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Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" ( It is the Summer of 1928) "Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always."
A small circle of "friends" i found in the forest round an old log close to the Kepler Track. We enjoyed a walk half an hour into one of NZ's famous walks. We stopped before it went up the mountain though :)
Thanks Mark for the ID
From Wiki
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the southern hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees including the beech forest seen here. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, deaths from its consumption are extremely rare, and it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling. Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. The sharman eats it, the followers drink the resulting urine which is less poisonous.
<<<<<< Memory Flash >>>>>>
8:30 PM, Oct 24th 2006
A walk in the tunnel
Greenwich, England
8 pints of kronenberg + 3 60ml Jacks + more random drinks and (other) intoxicants = disoriented
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.
Although generally considered poisonous, Amanita muscaria is otherwise famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. Used as an intoxicant by the Koryaks of the Kamchatka Krai of eastern Siberia, the mushroom has had a religious significance in Siberian culture and possibly also in ancient Scandinavian culture.
The Koryak of eastern Siberia have a story about the fly agaric (wapaq) which enabled Big Raven to carry a whale to its home. In the story, the deity Vahiyinin ("Existence") spat onto earth, and his spittle became the wapaq, and his saliva becomes the warts. After experiencing the power of the wapaq, Raven was so exhilarated that he told it to grow forever on earth so his children, the people, can learn from it.
The red-and-white spotted toadstool is a common image in many aspects of popular culture, especially in children's books, film and more recently computer games; a partly grown A. muscaria, as shown right, is clearly the fungus upon which this icon is based.
The journeys of Philip von Strahlenberg to Siberia and his descriptions of the use of the mukhomor there was published in English in 1736. The drinking of urine of those who had imbibed the mushroom was commented on by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith in his widely-read 1762 novel Citizen of the World. The mushroom had been identified as the fly agaric by this time. Other authors recorded the distortions of the size of perceived objects while intoxicated by the fungus, including naturalist Mordecai Cubitt Cooke in his books The Seven Sisters of Sleep and A Plain and Easy Account of British Fungi. This observation is thought to have formed the basis of the effects of eating the mushroom in the 1865 popular story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Garden ornaments, and children's picture books depicting gnomes and fairies, such as the Smurfs, very often show fly agarics used as seats, or homes. Two of the most famous uses of the mushroom are in the video game series Super Mario Bros., and the dancing mushroom sequence in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia.
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
This shop is particular for allowing bhang to be sold legally. Bhang is the leaf and flower of a female Cannabis sativa plant, as consumed in the Indian subcontinent. It is more commonly consumed as a beverage, but is sometimes smoked. The Bhang Ki Thandai drink is popular in many parts of India and is made by mixing bhang with thandai, as well as almonds, spices, milk and sugar.
Bhang was first used as an intoxicant in India around 1000 BC and soon became an integral part of Hindu culture. In the ancient text Atharvaveda, Bhang is described as a beneficial herb that "releases anxiety". Bhang preparations were sacred to Gods, particularly Shiva. One of Shiva's epithets is "Lord of Bhang" as he is said to have discovered the transcendental properties of the mixture.
The traditional harvest and preparation of bhang coincides with the celebrations of Holi in March and Baisakhi in April. Due to being associated with Lord Shiva, bhang has now become synonymous with Holi - a festival which does not recognize any restrictions - to the extent that consuming the bhang drink during the feast is standard practice.
Hydrangea, commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of more than 70 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Korea, and Japan. Most are shrubs 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) tall, but some are small trees, and others lianas reaching up to 30 m (100 ft) by climbing up trees. They can be either deciduous or evergreen, though the widely cultivated temperate species are all deciduous.
The flowers of many hydrangea act as natural pH indicators, sporting blue flowers when the soil is acidic and pink ones when the soil is alkaline.
Etymology
Hydrangea is derived from Greek and means ‘water vessel’ (from ὕδωρ húdōr "water" + ἄγγος ángos or ἀγγεῖον angeîon "vessel"), in reference to the shape of its seed capsules. The earlier name, Hortensia, is a Latinised version of the French given name Hortense, honoring French astronomer and mathematician Nicole-Reine Hortense Lepaute. Philibert Commerson attempted to name the flower Lepautia or Peautia after Lepaute. However, the flower's accepted name later became Hortensia. This led to people believing Lepaute's name was Hortense, but the Larousse remarks that this is erroneous, and that the name probably came from hortus, garden.
Life cycle
Hydrangea flowers are produced from early spring to late autumn; they grow in flowerheads (corymbs or panicles) most often at the ends of the stems. Typically the flowerheads contain two types of flowers: small non-showy fertile flowers in the center or interior of the flowerhead, and large, sterile showy flowers with large colorful sepals (tepals). These showy flowers are often extended in a ring, or to the exterior of the small flowers. Plants in wild populations typically have few to none of the showy flowers, while cultivated hydrangeas have been bred and selected to have more of the larger type flowers.
There are two flower arrangements in hydrangeas with corymb style inflorescences, which includes the commonly grown "bigleaf hydrangea"—Hydrangea macrophylla. Mophead flowers are large round flowerheads resembling pom-poms or, as the name implies, the head of a mop. In contrast, lacecap flowers bear round, flat flowerheads with a center core of subdued, small flowers surrounded by outer rings of larger flowers having showy sepals or tepals. The flowers of some rhododendrons and viburnums can appear, at first glance, similar to those of some hydrangeas.
Hydrangea flowers, when cut, dehydrate easily and wilt very quickly due to the large surface area of the petals. A wilted hydrangea may have its hydration restored by first having its stem immersed in boiling water; as the petals of the hydrangea can also absorb water, the petals may then be immersed, in room-temperature water, to restore the flower's hydration.
Colors and soil acidity
Hydrangea flower color changes based on the pH in soil. As the graph depicts, soil with a pH of 5.5 or lower will produce blue flowers, a pH of 6.5 or higher will produce pink hydrangeas, and soil in between 5.5 and 6.5 will have purple hydrangeas.
