TRUTH and BOOZE don't mix

THIS STORY WAS REPORTED ON NPR

U.K. Drug Adviser Fired After Marijuana Comments

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October 30, 2009

Britain's top drug adviser was fired Friday after saying that marijuana, Ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol.

David Nutt's comments have embarrassed the British government, which toughened the penalties for possessing marijuana earlier this year over the protests of many prominent British scientists.

Nutt said he was disappointed by his sacking, telling Sky News television that it might have something to do with the upcoming general election, which must be called by the middle of next year.

"Politics is politics and science is science, and there's a bit of a tension between them sometime," he told the broadcaster by telephone.

In later comments to BBC radio's PM program, Nutt accused British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of making "completely irrational statements" about the dangerousness of marijuana.

"I'm not prepared to mislead the public about the harmfulness of drugs like cannabis and Ecstasy," he said.

A call and an e-mail by The Associated Press seeking comment from the scientist were not immediately returned.

Britain's Home Office confirmed that Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology, had been removed from his position and said it would be seeking a replacement shortly.

In Britain, drugs are classified in three different categories, with Class A the most dangerous one. Marijuana was recently upgraded to Class B from Class C, joining amphetamines, Ritalin and pholcodine as drugs whose unlawful possession could result in up to five years in prison.

But the move ran counter to recommendations made by Nutt, who has long argued that marijuana is far less dangerous than legal drugs such as alcohol, which is responsible for nearly 9,000 deaths a year in the U.K., according to recent government statistics.

Everybody involved in this decision to get him fired, immediately lifted their glasses of scotch and toasted his demise.

Facts and figures don't lie. ALCOHOL is far and away the most dangerous drug. NICOTINE is right in the running.

The amount of deaths and injuries due to ALCOHOL far out number all the other drugs COMBINED.

And everybody knows it and drinks to that news on a regular basis.....like daily.

IT'S RIDICULOUS TO FIRE SOMEONE FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH

THE GUY SHOULD BE GIVEN A TV SHOW TO EXPLAIN THE ACTUAL NUMBERS AND SHOW EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANS.

STATISTICS ARE THE WAY WE MEASURE RESULTS

BUT THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME ANSWERS THAT PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO HEAR.

Neuropsychopharmacology PROFESSOR DAVID NUTT IS RIGHT ON THE MARK

MIchael Timtohy McAlevey

this IS it

All I could say when walking out of the theater was..."wow that was entertainment at a very high level."

I'm fairly certain you don't have to be a MJ fan to think this movie is entertaining...and in fact this movie will probably create an entire new fan base.

Keep in mind that the dude was 50 years old and I couldn't really tell a whole lot of difference between MJ of 1990 and MJ the two weeks before he changed levels....except of course for a few facial alterations.

His voice was excellent and I don't give a hoot if the film makers enhanced it with technology.

This movie will end up being one of those midnight shows that fans can stand up and dance and sing along with MJ.

Aspects of his personality come through that we haven't seen. His musical abilities have never been questioned but he might be one of the premiere choreographers of all time. His eye for detail, both sound and visual, is phenomenal.

I can't believe Prince and Michael Jackson never got together for a performance.

Somebody should create one of those video mixes and have them do a few songs.

I feel bad for the 11 primary dancers that worked extremely hard and then suddenly it was over. Musicians can always find work but those 11 dancers will never find anything that rivals what they were about to do.

I think this was the best musical concert ever filmed and it wasn't even a concert...but it sure felt like one.

The movie has a strong environmental tone. Michael makes a statement and hopefully it won't be overshadowed by the incredible musical experience.

I highly recommend having a few drinks or whatever else you do and dress up and amble off to your local movie house and be ready for a wonderful two hours of entertainment.

If you don't drink and don't smoke da kind then simply do a little meditating and you will be right on the mark.

Most people stayed through the credits and that is a good idea.

Michael was and is the real deal.

ENJOY

Michael Timothy McAlevey

My Favorite part of the Sunday paper

I have a reading the paper routine which varies slightly on Sunday. The variation is due to the Sunday addition of the ARTS & BOOKS section.

