Daily Archives: July 4, 2017

Is LSD the new coffee? – FactorDaily

Posted: July 4, 2017 at 8:27 am

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Netflix CEO Reed Hastings caused a flutter last year when he said that in the future, entertainment could be replaced by pharmacological substitutes (read pills). Why make visual and auditory stories when they can be generated directly in your head?

Anyone who has tuned into Silicon Valleys heartbeat wouldnt be surprised. In the recent past, the collective gaze of the Valley has fallen on a new platform to play around with: the human body and mind, and pharmacological tools are a big part of it.

Unlike Reed Hastings vision of recreation, Silicon Valleys chemical obsession is in pursuit of hacking the mind beyond its limits. Startup warriors in the Valley are wielding pharmacological weaponry in their battle for supremacy in the domain.

The newest trend, however, involves chemistry with a coloured past psychedelics. This time around, psychedelics may have less to do with astral planes and more to do with the mundanity of work. Is this the beginning of a new trip for all of us?

They call it microdosing. Reams have been written about it, but herere some basic facts:

LSD, psilocybin (street name: magic mushrooms) and marijuana are the usual weapons of choice. A microdose is about 15-20 micrograms, about a fifth of the recreational dose that causes you to trip. It doesnt stop you from engaging in your daily routine. You dont switch off from reality. Instead, you become sharper, creative and more social.

At least, thats how the anecdotes go.

A microdose is about 15-20 micrograms, about a fifth of the recreational dose that causes you to trip. It doesnt stop you from engaging in your daily routine. You dont switch off from reality. Instead, you become sharper, creative and more social

If all this sounds extremely unscientific, it is. Today, microdosing is more a fad but its fast becoming a reality. Startup founders, CEOs, programmers, designers, etc are all taking little doses of psychedelics, some daily and others once in a few days, and claiming positive results. Stories from microdosers claiming that it has helped them solve a difficult problem or crack a complex game level are common.

Interest in the trend is on the rise. The microdosing subreditt today has more than 17,000 subscribers compared to a couple of thousands back in 2015. A search for microdosing books on Amazon throws up more than 20 results with titles such as The New Psychedelic Revolution: The Genesis of the Visionary Age and A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life.

One of the more popular books is The Psychedelic Explorers Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys by James Fadiman, the man who may have laid the roots of the current microdosing trend.

Fadimans history with psychedelics is long. In 1966, he published a study linking creative thinking and hallucinogens. But what kickstarted the current trend was his microdosing cheat sheet a manual for interested users that he created in 2010. And his book documenting the benefits.

He was peeling off from the suggestion of Albert Hoffman, the father of LSD who lived to a prime age of 102 years, that small doses of the substance have a positive impact on mental health. Fadiman has since been building an informal study group and receiving user reports documenting the effects of microdosing since.

Claims such as lost my usual anxiety and more focused and in tune are common to find in forums discussing the experience of microdosing

The majority of the feedback from his study is positive. Users report an uptick in performance and mood. Blogs and tech media are filled with magical stories of improvement in mental alertness and happiness levels. Claims such as lost my usual anxiety and more focused and in tune are common to find in forums discussing the experience of microdosing.

Its part of a larger trend. A trend of using nootropics, biohacking and numerous other calibrated lifestyle hacks in an attempt to achieve an ideal physical and mental state. Can this bring psychedelics out of the shadows and into the mainstream?

Humans and psychedelics go back a long way. Our history of the last 10,000 years is dotted with close contact with psychedelics like opium, mescaline, cannabis and magic mushrooms. They were cultivated and used everywhere from South america to Europe to Asia.

Some even believe that psychedelics could have aided in some major cognitive milestones in culture, society and religion. Closer home, the Vedas contain copious references to the sacred, ritualistic soma, a potion that can provide a lightness of being, wisdom and happiness (in some cases immortality). Psychedelic-led transcendence have been part of spiritual experiences around the world.

Also read: Boheco wants to weed out the stigma around this cannabis cousin

But in the modern era, psychedelics exploded into our consciousness in the mid-nineties after Albert Hoffman synthesised LSD in his lab in 1938. After two decades of gestating in research labs and in elite homes, psychedelics flamed out into the world in the early sixties.

In the counter-culture era, psychedelics became a way of life. Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream, sang John Lennon, cajoling his listeners to cut the cord with the boring reality. Writers, singers and musicians exhorted the capability of the drug to produce revelations. Rock n roll put psychedelics on steroids.

It escalated quickly and occasionally things went wrong. The public panicked. Governments reacted with bans and strict regulations. But despite the controls, psychedelics continued influencing art and music. They became synonymous with breaking the shackles of big government, big military and big corporates.

But, they had a huge brand problem as they came to be linked with the strange, excessive culture of the 60s and 70s. That was, until, they found their way into a new cult that was (perhaps unknown then) designing more powerful addictions for the coming millennia using technology.

People are organic machines that can be fine-tuned for magical perfection. This is the thought process that drives Silicon Valleys persistent attempts at pushing the limits of its own mental prowess

Thus began the revival of brand psychedelics in the circuits of Silicon Valley.

