BBC
We asked our readers to send in their best pictures on the theme “derelict”. Here are some of the pictures we received from around the world.
Pictures on the theme of ‘derelict’
Month: November 2021
Brain Enhancers
I saw a documentary the other day titled “Smart Drugs.” It is incredible what people will do to improve their physical and especially mental performance. One fella in the doc was swallowing up to a hundred pills a day!
Nootropics (colloquial: smart drugs and cognitive enhancers) are drugs, supplements, and other substances that are claimed to improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.
The use of cognition-enhancing drugs by healthy individuals in the absence of a medical indication spans numerous controversial issues, including the ethics and fairness of their use, concerns over adverse effects, and the diversion of prescription drugs for non-medical uses. Nonetheless, the international sales of cognition-enhancing supplements have continued to grow over time, and reached US$1.96 billion in 2018.
In 2018 in the United States, some nootropic supplements were identified as having misleading ingredients and illegal marketing. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned manufacturers and consumers about possible advertising fraud and marketing scams concerning nootropic supplements.
Nootropics are frequently advertised with unproven claims of effectiveness at improving cognition. The FDA and FTC warned manufacturers and consumers in 2019 about possible advertising fraud and marketing scams concerning nootropic supplement products. The FDA and FTC stated that some nootropic products had not been approved as a drug effective for any medical purpose, were not proven to be safe, and were illegally marketed in the United States under violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Over the years 2010 to 2019, the FDA warned numerous supplement manufacturers about the illegal status of their products as unapproved drugs with no proven safety or efficacy at the doses recommended, together with misleading marketing.
Availability and prevalence
In 2008, the most commonly used class of drug was stimulants, such as caffeine. Manufacturers’ marketing claims for dietary supplements are usually not formally tested and verified by independent entities.
In 2016, the American Medical Association adopted a policy to discourage prescriptions of nootropics for healthy people, on the basis that the cognitive effects appear to be highly variable among individuals, are dose-dependent, and limited or modest at best.
Use by students
The use of prescription stimulants is especially prevalent among students. Surveys suggest that 0.7–4.5% of German students have used cognitive enhancers in their lifetimes. Stimulants such as dimethylamylamine and methylphenidate are used on college campuses and by younger groups. Based upon studies of self-reported illicit stimulant use, 5–35% of college students use diverted ADHD stimulants, which are primarily used for enhancement of academic performance rather than as recreational drugs. Several factors positively and negatively influence an individual’s willingness to use a drug for the purpose of enhancing cognitive performance. Among them are personal characteristics, drug characteristics, and characteristics of the social context.
Side effects
The main concern with pharmaceutical drugs is adverse effects, which also apply to nootropics with undefined effect. Long-term safety evidence is typically unavailable for nootropics. Racetams, piracetam and other compounds that are structurally related to piracetam, have few serious adverse effects and low toxicity, but there is little evidence that they enhance cognition in people having no cognitive impairments.
In the United States, dietary supplements may be marketed if the manufacturer can show that the supplement is generally recognized as safe, and if the manufacturer does not make any claims about using the supplement to treat or prevent any disease or condition; supplements that contain drugs or advertise health claims are illegal under US law.
Some of the most widely-used nootropic substances are the cholinergics. These are typically compounds and analogues of choline. Choline is an essential nutrient needed for the synthesis of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter), and phosphatidylcholine (a structural component of brain cell membranes).
Citicoline – Compound consisting of choline and cytidine. Several meta-analyses found that it is likely effective for improving memory and learning in older people with mild cognitive decline, as well as in people who are recovering from a stroke. There is little evidence it enhances cognition in young, healthy people.
Choline bitartrate – Choline bitartrate is a tartaric acid salt containing choline (41% choline by molecular weight). At least one meta-analysis has found choline bitartrate to be ineffective at improving any measure of cognitive performance.
Alpha-GPC – L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine has thus far only been studied in the context of cognitive performance alongside other substances such as caffeine. A more comprehensive meta-analysis is needed before any strong conclusions are made about Alpha-GPC’s usefulness as a nootropic.
The term “nootropic” was coined by Corneliu Giurgea in 1972 to describe a new classification of molecules that acted selectively towards the brain’s higher-level integrative activity. In order for a product to qualify as a true nootropic, it must fulfill Giurgea’s five criteria for the category. 1.It should aid with improvement in working memory and learning. 2.Supports brain function under hypoxic conditions or after electroconvulsive therapy. 3.Protection of the brain from physical or chemical toxicity. 4.Natural cognitive functions are enhanced. 5. It requires to be non-toxic to humans, without depression or stimulation of the brain.