Reading the newspaper always starts with Doonesbury and ends with the sports section except that the ARTS & BOOKS section always extends into Monday or Tuesday or perhaps even Wednesday because that's how long it takes me to read the BOOK reviews.

I HATE READING MOVIE REVIEWS

I LOVE READING BOOK REVIEWS

The obvious reason being is that I'm most likely not going to read the majority of books reviewed but I'm probably going to see the movie. Movie reviews have no bearing on whether or not I see a movie but they absolutely spoil the plot line and basically ruin the surprise that one experiences when going to the big screen venue.

Please note that I am always reading a book and sometimes two at the same time but there are literally millions of books to read and since I don't participate in the speed reading exercise...it takes a certain amount of time to digest a 400 page novel.

A well written book review is a very short story. As an example I just finished reading Michael Gross review of Timothy Egan's book called THE BIG BURN: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America

I will make a note of this book and sometime in the relatively near future will go to the local library and check it out.

The book focuses on the LARGEST forest fire in the history of the United States in 1910 and the beginning of the Forest Service.

Another very interesting time period in America

There was also a nice review of John Irving's new novel LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER.

I look forward to reading it at some time because I still keep a small piece of GARP in my memory.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

JACK REACHER

Lee Child created the Jack Reacher character around ten years ago and has published approximately ten stories with Reacher as the focal point.

If you simply want to read something that takes your mind off of everything and allows you to relax in a conformable version of the Alpha state...then I highly suggest going to your local library and start from the beginning of the series.

It harkens back to a time in the early part of the last century when the creation of fictional hero's was just starting, which in turn led to the creation of COMIC BOOK superheroes which in turn leads me to the sad premise of...

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE A NEW COMIC BOOK SUPER HERO?

Have you been to a comic book store lately? I think it's rather sad to contemplate that it might be impossible to create a new SH. If I was a young artist who was interested in creating that genre I might be very very depressed.

On the other hand how interesting to have been a comic book artist in the 40's and 50's?

WOW...SO MANY IDEAS AND CHARACTERS TO BE DEVELOPED OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

On the other hand I think one can create a RHSH

REAL HUMAN SUPER HERO

by simply writing a book or making a movie.

There will never be an abundance of REAL human super heroes.

Lee Child has created a man (Reacher) we might not want to be but we most definitely want to know and more importantly the man that we can call if we need help dealing with the assholes of the world.

I guess in real life, of which I appear to be involved for some ungodly reason, there just aren't people that can take care of the dirty work without a lot of dirt being spread.

The ACLU would not like Jack Reacher but they would call him if their organization was being threatened by a death squad of tribal rivals looking to eliminate ACLU personel in a violent manner.

SOUNDS LIKE A STORY MR. CHILD

Highly recommend you pick up the series of Reacher novels and relax on your next vacation.

Better yet pick it up now and pretend like you are on vacation

VACATION NOVELS ARE OFTEN BEST DURING TIMES OF NORMAL STRESSFUL LIVING SITUATIONS.

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK AND DO SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING EXCEPT ACTIVATE THE UNIQUE ALPHA STATE THAT CAN ONLY BE ACTIVATED THROUGH THE ART OF READING

It's a hoot

You can always read Plato or Kierkegaard afterwards if you want to bring your mind back to jumbalayaville

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Soup was on the daily menu

Every kid between the ages of 10 and 18 goes through a various set of situations which hopefully leads to a productive adulthood.

If it hadn't been for Soupy Sales I might not have gotten through that period.

His daily TV show was absolutely the only thing that made me laugh on a regular basis.

I'm not going to open large cans of worms by detailing the "stuff" going on in my life at that time because some of the people involved are no longer available to defend their positions.

This short note is about a thank you to a man that was extremely funny and made me laugh on a daily basis when laughter wasn't in the cards. I'm not sure I ever tried to duplicate his unique delivery but I think it made me a better "smart alec" kid, and thus an adult with a more developed sense of humor.

Obvioulsy I am no stand up comedian but I do pride myself on being able to make people laugh when the situation calls for levity...and even sometimes when laughter doesn't seem destined to be part of the moment.

