Step 1: Choose the type of bread you want to use

Step 2: Put the bread in the toaster

Step 3: Butter the toast, then put 1-2 slices of cheese on the toast

Step 4: Put the sandwich in the microwave for 30 seconds

Step 5: Enjoy

Marijuana is less harmful than coffee, plain and simple. You might still be wondering how scientists have come up with this idea. Here is your answer: While marijuana contains over 400 chemicals, coffee contains 1,500 chemicals. Rat poison contains only 30 chemicals and it’s one of the most harmful substance known.[1] Almost 70 percent of Americans said they were hooked on coffee, based on a 2006 survey conducted by the National Coffee Association. The statistics prove it – Americans need their coffee while 2 percent of Americans said they were hooked on marijuana, based on a 2006 survey conducted by the US No Drugs Association. Unlike caffeine, most evidence suggests that marijuana is not physically addictive. Addiction to a drug is caused by the drug altering one’s brain chemistry in a way that nurtures dependence. For example, the brain is not accustomed to caffeine. The dependence one develops comes from his or her brain attempting to compensate for the unnatural chemical reaction. Since the human brain is already attuned to receive cannabinoids, it does not alter a user’s brain chemistry in any significant way. The binding of cannabinoids to the CB1 and CB2 receptors is an entirely natural chemical reaction. The Institute of Drug Abuse made a chart rating the addictiveness of various substances. On it, they rated marijuana as less addictive than caffeine. The reason I introduced this comparison is to make you question where our priorities lie. Caffeine, an addictive and potentially harmful drug, can be purchased and consumed almost anywhere. Even young children have access to caffeine in caffeinated soda and coffee. On the other hand, billions of government dollars are spent each year to keep marijuana, a drug that is less addictive and toxic than caffeine, illegal.

Cannabis use can be a gateway because it is illegal, which puts users in contact with other substances like cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD etc. In 2006, the University of Pittsburgh released a more thorough study in which researchers spent 12 years tracking a group of subjects from adolescence into adulthood and documented the initiation and progression of their drug use. The researchers found that the gateway theory was not only wrong, but also harmful to properly understanding and addressing drug abuse:

This evidence supports what’s known as the common liability model, an emerging theory that states the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug but instead by the user’s individual tendencies and environmental circumstances. ‘The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more important factors that shape a person’s behaviour, has been detrimental to drug policy and prevention programs,’ Dr. Tarter said. ‘To become more effective in our efforts to fight drug abuse, we should devote more attention to interventions that address these issues, particularly to parenting skills that shape the child’s behaviour as well as peer and neighbourhood environments.’[2]

Of course, the simplest refutation of the gateway theory is the basic fact that most marijuana users don’t use other drugs. As the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports: “More than 100 million Americans have tried marijuana; 14.4 million Americans are estimated to be ‘past-month’ users. Yet there are only an estimated 2,075,000 ‘past-month’ users of cocaine and 153,000 ‘past-month’ users of heroin.”[2]

Unfortunately, there is one important way in which marijuana use can result in exposure to more dangerous drugs. Laws against marijuana have created an unregulated black market, in which criminals control the supply and may attempt to market more dangerous drugs to people who just want marijuana. As the Journal of the American Medical Association reported in 2003:

Alternatively, experience with and subsequent access to cannabis use may provide individuals with access to other drugs as they come into contact with drug dealers. This argument provided a strong impetus for the Netherlands to effectively decriminalize cannabis use in an attempt to separate cannabis from the hard drug market. This strategy may have been partially successful as rates of cocaine use among those who have used cannabis are lower in the Netherlands than in the United States.

