Checkers is played on the dark squares only. A piece may move one square at a time, diagonally. If one of your pieces is next to one of your opponent's piece and the square beyond it is free, you are required to jump over the opponent's piece. The opponent's piece is then removed from the board. It is possible to jump many times in a row with the same piece, capturing several of your opponent's pieces. Try to win in the shortest time possible to score more points, by capturing all of your opponent's pieces, or by blocking them so that they cannot move. GOOD LUCK!!!
Master Checkers:
Play a classic game of checkers against your computer in this flash version of checkers.
Controls:
Mouse: Use the left mouse button to select the checkers and to make a move.
What if everything you were ever told and believed about a subject wasn't true?
What if the well-meaning, trusted and respected people who told you those lies were just parroting the propaganda that they heard?
That's the exact dilemma I found myself in about three years ago.
For most of my life, I bought into the grim and terrifying stories I heard about - dare I say it? - marijuana.
Whether they called it doobie, reefer, pot, Mary Jane or plain ol' weed, I believed all those ominous voices when they warned me that marijuana could cause everything from brain damage to a craving for stronger drugs (i.e., the "gateway" theory.)
And so as I got older, I just kept repeating the same marijuana mantras to others, convinced that I was right. "Marijuana is dangerous," I told others. "Only brain dead stoners use it."
Someone once said to me, "the further you get away from the facts, the easier they can turn into a myth."
Boy, is that the truth.
It all started three years ago when I decided to finally research marijuana. If anything, I was determined to prove to myself and others that my concerns were valid. Living in Colorado where medical marijuana was legal to possess and grow once you qualified for a "red card", I was surrounded by "pot shops."
Thanks to Amendment 20 in our State Constitution, these dispensaries grew and flourished faster than it takes a medical marijuana bud to mature. In Denver County alone, there are around 400 medical marijuana dispensaries, outnumbering the 375 Starbucks statewide. I freely admit that I mocked these businesses and rolled my eyes at the people who frequented them.
So, on that summer day nearly three years ago, I decided to dig into this controversial plant and arm myself with even more information that would support my anti-marijuana stance.
But a strange thing kept happening. The more I dug into what some opponents refer to as "the green menace," the more I continued to find research studies I wasn't aware existed. Some of these studies had been buried - perhaps purposely - and made scientific claims about Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa that I found almost too good to be true.
For example, I read a 1974 study (published in 1975) that was conducted at the University of Virginia that proved that the cannabinoids in the cannabis plant shrunk cancerous tumors and killed cancer cells, leaving healthy cells alone.
Even though it was there in black and white, I still didn't buy it. So I kept investigating.
I found that when I used the Internet search terms "cannabis+indica+healing+benefits," I got a whooping 220,000 websites.
When I added the word "medical" to that group of words, the field increased to 452,000.
For the next six months, I spent every spare moment researching "the Devil Weed." Putting it bluntly, I was shocked. There was absolutely nothing "devilish" about it. All this remarkable information had been out there, waiting to be discovered and all I had to do was agree to view it with an open mind.
I learned that Cannabis Indica had been compounded into liquid extracts in the late 1800's and up until the early 1900's. These extracts were recommended by medical doctors to alleviate everything from teething pain in infants to reducing the pain of arthritis and menstrual cramps.
I found out that contrary to what I'd been told, nobody has ever died from using marijuana in the thousands of years this plant has been available. In fact, I had no idea that its medical use dated back to around 2700 B.C. and was called a "superior" herb by the Emperor Shen-Nung (2737-2697 B.C.)
I discovered that while I had been demonizing marijuana, thousands of people worldwide had been quietly and effectively curing or relieving a multitude of health problems, including,
Crohn's disease
migraine headaches
chronic depression
post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
insomnia
dementia
epileptic seizures
Parkinson's disease
even AIDS
The more I researched and talked to pro-cannabis physicians, patients, researchers and historians who studied the plant, the more I heard incredible testimonials of recovery from illnesses and mental imbalances in addition to, as one patient told me, "just a better outlook on life."
And that's when I uncovered information that really challenged the stories I'd been told.
People were using this "weed" to get off of opiates, alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine and other powerful drugs. Thus, it was gaining traction as "an exit drug," instead of the "gateway drug."
