vera zvonareva
vera zvonareva sania mirza
vera zvonareva
vera zvonareva
vera zvonareva
vera zvonareva
vera zvonareva
vera zvonareva
Selasa, 31 Agustus 2010
vera zvonareva tennis player
vera zvonareva vera zvonareva sania mirza vera zvonareva vera zvonareva vera zvonareva vera zvonareva vera zvonareva vera zvonareva
5 Bangkok Golf Driving Ranges
Given that there are many golf holidaymakers in Bangkok, there are bound to be some staying at a hotel in the city center who wants to just get out to a range to hit some balls. Here are a five of my favorite ranges where any Bangkok golfer can get their game on without leaving the city.
1. All-Star Golf Complex
A popular one-stop destination for Bangkok golfers, All-Star has retail golf equipment shops, short-game practice facilities and a quality long-distance driving range with new Srixon golf balls. This is the place where Bangkok locals go to hone their game and try out the latest models of equipment.
2. 42 Tee Off
A short walk from the Prakanong BTS, this two-story driving range is the place to practice for those staying in the any of the popular Sukhumvit area hotels. Insider tip: Go before noon or after 5PM as hitting into direct sunlight in the afternoon makes for very hot practice sessions and can be literally blinding when tracking your balls in the sun.
3. 247 Yard Driving Range
This is the place to practice for those who stating in the Ratchadapisek area. The 247 range is open-air facility with 40 driving bays on the grounds of the Chaophrya Park Hotel. The range is known for its cheery staff and even offers Thai massage for those who like to combine some golf practice with some relaxation. The hitting area is narrow, but presumably that just helps to hone your fairway game. The restaurant serves some very good Thai dishes at prices of around US$3 per plate!
4. RCA Driving Range
Proving there is more than one way to hit the clubs, RCA's two-storey driving complex is in one of Bangkok's most infamous nightlife zones, and is popular for its central location. Go in the evening, hit some balls and then pop into one of the many trendy clubs just outside and see how local Thais party.
5. Dusit Thani Hotel
Weird, but true! A 50 yard mini-driving range sits atop the Dusit Thani Bangkok smack in the center of Bangkok. While the short length may not be for everyone if you are staying at a Silom hotel and want to hit a few balls it is good to know you can do so in less than 10 minutes. Good for honing ones short game.
Well now that you know what's available in Bangkok why not get out and hit some balls in between golf games.
This is the place to practice for those who stating in the Ratchadapisek area. The 247 range is open-air facility with 40 driving bays on the grounds of the Chaophrya Park Hotel. The range is known for its cheery staff and even offers Thai massage for those who like to combine some golf practice with some relaxation. The hitting area is narrow, but presumably that just helps to hone your fairway game. The restaurant serves some very good Thai dishes at prices of around US$3 per plate!
4. RCA Driving Range
Proving there is more than one way to hit the clubs, RCA's two-storey driving complex is in one of Bangkok's most infamous nightlife zones, and is popular for its central location. Go in the evening, hit some balls and then pop into one of the many trendy clubs just outside and see how local Thais party.
5. Dusit Thani Hotel
Weird, but true! A 50 yard mini-driving range sits atop the Dusit Thani Bangkok smack in the center of Bangkok. While the short length may not be for everyone if you are staying at a Silom hotel and want to hit a few balls it is good to know you can do so in less than 10 minutes. Good for honing ones short game.
Well now that you know what's available in Bangkok why not get out and hit some balls in between golf games.
Great video of The Street
Great video of Walking Street by Plahgat.
If you are missing Pattaya, this will take you there. Either that or push you over the edge!!!!
Pattaya by Night 2010 from Plahgat on Vimeo.
If you are missing Pattaya, this will take you there. Either that or push you over the edge!!!!
Pattaya by Night 2010 from Plahgat on Vimeo.
A Couple of Macro Shots
Location: Stutong Park, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Date taken: 17th July 2010
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D + Nikon Speedlight SB-800 + Nissin Speedlite Di622
Date taken: 17th July 2010
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D + Nikon Speedlight SB-800 + Nissin Speedlite Di622
Senin, 30 Agustus 2010
Teairra Mari Talks Career Transitions and Staying Grounded
Singersroom: Congratulations on the mixtape. I know it dropped not too long ago.
Teairra Mari: Thank you.
