Magic mushrooms may ‘reset’ the brains of depressed patients: Imperial College London

Illustrator: Gordon Robinson

Patients taking psilocybin to treat depression show reduced symptoms weeks after treatment following a ‘reset’ of their brain activity.

The findings come from a study in which researchers from Imperial College London used psilocybin – the psychoactive compound that occurs naturally in magic mushrooms – to treat a small number of patients with depression in whom conventional treatment had failed.

In a paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers describe patient-reported benefits lasting up to five weeks after treatment, and believe the psychedelic compound may effectively reset the activity of key brain circuits known to play a role in depression.

Comparison of images of patients’ brains before and one day after they received the drug treatment revealed changes in brain activity that were associated with marked and lasting reductions in depressive symptoms.

Whole-brain cerebral blood flow maps for baseline versus one-day post-treatment, plus the difference map (cluster-corrected, p < 0.05, n = 16). Correlation chart shows post-Treatment changes in bilateral amygdala CBF versus changes in depressive symptoms (r = 0.59, p = 0.01). One patient failed to completed the scan 2 QIDS-SR16 rating, reducing the sample size to n = 15 for the correlation analysis. In all of the images, the left of the brain is shown on the left. CREDIT: Carhart-Harris, R et al. Scientific Reports 2017.

The authors note that while the initial results of the experimental therapy are exciting, they are limited by the small sample size as well as the absence of a control group – such as a placebo group – to directly contrast with the patients.

Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, Head of Psychedelic Research at Imperial, who led the study, said: “We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity in depressed people treated with psilocybin after failing to respond to conventional treatments.

“Several of our patients described feeling ‘reset’ after the treatment and often used computer analogies. For example, one said he felt like his brain had been ‘defragged’ like a computer hard drive, and another said he felt ‘rebooted’. Psilocybin may be giving these individuals the temporary ‘kick start’ they need to break out of their depressive states and these imaging results do tentatively support a ‘reset’ analogy. Similar brain effects to these have been seen with electroconvulsive therapy.”

Over the last decade or so, a number of clinical trials have been conducted into the safety and effectiveness of psychedelics in patients with conditions such as depression and addictions, yielding promising results.

In the recent Imperial trial, the first with psilocybin in depression, 20 patients with treatment-resistant form of the disorder were given two doses of psilocybin (10 mg and 25 mg), with the second dose a week after the first. Nineteen of these underwent initial brain imaging and then a second scan one day after the high dose treatment. Carhart-Harris and team used two main brain imaging methods to measure changes in blood flow and the crosstalk between brain regions, with patients reporting their depressive symptoms through completing clinical questionnaires.

Immediately following treatment with psilocybin, patients reported a decrease in depressive symptoms – corresponding with anecdotal reports of an ‘after-glow’ effect characterised by improvements in mood and stress relief.

Functional MRI imaging revealed reduced blood flow in areas of the brain, including the amygdala, a small, almond-shaped region of the brain known to be involved in processing emotional responses, stress and fear. They also found increased stability in another brain network, previously linked to psilocybin’s immediate effects as well as to depression itself.

These findings provide a new window into what happens in the brains of people after they have ‘come down’ from a psychedelic, where an initial disintegration of brain networks during the drug ‘trip’, is followed by a re-integration afterwards.

Dr Carhart-Harris explained: “Through collecting these imaging data we have been able to provide a window into the after effects of psilocybin treatment in the brains of patients with chronic depression. Based on what we know from various brain imaging studies with psychedelics, as well as taking heed of what people say about their experiences, it may be that psychedelics do indeed ‘reset’ the brain networks associated with depression, effectively enabling them to be lifted from the depressed state.

The authors warn that while the initial findings are encouraging, the research is at an early stage and that patients with depression should not attempt to self-medicate, as the team provided a special therapeutic context for the drug experience and things may go awry if the extensive psychological component of the treatment is neglected. They add that future studies will include more robust designs and currently plan to test psilocybin against a leading antidepressant in a trial set to start early next year.

Professor David Nutt, Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences, and senior author of the paper, added: “Larger studies are needed to see if this positive effect can be reproduced in more patients. But these initial findings are exciting and provide another treatment avenue to explore.”

The research was supported by the Medical Research Council, the Alex Mosley Charitable Trust and the Safra Foundation.

