WHAT IS A RESOURCE BASED ECONOMY?
Modern society has access to highly advanced technology and can make available food, clothing, housing and medical care; update our educational system; and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy. By supplying an efficiently designed economy, everyone can enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities of a high technological society.

A resource-based economy would utilize existing resources from the land and sea, physical equipment, industrial plants, etc. to enhance the lives of the total population. In an economy based on resources rather than money, we could easily produce all of the necessities of life and provide a high standard of living for all.

Consider the following examples: At the beginning of World War II the US had a mere 600 or so first-class fighting aircraft. We rapidly overcame this short supply by turning out more than 90,000 planes a year. The question at the start of World War II was: Do we have enough funds to produce the required implements of war? The answer was no, we did not have enough money, nor did we have enough gold; but we did have more than enough resources. It was the available resources that enabled the US to achieve the high production and efficiency required to win the war. Unfortunately this is only considered in times of war.

In a resource-based economy all of the world's resources are held as the common heritage of all of Earth's people, thus eventually outgrowing the need for the artificial boundaries that separate people. This is the unifying imperative.

We must emphasize that this approach to global governance has nothing whatever in common with the present aims of an elite to form a world government with themselves and large corporations at the helm, and the vast majority of the world's population subservient to them. Our vision of globalization empowers each and every person on the planet to be the best they can be, not to live in abject subjugation to a corporate governing body.
http://www.thevenusproject.com/about/resource-based-economy

Now, in response to Brand’s articulate litany, Paxman goes in a completely different direction: “All of those things may be true –“ They are true!” says Brand. “I wouldn’t argue with you about many of them,” Paxman responds, at which point the interview appears to be edited and what follows is some nonsense about Paxman’s beard.

Paxman shifts back to the inquiry mode, asking Brand for details again about what he means by revolution and what are the specifics of the new system he wants, but his tone now is less confrontational. Even so, when Brand says voting makes no difference, Paxman responds, “It does make a difference,” without offering any evidence that it does. And he’s already agreed with Brand that in many important ways, voting hasn’t made a difference.

After six minutes, Paxman seems more hesitant, the exchange becomes more of a conversation. Having conceded most of the problems facing the world, Paxman tries yet another tack in defense of the powerful: “It’s possible that human beings are just overwhelmed by the scale of the problem.”

That seems desperate and improbable, since he’s defending people who, rather than appearing overwhelmed, are actively making the problems worse. When Brand lucidly says as much, Paxson, without looking Brand in the eye, says, “You don’t really believe that.” But he’s quiet almost to the point of inarticulateness at this point and offers no rebuttal. Brand by now is energized and needs no questions to continue his hyperactive analysis than ends with, “why pretend, why be complicit in this ridiculous illusion?”

http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/10/a-revolution-led-by-russell-brand/

William M. Boardman has over 40 years experience in theatre, radio, TV, print journalism, and non-fiction, including 20 years in the Vermont judiciary. He has received honors from Writers Guild of America, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vermont Life magazine, and an Emmy Award nomination from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This article was first published in Reader Supported News. Read other articles by William.

Cacao is the dried seed of the cacao tree that’s used to make cocoa powder and chocolate. The cacao tree is a tropical flowering tree native to the Americas. Its scientific name, Theobroma cacao, means “food of the gods.” The first instances of cacao processing and culinary use can be traced back to the ancient cultures that once inhabited what is now central and southern Mexico.

The cacao tree can grow to a height of 20 feet and the cacao seeds, or beans, are contained within the tree’s seed pods. Each cacao pod contains 30 to 50 seeds. Mature cacao trees are harvested several times each season, typically between the months of October and April. In Mexico, the cacao tree is cultivated as far north as Veracruz on the central Gulf Coast and Colima on the central Pacific Coast. Mexico has been producing cacao for more than 3,500 years. Yet despite its long history of cacao production, Mexico currently only produces less than one percent of the world’s cacao and today, the majority of the world’s cacao production takes place on the continents of Africa and Asia.

