Doesn’t this look like something you’d find in the depths of the ocean?

But, in the ocean, they were not. Rather, they were perched on a pile of decomposing dirt (is that redundant?) in my backyard.

Oh the textures!

Like these, many mushrooms appear seemingly overnight. This phenomenon is the source of the common expression: to mushroom (expanding rapidly in size or scope). And, really, this is crazy. Similar to a zygote becoming a fetus overnight – an infant by morning. Or planting a pumpkin seed and waking up to a full blown squash the next day. Just how does fungi do it?

Though they pop up quickly, mushrooms don’t hang around all too long. The stem and cap part that we call the mushroom, referred to as the “fruiting body,” is quite short-lived compared to the rest of the organism. The real magic happens underground. While the fruiting body may be short-lived, the underlying mycelium (a thread-like structure) can be long-lived, as well as massive:

Is this the largest organism in the world? This 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) site in eastern Oregon had a contiguous growth of mycelium before logging roads cut through it. Estimated at 1,665 football fields in size and 2,200 years old, this one fungus has killed the forest above it several times over, and in so doing has built deeper soil layers that allow the growth of ever-larger stands of trees. Mushroom-forming forest fungi are unique in that their mycelial mats can achieve such massive proportions.
—Paul Stamets, Mycelium Running

This next one made me want to go inside and beat Super Mario all over again.

Yes i no i am slacking off on posting but i have 4 other poster’s to help out. iv just been mad busy sorry for not posting as much ill try to post at lest 4 video’s a day

i no i took it offline but just for this site lunch i posted it for you to watch http://vimeo.com/7173111 injoy

i tought this was sick check it out

I’m going to do a best of the decade in late December, along with my best and worst of the year. However, as I’ve been useless recently, and Xi and Wolf have got their lists started I thought I’d chip in with my bottom of the decade list.  Which I feel I can do because I don’t think I’ll see anything worse than this lot before the year end.

This isn’t actually as easy as it sounds. Honestly. I had to narrow down a longlist from about 1000 pieces of absolute garbage. To be absolutely fair, I’m going to define the rules first:

1) These are all films without a single redeeming feature

2)These must be films that aren’t just bad but offensively awful and manage to piss me off in some way.

3)No more than one Superhero film can make it- I could quite easily have filled the list with about 10.

4)Only 1 of original and sequels can make it.

5No Platinum Dunes remakes. I could have filled the list with them

Anyhow, criteria defined- here we go. In reverse order:

Dishonourable Mentions:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, The Terminal, Van Helsing, Cabin Fever, Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader, Countless Superhero movies, Watchmen, Transformers, Matrix Sequels, Twilight, Scary Movie 2, Get Over It, The Sweetest Thing, The Last Kiss, Hannibal Rising, The Da Vinci Code, Poseiden, Oceans 12, Rob Schneider’s canon, The Cat in The Hat, Kill Bill 2, The Pirates of The Caribbean Sequels, Shrek 2 and 3, Swordfish,  The Heartbreak Kid, Battlefield Earth, anything with Eddie Murphy/ Martin Lawrence  in a fat suit.

*edit*

Since I wrote this I’ve been reminded of these other stinkers, that are actually worse than DM, but not quite bad enough to make it into the top 10:

Atrocious, but not quite top 10 level

13)9 Songs

Utter shit. Basically, just a slightly more explicit porno than Lust Caution. The reason it loses out to Ang Lee’s magnum snoozefest is that the chick in it shaves her armpits. Mediocre music combined with characters that aren’t so much ciphers as vacuums and the most explicit sex outside of hardcore porn.

To be honest, you’re better off putting on some music you actually like then watching hard core with the sound off.

12) Diary of the Dead

Romero proves Renton right once and for all: “You get old, you cannae hack it any more then you die”. All that’s left is for him to die.

Utterly dreadful, the central character is a complete cunt and he’s not alone. Romero needs to retire. However, like Xi, I’ve got battered wife syndrome with it, and will no doubt watch his next film.

11)Inland Empire

Unwatchable. Like putting your brain in a blender. As much fun as having your nipples electrocuted while some cunt asks for help with The Times crossword. By the end of this pretentious garbage you will be bleeding from the ears and your frontal lobe may have killed itself to relieve the pain.

The 10 Biggest Bags of Shit in the Last 10 Years

1o: Death Proof

Catastrophically dreadful. Completely boring. Totally useless. What the fuck was Tarantino thinking? This was billed as some kind of 70’s Grindhouse experience. It isn’t. What it is is hours and hours of boring self-indulgent women talking Tarantino (proving once again that he can’t write for women) before a ham fisted car chase. However, what makes this film a platinum stinker is that the climax of the film involves Kurt Russel crying.

Go and fuck yourself Quentin, you cunt. This is our Kurt, this is Snake Plissken, Macready, Jack Burton and you’ve made him cry. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your arsehole.

Absolutely unforgivable.

9: Lust Caution

The film that finally confirmed to me that I just don’t like Ang Lee films. A UK critic coined the term “Boredom Porn” to describe it and he’s completely right. It redefines dull for an hour, then there’s some nasty sex between two unlikable twats for an hour. Then it ends.