Hydrangea flower color can change based on the pH in soil. As the graph depicts, soil with a pH of 5.5 or lower will produce blue flowers, a pH of 6.5 or higher will produce pink hydrangeas, and soil in between 5.5 and 6.5 will have purple hydrangeas. White hydrangeas cannot be color-manipulated by soil pH because they do not produce pigment for color. In other words, while the hue of the inflorescence is variable dependent upon cultural factors, the color saturation is genetically predetermined. In most species, the flowers are white. In some, however, (notably H. macrophylla), they can be blue, red, or purple, with color saturation levels ranging from the palest of pinks, lavenders & powder blues, to deep, rich purples, bordeauxs, and royal blues. In these species, floral color change occurs due to the availability of aluminum ions, a variable which itself depends upon the soil pH. For H. macrophylla and H. serrata cultivars, the flower color can be determined by the relative acidity of the soil: an acidic soil (pH below 7), will have available aluminum ions and typically produce flowers that are blue to purple, whereas an alkaline soil (pH above 7) will tie up aluminum ions and result in pink or red flowers. This is caused by a color change of the flower pigments in the presence of aluminum ions which can be taken up into hyperaccumulating plants.
Partial list of species
Hydrangea paniculata
Hydrangea anomala – (climbing hydrangea) Himalaya, southwest China
Hydrangea arborescens – (smooth hydrangea) eastern North America
Hydrangea aspera – China, Himalaya
Hydrangea bretschneideri – China
Hydrangea chinensis – China and Taiwan
Hydrangea chungii – China
Hydrangea cinerea – (ashy hydrangea) eastern United States
Hydrangea coenobialis – China
Hydrangea davidii – China
Hydrangea glaucescens – China, Myanmar and Vietnam
Hydrangea gracilis – China
Hydrangea heteromalla – Himalaya, west and north China
Hydrangea hirta – Japan
Hydrangea hydrangeoides – Ulleungdo, Japan, Kurils
Hydrangea hypoglauca – China
Hydrangea integrifolia – China
Hydrangea involucrata – Japan, Taiwan
Hydrangea jelskii – Andes
Hydrangea kwangsiensis – China
Hydrangea kwangtungensis – China
Hydrangea lingii – China
Hydrangea linkweiensis – China
Hydrangea longifolia – China
Hydrangea longipes – western China
Hydrangea macrocarpa – China
Hydrangea macrophylla – (bigleaf hydrangea) southeast Japan, southern China
Hydrangea mangshanensis – China
Hydrangea paniculata – (panicled hydrangea) eastern China, Japan, Korea, Sakhalin
Hydrangea peruviana – Costa Rica and Panama, Andes
Hydrangea petiolaris – (climbing hydrangea) Japan, Korea, Sakhalin
Hydrangea quercifolia – (oakleaf hydrangea) southeast United States
Hydrangea radiata – (silverleaf hydrangea) southeast United States
Hydrangea robusta – China, Himalaya
Hydrangea sargentiana – western China
Hydrangea scandens – southern Japan south to the Philippines
Hydrangea serrata – Japan, Korea
Hydrangea serratifolia – Chile, western Argentina
Hydrangea strigosa – China
Hydrangea stylosa – China
Hydrangea tarapotensis – Andes
Hydrangea xanthoneura – China
Hydrangea zhewanensis – China
Fossil record
†Hydrangea alaskana is a fossil species recovered from Paleogene strata at Jaw Mountain Alaska. †Hydrangea knowltoni has been described from leaves and flowers recovered from the Miocene Langhian Latah Formation of the inland Pacific Northwest United states. The related Miocene species †Hydrangea bendirei is known to from the Mascall Formation in Oregon, and †Hydrangea reticulata is documented from the Weaverville Formation in California.
Four fossil seeds of †Hydrangea polonica have been extracted from borehole samples of the Middle Miocene fresh water deposits in Nowy Sacz Basin, West Carpathians, Poland.
Cultivation and uses
Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flowerheads, with Hydrangea macrophylla being by far the most widely grown. It has over 600 named cultivars, many selected to have only large sterile flowers in the flowerheads. Hydrangea macrophylla, also known as bigleaf hydrangea, can be broken up into two main categories; mophead hydrangea and lacecap hydrangea. Some are best pruned on an annual basis when the new leaf buds begin to appear. If not pruned regularly, the bush will become very 'leggy', growing upwards until the weight of the stems is greater than their strength, at which point the stems will sag down to the ground and possibly break. Other species only flower on 'old wood'. Thus new wood resulting from pruning will not produce flowers until the following season.
The following cultivars and species have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit under the synonym Schizophragma:
S. hydrangeoides var. concolor 'Moonlight'
S. hydrangeoides var. hydrangeoides 'Roseum'
S. integrifolium
Hydrangea root and rhizome are indicated for treatment of conditions of the urinary tract in the Physicians' Desk Reference for Herbal Medicine and may have diuretic properties. Hydrangeas are moderately toxic if eaten, with all parts of the plant containing cyanogenic glycosides. Hydrangea paniculata is reportedly sometimes smoked as an intoxicant, despite the danger of illness and/or death due to the cyanide.
The flowers on a hydrangea shrub can change from blue to pink or from pink to blue from one season to the next depending on the acidity level of the soil. Adding organic materials such as coffee grounds, citrus peel or eggshells will increase acidity and turn hydrangea flowers blue, as described in an article on Gardenista. A popular pink hydrangea called Vanilla Strawberry has been named "Top Plant" by the American Nursery and Landscape Association.
A hybrid "Runaway Bride Snow White", from Japan, won Plant of the Year at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
In culture
In Japan, ama-cha, 甘茶, meaning sweet tea, is another herbal tea made from Hydrangea serrata, whose leaves contain a substance that develops a sweet taste (phyllodulcin). For the fullest taste, fresh leaves are crumpled, steamed, and dried, yielding dark brown tea leaves. Ama-cha is mainly used for kan-butsu-e (the Buddha bathing ceremony) on April 8 every year—the day thought to be Buddha's birthday in Japan. During the ceremony, ama-cha is poured over a statue of Buddha and served to people in attendance. A legend has it that on the day Buddha was born, nine dragons poured Amrita over him; ama-cha is substituted for Amrita in Japan.
In Korean tea, Hydrangea serrata (hangul:산수국 hanja:山水菊) is used for an herbal tea called sugukcha (수국차) or isulcha (이슬차).
