Dailymail.co.uk, By: Victoria Woollaston, 08/22/2013

It's well-known that marijuana will get you high, but a lesser known side-effect is that it can alter our response to negative emotions and images. A recent study has taken a look at the brain’s functioning in the presence of tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC) to understand how marijuana can affect the way we process emotions. THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of the cannabis plant.

The European Neuropsychopharmacology journal has published a study that has confirmed the positive effect of THC to negative stimuli. The study, which was undertaken at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, claims that THC activates the endocannabinoid system naturally found in the brain to alter our response to negative images or emotions.

For more on this story visit www.dailymail.co.uk

By: USGS

www.earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/

18 earthquakes

    3.6 27km SSW of Morton, Washington 2013-08-23 17:38:35 UTC-04:00 15.7 km

    4.7 191km E of Chitina, Alaska 2013-08-23 17:28:59 UTC-04:00 4.0 km

    4.4 178km E of Chitina, Alaska 2013-08-23 17:28:58 UTC-04:00 8.5 km

    2.6 16km SSW of Ferndale, California 2013-08-23 16:10:55 UTC-04:00 30.3 km

    2.6 44km WSW of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California 2013-08-23 16:05:46 UTC-04:00 0.2 km

    5.0 45km S of L'Esperance Rock, New Zealand 2013-08-23 08:06:22 UTC-04:00 69.4 km

    4.9 152km S of `Ohonua, Tonga 2013-08-23 07:38:04 UTC-04:00 9.9 km

    3.4 121km N of Vieques, Puerto Rico 2013-08-23 04:50:29 UTC-04:00 53.0 km

    5.8 43km ENE of Calama, Chile 2013-08-23 04:34:06 UTC-04:00 102.5 km

    2.8 9km W of Maneadero, Mexico 2013-08-23 04:14:44 UTC-04:00 8.8 km

    2.9 80km NW of Talkeetna, Alaska 2013-08-23 04:07:50 UTC-04:00 115.0 km

    4.0 34km N of Jalapa, Mexico 2013-08-23 03:49:10 UTC-04:00 6.8 km

    4.1 7km NE of Neijiang, China 2013-08-23 02:23:57 UTC-04:00 39.0 km

Realfarmacy, By: RT.com, 08/22/2013

Thousands of Chileans have rallied against a bill dubbed the “Monsanto law” that would let multinationals patent GMO seeds. Activists say it will not only compromise food sovereignty in Chile, but will also harm consumer health. Mass protests were held in at least nine cities across the Latin American country to protest the bill that would allow for the development of genetically modified seeds. Activists carried banners emblazoned with slogans such as “Monsanto kills” and “Monsanto will patent your life.”

Other protesters dressed up as bees and zombies to illustrate their fear that the new legislation could lead to the degradation of Chile’s biodiversity.

For more on this story visit www.realfarmacy.com

EcoWatch, By: Lauren Berlekamp, 08/20/2013

Facebook has been accused of being a facade for free speech as it has been known to censor controversial content. For example, earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg was called out for practicing censorship when a Facebook ad by CREDO Mobile was pulled for criticizing his financial and political ties to the Keystone XL pipeline.

The group March Against Monsanto announced yesterday on their Facebook page that Facebook removed an event page promoting a rally in St. Louis, MO, where the biotech giant is headquartered. The rally is set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, with a broad coalition of regional groups and solidarity activists planning to converge at the company’s corporate headquarters. While the event did not contain derogatory or inappropriate content, it was removed for violating Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. The group has since created a new event page for the rally.

For more on this story visit www.ecowatch.com

Earthfirstnews.wordpress.com, By: nodashforcash.org, 08/19/2013

Anti-fracking protestors Reclaim the Power have targeted Cuadrilla at locations across the UK shutting down their HQ in Lichfield, their PR company in London, and Balcombe drill site. Campaigners condemned violent policing at the gates of the drill site, where police charged, shoved and kettled a group that included children, people in wheelchairs, pensioners, MP Caroline Lucas, and journalists.

Protestor Ewa Jasiewicz, who is at the kettle said: “This an outrageously aggressive response to a day of principled civil disobedience. All of our actions have safety, dignity and respect at their core. Cuadrilla and the government were desperate to discredit fracking opponents. We offered them no aggression so they are creating it themselves.”

For more on this story visit www.earthfirstnews.wordpress.com