Dreadful. If you want to watch two people fucking, watch porn. Strictly for people too embarrassed to purchase dirty films. Or for dwarves to small to reach the shelf with real porn on it.

8: 2 Days in Paris

Before Sunrise was wonderful. Before Sunset was even better. This is, however, atrocious. Someone told Julie Delpy that she had some talent for writing, so she rips off those 2 films wholesale. Except for one thing, one tiny, important detail: the characters in those 2 films weren’t complete and utter cunts. Boring exposition following 2 self-indulgent twats around Paris. Julie Delpy’s character in particular is such an obnoxious bitch that I’m amazed he didn’t dump her yonks before the break up at the end.

Seriously, she shows naked pictures of him to her parents. And expects him not to be upset. And as if that wasn’t insulting enough- it turns out this is a picture she takes of all her boyfriends. Cow.

Oh, and there are far too many gratuitous cock shots of Goldberg.

7: Hostel

A plague on torture porn. This is, in my opinion, the absolute worst of a genre that frequently rips up the bottom of the barrel and then burrows towards the Earth’s core. The whole plot is simple: unlikable assholes get tortured to death in Europe. It fails for several reasons but most importantly, that you just don’t care about the people getting tortured. Diabolically bad, relentlessly dull and proof positive that that terminally useless cunt Eli Roth couldn’t direct piss into a urinal without help.

6: Funny Games

Personally, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being told I’m a complete cunt for watching a film by the fucking director of said film. Boring rubbish with delusions of grandeur and a completely pointless remake to boot.

Did I mention that it’s the only film I’ve ever seen to tell me I’m a cunt during the film?

5: Attack of the Clones

There’s been so much written on the Star Wars prequels in general (fuck you Lucas you soulless cunt), and yes, it is true that they do suck and probably did interfere with everyone’s favourite childhood memories. This one however, manages to comfortably be the worst of the 3. There are so many different reasons that this film makes this list, but I’ve included it because it’s the only film that I have ever successfully got my money back from the cinema for. That’s how bad it is- I managed to get Camden Town Odeon to refund me after the film.

And no, the last half an hour of it is not good- unless Yoda bouncing around like a demented ping-pong ball floats your boat.

4: Shrooms

I ACTUALLY OWN THIS PIECE OF SHIT AND CAN’T BRING MYSELF TO THROW IT OUT.

I admit it. I fell for the tag line. I’m a complete and utter cunt.

Dismal, predictable, ridiculous, boring, stupid, annoying, badly written, worse direction and just not scary. For some inexplicable reason they do a “hallucinogen cam” that just induced a migraine in me. If you can’t work out who the killer is within three seconds of turning it on then you should be banned from watching horror films.

Luckily, I saw this after OUTLANDER (motherfuckers), because if I hadn’t then the presence of Jack Huston in Outlander may have stopped me from seeing it. And that would have been tragic.

And now for the top 3 hall of shame:

3: Spider-Man 3

The presence of this film here in absolutely no way validates Superman Returns.

Ouch. This is the 21st Century equivalent of Batman and Robin. To be absolutely honest, it was a toss-up between this and Superman Returns for this spot, but this gets the honour for the following reasons:

1)Dunst sings. Twice

2)Tobey Maguire struts his funky stuff.

3)Tobey Maguire dances.

4)Sandman kills Uncle Ben (nb- I usually don’t give a fuck about abusing funny-book canon, but this was daft)

5)Plotholes you could park the QE2 in.

6)Sympathetic villain that wasn’t sympathetic.

7)Far too much crying.

8)Incomprehensible final fight scene with annoying cut away to reporter telling us what’s going on, as clearly we don’t want to see it in a film called Spider-Man 3. No, we came for the song and dance numbers.

9)For some inexplicable reason Spidey fights a Power Ranger.

10)Butler with the power of Wikipedia who only exists to explain the whole plot to Harry.

I could go on and on with this, but you get the idea. Raimi just clearly didn’t give a toss, and I suspect that it was that massive cunt Arad’s fault for shoe-horning Venom in.

Spider-man 3 is just a shit film, and very, very nearly a franchise killer.

2: Sex and the City

This is actually a contender for number one. Not just a bad film but a truly dreadful effort that reeks of cash in. Who in their right mind wants to follow 4 horrid self-indulgent cows in their various and terminally boring adventures.  Not to mention the fact that the damned thing is over 150 minutes. This film is nothing short of offensive- every male character, bar one that gets appallingly treated by slut in chief, is a complete cunt and don’t get me started on the women.

Bear in mind that nothing of any interest to man or beast happens in that time.

Mrs. Jarv, in a moment of weakness that got her Lovefilm privileges removed for 6 months rented this. Even she admitted it was shit.

1: Alien v Predator: Requiem

Fuck me. Where to begin?

How about this- setting it on Earth in the present day. Or what about the fact that some cunt forgot to turn the lights on when they were shooting? There isn’t a redeeming feature to this fetid pile of garbage.

However, the real reason it’s number 1 in the Hall of Infamy is: The Predalien

Who in their right mind thought this piece of depressing fanboy wankery was a good idea? Who? Tell me, and I’ll feed them their own entrails.

A bad idea, poorly executed and even were the rest of the film as good as Alien (which it isn’t) then this would still be enough to make it the worst film of the last ten years.