The pink hydrangea has risen in popularity all over the world, especially in Asia. The given meaning of pink hydrangeas is popularly tied to the phrase, "You are the beat of my heart," as described by the celebrated Asian florist Tan Jun Yong, where he was quoted saying, "The light delicate blush of the petals reminds me of a beating heart, while the size could only match the heart of the sender!"
Hydrangea quercifolia was declared the official state wildflower of Alabama in 1999.
Hydrangeas were used by the Cherokee people. A mild diuretic and cathartic, it was considered a valuable remedy for removal of stone and gravel in the bladder
Still life of mixed drink cocktail with mint leaves and fruit garnish against glowing green background.
Our showcase took place in June 2016 and included some of the best bits from Being Human 2015, including ‘Why burn books?‘ (UEA), ‘Frankenstein Begins‘ (Dundee), ‘Defining Digital Dickens‘ (Buckingham), ‘Cyberselves’ (Sheffield), ‘The Quantified Romantics‘ (Aberystwyth), ‘Graveyard Voices‘ (South Wales), ‘Windsongs of the Blessed Bay’ (Swansea), ‘Being Supernatural‘ (Liverpool) and ‘Intoxicants‘ (V&A and Sheffield).
Folk Medicine: Reported to be antidote, antiseptic, antivinous, bactericide, cardiotonic, demulcent, diuretic, intoxicant, laxative, pectoral, piscicide, refrigerant, and stomachic. It is a folk remedy for arthritis, bedsores, boils, cancer, colds, cough, diarrhea, dysentery, eyes, fever, hiccups, inflammation, laryngitis, opacity, penis, skin, sores, sore throat, spleen, tumors, and wounds . Powdered sugar is used as a 'drawing' agent for granulations and "proud flesh" . The pulped sugar cane is used to dress wounds, and the cane for splints for broken bones; the Malay women use it in childbirth. A decoction of the root of the race of 'tebu lanjong' is used for whooping cough; and the cane juice is given for catarrh. It is used in elephant medicine; the juice is used to 'make an elephant sagacious', and in a poultice for sprains . In India, the plant as well as its juices are used for abdominal tumors.
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Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric (pronounced /ˈæɡərɪk/) or fly Amanita (pronounced /ˌæməˈnaɪtə/), is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolata, guessowii, and formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades which may represent separate species.
Although generally considered poisonous, deaths are extremely rare, and it has been consumed as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling in water. Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia; however, such traditions are far less well-documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed the fly agaric was in fact the Soma talked about in the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature.
“High-alcohol Ginseng Products Classified as Intoxicants” – Ginseng book, vials and charms. Photo, Ken Shimizu, 1998.
The Ship Inn was on the south side of North Parade, between Nelson and Mildred Streets, in Port Adelaide. Established in 1840, destroyed by fire in 1857 and rebuilt on the same site. Stopped trading in 1909. For a brief period, June 1840 to, March 1841, it was known as the Help me Through the World Inn. Abraham Othen, the name above the door on the left, was the publican between 1884-1886. John Smith was the owner from 1860 to 1884.
'THE OLD SHIP INN, PORT ADELAIDE.
From WM Reid. Ruby-street, Peterhead: — I read a paragraph in your issue of Friday last, as to the Seamen’s Mission and the new building to be erected on the site of the Old Ship Inn. It stated that the inn bore an unsaintly reputation in the old days. I do not know, but possibly some of the old landlords' descendants are still in the land of the living, and it would hurt them to read that remark. I think I can claim to be a fairly old Portonian, and I believe the old Ship Inn was one of the best conducted hotels on the face of the earth. The Freemasons had their lodge-room there, and I believe other lodges held their meetings. John Smith, who was the landlord from sometime in the fifties to well on towards the eighties, never opened his doors on a Sunday, but was a regular attendant at St. Paul's Church with his family. There is a house fronting Nile street which had a very unsaintly reputation a few yards from the mission. It was closed many years ago fortunately. I am a native of Port Adelaide. 73 years of age and a non-drinker of intoxicants for fifty years, so I am no hotelkeeper's champion, but I do love justice.'
The Advertiser Tuesday 3 July 1923 page 13
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This is the Prickly Pear, Binomial name: Opuntia, please keep in mind there are dozens of different geneses of the Prickly Pear in the Grand Canyon alone, and over 200 types of Prickly Pear in the Americas. The Prickly Pear is also known as a Paddle Cactus (for obvious reasons).
The Prickly Pear is classified in the Cactaceae (cactus) family. The Prickly Pear (generally speaking) is easy to identify, simply look for a plant with paddles or flat, rounded cladodes (also called platyclades) that are armed with two kinds of spines; large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hair like prickles called glochids, that easily penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Prickly Pears often grow into dense, tangled structures that typically lay close to the ground.
Like all true cactus species, Prickly Pears are native only to the Western hemisphere; however, they have been introduced to other parts of the globe. And like all introduced plants have caused an abundance harm to the native flora they have been introduced to.
The Prickly Pear has been used by humans for a very long time. Today there are not many medical uses for the Prickly Pear, but this cactus has been and still is used as a food source, as an intoxicant, and even in dye production.
Folk remedies and the Prickly Pear, (North and South) American Indians used Prickly Pear juice to treat burns, and the Prickly Pear has a long history in traditional Mexican folk medicine for treating diabetes. Prickly Pears use in treating diabetes, lipid disorders, inflammation, and ulcers, as well as its other pharmacologic effects has been documented. However, there is limited clinical information to support these uses and there are some concerns about toxic effects on the kidney.
The Prickly Pear as a food source, while it is widely known that the pears (also known as Tunas) were the largest part of the diet for several weeks in mid-summer, the plant was used in many other ways. The pads, especially the younger ones, can be eaten year round, when moist grass, herbs and other food sources were not available. The pads were used as green packing material providing steamy moisture and chemical compounds that helped bake lechuguilla and sotol. During the tuna (the fruit or pear) harvest, the Prickly Pear was THE most important food in the region, and ranks with pecans and buffalo as a critical seasonal resource. Both the pads and the fruit must be prepared carefully to ensure the removal of all of the spines particularly the hair like spines called glochids. The easiest way to do this is with fire, rolling the pads or fruit in a hot fire for a moment or two removes the spines quite well. Today you don’t even have to worry about removing spines with domesticated varieties of the Prickly Pear, you can find spineless Prickly Pears in many grocery stores.