MILTON SUPMAN, aka SOUPY SALES helped develop my adult personality and whereas there might be some people who say that didn't really work out so well...I know it worked out perfectly for who I am in a rather odd world where Pookie, White Fang, Black Tooth and Soupy Sales make as much sense as anything I've ever experienced when it comes to the wonderful category of life known as...

COMEDY

Soupy Sales paved the way for Steve Martin and most likely thousands of other funny guys.

THANKS SOUPY and RIP

Michael Timothy McAlevey

STRANGE AND LARGE and season ending

I had to leave my car at a shop today and the only thing around was a Home-Depot. I spent three hours walking every single aisle.

I'm here to announce that there is actually something I could use IN EVERY SINGLE AISLE. And in some aisles there are multiple items.

In fact there are a few aisles where I could use one of everything on that aisle.

What did people do before Home-Depot? And how many years has the home builders dream store been in business?

I'm happy to announce that Philips has started selling LED spot lights for $69.95.

There is also a nice selection of LED Christmas Tree lights.

There were also probably 25 more employees than customers which is really a rarity.

I don't really give a crap about Home-Depot but I'm so depressed over the Dodgers that I thought I would bore you to death.

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR...and what time is the Laker game? And what time do the Trojans play on Saturday?

Oh by the way ....

Vin told us tonight that on the first of November a record will be set.

NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL will play a game for the first time in history on the same day.

And I'm listening to Vin Scully on the radio announcing the end of the Dodgers very successful 2009 season. Not perfect but very successful!

His voice allows me to accept whatever is happening on the field.

Thanks Vinny for another year of your time and your voice.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Really BIG and Really far away

The Diameter of our galaxy, The Milky Way, is approximately 100,000 LIGHT YEARS

A LIGHT YEAR is the distance light travels in one year

LIGHT TRAVELS AT 186,000 A SECOND

THERE ARE 31, 557, 600 SECONDS IN A YEAR...yes that is 31 Million!

WHICH MEANS ONE LIGHT YEAR IS MORE THAN 5 TRILLION MILES

100,000 X 5 TRILLION = SOMETHING BEYOND 586 QUADTRILLION MILES

ACTUAL DIAMETER SIZE OF OUR GALAXY 586,971,360,000,000,000

THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE IS TAKING PICTURES OF OTHER GALAXIES

THE CLOSEST SUN TO OUR SUN IS ALPHA in CENTAURI WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY

25 TRILLION MILES AWAY FROM OUR SUN

When one stops for a mere second to contemplate the size of the Universe it's very easy to laugh at the human interpretations of almost everything having to do with ANYTHING.

Seriously funny

Especially those interpretations that have to do with religion....

....ALWAYS REMEMBERING THAT RELIGIONS MIGHT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO AND WHAT GOD REALLY IS

Seriously funny

Michael Timothy McAlevey

I don't want to chime until it's over

I've really had to keep a hold on my emotions regarding the Dodgers and their quest to reach a World Series for the first time since 1988. It's just not a good idea to bitch and or crow until the facts are all in.

It's extremely hard to question Joe Torre because....well, he's Joe Torre....and I'm an ex-youth baseball coach.

But I do have a few questions that no one seems to be asking.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ORLANDO HUDSON?

Wasn't he an All-Star this year? I can understand rotating Belliard and Hudson but something else is going on here. The O Dog has been used as a pinch runner and finally got an at bat yesterday.

Obvioulsy it's easy to question Clayton Kershaw's selection as the starting pitcher in game 1 of NLCS because it didn't work out.

Ten days ago Randy Wolf was the person chosen to lead the Dodgers into the playoffs and they swept the Cardinals. Now he's listed as the fourth pitcher in the rotation.

HUH?

Why change the order which obviously worked fairly well?

It doesn't matter that he wasn't the winning pitcher because that's been happening all year. The guy had more non-decisions than the previous efforts at health reform by the United States senate.

I realize that there is information available to a manager that doesn't appear in the paper. What I don't understand is why reporters aren't asking questions that seem to be important.

The Dodgers got 14 hits and scored 6 runs.....that type of production probably resulted in a win during the regular season 95 percent of the time.