However, when you add this little touch to the aforementioned poor effort, then you get what I think is the worst film for the last 20 years.

Alien v Predator: Requiem is a film so bad that it makes Uwe Boll look like Stanley Kubrick.

If anyone wants to give me more suggestions, then I’ll gladly expand this- it’s fun to do and I can summon up some real hatred for a lot of these films.

Cheers

Jarv

]]> http://menteabiertacr.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/la-cultura-es-tu-sistema-operativo-manuel-chaves/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:55:41 +0000 Manuel Chaves http://menteabiertacr.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/la-cultura-es-tu-sistema-operativo-manuel-chaves/ http://blogfaced.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/party-in-the-usa-or/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:22:31 +0000 blogfaced http://blogfaced.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/party-in-the-usa-or/

As many of you are no doubt already aware, i spent Hallowe’en weekend in seattle with jo-ann and trevor. The trip started off with a somewhat ill-fated trip to Tan Popo for all-you-can-eat sushi. The sushi and assorted Japanese foods were fantastic, my ill-fated remark refers rather to Trevor’s stomach and his need to share it’s relative fullness for the rest of the night via assorted grunts and groans which Jo-ann and I only put up with because we were both well-sauced by this point.

The next morning it was up and out (at least in theory) on our way to Seattle. Trevor and Jo-ann had rented a fantastic grey Prius for our little road trip south of the border and somewhat predictably I now want one – in all fairness so does Jo-ann. Anyway, the road trip was lovely and we soon arrived at the home of Cale and Sacha. Needless to say, drinking ensued. That night we were off to Showbox SoDo – which was a wicked venue, like a big old warehouse, making me feel very much like i was Kyra Sedgewick in the movie ‘Singles’ – to see The Airborne Toxic Event who were brilliant. We did shots of tequila and drank supercans of PBR all night and it was amazing. (BTW, my favourite song by The Airborne Toxic Event is Sometime Around Midnight – click to see the video)

The next day was largely a hangover day and we sort of hung around the house acclimatising to the surprising warmth of Seattle. Later Trevor and I ventured out to the supermarket unsupervised which proved somewhat disastrous as it was not unlike two Id’s who’d left their Ego at home. We came back with over $100 worth of beer, chips, and pop, and beer only costs (!) $10 a case in the states. Any man who can pass a bag of Lay’s Limon or a six-pack of Land Shark Lager is a stronger man than I.

That night we stayed in and watched some terrible hallowe’en fare. The best of the three movies we watched was called ‘Shrooms’ and it was about some supposed friends who flew from America to Ireland on holiday to take mushrooms. I say supposed friends because very early into the film we found ourselves wondering why people who hated eachother as much as this bunch did would waste a thousand-ish dollars flying across the atlantic to spend a holiday together. Furthermore, are there no drugs in America? Who flies to Ireland to take mushrooms? Is this some sort of trend I don’t know about? Is this what all the kids are doing these days? Needless to say all but one of the “friends” ended up dead and the killer, after getting away with all the murders, escaped, for some reason, into the forest. It actually wasn’t a terrible movie apart from these and maybe a few more plot holes. We also watched ‘Stan Helsing’ which was just plain fucked up.

The next day it was time for some sightseeing in downtown Seattle starting with Pike Place Market. We stopped in for a Starbucks, Jo-ann had a thing for the fishermen, and Trevor, for some reason, drank a Hangtown Mary which included a raw oyster dangling nausea-inducingly from a cocktail pick. Later, despite protest from Jo-ann, we ascended the Space Needle which was actually properly amazing. It’s not right in the downtown core so you have a view of that, Puget Sound, and the whole surrounding area. Also, you can walk outside right the way around which is really cool; we had a drink up there and all loved it.

Later, we all kitted up and proceeded to get our drink on. After some initial indecision Sacha decided on Dorothy over Lederhosen, Cale topped his outfit up with a mustache, and I affixed my Cher wig and slipped into my poncho. Upon leaving the house Trevor was already quite drunk, rather foreshadowing the events that later transpired, but at this point each of us were blissfully unaware of anyone’s drunkenness but our own.

After arriving at Showbox at the Market – again, amazing – we got stamps on our wrists and proceeded to enjoy the party-time sounds of Seattle’s very own Cool-Ade. It was a brilliant party and then all of a sudden Cale came up to the rest of us and said that Trevor had been kicked out for being too drunk. After some initial disappointment Cale hatched the rather masterful plan of re-dressing Trevor in some extra bits and pieces, including my poncho and wig (I was also wearing a fantastic psychedelic shirt). So Cale painstakingly removes the Fred Flintstone costume from the now balance-challenged Trevor and replaces it with the wig and poncho. Only after he is fully re-dressed does Trevor point out the big black X that is drawn over the entry stamp on his wrist, precluding him from returning at all.

After a fall in the parking lot and the poncho moving again from Trevor, back to me, and then to Sacha, we’re now on our way home and out of downtown Seattle having only arrived an hour previous. All is going swimmingly again until we’re speeding down the freeway and Trevor decides to open his door to vomit. Only we’re going 65 MPH. And he’s not wearing his seatbelt. So a bit of shitstorm unleashes in the car and Jo-ann and I are trying to hold onto Trevor as his relieves his turbulent stomach onto the busy road (and a little bit onto the car door).