Singersroom: And you’re so busy. I feel like you have so much going on. You have the mixtape, the EP, and Lottery Ticket in theatres. So you’re like a force to be reckoned with right now. How does it all feel?
Teairra Mari: It feels great. Coming from two and a half years ago where I was like, “What am I gonna do?” It feels good to work hard and start to see some result.
Singersroom: Why was it important to drop a mixtape and an EP not too long after it?
Teairra Mari: Well, I was going to do the mixtape either way. And when we decided to do the EP, half of the songs for the mixtape were already done. And with the mixtape you know you do the songs that are hot right now, so I didn’t want the mixtape songs to get old and then try to release it later.
Singersroom: Right.
Teairra Mari: So, I wanted to release it before the EP. And I was like, “You know what? Why don’t we release it back to back?” And I figured once people got the mixtape and people liked it, then maybe they’d get the EP, too. Because I have original songs on [the mixtape] and it’s getting lots of great reviews. People love the originals as well as the remixes. So, everything’s falling into place perfectly.
Singersroom: So what’s your favorite song (s) on the mixtape?
Teairra Mari: I would have to go with “I Know It’s You” and “Girl Power.”
Singersroom: Yeah, I like “Girl Power” and “Body.”
Teairra Mari: I love “Body.” I love all of them! I love “Lights Go Down” and I love the “Lost My Mind” remix.
Singersroom: It’s a good mixtape. It all flows. What can we expect from “Sincerely Yours?”
Teairra Mari: Well, you can expect what you got from the original songs on the mixtape. I’m just taking it to another level, vocally I’ve really grown. We wanted to break the songs up from the ones that leaked, we didn’t use those. And the ones that weren’t leaked, we put them on the EP. So it’s “At That Point” but it’s “Sincerely Yours,” since I’m past the point. It’s a strong EP; I have two really big ballads on there that really showcase my vocal ability. I think it’s really well balanced. Of course “Body” and “Sponsor” are on there.
Singersroom: What has been your mindset during the transition from Rocafella to now?
Teairra Mari: I went through many different transitions. There was a point I wanted to give up. But I kept telling myself, “That’s what people want you to do.” So they can laugh at you and say you didn’t make it. Because people are watching, so was I gonna feed them that? No, I’ve always been a competitive girl. So I had to take what I had and do good with it. So, I’m here and I feel that I have so much more to do and so far to go.
Singersroom: What advice would “Sincerely Yours” Teairra give Rocafella Teairra?
Teairra Mari: The same thing I tell every young person: Keep the people that are going to keep you grounded around. At a time when I was signed to Rocafella, I lost that. I excluded everyone that was there from the beginning from my life. Because I let people in the industry divide and conquer. I let people get in my head. So the best advice I could give is, keep a strong foundation. It’s the only way you’ll make it.
Singersroom: When your first album dropped in 2005, that’s when blogs were gaining power and social networks gained momentum. How important is social media to the music industry?
Teairra Mari: We have to get with the times. Social media is extremely important to the music industry. Especially if you’re an up & coming artist. It’s very important to connect with your fans and use the tools that are available to market and promote ourselves. Because with the label’s budgets getting tighter and tighter, we have to do more than what an artist did back in the day. They had powerful machines behind them, and until you’re a superstar nowadays you’ve got to do for yourself. We have to go the extra mile – every tweet is work, that’s the image you’re putting out to the people. You control it. More than the label; more than anybody in your camp. I think social media is a tool we should take advantage of to
better us and our careers.
Singersroom: When did you know that you were supposed to be a singer?
Teairra Mari: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a singer. I can’t remember the exact moment. But certain performances like Beyonce’s “Dangerously In Love” at the Grammys and Michael Jackson’s and James Brown’s performance at the BET Awards.
Singersroom: How was working on “Lottery Ticket”?
Teairra Mari: It was fun. I had a blast. I’m ready to do more motion pictures. I really didn’t know anyone except for Bow, but everybody was so nice. I’ve heard so many horror stories about being on movie sets, but this was just a great experience.
Ciara New Single Speechless Is To Be Digitally September 7, 2010
What is the origin of the word "magazine"?
Search: magazine etymology
Why: In The City of Falling Angels, someone tells author John Berendt:
I went to the magazzino, and there they were: big stacks of papers wrapped in sheets of clear plastic.It's a storage place. And, you know, guns have magazines.
Answer: It's like a warehouse!
