Book Explains Religions Connection to Psychoactive Drugs and Astronomy

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Portola Valley, Calif. (PRWEB) February 17, 2015

What is the role of psychoactive drugs like LSD and opium in shaping history? What is the connection between such drugs and the development of religion? What about astronomy? How do stars fit in with the histories of both religion and drugs? In her latest book, "Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion", Mary Kilbourne Matossian hypothesizes that plantsthe source of psychoactive drugsand starsthe source of feelings of awecombined to shape the development of religion in Europe and the Middle East.

"Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion" interprets the New Testament through the trifocal lens of astronomy, mycology and botany, tracing the history of four key psychoactive drugs alongside the history of astronomical beliefs. Based on compelling evidence, "Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion" proposes that the Phaistos Disk, an enigmatic artifact from the Greek island of Crete, is the connection between ancient astronomy, the cultivation of psychoactive plants and the development of religion.

"Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion" is an informative work that proposes a new answer to the age-old question, What are the origins of religion? A lucid, highly readable chronicle of the histories of astronomy, psychoactive drugs and religion, "Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion" is for anyone who has wondered about the origins of religion from a scientific point of view.

"Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion" is available through Amazon and from the author at http://www.Plants-Stars-Religion.com.

About the Author

Mary Kilbourne Matossian, Ph.D., received degrees from Stanford University and the American University of Beirut (Lebanon). She is a retired history professor who taught courses in the history of religion, world history, biology, psychology, philosophy, history of ideas and cultural anthropology at the University of Maryland for over 30 years. "Plants, Stars, and the Origins of Religion" is her fifth book.

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Book Explains Religions Connection to Psychoactive Drugs and Astronomy

Merging traditional toys with artificial intelligence

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Toys are a $22 billion-a-year industry, so it only makes sense that some of the biggest innovators in tech are racing to cash in. Insiders at New York City's annual Toy Fair claim the future of toys is in the hybrids that merge traditional, physical toys with video games and smartphones, reports CBS News correspondent Gigi Stone Woods.

Anki co-founder and CEO Boris Sofman said his goal is to transform the toy business.

"I think that the toy industry is one of those industries that hasn't evolved nearly as much as it should have over the last few decades," Sofman said.

He developed the company's toy, Drive, and upcoming Overdrive with fellow Ph.D. graduates from Carnegie Mellon's robotics institute.

"When people see the products we make for the first time, it feels like science fiction to them because it shouldn't exist," Sofman said.

Unlike classic slot race cars of another era, Anki cars aren't limited to the skill of the player since they can think for themselves.

"They sense the environment 500 times per second. They have 50 megahertz computers inside of them. They understand where they are and they communicate," Sofman said. "When you're playing the game, whichever cars you're not controlling, they actually come to life and are self-aware and they compete against you."

Powered by a sophisticated, artificial intelligence technology not typical of a toy, the $150 Drive starter kit is America's second best-selling toy next to dolls from the movie "Frozen."

The co-founders said they spend more time than they should on playing video games to check out the competition.

"We call it research," Sofman said.

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Merging traditional toys with artificial intelligence

Aerospace manufacturer – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft.[citation needed] Aerospace is a high technology industry.

In the European Union, aerospace companies such as EADS, BAE Systems, Thales, Dassault, Saab AB, and Finmeccanica account for a large share of the global aerospace industry and research effort,[citation needed] with the European Space Agency as one of the largest consumers of aerospace technology and products.[citation needed]

In Russia, large aerospace companies like Oboronprom and the United Aircraft Building Corporation (encompassing Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Ilyushin, Tupolev, Yakovlev, and Irkut, which includes Beriev) are among the major global players in this industry.[citation needed]

In the United States, the Department of Defense and NASA are the two biggest consumers of aerospace technology and products.[citation needed] The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States reported that the aerospace industry employed 444,000 wage and salary jobs in 2004, many of which were in Washington and California,[citation needed] this marked a steep decline from the peak years during the Reagan Administration when total employment exceeded 1,000,000 aerospace industry workers.[1] During that period of recovery a special program to restore U.S. competitiveness across all U.S. industries, Project Socrates, contributed to employment growth as the U.S. aerospace industry captured 72 percent of world aerospace market. By 1999 U.S. share of the world market fell to 52 percent. Leading companies like Boeing, United Technologies Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corp. are among the most widely known aerospace manufacturers in the world.[citation needed]

Important locations of the civil aerospace industry worldwide include Seattle, Wichita, Kansas, Dayton, Ohio and St. Louis in the United States (Boeing), Montreal in Canada (Bombardier), Toulouse in France and Hamburg in Germany (Airbus, EADS), the North-West of England and Bristol in Britain (BAE Systems, Airbus and AgustaWestland), as well as So Jos dos Campos in Brazil where Embraer is based. Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Irkutsk in Russia.