Now, just as we’re trying to find our way back onto the freeway after diverging in order to let Trevor finish up what do we see but A LANDSHARK BILLBOARD! Realizing that this is indeed a stupendous moment Sacha pulls the car to a hault and Cale and I dance a jig beneath it as Jo-ann tries capture the moment on film rather unsuccessfully.

Upon arriving home Trevor headed straight for bed and despite thinking it was a good idea to drug him awake – we failed – the night died down after that. Needless to say Trevor woke up with the mater and pater of all hangovers and we hit the road home.

En route we stopped to get Jack In The Box which was BRILLIANT, Jo-ann decided she needed to try every flavour of vitamin water, and Trevor usurped a coat that I liked at the outlet mall for his own – coatstealer. Finally, the next day we had lunch at the Black Frog before Jo-ann and Trevor had to head back to their real lives in the Big Onion. It was a fabulous trip.

A few things I learned:
1. Trevor’s new nickname is Captain Obvious as he has an uncanny ability for vocalising the obvious.
2. Showbox is fantastic. Go there if you’re in Seattle.
3. Ditto, the Space Needle, it’s surprisingly good.
4. Avoid Trinity night club at all costs. It was aweful and an event transpired as confusing as it was angering.
5. I am quite good at the playing the drums in Rock Band.
6. Do not show Trevor a coat you like at an outlet mall.
7. Lay’s Limon are amazing. (Why do we not have them in Canada?)
8. Jo-ann and I are quite good at swaying a la Sonny and Cher, or at least we seemed to be after a few drinks.
9. Bluto may be the best name ever in the history of horror films.
10. Do not go to Ireland to take shrooms.

TRIP HOP.  Literally.

If Shirley Bassey went on a 12 month opiate binge & linked up with the Rza during her withdrawal period, you get Portishead.  My uncle Paul put me on to this group in 1997 & this album has been a part of me since.  Sometimes in hip-hop there are certain albums that producers will not touch due to the projects inability to be made hotter.  I am really surprised some of these underground cats haven’t attacked this album & chopped it for all its worth, leaving nothing behind except deteriorated bass lines & filtered out vocals.  DO NOT let this post be your introduction to ruining something that is already perfect.  The album sparks with “Cowboys”, a rugged never smooth compilation of wailing guitars, choppy pulsating rhodes chords, a ride symbol that must have been hit with the tip of a knife, and something that sounds like Godzilla moaning as a bass line. It automatically shoots chills down your spine when Beth Gibbons opens with “Did you sweep us far from your feet?/ reset in stone, this stark belief/”.

Tributes to hip-hop break beats, dope scratches, filtered samples, and excellent engineering make this album one of my favorites of all time in any genre.  You cannot exactly pin point the musical family you would find this album a part of, which is one of the qualities that make it so dope.  The beat from “Elysium” drops at 0:12 and it might be one of the hardest tracks that came out in 1997.  “Over” was an all time favorite for Little Vic when I used to puffa-lotta-pot.  Being completely obsessed with music since I was able to understand it, I always made sure I had a dope stereo system rigged up in my bedroom.  That song would blast holes in my 12 inch Sansui’s & devastate my 15 inch Pioneers until my neighbors were humming the melody.  You might NOT want to listen to Portishead if you take mushrooms…I mean…I wouldn’t know…but…yeah…anyhow.  “Seven Months” always reminded me of a Bond theme.  When those 1/16 triplet boom baps hit at 0:25, you have no choice but to bob your head like you are dodging bullets from Francisco Scaramanga’s barrel.

Besides Beth’s lyrics being completely insane, depressing, eerie, chilling & all the other things we love…the production is not to be fucked with for lack of better words.  If I could completely bite someone’s entire style & call it my own… it would be Portishead’s.  The group split a few years ago, which really got me tight.  I would love to hear what type of insanity would be coming out of their studio today.  I can only imagine.  What I do know is that I will pursue them & offer them my first born child to produce a song for me…(Kidding.)

Anyhow… It is nearing 6am, and I have to gather alcohol & food for tomorrow nights PPV fight between Pacman & Cotto.  I hope I put you on to something new that will never leave your iPod.  I would link you to the free download but this really is something you should buy if you crave meaningful lyrics, fiend for boom baps, and live for incredible engineering.  If you already know about Portishead, good for you.  If I put you onto this, hit me up at LittleVicBlog@gmail.com and give me your thoughts on this monstrosity of an album.

DO NOT SAMPLE ANYTHING FROM THIS ALBUM.  SAVE YOURSELF THE EMBARRASSMENT!  ALSO CHECK OUT PORTISHEAD’S FIRST ALBUM “DUMMY”… ANOTHER INCREDIBLE PEICE OF WORK WITH PRODUCTION THAT COULD STAND UP TO ANY HIP HOP ALBUM.