- Arabic makhazin or makhzankhazana, "to store up"
- Italian magazzino, "storehouse"
- French magasin, "warehouse, depot, store"
- 1580s - "place for storing goods, especially military ammunition"
Source: EtymOnline
The More You Know: The first use of the word meaning "periodical journal" dates from The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in London in 1731. Look at this funny thing.
Article I. Authentic narrative of the cafe of a lady who was lately violently forced from her apartments by ruffians, with an intent to transport or murder her
VII. Imaginary tour thro' cometary orbits.
X. Origins of the custom of burning the dead.
XII. Dramatic story of the Orphan of China.
XVI. Prudence, its influence on the conduct of life.
What happened to the Orphan of China!
Mayor Kunplome's 14 urgent projects for Pattaya
As part of the Mayor's 'Let's Balance Up Pattaya' strategy, the following projects have been classified as urgent:
For sure some of the projects fall in to the 'nice to have' category so they could be easily pushed to the end of the queue. For sure crime, water supply, flood prevention, traffic flow and garbage collection are areas for immediate attention. Much will depend on the budget assigned to Pattaya by the government.
Serotonin, Psychedelics and Depression
Note: This post is part of a Nature Blog Focus on hallucinogenic drugs in medicine and mental health, inspired by a recent Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper, The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders, by Franz Vollenweider & Michael Kometer. That article will be available, free (once you register), until September 23. For more information on this Blog Focus, see the "Table of Contents" here.
Neurophilosophy is covering the history of psychedelic psychiatry, while Mind Hacks provides a personal look at one particular drug, DMT. The Neurocritic discusses ketamine, an anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, which is attracting a lot of interest at the moment as a treatment for depression.
Ketamine, however, is not a "classical" psychedelic like the drugs that gave the 60s its unique flavor and left us with psychedelic rock, acid house and colorful artwork. Classical psychedelics are the focus of this post.
The best known are LSD ("acid"), mescaline, found in the peyote and a few other species of cactus, and psilocybin, from "magic" mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. Yet there are literally hundreds of related compounds. Most of them are described in loving detail in the two heroic epics of psychopharmacology, PIKHaL and TIKHaL, written by chemists and trip veterans Alexander and Ann Shulgin.
The chemistry of psychedelics is closely linked with that of depression and antidepressants. All classical psychedelics are 5HT2A receptor agonists. Most of them have other effects on the brain as well, which contribute to the unique effects of each drug, but 5HT2A agonism is what they all have in common.
5HT2A receptors are excitatory receptors expressed throughout the brain, and are especially dense in the key pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex. They're normally activated by serotonin (5HT), which is the neurotransmitter that's most often thought of as being implicated in depression. The relationship between 5HT and mood is very complicated, and depression isn't simply a disorder of "low serotonin", but there's strong evidence that it is involved.
There's one messy detail, which is that not quite all 5HT2A agonists are hallucinogenic. Lisuride, a drug used in Parkinson's disease, is closely related to LSD, and is a strong 5HT2A agonist, but it has no psychedelic effects. It's recently been shown that LSD and lisuride have different molecular effects on cortical cells, even though they act on the same receptor - in other words, there's more to 5HT2A than simply turning it "on" and "off".
How could psychedelics help to treat mental illness? On the face of it, the acute effects of these drugs - hallucinations, altered thought processes and emotions - sound rather like the symptoms of mental illness themselves, and indeed psychedelics have been referred to as "psychotomimetic" - mimicking psychosis.
There are two schools of thought here: psychological and neurobiological.
The psychological approach ruled the first wave of psychedelic psychiatry, in the 50s and 60s. Psychiatry, especially in America, was dominated by Freudian theories of the unconscious. On this view, mental illness was a product of conflicts between unconscious desires and the conscious mind. The symptoms experienced by a particular patient were distressing, of course, but they also provided clues to the nature of their unconscious troubles.
It was tempting to see the action of psychedelics as a weakening of the filters which kept the unconscious, unconscious - allowing repressed material to come into awareness. The only other time this happened, according to Freud, was during dreams. That's why Freud famously called the interpretation of dreams the "royal road to the unconscious".
Psychedelics offered analysts the tantalizing prospect of confronting the unconscious face-to-face, while awake, instead of having to rely on the patient's memory of their previous dreams. To enthusiastic Freudians, this promised to revolutionize therapy, in the same way that the x-ray had done so much for surgery. The "dreamlike" nature of many aspects of the psychedelic experience seemed to confirm this.