People are organic machines that can be fine-tuned for magical perfection. This is the thought process that drives Silicon Valleys persistent attempts at pushing the limits of its own mental prowess. Its position as the dispenser of world-changing innovations has amped up the intellect as the most-valued resource of the modern era.

The rock stars of the modern age wore turtlenecks and hoodies, built personal computers and eclipsed even the Beatles in their fan following. For these demi-gods and those working with them, expanding the mind became a necessity and they turned to chemistry. Steve Jobs spoke in glowing terms about how LSD helped open up his mind and improve thinking.

Slowly, but surely, psychedelics are shuffling from the cord-cutting-with-reality recreational camp into the personal improvement camp. Theres increasing evidence that LSD and some other psychedelics may be less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol.

Over the last 20 years, the US Food and drug administration (FDA) has approved research on the medical and therapeutic effects of psychedelics with promising results. LSD could have a positive impact in treating anxiety in patients with terminal illness, post-traumatic stress disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders. One study found that psychedelics could help reduce domestic violence among those with substance abuse problems. Another medical trial study in the UK is attempting to understand if LSD in small doses can cure depression.

Slowly, but surely, psychedelics are shuffling from the cord-cutting-with-reality recreational camp into the personal improvement camp. Theres increasing evidence that LSD and some other psychedelics may be less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol

Yet, evidence is thin and dosing psychedelics for cognitive enhancements is even less understood. The fact that the Fadimans unscientific study based on self-reported results may be the largest body of research on this subject says something.

Governments and corporates have been largely unwilling to fund research even from a clinical benefits point of view. When the UK governments chief advisor on drugs, David Nutt, spoke positively about drugs and their clinical benefits, he was fired, leading him to claim that the way governments ban research on drugs is akin to the wrath Galileo faced from Catholic church for his research.

Read other FactorFuture articles

But dramatics aside, theres been a steady chipping away of the taboos surrounding mind-altering substances. The legalisation and regulation of cannabis in the US is a case in point. UK, Thailand, New Zealand, Canada and more countries are soon to follow.

Could the microdosing movement reframe the world view on psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin? Will it become as common as sipping on coffee for stimulation?

When it comes to psychedelics, its the fear of the unknown that keeps us circumspect. And theres only one place thats made an attempt to imagine a future with them: science fiction.

Weve obviously got to talk about Brave New World. Aldous Huxleys nightmarish future where drugs and technology make us all sheep to be controlled by the powerful elite resonantes with possibility. Soma, the happiness drug in the story, disconnected people from reality, poisoned them and softened critical thinking.

Yet, a couple of decades after he wrote the novel, Aldous Huxley himself got sucked into the world of psychedelics (first mescaline, then LSD). He wrote about his experiences in the book The Doors of Perception where his tone had changed into one of appreciation of the ability of psychedlics to offer new insights. Huxley became such a proponent of the substance that he requested he be injected with LSD on his death bed.

Does this mean his dystopian imagination was unfounded? Or was it an ironic display of the very dystopia with Huxley becoming a slave to the drug?

The spectre of a Brave New World rises whenever we hear about using drugs for moral improvement. Prozac is known to reduce aggression and oxytocin increases empathy. If drugs could reduce deviant behaviour like violence, racism, etc, and governments get increasingly interested in them, will they be used as a tool of control? Perhaps they can start by chemically correcting those in the prison system.

Other writers have written about drugs causing altered world views. Philip K Dick, who employed psychedelics personally and as a plot device, often painted mind-bending escapes that hopped between transcendental knowledge to revelation of dark and decayed emotional states. His book, A Scanner Darkly, however, is a descend into the hell caused by drugs a dire warning on what substance abuse could cause.

Prozac is known to reduce aggression and oxytocin increases empathy. If drugs could reduce deviant behaviour like violence, racism, etc, and governments get increasingly interested in them, will they be used as a tool of control

Frank Herbert, the American science fiction writer best known for Dune, employed drugs as powerful tools that could generate prophetic visions and bend space-time in the series. He too, was not restricting psychedelics to just his novels.

Which of these worlds will psychedelics help create? A dark, dystopian one where were without control or one that provides us with elevated perceptiveness.

Stanislaw Lem, who outdoes Philip K Dick in mind-bendery in his book The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy, paints a world thats solved most of its problems with pharmacology. It feels utopian and dystopian at the same time. Which is the point Lem makes.

Imagine if someone from the past gets a glimpse of the things we do in the modern era. Theyd see us driving around poison-spewing, people-crushing metal monsters that zip on our roads. Or, look at us staring into screens all day long, lost and hooked. It may well seem like a complete dystopian nightmare. Yet, for those living it, it wouldnt nearly be as frightening.

We have some way to go before well all be shooting down smoothies laced with LSD. Could such small sub-psychoactive doses even make a difference? It is all just a placebo effect? What if we develop tolerance for small doses, leading to escalated dosing? Could we develop an addiction from prolonged use, leading to dependence?

Science needs to catch up and give answers. Given our long history with psychedelics, perhaps it is time.