The Olmecs are believed to have been the first of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures to cultivate and use the cacao tree. The Olmecs were the first major civilization to inhabit Mexico and their civilization flourished between 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C. The Olmecs lived in the tropical lowland areas of central and southern Mexico in what are now the states of Veracruz, Tabasco and Chiapas.

In addition to the cultivation and use of the cacao tree, the Olmecs are credited with inventing the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, the concept of zero, the Mesoamerican ballgame and the first writing system in the Western Hemisphere. The ancient Olmec civilization is best known for their large carved stone sculptures of heads and today, you’ll find these Olmec heads and other Olmec artifacts on display in the Museo de Antropologia (Museum of Anthropology) in Xalapa, Veracruz and the outdoor Parque-Museo La Venta (La Venta Park and Museum) in Villahermosa, Tabasco.
http://www.visitmexico.com/en/cacao-haciendas-in-tabasco-mexico

Goddess of Chocolate

The Goddess of Chocolate/Cocoa had humble but honorable origins as a Mayan Goddess. Named Ixcacao, she was an ancient fertility goddess, an earth goddess in a matriarchal society where gathering crops and seeing to it that everyone was fed was woman's work.
Banishing hunger and providing for the safety and security of the people was her divine responsibility.

The creation myths told of a great flood, devastating droughts and earthquakes that destroyed the gods' four previous attempts to create a race of humans that would love them and sing songs about their glory.

After all, the human race had been decimated by cataclysmic events before. . . this wasn't the first attempt by the gods to repopulate the world with humans who, like them. could think and speak, creatures who would be grateful to them, and honor and praise the gods for giving them their lives.
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/Mayan-goddess-chocolate.html

The cacao bean has played an important role in Mesoamerican history. It was used not only for food but also for medicinal purposes and as offerings to the gods. It was a central part of their social, economic, and belief systems. It was so revered that it used to be used only in religious ceremonies. This was later relaxed and the upper class drank it at feasts. Even then it never lost its religious importance.
When Catholic missionaries came to convert the natives they were appalled that the natives would bring chocolate and drink during mass (they saw it as the breaking of fast) and attempted to ban it. Of course, the natives bringing chocolate and drinking it was their way of worshipping God, but the church was determined to stop them. The natives raised a big enough fuss that eventually the Pope declared that they were not breaking fast by drinking liquids.
This is where the Christ of Cacao enters. In the sixteenth century a statue of Christ was placed in a chapel in Mexico City. This chapel was adjacent the Templo Mayor, a temple of the Aztecs. When the natives went to worship, they left cacao beans as alms much in the same way they would have left offerings for their own Gods at Templo Mayor. These offerings made the priests at the cathedral very wealthy as the cacao bean was an form of currency. Priests and other religious officials would encourage the natives to leave these offerings. Thomas Gage, a friar during the seventeenth century became so rich off of the cacao offerings that when he left his post as a religious official in Colonial America, he left with plenty of precious stones and pearls.
The Christ of Cacao tells a story of how the ancient Latin American culture was mixed with the culture of Spain, a culture that has now become what we know as Latin America today.
http://50latamobjects.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/el-senor-del-cacao-the-lord-of-cacao-or-the-christ-of-cacao/

Although anandamide was first identified in chocolate in 1996, a recent paper reveals that humans have been consuming chocolate for both medicine and pleasure for hundreds of years. Starting to sound more like marijuana? It gets better.

But anandamide (AEA) – which is also produced naturally by the human body – isn’t the only chemical in chocolate that mimics the activity of cannabis compounds (known as cannabinoids). In fact, researchers have identified a number of chocolate-derived chemicals that can activate the human cannabinoid system, both directly and indirectly.

Chemicals like 2-AG – a cannabinoid also found in human milk – and oleamide – a sleep-inducing chemical that increases anandamide levels – are actually present in chocolate at higher concentrations than anandamide itself.