Several consolidations took place in the aerospace and defense industries over the last few decades. Between 1988 and 2010, more than 5,452 mergers & acquisitions with a total known-value of $579 billion were announced worldwide.[2] The largest transactions include the merger of Boeing with McDonnell Douglas valued at $13.4 billion in 1996,[3]Marconi Electronic Systems, a subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, was acquired by British Aerospace for $12.9 billion in 1999 merger[4] and was renamed BAE Systems, and Raytheon acquired Hughes Aircraft for $9.5 billion in 1997.

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Aerospace manufacturer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ThyssenKrupp Aerospace announces India foray

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ThyssenKrupp Aerospace, part of ThyssenKrupp AG, the Germany-based conglomerate, and supplier of aerospace materials and logistics, announced its foray into the Indian aerospace market with the setting up of a facility here.

This has been sited at the Aerospace Special Economic Zone, near the international airport, for processing of materials used in the segment.

"We will be sourcing a wide range of metals like titanium, aluminium, steel and high performing alloys, among others, from across the country. We will process and stock here and supply to tier-1, tier-2 and tier-3 vendors," said Joachim Limberg, chairman of the management board of ThyssenKrupp AG for business area materials services.

He said the company would help Indian companies to make parts for Original Equipment Manufacturers, by supplying material. It has installed machining centres, cutting and milling units, and testing facilities at the Bengaluru plant. ThyssenKrupp operates 40 such units across the world and the new facility is to cater for the growing needs of Indian aerospace components makers and public sector undertakings in the defence sector.

The company has invested around Rs 25 crore in the new facility, which employs around 30 people. "More than our investment in the physical facility, we will be investing a substantial amount of money in sourcing and stocking materials of very high precision and performance," said Jurgen Funke, president, ThyssenKrupp Aerospace.

The facility will help the company gain market share in South Asia and go close to customers to address the latter's needs, he said. Spread across 3,300 sq metres, the facility will stock the whole range of aerospace materials. The idea is to keep ready cut-to-size and machine-ready material that is shipped to the customer just-in-time, helping them save around three months for anything needed, said Gopi Hanumanthappa, managing director, ThyssenKrupp Aerospace India.

It also plans to partner in the central government's Make in India programme. "This facility will play a critical role in developing a system in India for the growth of aerospace manufacturing," said Limberg. Also, ThyssenKrupp is in the process of finalising a plan for a new manufacturing plant for elevators, at Chakan near Pune. It is expected to invest around Rs 300 crore, sources said.

ThyssenKrupp's presence in this country goes back to 1860. Currently, with annual sales of about Rs 3,000 crore, India is the third largest market for the company in the Asia-Pacific.

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ThyssenKrupp Aerospace announces India foray

Therapist agrees to surrender license

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Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2015 12:00 am

Therapist agrees to surrender license

An area mental health counselor has agreed to surrender her license to settle a case with the Iowa Board of Behavioral Science.

According to a settlement agreement released Thursday, Amy Jo Murphy of Omaha, owner of AJ Counseling Services, admitted engaging in sexual activities with a client, engaging in unethical conduct and engaging in practice harmful or detrimental to the public. She also admitted failing to disclose an investigation into her conduct by the State of Nebraska but said this was accidental. She denied failing to release records subpoenaed by the board. The board agreed to dismiss that count.

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Therapist agrees to surrender license

Regenestem Network and Charles Mahl, M.D. Launch Regenestem Health in Miami's Westin Colonnade

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MIAMI (PRWEB) February 17, 2015

Regenestem Network, a subsidiary of the Global Stem Cells Group, announced plans to join Charles Mahl, M.D. to open a Regenestem Health Clinic in the historic Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables, Florida. The state-of-the-art clinic will serve as the flagship center for the Regenestem Network and U.S. headquarters for stem cell training courses and patient treatments.

Mahl, a vitreo-retinal surgeon, specialist in preventive aging medicine and pain therapy, and a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board has operated his own regenerative medicine practice in Miami Beach since 2010. His recent plans to open a clinic in the spectacular landmark hotel in central Miami lead Mahl to invite Global Stem Cells Group co-founder and Regenestem CEO Ricardo DeCubas to collaborate.