Lead visual: Angela Anthony Pereira

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Stevie Ryan chronicled her extensive depression treatments, including TMS, on her mental health podcast – Starcasm.net

Posted: at 8:25 am

Saturday night comedian and pop culture commentator Stevie Ryan lost a long and hard fought battle with depression. Stevie has been very open and public about her quest for depression treatment, peppering in tweets about 3-hour-long talk therapy sessions and Instagram posts about transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments (above) along with her scathing humor about pop culture and reality stars like the Teen Mom cast and the Kardashians.

Three months ago Stevie Ryan launched a mental health podcast called Mentally Ch(ill) with fellow comedian Kristen Carney. The episodes, which are embedded below, involve frank and humorous about all aspects of living with depression and seeking treatment.

In podcast posted on May 23, 2017, Ryan talks about embarking a month-long set of every day TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) treatments. As pictured above, the treatments involve her sitting there with a giant magnet on her brain. According to the Mayo Clinic website, TMS is often used when most other depression treatments have been ineffective.

The magnet is supposed to deliver a pulse that stimulates nerve cells in parts of the brain that regulate mood. I just have to sit there for a half-hour while this magnet just pounds on my head, Ryan explained on the podcast. It will move your eyebrows a little.

She went on to say that they fitted her for her personal device by testing to see which part of the brain they could stimulate that would make your fingers and hands start twitching. They told her they could also do that to her legs. Shed only had one real treatment before she already started to see a difference in her mood in the morning. Usually, Ryan said she cried every single morning when she woke up, but the day after her first TMS session, she didnt feel the need to cry. I dont know what it is, Im just so sad inside, she said about why she regularly cried.

In her last podcast episode, which was uploaded two days before her death, Ryan was severely grieving the death of her beloved grandfather. The episode was recorded just a few hours after her grandfather died. Ive just kind of watched him wither away in the past two weeks and its really, really sad to watch someone who youve grown up your entire life and who you see as the manliest man ever just slowly deteriorate. And, its actually the hardest thing that Ive ever dealt with in my entire life, Ryan said through tears. It just sucks and I will miss him forever. This is just a part of life, but I am just worried that this is gonna send me into a deeper depression. Or maybe it will take me out of my depression a little bit to see that life is short and that we just dont have as much time as we think we do with people that we love or care about.

Co-host Kristen Carney said that they had just recorded a very candid episode about suicide, which they couldnt put out because of audio quality issues. She expressed an interest in rerecording the episode, but wondered if the death of Ryans grandfather had changed her views about suicide.

Ryan expressed confusion over how well her mother was handling the death of the grandfather compared to her. Carney recommended that she ask her doctors at her next TMS treatment to possibly get her on some sort of depression medication to stave off a further spiral. Stevie expressed concern about asking for medication because she says on the last visit they wanted to prescribe her Lithium, which she wanted to stay away from because of the side effects like hair loss and weight gain. Ryan had previously been on Prozac.

Carney also suggested that since Ryan was going through the grieving process, she should avoid isolating herself. Ryan replied that for the first time in a while, she did not feel like isolating herself.

Stevies story is a heartbreaking example of some of the painful realities of dealing with mental health disorders like severe depression, especially during very fragile times in our lives. People are not usually open to talking about their feelings or talking openly like like this, Ryan said in the podcasts first episode. The honesty and gallows humor in the podcast is much like comedian Paul Gilmartins Mental Illness Happy Hour, which has been running since 2011.

Another common theme in these two podcasts is the wisdom that professional success and fame is not the answer to happiness or depression relief. Gilmartin earned a good living on the TBS show Dinner and Movie, while Ryan found a lot of success with YouTube which led to her own VH1 sketch comedy show. When I was doing well in life, I was so lonely and depressed, she said of her time on television.

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Why Traders Are Paying Attention To The Chart of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) – NY Stock News

Posted: at 8:23 am


NY Stock News
Why Traders Are Paying Attention To The Chart of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF)
NY Stock News
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) has been having a set of eventful trading activity and it is clear from an examination of the charts that traders are now fully aware of the company's key metrics. A deeper exploration of the setup is sure to yield a ...
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Celebrating ChildFreedom on the Fourth of July – HuffPost

Posted: at 8:23 am

On the fourth of July, the United States celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which to date, happened 241 years ago. Two days before, on July 2, 1776, the Congress for the thirteen colonies voted to declare freedom from British rule. And freedom remains a deeply held value to Americans today.

In America and around the world, another specific group of people greatly value the experience of freedom as well. These are people who are childfree they have no children by choice. Over the years, Ive surveyed the childfree on many topics, and one in particular asked respondents to get to the core of the reason they are childfree. I asked people to answer this question: If you could sum up the reason you are childfree in one word, what would it be?

Of the nearly 600 respondents, here are the top ten words they gave. Starting with #10, which came in at a tie:

And the #1 word people gave as the reason they are childfree: freedom.

Freedom to pursue a life that reflects what is most important to them. Freedom to go after their dreams and goals. Freedom to live their lives as they wish. Many, many childfree see the responsibility of raising children as greatly limiting their experience of freedom. And they value it more than any amount of desire they may have for the experience of parenthood.

From interviewing the childfree since the late 1990s, another word that deserves discussion is relationship. Many childfree who are in committed relationships speak of their concern about how having children would change their relationship, and change it forever. Even if the couple has some level of desire to become parents, ultimately they dont trust that having children would change the relationship in a positive way. To them, their committed relationship is Number One, and many decide that having children is not worth risking what they have right now, which is a great relationship.

