed together with Blade Runner and a boatload of CGI. The remake's vision of New Port City is also oddly sterile. There's none of the lived-in sense of grit you'd find in most cyberpunk stories.

Even the villain is far less interesting. In the remake, it ends up being yet another evil corporate plot. But in the anime, the "Puppet Master" is a completely synthetic life form "born out of the sea of information." He's not inherently evil, he's just trying to figure out who he is.

"It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself," the Puppet Master says when someone claims he's just a computer program. "Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. The advent of computers, and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization."

Cyberpunk stories have rarely been about easy answers, and that's yet another concept the Ghost in the Shell adaptation fails to grasp. Every conflict ends up having a distinct conclusion, be it the villain or Major's place in the world. At the end of the anime however, Major Kusanagi doesn't defeat the antagonist in the traditional sense. She joins with him to create an entirely new being -- a union of a human soul and brain together with a purely cybernetic being.

After being transplanted into a new body, she looks out over the cityscape and simply asks: "And where do I go from here? The network is vast and infinite."

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Cyberpunk thriller Ruiner is here to smash you in the face – VG247

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Tuesday, 4 April 2017 10:20 GMT By Matt Martin

Devolvers latest will take you down hard.

Ruiner really nails the cyberpunk aesthetic, the cold inhumanity of technology, stylised oppression and brutal violence.

So I said to the dude at Devolver show me your most violent games and he did exactly that. I sat down and smashed heads in with a steel pipe.

In Ruiner, your job is to kill the boss of Heaven. Heaven seems to be a steel-cold, clinical, neon industrial escape from the trash city of Rengkok below. And really theres only one thing to do here: kill.

So I turn heads into lunch meat. And then I graduate to increasingly devastating firepower, although crucially the pipe remains shockingly effective long after the bullets have ran dry.

Ruiners hero is faceless, concealed inside a helmet that flashes single bite-size mission statements. Someones giving him orders but theres someone else trying to hack into his perception, to subvert commands. While you keep killing the cyberpunk story begins to unroll; a missing brother, manipulation by The Man, a mysterious girl. But really during the early stages of the game the point is to just keep killing. I like a game that gets on with things.

The violence is chained together as you combo deceptively simple moves. Although the first level feels big, its really just about moving from one area to another, pausing to kill before moving on again. Confrontations consist of linking a dash, shield and brutal attack as pre-emptive strikes or risk being overwhelmed. The shield and dash use energy, so the combos cant be infinite. But chain them together quickly and you can devastate multiple enemies before theyve fired off a shot. Then you try to avoid more goons as you pick the rest off. Rinse and repeat.

Confrontation is quick and almost clinically effective in its violence, triggering an adrenaline rush of relief and revulsion.

Its tough to begin with, but once you make the shift from single actions to timing combos together youre an effective killing machine. You zip across the screen leaving clouds of blood drifting in the air. Confrontation is quick and almost clinically effective in its violence, triggering an adrenaline rush of relief and revulsion. I took them all down, they didnt get back up again, and Im a heartbeat away from collapsing. Overwhelming odds are shattered if you keep moving and make every action count.

There are comparisons to Hotline Miami, but only in the swift violence. Hotline is more tactical, giving you options when it comes to tackling enemies and approaching rooms differently. In Ruiner in the first large level Ive played, at least theres only ever one way to go, and the goons approach you, boxing you in. Youll have to beat them down before moving on.

The first level ends with a mini-boss fight but with added pressure. A timer counts down to zero and death. The only way to keep alive is to execute enemies, adding vital seconds back to the clock. So you need to balance time as you whittle down the boss but also quickly crush his goons to keep the clock in a safe zone. Dont get carried away pummeling the villain or youll aide your own death.

With the opening level finished, bathed in blood, youre introduced to Rengkok, a kind of hub where you can interact with a bunch of darkly comic citizens. Its like a snapshot of Mega City One or Geof Darrows Hard Boiled, used as a way of pushing you to the next level. If thats all it does then its a welcome break from the ultraviolence, but maybe itll offer more as the game opens up.

