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©Copyright 2002-2008
[Shawn Nacol]
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Find info appropriate to psychoPharm on the infoSea:

 

Rainforest information & conservation

The Amazon Conservation Team works in partnership with indigenous people in conserving biodiversity, health and culture in tropical America. The overriding conservation strategy used by ACT is to blend the knowledge of indigenous communities with Western science in order to "understand, document, and preserve" 50,000 years of ethobotanical knowledge currently endangered by "development" of rainforests. The ACT is headed by the visionary Dr. Mark Plotkin, world-renowned ethnobotanist and conservationist; Dr. Plotkin was named "Hero for the Planet" by Time magazine.

The ACT also administers the Shaman's Apprentice program. Tribal elders, with ACT's active encouragement and assistance, are now teaching youngsters everything from traditional healing to legends, music and handicrafts. In the words of one of these apprentices: "We are protecting the irreplaceable and working with our elders to protect both our forest and traditions."

The Rainforest Conservation Fund is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, that is dedicated to preserving the world's tropical forests. Our main project is the Reserva Comunal Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo (RCTT) in the Peruvian Amazon. The Rainforest Conservation Fund (RCF) has been a leader in conservation and research efforts in the RCTT, and recognizes the long-term commitment that is necessary for this project. RCF has funded agroforestry, fauna management, fisheries management, environmental education and health care project in the RCTT since 1991. The site is packed with articles, photos and useful information.

 

 

The Rainforest Site. An online activism site that gives Internet users the daily opportunity to quickly make a difference in the fight to save rainforests around the world. In less than 5 seconds, visitors to The Rainforest Site can click on the "Save Our Rainforests" button and, at no cost to them, save square feet of rainforest land. Rainforest preservation is paid for by The Rainforest Site's sponsors and carried out by our land trust partners: The Nature Conservancy, The World Parks Endowment, The Friends of Calakmul and The Rainforest Conservation Fund. In just its first year of operation, The Rainforest Site generated funds to purchase and preserve over 5,650 acres of endangered land. According to The Nature Conservancy, originally, 8 million square miles of tropical rain forest encircled the planet. More than half has been burned, bulldozed and obliterated. Now, only 3.4 million square miles remain. If deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate that nearly all tropical rainforest ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2030.

The Rainforest Alliance is a leading international conservation organization. Our mission is to protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that live within them by implementing better business practices for biodiversity conservation and sustainability. Companies, cooperatives, and landowners that participate in our programs meet rigorous standards for protecting the environment, wildlife, workers, and local communities.

Amazonia. This site makes information on the Amazon region available to the public, with the aim of helping to make clear the structure of public and private agencies, both Brazilian and foreign, that are active in the region. At the disposal of researchers, investors, journalists, students, travelers and those who are just curious, the site is an attempt to orient the surfer to the various "worlds" that exist in the Amazon.

JunglePhotos.com. Friendly informal site featuring photographs and cursory information of flora and fauna and folks of Amazonia. Maps, scenery, cityscapes, conservation information, etc.

Amazon Watch works to defend the environment and rights of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin. They cooperate with indigenous and environmental organizations in the Amazon Basin to defend the environment and advance indigenous peoples' rights in the face of large-scale industrial development-oil and gas pipelines, power lines, roads, and other mega-projects.

Amazon International Rainforest Reserve: Since 1991, the Amazon International Rainforest Reserve (AIRR) has devoted its energies and resources to the preservation and safeguarding of the Brazilian Rainforest in the state of Amazonia in northern Brazil inhabited by the Yanomani Indian Tribe.  Amazon International Rainforest Reserve is a non-profit (501 C-3) organization headquartered in Dallas, Texas with a satellite office in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Its board and staff is comprised of both U.S. and Brazilian citizens and leaders in ecological business practices, international relations and environmental education.

 

Cyberpunk/Science Fiction/Tech Sites

Scifan.com. Search for books by theme and subgenre... "We're all about helping readers discover new science fiction and fantasy books and authors. We update our database almost daily, with the ambition to make it a comprehensive and accurate resource for bibliographies and biographies in our favorite genres."

The Cyberpunk Project. The Cyberpunk Project is an remotely available net of files about cyberpunk subculture, cyberpunk , postcyberpunk science fiction and general cyberculture in the form of free information. This is an open directory, hosting related documents and literate work.

Mark/Space Interplanetary Review. Excellent science fiction research site. MANY pages of sorted links, sci-fi books & sites divided by topics & themes. A lot of authors info etc. very helpful.