1

Am mai povestit eu acum ceva vreme, daca imi aduc bine aminte, printre primele posturi, ca intr-o gradina a unui bloc de langa mine sunt niste ciuperci zambitoare. Acelea erau de portelan, dar astazi am dat peste ceva mult mai interesant. In drumul meu minunat catre munca, in 117 fiind, si ca de fiecare data uitandu-ma pe geam, am vazut. Ce? Ciuperci intr-o gradina. Cum ce ciuperci? Din cate am vazut, lunad in calcul inaltimea si circumferinta, ca sa nu mai spun de culoare au parut a fi shrooms. Ar fi frumos de vazut in loc de florile de pe marginea drumului, ciupercute, de care or fi, chit ca comestibile sau otravitoare, halucinogene sau nu. Sunt mai frumoase, nu necesita conditii prea stricte si arata mai interesant decat vesnicile flori.

The title throws you off right…. you might think I went to the zoo or some other adventure! Nope.

I made rolled out cookies and cut them into animal shapes and decorated them with a royal icing.

Sorry for the photo quality it was taken with my Iphone.

Rolled Sugar Cookies:
Makes 60 cookies

Royal Icing Recipe (From Cakecentral.com)

Ingredients:

6 oz (3/4 cup) of warm water
5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2.25 lbs. powdered sugar

*** Note; if your meringue powder has no vanilla flavour (vanillin powder) in it, add a teaspoon of clear vanilla to this recipe.

Directions:

In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened…about 30 seconds.

Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.

Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.

Using the paddle attachment on the LOWEST speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.

Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency.

A Bíblia explicada

Nu ær det fyra 6 dagar sen jag och Axel børjade vår resa ner mot Spanien. Hittills har det hænt en del, mer æn vad jag trott att det skulle, jag menar, danmark ær væll platt och rætt så trist? Men ikke! Axel har druckit gratis øl varje dag och vi har inte betalat før en enda måltid sen vi læmnade sverige. Vi fick øl, cigaretter, mat och pengar av en protustuerad kvinna nær vi jammade lite på stan med några esteter som samlade pengar till barn i Zimbawe. Vi har varit nørdar och gjort super mario-shrooms på pærlplattor eller som det heter på danska, “pærleplader”. Vi har varit i kristiania och sett bruna små kakor sæljas som godis i godisstånd.
MEN.
Danmark ær nog det sæmsta stællet vi liftat i hittills. Idag stod vi i sammanlagt ca 5 timmar och liftat. Vi satt fast i ett stælle bara några mil utanfør køpenhamn i fyra timmar tills vi æntligen fick sjuts efter att en kille tittade på oss och skrattade medans Axel spelade djembe och jag spelade sorgset på themesången från Titanic.
han hjælpte oss och denna man resulterade att læget nu ær:

*kom hit i en baklucka på en bil
*Vi sitter på ett 4-stjærnigt hotel i danmark (som han betalar)
*Får 400 danska kronor till færjan till tyskland imorron før ett eldgig till denne mannens son.

Hitch hiking is sure interesting and unpredictible! ^^

Kærlek till er alla!

Ritual Use of Psilocybe mexicana & Lophophora williamisii in North America

The use of hallucinogens in religious ceremony is an ancient practice that has appeared numerous times throughout human history and into modern day. Throughout Mexico and into the southern United States the now famous Peyote (lophophora williamisii) and hallucinogenic mushrooms (Psilocybin mushrooms) have been used in indigenous ceremonies since pre-Columbian history. Both of these hallucinogens are said to produce visions and profound mystical and transcendental experiences that connect the user with the divine. They are used by religious cults to strengthen the connection with, and promote the understanding of, a greater force or power within the natural and cosmic world.

Brief History of Psilocybin Mushrooms

Archaeological evidence suggests that as early as 1,000 B.C.E mushrooms were being used by Mayan and other Latin American cultures. At least 400 pre-Columbian mushroom statues have been found from as far north as southern and central Mexico to as far south as Honduras and El Salvador. A majority of these figures were recovered from the highlands of Guatemala. A statuette dating from ca. 200 AD was found in a west Mexican shaft and chamber tomb in the state of Colima. This statuette strongly resembles the common hallucinogenic mushroom of the area; Psilocybe mexicana. Conflicting beliefs exist as to whether these statuettes suggest an actual worship and ritual use of the mushrooms or not, but later evidence from Spanish written records and the Aztec Codex suggest it is a very strong possibility.

Drawings indicating mushroom worship in central Mexico date back to as far as 300 AD. In the Mixtec Vindobonensis Codex and Aztec Magliabechiano Codex sacred mushrooms and their use make an appearance. Tepantitla frescoes of Teotihuacan also depict similar mushrooms in such a away as to infer that they were used in a ritual context. Piltzintecuhtli, one of the many gods of the Miztec culture, was responsible for hallucinatory plants and worship, particularly pertaining to psilocybin mushrooms. The Aztecs also had a similar god by the name of Xochipilli who was the divine patron of the “flowery dream” which was the name given to hallucinatory trances. Psilocybin mushrooms were often served with honey and chocolate at many of the holiest Aztec events.

When Spaniards first arrived in Mesoamerica they were astounded to find such a wide variety of plants being used for both medicinal and religious purposes. The Aztecs were using Psilocybe mushrooms which they called “teonanácatl” which is Nahuatl for “god’s mushroom” or “flesh of the gods” a combination of the word “teó” meaning “god” and “nanácatl” meaning “mushroom.” The Spanish priest-historian Bernardino de Sahagún reported ritualistic use of teonanácatl by the Aztecs and that teonanácatl was served at the coronation of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II in 1502.