Ironically, the only real gateway that exists is created by marijuana prohibition.[3]

Since the late 1960s, increasingly harsh drug policies in the United States have led to the U.S. having a higher prison population than any country aside from China. Successive U.S. presidential administrations have exported “the war on drugs” to many other Western nations, through a combination of diplomatic and financial strong-arm tactics.  Yet despite 40 years, one trillion dollars, and hundreds of thousands of lies, almost everyone agrees the U.S. “War on Drugs” has been a colossal failure.  The Associated Press published a major article on May 13, 2010, which used Freedom of Information Act documents to conclude:

In 40 years, taxpayers spent more than:

• $20 billion to fight the drug gangs in their home countries. In Colombia, for example, the United States spent more than $6 billion, while coca cultivation increased and trafficking moved to Mexico — and the violence along with it.
• $33 billion in marketing “Just Say No”-style messages to America’s youth and other prevention programs. High school students report the same rates of illegal drug use as they did in 1970, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdoses have “risen steadily” since the early 1970s to more than 20,000 last year.
• $49 billion for law enforcement along America’s borders to cut off the flow of illegal drugs. This year, 25 million Americans will snort, swallow, inject and smoke illicit drugs, about 10 million more than in 1970, with the bulk of those drugs imported from Mexico.
• $121 billion to arrest more than 37 million nonviolent drug offenders, about 10 million of them for possession of marijuana. Studies show that jail time tends to increase drug abuse.
• $450 billion to lock those people up in federal prisons alone. Last year, half of all federal prisoners in the U.S. were serving sentences for drug offenses.[4]

In light of this massively failed effort, a number of countries, including Spain, Portugal, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Argentina, Mexico and even the U.K. have  all liberalized their drug laws to one extent or another. In November, California voters will vote on a ballot initiative to legalize possession of marijuana in the state and tax its sale. Passage of this measure could have far-ranging effects, both in the United States and in other Western countries.

The influence of countries with lenient drug laws is reflecting the possible outcome of drug decriminalization in Canada, a step citizens view as drastic. Yet, the reality is that an increasing proportion of Canadian youth is becoming more tolerant of drug use, specifically marijuana.

While full legalization remains a controversial approach, Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark has mirrored the opinion of many youth.

“I believe the least controversial approach is decriminalization,” said Clark, “because it’s unjust to see someone, because of one decision one night in their youth, carry the stigma to be barred from studying medicine, law, architecture or other fields where a criminal record could present an obstacle.”

As an increasing number of people are becoming aware of this debate, more questions concerning decriminalization are appearing. While issues such as availability, purchase, taxation and driving under the influence are still to be addressed, Canada is sure to see attempts from both sides of the drug policy spectrum to improve the situation.

And with influential authority figures supporting major aspects of drug decriminalization, it might not be too long before Canadians are smoking up freely.

Citations:

http://zinelibrary.info/files/Marijuana%20and%20Hemp-%20The%20Untold%20Story.pdf [1]

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/research-proves-marijuana-not-gateway-drug [2]

http://www.drugwardistortions.org/distortion7.htm [3]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37134751/ [4]

Chris and Sheva
Unlike the previous title, Resident Evil 4, the female protagonist that follows you isn’t completely helpless. Sheva proves her skills are just as valuable as Chris and together they make a kick-ass team in a game structured on cooperative play. They are a more recent duo than the rest of the list but they have proven themselves worthy regardless.

Mario and Yoshi
They’re easily the oldest pair on this list, they’ve been together since the beginning of console gaming and have been inseparable since (with the exception of a few titles). Although this odd duo worked as a team, they did have their flaws. Yoshi being the underdog was often left with the task of carrying around an infant Mario or being sacrificed for an extra jump. But regardless they’re a noble pair and in the end it was all for a good cause.

Ratchet and Clank
These two are a more comical pair than the last and their missions involve far less gruesome combat tactics; nonetheless they are still a wonderful pair with humorous personalities.

Marcus and Dom
“Brothers to the end” — that’s the tagline for the third title in the Gears of War series, and no other duo on this list defines it more. Marcus and Dom have been through more blood-splattering, curb-stomping, and downright frightening shit than any of the others on this list. But their teaming against the macabre has kept them breathing till now. In the post-apocalyptic world of Gears all these two have are each other, and till the end they’ll keep fighting.