Not all psychedelic therapists were orthodox Freudians, however. There were plenty of other theories in circulation, many of them inspired by the theorists' own drug experiences. Stanislav Grof, Timothy Leary and others saw the psychedelic state of consciousness as the key to attaining spiritual, philosophical and even mystical insights, whether one was "ill" or "healthy" - and indeed, they often said that mental "illness" was itself a potential source of spiritual growth.
Like many things, psychiatry has changed since the 60s. Psychotherapy is currently dominated by cognitive-behavioural (CBT) theory, and Freudian ideas have gone distinctly out of fashion. It remains to be seen what CBT would make of LSD, but the basic idea - that carefully controlled use of drugs could help patients to "break through" psychological barriers to treatment - seems likely to remain at the heart of their continued use.
The other view is that these drugs could have direct biological effects which lead to improvements in mood. Repeated use of LSD, for example, has been shown to rapidly induce down-regulation of 5HT2A receptors. Presumably, this is the brain's way of "compensating" for prolonged 5HT2A activation. This is probably why tolerance to the effects of psychedelics rapidly develops, something that's long been known (and regretted) by heavy users.
Vollenweider and Kometeris note that this is interesting, because 5HT2A blockers are used as antidepressants - the drugs nefazadone and mirtazapine are the best known today, but most of the older tricyclic antidepressants are also 5HT2A antagonists. Atypical antipsychotics, which are also used in depression, are potent 5HT2A antagonists as well.
So indirectly suppressing 5HT2A might be one biological mechanism by which psychedelics improve mood. However, questions remain about how far this could explain any therapeutic effects of these drugs. Psychedelic-induced 5HT2A down-regulation is presumably temporary - and if all we need to do is to knock out 5HT2A, it would surely be easiest to just use an antagonist...
Vollenweider FX, & Kometer M (2010). The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11 (9), 642-51 PMID: 20717121
Neurophilosophy is covering the history of psychedelic psychiatry, while Mind Hacks provides a personal look at one particular drug, DMT. The Neurocritic discusses ketamine, an anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, which is attracting a lot of interest at the moment as a treatment for depression.
Ketamine, however, is not a "classical" psychedelic like the drugs that gave the 60s its unique flavor and left us with psychedelic rock, acid house and colorful artwork. Classical psychedelics are the focus of this post.The best known are LSD ("acid"), mescaline, found in the peyote and a few other species of cactus, and psilocybin, from "magic" mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. Yet there are literally hundreds of related compounds. Most of them are described in loving detail in the two heroic epics of psychopharmacology, PIKHaL and TIKHaL, written by chemists and trip veterans Alexander and Ann Shulgin.
The chemistry of psychedelics is closely linked with that of depression and antidepressants. All classical psychedelics are 5HT2A receptor agonists. Most of them have other effects on the brain as well, which contribute to the unique effects of each drug, but 5HT2A agonism is what they all have in common.
5HT2A receptors are excitatory receptors expressed throughout the brain, and are especially dense in the key pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex. They're normally activated by serotonin (5HT), which is the neurotransmitter that's most often thought of as being implicated in depression. The relationship between 5HT and mood is very complicated, and depression isn't simply a disorder of "low serotonin", but there's strong evidence that it is involved.
There's one messy detail, which is that not quite all 5HT2A agonists are hallucinogenic. Lisuride, a drug used in Parkinson's disease, is closely related to LSD, and is a strong 5HT2A agonist, but it has no psychedelic effects. It's recently been shown that LSD and lisuride have different molecular effects on cortical cells, even though they act on the same receptor - in other words, there's more to 5HT2A than simply turning it "on" and "off".
*
How could psychedelics help to treat mental illness? On the face of it, the acute effects of these drugs - hallucinations, altered thought processes and emotions - sound rather like the symptoms of mental illness themselves, and indeed psychedelics have been referred to as "psychotomimetic" - mimicking psychosis.
There are two schools of thought here: psychological and neurobiological.