For me personally, the two words on the top ten list that resonate most are: disinterest and freedom. Both, however, cluster under a larger word: life. From as far back as my teen years, when I thought about how I wanted to live my life, the experience of parenthood was not something I wanted as part of it. I babysat a lot as a teen, and this experience confirmed these feelings. Over time, I have witnessed loved ones raising their children, and while I see the fulfilling aspects of it, I have never wanted the day-to-day life that parenthood brings or for it to be the central focus of my life.

So, on July 4th, I celebrate what our countrys founders achieved. I celebrate the freedoms we have in our great country, some for which we continue to have to fight. I celebrate the freedom that comes from a life that does not include the raising of children. And I celebrate how this freedom continues to serve as a gateway to learnings, experiences, adventures, and ways of contributing to others and our world that give me a rich sense of fulfillment and purpose in my life.

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Political correctness dampens UNLV logo – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Posted: at 8:22 am

Does a university the size of UNLV not have an art department? A graphics department?

So UNLV revealed its new logo, which depicts an updated PC version of the previous one. While I get that we must now say, act and feel PC all the time, why not take it a step further and depict an androgynous person?

Personally, I wouldnt care if the new logo had an otter and a bottle of shampoo on it. The real issue is the cost. The school spent $50,000 in donor money. Are you serious? Does a university the size of UNLV not have an art department? A graphics department? Why not offer a prize to the winning developer and allow the students and the boosters to vote on the best one? Use the donated money to either fund scholarships or feed the thousands of hungry children here in the valley.

The cost was excessive and, frankly, Im over the ridiculous PC culture that has taken over our lives and been crammed down our throats.

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The Betrayed Girls: A case of political correctness gone badly, dangerously wrong – iNews

Posted: at 8:22 am

The BBC drama Three Girls, about the grooming of white teenage girls by Pakistani men in Rochdale, won critical acclaim earlier this year. Now a blistering feature-length documentary, The Betrayed Girls tells the story behind the headlines, exploring why the police turned a blind eye to systematic sexual grooming for decades.

The film raised uncomfortable questions about multicultural Britain and the failure of the establishment to protect societys most vulnerable. At its heart lay the conclusion that political correctness stopped the authorities from publicly condemning Pakistani men for fear of racist accusations.

It was only when a Muslim lawyer was appointed chief prosecutor of North West England that the abusers were brought to justice.

Political correctness was just one of the social attitudes that led to the failure of the police to prosecute numerous men, largely Pakistani, in cities including Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester. The indifference towards vulnerable, sexually active girls many of whom were in care and deemed to be deviant was also palpable.

Sara Rowbotham, a care worker in Rochdale, reported more than 100 cases of abuse to the police, but none was investigated. In the West Yorkshire town of Keighley, police dismissed reports of abuse of girls aged 12 and 13 because they were consenting even though sex with a minor is an illegal act.

Labour MP Ann Cryer tried and failed to make Keighley police take the reports of abuse by Pakistani men seriously. In the film, she blames political correctitude. Her fears that the story would be reclaimed by the far-right came true when BNP leader Nick Griffin seized on the reports to protest in Keighley against Muslim men abusing white British girls. It was a fear that also prevented Times journalist Andrew Norfolk from originally covering the story.

In another recent documentary, Channel 4s Wife Swap: Brexit Special, Leaver Pauline says she backed Brexit because of political correctness gone mad. The Rochdale abuse scandal broke years before Brexit, but at its heart lies a familiar narrative of the establishment looking after its own interests while white, working-class people are ignored.

The Betrayed Girls was unflinching in its verdict of the polices failure. Its rare to find I agree with a Daily Mail headline, but the only conclusion to draw is that the girls were betrayed by the PC cowards. Its a lesson we must all learn from.

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Questions raised on Fisher’s eugenics ties, award name – The Manchester Journal

Posted: at 8:21 am

ARLINGTON The eugenics movement is a dark chapter of Vermont's history, and now one local author's alleged role in that movement is under intense scrutiny.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher was a prolific local writer, and her namesake rests at various institutions in Arlington today including Fisher Elementary School. In 1957 a Vermont children's literacy program was established in the author's honor, and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award has recognized outstanding children's writers over the last 60 years.

Fisher's reputation has been questioned in recent weeks, as Essex educator and artist Judy Dow has led the fight for the removal of Fisher's name from the award. Dow, who has both French Canadian and Abenaki roots, claims that Fisher not only stereotyped French Canadians and Native Americans in her extensive works, but played an active role in the eugenics movement as well.

At a presentation to the Vermont Department of Libraries in April, Dow presented evidence of Fisher's ties to Vermont's eugenics movement and argued for the removal of Fisher's name from the award.

"The reason I started this was because our children are our most precious gift," said Dow. "To name an award for a children's book after someone who was a eugenicist is so wrong."

Now, the decision rests with State Librarian Scott Murphy, who will hear a recommendation from the Board of Libraries on July 11 and make a final decision thereafter.