‘Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms’ by Carhart-Harris, R, et al. is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

COMPASS Pathways Receives FDA Approval for Psilocybin Therapy Clinical Trial for Treatment-resistant Depression

U.S. Winter Outlook: NOAA forecasters predict cooler, wetter North and warmer, drier South

October 19, 2017 Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released the U.S. Winter Outlook today, with La Nina potentially emerging for the second year in a row as the biggest wildcard in how this year’s winter will shape up. La Nina has a 55- to 65-percent chance of developing before winter sets in.

NOAA produces seasonal outlooks to help communities prepare for what’s likely to come in the next few months and minimize weather’s impacts on lives and livelihoods. Empowering people with actionable forecasts and winter weather tips is key to NOAA’s effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation.

“If La Nina conditions develop, we predict it will be weak and potentially short-lived, but it could still shape the character of the upcoming winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Typical La Nina patterns during winter include above average precipitation and colder than average temperatures along the Northern Tier of the U.S. and below normal precipitation and drier conditions across the South.”

Other factors that influence winter weather include the Arctic Oscillation, which influences the number of arctic air masses that penetrate into the South and is difficult to predict more than one to two weeks in advance, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which can affect the number of heavy rain events along the West Coast.

The 2017 U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February):

Precipitation

  • Wetter-than-average conditions are favored across most of the northern United States, extending from the northern Rockies, to the eastern Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley, in Hawaii and in western and northern Alaska.

  • Drier-than-normal conditions are most likely across the entire southern U.S.

    2017-18 Winter outlook map for temperature (NOAA)

Temperature

  • Warmer-than-normal conditions are most likely across the southern two-thirds of the continental U.S., along the East Coast, across Hawaii and in western and northern Alaska.

  • Below-average temperatures are favored along the Northern Tier of the country from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest and in southeastern Alaska.

  • The rest of the country falls into the equal chance category, which means they have an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and/or precipitation because there is not a strong enough climate signal in these areas to shift the odds.

2017-18 Winter Outlook map for precipitation (NOAA)

 Drought

  • Despite the outlook favoring above-average precipitation this winter, drought is likely to persist in parts of the northern Plains, although improvement is anticipated farther West.

  • Elsewhere, drought could develop across scattered areas of the South, mainly in regions that missed the rainfall associated with the active 2017 hurricane season.

NOAA’s seasonal outlooks give the likelihood that temperature and precipitation will be above-, near, or below-average, and also how drought is expected to change, but do not project seasonal snowfall accumulations. While the last two winters featured above-average temperatures over much of the nation, significant snowstorms still impacted different parts of the country. Snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance because they depend upon the strength and track of winter storms. The U.S. Winter Outlook will be updated on November 16.

OPENLY SECULAR DAY IS OCTOBER 20

Secular people – including atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, humanists and nonreligious people – are everywhere. They are your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers – even your loved ones. But they often can’t be open about who they are.

Openly Secular is changing that. Toolkits, resources, and videos help break down barriers and help secular people live full, honest, and open lives. Tell Your Story. Speak Your Truth. Together we can eliminate discrimination and increase acceptance. https://openlysecular.org/

Openly Secular is a coalition of secular organizations led by the Center for Inquiry.

Killah Priest is Openly Secular! In this interview with Mandisa Thomas of Black Nonbelievers, Killah Priest (aka Walter Reed) talks about how he became secular, and how religion and the imagery of various religions throughout history have informed his art.

Penn Jillette and Teller are Openly Secular and think that becoming Openly Secular is getting much better and much easier.

Check out the free toolkits:

Toolkits and Resources

REVENGE PORN: AUSTRALIA TACKLES THE NON-CONSENSUAL SHARING OF INTIMATE IMAGES

The Australian government announced the pilot for a new national portal for reporting instances of non-consensual sharing of intimate images (colloquially known as image-based abuse or revenge pornography).

According to the newly launched website www.esafety.gov.au

Image-based abuse (IBA) occurs when intimate, nude or sexual images are distributed without the consent of those pictured. This includes real, altered (e.g. Photoshopped) and drawn pictures and videos.

While most image-based abuse is about the sharing of images without consent, it can also include the threat of an image being shared.

Image-based abuse is also commonly referred to as ‘revenge porn’, ‘non-consensual sharing of intimate images’, or ‘intimate image abuse’. ‘Revenge porn’ is the term most commonly used in the media, but in many cases IBA is not about ‘revenge’, nor is it restricted to ‘porn’. IBA can occur for a range of motives and can include many kinds of images and video.