Seniors were also secretly using it to improve their cognition. Wait...what? How is that possible? Didn't marijuana make you a "brain-dead loser"? No, not according to the scientific data I discovered.
The opposite was true as researchers found that the plant allowed neurogenesis in the brain - the growth of new neural pathways, even when the brain had been damaged by age or trauma.
I understood that smoking the herb was the least effective way to gain the vast array of medical benefits from its use. I learned that doctors, lawyers, CEOs of major companies, accountants and other highly trained professionals used marijuana daily and felt it vastly improved their wellbeing and ability to handle stress.
I found out that a respected medical doctor, Dr. William Courtney, encouraged patients with chronic illnesses to juice 10 to 20 fresh marijuana leaves daily. This concentrated green drink was not psychoactive and flooded the body with cannabinoid nutrients that helped reverse degenerative diseases.
Putting it mildly, the information was mind-boggling. And that's when I realized that there was a story to be told. Nobody had ever written a fictional novel about medical marijuana that didn't include "stoner" stereotypes or pander to fear.
It took me another five months and hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with medical marijuana patients, caregivers, growers, dispensary owners and experts within the cannabis industry to develop what would become Betty's (Little Basement) Garden.
The book focuses on 58-year-old Betty Craven, a strikingly beautiful former Texas beauty queen who is a staunch Republican and widow to her equally conservative career military husband, Frank. Betty's only child, a son, died in his mid-20s from a drug overdose. When we meet Betty, her life is in suspended animation. The walls are closing in around her.
All she has left that she loves is her award-winning flower garden and the remnants of equipment left over from her failed gourmet chocolate store. When she comes to the shocking conclusion that her entire life has been wasted, a rebellious spirit that Betty has kept hidden, explodes to the surface.
Her conservative world spins 180 degrees around as she comes face-to-face with her biggest fears. And one of those fears is marijuana.
The path she chooses is paved with secrecy, eccentric characters, toe-curling love, life-changing events, and a connection to her unconventional, basement garden that she never could have imagined.
My intention when I wrote Betty's (Little Basement) Garden was to show the truth about the medical marijuana industry in Colorado.
It's not all sunshine and lollipops. I don't sugarcoat the realities of working in the cannabis world, nor do I romanticize what it means to be a grower for a seriously ill patient who depends upon your green thumb to make his or her medicine.
The book illustrates a massive shift in the "anti-pot" propaganda that I grew up hearing and believing. My hope is that it's not just an entertaining story; my hope is that it's also enlightening for those who read it and believe the way I used to about this ancient herb.
As Betty Craven says, "There's nothing more liberating than releasing a limiting belief."
To read or download an extensive, 840 page compilation of published medical studies that show the proactive use of cannabis in various forms, please read "Cannabis - A Remarkably Safe and Effective Herbal Medicine - Granny Storm Crow's MMJ Reference List - July 2012"
Switch a block with any block that is directly above/under/right/left of it to put 3 of the same pictures in a row. Matching 3 blocks diagonally does not count. Good luck!
Match The Bugz:
Swap the bugs and try to align 3 or more similar ones in a row to eliminate them, but avoid the bombs.
Controls:
Mouse: Left Click on the bugs you wish to swap.
C'è condanna e condanna: per me quei quattro mesi per la rottura "di quei sigilli violati dal vento" (come avrebbe cantato Modugno) sono una MEDAGLIA AL VALORE CIVILE.
Perché non sempre la "giustizia" coincide con la "legalità" (il Mahatma Gandhi lo sapeva bene e pure Sandro Pertini lo sperimentò duramente).
Grazie Beppe per il sostegno alla lotta NO TAV della Val Susa. (3 Mar 2014 - beppegrillo)
La Procura di Torino, in Italia, ha chiesto di condannare a nove mesi di reclusione Beppe Grillo al termine di un processo legato a una delle dimostrazioni dei No Tav in Val di Susa. I pm Antonio Rinaudo e Andrea Padalino, della procura di Torino, hanno chiesto anche la condanna a pagare 200 euro di multa. Il reato è la violazione di sigilli per un episodio legato alla costruzione di una baita-presidio dei No Tav in Valle di Susa. I due pm, nella proposta di conteggio della pena, hanno applicato la recidiva in riferimento a una precedente condanna per diffamazione.