According to Dr. Daniele Piomelli, one of the scientists who first identified cannabinoids in chocolate, these chemicals likely play a larger role than anandamide in the pleasure that comes from eating chocolate. On the other hand, Piomelli told Science News that the cannabinoid activity of chocolate may be more specific than THC, since anandamide already exists in the brain to control certain functions.http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/07/28/your-brain-on-chocolate-marijuana-like-chemicals-explain-why-we-crave-it/

The history of acetaminophen is quite detailed. this drug was first made using coal tar also found in cigarettes. It belongs to the class of medication known as the analgesics. It is further placed in the subgroup called the aniline analgesics. Acetaminophen was created after metabolizing another drug called phenacetin. However, phenacetin is no longer in use as it was found to cause a slew of problems such as cancer.

Acetaminophen received its name from the actual chemistry of the drug. Its chemical name is para-acetylaminophenol, and this is where the name acet-amino-phen comes from. When scientists or medical professionals refer to acetaminophen, they use the shortened form of its name: APAP.

The FDA patent for acetaminophen was issued in 1951, but it was not until two years later that the Sterling-Winthrop company began selling the drug. At the time aspirin and prescription were available and dominated the market. Yet, the public needed an over-the-counter alternative to aspirin that children could take. This demand increased for adults as aspirin use was not safe for adults with ulcers. In 1955, the brand Tylenol was release by McNeil Laboratories.

Surprisingly, under this brand name it was marketed to parents as an elixir to give their children for pain and fever. It was not until 1956 that this medication was sold abroad to England. However, the real popularity of acetaminophen was not until the mid 1970s to 1980s. By then, sales of aspirin had declined and phenacetin was taken off the market.
http://medicinereport.com/article/history-acetaminophen

Paracetamol also modulates the endogenous cannabinoid system.[69] Paracetamol is metabolised to AM404, a compound with several actions; what is most important is that it inhibits the reuptake of the endogenous cannabinoid/vanilloid anandamide by neurons. Anandamide reuptake would result in lower synaptic levels and less activation of the main pain receptor (nociceptor) of the body, the TRPV1 (older name: vanilloid receptor). By inhibiting anandamide reuptake, levels in the synapse remain high and are able to desensitise the TRPV1 receptor much like capsaicin. Furthermore, AM404 inhibits sodium channels, as do the anesthetics lidocaine and procaine.[70] Either of these actions by themselves has been shown to reduce pain, and are a possible mechanism for paracetamol. However, it has been demonstrated that, after blocking cannabinoid receptors with synthetic antagonists, paracetamol's analgesic effects are prevented, suggesting its pain-relieving action involves the endogenous cannabinoid system.[71] Spinal TRPA1 receptors have also been demonstrated to mediate antinociceptive effects of paracetamol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in mice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaminophen

History

The 18th century German botanist, Conrad Moench, named the genus Echinacea, which comes from the Greek echinos, meaning hedgehog, referring to the spiny, round seedhead which reminded him of a hedgehog or sea urchin. The species name, augustifolia, means “narrow-leaved”. In some older literature, the names of Rudbeckia and Brauneria were used for this genus instead of Echinacea.

Early settlers soon adopted the plant’s medicinal value from Native Americans as a remedy for colds and influenza, and took it to Europe in the 17th century.

Schar describes a typical scenario of herbs being introduced to the established medical society. A German country doctor discovered this remarkable American plant and its benefits and offered to show doctors its powers at a medical conference. He said that he would allow a snake to bite him and then cure that bite with nothing but echinacea. Nevertheless, the doctors ignored him. Dr. Meyer then presented this same offer to two other doctors named King and Lloyd, electics who belonged to a now-extinct branch of medicine. Uncharacteristically, these two doctors listened to the message and not the messenger and looked further into the herb’s power. Despite initial doubts, the herb was introduced into the 1887 Materia Medica.

