Opium Poppies and their History in Drugs
The seeds which form the basis for many opiate derived drugs is more widely spread than initially thought. Poppy seeds, the specific kind used for heroin, opium, and other drugs, are in numerous gardens all over the United States. The specific genus is the scarlet poppy, its Latin name Papaver somniferum.
These are indeed the same kind of seeds sometimes found on bagels, which is why employers who use drug tests request that employees not eat any bagels with poppy seeds. Though it might seem strange, a person can technically be arrested for taking one of those seed, if they are of the opium variety, found upon a bagel and planting it. You could look like a candidate for treatment at a residential drug treatment facility should you eat them before a drug test.
The plant best known for putting many people in drug rehab can actually be grown quite easily in the less exotic climates normally associated with the United States. Though the southeastern parts of Asia make for the best conditions with which to grow the flower, California makes for just as good a place as Asia. It is not the foreign and unusual plant that people often think it.
James Hogshire was the first person to inform the united states about such information. In his book , Opium for the Masses, he describes how to procure the seeds, plant, and grow them. He even includes an ancient recipe for a special opium tea.His efforts did not go unnoticed by law enforcement. The Seattle Police Department sent in a 20 person team to search his apartment. Though he was charged for the poppies he had in his home, bought from a florist, the charges against him were dropped.
Growing the infamous poppies, erstwhile known as the Plant of Joy and Mawseed, are actually very easy to plant and raise. In order to make the seeds grow in a more even manner, planters actually mix the plants with sand and throw it out on a field without dumping soil on them. Small little plants will start to grow given about ten days. Most gardeners and florists grow the plant for its beauty and for the chance to grow something rare, rare because of what it can produce is supposed to be a banned substance. They do not grow it for the chance to exacerbate the problem for which so many people need treatment for drug addiction.
08.24.09Action Sports in Maui
One of Maui the Hawaii island tourist attractions is the sport of kiteboarding. There are many schools in Maui that offer visitors unique opportunities to learn the sport. So what is kiteboarding?
Kitesurfing is a water sport involving wind power that pulls a rider on top of the water with a surfboard or a kiteboard, which is like a wakeboard. Kiteboarding usually refers to the riding styles of freestyle or wakestyle. But kitesurfing is more about wave-riding. Both styles typically entail different boards and performance kites specific to the style. Often you can rent these boards if you buy Maui vacation packages.
Kitesurfers employ boards that sometimes come with or without foot-straps or bindings. They also need a large kite that is controllable but powerful and allows them to propel the board over the water.
Safety has become a bigger part of the sport recently. New improvements in the design of kites, instruction, and the safety release systems have aided kitesurfers in developing their riding styles, including wakestyle, jumping, freestyle, and others.
Freestyle allows kitesurfers to choose from different jumps, twists, and spins. It is also the most popular kind of style amoung kitesurfers with lots of experience. Many competitions typically host freestyle events.
There are also other styles. Big air, whish is also called hangtime, employs the kite power to get as much time in the air. Currently, the most time ever held by a kitesurfer is 13 seconds. Speed surfing is another style. The speed style means going in a straight line and as fast as you can. 40 knots is the current top record for speed style kitesurfing.
Before anyone should consider taking up kitesurfing, they should consider hiring a professional instructor since the power the kites in kitesurfing provides is extreme. Many schools and training programs are offered across the world now as the sport has increased in popularity. Check out a local kitesurfing association in your area to find an accredited instructor to help get you started. One of the reason’s Maui Travel is so popular is that it offers many opportunities for kitesurfing.
| Posted in Sports, Travel | No Comments »
Johannesburg Sports
We were advised at any number of Johannesburg boutique hotels that the car is king and that it will be difficult if not impossible to find a cab in this laid out city and, furthermore, the people are very punctual. I don’t why that last bit was thrown in but it is good to know and Inoddled appreciatively at the man. But we were hungry and thirsty and asked where we could get a pint and a little lunch or a lot of lunch. He gave us directions that seemedpunctuated in a kind of waggling sign language that seemed incomprehensible in the lobby, but Toni and I found out were spot on once we were outside and in the South African day of blue skies and light clouds.