The psychological approach ruled the first wave of psychedelic psychiatry, in the 50s and 60s. Psychiatry, especially in America, was dominated by Freudian theories of the unconscious. On this view, mental illness was a product of conflicts between unconscious desires and the conscious mind. The symptoms experienced by a particular patient were distressing, of course, but they also provided clues to the nature of their unconscious troubles.It was tempting to see the action of psychedelics as a weakening of the filters which kept the unconscious, unconscious - allowing repressed material to come into awareness. The only other time this happened, according to Freud, was during dreams. That's why Freud famously called the interpretation of dreams the "royal road to the unconscious".
Psychedelics offered analysts the tantalizing prospect of confronting the unconscious face-to-face, while awake, instead of having to rely on the patient's memory of their previous dreams. To enthusiastic Freudians, this promised to revolutionize therapy, in the same way that the x-ray had done so much for surgery. The "dreamlike" nature of many aspects of the psychedelic experience seemed to confirm this.
Not all psychedelic therapists were orthodox Freudians, however. There were plenty of other theories in circulation, many of them inspired by the theorists' own drug experiences. Stanislav Grof, Timothy Leary and others saw the psychedelic state of consciousness as the key to attaining spiritual, philosophical and even mystical insights, whether one was "ill" or "healthy" - and indeed, they often said that mental "illness" was itself a potential source of spiritual growth.
Like many things, psychiatry has changed since the 60s. Psychotherapy is currently dominated by cognitive-behavioural (CBT) theory, and Freudian ideas have gone distinctly out of fashion. It remains to be seen what CBT would make of LSD, but the basic idea - that carefully controlled use of drugs could help patients to "break through" psychological barriers to treatment - seems likely to remain at the heart of their continued use.
*
The other view is that these drugs could have direct biological effects which lead to improvements in mood. Repeated use of LSD, for example, has been shown to rapidly induce down-regulation of 5HT2A receptors. Presumably, this is the brain's way of "compensating" for prolonged 5HT2A activation. This is probably why tolerance to the effects of psychedelics rapidly develops, something that's long been known (and regretted) by heavy users.
Vollenweider and Kometeris note that this is interesting, because 5HT2A blockers are used as antidepressants - the drugs nefazadone and mirtazapine are the best known today, but most of the older tricyclic antidepressants are also 5HT2A antagonists. Atypical antipsychotics, which are also used in depression, are potent 5HT2A antagonists as well.
So indirectly suppressing 5HT2A might be one biological mechanism by which psychedelics improve mood. However, questions remain about how far this could explain any therapeutic effects of these drugs. Psychedelic-induced 5HT2A down-regulation is presumably temporary - and if all we need to do is to knock out 5HT2A, it would surely be easiest to just use an antagonist...
Vollenweider FX, & Kometer M (2010). The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11 (9), 642-51 PMID: 20717121
Serotonin, Psychedelics and Depression
Note: This post is part of a Nature Blog Focus on hallucinogenic drugs in medicine and mental health, inspired by a recent Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper, The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders, by Franz Vollenweider & Michael Kometer. That article will be available, free (once you register), until September 23. For more information on this Blog Focus, see the "Table of Contents" here.
Neurophilosophy is covering the history of psychedelic psychiatry, while Mind Hacks provides a personal look at one particular drug, DMT. The Neurocritic discusses ketamine, an anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, which is attracting a lot of interest at the moment as a treatment for depression.
Ketamine, however, is not a "classical" psychedelic like the drugs that gave the 60s its unique flavor and left us with psychedelic rock, acid house and colorful artwork. Classical psychedelics are the focus of this post.
The best known are LSD ("acid"), mescaline, found in the peyote and a few other species of cactus, and psilocybin, from "magic" mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. Yet there are literally hundreds of related compounds. Most of them are described in loving detail in the two heroic epics of psychopharmacology, PIKHaL and TIKHaL, written by chemists and trip veterans Alexander and Ann Shulgin.
The chemistry of psychedelics is closely linked with that of depression and antidepressants. All classical psychedelics are 5HT2A receptor agonists. Most of them have other effects on the brain as well, which contribute to the unique effects of each drug, but 5HT2A agonism is what they all have in common.
5HT2A receptors are excitatory receptors expressed throughout the brain, and are especially dense in the key pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex. They're normally activated by serotonin (5HT), which is the neurotransmitter that's most often thought of as being implicated in depression. The relationship between 5HT and mood is very complicated, and depression isn't simply a disorder of "low serotonin", but there's strong evidence that it is involved.