Beppe Grillo era salito in Valle di Susa il 5 dicembre 2010 durante una manifestazione dei No Tav. Davanti alla baita ancora in costruzione improvvisò un breve comizio e si fece accompagnare all’interno del locale. In precedenza il comandante dei carabinieri della compagnia di Susa lo aveva informato che se avesse varcato la soglia della casetta avrebbe commesso un reato. Dopo qualche minuto Grillo uscì e, davanti alle telecamere, mimò di avere i polsi ammanettati. Il processo vede imputate 21 persone per violazione di sigilli. Sono state chieste quattro assoluzioni e, per il resto, condanne fra i 18 e i 6 mesi di reclusione. (07 Feb 2014 - gdp)
Este folosita de fiintele umane, din vremuri imemoriale. Dieta omului primitiv includea, fara indoiala, canabis, din moment ce crestea din abundenta in Africa si Asia si era foarte hranitoare, prin continutul ei de proteine si omega 3.
Marijuana ar fi putut sa fie chiar prima planta cultivata. Exista speculatii ca, omul epocii pietrei, ar fi putut folosi iarba salbatica, pentru a-si perfectiona rapid limbajul, folosirea de noi unelte, noi materiale, arta rupestra si instrumentele muzicale...
Ce a provocat aceasta imbunatatire subtila? Unii savanti au presupus ca marihuana ar fi putut deschide usi catre o constiinta mai inalta, in omul mezolitic. Noi cercetari sugereaza ca oamenii stravechi, care consumau regulat canabis si-ar fi putut perfecta functiile cerebrale, declansand un mare salt inainte.
Dar sunt doar presupuneri!
Ceea ce stim este ca, noi descoperiri, sunt inspirate inca, de canabis si conduc la o intelegere, mai profunda a naturii starii de sanatate si a bolii.
Dar daca marijuana ar vindeca cancerul? Un documentar de Len Richmond. Narat de Peter Coyote.
Peter Coyote, actor american, autor, regizor, scenarist si narator de filme, teatru, televiziune si carti audio. Coyote a fost unul dintre fondatorii a Diggers, un grup anarhist de teatru de improvizatie activ in Haight-Ashbury la jumatatea anilor '60.
De curand s-a dovedit ca planta canepa are actiuni: antiinflamatoare, antispastice si antibacteriene. Poate trata depresia, sindromul stresului traumatic, durerea cronica, glaucomul, migrenele, scleroza multipla, sindromul Tourette, greata si o multime de alte tulburari, fara efectele secundare nedorite ale drogurilor farmaceutice.
Use the arrow keys to guide your marble to the exit. Avoid: red walls, red balls, mines and bad holes. Safe objects: transport holes, magnets, dynamite and stars. Power-ups: grow, clay, fast, electric, shrink, ice, slow, rubber and disoriented.
Mesmemarble 2:
Control the marble and find the exit! It is the sequel to the fun mesmemarble game!
Oamenii de stiinta au descoperit modul prin care cai din creier asociate cu marijuana (receptorii canabinoizi) au fost, de asemenea, responsabile pentru efectele unei substante chimice numita minociclina.
Rezultatele au fost publicate cu timp in urma in revista Cerebral Cortex de la Oxford.
Cercetarile noastre confirma faptul ca minociclina scade leziunile creierului cauzate de leziunile cerebrale traumatice... activarea receptorilor canabinoizi este necesara pentru actiunile neuroprotectoare ale acestui compus.
Inflamatia este considerata drept contribuitor la lezarea creierului care se produce dupa un traumatism cranian. Studii anterioare arata ca minociclina poate proteja impotriva acestor leziuni.
In orice caz, atunci cand cercetatorii de la Universitatea Complutense din Madrid au administrat minociclina asociata cu substante chimice ce blocheaza activitatea receptorilor canabinoizi, efectele protective ale acesteia au fost suprimate.
Cu toate ca este inca in stadiu incipient, Profesorul Sarne a declarat pentru revista Science Daily ca produsul chimic principal din marijuana, THC-ul (tetra hidro canabinolul), a demonstrat rezultate incredibile si promitatoare.