"It's a touchy situation and it's really hard to look at these issues with our current morals and values and to judge history based on that," said Murphy. "I'm trying to get as much input as I possibly can from citizens before I make any decision; I have to be very careful to make sure we are taking the proper steps for Vermont."

A Multifaceted Identity

The allegations of Fisher's eugenicist entanglements stand in stark contrast to the author's identity as an accomplished female writer and social activist, promoting adult education programs and prison reform alongside her organization of World War I relief efforts. Fisher was honored as one of the 10 most influential women in the United States by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a trailblazer in her own right.

Though Fisher made valuable contributions to society and literature, her ties to Vermont's eugenics movement raise questions. While some argue that her involvement was tangential, others claim that Fisher was more deeply involved.

The Vermont eugenics movement, led by University of Vermont Professor Henry F. Perkins, insisted upon the reality of a racial hierarchy in which "degenerate" classes of people including Vermont's French Canadian population, native peoples including the Abenaki, and African-Americans were doomed by heredity. These "degenerates," Perkins insisted, posed a threat to Vermont's way of life and cultural identity in an era when a declining population and economic stagnation topped the list of challenges faced by the state.

"She was a progressive, but it was the progressive party that was running the eugenics program," said Dow. "She was a product of the time, and the product of the time was eugenics."

The eugenics movement resulted in the creation of the Vermont Eugenics Survey, running from 1925 to 1936, as well as the formation of the affiliated Vermont Commission on Country Life (VCCL).

The VCCL was created by Perkins in 1928 to provide a comprehensive survey of the rural regions of the state, with the Eugenics Survey at "its center and core." Fisher was among the more than 70 individuals recruited to contribute to chapters of the organization's 1931 publication, "Rural Vermont: A Program for the Future." In this survey, contributors were charged with answering the question, "What is happening to the old Vermont Stock?"

Fisher was most heavily involved in VCCL's Committee on Tradition and Ideals, focusing heavily on increasing the number of tourists and second home owners in Vermont. In 1932, just one year after a sterilization law sponsored by Perkins and the Eugenics Survey was passed by Vermont's legislature (through which at least 250 "feeble minded" Vermonters were sterilized between 1933 and 1960, according to the Department of Health), Fisher accepted a position on VCCL's executive committee.

"It is not surprising that a writer from an earlier time might have beliefs and opinions that we now condemn," said State Rep. Cynthia Browning, D-Arlington. "This is not just evidence of prejudice: the possible connection to the eugenics movement that had unjust and tragic consequences is of concern."

Local Linkages

Many of Fisher's writings contain problematic racial stereotypes that may have been a byproduct of her era, though many of Dow's critics argue that authors should not be judged by their fictitious works. It is not certain that all of Fisher's representations are pure works of fiction, however.

"Dorothy Canfield Fisher's book "Bonfire" was based on a study the Eugenics Survey of Vermont did on Sandgate," said Dow. "You can go through the report and pull out the names, and match the names used in "Bonfire" to the names in the report."

A 1928 study by the Vermont Eugenics Survey titled "Key Families in Rural Vermont Towns," featured Sandgate as an example of "rural degeneracy." Indeed, many of the names mentioned in the "Town Gossip" section of the report can be found in Fisher's novel "Bonfire," which is set in a fictionalized Vermont town entrenched in poverty and populated primarily by French Canadians and "French Indians." In "Bonfire," residents of this community are depicted as "primitive," and "irresponsible sub-normals." At one point, a character is described as, "half-hound, half-hunter, all Injun."

Outside of her fictional works, Fisher was the author of a state tourism pamphlet produced by the VCCL which aimed to recruit "superior, interesting families of cultivation and good breeding." Additionally, in a 1941 commencement address, Fisher praised the residents of Manchester for taking in the nomadic Icy Palmer, a Tuscarora Indian abandoned at a local sugar house in 1924. Though her intentions seem valiant, Fisher denies in the address that Vermont was home to any measure of "ugly racial hatred and oppression," whilst insisting that no Native American populations ever found a true home in the state.

"I am, of course, deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning Dorothy Canfield Fisher. We always hope that those we honor have an honorable past, but almost always they do not," said Melissa Klick, a native Vermonter with both French Canadian and Abenaki heritage, and the owner of the Icy Palmer Candle Company. "Icy Palmer's funeral was not allowed to be held in a church, and she bowed to white people as they passed; she was assisted but not socially accepted by the Manchester community."

Starting point for dialogue

While a heated debate rages on whether Fisher's name should remain on the book award, Murphy will ultimately rely on the feedback of Vermont's citizens and libraries to decide the issue.

"The whole point of this award is children's literacy, and if this name is going to deny a certain group of people that involvement then that's significant. There's somebody that's feeling pain, and I'm cognizant of that," said Murphy. "On the opposite side is the idea that judging history by today's point of view can be dangerous, and can sometimes do more harm than good."

Regardless, Fisher's complex history has opened the door for a meaningful dialogue on Vermont's troubling history with eugenics.

"I feel we must use historiography to keep examining our past to improve our understanding of the future," said Klik. "Let's move forward to make sure that the ignorance that shaped Canfield's prejudices no longer has a place in Vermont, nor any other corner of America."