The Prickly Pear was/is also used to make alcoholic beverages, most notably colonche, in times past. Today you can find two commercially available distilled spirits made from the Prickly Pear, the pink herbal bajtra liqueur and the clear, more potent Tungi Spirit.
There are also many other uses of the Prickly Pear. The pads were also be used as containers and even canteens. There is even evidence that the spines on the pads were sometimes used as needles. The gel like sap of the Prickly Pear has also been mixed with mud and used as a plastering agent. While I don’t know if the Prickly Pear was used in the past to purify water, there are ongoing studies to determine if the Prickly Pear can be used a cheap, large scale water purification system.
With all of different these uses it’s hard to imagine that this plant does even more, in fact it does. The Prickly Pear is home to a scale insect, or sessile parasite known as the cochineal. The cochineal has been used as a natural dying agent since at least the 15th century. The cochineal produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects. The carminic acid, typically 17–24% of dried insects' weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs then mixed with aluminum or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal dye. This dye was heavily used in south America for dying cloth and became very popular in Europe (after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire) for some time it was the second largest export from the Spanish held Mexico, until the invention of artificial pigments in the middle of the 19th century. Today you can commonly find cochineal dye in food and cosmetic products. Any ingredients listed as cochineal, carmine, or carminic acid, are pigments made from the cochineal.
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From Lives of Poor Boys Who Became Famous by Sarah K. Bolton, 1885, pp. 342-367:
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
In Gentryville, Indiana, in the year 1816, might have been seen a log cabin without doors or window-glass, a dirt floor, a bed made of dried leaves, and a stool or two and table formed of logs. The inmates were Thomas Lincoln, a good-hearted man who could neither read nor write; Nancy Hanks, his wife, a pale-faced, sensitive, gentle woman, strangely out of place in her miserable surroundings; a girl of ten, Sarah; and a tall, awkward boy of eight, Abraham.
The family had but recently moved from a similar cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky, cutting their way through the wilderness with an ax, and living off the game they could obtain with a gun.
Mrs. Lincoln possessed but one book in the world, the Bible; and from this she taught her children daily. Abraham had been to school for two or three months, at such a school as the rude country afforded, and had learned to read. Of quick mind and retentive memory, he soon came to know the Bible wellnigh by heart, and to look upon his gentle teacher as the embodiment of all the good pre[343]cepts in the book. Afterward, when he governed thirty million people, he said, "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. Blessings on her memory!"
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
When he was ten years old, the saintly mother faded like a flower amid these hardships of pioneer life, died of consumption, and was buried in a plain box under the trees near the cabin. The blow for the girl, who also died at fifteen, was hard; but for the boy the loss was irreparable. Day after day he sat on the grave and wept. A sad, far-away look crept into his eyes, which those who saw him in the perils of his later life well remember.
Nine months after this, Abraham wrote a letter to Parson Elkins, a good minister whom they used to know in Kentucky, asking him to come and preach a funeral sermon on his mother. He came, riding on horseback over one hundred miles; and one bright Sabbath morning, when the neighbors from the whole country around had gathered, some in carts and some on horseback, he spoke, over the open grave, of the precious, Christian life of her who slept beneath. She died early, but not till she had laid well the foundation-stones in one of the grandest characters in history.
The boy, communing with himself, longed to read and know something beyond the stumps between which he planted his corn. He borrowed a copy of Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," and read and re-read it till he could repeat much of it. Then some one[344] loaned him "Æsop's Fables" and "Robinson Crusoe," and these he pored over with eager delight. There surely was a great world beyond Kentucky and Indiana, and perhaps he would some day see it.
After a time Thomas Lincoln married a widow, an old friend of Nancy Hanks, and she came to the cabin, bringing her three children; besides, she brought what to Abraham and Sarah seemed unheard-of elegance,—a bureau, some chairs, a table, and bedding. Abraham had heretofore climbed to the loft of the cabin on pegs, and had slept on a sack filled with corn-husks: now a real bed would seem indeed luxurious.
The children were glad to welcome the new mother to the desolate home; and a good, true mother she became to the orphans. She put new energy into her somewhat easy-going husband, and made the cabin comfortable, even attractive. What was better still, she encouraged Abraham to read more and more, to be thorough, and to be somebody. Besides, she gave his great heart something to love, and well she repaid the affection.
He now obtained a much-worn copy of Weem's "Life of Washington," and the little cabin grew to be a paradise, as he read how one great man had accomplished so much. The barefoot boy, in buckskin breeches so shrunken that they reached only half way between the knee and ankle, actually asked himself whether there were not some great place in[345] the world for him to fill. No wonder, when, a few days after, making a noise with some of his fun-loving companions, a good woman said to him, "Now, Abe, what on earth do you s'pose'll ever become of ye? What'll ye be good for if ye keep a-goin' on in this way?" He replied slowly, "Well, I reckon I'm goin' to be President of the United States one of these days."
The treasured "Life of Washington" came to grief. One stormy night the rain beat between the logs of the cabin, and flooded the volume as it lay on a board upheld by two pegs. Abraham sadly carried it back to its owner, and worked three days, at twenty-five cents a day, to pay damages, and thus made the book his own.
The few months of schooling had already come to an end, and he was "living out," hoeing, planting, and chopping wood for the farmers, and giving the wages to his parents. In this way, in the daytime he studied human nature, and in the evenings he read "Plutarch's Lives" and the "Life of Benjamin Franklin." He was liked in these humble homes, for he could tend baby, tell stories, make a good impromptu speech, recite poetry, even making rhymes himself, and could wrestle and jump as well as the best.
While drinking intoxicants was the fashion all about him, taught by his first mother not to touch them, he had solemnly carried out her wishes. But his tender heart made him kind to the many who, in[346] this pioneer life, had been ruined through drink. One night, as he was returning from a house-raising, he and two or three friends found a man in the ditch benumbed with the cold, and his patient horse waiting beside him. They lifted the man upon the animal, and held him on till they reached the nearest house, where Abraham cared for him through the night, and thus saved his life.
