Drug induced mysticism: a follow-up

The field of psychedelics research has been growing recently after being all but silenced for the past few decades. MAPS.org is a good website for checking out ongoing psychedelics studies. This new Johns Hopkins study, while exciting just for the fact that it was allowed to be done, is pretty much an exact replicate of a study done in 1962 called the Good Friday Experiment (not to be mistaken for the band of the same name), which found, unsurprisingly, very similar results. Rick Doblin, the head of MAPS, followed up with the subjects of the Good Friday Experiment in 1991. Here's a quote from that follow-up paper:

"All psilocybin subjects participating in the long-term follow-up, but none of the controls, still considered their original experience to have had genuinely mystical elements and to have made a uniquely valuable contribution to their spiritual lives. The positive changes described by the psilocybin subjects at six months, which in some cases involved basic vocational and value choices and spiritual understandings, had persisted over time and in some cases had deepened."

Drug induced mysticism

Have you guys read about this? A recent study at Johns Hopkins administered psilocybin (mushrooms) to subjects who had never taken drugs before, 61% of whom reported a "complete mystical experience." About two-thirds reported 2 months later that it was one of the top five most meaningful experiences of their lifetime, some comparing it to the birth of a child or the death of a parent.

Here's the full paper.

TV can be smart sometimes

HBO is known for putting out interesting shows with high production value and unconventional formats to critical acclaim and cult following (The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mr. Show, etc).

The show that has me hooked and rethinking the value of pop culture altogether, however, is suprisingly unknown. "The Wire" has just entered its fourth season of exploring the drug war in the city of Baltimore, portraying its complexity and ugliness, the city politics and individual struggles against larger disfunctional institutions, the economic underpinnings and legal ambiguities. What emerges from the three seasons I've devoured so far isn't just a critique of the current state of the urban drug war, but a look at the state of the individual amidst beaurocracy.

This is the best television of this kind I have ever seen. Pop culture has the ability to produce some truly worthwhile and unique works of art; this is one of the few. I don't particularly like cop shows, but "The Wire" is something different entirely.

Check it out if you get a chance. You won't regret it.

Alex Ross from the New Yorker blogs: "There has never been a TV show better than The Wire."

The San Francisco Chronicle writes: "It has tackled the drug war in this country as it simultaneously explores race, poverty and 'the death of the American working class,' the failure of political systems to help the people they serve and the tyranny of lost hope. Few series in the history of television have explored the plight of inner-city African Americans and none -- not one -- has done it as well... it's an astonishing display of writing, acting and storytelling that must be considered alongside the best literature and filmmaking in the modern era."

Bill Simmons (self-proclaimed TV junky) from ESPN takes a detour from sports to rave about the show as one of the best 5 shows he has ever seen.

My town is famous!

Massive Tag Body Spray Slick Spreading From Jersey Shore

TOMS RIVER, NJ—A weekend spillage of Tag Body Spray being described as the worst personal fragrance-related natural disaster in the history of the Eastern Seaboard continued to spread along New Jersey's Atlantic shore late Tuesday morning as disaster-management crews worked to contain the slick before it reached international waters.

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In anticipation of "Read a Banned Book Week"

I recently learned that the week of September 23-30 is known as "Read a Banned Book Week." Apparently, this is somewhat known because Google has prepared a portion of their books section in anticipation of this week.

This particular effort (link) is intended to encourage people to read books which have been challenged or censored over the years. The site includes previews (a selected number of pages) of the books, or the work in its entirety. Seeing how we are all enlightened Brunonians, I figured that many of you might be interested in this.

Enjoy reading your smut!

-Yoshi

Calling all Neuro Nerds

Anyone going to the SFN conference in Atlanta? Ling? Di? Andy? I have the opportunity to go, and I'm basing my decision partly on who will be there...

Punny

Caltech Physicists Successfully Split The Bill

I pissed my pants reading this. Ahhhh puns.