"We change everything that's outdated as time goes on, so why wouldn't we change this if it's offensive?" said Dow. "It's time that the oppressor listens to the stories of those that were oppressed, and that's a good start."

More information on Vermont's Eugenics program can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/~eugenics/. The full report on Sandgate can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/~eugenics/primarydocs/ofkfssg090028.xml.

Reach Cherise Madigan at 802-490-6471.

If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.

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Copy-Craps: The 15 Worst Comic Book Clones – CBR (blog)

Posted: at 8:21 am

We wont pretend to know the complicatedscientific processes that go intocreatinga genetic clone of someone, this isnta science journal after all. However, it doesnt take a scientist torecognize when cloning has gone horribly wrong. Clones both good and bad are a staple of both pulp fiction and comicbooks. Clones and evil twins alike haveappeared in every major superhero book on the shelves for decades. Its a concept that makes sense, to clone a powerful hero or villainso you canhave a superhuman under your control or toreplace a lost one.

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However, sometimes it doesnt work out the way you planned. Sometimes the clone is evil, or maybe you wanted them to be evil but they turned out good. Heck, maybe theirvery presence in comics is enough to make them horrible duplicates, muddling up narratives and story arcs. Its a good thing that cloning isnt a readily available technology in comics, or else thered be a bunch of unnecessary duplicates running around. Of the few clones that have gotten loose (or still are), there are definitely some dysfunctional duplicates, which is why CBR decided to countdown the 15 worst clones in comics.

Though his name is arguably a lot cooler than the original, this Bart Allen/Impulse clone is kind of the worst. An evil duplicate, Inertia was named Thaddeus Thawne II by his creator President Thaddeus Thawne. President Thawne created Thaddeus II after failing to recruit Bart Allen (part Thawne himself) into the long-standing war between the Thawne and Allen Families. After this failure, he cloned Bart and created Inertia to replace Bart in the past.

The opposite of Bart Allen in many ways, Thaddeus is not only, as Wally West put it, an irredeemable sociopath with Barts face, he also ages slower. While Impulse aged up to 15 in only 2 years, Thaddeus grew up slower and learned to be more calculating and methodical, not impulsive. After his first attack on Max Mercury (Impulses mentor) Inertia would go on to have a long rivalry with Impulse.

Created from the cells of Emma Frost, the Stepford Cuckoos were grown for the purpose of being able to kill every mutant on Earth. The Cuckoos are powerful telepaths that become more powerful by combining their powers into one hive mind. Fitting since they all look, dress and act alike.

The sisters Celeste, Esme, Irma, Phoebe and Sophie definitely live up the name Stepford. For those of you who dont know, this is in reference to The Stepford Wives, a book about an idyllic neighborhood full of submissive housewives that seem to act like perfect robots (because, SPOILER, they are). While the Cuckoos are far from submissive, they definitely keep a prim and proper appearance and demeanor about them, to the extent of being rather stuck up and snobby. But well forgive them since they have been a powerful asset to the X-Men for quite some time now.

Guy Gardner is already kind of a jerk. Hes loud, he brash and hes not all that keen on authority. So what would an evil clone of him be like? Enter Joe Gardner, a clone of Guy created by the Draal. The Draalarean alien race bent on controlling the Green Lantern Corpsthrough clones of the guardians. They attempted to do just that with Joe Gardner, but it didnt work out quite like they planned.

During the cloning, Guy tampered with the process, causing mental problems with the duplicate including loss of memories and psychopathic tendencies. Afterfailing to destroy and replace Guy, Joe wasnt heard from for a while. He returned laters as the Enforcer, capturing Green Lanterns and selling them as slaves. Without Guys morality, Joe is justa psychopath with a power ring. Not a good combination.

ARussian mutant and graduate of the Weapon Xprogram, Arkady Rossovich was once a serial killer with life-draining powers. He was equipped with retractable carbonadiumtentacles in each hand by Weapon X to increase his literal and figurative reach, becoming a powerful mercenary for various evil organizations until his death by Wolverine.

This wasnt the last of Omega Red, however, as an organization known as The White Sky was commissioned to create clones of the villain. These three were Omega Black, a female clone with carbonadium tentacles in her chest; Omega White, a clone with the power to create energy constructs; and Omega Red, a clone that was almost exactly the same as the original. Dubbed The Omega Clan the clones were created for the purpose of hunting and killing mutants.

Despite being raised to be an assassin to kill his father, Damian Wayneeventually grewinto his own as both a sidekick to Batman, and as his own person. Talia Al Ghul did not wish for any of this, she wanted Damian to help her enact her plan to have a perfect family with Batman, a family that could rule the world together. After Damian sided with Batman, she decided to take more drastic measures.

Enter Heretic, a clone of Damian created to be the perfect child, one who could help Tahlia enact her plans. The clone was trained much like Damian, but was genetically modified, surgically enhanced and gestated in a whales body to have peak human strength. If thats not weird enough, his rapid aging and growth gave Heretic the body of a muscular adult with the head of a child. Creepy.