The Westin Colonnade clinic will offer anti-aging and aesthetic regenerative medicine treatments and therapies.

The Regenestem Network is a global family of premier regenerative medicine providers all sharing the same missionto bring the latest in stem cell medicine to patients worldwide. The Regenestem Network is comprised of physicians, medical professionals, researchers, teachers and regenerative medicine product development specialists.

Regenestems commitment to helping improve the quality of life for patients through stem cell therapies makes it a model I wanted to incorporate into the clinic, Mahl says. This collaborative framework will allow us to offer patients promising new stem cell therapies and treatments.

The clinics location within the historic Coral Gables Westin Colonnade in central Miami will welcome patients from across the U.S., Canada, and worldwide. Located just five minutes from the University of Miami, the iconic neoclassical hotel built in the early 20th century that originally served as the offices for Coral Gables intellectual founder George Merrick now serves as a 157-room hotel and hosts a mix of offices and retail space.

According to DeCubas, the clinic will make anti-aging and aesthetic regenerative medicine treatments readily available to physicians and patients in a clinical setting.

We could not be more pleased or gratified to announce this new shared path of medical and scientific promise with Dr. Mahl and the Coral Gables Community, DeCubas says.

This opens new possibilities for discovery and treatments, and we are proud to work alongside Dr. Mahl to grow Regenestem Health into a cornerstone of patient care that will serve the community for years to come.

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Regenestem Network and Charles Mahl, M.D. Launch Regenestem Health in Miami's Westin Colonnade

Soul Calibur CENSORED – Mitsurugi/Arthur Character – Video Game Censorship – Video

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Soul Calibur CENSORED - Mitsurugi/Arthur Character - Video Game Censorship
Did you know the Korean version of Soul Calibur censor the character Mitsurugi due to samurai being taboo in their culture? In the KO version of Soul Calibur...

By: Censored Gaming

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Soul Calibur CENSORED - Mitsurugi/Arthur Character - Video Game Censorship - Video

Top Censored Gaming – Sexy Edition Vol. 1 – Best Video Game Censorship – Video

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Top Censored Gaming - Sexy Edition Vol. 1 - Best Video Game Censorship
Did you know thousands of video games have been censored due to sexual content? Come and see vol. 1 of the best cuts in gaming censorship! This montage of past videos takes you on a cool...

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Top Censored Gaming - Sexy Edition Vol. 1 - Best Video Game Censorship - Video

Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks CENSORED – Intro Cutscene/Movie – Video Game Censorship – Video

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Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks CENSORED - Intro Cutscene/Movie - Video Game Censorship
Did you know the German version of Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks censor the intro cutscene movie? In the German version of MKSM, the blood and gore is actually censored! Censored Gaming is the...

By: Censored Gaming

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Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks CENSORED - Intro Cutscene/Movie - Video Game Censorship - Video

Before It’s News Lisa Haven Used To Be A Skeptic! (On Chrislam, Facebook Censorship, The Madhi) – Video

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Before It #39;s News Lisa Haven Used To Be A Skeptic! (On Chrislam, Facebook Censorship, The Madhi)
Christian journalist Lisa Haven of Before It #39;s News shares her testimony of faith from back when she seriously doubted the existence of God. She also discusses Chrislam, Facebook censorship...

By: The Eternal Planner w/ Rob Rennie

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Before It's News Lisa Haven Used To Be A Skeptic! (On Chrislam, Facebook Censorship, The Madhi) - Video

What is Censorship? – Global Internet Liberty Campaign …

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Censorship -- the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society -- has been a hallmark of dictatorships throughout history. In the 20th Century, censorship was achieved through the examination of books, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other forms of communication for the purpose of altering or suppressing ideas found to be objectionable or offensive. The rationales for censorship have varied, with some censors targeting material deemed to be indecent or obscene; heretical or blasphemous; or seditious or treasonous. Thus, ideas have been suppressed under the guise of protecting three basic social institutions: the family, the church, and the state.

Not all censorship is equal, nor does all arise from government or external force. People self-censor all the time; such restraint can be part of the price of rational dialogue. The artist Ben Shahn's poster illustration reads: "You have not converted a man because you have silenced him." Silence can indicate a forced assent, or conversely, it can be contemplative, a necessary part of dialogue that rises above the din of quotidian life.