Examples of image-based abuse include:

Your current or ex-partner sharing an intimate image on social media without your consent.

A work colleague Photoshopping an image of you with an explicit image and sharing it broadly via email.

A stranger taking an intimate image without your consent, also known as ‘up-skirting’, or ‘down-blousing’ or ‘creepshots’, and sharing it on a website or porn site.

Image-based abuse can also be referred to as:

non-consensual porn, non-consensual sexual/ nude/ intimate image sharing, technology-facilitated violence, intimate image abuse, cyber exploitation, up-skirting/ down-blousing / creepshots

What are ‘revenge porn’ websites?

‘Revenge porn’ websites are typically online businesses that encourage users to upload nude or sexual images of others, often with information about the person in the images such as names, addresses and links to personal profiles. Victims may be forced to pay money to remove the images.

The most well-known revenge porn websites are hosted overseas and may not willingly take down images on request as they are deliberately exploitative.

Typically, what has to be in an image for it to be considered image-based abuse?

Image-based abuse is complex and diverse. It can include non-consensual sharing of a photograph, drawing or video that shows a person: engaged in sexual activity OR in a manner or context that is sexual OR nude OR showering or bathing OR where their breasts or genitals are visible OR where the image focuses on the genital, anal or breast region, including where they are covered in underwear, such as in ‘up-skirting’ and ‘down-blousing’.

This includes real photos, pictures that are digitally altered (e.g. ‘Photoshopped’ or similar), and drawn pictures and videos.

Image-based abuse can also include images altered to imply an identity of a person in any of the above descriptions. For instance, if a victim’s head is Photoshopped onto on a porn actor’s body and is shared without consent, this is image-based abuse.

It can also include the threat to share an image or video that fits any of the above descriptions.

Official Release:

NEW PORTAL TACKLES THE NON-CONSENSUAL SHARING OF INTIMATE IMAGES

15 October 2017

The Turnbull Government has welcomed the eSafety Commissioner’s announcement today about the delivery of the pilot for a new national portal for reporting instances of non-consensual sharing of intimate images (colloquially known as image-based abuse or revenge pornography).

In 2015 the Government committed $10 million to support victims of image-based abuse, including $4.8 million of funding for the eSafety Commissioner to develop and implement this national online complaints portal.

The pilot is the very first step in delivering this very important initiative. The portal will allow victims to report instances of image-based abuse and give them access to immediate and tangible support that has previously been unavailable.

In today’s digital environment, instances of image-based abuse are all too common with one in five women aged 18 to 45 and one in four Indigenous Australians experiencing abuse.

The online complaints portal is a world-first and empowers those who are experiencing this type of abuse with practical information and a range of resources to take control.

The pilot phase of the portal will evaluate the volume and complexity of the reports received before a formal launch of the portal in early 2018.

The Government is undertaking a range of initiatives in the area of online safety to help keep Australians safe on the internet. Earlier this year the Government expanded the scope of the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help all Australians, not just children.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has already:

  • established a mechanism to report and remove harmful cyberbullying material on social media;
  • launched a dedicated website for women’s safety online;
  • launched the iParent portal providing parents and carers with advice on a range of online safety and digital content issues; and
  • in conjunction with the Department of Social Services pioneered a new website for improving digital literacy for older Australians, including a digital portal to provide a one-stop-shop for information, tools and training materials.

The Government is also considering the outcomes of recent consultations on a proposed civil penalty regime which will target perpetrators and sites which host intimate images and videos which have been shared without consent.

For more information about reporting the non-consensual sharing of intimate images visit www.esafety.gov.au/imagebasedabuse

A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy & Meaning in a World Without God: Documentary, Book, Podcast

The Documentary

There is no God. Now what? If this is the only life we have, how does that affect how we live our lives, how we treat each other, and cope with death.

In this fascinating documentary, join filmmaker Chris Johnson as he introduces us to people from all walks of life and backgrounds who challenge the false stereotypes of atheists as immoral and evil. From Daniel Dennett and A.C. Grayling, to Julia Sweeney and Robert Llewellyn —learn the various ways many atheists have left religion to a better life filled with love, compassion, hope, and wonder.