We popped into the pub and ordered pints and overheard gentlemen boasting about the upcoming World Cup that South Africa will host which is all anyone there wanted to talk about, if it wasn’t talk about rugby or, gulp, cricket, of which I know less than anything about and after much study of the video monitors in the wood lined pub with its brass rails and thick glass I couldn’t decipher. One fellow who seemed to have a bowler hat on the rail beneath him and an umbrella that looked like it could have been present during the Blitz of London. I tried to tell them how in some ways the game looked like American football, a purer and less regimented form of the tackling artful game weAmericans know and love, well some of us anyway, and they wouldn’t have it. “Tut tut, old fellow!” the guy with the bowler hat said between intakes of his dark ale. “You won’t see thatabominable sport here!” and I must profess I kind of got into the rugby game on the tube. Now if they would only do the wave.
| Posted in Sports, Travel | No Comments »
Ibiza by Day
I thought I’d better brush up on my Spanish before heading out to Ibiza over the summer. But maybe it was all the images of crazy clubbing and the stunning beaches that made forget. We wanted to go to the San Antonio beach. We needed an easy way to get there and asked about Ibiza car rentals for help, and that was no problem. Now that we were mobile we could even go to the quieter destinations like Portinaxt. On Portinaxt we saw the lighthouse and sat looking out over the secluded sea scape as sea birds rise on the gentle thermals as the waves crash on the pristine beach. It was getting late so we headed back.
We both really like medieval remains and architecture so the old town of D’Alt Vila really grabbed us. This used to be a fortress city, evidenced by the draw bridge, plus there are cool Roman-era statues. We went toPacha for seafood. We went to Puig de Molins the next day. It’s an archaeological site dating back to the seventh century BC, with something like three thousand tombs of Punic origin and used by the Carthaginians and the Romans and is considered a World Heritage site byUnesco in 1999. It is located in the Via Punica . There’s also a museum of contemporary art in Ibiza with its wonderful collection of internationally recognized local artist that go back to 1959, including paintings and sculptures.
We ate the El Brasero in the fisherman’s quarter. We had great scenery and view of the illuminated Cathedral and tried the local seafood. It was a little hard to find at first, but we’re used to that in Ibiza, and the great menu is wonderfully presented at this long present Ibiza landmark restaurant.
08.20.09Cape Town Festival
Visitors looking for car hire in South Africa have adventure in mind, and an independence of spirit that will appreciate all that the country has to offer the savvy traveler. South Africa is an enormously diverse place, with diversity of cultures, languages, and landscape, and a car will offer the freedom to go off the beaten track and find some of the lesser-known treasures. There are excellent distractions in the cities, with some of the most fascinating metropolises in the world, and having one’s own car means spending more time doing the things you enjoy, and at your own pace. There are also tremendously exciting things to see in the country, with wilderness areas that are absolutely stunning. Beaches to urban adventures await you here.
One of the more exciting events held in South Africa annually is the Cape Town Festival. This is a must-see event that celebrates the cultures and heritages of the South African community, held in the Mother City. Now in its tenth year, the Cape Town Festival operates under the motto One City, Many Cultures, to express the philosophy of the event. This festival recognizes the diversity and history of South Africa, and is a way for the locals to come together and celebrate the unique blend of cultures here. It is also open to visitors, of course, and is an excellent way to get to know South Africa. Dance, performance, and other forms of public art are on display here, along with workshops and events for children, to highlight the richness of the creative community.
One of the main attractions at the festival is the music. There are tremendously popular local acts, such as Nomfusi Gotyana, the Rudimentals, and Prime Circle. This past year’s Cape Town Festival feartured Coda as the headliner. They brought the house down, as did one of the other local favorites, Incognito. One of the main culminating events of the festival is held on the last day, where the Human Rights Day celebration takes place, this year with marimba music and dancing. Again, the emphasis here is on the variety of cultures, and is a celebration of their art forms in a forum that brings the whole city together.
08.19.09The View of the Lakes from the Air
There are many a sight seeing tours in the Lakes District in England. The countryside is just spectacular and various companies offer up different ways in which to experience and enjoy the views. Many a Lakes hotel have pamphlets and information regard the best places to find these exciting adventures. One incredible way for one to see the view from the air, for those with a bit of adventure in their soul is by a trip either paragliding or hang-gliding. Both of these sports have gained in popularity over the last forty years.
The para-glider was introduced to the Lakes District in the late Seventies, and has served to even further attract travelers to the area whom are interested in flying freely through the air. From a height such as this, one will experience the scenery of the countryside, from the hills of Jenkin and Keswick down to Skiddaw. For the beginners, the launch and the landing areas are easy spots from which to take off and to land. The land variation serves to intensive the swells of the wind gusts that will lift one higher into the air and provide those of higher level skills with exciting and challenging flights.
Another great way to catch those views from the sky, a bit less harrowing of an experience for some, is by taking a ride in a hot air balloon. This is a great way to explore the ruggedness of the countryside as well as the austere beauty of the Lakes in their natural state. Peacefully drifting through the sky one will take in the landscapes and the views of the many lakes while also taking in the inspiration of and the culture of this area that is so steeped in history and rich heritage.