Originally known as Nathanial Essex, Mr. Sinister was once a brilliant biologist in 19th Century England. Essex was shunned by his peers both for his immoral methods of human experimentation and his theories on a great mutation that existed in humanity. Eventually, Essex would fall into the hands of this great mutation when Apocalypse himself awoke and granted Essex great power and immortality. Essex renamed himself Mr. Sinister, becoming the villain we all know and love.

As a biologist and villain, it makes sense that Mr. Sinister is a fan of cloning. Sinister has cloned both himself and others countless times. He oft uses clones of himself to stand in during attempts on his life or to merelystroke his own ego. Sinister has also created various clones of other mutants include Jean Grey and Hank McCoy, each being used in some crazy and convoluted plot against the X-Men.

Speaking of Mr. Sinister Clones, Madelyne Pryor is the worst of them all. Cloned from Jean Grey, Sinister created her with the purpose of being a stand-in for the original. This is where things get creepy, as Sinister believed that anoffspring between Jean Grey and Cyclops would create a powerful mutant, one strong enough to defeat apocalypse. However, Jean grey was known to be a bit reckless, so Sinister created the clone to replace her and create his desired mutant offspring. Gross.

If that wasnt bad enough, Madelyne and Scott actually would have a child who would eventuallybecomeCable. Itwas also Madelyne herself who infected the infant Nathan Summers with his techno organic virus. She did so as the Goblin Queen, a persona she chose after turning on Scott Summers and the X-Men, brandishing powerful telekinesis, telepathy and a wide variety of magical, reality-warping spells.

From the pages of Robert KirkmansInvincible, The Mauler Twins are simultaneously some of Invincibles best and worst enemies. Massive, strong, durable and brilliant, The Twins are actually clones. Or rather, one clone and the original, though they might both be clones man this is confusing. Whichever combination it is, the original Mauler mastered cloning technology and used it to create a clone to do his bidding.

His plan didnt work out too well, however, since his clone gained all of his memories and thoughts, believing himself to be the original. While they are evil geniuses, the Maulers plans are often halted due in part to their own bickering over who is the original and who his the clone. Further, what makes these two blues the worst is that they are in part responsible for creating one of Invincibles deadliest and most ruthless villains, Angstrom Levy.

Some people might be confused with this entry. We know that the original Charles Xavier as he appeared for most of his X-Men comics career was in fact the original Charles Xavier.However, after having his body implanted with a Brood egg, Charles was under the control of the hive mind aliens. He even created the New Mutants under Brood control as a means of creating more hosts for reproduction of the aliens. The creature inside Charles would eventually destroy his body, but leave his soul intact.

After defeating the creature that burst forth from the professor, the X-Men were able to recover Charles soul from the monster, but it was without a body. However, thanks to the Starjammers, the X-Men were able to clone Charles a new body, one that was a bit younger and had functioning legs. Aint that convenient?

In a somewhat controversial story arc, Dr. Otto Octavius, A.K.A. Dr. Octopus, cheated death by switching bodies with Peter Parker, or so we thought. At the end ofSuperior Spider-Man, Peters consciousness has reclaimed his body and Otto Octavius is out of the picture. Fortunately for Ock though, he put in safety protocols so that his consciousness would survive and, after a long, arduous process of finding his original body, he was able to clone himself a young, superior body tooccupy.

With hisnew young body and his tentacles back in his hands, Doctor Octopus was back. Hisbody also had a bit of Peters DNA since, after his time in Spider-Mans body, Otto became obsessed with it (that sounds creepy) and determined it to be absolutely perfect (even creepier), thus he wanted some of his genetic material for himself (were sorry).

*Warning: The following contains spoilers forInvincible*

Also from the pages ofInvincible, Robot is a rather interesting character. Originally thought to just be a sentient robot of sorts, fans of the Image series would later learn that the character had a lot more going for him. Born a disabled and deformed human, Rudy used his vast intelligence to build a robot drone to control and live through. But living life as a robot was not enough for him.

This is where things get kind of creepy. After noticing a fellow superhero and love interest Monster Girl was attracted to Guardians of the Globe teammate Rex Splode, Robot used Rexs DNA to clone himself a new body. The new body, made to be the same age as Monster Girl, served as a host for his memories and thoughts and he would kill his original deformed self. It gets worse too, since Robot would eventually seek world domination.

Theres quite a few clone stories in Spider-Man comics, each more confusing than the last. Perhaps the most well-known, and most controversial, is the Ben Reilly clone saga. Back in the 70s, Spider-Man villain and serial cloner Jackal created a duplicate of Spider-Man, pittingthe two Spider-Men against each other, each believing themselves to be true Peter Parker. After the battle, Peter thought the clone had died and dumped his body.

However, the clone survived and started a new life for himself as Ben Reilly. The most controversial part of Bens clone saga was whenBen was revealed to be the original, and Peter the clone. Fans were shocked by this revealand the following stories in which Ben Reilly took over as Spider-Man. Eventually though, readers were relieved to find out the tests results were switched by a manipulative Norman Osborne.

After the death of Superman Project Cadmus decided to clone him and create their own man of steel, one that would follow theirorders. However, cloning Kryptonians isnt as easy at it seems. Instead of a Superman clone, Cadmus genetically engineered a human to look exactly like Superman and decided to replicate Kryptonian powers by other means. This came in the form of a telekinetic aura surrounding their clone, one that would give him flight, strength, invulnerability and limited super speed. There was, however, another problem with their clone.