At eighteen he had found a situation in a small store, but he was not satisfied to stand behind a counter; he had read too much about Washington and Franklin. Fifteen miles from Gentryville, courts were held at certain seasons of the year; and when Abraham could find a spare day he walked over in the morning and back at night, listening to the cases. Meantime he had borrowed a strange book for a poor country-lad,—"The Revised Statutes of Indiana."
One day a man on trial for murder had secured the able lawyer, John A. Breckenridge, to defend him. Abraham listened as he made his appeal to the jury. He had never heard anything so eloquent. When the court adjourned the tall, homely boy, his face beaming with admiration for the great man, pressed forward to grasp his hand; but, with a contemptuous air, the lawyer passed on without speaking. Thirty years later the two met in Washington, when Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States; and then he thanked Mr. Breckenridge for his great speech in Indiana.[347]
In March, 1828, the long-hoped-for opportunity to see the world outside of Gentryville had come. Abraham was asked by a man who knew his honesty and willingness to work, to take a flat-boat down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. He was paid only two dollars a week and his rations; and as a flat-boat could not come up the river, but must be sold for lumber at the journey's end, he was obliged to walk the whole distance back. The big-hearted, broad-shouldered youth, six feet and four inches tall, had seen in this trip what he would never forget; had seen black men in chains, and men and women sold like sheep in the slave-marts of New Orleans. Here began his horror of human slavery, which years after culminated in the Emancipation Proclamation.
Two years later, when he had become of age, Abraham helped move his father's family to Illinois, driving the four yoke of oxen which drew the household goods over the muddy roads and through the creeks. Then he joined his adopted brothers in building a log house, plowed fifteen acres of prairie land for corn, split rails to fence it in, and then went out into the world to earn for himself, his scanty wages heretofore belonging legally to his father. He did not always receive money for his work, for once, for a Mrs. Miller, he split four hundred rails for every yard of brown jeans, dyed with white walnut bark, necessary to make a pair of trowsers.[348]
He had no trade, and no money, and must do whatever came to hand. For a year he worked for one farmer and another, and then he and his half-brother were hired by a Mr. Offutt to build and take a flat-boat to New Orleans. So pleased was the owner, that on Abraham's return, he was at once engaged to manage a mill and store at New Salem. Here he went by the name of "Honest Abe," because he was so fair in his dealings. On one occasion, having sold a woman a bill of goods amounting to two dollars and six and a quarter cents, he found that in adding the items, he had taken six and a quarter cents too much. It was night, and locking the store, he walked two or three miles to return the money to his astonished customer. Another time a woman bought a half pound of tea. He discovered afterward that he had used a four-ounce weight on the scales, and at once walked a long way to deliver the four ounces which were her due. No wonder the world, like Diogenes, is always looking for an honest man.
He insisted on politeness before women. One day as he was showing goods, a boorish man came in and began to use profanity. Young Lincoln leaned over the desk, and begged him to desist before ladies. When they had gone, the man became furious. Finding that he really desired to fight, Lincoln said, "Well, if you must be whipped, I suppose I may as well whip you as any other man," and suiting the action to the word, gave him[349] a severe punishing. The man became a better citizen from that day, and Lincoln's life-long friend.
Years afterward, when in the Presidential chair, a man used profanity in his presence, he said, "I thought Senator C. had sent me a gentleman. I was mistaken. There is the door, and I wish you good-night."
Hearing that a grammar could be purchased six miles away, the young store-keeper walked thither and obtained it. When evening came, as candles were too expensive for his limited wages, he burnt one shaving after another to give light, and thus studied the book which was to be so valuable in after years, when he should stand before the great and cultured of the land. He took the "Louisville Journal," because he must be abreast of the politics of the day, and made careful notes from every book he read.
Mr. Offutt soon failed, and Abraham Lincoln was again adrift. War had begun with Blackhawk, the chief of the Sacs, and the Governor of Illinois was calling for volunteers. A company was formed in New Salem, and "Honest Abe" was chosen captain. He won the love of his men for his thoughtfulness of them rather than himself, and learned valuable lessons in military matters for the future. A strange thing now happened,—he was asked to be a candidate for the State Legislature! At first he thought his friends were ridiculing him, and said he should be defeated as he was not widely known.[350]
"Never mind!" said James Rutledge, the president of their little debating club. "They'll know you better after you've stumped the county. Any how, it'll do you good to try."
Lincoln made some bright, earnest stump speeches, and though he was defeated, the young man of twenty-three received two hundred and seventy-seven votes out of the two hundred and eighty cast in New Salem. This surely was a pleasant indication of his popularity. It was a common saying, that "Lincoln had nothing, only plenty of friends."
The County-surveyor needed an assistant. He called upon Lincoln, bringing a book for him to study, if he would fit himself to take hold of the matter. This he did gladly, and for six weeks studied and recited to a teacher, thus making himself skilled and accurate for a new country. Whenever he had an hour's leisure from his work, however, he was poring over his law-books, for he had fully made up his mind to be a lawyer.
He was modest, but ambitious, and was learning the power within him. But as though the developing brain and warm heart needed an extra stimulus, there came into his life, at this time, a beautiful affection, that left a deeper look in the far-away eyes, when it was over. Ann Rutledge, the daughter of his friend, was one of the most intelligent and lovely girls in New Salem. When Lincoln came to her father's house to board, she was already engaged to a bright young man in the neighborhood,[351] who, shortly before their intended marriage, was obliged to visit New York on business. He wrote back of his father's illness and death, and then his letters ceased.
Mouths passed away. Meantime the young lawyer had given her the homage of his strong nature. At first she could not bring herself to forget her recreant lover, but the following year, won by Lincoln's devotion, she accepted him. He seemed now supremely happy. He studied day and night, eager to fill such a place that Ann Rutledge would be proud of him. He had been elected to the Legislature, and, borrowing some money to purchase a suit of clothes, he walked one hundred miles to the State capitol. He did not talk much in the Assembly, but he worked faithfully upon committees, and studied the needs of his State.