A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy & Meaning in a World Without God

Director: Chris Johnson

Featuring: A.C. Grayling, Adam Pascal, AJ Johnson, Alex Honnold, Andrew Copson, Cara Santa Maria, Dan Barker, Daniel Dennett, Donald C. Johanson, Helena Guzik, Julia Sweeney, Matt Dillahunty, Nahla Mahmoud, Patricia S. Churchland, Robert Llewellyn, Sean Carroll, Tracie Harris.

https://www.theatheistbook.com/pages/about-us

Available Formats: Streaming rental, HD Download, DVD

 

 

The book

Explore the meaning and joy of life with 100 atheists in this book of photos and commentary featuring Richard Dawkins, Dan Dennett, Steven Pinker, Penn & Teller, Julia Sweeney, Alex Honnold, Derren Brown, and more!

The myth persists. Even in our modern world, countless people believe that without God, one’s life has no purpose or meaning — that the lives of atheists are devoid of joy and happiness because they are not religious.

Starting out as one of the highest-grossing publishing projects on Kickstarter, A Better Life highlights the various ways that those who are not religious find joy, meaning, and purpose in life. Photographer Chris Johnson spent two years traveling the world speaking with and photographing atheists from all walks of life to create this hardcover photography coffeetable book.

Subjects in the book include:

A.C. Grayling, Philosopher

Adam Pascal, Musician/Actor

Alex Honnold, Rock climber

Cara Santa Maria, Television personality

Carol Blue & (the late) Christopher Hitchens

Charles Strouse, Broadway composer

Daniel Dennett, Philosopher and cognitive scientist

Daniel Dennett

Derren Brown, British illusionist

Donald C. Johanson, Paleoanthropologist

James Randi, Magician

James Watson, Molecular biologist/co-discoverer of the structure of DNA

Janet Asimov, Psychiatrist/Author

Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of physics, author and broadcaster

Julia Sweeney, Actress, comedian & author

Julia Sweeney

Lawrence M. Krauss, Physicist

Michael Shermer, Founder/Publisher of Skeptic magazine

Patricia S. Churchland, Neurophilosopher

Penn & Teller, magicians

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Philosopher and novelist

Richard Dawkins, Evolutionary biologist, and author

Robert Llewellyn, Writer, TV presenter, actor

Sean Carroll, Theoretical Physicist

Steven Pinker, Cognitive scientist

Yau-Man Chan, Contestant; Survivor: Fiji

…and many, many more!

 

Release Date: January 1, 2014

Author: Chris Johnson

Publisher: Cosmic Teapot/Chris Johnson; First Edition (December 2013)

A Better Life: 100 Atheists Speak Out on Joy & Meaning in a World Without God

Podcast

https://www.theatheistbook.com/pages/podcast

In this new podcast, join Chris as he revisits with some of the people from the book and the film, as well as introduces you to people he’s met since doing the project that would have been great additions.

Sample podcast guests include:

Anthony Magnabosco

Lawrence Krauss

Matt Dillahunty

Mandisa Thomas

Dan Arel

Cara Santa Maria

Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson is a New York-based photographer and filmmaker. He received his undergraduate degree in film production (along with a minor in religious studies) from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. His photography has been seen in various outlets, including The New York Times. He is the author of the coffee table photography book, A Better Life: 100 Atheists Speak Out on Joy & Meaning in a World Without God as well as the documentary film version, A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy & Meaning in a World Without God. He has travelled the world on a screening/lecture tour about A Better Life, speaking and screening the film in over 60 cities on four continents — from Reykjavik to Shanghai.

For the book and film of A Better Life, he interviewed many prominent atheist figures such as Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Dan Dennett, Derren Brown, Pat Churchland, Julia Sweeney, Penn & Teller, and many more. He has given talks on atheism and his work at conferences, universities, non-profit organizations, and community groups. In addition, he has also been a guest on numerous podcasts and TV shows around the globe.

https://www.theatheistbook.com/

Merging neutron stars scatter gold & platinum into space: Images are beautiful

European Southern Observatory (ESO) Telescopes Observe First Light from Gravitational Wave Source

Merging neutron stars scatter gold and platinum into space

For the first time ever, astronomers have observed both gravitational waves and light (electromagnetic radiation) from the same event, thanks to a global collaborative effort and the quick reactions of both ESO’s facilities and others around the world.

On 17 August 2017 the NSF‘s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States, working with the Virgo Interferometer in Italy, detected gravitational waves passing the Earth. This event, the fifth ever detected, was named GW170817. About two seconds later, two space observatories, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and ESA’s INTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), detected a short gamma-ray burst from the same area of the sky.