American Eclectics, a group of doctors prominent from 1830 to 1930 who used botanicals in their practices, were a major force in bringing echinacea to the forefront of herbal medicine. They promoted it as a blood purifier for venereal disease, as well as an agent for treating migraines, rheumatism, tumors, malaria, and hemorrhoids. After their decline in the 1930s, the herb also fell into disfavour, but regained its stature when interest in herbal medicine revived in the 1970s and 1980s.
http://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/echinacea/#sthash.q7S1zIoe.dpbs

We recently found that N-alkyl amides from purple coneflower (Echinacea spp.) constitute a new class of cannabinomimetics, which specifically engage and activate the cannabinoid type-2 (CB2) receptors. Cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) and CB2 receptors belong to the family of G protein-coupled receptors and are the primary targets of the endogenous cannabinoids N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine and 2-arachidonoyl glyerol. CB2 receptors are believed to play an important role in distinct pathophysiological processes, including metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, pain, and bone loss. CB2 receptors have, therefore, become of interest as new targets in drug discovery. This review focuses on N-alkyl amide secondary metabolites from plants and underscores that this group of compounds may provide novel lead structures for the development of CB2-directed drugs.
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10799890600942674?journalCode=rst

Important periods in the history of green tea
Wei Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties (3rd century -6th century)

During the period of the Wei Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties (AD 220-589), the popularity of drinking tea soared and tea slowly changed from a luxury item into a drink commonly consumed by the public, as simple basic drying processes were introduced that increased its availability and allowed the introduction of scented teas, which helped lessen the bitterness green teas had at that time.
Tang Dynasty (7th century -10th century)

During the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) tea drinking became ingrained as a fundamental part of Chinese society, with a whole culture around tea drinking springing up and the introduction of formalized “tea ceremonies”. During this time, the process of steaming the tea leaves was gradually refined, allowing the production of better tasting, less bitter, green teas.
Song Dynasty (10th century -13th century)

By the time of the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) tea drinking had become an integral part of the daily life of all Chinese, in a similar way to how afternoon tea became ingrained in the English culture. The use and production of so-called “tribute teas” - those produced to be presented to the emperor and other high officials – became an important part of royal culture and a source of government taxation. The production of these tribute teas, such as Xihu Longjing and Dongting Biluochun, had fueled rapid innovation in the types and quality of teas produced, as people competed for royal favour. One of the most famous of these tribute teas was dragon-phoenix ball tea, which was commonly grown and presented to the royal family. A special type, called Miynlong tea, was specially packed in a yellow silk and commonly presented to the emperor.


Ming Dynasty (14th century -17th century)

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) the first emperor, Zhu Yanzhang, formally abolished the tradition and government control of giving tribute tea. Once that happened, and a golden age of green tea innovation resulted. Production flourished and new production techniques, types and styles of tea were quickly tried. It was during this period that the use of loose leaf tea became dominant. Roasting (dry heating) of the tea to “fix” it to stop oxidation was introduced during the 16th century, and remains to this day the primary technique used to make green tea.http://www.teavivre.com/info/green-tea-history/

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, and is a type of catechin.

EGCG is the most abundant catechin in tea and is a potent antioxidant that may have therapeutic applications in the treatment of many disorders (e.g. cancer). It is found in green tea, but not black tea; during black tea production, the catechins are converted to theaflavins and thearubigins.[3] It is also found in various vegetables, nuts, as well as carob powder at 109 mg per 100g.[4] In a high temperature environment, an epimerization change is more likely to occur; however as exposure to boiling water for 30 straight minutes leads to only a 12.4% reduction in the total amount of EGCG, the amount lost in a brief exposure is insignificant. In fact, even when special conditions were used to create temperatures well above that of boiling water, the amount lost increased only slightly.[5]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigallocatechin_gallate

Spinal muscular atrophy

Sakla and Lorson found that EGCG increases the number of SMN transcripts in spinal muscular atrophy cells, most probably through modulation of alternative splicing.[28]
Neurodegeneration