Ruiner really nails the cyberpunk aesthetic; the cold inhumanity of technology, stylised oppression and brutal violence all set to a heavy electro soundtrack. The action is quick and unforgiving and you can kill or be killed in a heartbeat. Every weapon picked up is bittersweet it will tear apart but only for a limited time so you need to tactically drop back and calculate your next victim before the last body even hits the floor. Its encourages you to play with confidence, ruthless efficiency and to not hesitate. Because to hesitate is to die.

Ruiner is out for PC this spring.

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Cyberpunk thriller Ruiner is here to smash you in the face - VG247

Here’s Why Cyberpunk 2077 Could Feature Gore And Nudity – One Angry Gamer (blog)

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(Last Updated On: April 3, 2017)

A lot of people are interested in CD Projekt Reds upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 and want to know more about the gameplay aspects. And speaking of gameplay, what will the game have players doing and how will it let folks go about completing objectives? Well, given that many gamers are combing over every morsel and bit of detail surrounding the game, another piece of info thats not official yet regarding the games rating recently caught the eye of gamers offering a glimpse into what the game could sport.

Upon doing some more research on Cyberpunk 2077, Ive recently stumbled across a new thread talking about the title and how one particular user is concerned about the game. Upon reading the discussion it lead me to the bottom of the post where theres an ESRB listing for all of CD Projekt Reds titles: the ESRB rating at the bottom of the screen carries an M for Mature label, listing off each of the things contained within CD Projekt Reds games.

As of now, we might have an understanding as to what the game may contain when it does come around to fruition.

Although other rating sites like the ESRB do not list the game with its rating just yet, youll notice that on the official website the Mature label is listed for all of CD Projekts games. The first image comes from cdprojektred.com/forum (very bottom of the site) and details the following content.

Yes, on the official website the label lists all of the content that theyve notified the ESRB about for each of their games, this contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs.

Looking over to official Witcher store page (at the bottom of the site), youll see the ESRB rating where it rattles off what the game is rated for.

The image clearly reveals: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Alcohol.

The difference between the two is that the former label sports Use of Drugs, while the latter contains Use of Alcohol. This is because in The Witcher 2s ESRB rating does contain Use of Drugs, but its interesting that its not featured on the official shop page for The Witcher . So clearly theyre compacting all of their ESRB labels into one label and have it slapped on their official website at the bottom.

Whats interesting, however, is that the only other websites showing Cyberpunk 2077s rating is a summary over on IGN and MetaCritic that both still show RP. Again, its interesting that Cyberbunk 2077s official site used to show RP, but now it just has the Mature label that seems to represent all of CD Projekt Reds games. It would seem like they would have both a Mature label and a Rating Pending label to represent The Witcher games and Cyberpunk 2077, since the latter game hasnt been rated yet.

Its almost as if they already expect the game to get an M rating for all of the things listed at the bottom of the site, so they just have the label there as a placeholder, or it could be that theyre expecting ample amounts of gore, nudity, strong sexual content, language and violence, and are giving people a heads-up before the game actually gets rated. Theres also a pretty high expectancy from those on the CDPR forums that the game will get the M for Mature rating based on the aforementioned adult subject matter.

Itll be interesting to see if the above is all true and how the game will be on release seeing that CD Projekt Reds visual effects artist, Jose Teixeira, revealed that

Cyberpunk is far bigger than anything else that CD Projekt Red has done before. Far, far bigger. Were really stepping into the unknown in terms of complexity and size and problems we encounter.

Cyberpunk 2077 is said to come out when its ready.

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Here's Why Cyberpunk 2077 Could Feature Gore And Nudity - One Angry Gamer (blog)

Kevin Harvick handles TMS’ new pavement well with qualifying win – Fort Worth Star Telegram

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Fort Worth Star Telegram
Kevin Harvick handles TMS' new pavement well with qualifying win
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Kevin Harvick had no problems handling the new racing surface at Texas Motor Speedway, winning qualifying on Friday afternoon. He'll start in the pole position for the first time in 29 starts at TMS. Harvick is hoping that leads to his first Cup ...
Erik Jones: Erik Jones wins XFINITY race in Fort WorthRotoworld.com

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Kevin Harvick handles TMS' new pavement well with qualifying win - Fort Worth Star Telegram

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NASCAR practice at TMS 4.7.17 – Fort Worth Star Telegram

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NASCAR practice at TMS 4.7.17
Fort Worth Star Telegram
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, laying on a stretcher, is taken to the infield care center as a precaution after sliding into the outside wall of turns 1 and 2 during practice for the Monster Energy Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Friday ...