“The first thing to be eaten at the feast were small black mushrooms that they called nanácatl and bring on drunkenness, hallucinations and even lechery; they ate these before the dawn… with honey; and when they began to feel the effects, they began to dance, some sang and others wept… when the drunkenness of the mushrooms had passed, they spoke to one another of the visions they had seen.” – Historia General de las cosas de Nueva España by Bernardino de Sahagún.

The use of mushrooms at religious ceremonies were seen as unchristian and were quickly pegged as “pagan idolatry” by Spanish missionaries. These practices as well as other indigenous beliefs were quickly suppressed by the Spanish who forced Christian ideologies on the native populace, ending the widespread use of Psilocybe mushrooms among indigenous peoples. But more remote regions have retained their mushroom ritual and continue into modern day. These include the Mazatec, Chinantec, Zapotec, Mije, and Mixtec of Oaxaca; the Nahoa of Mexico; and possibly the Otomi of Puebla and the Tarascana of Michoacan. Species of Psilocybin mushrooms currently utilized in religious ceremonies in these areas include: Conocybe siligineoides, Panaeolus sphinctrinus, Psilocybe acutissima, Psilocybe aztecorum, Psilocybe caerulescens, Psilocybe caerulipes, Psilocybe cordispora, Psilocybe cubensis Psilocybe fagicola, Psilocybe hoogshageniii, Psilocybe isauri, Psilocybe mexicana, Psilocybe mixaeensis, Psilocybe semperviva, Psilocybe yungensis, Psilocybe zapotecorum. The varieties most likely to have been used by the Aztecs were probably Psilocybe caerulescens and Psilocybe mexicana. The now popular Psilocybe cubensis was not introduced to America until after the arrival of Europeans and their cattle. This strain of mushroom preferring to grow near fertile manure.

In more recent times the use of Psilocybe mushrooms came to the attention of Westerners by the Mazatec people of the southern state of Oaxaca who in June of 1955, in the village of Huautla de Jimenez, allowed R. Gordon Wasson to participate in a ceremony known as velada. Velada is the modern vestige of the ancient and sacred use of teonanácatl. It was Wasson’s account of this experience that initiated the rebirth of the sacred mushroom in modern times as a recreational drug rather than a ceremonial one and initiated the study of such mushrooms and their effects.

The Experience

When Psilocybin is ingested it is broken down to produce psilocin. Psilocin is the substance responsible for producing the hallucinations which participants experience. The intoxicating effects generally last from about 3 to 7 hours during which time the user experiences a wide range of physical, emotional, and sensory effects. About thirty minutes after ingestion there are noticeable changes to audio, visual, and tactile senses. Shifts in perception, visually, including enhancement of color, changes in surfaces (I.e rippling, shimmering, breathing), and the appearance of halos or auras. Objects morph or change before one’s eyes, a feeling of melting into surroundings, and trails may occur behind moving objects. Hallucinations with eyes opened or closed, flourishes of color and patterns can be experienced.

Once in this state of mind a person becomes very open to suggestion. Words or other cues can set off complex visions or hallucinations. Depending on the users frame of mind these can be exhilarating or frightening. Many people, whether participating in a religious ceremony, or a more recreational experience, often relay or claim to experience an understanding of a force larger then themselves whether it is of God or the cosmos.

When put in a ceremonial context with the enhancement of drums, language, or other cues one can be transported to a parallel plane, so to speak. Experiencing what could be relayed as the divine or an infinite understanding. The Mazatec shaman Maria Sabina, who allowed R. Gordon Wasson to participate in the Velada, relays the experience of teonanácatl by saying:

“The more you go inside the world of teonanácatl, the more things are seen. And you also see our past and our future, which are there as a single thing already achieved, already happened…. Millions of things I saw and knew. I knew and saw God: an immense clock that ticks, the spheres that go slowly around, and inside the stars, the earth, the entire universe, the day and the night, the cry and the smile, the happiness and the pain. He who knows to the end the secret of teonanácatl can even see that infinite clockwork.” – Maria Sabina

Hallucinations and the experience of Psilocybin mushrooms are also seen as not only a cosmic experience but a self reflection and inner lesson as well. Fears are often brought to the surface if a person is not of a positive frame of mind and can be quiet frightening and engaging. These types of experiences are often seen as an emotional and religious trail when used in a ceremonial context. While vomiting is not common with Psilocybin mushrooms as it is with Peyote (Peyotl), the act is still viewed as a physical reaction of the cleansing of a person’s soul. Overall the experience and use of Psilocybin mushrooms is seen as a positive intellectual and spiritual journey among pre-Columbian and modern hallucinogenic drug cults.

Legality in Modern and Ancient Times

As mentioned earlier, after the arrival of Spanish conquistadors the use of psychedelic mushrooms as well as other ritual hallucinogens were forcefully put to a halt because of the view that they were sacrilegious and non-Christian. In remote regions they continued on outside the reach of their European conquerers and into modern day when R. Gordon Wasson was invited to a ceremony in 1955. After he relayed accounts of this experience many foreigners came to Oaxaca in search of “magic” mushrooms, but they did not come without attracting the attention of the Mexican authorities. But even this has not completely halted the use of such mushrooms by individual indigenous groups. There are laws protecting ethnic minorities in Mexico and their right to practice their religion.