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and by Australia as a strategic partner.

Artist’s impression of merging neutron stars

This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode as a kilonova. Such a very rare event is expected to produce both gravitational waves and a short gamma-ray burst, both of which were observed on 17 August 2017 by LIGO–Virgo and Fermi/INTEGRAL respectively. Subsequent detailed observations with many ESO telescopes confirmed that this object, seen in the galaxy NGC 4993 about 130 million light-years from the Earth, is indeed a kilonova. Such objects are the main source of very heavy chemical elements, such as gold and platinum, in the Universe. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser

Composite of images of NGC 4993 and kilonova from many ESO instruments

This composite shows images of the galaxy NGC 4993 from several different ESO telescopes and instruments. They all reveal a faint source of light close to the centre. This is a kilonova, the explosion resulting from the merger of two neutron stars. This merger produced both gravitational waves, detected by LIGO–Virgo, and gamma rays, detected by Fermi and INTEGRAL in space. Credit: VLT/VIMOS. VLT/MUSE, MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope/GROND, VISTA/VIRCAM, VST/OmegaCAM

Artist’s impression of a kilonova explosion

The merging of two neutron stars produces a violent explosion known as a kilonova. Such an event is expected to expel heavy chemical elements into space. This picture shows some of these elements, along with their atomic numbers. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser

Artist’s impression of merging neutron stars

This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode as a kilonova. Such a very rare event is expected to produce both gravitational waves and a short gamma-ray burst, both of which were observed on 17 August 2017 by LIGO–Virgo and Fermi/INTEGRAL respectively. Subsequent detailed observations with many ESO telescopes confirmed that this object, seen in the galaxy NGC 4993 about 130 million light-years from the Earth, is indeed a kilonova. Such objects are the main source of very heavy chemical elements, such as gold and platinum, in the Universe. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser

Artist’s impression of merging neutron stars

This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode as a kilonova. Such a very rare event is expected to produce both gravitational waves and a short gamma-ray burst, both of which were observed on 17 August 2017 by LIGO–Virgo and Fermi/INTEGRAL respectively. Subsequent detailed observations with many ESO telescopes confirmed that this object, seen in the galaxy NGC 4993 about 130 million light-years from the Earth, is indeed a kilonova. Such objects are the main source of very heavy chemical elements, such as gold and platinum, in the Universe. Credit: University of Warwick/Mark Garlick

Cataclysmic collision

Artist’s illustration of two merging neutron stars. The rippling space-time grid represents gravitational waves that travel out from the collision, while the narrow beams show the bursts of gamma rays that are shot out just seconds after the gravitational waves. Swirling clouds of material ejected from the merging stars are also depicted. The clouds glow with visible and other wavelengths of light. Credit: NSF/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet

Video Animation: Neutron star merger animation ending with kilonova explosion

This artist’s impression video shows how two tiny but very dense neutron stars merge and explode as a kilonova. Such a very rare event is expected to produce both gravitational waves and a short gamma-ray burst, both of which were observed on 17 August 2017 by LIGO–Virgo and Fermi/INTEGRAL respectively. Subsequent detailed observations with many ESO telescopes have confirmed that this object, seen in the galaxy NGC 4993 about 130 million light-years from the Earth, is indeed a kilonova. Such objects are the main source of very heavy chemical elements, such as gold and platinum in the Universe. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada. Music: Johan B. Monell (www.johanmonell.com)

For more information:

http://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/

U.S. forces to participate in Seoul ADEX 2017

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor demonstrates its unique flight capabilities for thousands of Korean civilians at the 2015 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition held at Seoul Airport, Republic of Korea, Oct. 24, 2015. The Seoul ADEX gives American service members a chance to showcase their outstanding aircraft and equipment to the Korean public. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Amber Grimm)

Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (Seoul ADEX 17) at Seoul Airport, Oct. 17-22, 2017.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii —The United States military will be represented at the 2017 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (Seoul ADEX 17) at Seoul Airport (Seoul Airbase), Republic of Korea, Oct. 17-22, 2017.

Approximately 200 U.S. personnel will facilitate a cross-section of U.S. military aircraft, which are scheduled for static displays and aerial demonstrations, including the F-22 Raptor, A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Hercules, B-1B Lancer, KC-135 Stratotanker, E-3 Sentry, U-2 Dragon Lady, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter, the F-35A Lightning II. Additional displays will include a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon and a U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook.