The following summer days seemed to pass all too swiftly in his happiness. Then the shadows gathered. The girl he idolized was sinking under the dreadful strain upon her young heart. The latter part of August she sent for Lincoln to come to her bedside. What was said in that last farewell has never been known. It is stated by some that her former lover had returned, as fond of her as ever, his silence having been caused by a long illness. But on the twenty-fifth of August, death took her from them both.
Lincoln was overwhelmed with anguish; insane, feared and believed his friends. He said, "I can[352] never be reconciled to have the snow, rains, and storms beat upon her grave." Years after he was heard to say, "My heart lies buried in the grave of that girl." A poem by William Knox, found and read at this time, became a favorite and a comfort through life,—
"Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?"
Mr. Herndon, his law partner, said, "The love and death of that girl shattered Lincoln's purposes and tendencies. He threw off his infinite sorrow only by leaping wildly into the political arena." The memory of that love never faded from his heart, nor the sadness from his face.
The following year, 1837, when he was twenty-eight, he was admitted to the bar, and moved from New Salem to the larger town of Springfield, forming a partnership with Mr. J. P. Stuart of whom he had borrowed his law-books. Too poor even yet to pay much for board, he slept on a narrow lounge in the law-office. He was again elected to the legislature, and in the Harrison Presidential campaign, was chosen one of the electors, speaking through the State for the Whig party. To so prominent a position, already, had come the backwoods boy.
Continued in Pt 2.
illus-342
I was playing around with the concept of how we as a society today consume drugs/intoxicants daily whether they be legal or illegal. The waste aspect relates to how the nhs here often chuck away medication just because it's out of date.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita , is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the southern hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour, have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, deaths from its consumption are extremely rare, and it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia; however, such traditions are far less well documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the fly agaric was in fact the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968 this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature
A beautiful, warm October day ... just perfect for a bit of autumn colour and fungi at Sheffield Park Garden near Uckfield, East Sussex.
From Wikipedia -
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.
Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (often considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from eating the mushroom are extremely rare. After parboiling - which removes the mushroom's psychoactive substances - it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia, such as the Middle East, India, Eurasia, North America, and Scandinavia. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the Fly Agaric was the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature. The Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Marco Allegro also proposed that early Christianity sprang from cultic use of the Fly Agaric in Second Temple Judaism, and that the mushroom itself was used by the Essenes as an allegory for Jesus Christ.
About.com used a picture of a Magnum Temptini cocktail that I took (for the PR/Comm agency GolinHarris, for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel) on their website.
Copyright for the content of this tear sheet is with Michael Preston and/or the stated publication. It is presented for web browser viewing only please. The content of this tear sheet may not be redistributed directly or indirectly, in any medium, without the explicit prior written permission from the publication.
Simplified: stealing other people's work is utterly wrong. Don't do it. If you want to use something, please ask beforehand.
Michael Preston asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work and the right to a credit in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Seedlings.
Ericaceae: eventually to 1m. wide with creeping or low-arching stems sometimes up to 20cm in height, Leaves crowded, elliptic to oblong, 4-7mm long, bristle-toothed, dark glossy green above, paler beneath, Flowers urn-shaped, 5-6mm long, white, solitary from the upper leaf axils, early to mid-summer, Fruits globose, to 1.5cm wide, blue-black, Mountains of Costa Rica to central Chile. P.p. subsp. pentlandii is more erect, 30-50cm in height with leaves 1.2-2cm or more long, Fruits somewhat oblate, usually black but sometimes pink or white. Berries should be eaten in moderation as some Pernettya cause intoxication.
Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" ( It is the Summer of 1928) "Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always."
I Buy my Art I
DigiDreamGrafix.com I FINE ART I Smugmug I Zoonar I ADOBE STOCK I AGwallArt.com I Scripturebits.com I Flickr I Photokore I agdigitalphotography.com I AGpostcards I ShutterStock I iStock I 123rf I Signelements I Bigstock I Dreamstime I Freedigitalphotos I PhotoDune I Canstockphotos I Featurepics I Pond5 I
She sat at the end of a long table, filled with guests. Concubines, from between their breasts, poured intoxicants into the guests drinks, and danced with their feathery silks. But here sat the empress, having to witness the men's pleasures and about to lose her stomach's wits, for how could they be so amused by such simple gyrations?
This is a great cuff made from a lightweight drawer pull escutcheon with a beautiful Victorian design of an amphora or urn of some sort. Perhaps for a liquor cabinet? Now its molded to fit the wrist, and ties back with a tattered black satin ribbon.
The escutcheon is 2.25inches/6cms wide.
This bracelet will fit any wrist under 8inches/20cms.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (often considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from eating the mushroom are extremely rare. After parboilingwhich removes the mushroom's psychoactive substancesit is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia, such as the Middle East, India, Eurasia, North America, and Scandinavia. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the fly agaric was the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature.[1] The Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Marco Allegro also proposed that early Christianity sprang from cultic use of the fly agaric in Second Temple Judaism, and that the mushroom itself was used by the Essenes as an allegory for Jesus Christ.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolata, guessowii, and formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades which may represent separate species.
Although generally considered poisonous, deaths are extremely rare, and it has been consumed as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling in plentiful water. However, Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia; however, such traditions are far less well-documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed the fly agaric was in fact the Soma talked about in the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; although this theory has been refuted by anthropologists, it gained common credence when first published in 1968.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the southern hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, there are few documented human deaths from its consumption, and after having been parboiled it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia, but such traditions are far less well documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the fly agaric was the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literaturę.
A beautiful, warm October day ... just perfect for a bit of autumn colour and fungi at Sheffield Park Garden near Uckfield, East Sussex.
From Wikipedia -
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.
Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (often considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from eating the mushroom are extremely rare. After parboiling - which removes the mushroom's psychoactive substances - it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia, such as the Middle East, India, Eurasia, North America, and Scandinavia. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the Fly Agaric was the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature. The Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Marco Allegro also proposed that early Christianity sprang from cultic use of the Fly Agaric in Second Temple Judaism, and that the mushroom itself was used by the Essenes as an allegory for Jesus Christ.