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Erik Jones Ready for Another Graduation at TMS – Speedway Digest (press release) (blog)

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Erik Jones might be a rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series, but when it comes to Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) the driver of the No. 77 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry has already graduated more than once, literally and figuratively.

Jones made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at the very fast l.5-mile Texas tri-oval on June 6, 2014. The then 18-year-old had to bypass his high school graduation ceremonies to participate in the event so Texas Motor Speedway conducted a personal ceremony for him on the pre-race stage. With Jones wearing his Swartz Creek (Mich.) High School red cap and gown over his firesuit, track president Eddie Gossage presented him with both his high school diploma as well as one for graduating to become age-eligible to compete at 1.5-mile tracks, something he wasnt able to do just the week before his May 31 birthday. He went on to qualify fifth and finished the race in 11thplace.

The graduation ceremony Eddie Gossage and the track staff did for me was special, Jones said. It was the actual night of my high school graduation back home so it meant a lot to me for them to go out of their way to do something like that.

Entering Sundays OReilly Auto Parts 500 at TMS, the 20-year-old Byron, Mich., native is 13thin the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series driver standings after a second consecutive 12th-place finish last week at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Jones earned three additional championship points for finishing eighth in the second stage of the race. His 144 points place him two behind Kasey Kahne for 12thand 10 behind Kevin Harvick for 10th.

Jones record in NASCARs three national series at TMS includes one victory, three other top-five finishes, one other top-10 finish and two pole positions.. He made his second NASCAR Cup Series start Nov. 8, 2015, starting sixth and finishing 12thwhile subbing for Matt Kenseth in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

He also captured the pole position and earned his first NASCAR XFINITY victory April 10, 2015 in his series debut at TMS, and has gone on to earn a second and two fourth-place finishes in three other XFINITY Series starts.

Texas Motor Speedway has always been a neat place for me, Ive always done a lot of neat things there, Jones continued. It used to be the old worn our surface that made Texas so unique, how rough it was and hard it was to get your car to work over those bumps. But the repave and the changes theyve made to the banking in Turns 1 and 2 makes it unique in a whole new way.

The Furniture Row Racing 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry team has had a good season so far. Weve had fast cars and run up front at times. The biggest thing I look at is if weve gotten better every week. That was the ultimate goal starting the year with a new team. Weve managed to do that and now we just have to keep on that track, execute better at the end of the races and start to hammer out the finishes I know were capable of.

In the five races since finishing 39that theseason-openingDaytona 500, the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing team has secured five top-15 results with an average starting position of 13.6 and an average finishing position of 12.2.

The 334-lap (501 miles) OReilly Auto Parts 500 will consist of three stages of 85/85/164 laps (laps 85/170/334). In each of the first two stages, drivers finishing in the top-10 will receive championship points (10 to 1) with the winner receiving one playoff point. The overall race winner will earn 40 championship points and five playoff points. Playoff points accumulated during the season will carry through the first three of the four playoff rounds.

Sundays OReilly Auto Parts 500 will air live beginning at 1 p.m.ET on the Fox network. Qualifying (multi-vehicle, three rounds) is scheduled for Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET on FS1.

FRR PR

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Erik Jones Ready for Another Graduation at TMS - Speedway Digest (press release) (blog)

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NASCAR drivers don’t know what to expect from TMS’ repave – Fort Worth Star Telegram

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NASCAR drivers don't know what to expect from TMS' repave
Fort Worth Star Telegram
TMS has tried to work as much rubber into the new surface as possible with the Texas Tire Monster, as well as the Tire Dragon sent by sister track Kentucky Speedway. I'm shocked that we didn't get a whole day of testing to try to get the car set up ...
Other Sports: Full schedule of events for O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at ...Dallas News

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NASCAR drivers don't know what to expect from TMS' repave - Fort Worth Star Telegram

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