Glowing Cigar-Shaped UFO Filmed by Multiple Witnesses in France
A glowing cigar-shaped UFO was caught on film by multiple mystified witnesses in southern France earlier this week. According to a local media report, the intriguing incident occurred this past Tuesday evening and was seen by several people living in various communities around the city of Montpellier. Shortly after the mass sighting took place, social media in France was flooded with videos of the peculiar UFO which seemed to be rectangular in shape, emitting a powerful glow, and traveling at a rather high rate of speed while occasionally rotating. The odd object drew gasps from those who saw it and, in one instance seen above, even prompted a motorist to stop his vehicle to get out and film the wondrous sight.
The case has drawn a fair amount of media attention in France and, as of now, experts in the country have been left scratching their heads as to what the anomaly could have been, although some skeptical observers have suggested that it was either a drone or possibly some kind of secret test craft. Indicating that, when it comes to UFOs, the media in France apparently sees the subject in a manner similar to their counterparts in America, a compilation of videos captured by witnesses can be seen below, complete with the X-Files theme.
Man catches 49 apples in teeth in one minute for world record
Nov. 11 (UPI) — An Idaho man who broke a Guinness World Record by catching 49 apples with his teeth in one minute said the attempt was a surprisingly bloody affair.
David Rush, who has broken more than 200 Guinness records to promote STEM education, said the apples were thrown from 15 feet away by frequent collaborator Jonathan Hannon.
Rush said being struck in the face by wayward apples, even the small apples he was using for the record, turned out to be a painful experience, as it would lead to his teeth making cuts on the inside of his lips and cheeks.
Rush said the record involved more bleeding than the vast majority of his previous records.
He ended up catching 49 apples in one minute, beating the previous record of 47.
Look at These Surreal Photos of Buildings Submerged by Volcanic Ash
Parts of La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands have been blanketed in thick layers of ash following the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano.
A HOUSE IN LA PALMA SUBMERGED IN ASH. PHOTO: AP PHOTO / EMILIO MORENATTI
Smoke is still flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands as it enters its eighth week of activity.
Scientists estimate that the Cumbre Vieja volcano has ejected more than 10,000 million cubic meters of ash since it first began erupting in September.
Otherworldly photos from the island show a surreal scene of homes, a cemetery and other buildings blanketed in pristine-looking ash, with entire structures submerged in untouched banks of dark grey ash.
The ash is shot thousands of meters into the sky, but the heaviest particles make their way down to the surface, slowly covering buildings.
There is no scientific evidence that the volcano will end anytime soon, according to Carmen Lopez, spokesperson for the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca). The emission of sulphur dioxide, an indicator of the volcano’s strength, fell on Saturday, but this is a normal fluctuation that doesn’t indicate an all clear, Lopez said.
According to state television channel RTVE, on Sunday winds blew a large black cloud of smoke to the south west of the island, allowing the airport to operate as normal – last week, flights had been cancelled. Nevertheless, authorities advised residents of several towns on the island with health problems to stay in their homes.
Emergency services connected to the Canary Islands government have said that the local air quality is “extremely unfavorable” because of the high level of small particles.
More than 7,000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to the threat from the rivers of lava.
Cemetery covered in ash.
From Vice.com.
Medicare Part C
You may have Medicare Part A and B, but you must enrol for Part C. Very strange ad.
Major Winter Storm Heading for Manitoba
After unseasonably mild temperatures, Manitoba including Winnipeg city, are in the crosshairs of a big winter storm. That is what the crystal ball watching weather gurus say.
It has been way above normal temperatures in October and early November.
According to this weather expert Manitobans better batten the hatches and hunker down.
This is what is coming.
American Idiots
The idiot above committed one of the greatest geopolitical blunders in history. The Iraq invasion in 2003 was uncalled for and completely unnecessary. Saddam was no threat to the U.S. The invasion and subsequent war cost tens of thousands of lives and caused that area of the Middle East to headlong into chaos, extreme hardship and indescribable violence . The invasion is still felt in the region to this day.
Green Day released this song in 2005.
This idiot attempted a coup D’etat against the fairly elected president of the United States in 2021. He continues to say that he actually won the 2020 presidential election without any concrete evidence whatsoever. He also pulled the United States out of climate agreements and a nuclear deal with Iran. He imposed tariffs on friendly countries and harshly criticised and slandered NATO. He also divided the American nation like no other president. His lies have created a deep ideological rift within the very fabric of American culture and society. Let’s hope and pray that this idiot fades away and gets sequestered into a deep cesspool within American history.
The MarkoZen Blog 