Joe must have a plan or maybe the separation of the McCourt's just confused him and he forgot what had been working.

The O Dog and the Wolf might be asking the same question

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Mind Jazz: SOLID STATE LIGHTING ON BLOG ACTION DAY

Mind Jazz: SOLID STATE LIGHTING ON BLOG ACTION DAY

SOLID STATE LIGHTING ON BLOG ACTION DAY

Today Bloggers all over the world are joining together in order to promote CLIMATE CHANGE awareness.

For the last few years I have been working to promote SOLID STATE LED LIGHTING....while waiting for the big boys to become fully involved.

The big boys are General Electric and Philips.

Both of them seem to be waiting for various reasons.

The technology is here but there seems to be a delay in application.

Solid State lighting is the future of all lighting and at this point it just seems that people should be aware of that fact.

SOLID STATE LIGHTING uses 80 to 90 percent less energy than incandescent lights and 40 to 50 percent less than the spiral fluorescent bulb, which contains Mercury.

The price of High Powered LEDs is one of the reasons for the delay in application but when all things are considered the price should not be a problem. The amount of energy saved more than makes up for any initial expense.

THE MAIN PROBLEM IS WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT.

Home Depot carries accent LED lights but nothing to replace a 60 WATT bulb.

BUT THAT SHOULD CHANGE WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS.

The DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY is a great place to research all advancements in LED technology.

www.ssl.energy.gov

At this point you just need to be aware of the tremendous energy saving when switching to LED lighting...and tell your friends. The more people who talk about it the faster the BIG BOYS will make it available.

Solid State lighting is the easiest method for saving energy.

CHANGE A BULB

Start learning and start talking.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Nobel Peace Prize

I gather that President O was even a bit taken back by his award. It seems a bit early in his administration to be getting awards but maybe the Nobel people have a certain plan in mind.

LIKE PLANTING THE SEED OF PEACE

Or maybe the award is for attitude and for worldwide acceptance of unique changes that can happen in democratically run countries.

The Nobel Peace Prize money will be given to charity. How in the world can a President determine which charity gets the scratch?

I would like to see Bill Moyers interview Barack Obama regarding this matter.

Just a wish on a Tuesday anniversary of having my Thyroid removed in 1976

Ouch

Michael Timothy McAlevey

MORE TIME FOR JOESPH TIME

It's very important to continue reading Joseph Campbell unless of course you've never read anything yet, in which case...you might be a complete idiot.

I'm currently reading "THE INNER REACHES OF OUTER SPACE" which happens to be the last book he completed before his death in 1987

Bill Moyer's incredible PBS show 'THE POWER OF MYTH" was not aired until 1988, a year after Professor Campbell changed levels.

The 13 page introduction part of the book is probably enough information for anyone trying to release religious indoctrinations...to move forward into a free and open space regarding the realm of spiritually.

I realized, MANY YEARS AGO, that there is a workable system of moving forward when trying to understand how to love God.

Organized religions have gone out of their way to restrict God's intentions or to interpret God's will.

BOTH ACTIONS LIMIT ONE'S ABILITY IN ATTEMPTING TO SLIGHTLY UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD MIGHT HAVE INTENDED WHEN INITIATING THE FIRST ESSENCE OF LIGHT AND MATTER.

MIGHT IS THE OPTIMUM WORD, BECAUSE NO HUMAN BEING...IN A PHYSICAL REALITY....KNOWS FOR SURE

But I keep reading and hearing about people all over the world, PAST AND PRESENT, who claim they know God's will through certain literary works. The WORD of GOD is a catchy phrase that gets used and battered about to validate and substantiate all types of ridiculous behavior.

Of course many great acts of charity are done because of those same literary works....so as with all things, there are multiple sides to EVERY STORY.

What I don't seem to see is an open mind when it comes to understanding other forms of worship.