THC-ul ar putea fi aplicat la multe cazuri de leziuni ale creierului si ar putea deveni mai sigur in timp.
Proprietatile antioxidante si antiinflamatoare ale THC-ului (tetrahidrocanabinol-ului) sunt considerate drept protectoare ale creierului de la deteriorari ulterioare ce urmeaza leziunii.
Studiul a fost sustinut de GRUPOS UCM-BSCH 951579; Delegatia Guvernului pentru Planul National privind Drogurile; Institutul de Sanatate Carlos III; Retelele tematice de Cooperare pentru Cercetare in sanatate, Reteaua de Tulburari de Dependenta; Ministerul Economiei si a Competitivitatii, Spania, si de organizatia non-profit Fondation des Gueules cassées.
Mai demult, un grup de 50 de persoane participa la un seminar. Dintr-o data, oratorul s-a oprit si a decis sa faca o activitate de grup. A inceput prin a oferi fiecaruia un balon. Fiecare a fost rugat sa-si scrie numele lui/ei pe balon folosind o carioca. Apoi, toate baloanele au fost adunate si puse intr-o alta camera.
Acum, acesti delegati au fost lasati in acea camera si le-a fost cerut sa gaseasca balonul ce avea scris numele lor, in termen de 5 minute. Fiecare isi cauta cu frenezie numele sau, ciocnindu-se unul de altul, impingandu-se intre ei si era un haos cumplit.
La sfarsitul celor 5 minute nimeni nu a reusit sa-si gaseasca propriul balon. Acum, fiecaruia i s-a cerut sa ia un balon la intamplare si sa il dea persoanei a carei nume era scris pe acesta. In cateva minute, toata lumea isi avea propriul balon.
Oratorul a inceput - exact acest lucru se intampla in vietile noastre. Toata lumea cauta cu frenezie fericirea peste tot in jur, fara sa stie unde este aceasta.
Fericirea noastra se gaseste in fericirea altor persoane. Ofera-le fericirea lor; tu vei primi fericirea ta proprie. Si acesta este scopul vietii umane... cautarea fericirii.
Mai nou, o echipa de oameni de stiinta germani au descoperit dovezi ca lipsa unor cai de marihuana din creier ar putea contribui la simptomele bolii Alzheimer.
Aceste cai - cunoscute sub numele de receptori canabinoizi (sau receptori CB1) - se gasesc de-a lungul creierului si sunt responsabile de efectele euforice ale marijuanei. Cercetatorii au concluzionat ca orientarea catre aceste cai poate fi eficienta la inversarea unora dintre problemele cognitive ale pacientilor cu Alzheimer.
Rezultatele lor au fost publicate in revista Neurobiologia Imbatranirii (Neurobiology of Aging).
Rezultatele indica faptul ca lipsa de CB1 poate agrava deficientele cognitive specifice BA (Bolii Alzheimer) si sprijina un rol potential a CB1-lui drept o tinta farmacologica.
Receptorii CB1 sunt parte a sistemului endocanabinoid al creierului, care includ, de asemenea, substante chimice produse natural ce imita efectele marihuanei (canabis). Aceste substante chimice, numite canabinoizi, reglementeaza o mare varietate de functii cognitive.
In cadrul studiului, cercetatorii au comparat sobolani cu Alzheimer si au constatat ca cei cu o deficienta de receptori CB1 au avut probleme mai severe in a invata si memora. Acestia au avut, de asemenea, greutati corporale mai scazute si rate mai mari de deces prematur.
Alte studii au identificat niveluri mai scazute a receptorilor CB1 printre subiectii umani cu boala Alzheimer, sugerand ca acest lucru poate fi un efect natural al bolii.
Si mai mult, studii anterioare pe animale au descoperit ca tratamentele bazate pe marijuana (cannabis) sunt eficiente atat la inversarea simptomelor cat si a factorilor ce stau la baza maladiei Alzheimer.
Studiul a fost publicat inainte de tiparire si a primit finantare de la grupul de cercetare DFG.
Traducerea si adaptarea: Ford Turani pentru TurismoAssociati.it - Sursa: LeafScience - Lack of Marijuana Pathways Could Make Alzheimer’s Worse, Study Finds
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