A team of paleontologists wants to dig up William Shakespeare to find out of he used marijuana.
They didn't just come up with this out of thin air; some recent evidence actually suggests that Shakespeare may have gotten high. Now Francis Thackeray, an anthropologist and director of the Institute for Human Evolution at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, has placed a formal request with the Church of England to unearth the Bard, reports David Edwards at The Raw Story.
The playwright is buried under the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and the planned analysis is of the "nondestructive" variety, according to Thackeray, reports Alec Liu at FoxNews.com.
"We have incredible techniques," Thackeray said. "We don't intend to move the remains at all." The team instead plans to conduct a forensic analysis using state-of-the-art technology to scan the bones.
The first order of business would be to confirm Shakespeare's identity, according to Thackeray.
"We'll have to establish the age and gender of the individual," he told FoxNews.com. The team plans to DNA test not only Shakespeare himself, but also the remains of his wife and sister, also buried at the Holy Trinity Church.
Another priority will be to solve the longstanding mystery of exactly why Shakespeare died. "We would like to find out the cause of death, which is not known historically," Thackeray said.
Thackeray a decade ago first advanced the controversial theory that Shakespeare used cannabis after he examined a collection of two dozen pipes found in the playwright's garden.
The researcher claimed the devices were used to smoke marijuana, a plant which was actively cultivated in Britain at the time.
"There were very low concentrations of cannabis, but the signature was there," said Inspector Tommy van der Merwe, who tested the pipes at South Africa's Forensic Science Laboratory.
The allegation sparked disbelief and anger among some non-toking fans of Shakespeare.
"I would be happy if they did open it up because it could put an end to a lot of fruitless speculation," Professor Stanley Wells, honorary president of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, told the London Daily Mail.
Digging up the body would go directly against Shakespeare's dying wishes. The playwright, fearful of what might happen to his remains after his death, had a famous curse engraved on his tomb:
"Good friend for Jesus sake forebeare,
To digg the dust encloased heare;
Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones."
"Shakespeare had an unusual obsession with burial and a fear of exhumation," Philip Schwyzer, senior lecturer at Exeter University, told Reuters. "The stern inscription on the slab has been at least partially responsible for the fact that there have been no successful projects to open the grave."
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
War on Drugs
How do you end America’s longest war that is an abject failure? No, not Afghanistan. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the day Richard Nixon launched the “War on Drugs.” And now, four decades later, it would be impossible to invent a more complete failure.
About $1 trillion has been spent on the war. Millions of citizens who pose no threat to anyone have been incarcerated in prison. Some 2.3 million now overcrowd America’s prisons — 25 percent of whom have been arrested for nonviolent drug crimes.
Our neighbors to the south — Mexico and Colombia — are being torn about by gang violence and corruption. In Afghanistan, where our soldiers risk their lives, fully one-third to one-half of the entire economy is generated by the opium and heroin trade. All of this is in reaction to nonviolent acts that were not even crimes a century ago.
Yet despite this, drugs are just as available and cheaper than they were 40 years ago. As the U.S. drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, concluded: “In the grand scheme, it has not been successful. Forty years later, the concern about drugs and the drug problem is, if anything, magnified, intensified.”
About $1 trillion has been spent on the war. Millions of citizens who pose no threat to anyone have been incarcerated in prison. Some 2.3 million now overcrowd America’s prisons — 25 percent of whom have been arrested for nonviolent drug crimes.
Our neighbors to the south — Mexico and Colombia — are being torn about by gang violence and corruption. In Afghanistan, where our soldiers risk their lives, fully one-third to one-half of the entire economy is generated by the opium and heroin trade. All of this is in reaction to nonviolent acts that were not even crimes a century ago.
Yet despite this, drugs are just as available and cheaper than they were 40 years ago. As the U.S. drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, concluded: “In the grand scheme, it has not been successful. Forty years later, the concern about drugs and the drug problem is, if anything, magnified, intensified.”
Monday, 30 May 2011
Arizona Cops Shoot Former Marine In Botched Pot Raid
On May 5 at around 9:30 a.m., several teams of Pima County, Ariz., police officers from at least four different police agencies armed with SWAT gear and an armored personnel carrier raided at least four homes as part of what at the time was described as an investigation into alleged marijuana trafficking. One of those homes belonged to 26-year-old Jose Guerena and his wife, Vanessa Guerena. The couple's 4-year-old son was also in the house at the time. Their 6-year-old son was at school.
As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.
Isn't that nice huh?
As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.
Isn't that nice huh?
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Delaware Senate Approves Medical Marijuana
Delawareans with cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating diseases could be legally using marijuana a year from now to alleviate the effects of their ailments. The Senate on Wednesday sent Gov. Jack Markell legislation that would decriminalize marijuana possession, use and distribution for limited medical purposes.
The Senate’s final vote came after an extensive lobbying effort that began in January with a visit to Legislative Hall by celebrity talk show host Montel Williams, who uses marijuana to ease the debilitating effects of MS.
With Markell expected to sign the bill soon, Delaware would have one of the strictest medical marijuana laws in the country, regulating everything from the quality of the cannabis to how it is transported. Fifteen states, including New Jersey, already have medical marijuana laws on the books.
The Senate’s final vote came after an extensive lobbying effort that began in January with a visit to Legislative Hall by celebrity talk show host Montel Williams, who uses marijuana to ease the debilitating effects of MS.
With Markell expected to sign the bill soon, Delaware would have one of the strictest medical marijuana laws in the country, regulating everything from the quality of the cannabis to how it is transported. Fifteen states, including New Jersey, already have medical marijuana laws on the books.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Underground Plantation in Poland
So I just found this video where they show a busted grow op in Poland, there's not much to say, the video shows enough i think, by the way, I'm not completely sure about this but I think that they busted 3 guys for this, and they got 5 years in prison each, I wonder how much they made while it was operational...
Thursday, 12 May 2011
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