SW corner of 47th at Marshfield
www.sptimes.com/2006/01/29/Books/Revisting_the_shamble.shtml
“It was an elemental odor, raw and crude; it was rich, almost rancid, sensual, and strong. There were some who drank it in as if it were an intoxicant; there were others who put their handkerchiefs to their faces. The new emigrants were still tasting it, lost in wonder, when suddenly the car came to a halt, and the door was flung open, and a voice shouted – ‘Stockyards!’”
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolata, guessowii, and formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades which may represent separate species.
Although generally considered poisonous, deaths are extremely rare, and it has been consumed as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling in plentiful water. However, Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia; however, such traditions are far less well-documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed the fly agaric was in fact the Soma talked about in the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; although this theory has been refuted by anthropologists, it gained common credence when first published in 1968.
The common name in English is thought to have been derived from its European use as an insecticide, when sprinkled in milk. The fly-killing agent is now known to be ibotenic acid. An alternative derivation proposes that the term fly- refers not to insects as such but rather the delirium resulting from consumption of the fungus. This is based on the medieval belief that flies could enter a person's head and cause mental illness.
[From Wikipedia]
A beautiful, warm October day ... just perfect for a bit of autumn colour and fungi at Sheffield Park Garden near Uckfield, East Sussex.
From Wikipedia -
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.
Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (often considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.
Although it is generally considered poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from eating the mushroom are extremely rare. After parboiling - which removes the mushroom's psychoactive substances - it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia, such as the Middle East, India, Eurasia, North America, and Scandinavia. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the Fly Agaric was the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature. The Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Marco Allegro also proposed that early Christianity sprang from cultic use of the Fly Agaric in Second Temple Judaism, and that the mushroom itself was used by the Essenes as an allegory for Jesus Christ.
A stabbing incident occurred in the Dripping Springs Apartments Thursday evening at 5:40 pm. The exact address is 1208 Dripping Spring Road in front of Apartment J.
According to residents of the apartment complex, a party began during the mid-morning hours and continued with a varying number of participants coming and going from a center apartment.
One of the attendees stated that the party was generally peaceful with entertaining music and laid back party goers until things went haywire at the end.
One person with familiarity of the party and its tragic, abrupt end said,
"We were all having a good time, listening to music ... very chill. Then, the next thing I know there is a man stabbed lying on my sidewalk bleeding."
Following a 911 call concerning the incident, Officer Kelly Hubbard of the Cullman Police Department (CPD) arrived on scene first.
Multiple officers from CPD along with emergency responders from Cullman Fire Rescue and Cullman Emergency Medical Services arrived soon thereafter.
The male stabbing victim was treated at the scene by medical technicians from Cullman EMS. They stabilized the patient so he could be transported to a waiting Air Evac Lifeteam medical helicopter which was staged nearby.
Air Evac then delivered the victim to Huntsville Hospital with what are believed to life-threatening injuries.
One resident of Dripping Springs Apartments was certain the male victim had been 'stabbed multiple times with blood everywhere'.
In the meantime, the alleged knife assailant fled the crime scene on foot. A neighbor who saw the man leave the scene assisted investigators with CPD in identifying the whereabouts of the fleeing man.
CPD quickly took the suspect into custody. He was taken to police headquarters for questioning.
After the medical situation cleared, Lieutenant Jody Martin and Sergeant Adam Clark led a forensic investigation of the crime scene.
The exact medical status of the victim is currently unknown, but he is believed to be undergoing surgery at the time of this report.
Lieutenant Gene Bates of the Cullman Police Department indicates that the alleged knife assailant was:
ROGER DALE HINES (57) of Cullman
Hines been arrested and will charged with:
• Assault - 2nd Degree
Those charges could be upgraded based upon the outcome of the victims medical status.
Hines was taken to the Cullman County Detention Center for booking. There is not information on bond availability and amounts at the time of this report.
Lieutenant Bates stated that significant levels of alcohol intoxication may have been a causal factor in the incident. The veracity of witnesses reports of the altercation may be impaired by similar effects of intoxicants. Bates confirmed that the investigation is active and ongoing believing that their police work will continue into at least tomorrow morning.
Residents of the Dripping Springs Apartments were in varying emotional states following the incident. Several residents communicated that this altercation is not reflective of the overall housing complexes day-to-day mood and behavior.
For the full story with images and interview, please see: cullmantoday.com/2017/01/13/dripping-springs-apartment-st...
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric (play /ˈæɡərɪk/) or fly Amanita (play /ˌæməˈnaɪtə/), is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour, have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, and formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades which may represent separate species.
Although generally considered poisonous, deaths are extremely rare, and it is consumed as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling. Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia; however, such traditions are far less well-documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed the fly agaric was in fact the Soma talked about in the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature.[1
A stabbing incident occurred in the Dripping Springs Apartments Thursday evening at 5:40 pm. The exact address is 1208 Dripping Spring Road in front of Apartment J.
According to residents of the apartment complex, a party began during the mid-morning hours and continued with a varying number of participants coming and going from a center apartment.
One of the attendees stated that the party was generally peaceful with entertaining music and laid back party goers until things went haywire at the end.
One person with familiarity of the party and its tragic, abrupt end said,
"We were all having a good time, listening to music ... very chill. Then, the next thing I know there is a man stabbed lying on my sidewalk bleeding."
Following a 911 call concerning the incident, Officer Kelly Hubbard of the Cullman Police Department (CPD) arrived on scene first.
Multiple officers from CPD along with emergency responders from Cullman Fire Rescue and Cullman Emergency Medical Services arrived soon thereafter.
The male stabbing victim was treated at the scene by medical technicians from Cullman EMS. They stabilized the patient so he could be transported to a waiting Air Evac Lifeteam medical helicopter which was staged nearby.
Air Evac then delivered the victim to Huntsville Hospital with what are believed to life-threatening injuries.
One resident of Dripping Springs Apartments was certain the male victim had been 'stabbed multiple times with blood everywhere'.
In the meantime, the alleged knife assailant fled the crime scene on foot. A neighbor who saw the man leave the scene assisted investigators with CPD in identifying the whereabouts of the fleeing man.
CPD quickly took the suspect into custody. He was taken to police headquarters for questioning.
After the medical situation cleared, Lieutenant Jody Martin and Sergeant Adam Clark led a forensic investigation of the crime scene.