MY WAY or the HIGHWAY is the basic theme of every organized religious group on the planet and that needs to STOP

NOW

READING JOSEPH CAMPBELL CAN HELP YOU START TO REALIZE THAT THE DIFFERENCES ARE NOT DIFFERENT and that perhaps a undying belief in any religious experience that didn't come from within your own reality is someone else's belief and has nothing to do with you and your relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

AND THAT BRINGS ME TO NEO-ILLUMINATION #2

"THE RELATIONSHIP OF HEAVEN

AND EARTH

MUST BE DEFINED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS

ANYTIME YOU FOLLOW A PRE-ESTABLISHED RELIGIOUS

VIEWPOINT

YOU ARE FOLLOWING SOMEONE ELSE'S PATH

NOT

YOUR

OWN

I BELIEVE THAT THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

CAN HANDLE EACH AND EVERY ONE'S PATH

ONE ON ONE

ALWAYS & FOREVER

ANYTIME

ANY PLACE

ANYWHERE"

Now back to Joesph

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Early morning contact for 79 mil

NASA Attacks the Moon

by Mike Krumboltz

7 hours ago

2,135 Votes

Has a hyperactive five-year-old taken over as the director of NASA? It sure seems like it. On Friday morning, an unmanned spacecraft launched in June will crash into the moon's surface. On purpose.

Anyone not named Michael Bay is likely to ask why. Here's the answer: NASA wants to know if the twin impacts of the Lunar Crater Observation and its Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will reveal any ice or water under the moon's surface.

Finding out shouldn't be an issue. When the twin crafts hit the lunar surface at around 6,000 mph, NASA expects "plumes of moon dust — perhaps full of ice — (to soar) 6.2 miles high above the moon's Cabeus crater."

Anticipation among the earthbound is running high. Lookups on "nasa moon bombing" are scorching the search box. Related queries on "nasa.gov" and "NASA moon mission" are also rocketing skywards. More than a few folks are wondering how much the soon-to-be-destroyed LCROSS costs. Answer: $79 million, according to Christian Science Monitor.

Clearly, this is one of those cases where a picture is worth a thousand words. We're gonna go one better and show you a video from NASA. The animated clip shows what NASA expects to happen. The entire sequence looks a bit like one of Dr. Evil's satellites crashing into the Death Star. In other words, it's awesome. See it for yourself below.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

HOW MANY YEARS AND HOW MANY COUNTRIES

These are two simple and serious questions.

How many countries have thought that they could conquer or change Afghanistan?

How many years has this been taking place?

WOW

Michael Timothy McAlevey

My teams

The sport teams I cheer for: USC Trojans, Los Angles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers and the St. Louis Rams.

THREE OF THE FOUR ARE ALWAYS COMPETITIVE

THE RAMS HAVE RECENTLY DEVELOPED INTO THE WORSE TEAM IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

Nobody in the NFL allows them to be on TV so at least I don't have to watch them...but I would if I could.

I'm not sure if they have completely lost all direction or if this is a way of moving the team again.

Maybe they will relocate to Billings Montana or Boise Idaho or Des Monies Iowa.

I also heard the Coliseum in LA is available on Sundays.

I'm not really focused on the Rams problems because the Dodgers are in the playoffs, the Trojans are fighting their way back into the BCS and the Lakers are beginning their repeat quest.

My cheering quota is pretty much full.

But it would be nice if the Rams didn't get shut out anymore this season.

Twice is enough but I've got a feeling it might happen a few more times

I'd like to say some nice things about them but the only thing that comes to mind is

the

helmets

I LOVE THE RAMS HELMETS

And I can't wait until they are once again competitive but I have a feeling it might be awhile.

GO DODGERS!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

DODGERS REPEAT

The last time the Dodgers won back to back division titles was 1977-1978

31 years!

It seems impossible because they are the DODGERS.

The Lakers have spoiled the LA fans. Baseball is a much harder sport to play than basketball so it's understandable why there are down periods.

WORLD SERIES VICTORIES IN 1981 and 1988 seem like yesterday.

No one knows what will happen in the post season but for now the regular season will be ending tomorrow with the Dodgers as 2009 WESTERN DIVISION CHAMPIONS

NICE!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

DODGERS.......HELP.....PLEASE

JUST ONE

JUST ONE

ONE little DODGER VICTORY

HELP

PLEASE.......

Michael Timothy McAlevey