In the United States psychedelic mushrooms are categorized as a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs are drugs that are considered to have a high potential for abuse and that have no recognized medical use. This though has come under some criticism as Psilocybin mushrooms are considered to be among the “softer” drugs. It is a common misconception, even among the professional fields, that the effects of “magic” mushrooms are due to a poisonous nature of the compound. But the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a branch of the Center for Disease Control, rated psilocybin less toxic than aspirin.

Brief History of Lophophora williamisii

Two archaeological specimens of Lophophora williamisii, more commonly known as peyote, were recovered from Shumla Cave No. 5 on the Rio Grande, Texas. The two specimens were Peyote buttons, or dried tops of the cactus, and were both dated by professionals independently. The results dated the specimens to between 3780 – 3660 BC producing sound evidence that native North Americans were using the cactus as early as 5,700 years ago. A burial cave in west central Coahulia, Mexico also produced specimens of Lophophora williamisii. The specimen from this site is associated with radio carbon dates of AD 810 – 1070.

Lophophora williamisii also appeared in art throughout Mesoamerican history. Archaeological mortuary ceramics depicting the cactus were found in western Mexico and dated to about 100 BC to 300 AD in the state of Colima. But the primary source of accounts of the use of Peyote, or Peyotl, appear in post-Colombian times.

Bernardino de Sahagún also mentioned the use of a ceremonial drug known as Peyotl among the Aztecs, in his Florentine doctrine.

“There is another herb like tunas [Opuntia spp.] of the earth. It is called Peyotl. It is white. It is found in the north country. Those who eat or drink it see visions either frightful or laughable. This intoxication lasts two or three days and then ceases. It is a common food of the Chichimeca, for it sustains them and gives them courage to fight and not feel fear nor hunger nor thirst. And they say that it protects them from all danger.” – Bernardino de Sahagún.

This drug too was used in a similar way as Psilocybin mushrooms and was quickly deemed unchristian in nature. Peyotl’s use also suffered with the implement of the conquistador’s laws which prohibited the use of all intoxicants other than alcohol. Shortly there after, the drug and its users disappeared into the mountains, hills, and deserts of Mexico.

But the use of Peyote did not die there. Although the cactus only exists naturally in southwestern Texas and Northern Mexico, the use of peyote has extended as far north as Canada in the last few millenniums. Peyote is known for its healing and ceremonial properties and has been implemented by native North American tribes for its medicinal and therapeutic properties. It was believed the spread of peyotism was spurred by the initial efforts of the Apache.

Today more than fifty Indian tribes practice peyotism through the Native American church and there are believed to be somewhere around 250,000 followers. Beliefs vary from tribe to tribe and church to church, but generally use a mixture of Christian ideologies and more traditional Native American beliefs. The ritual use of Peyote, or peyotism, is at the center of a successful and thriving modern drug cult.

The Experience

Mescaline is the property in peyote which gives it its intoxicating nature. An effective dose of mescaline is about 300 to 500 mg (approximately 5 grams of dried peyote) and the effects last between 10 to 12 hours. The use of peyote often induces intense stimulatory effects and intricate hallucinations. Vivid patterns such as stripes, checkerboards, multicolored dots, angular spikes and very simple fractals which often turn evermore complex, have occurred. Such patterns have been relayed as resembling light passing through a colorful stain glass window.

The top of the cactus known as peyote buttons are ingested to trigger the experience. Because of the bitter taste of these buttons sometimes involuntary vomiting can occur. When put into a ceremonial context this is often seen as a process of cleansing the soul. The buttons can be ground and put into pill form to avoid such an occurrence, but this is not commonly done by those using peyote in a ritual context.

Since so many tribes within the Native American church practice peyotism the actual ceremony and beliefs vary from area to area. But generally the ceremony occurs within a tepee, hogan or other traditional structure and begins in the evening on a Saturday and ends with breakfast in the morning on Sunday. There is generally a fire which the participants sit around in a circle or semi-circle. The ritual includes prayer, the ingestion of peyote, peyote songs, sometimes water rituals, and deep contemplation. The goal of such rituals is generally to commune with the Spirit or Creator or in some cases the deceased, and to give guidance, power and/or healing.

In areas of Northern Mexico, local indigenous groups such as the Huichol, not only think of the use of peyote as ceremonial or ritual but the collection of the cactus has its own significance and meaning as well. Small groups go into the desert to collect the cactus in a very practiced and formal way. The cactus is very fragile and if not harvested properly the plant will die. Peyote cactus take a long time to bloom and are a very delicate plant. Many of the modern users of peyote, who do not deem the plant as sacred and are careless with the harvesting of peyote, have put the cactus in danger in areas of southwestern Texas and northern Mexico.

Legality in Modern and Ancient Times

In 1620, with the Inquisition of New Spain, an order was published prohibiting the use of peyote and other drugs, besides alcohol, for any purposes. Although this order failed to stop the use of peyote completely, particularly among the Huichol and Tarahumara in Northern Mexico, it did stop its widespread use.

