On a Facebook Crohn’s and Colitis page, I learnt of a research report where nearly 50% of pot-smoking Crohn’s sufferers went into remission. I then decided to write and ask the editor of DiVine if I could write an article on the use of medical cannabis by people with disabilities. Surprisingly, they agreed. Subsequently, I read a submission to the NSW enquiry on the medical uses of cannabis from a company that manufactures illegal cannabis medical tinctures in Nimbin (where else?). The report had strictly confidential written on every single page. I am wondering whether it has been put on the NSW government site by mistake.
Caught bits of a Radio National program where an author discussed her book about the history of obscenities. She said words like shit were not considered swearing centuries ago because people defecated and fucked in public. Swearing back then was more likely to be oaths against God. I have no idea what the program was or when it was; I tried to find it on the Radio National website. As a result, I am thinking about obscenities in the future: will the easy access to porn on the web, along with virtual reality, again make obscenities referring to sex and body parts so inoffensive they become redundant?
Is Peter Heller a bit of a wanker? I am reading his novel The Dog Stars, which has a good story, but his writing style keeps pulling me out of the story. One of his many tricks is not to put dialogue between quote marks and not to use attributions. So on many occasions I need to reread a section to ascertain who is speaking, if anyone. Not good for the flow of a novel. (My next post will probably be a review of The Dog Stars.) Is a story’s flow that is interrupted by poorly executed attempts at literary cleverness on par with one whose flow is interrupted by careless typos or the need to use a dictionary every couple of pages?
Kept on see OK instead of okay in articles in the Age (refer to previous blog post).
Finished chapter 96 of the first draft of the manuscript I am writing. It is now 190,000 words.
6 Responses
Hmmm… RN rebroadcasts a lot of NPR content. Wasn't this, was it?
Heard many people swear by cannabis for pain. Though people should be aware that it's not for everyone and can affect people's mental health. (from experience).
I hate literature or poetry where its obvious the author is 'trying' to impress, with the thesaurus clearly handy. I tend to give up on them. Wanker is a good analogy. Seems to be a lot of them in the Australian scene.
Hi Mark,
Your link gave me the name of the author and book Melissa Mohr, Holy S- – -: A Brief History of Swearing. I did a search on RN and a much longer interview with her is at http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/segment/4698666
Thanks.
Anthony, its not just for pain, it also can stop the shakes associated with some medical conditions and increase the appetite (imagine that) for people who feel nausea. There are alternative ways of taking it besides smoking and eating that decrease side-effects. One of the submissions I have read is from the NSW Cancer Council, and they are in favour of using it in certain situations. But yes, last time I smoked it a few decades ago, I became very paranoid, which is why I probably never smoked it again.
I was never one of those who got the 'munchies'. Though most people I knew did. I never had any side effects and tried it again a few years ago at a party and it made me very depressed the next day, so I won't touch it again. And I do think it does produce long term damage in people mentally. I've seen it.
Hi Anthony,
A friend at uni had a brother who smoked all the time and developed psychosis.
I need to do more research about the the potential psychological effects of it when delivered by alternative means. Just printed out a report from the Uni of NSW to trawl through.
Very interested in an cannabis oral spray that is legal in many countries – it is specifically for relieving symptoms of MS. They are or about to or where going to trail it here.