There's one messy detail, which is that not quite all 5HT2A agonists are hallucinogenic. Lisuride, a drug used in Parkinson's disease, is closely related to LSD, and is a strong 5HT2A agonist, but it has no psychedelic effects. It's recently been shown that LSD and lisuride have different molecular effects on cortical cells, even though they act on the same receptor - in other words, there's more to 5HT2A than simply turning it "on" and "off".
How could psychedelics help to treat mental illness? On the face of it, the acute effects of these drugs - hallucinations, altered thought processes and emotions - sound rather like the symptoms of mental illness themselves, and indeed psychedelics have been referred to as "psychotomimetic" - mimicking psychosis.
There are two schools of thought here: psychological and neurobiological.
The psychological approach ruled the first wave of psychedelic psychiatry, in the 50s and 60s. Psychiatry, especially in America, was dominated by Freudian theories of the unconscious. On this view, mental illness was a product of conflicts between unconscious desires and the conscious mind. The symptoms experienced by a particular patient were distressing, of course, but they also provided clues to the nature of their unconscious troubles.
It was tempting to see the action of psychedelics as a weakening of the filters which kept the unconscious, unconscious - allowing repressed material to come into awareness. The only other time this happened, according to Freud, was during dreams. That's why Freud famously called the interpretation of dreams the "royal road to the unconscious".
Psychedelics offered analysts the tantalizing prospect of confronting the unconscious face-to-face, while awake, instead of having to rely on the patient's memory of their previous dreams. To enthusiastic Freudians, this promised to revolutionize therapy, in the same way that the x-ray had done so much for surgery. The "dreamlike" nature of many aspects of the psychedelic experience seemed to confirm this.
Not all psychedelic therapists were orthodox Freudians, however. There were plenty of other theories in circulation, many of them inspired by the theorists' own drug experiences. Stanislav Grof, Timothy Leary and others saw the psychedelic state of consciousness as the key to attaining spiritual, philosophical and even mystical insights, whether one was "ill" or "healthy" - and indeed, they often said that mental "illness" was itself a potential source of spiritual growth.
Like many things, psychiatry has changed since the 60s. Psychotherapy is currently dominated by cognitive-behavioural (CBT) theory, and Freudian ideas have gone distinctly out of fashion. It remains to be seen what CBT would make of LSD, but the basic idea - that carefully controlled use of drugs could help patients to "break through" psychological barriers to treatment - seems likely to remain at the heart of their continued use.
The other view is that these drugs could have direct biological effects which lead to improvements in mood. Repeated use of LSD, for example, has been shown to rapidly induce down-regulation of 5HT2A receptors. Presumably, this is the brain's way of "compensating" for prolonged 5HT2A activation. This is probably why tolerance to the effects of psychedelics rapidly develops, something that's long been known (and regretted) by heavy users.
Vollenweider and Kometeris note that this is interesting, because 5HT2A blockers are used as antidepressants - the drugs nefazadone and mirtazapine are the best known today, but most of the older tricyclic antidepressants are also 5HT2A antagonists. Atypical antipsychotics, which are also used in depression, are potent 5HT2A antagonists as well.
So indirectly suppressing 5HT2A might be one biological mechanism by which psychedelics improve mood. However, questions remain about how far this could explain any therapeutic effects of these drugs. Psychedelic-induced 5HT2A down-regulation is presumably temporary - and if all we need to do is to knock out 5HT2A, it would surely be easiest to just use an antagonist...
Vollenweider FX, & Kometer M (2010). The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11 (9), 642-51 PMID: 20717121
Neurophilosophy is covering the history of psychedelic psychiatry, while Mind Hacks provides a personal look at one particular drug, DMT. The Neurocritic discusses ketamine, an anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, which is attracting a lot of interest at the moment as a treatment for depression.
Ketamine, however, is not a "classical" psychedelic like the drugs that gave the 60s its unique flavor and left us with psychedelic rock, acid house and colorful artwork. Classical psychedelics are the focus of this post.The best known are LSD ("acid"), mescaline, found in the peyote and a few other species of cactus, and psilocybin, from "magic" mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. Yet there are literally hundreds of related compounds. Most of them are described in loving detail in the two heroic epics of psychopharmacology, PIKHaL and TIKHaL, written by chemists and trip veterans Alexander and Ann Shulgin.