EGCG is a natural chelator and has been shown to reduce iron-accumulation in instances of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.[29] Parc de Salut Mar and Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas in Spain are conducting a clinical trial of EGCG as a potential treatment for intellectual impairment in people with Down Syndrome and Fragile X[30]
Cannabinoid 1 receptor, CB1 receptor Activity

EGCG has a binding affinity of Ki=33.6μM towards the first cannabinoid receptor, CB1.[31]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigallocatechin_gallate

Gallocatechol or gallocatechin (EGC) is a flavan-3-ol, a type of chemical compound including catechin, with the gallate residue being in an isomeric trans position. It is one of the antioxidant chemicals found in food.

This compound possesses two epimers. The most common, (+)-gallocatechin (GC), CAS number 970-73-0, is found notably in green tea. Other sources of (+)-gallocatechin are bananas,[1] persimmon and pomegranate.[citation needed]. The other enantiomer is called (-)-gallocatechin or ent-gallocatechin.

This compound had been shown to have moderate affinity to the human cannabinoid receptor,[2] which may contribute to the health benefits found by consuming green tea.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallocatechin

| The Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency threatened to sue a novelty store owner who sells "Department of Homeland Stupidity" coffee cups and T-shirts with the slogan: "The NSA: The only part of government that actually listens."

In response, Dan McCall sued the NSA and DHS on constitutional grounds, in Federal Court.

McCall operates the website LibertyManiacs.com. He has (nonparty) Zazzle.com -which prints images provided by customers onto products - print his images onto the items he sells.

McCall has a "virtual storefront" on the Zazzle website, and his own website redirects traffic to Zazzle "so that people wishing to express their own opinions by purchasing and displaying these items may easily do so," McCall says in the complaint.
http://www.alternet.org/dhs-and-nsa-threaten-sue-man-selling-department-homeland-stupidity-t-shirts-and-coffee-mugs

Antigua's New Website Will Offer the World America's Copyrighted Content for Free

The country filed a dispute with the World Trade Organization on the grounds that the US had violated international free trade, and it won. As compensation, the WTO offered Antigua the right to suspend US copyright agreements on all forms of media, up to a value of $21 million a year.

"The remedy is expressly provided for under WTO law and, contrary to what the United States has publicly stated, will not constitute “piracy” or theft of intellectual property rights," the government of and Barbuda said in a press release back in January. "Rather, it will be a lawful suspension of intellectual property rights, conforming to the judgment of the relevant WTO tribunal."

After 10 years of failed diplomacy and legal wrangling, the offer was finalized in January. Now, the resulting media portal is inching closer to its debut. The government of Antigua announced in a statement last week that a committee is finalizing a bill to launch the media hub and it's looking for partners to help operate the platform, Network World first reported. Per the statement:

Although its proceedings are confidential, the Committee is said to be recommending the establishment by the Government of Antigua & Barbuda of a statutory body to own, manage and operate the ultimate platform to be created for the monetisation or other exploitation of the suspension of American intellectual property rights authorised earlier this year by the WTO.

It is understood that the necessary domestic legislation to implement the remedies is in the final stages of preparation for submission to Parliament. Additionally, an announcement regarding the opening of tenders for private sector participation in the operating of the platform should be announced shortly.

http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/antigua-is-pirating-copyrighted-content-for-the-world

A massive oil find has put the Australian Outback on the energy map. The oil in the Southern Australia oil shale resource is estimated at maximum of 233 billion barrels, topping all of Australia's reserves put together and nearly equivalent to all the oil in Saudi Arabia.

According to Tempo, the Australian oil deposit dwarfs those known deposits in the U.S., outsizing the Bakken formation six times, Marcellus shale 17 times, and the Eagle Ford deposit 80 times over. Australia now has more oil than does Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, or Canada.

The oil yet to be extracted is valued at $20 trillion, putting Australia on the energy map among the big-money players. The play also put the small town of Coober Pedy on the map. Its 1,700 inhabitants swelled by 20,000 people on news of the find, as jobs are to be had with such a big discovery.