Despite being designed to replace Superman, the clone was released too early, having only aged to a teenager. Nicknamed Superboy, and eventually dubbed Conner Kent/Kon-El, this Superman Clone had quite the career with the Teen Titans, rocking a spiffy, but kind of dorky costume before going casual withhis signature shirt and pants look.

Created by The Agenda, this clone has, well,an agenda. Match was created to be Superboys match (man these people are literal), cloned from his DNA and given his memories. Meant to destroy Superboy and further The Agendas agenda, Match had much more control over his superpowers, due in part to the data downloaded into his brain, an advantage he had over his originator. However, as strong as this clone was, he was eventually defeated by Superboy, and thats not Matchs only imperfection.

Matchs genetic coding was susceptible to deterioration; as a result, his body eventually started to rot away. This gave Match an appearance and demeanor similar to Bizarro. With a calcified face, rotting body and slurred, opposite-oriented speech, Match had essentially become Bizarro Superboy. In this state, he was much more forceful and violent, forcing his feelings upon Wonder Girl and attacking the Titans without mercy.

Alright, before we get angry comments on here, were not saying X-23 is THE WORST. We love her, shes badass and awesome, its just the circumstances surrounding her creation are pretty terrible. Originally appearing inX-Men Evolution, Laura Kinney was created to be the cloned daughterof Wolverine.

Laura was part of a Weapon X revival meant to create another soldier with adamantium-bonded bones. In an attempt to clone Wolverine as a subject for the process, they found their DNA samples were lacking a Y chromosome, so a female clone was proposed. A female embryo was grown inside the head scientist on the project, Dr. Sarah Kinney. Laura was born and subjected to horrible radiation poisoning to activate her mutant gene before having her claws ripped out and coated with adamantium. Jeeze, no wonder shes so grumpy, though that might be Logans genes at work.

Which clone do you think got the crappiest treatment? Let us know in the comments!

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Copy-Craps: The 15 Worst Comic Book Clones - CBR (blog)

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Mumbaiites beware, your waiter might be cloning your card while you make payment at a hotel – Hindustan Times

Posted: at 8:21 am

Interrogations of the eight men, including six waiters, who were arrested by the Bandra police for allegedly a running credit card/debit card cloning racket in Mumbai, Pune and Thane has revealed that the eight skimmers that were found with the accused were ordered online. Card skimmers are small in size, and can fit in the palm of a hand.

The waiters, on occasions, kept the skimmer right below the payment machine. They then swiped the card in such a manner, that it swiped on the payment machine as well as the skimmer below it, making difficult for the customer to make out. They then observed them as they punched the four digit pin number on the keypad of the payment machine, and memorised it.

The police said on most occasions the customers handed over their credit card and debit cards along with the pin code, making it easy for the waiters to steal their data.

The waiters hid the skimmer in their shirt pockets or inside their shirt. An official said even if the customer sees a skimmer in the waiters hand, he wouldnt be able to make out what it was.

An official said three of the waiters worked at a restaurant called Persian Durbar in Sakinaka, but they had associates working at other hotels in Andheri, including Metro hotel.

Read: Three waiters arrested in Mumbai for fraud and cloning ATM cards

One of the accused made over 25 lakh from the racket:

The Bandra police investigating the racket said one of the accused, who worked as a waiter, made Rs1 lakh within few months and said his handler, who is also under arrest, made over Rs25 lakh since 2016 when they started stealing card data using skimmers.

A police source said, They stole data of 1,026 customers having bank accounts in 96 different banks, including eight major banks.

The list we procured from one of the banks shows they managed to withdraw anywhere between Rs20,000 to Rs40,000 from one account. Even as one of the accused said his handler made over Rs25 lakh, we suspect the total stolen amount could be much higher, added the official.

Read: Card cloning racket: Mumbai gang steals debit, credit card data from 1,000 customers of 96 banks

Incidentally, only two banks have shared their customer data with the Bandra police, which has helped them ascertain names of the victims whose money has been withdrawn by the accused. Till now, over 25 FIRs have been registered across Mumbai, Pune and Thane.

However, as banks are taking a lot of time to respond to our emails, our work of identifying victims based on their data and getting the FIRs registered is getting delayed. If more and more cases are registered we could ensure that the accused do not get bail and stay in jail, added a police source on condition of anonymity.

One of the arrested accused was also arrested in 2015 by the BKC cyber police for a card cloning case, but he got out on bail and continued the scam, the police added.

The racket was unearthed last month after an FIR was registered with Bandra police by Citi bank in May.

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Mumbaiites beware, your waiter might be cloning your card while you make payment at a hotel - Hindustan Times

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Frog evolution linked to dinosaur asteroid strike – BBC News

Posted: at 8:20 am


BBC News
Frog evolution linked to dinosaur asteroid strike
BBC News
The huge diversity of frogs we see today is mainly a consequence of the asteroid strike that killed off the dinosaurs, a study suggests. A new analysis shows that frog populations exploded after the extinction event 66 million years ago. It would ...
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Frog evolution linked to dinosaur asteroid strike - BBC News

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