The chemistry of psychedelics is closely linked with that of depression and antidepressants. All classical psychedelics are 5HT2A receptor agonists. Most of them have other effects on the brain as well, which contribute to the unique effects of each drug, but 5HT2A agonism is what they all have in common.
5HT2A receptors are excitatory receptors expressed throughout the brain, and are especially dense in the key pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex. They're normally activated by serotonin (5HT), which is the neurotransmitter that's most often thought of as being implicated in depression. The relationship between 5HT and mood is very complicated, and depression isn't simply a disorder of "low serotonin", but there's strong evidence that it is involved.
There's one messy detail, which is that not quite all 5HT2A agonists are hallucinogenic. Lisuride, a drug used in Parkinson's disease, is closely related to LSD, and is a strong 5HT2A agonist, but it has no psychedelic effects. It's recently been shown that LSD and lisuride have different molecular effects on cortical cells, even though they act on the same receptor - in other words, there's more to 5HT2A than simply turning it "on" and "off".
*
How could psychedelics help to treat mental illness? On the face of it, the acute effects of these drugs - hallucinations, altered thought processes and emotions - sound rather like the symptoms of mental illness themselves, and indeed psychedelics have been referred to as "psychotomimetic" - mimicking psychosis.
There are two schools of thought here: psychological and neurobiological.
The psychological approach ruled the first wave of psychedelic psychiatry, in the 50s and 60s. Psychiatry, especially in America, was dominated by Freudian theories of the unconscious. On this view, mental illness was a product of conflicts between unconscious desires and the conscious mind. The symptoms experienced by a particular patient were distressing, of course, but they also provided clues to the nature of their unconscious troubles.It was tempting to see the action of psychedelics as a weakening of the filters which kept the unconscious, unconscious - allowing repressed material to come into awareness. The only other time this happened, according to Freud, was during dreams. That's why Freud famously called the interpretation of dreams the "royal road to the unconscious".
Psychedelics offered analysts the tantalizing prospect of confronting the unconscious face-to-face, while awake, instead of having to rely on the patient's memory of their previous dreams. To enthusiastic Freudians, this promised to revolutionize therapy, in the same way that the x-ray had done so much for surgery. The "dreamlike" nature of many aspects of the psychedelic experience seemed to confirm this.
Not all psychedelic therapists were orthodox Freudians, however. There were plenty of other theories in circulation, many of them inspired by the theorists' own drug experiences. Stanislav Grof, Timothy Leary and others saw the psychedelic state of consciousness as the key to attaining spiritual, philosophical and even mystical insights, whether one was "ill" or "healthy" - and indeed, they often said that mental "illness" was itself a potential source of spiritual growth.
Like many things, psychiatry has changed since the 60s. Psychotherapy is currently dominated by cognitive-behavioural (CBT) theory, and Freudian ideas have gone distinctly out of fashion. It remains to be seen what CBT would make of LSD, but the basic idea - that carefully controlled use of drugs could help patients to "break through" psychological barriers to treatment - seems likely to remain at the heart of their continued use.
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The other view is that these drugs could have direct biological effects which lead to improvements in mood. Repeated use of LSD, for example, has been shown to rapidly induce down-regulation of 5HT2A receptors. Presumably, this is the brain's way of "compensating" for prolonged 5HT2A activation. This is probably why tolerance to the effects of psychedelics rapidly develops, something that's long been known (and regretted) by heavy users.
Vollenweider and Kometeris note that this is interesting, because 5HT2A blockers are used as antidepressants - the drugs nefazadone and mirtazapine are the best known today, but most of the older tricyclic antidepressants are also 5HT2A antagonists. Atypical antipsychotics, which are also used in depression, are potent 5HT2A antagonists as well.
So indirectly suppressing 5HT2A might be one biological mechanism by which psychedelics improve mood. However, questions remain about how far this could explain any therapeutic effects of these drugs. Psychedelic-induced 5HT2A down-regulation is presumably temporary - and if all we need to do is to knock out 5HT2A, it would surely be easiest to just use an antagonist...
Vollenweider FX, & Kometer M (2010). The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11 (9), 642-51 PMID: 20717121
Hollywood stars in Khao Lak
According to the Phuket Insider, Ewan McGregor, (Trainspotting / Star Wars) and Naomi Watts, (21 Grams), will soon be arriving to film 'The Impossible' on Bang Sak Beach in Khao Lak.
The movie is a true story based on the 2004 tsunami. Sets are already under construction.