To understand censorship, and the impulse to censor, it is necessary to strip away the shock epithet value that is attached to the word at first utterance. One must recognize that censorship and the ideology supporting it go back to ancient times, and that every society has had customs, taboos, or laws by which speech, dress, religious observance, and sexual expression were regulated. In Athens, where democracy first emerged, censorship was well known as a means of enforcing the prevailing orthodoxy. Indeed, Plato was the first recorded thinker to formulate a rationale for intellectual, religious, and artistic censorship. In his ideal state outlined in The Republic, official censors would prohibit mothers and nurses from relating tales deemed bad or evil. Plato also proposed that unorthodox notions about God or the hereafter be treated as crimes and that formal procedures be established to suppress heresy. Freedom of speech in Ancient Rome was reserved for those in positions of authority. The poets Ovid and Juvenal were both banished, and authors of seditious writings were punished severely. The emperor Nero deported his critics and burned their books.

The organized church soon joined the state as an active censor. The Biblical injunction, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain" is clearly an early attempt to set limits on what would be acceptable theological discourse. Likewise, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" is an attempt to set limits on how the Divine may or may not be represented. (And no one, in any land, should think this is anachronistic. Across the world today, appeals to divinity are common reasons for banning the dissemination of a broad range of materials). Censorship is no more acceptable for being practiced in the name of religion than for national security (which is certainly an acceptable secular substitute for religious rationales in the 20th Century). It only indicates that confronting censorship must always involve confronting some part of ourselves and our common history that is both painful and deep-seated.

Unique historical considerations can also spawn censorship. Perhaps the best example is the "Hasprache" (hate speech) law in Germany. It is illegal, under German law, to depict any kind of glorification of the Nazis or even to display the emblem of the swastika. The law is enforced to the point where even historical battle simulations may not use the actual emblems that were used during World War II (by the Waffen SS, for instance). Significantly, almost all of Germany's close neighbors and allies have similar laws. The questions in Germany and elsewhere in the European Union (EU) form a particularly hard case because of the historical background and because the situation in the EU is fast-moving. That is why this series of snapshots of conditions in various countries and regions will first deal with other areas and levels of censorship and access problems, and then return to the situation in the EU.

In a global context, governments have used a powerful array of techniques and arguments to marshal support for their censorship efforts. One of the earliest, as noted, is the religious argument. Certain things are deemed to be offensive in the eyes of the Deity. These things vary from country to country, religion to religion, even sect to sect. They are mostly, though not always, sexual in nature. The commentaries on the nature of the impulse to be censorious towards sexual expression are too numerous even for a wide ranging project like this. The curious reader is urged to read far and wide in the classic texts to see that the problem of governments and citizens reacting in this way is not a new one. What is new are the potential global consequences.

National security and defense runs a very close second to the religious impulse as a rationale for suppression. While nowhere near as old as the religious impulse to censor, in its more modern form it has been even more pervasive. And while the influence of religion on secular affairs is muted in certain parts of the world, the influence of governments usually is not. It is difficult to think of any government that would forego the power, in perceived extreme circumstances, to censor all media, not simply those that appear online. The question, asked in a real world scenario, is what could be considered extreme enough circumstances to justify such action?

There are also forms of censorship that are not so obtrusive, and that have to be examined very carefully to define. "Censorship through intimidation" can be anything from threats against individuals to a government proposing to monitor all activities online (as in one proposal current at the time of this writing in Russia). If citizens feel their activities online will be screened by governmental agencies in their country, their inclination to engage in expression will be much less than if their government stays away -- the classic "chilling effect."

"Censorship through consensus" is also a real possibility. There are countries where the adherence to a shared social, though not religious, code is a fact of life. Understanding that entails discerning where the boundaries of expression are, and where they might be interfered with in a consensus situation.

Economic censorship is more difficult to define. The Roman essayist Cicero used the immortal phrase "Cui bono?" (Who Profits? -- the ancient version of our "Follow the money."). But numbers may tell only part of the story. In a situation where there is economic censorship, is it isolated or undertaken in conjunction with some type of political censorship? Is there a monopoly within a certain country that is threatened by competition, or a class of oligarchs that is threatened by the emergence of real economic opportunity for smaller firms? Is the economy in a locale more prone to monopolistic arrangements than to genuine competition and innovation?

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What is Censorship? - Global Internet Liberty Campaign ...