The exact medical status of the victim is currently unknown, but he is believed to be undergoing surgery at the time of this report.
Lieutenant Gene Bates of the Cullman Police Department indicates that the alleged knife assailant was:
ROGER DALE HINES (57) of Cullman
Hines been arrested and will charged with:
• Assault - 2nd Degree
Those charges could be upgraded based upon the outcome of the victims medical status.
Hines was taken to the Cullman County Detention Center for booking. There is not information on bond availability and amounts at the time of this report.
Lieutenant Bates stated that significant levels of alcohol intoxication may have been a causal factor in the incident. The veracity of witnesses reports of the altercation may be impaired by similar effects of intoxicants. Bates confirmed that the investigation is active and ongoing believing that their police work will continue into at least tomorrow morning.
Residents of the Dripping Springs Apartments were in varying emotional states following the incident. Several residents communicated that this altercation is not reflective of the overall housing complexes day-to-day mood and behavior.
For the full story with images and interview, please see: cullmantoday.com/2017/01/13/dripping-springs-apartment-st...
A stabbing incident occurred in the Dripping Springs Apartments Thursday evening at 5:40 pm. The exact address is 1208 Dripping Spring Road in front of Apartment J.
According to residents of the apartment complex, a party began during the mid-morning hours and continued with a varying number of participants coming and going from a center apartment.
One of the attendees stated that the party was generally peaceful with entertaining music and laid back party goers until things went haywire at the end.
One person with familiarity of the party and its tragic, abrupt end said,
"We were all having a good time, listening to music ... very chill. Then, the next thing I know there is a man stabbed lying on my sidewalk bleeding."
Following a 911 call concerning the incident, Officer Kelly Hubbard of the Cullman Police Department (CPD) arrived on scene first.
Multiple officers from CPD along with emergency responders from Cullman Fire Rescue and Cullman Emergency Medical Services arrived soon thereafter.
The male stabbing victim was treated at the scene by medical technicians from Cullman EMS. They stabilized the patient so he could be transported to a waiting Air Evac Lifeteam medical helicopter which was staged nearby.
Air Evac then delivered the victim to Huntsville Hospital with what are believed to life-threatening injuries.
One resident of Dripping Springs Apartments was certain the male victim had been 'stabbed multiple times with blood everywhere'.
In the meantime, the alleged knife assailant fled the crime scene on foot. A neighbor who saw the man leave the scene assisted investigators with CPD in identifying the whereabouts of the fleeing man.
CPD quickly took the suspect into custody. He was taken to police headquarters for questioning.
After the medical situation cleared, Lieutenant Jody Martin and Sergeant Adam Clark led a forensic investigation of the crime scene.
The exact medical status of the victim is currently unknown, but he is believed to be undergoing surgery at the time of this report.
Lieutenant Gene Bates of the Cullman Police Department indicates that the alleged knife assailant was:
ROGER DALE HINES (57) of Cullman
Hines been arrested and will charged with:
• Assault - 2nd Degree
Those charges could be upgraded based upon the outcome of the victims medical status.
Hines was taken to the Cullman County Detention Center for booking. There is not information on bond availability and amounts at the time of this report.
Lieutenant Bates stated that significant levels of alcohol intoxication may have been a causal factor in the incident. The veracity of witnesses reports of the altercation may be impaired by similar effects of intoxicants. Bates confirmed that the investigation is active and ongoing believing that their police work will continue into at least tomorrow morning.
Residents of the Dripping Springs Apartments were in varying emotional states following the incident. Several residents communicated that this altercation is not reflective of the overall housing complexes day-to-day mood and behavior.
For the full story with images and interview, please see: cullmantoday.com/2017/01/13/dripping-springs-apartment-st...
Gluttony: over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste.
2.5 sec at f/5.6, 105 mm, ISO100, 0 EV, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
(Friends camera as the gremlins has misplaced the SD card for my camera...)
is it getting harder to tell fact from fiction
or is it getting easier?
the answer depends on how gullible
you are.
sometimes it's super easy to tell a hack photoshop from a real photo.
and sometimes a photoshop is so breath-taking, it fools you into thinking that someone
else's pseudo radiant angelic persona deserves your worship and adoration because
you - little lonely you - are internally and externally flawed for not living up to the "standard". your life didn't come with a ready-set of wearable everyday photoshop filters. i mean, you're not a bad person -
although at times you hate yourself beyond any conceivable limits - you fight yourself 'til
it's round and round with 'i'm okay' oscillating with 'i have no self control!'
hey...seriously...you've had bulimic episodes once or twice (or more) in your life
and you haven't always stuck to a workout schedule, and let's face it - your horrible fashion sense reflects your less than stellar income bracket. you've cheated on your taxes, your wife, your husband, your school exams. you've stolen a small something here and there, and yeh - you've been the butt of and made a racist joke or two in your life but meant no harm by it, and you've lived vicariously through your television shows for decades now...
(take it down low and give them a harmless vent for their frustrations.)
that's the push...
or in worst case scenarios, a photoshop hack job can make you believe
that someone else is the epitomie of ugliness and evil, someone else is the horrible blood lusting monster under the bed/behind the door/in the closet waiting to devour you and your precious little children. and this monster has devoured hundreds, perhaps thousands before you, yet somehow still can not be sated or sedated. this monster almost always works alone, but will convince you that there are others like him and that they are well organized and their crimes are frighteningly arbitrary. and you, sweet you - with your unknowningly low self esteem, deep rooted psychological issues, meager possessions, and occasional hateful thoughts and deeds...you - sweet, lovely you -
will feel like a saint in comparison.
and feeling like a saint is a powerful intoxicant.
makes you wanna go out and slay the big, bad monster, don't it?
and that's the pull.
but in all that patriotic, fatalistic, survialist fervor, you forget to ask why. why is the monster here
and who created him in the first place?
and even if you do suck it up and ask
it's not the right question, per se. it's not who created the monster.
you can find the artist if you choose to look hard enough.
what you should be asking is
"who commissioned this monster?"
but you won't, because you'll be too busy worrying about bills, taxes, diet, exercise,
your kids, your house, your car, your clothes, your next paycheck...