The movie is a true story based on the 2004 tsunami. Sets are already under construction.
Minggu, 29 Agustus 2010
Cruise prices?Where do they come from? How do they work?
Unfortunately, it’s usually the latter so a bit of straight forward advice I give to my clients is that, if you have one cruise /ship in mind, then book early for the best price to avoid disappointment. There may be a very slim chance the cruise may go down if the cruise has trouble to sell, but it is very unlikely especially if the cruise is going in peak times, i.e August, Christmas etc.
For all those bargain hunters, who don’t mind where they go, when they go, and are generally looking for the best deal, then a late deal may be for you. Just be aware these deals are few and far between, and usually, by booking on a late deal means sacrificing, choosing your cabin/ a good location / parking and onboard credit, but you will get a better price. However I ONLY recommend going for a late deal if you can go at a drop of a hat and meet the above criteria. For the other 99% of the time booking early is by far the best option.
So what happens if you book a cruise early and you find out the cruise is now cheaper three months down the line? Unfortunately not a lot. If you book Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Azamara, they do offer a price promise, so if the prices goes down and you see the price has gone down they will reduce your cruise ,ONLY IF, the new royal Caribbean deal stipulates you can do so. Some new deals are for new bookings only, or senior citizens or other restrictions. All other cruise lines you have to pay the price you originally booked at. If you ask someone in the industry, they will give you the explanation, when you buy a TV from Currys and see the price has gone down, you would not go back after and want the new price, so why with cruises?
The best thing to do? Think long and hard before you commit, as once you have paid deposit or balance that is that, and your cruise is booked.
Sabtu, 28 Agustus 2010
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On my trip to Shanghai during the end of year 2009, I was planning to take a ride on the maglev train to get to the city. However, it was raining cats and dogs on my arrival, so I took a taxi to my friend's place instead.
It was already past lunch time and I took only very light breakfast on board of the flight. My friend got off work earlier and he took me to the famous Nanxiang Dumpling Restaurant (南翔馒头店) to have our late lunch.
It was already past lunch time and I took only very light breakfast on board of the flight. My friend got off work earlier and he took me to the famous Nanxiang Dumpling Restaurant (南翔馒头店) to have our late lunch.
Since my friend told me that the dumplings here are just over-rated, so we ordered a few small dishes just for me to try out.
The smoked fish was quite nice. It came with very strong fragrant of the firewood.
This is what makes the restaurant chain well-known all over the world, the dumplings. They were good but not fantastic. My friend was very right, because he brought me to another place which serves fantastic dumplings at a fraction of the price here.
Our stomachs were only half full as we planned to have more variety of food somewhere else. We went to Yang's Fry-Dumpling (小杨生煎馆) just a few steps away from Nanxiang. It was already way passed lunch time, so the queue wasn't that long.
This is also a well-known restaurant chain in Shanghai for serving the pan-fried dumplings. All the dumplings are freshly pan-fried to order.
The small restaurant were full with patrons even though it was way passed lunch time.
This is a plate of the dumplings ready to be consumed. The dumplings were scrumptious! The bottom of the dumplings were pan-fried to perfect crispiness.
It was still raining cats and dogs after our late lunch, so we headed back to my friend's place to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on things happening in Kuching, as my friend was away from Kuching for a while already.
Time passed by quite easily and without us knowing it, our stomachs started to grouch for food again. So, my friend brought me to a nearby restaurant called Lanxiang Sichuan Restaurant (榄香川菜) for dinner.
This is the cold-cut beef tendon which was very chewy, a very nice cold dish.
Time passed by quite easily and without us knowing it, our stomachs started to grouch for food again. So, my friend brought me to a nearby restaurant called Lanxiang Sichuan Restaurant (榄香川菜) for dinner.
This is the cold-cut beef tendon which was very chewy, a very nice cold dish.
Another cold dish that we had was the bean curd with century eggs. This was very refreshing.
Then came all the hot dishes. We had the Sichuan spicy beef noodles.
Stir-fried spicy pork belly.
Stir-fried diced-duck meat with oats.
And finally the Chinese cabbage in chicken stock and chestnuts.
All the hot dishes were scrumptious. What made this meal even more wonderful was the 20% given to us due to my friend's charm on the waitresses! The total damage was ¥123.00, which is considered reasonable by Shanghai's cost of living.
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