This year’s airshow will feature demonstrations from U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors assigned to the 3rd Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; an A-10 assigned to the 51st Fighter Wing, Osan AB, Republic of Korea; and a C-17 with the 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The exhibition is an ideal forum to showcase U.S. defense aircraft and equipment, particularly the latest in fifth generation capabilities.

Representing the U.S. Air Force will be Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, commander of Pacific Air Forces, from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Gen. O’Shaughnessy commands a total force of 46,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. The general is scheduled to give remarks as a keynote speaker during the 20th International Aerospace Symposium Oct. 16 at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Hotel, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul.

The U.S. military is honored to participate in and represent the U.S. at Seoul ADEX 17. Support to airshows and other regional events allows the U.S. to demonstrate its commitment to the stability and security of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, promote standardization and interoperability of equipment, and display capabilities critical to the success of military operations. It also serves to strengthen long-standing military-to-military relations between the U.S., the Republic of Korea and partner nations.

Seoul ADEX 17 is the largest, most comprehensive event of its kind in Northeast Asia, attracting aviation and aerospace professionals, key defense personnel, aviation enthusiasts and the general public alike. The airshow portion of Seoul ADEX 17 is also a premier industry event showcasing the latest in aviation, aerospace, and defense technology. In 2015, Seoul ADEX attracted 386 companies and organizations domestically and internationally from 32 countries.

Follow #SEOULADEX2017 on Twitter for the latest info.

Dictionary Day October 16: Quick Facts

James Murray, First Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, courtesy Wikipedia.

quick facts Courtesy Oxford English Dictionary

The first book generally regarded as the first English dictionary was written as Robert Cawdrey, a schoolmaster and former Church of England clergyman. In 1604 Cawdrey made use of wordlists published earlier in educational texts, such as Richard Mulcaster’s Elementary (1582) and Edmund Coote’s English Schoole-maister (1596).

Oxford English Dictionary, First Edition

Publication date: 1884-1928 in 128 fascicles. Published in 10 volumes in 1928 and reissued in 12 volumes in 1933, with addition of one-volume Supplement

Proposed size: 4 volumes, 6,400 pages (with provision for ‘a larger dictionary containing not fewer than 10 volumes, each containing not less than 1,600 pages)

Actual size: 10 volumes, 15,490 pages

Proposed time to complete: 10 years

Actual time to complete: 70 years (from approval date)

A short video on understanding “cootie”:

Trivia:

Longest entry in Dictionary: the verb ‘set’ with over 430 senses consisting of approximately 60,000 words or 326,000 characters

Most frequently quoted work (in various full and partial version, and translations): Bible (est. 25,000 quotations)

Most frequently quoted single author: Shakespeare (approx. 33,300 quotations)

Most frequently quoted single work of Shakespeare: Hamlet (almost 1,600 quotations)

1919  J. R. R. Tolkien joins the NED for a little over a year, working on words beginning with W.

1972  The first volume of the new Supplement appears, complete with the two strongest ‘four-letter words’, which had been omitted from the First Edition and Supplement.

1989  The second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED2) appears in print as 20 volumes containing 21,728 pages and defines over half a million words.

2000  OED Online is launched.

2015  The OED currently defines more than 627,000 lexical items, with around 844,000 separate senses, illustrated by over 3.5 million quotations drawn from over 1,000 years of the written history of English.

The OED is updated four times a year, every March, June, September, and December.

Trump is a Loser, Old Lunatic, Hysterical Maniac: The Latest North Korea Press

Time Magazine Feb. 27, 2012 Credit HOUSTON ROB VERHORST REDFERNS GETTY IMAGES

North Korea news highlights: The latest from KCNA Watch

“Cowardly dogs bark much and a dog’s bark will never make a camel go astray.”

The devil always leaves a stink behind him

Date: 10/12/2017 | Source: Pyongyang Times | Excerpts:

Absurd remarks are being spat out by the Trump clan who are hell-bent on anti-DPRK sanctions moves.

As wolves are often hidden under sheep’s clothing, the Americans are trying to cover their base acts in a veil of “diplomacy” and “peace” although they are enforcing the harshest ever sanctions in an attempt to deprive the DPRK of its sovereignty and its tens of millions of population of their rights to existence and development.