Diddy and Donkey Kong
If you though Marcus and Dom were tough they have nothing on this duo. Diddy and DK are without a doubt the most hardcore team on this list. Back in the glory days of RARE a little game called Donkey Kong Country was published. Players fought their way through 40 different levels that were both challenging and fun. Though they were separated often, neither of the pair ever left their fallen comrade behind and even if they did they were never more than a barrel marked “DK” away. This is in my mind, the greatest video gaming duo ever.

Agree or disagree? How about you post your thoughts in the comments section below!

(Reposted from TechVoo)

Berserker (Gears of War)
She doesn’t pose much of a challenge any of the times you encounter her in Gears but I won’t deny my heart was pounding the first time I was face to face with her. Though she’s blind her advantages are nearly impenetrable skin as well heightened senses.

Omega Pirate (Metroid Prime)
This isn’t nearly the scariest thing in Metroid Prime but as far as bosses goes the Omega Pirate is the biggest and the baddest. Though I was a lot younger the first time I played it, the game was just plain creepy so I’m sure it wouldn’t have mattered how old I was. I don’t recall the battle itself perfectly but I remember the music was awesome!

Verdugo (Resident Evil 4)
Of all the terrifying and macabre bosses in RE4 nothing was scarier than Verdugo. It wasn’t Verdugo himself that scared me (though he was a creepy fuck) it was the fact that this battle took place right after another battle where you’re locked in a room with tons of enemies. So by this point I had next to no ammo to fight him. After countless deaths, and hocking a majority of my weapons to the Merchant I was able to take the bastard down.

Dead Hand (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
There weren’t very many scary moments in Ocarina of Time. But the Shadow Temple and this boss right here make up for the lack of them. I was around five years old when I fought Dead Hand and it was probably the scariest thing I had done at this point in my life. I was scared to get close to him lest he attack me and I was scared to run away just in case one of his hands grab me.

Nemisis (Resident Evil 3)
The first time I ever played a Resident Evil game was shortly after beating Ocarina of Time and finding it on top of the stack of PlayStation games. So I popped it in, clicked load game and before I knew it I was standing in front of a typewriter on my brother’s save file. I don’t recall how far in the game he was but he was in a small room. I exited through the closest door and was immediately confronted by Nemisis.

My heart drops, his rocket launches, and the game is over. It was terrifying and that short encounter resulted in many nightmares the following month. I haven’t played the game since though I do plan on trying it when it hits the PlayStation Store. That my friends, was the single scariest video-game boss I have ever come face to rocket with.

Well that was my list, whether you agree or not we’d love to hear your opinion so go ahead and post your own in the comments section below.

Reposted from: TechVoo

Now mind you I have read three of the four books and watched the first two movies so I had expectations for this film and on some levels you could say I was disappointed.

Story
In an attempt to cram every last bit of the book into a two-hour film, it seems the writers overlooked the fact that watching this all at once is a tad nerve racking. You’re never given a moment to think because there’s always something happening. Depending on your taste, this is either good or bad.

It may be good due to the fact that the movies are primarily for those whom have already read the books and are expecting every last bit in the film.

On the other hand if you’ve only ever watched the movies or are just jumping into the saga for this film (which I strongly urge against) you may not be happy with all the story being thrown your way at once and it’s possible you’ll be lost at times.

Choreography & CG Animation
I’m not going to lie the action sequences were intense. It took a good portion of the film to build up for the finale but it was well worth the wait for an incredible battle that easily made it’s way on my top ten.

Now it wasn’t necessarily the battle itself that was so amazing but more so it was the delivery. The sound effects, animations, choreography, and editing were perfected leaving you with an ultra-realistic battle royale. I could go on about it but it really has to be seen to be appreciated so I’d advise you to check it out when you have the chance.

Soundtrack & Score
The soundtrack and score of the Twilight Saga films have always matched their corresponding feature perfectly and Eclipse is no exception. I was only disappointed that Muse’s track recorded solely for the movie was probably played for about ten seconds and in the background no less. To whomever chose the music sequence for the movie, have some respect for Muse.