Cyberpunks.org - Technology, Privacy, Security, and the Future. Essays, musings, and news items related to technology, data piracy, our cybernetic future, and the attendant encroachments on personal freedom by megacorporate powers... with plenty of hard science thrown in for good measure.

William Gibson Bibliography / Mediagraphy. Just the facts on Gibson and his work, but far more complete than the other Johnny-come-lately "6 books and out" lists out there.

 

"Official" Cyberpunk Homepage. Pretty solid grab bag of cyberpunk resources and research: bibliographies of fiction & nonfiction, fiction, essay, and descriptions of games & zines that have sprung up around the genre...

The Beyond Cyberpunk web site is a online version of the classic HyperCard stack of the same name created in 1991 by Gareth Branwyn and Peter Sugarman. Currently, we have only a small portion of the original BCP content here.  The hyperlinked items are what's available online so far. We'll be adding more in the months ahead, so stay tuned....

Wired.com. The magazine which, through aggressive positioning, has managed to become the "magazine of record" for modern techno-aware culture. It's aimed more at technically-oriented professionals with disposable income, but many cyberpunk fans like the articles on network- and future-related topics.

 

Entheogen/Ethnobotany/Pharmaceutical sites...

bluehoney.org. A cool site PACKED with informative essays, articles, theory, science. Large website dedicated to entheogens, mushrooms and religion. Plenty of reading material and imagery from some excellent authors. Primarily focused on psilocybin mushrooms, their history and use, but loads of info on other entheogens and the topics surrounding them..

Erowid.org is an online library of information about psychoactive plants and chemicals and related topics. The information on the site is a compilation of the experiences, words, and efforts of hundreds of individuals including users, parents, health professionals, doctors, therapists, chemists, researchers, teachers, and lawyers. Erowid acts as a publisher of new information as well as a library for the collection of documents published elsewhere."

The Lycaeum. Entheogenic Database & Community. The Lycaeum works to promote public education about all aspects of psychoactive drugs and drug use, including, but not limited to: visionary and entheogenic aspects of drug use, ethnobotany of indigenous cultures, harm reduction, and health and legal risks of drug use. The Lycaeum also provides, free of charge, original research and content, an internet portal, forums, and hosting for groups seeking to develop their own online entheogen-related content.

Entheogen Dot. "The purpose of this Web site is to illustrate how important the plant entheogens have been, and continue to be. Some of these plants and compounds have only been used recently, while others have been in use for thousands of years. These are plants which are used for religious purposes."

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). A membership-based non-profit research and educational organization with about 1800 members. MAPS' goals are to sponsor scientific research designed to evaluate psychedelics and marijuana as potential prescription medicines, and to educate the public honestly about the risks and benefits of these drugs.

The Shroomery. "This site was created to help stop the spread of dangerous misinformation related to magic mushrooms. an effort to consolidate the plethora of information about magic mushrooms available on the World Wide Web into an all-encompassing source of accurate facts, and we think we can safely say that this page will be the only reference you'll need for mushroom information."

Council on Spiritual Practices: the entheogen project. The purpose of the Entheogen Project is to systematically gather knowledge about the immediate and long-term effects of entheogen use and to explore how public policy might accommodate responsible spiritual practices incorporating entheogens.

AYAHUASCA: An Overview of an Extraordinary Healing Plant and its Companions... At least 42 indigenous names for this preparation are known. It is remarkable and significant that at least 72 different indigenous tribes of Amazonia, however widely separated by distance, language, and cultural differences, all manifested a detailed common knowledge of ayahuasca and its use. A public information service from Ayahuasca SpiritQuest.

Dr. Rick Strassman's site focuses primarily on his research into the effects of N,N-dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, an extremely short-acting and powerful endogenous psychoactive alkaloid that is one of the primary agents in ayahuasca. Book excerpts and his current activities... Fascinating stuff.

DMT World. Dedicated to the spread of information about DMT. Extractions, trip reports, chemistry, supplier discussions and more are available. The nets largest resource for obtaining DMT information.

Salvia Divinorum Research and Information Center

"Salvia divinorum is an extraordinary herb used in shamanism, divination, healing, meditation, and the exploration of consciousness."

"The purpose of these sacraments is to purify, and to open the road. When it opens,
it's as clear as the blue sky, and the stars at night are as bright as suns."