Not content with independent sanctions, the US forces many countries to follow suit by dint of lies, blackmail and the dollar. Such moves for sanctions, sometimes in the name of the UN, constitute a heinously inhumane crime and an act of war as they ban the import of even medical appliances and medicines as well as fuel oil.

The chief of the Future of Freedom Foundation, who was law professor at Dallas University of the US, said on the foundation’s website that the current Trump administration’s all-out trade embargo against the DPRK is an evident act of war, while the international community are expressing astonishment, asserting that the US anti-DPRK sanctions far surpass in harshness Nazi Germany’s notorious blockade on Leningrad.

Trump steeped in confrontational frenzy against the DPRK openly clamoured for the extinction of its 25 million population on the UN arena, and his argument is being translated into reality by way of the sanctions resolutions.

This notwithstanding, the US authorities shamelessly trumpet “peace” and “diplomacy”, which is as good as the behaviour of the devil always leaving a stink behind.

Peace and diplomacy are by no means suitable for the American empire of devils.

The north Korean nuclear issue the US takes as the rationale for anti-DPRK sanctions nakedly reveals that “peace” is a signboard to cover up its intention to vanquish its rivals that challenge its hegemony-seeking strategy and acts of aggression, while “diplomacy” is nothing more than intrigues to this end.

——————-

More recently on October 14 and 15, 2017:

Commenting on the fact, Rodong Sinmun Sunday says such absurd pretext is aimed to cover up the brigandish nature of the U.S. and inveigle the whole world into its criminal scheme to stifle the DPRK.

———————-

There are some sign of the U.S. moves to resume nuclear test. After Trump took office, resumption of nuclear test is called for again together with clamor about the modernization of outdated nuclear weapons and accelerated development of new nuclear weapons, timed to coincide with his remark that the U.S. should “increase its nuclear capability until the world “is able to understand the U.S. force”.

All countries around the world should become a slave of the U.S. welding nuclear stick or die. This is the brigandish logic of the U.S. The U.S. is the arch criminal and the worst cancer-like entity threatening global peace and security.

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Trump cried out for “total destruction and extermination” of the DPRK and its people, causing strong rebuff and criticism at home and abroad. He again let out such rubbish, only to betray more clearly his nature as an old lunatic.


Meanwhile, stories of traditional food and drink are proudly discussed in the same breath:

Hyangsolgo, Courtesy Pyongyang Times

Traditional drink of Hyangsolgo

Date: 10/11/2017 | Source: Pyongyang Times |

Hyangsolgo is one of the traditional drinks Koreans are fond of.

The drink is made by boiling sliced pear in honeyed water. The peeled pear is cut into slices, pepper corns are set in each of them and these are boiled in honeyed water together with ginger. And then cinnamon powder and pine nuts are put into the drink before serving. It is very refreshing.

Little is known about the origin of this drink, but its long history can be surmised from old records including Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms and History of the Country in the East. One of the records says: “Our country has long been noted for apple, pear, pine nut and honey. The refreshing and sweet drinks made by mixing them were so famous that many people of neighbouring countries tried hard to learn their recipes.” And there are the scenes of boiling something in an earthenware vessel in the kitchen and holding cups and a kettle on the murals of Anak Tomb No. 3 in Anak County, South Hwanghae Province. These tell that Koreans prepared Hyangsolgo and various other drinks and hot dishes by using pottery already in the period of the Three Kingdoms—Koguryo, Paekje and Silla that existed between 3rd century BC and AD 10th century.

The record about the drink can be found in the documents from the period of the feudal Joson dynasty (1392-1910). According to them, it is made with hard and sour wild pear as the drink can have red colour when the fruit is acidic, but if the pear is not so tart, some infusion of fruit of Schizandra chinensis may be put into it. Its sugar content is 10-15 percent.

At present the traditional drink is not only prepared at homes but served in eateries.

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Songphyon, Special Dish for Chusok

Courtesy Korea.net.

Date: 010/03/2017 | Source: Uriminzokkiri (En) |

Chusok (Harvest Moon Day), a folklore holiday of Korea, falls on October 4 (lunar August 15th) this year.

The Korean people would prepare various kinds of special dishes for the day, especially songphyon (half-moon-shaped rice cake stuffed with beans and flavored with pine needles).

Localities are somewhat different in the method of cooking the dish and its size. In Kangwon Province, people make it with potato powder and kidney-bean stuffing, while in Hamgyong and Ryanggang provinces, they make it with oat.

Songphyon has been considered to be a necessity for the Korean people on the day.