Some oil experts believe the deposit may eventually yield as much as 400 billion barrels, up from the initial maximum estimate. The valuable resource resides in shale rock and must be extracted using fracking. Australians must meet the challenge of environmental backlash while developing the technology to extract the resource efficiently.
http://voices.yahoo.com/huge-oil-shale-deposit-coober-pedy-australia-12240185.html

Stand with Senator Bernie Sanders and our coalition partners in demanding, “No grand bargain in exchange for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.”

Bernie is serving on the Budget Conference Committee which will be negotiating a new federal budget over the next few months -- and where a deal could be struck to slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

As the founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus, Bernie is fighting every day to protect our earned benefits. Stand with Senator Bernie Sanders and a diverse coalition of thousands of fellow progressives now and demand that Congress and the President oppose any grand bargain which cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Add your name today!
http://www.americawantsnocuts.com/americasfuture/

According to Lake Research:
82% of Americans oppose cuts to our Social Security system.
Democrats (83%), Independents (78%), Republicans (82%) and Tea Party Supporters (74%)

According to the Conservative Intel Poll:

59% of respondents reported they were less likely to vote for a candidate who supports the chained CPI. Republicans (57%) and Democrats (62%)

According to the National Academy of Social Insurance:

71% of Americans want to expand Social Security benefits and pay for it by making millionaires and billionaires pay the same rate as the rest of us, and having everyone pay a little bit more.

The President has pledged to focus on what the majority of Americans sent him to DC to do.

If the President is standing with the majority of Americans against all cuts to Social Security, including the chained CPI, and standing for expanding benefits...

...then let's stand with him:

Take Action: Defend Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

As the founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus, Bernie is fighting every day to protect our earned benefits. Stand with Senator Bernie Sanders and a diverse coalition of thousands of fellow progressives now and demand that Congress and the President oppose any grand bargain which cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Add your name today!
http://www.americawantsnocuts.com/americasfuture/

Take Action: Defend Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

As the founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus, Bernie is fighting every day to protect our earned benefits. Stand with Senator Bernie Sanders and a diverse coalition of thousands of fellow progressives now and demand that Congress and the President oppose any grand bargain which cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Add your name today!
http://www.americawantsnocuts.com/americasfuture/

You know what would be a really, really crappy idea? Making cuts to programs that are keeping millions from poverty in order to make a bad economy marginally better. But that's what President Obama's top economic advisor—Gene Sperling, director of the White House’s National Economic Council—is telling Democrats they'll have to swallow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In his usual elliptical and prolix way, Sperling seemed to be laying out the contours of a bargain with Republicans that’s quite a bit different that what most Democrats seem prepared to accept. What stood out to me was how he kept winding back around to the importance of entitlement cuts as part of a deal, as if he were laying the groundwork to blunt liberal anger. Right now, the official Democratic position is that they’ll accept entitlement cuts only in exchange for new revenue—something most Republicans reject. If Sperling mentioned revenue at all, I missed it.

But he dwelt at length—and with some passion—on the need for more stimulus, though he avoided using that dreaded word. He seemed to hint at a budget deal that would trade near-term “investment” (the preferred euphemism for “stimulus’) for long-term entitlement reform. That would be an important shift and one that would certainly upset many Democrats. [...]

“Sometimes here [in Washington] we start to think that the end goal of our public policy is to hit a particular budget or spending or revenue metric—as if those are the goals in and of itself. But it’s important to remember that each of these metrics … are means to larger goals. … Right now, I think there is among a lot of people a consensus as to what the ingredients of a pro-growth fiscal policy are. It would be a fiscal policy that—yes—did give more confidence in the long run that we have a path on entitlement spending and revenues that gives confidence in our long-term fiscal position and that we’re not pushing off unbearable burdens to the next generation. That is very important.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/25/1250673/-No-White-House-advisor-Gene-Sperling-entitlement-cuts-are-not-necessary