- Aurelia Aurora Catarino (Mazatec shaman)

IAmShaman.com: An extremely popular and reputable internet-based, entheogen and ethnobotanical superstore... Botanicals, books, videos, music, and supplies. "In keeping with our vision to share as much accurate information regarding entheogens, ethnobotanicals, and Salvia divinorum, and for all those who share the same love for the Sage species as we do, we provide the below articles and information for further study"

 

 

Some funky GAIA theory/Consciousness/Genetics sites

HYPERBOREA.  The late, great Terence McKenna's website. McKenna was a ethnobotanical advocate , consciousness guru, and famed charismatic speaker on everything from cosmic anomaly to neuroscience. Well worth the look around. Even if you don't agree with his beefs, his was an insightful, inciting mind. Some genuinely terrific writing on human potential and our archaic forebears.

Alchemical Garden at the End of Time

prescience (the journal of radical research and cyberspatial musing) aims to bring you features, articles and fictional pieces which are imbibed with radically new perspectives on Nature and the future of our species/culture. Huge array of innervating articles on entheogens and other Gaianesque subjects. Banned in many areas because of its sheer uncompromising spiritual efficacy. Lots of contributors. Edited by Simon G. Powell, author of The Psilocybin Solution (which can be located within Volume 4) and the soon-to-be published book Natural Intelligence. The site also features exclusive ambient music, artwork and even humor.

Weird sidenote: I found this site 2months AFTER writing the play and was spooked to see the overlaps between this website's interests and the play's topics... ¿Como se dice: zeitgeist?

The Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics is an active nonprofit education, law, and policy center working in the public interest to foster intellectual freedom and cognitive liberty. The CCLE defines cognitive liberty as the right of each individual to think independently and autonomously, to use the full spectrum of his or her mind, and to engage in multiple modes of thought. Areas of the site include: the Neuroethics Project, the Entheogen & Drug Policy Project, The Cognitive Liberty Curriculum, and the William James Project.

BLTC Research was founded in 1995 to promote paradise-engineering. We are dedicated to an ambitious global technology project. BLTC seek to abolish the biological substrates of suffering. Not just in humans, but in all sentient life. For third-millennium bioscience allows us to: rewrite the vertebrate genome, redesign the global ecosystem, deliver genetically pre-programmed well-being. Through utopian biotechnology , life on earth can be animated by gradients of ecstatic well-being beyond the bounds of normal human experience. The BLTC Research campaign promotes paradise-engineering as a rigorous academic discipline and a mature applied science.

Burning Man: An annual neo-techno-shamanic-creative-post-religious-mega-shenanigan. As they put it... "Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind. In this section you will find the peripheral definitions of what the event is as a whole, but to truly understand this event, one must participate. For a brief yet eloquent overview of the entire event from the time of arrival to the time of exodus, please read "What is Burning Man?", an essay written by participant and one-time web team member, Molly Steenson. Please see archived sections for each year to read more about the art themes, art installations and theme camps for each year."

Mind Uploading Home Page. "The Mind Uploading home page is dedicated to the putative future process of copying one's mind from the natural substrate of the brain into an artificial one, manufactured by humans. This technology will radically alter society in many ways, as science fiction authors have begun to illustrate. Through this server, explore the science behind the science fiction!"

Principia Cybernetica Web. Principia Cybernetica tries to tackle age-old philosophical questions with the help of the most recent cybernetic theories and technologies. The Project aims to develop a complete philosophy or "world-view", based on the principles of evolutionary cybernetics, and supported by collaborative computer technologies.

World Transhumanist Association. Transhumanism asserts that modern science can safely improve the human condition by overcoming natural limits, and that they should be used to this end... developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities.

 

 

 

The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.

Satan

in Milton's Paradise Lost

A symptom may be literally a word trapped in a body. Remember that all that children really know about their internal organs is what their parents tell them. The inside of their body is thus made up of words. Doctors are familiar with patients who complain of pains when a biological cause is clearly absent. This does not mean that the pain is false: it is exactly the same pain, perhaps even a greater one, as if it were caused by some real physical determinant.

Lacan for Beginners

Darian Leader & Judy Groves

The planet is some kind of organized intelligence. It's very different from us. It's had 5- or 6-billion years to create a slow moving mind which is made of oceans and rivers and rain, forests and glaciers. It's becoming aware of us, as we are becoming aware of it, strangely enough. Two less likely members of a relationship can hardly be imagined - the technological apes and the dreaming planet. And yet, because the life of each depends on the other, there's a feeling towards this immense, strange, wise, old, neutral, weird thing, and it is trying to figure out why its dreams are so tormented and why everything is out of balance.

Terence McKenna

(bOING bOING #10)

This is the true joy in life... being a force of nature instead of a selfish little clod of ailments complaining that the world will not devote itself to making me happy.

George Bernard Shaw


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