Peyotism survived among the Huichol and Tarahumara of Northern Mexico into the 1800’s, when the Lipan Apaches were driven from Texas and took refuge with the Comanche, Kiowa, and other tribes. It was with these tribes that the Lipan Apaches discovered peyotism and were converted. And the religion began to spread once again from there.

From 1886 to 1932 extensive measures were taken by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and traditional Christian missionary societies to end the use of peyote for good. They implemented federal prohibitions but these failed in halting the use and they resorted to moving the attempts to the state level. By 1837 at least 14 states had outlawed the use of peyote, but Natives in Oklahoma, in 1918, succeeded in keeping their use of peyote by implementing it within the Native American Church.

Members of the Native American Church believe that peyote was put on earth by God or the Creator in order to help the Native Americans, and for this reason it is considered sacred. Peyote is considered a divine messenger and medicine and aids true believers in receiving knowledge and advice from God or Jesus. Jesus is mentioned fairly often in hymns and prayers. The general rules or guidelines of the Native American Church state that alcohol is an evil and to be avoided, the family is to be sanctified, and the earth and all natural products are to be respected.

Conclusion

The use of peyote and psilocybin mushrooms is an ancient practice, found sacred to many indigenous groups. Although numerous attempts have been made to halt or terminate their use, they are so deeply embedded they continue to be used into modern day by select indigenous groups throughout Mexico and the United States. With the implementation of an organization such as the Native American Church, it looks unlikely that peyotism will die in the near future. Such a belief has survived this long, it is hard to conceive that it will disappear anytime in the near future.

Why is it that anyone who takes a crap at a Phish concert seems to be able to defecate anywhere but in the poo-depository location?  All over the seat, all over the floor and all over the paper… what’s the deal?  Why do trippin hippies insist on pooping in a circular pattern?

I’ve learned over the years that even as a guy – if I want to take a sanitary #2 at any sort of potential hippie concert or festival – I can’t rely on trying to shit in a porta-potty after dark.  What the fuck gives?  I’ve got flashlight and a good sense of not having vertigo, so why don’t you?

This all comes in good nature really, a poorly mixed evening can induce the spins in even the most seasoned of liver and psychedelic… but come on man… There are handles to keep upright, just focus on crapping into the big blue plastic hole after that.  I mean cripes, they even have sky lights and nighttime glow lights these days.  What else do you need, a garden hose?

Getting closer to Halloween we all seem to have the urge to watch a good scary movie. With perks such as a talking cow, a scary castration, and minimal gore, I can safely say that Shrooms was a fun (and surprisingly good) short horror film that is sure to scare.

The film begins with a group of college age adventurers heading to Ireland to experiment with the island’s famed magic mushrooms. However, discord within the group and the telling of a disturbing “true” story turn the kids’ fungus induced trips into visions of horror and death. But what parts of these visions are real and what is simply drug-induced paranoia? With a surprising twist ending, Shrooms is sure to make you jump and squirm – and next time, think twice before eating any strange fungi.

Katie M. Gaulke
gaulkek@uwec.edu

Here’s the aforementioned stop motion I made. I ended up not using it in my FMP.

I’m in class right now. It’s been a hellish, exhausting weekend. Hampshire on Friday, NYC on Saturday/Sunday.

I have so much work to do. I need to focus and get back into it. I had a 100.4 degree fever last night for a split second. Now I’m fine; just tired.

Prof Stillman on the theme of “empty hands” in Le Guin’s The Dispossessed:

“I want to talk more, but I want my coffee cup. Maybe I’ll just make you talk. You. Give me a quote.”

So I have a job with Vassar’s Drama Dept. They do things oddly; this will be very hard. I sort of am my own boss…which is never a good idea.

Let’s recap the weekend:

First, Hampshire. I love Hampshire. I understand now why people stereotype it as grunge hipster, crusty punk, non-bathing potheads. Because those people DO exist. Just like the Smith and Vassar stereotypes, or any stereotype for that case. Stereotypes are grounded in reality, but they do not embody or represent the whole. (The center does hold!)

The “mod” I stayed in with Bo and his partner Dent was fully embodied by highly gender-variant people, gender-variant in the same way I am. In the mildly confusing, ambiguous way. Genderfucks, all of them. Lovely people. Also, even though these pronouns don’t sound normal outside of that mod, I really like “they” pronouns in reference to me.

I was severely fucked up this night. Weed, as always. Lots of booze. And magic mushrooms. But at some point through the night, I realized that all drugs are essentially the same. some make you feel better or worse, more energy or less, more coherent or less. But essentially, the same. I haven’t found a recreational drug that shocks or surprises me yet.

New York City. Co, Addy, Addy’s friend Tea, and I. And we eventually met up with El, which to me was extraoridnary. I don’t remember the last time we saw each other. She looks really good. Fuck that, she looks hot. We got really high and snorted some drugs, as per usual with El. I wish I could’ve had more time with her alone, but it was a fun, if chaotic, night.

On Sunday, we went thrift store hopping. I got a rugby shirt, a corduroy blazer with suede elbow patches (yay!), black jeans that actually fit, black converse-looking but actually levi’s low top sneakers, and a 1944 army jacket that actually fits. Fashion show when I’m not in class…

I should talk more in class and stop writing on my blog.