So to sum it all up, I liked the movie, I expected more but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. They were high expectations to be honest and because of them I probably didn’t enjoy the movie to its fullest extent which is why I’ll be checking it out again. I’d recommend it anyone, there’s actually a more than decent film behind all the ridiculous criticism the franchise gets for its portrayal of vampires and overload on romance, but that’s what this series is about so I don’t see any reason in pointing out the obvious. So if you’re going to hate on the franchise at least give it a chance, don’t just senselessly follow the crowd.

8/10

Reposted from: TechVoo

This article will take a look at various video games from their earliest roots to what they have evolved into today. From humble beginnings to graphically amazing some of these franchises are older than me!

The Zelda series started off on the NES in 1986 with The Legend of Zelda. The latest game The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks (not pictured) was released at the end of 2009. I chose to picture Twilight Princess as graphically it looks better than Spirit Tracks

Super Mario Bros. was the very first game in the Mario franchise. Originally released on the Famicom in 1985 Mario has been the icon of Nintendo ever since having multiple games on every console and handheld they have made. The latest in the franchise is Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii released last month.

The original Prince of Persia was developed for the Apple II in 1989, it has been ported to various consoles and systems since then and has even had a movie loosely based on some of the later games. The most recent game in the series, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands, was released for all seventh generation consoles and handhelds earlier this year.

The original Metal Gear was one of the first stealth-action games ever. It was originally released for the MSX2 in summer 1987 and later that year for the Famicom. The latest game in the series Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots was released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3. It is often considered one of the greatest looking console games ever released and supposedly makes full use of all the PlayStation 3′s power. Though the game is dated there have been very few that have surpassed both graphically and technically.

The first Ninja Gaiden was released for the Famicom in 1988 it had many ports some of which featured upgraded graphics. The latest in the series Ninja Gaiden 2 was released only for the XBOX 360 in 2008 but a graphically improved port was released under the title Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 in 2009 for the PlayStation 3.

Fallout was released on both Windows and Mac OS computers in 1997, it was considered by many to be one of the greatest RPG’s of all time. The latest in the series Fallout New Vegas is still in development but is supposed to be released later this year. Although graphically it’s not so much more advanced than the previous title, Obsidian has promised to deliver a brand new experience.

Resident Evil made its way onto the PlayStation in 1996 and was later released ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. The series has since then had plenty of spin-offs, and more than enough movie adaptations. Resident Evil 4 which was originally released in 2005 brought the series back to life with it’s new take on the old franchise. It’s probably been ported to more systems than almost any other game with versions for the PS2, PC, Mobile Phone, iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad, Zeebo, and Wii. The latest game in the series, Resident Evil 5, was released in 2009 for Windows, XBOX 360, and PlayStation 3.

Street Fighter made its debut in arcades in 1987, and since then its been praised as one of the greatest fighting series of all time. The latest game in the franchise, Street Fighter IV was released in Japanese arcades on Taito Type X2 hardware. In 2009 it was brought to the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 as well as the PC. The upgraded version Super Street Fighter IV featuring a host of new characters and content was released earlier this year at a discounted price of $40.

Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue Version were originally released in 1996 in Japan. The Blue Version featured more than Red and Green Version and was consequently used in the port of Red and Blue Versions to the US and Europe in 1998. Ever since its release Pokemon has started a multi-billion dollar phenomenon all over the world with the latest versions Pokemon Black & White for the Nintendo DS to be released in Japan this year and everywhere else the following. With the release of the latest games the PokeDex has surpassed 500 Pokemon, and with each new iteration it continues to grow.

Final Fantasy was initially released on the Famicom in 1987 and didn’t reach U.S. shores till 3 years later. Each game tells a new tale so the need for gamers to have played a previous title is unnecessary. The ever expanding and ironically never ending “Final” Fantasy series continues to grow with a brand new online game Final Fantasy XIV to be released for PlayStation 3 and PC later this year.

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