Another aspect of the balloon rides is that one will not be alone up there, as all of the tours in the balloons include the presence of a guide. The pilots of the balloons offer up information on many of the sites of historical significance and interest. This is one of the most peaceful and romantic ways of exploring the Lakes, from the bird’s eye view one will gain information with a different perspective than one would have traversing the land on foot.
| Posted in Travel | No Comments »
Dylan Thomas From Swansea
Swansea, Wales is a beautiful seaside town that is well known for its beaches and great promenades. In addition to the wonderful attractions and historical landmarks it has to offer, tourists staying in one of the great resorts or a fine Swansea hotel may also be interested in knowing that it is the birthplace writer Dylan Thomas. The area is also known for producing some top film actors and other major artists and entertainers, which may in part be due to the inspiring beauty of the city and the surrounding region. Tourists may even return home from their vacation feeling a sudden inspiration to write a poem or paint.
Thomas was born on October 27 of 1914. Although he was Welsh, her wrote all of his works in English. He primarily wrote poetry, though he also wrote short stories and scripts for radio and film. In addition, he often performed them himself and gave public readings of his other works. He traveled the United States with public readings of his plays and became extremely popular in America. His poetry received critical approval though it was the subtle tone of his voice that drew as much popular interested in him as the writings themselves.
Some of his best well known works include the play for multiple voices, Under the Milk Wood, and a beautiful piece he wrote when his father was dying, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, and perhaps the best known of all And Death Shall Have No Dominion. Throughout his career Dylan was known for his voice and being an extremely diverse and engaging performer. In addition to the tremendous popularity and success he received in the United States he gave over 200 performances for the BBC. It was probably with the 1946 publishing of the collection known Deaths and Entrances that forged a major turning point in his career.
08.11.09David Copperfield Set in Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth is better known, and particularly be locals, simply as Yarmouth. Whichever one prefers to call it, it is still a beautiful coastal town located in the Norfolk region of England. It is approximately twenty miles east of the much more well known city of Norwich, though it has its own unique status and attractions. In recent decades it has become something of a resort area and visitors are attracted to its great beach, promenades and historic landmarks. The Yarmouth Hotels are busy all year due to its increasing popularity and tourist and vacationer interest.
One of the interesting aspects of Yarmouth, though it is unlikely to be a strong reason it is popular with visitors, is that it was a main setting for Charles Dickens’ novel David Copperfield. Dickens is one of the most famous and consistently popular novelists to have come out of England. He lived from approximately 1812 to 1870 and wrote his works during the Victorian Era. For those who are interested in Yarmouth due to the association to Dickens, they have the benefit of viewing many Victorian buildings that are still in existence and the city retains much of the era’s charm and atmosphere.
Dickens is greatly known for his creation of unique and enduring characters. Many of them have reached iconic status in the English language literature and have become archetypes for other writer’s character development. In addition to David Copperfield Dickens wrote Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Hard Times and Oliver Twist among a great deal of other works in various genres. He began his career writing short stories for periodicals and journalism work. He also served as the editor of Bentley’s Miscellany for three years. Dickens drew much of his inspiration from Gothic Romance novels, which he loved. In addition to creating the great individual characters he is known for he also created a character out of the city of London itself.
| Posted in Arts, Entertainment | No Comments »
Darwin in Cambridge
I was fortunate enough to attend this years Darwin Festival held in the University of Cambridge. This marks 200 years since Charles Darwin’s birth and 150 years since the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species.’ The Festival will host over 100 thinkers, artists, authors, and debates all encompassing and celebrating the ideas of Darwin.
I was also fortunate enough to piggyback a room at a Cambridge Hotel, one of my associates booked a room almost a year ago just for this event. When I tried to book a room anywhere in Cambridge, I had no luck. I’m very grateful that my associate let me stay in his room. It made the Festival that much more enjoyable and less expensive as we split the cost of the room.
The University of Cambridge sessions will use and draw on it’s museums, gardens and colleges which all hold the world’s largest collections of Darwin’s plants, animals, fossil and geological specimens. Darwin’s unpublished works and published works, correspondences and notes will be on displays as well. I’ll be able to partake in a guide tour which includes a hand’s on workshop, short talks and lively discussions led by the museums curators, collectors and archivist specialists. The ‘All Explore’ sessions will be free. But , I need to make arrangements with each. I picked only three of them: The University Botanic Garden which was founded by Darwin. The Fitzwilliam Museum where I’ll see a ground breaking exhibit exploring the fascinating relationship between the revolutionary theories of Charles Darwin and late 19th century art. Finally, the Darwin Walking Tour, which covers sites connected with Darwin’s time in Cambridge like Christ’s College. I’ll get to see his rooms in the Library, the Dining Hall and the Memorial Garden.
What will really be the best part about the Darwin Festival is the quest speakers. Sir David Attenborough, Richard Dawkins, Dame Gillian Beer, Harold Varmus, Sir Brian Hoskins, Sir Peter Cran and Lord Martin Rees, just to name a few
| Posted in Travel | No Comments »
| Posted in Health, History | No Comments »