Diana and I were back in Portland, with Lucien, Peter, Saul, and family – trying to avoid talking politics. I have been working in the Reed College Library, where so much of State Change was written more than a year ago. Lucien, Peter, and I had a lunch discussion in the Reed Student Commons.   “Did you see that full page ad, in today’s Times?” Peter asked. “Not yet, go on,” I said. “It’s by a group called refusefascism.org , arguing for a month of resistance, ‘reaching a crescendo by the Jan.20, 2017 Inauguration’.” “Who’s behind it?” “A few names… Read more: Democracy, Fascism, Trump – and Evil

We needed to talk. We needed self-therapy. Jay was depressed. Bill was despondent. I was in tears thinking of my granddaughters and the billions of others who would need to survive on an increasingly destroyed planet. Diana and I were in Monterey for several weeks, escaping Salt Lake City’s cold and its winter air inversions and polluted air. Thanks, gods, for Skype. Bill and Jay were at the Roasting Company, in a second floor secluded corner. I was in a corner of Book Works Cafe in Pacific Grove. We decided earlier to give Trump the benefit of… Read more: Treating Trump? State Change II?

The harmless team was at The Roasting Company – doing our 2016 election mourning over good coffee. “Jesus, I’m depressed,” Bill said. “There’s no question I am,” Jay said. “I even considered fully losing it early this morning.” “Remember those last pages of State Change,” I cautioned. “Those who are old and ready, and those who are considering checking out, can have an especially important set of opportunities. They can go way beyond distributing Ananda’s Chocolates to our entire hit list – our 29 ideologues. Most were reelected.” “You mean really take them out, don’t you?” Jay… Read more: Trump 2016 Election: State Change now even more important

Bill, Jay, and I were celebrating their identical August birthday dates at the Roasting Company – on a warm, clear but semi-dirty air day.   “Bill said you wrote Rubio a Father’s Day letter?” Jay asked. “I did, and submitted it to the Miami paper and Buzzfeed. Miami Herald didn’t pick it up but it is at BuzzFeed.” https://www.buzzfeed.com/joeandrade/rubio-running-fatherly-advice-2ezak “What did you advise him?” Jay continued. “Look at the BuzzFeed link. Advices number 1 – 5 are still very valid and relevant; only Advice #6  (Run, Marco, run) is now outdated – he’s running.” “But Trump may take… Read more: Rubio, Trump, and Fathers’ Day – Tom’s Mass and Catholic Youth

July 21, Manzanita – during and after Neahkahnee hike – and Arthur Koestler Peter, Lucien, and I were in Manzanita for the annual family gathering. The weather was perfect – sunny, low 70’s, very light wind. This place and time is not conducive to thinking about global warming and planetary perils! While in Portland I experienced one of the better cannabis medicinal shops – Farma on Hawthorne. I bought an oil salve for my bruised toe – the victim of a dropped wine bottle a week earlier. Peter and Lucien did their vap experiments. I did, too… Read more: Manzanita, Neahkahnee, and Arthur Koestler

Jay, Bill, and I were at the Roasting Company – a pleasant first of July day. We had agreed to each review some stories in the local and national papers.   “You go first,” I said to Bill. “My big news is, of course, the Dalai Lama in Salt Lake City.” “You’ve known him for some time, haven’t you?” “For some 20 years. He talked at the Huntsman Center on campus. You could have heard a pin drop,” Bill said, smiling. “He promoted positivity, among other things.” “And he’s threatening to not appoint a successor?” Jay asked.… Read more: Reading Between the Lines – Creatively

Book Review Press Release (for immediate release) State Change – A Chemical Fantasy By Joe Andrade 491 pp. Andrade Self-Publishing Free at www.statechange.us An ‘interview’ with the author:   Academic Activist Advocates Illegal Politics   ‘We cannot elect mental adolescents to public office,’ says Joe Andrade, author of a provocative new novel State Change – A Chemical Fantasy. He corrects me: “It’s a semi-novel. Two thirds of it is fact.” Andrade is a University of Utah retired engineering professor – now involved in local and national politics. I ask – What do you mean by mental adolescents?… Read more: Author Fake Interview – Book Review

I was on the phone with Lucien and Peter, who were at a coffee shop in Portland. “My Google Alert on ‘Ecstasy’ shows more issues, problems with street Ecstasy,” Peter reported. “Yes, I’ve also seen some reports on more ER admissions and even deaths,” Lucien added. “I’ve seen them, too,” I said. “The Chinese?” Peter asked. “Have you been listening to Trump? The Chinese aren’t responsible for everything, but they are connected.” “So you’ve dome some homework?” Lucien asked. “Yes. I came across a UK psychopharmacologist, a Valerie Curran with University College, London. She was on the BBC recently… Read more: Why the Increase in MDMA ‘Problems’?

Back to Coffee Noir – this time only Bill and I. Jay was on a Southern Utah gig. “She really did listen to four guys all discuss climate change and the need for immediate action?” Bill asked. “Yes, she did,” I said. “And all four strongly recommended a carbon tax – now.” “Isn’t she anti all taxes and fees?” “Yes. She did rattle off, in response to some questions, the standard tea party free market-creativity-innovation gospel she’s so used to saying, but she did have to listen to four excellent speakers with a largely consistent message.” “This… Read more: Mia Love Learns about Climate Change

More coffee talk – this time in the cafe at The Leonardo. “You made it to the BLM coal lease moratorium hearing?” Bill asked. “Yes – over 500 people – standing room only,” I answered. “And most of them were yellow t-shirted miners from Utah’s coal country,” Jay added. “Yes, miners, drivers, family, local business people. The mining-impacted communities were well represented.” “The picture I saw in the paper had some 400 or so of the total in yellow t-shirts.” “That’s about right,” I said. “And perhaps 2/3 of the over 100 three minute talks were to… Read more: Coal Reality Anxiety Evil Witches

We sat down at Coffee Noir, outside, enjoying the spring sun. “It’s been a while,” Bill said. “About three weeks, I think.” “I’ve been rereading our patient write-ups, especially Chapters 7 to 10,” Jay said.  “Although we’ve had all the president-wannabees dropout, except for Trump, the other 25 perspectives are fairly current.” “And you really nailed Hatch,” Bill said, looking at me. “What do you mean?” “About losing it,” Bill answered. “He’s obviously completely lost it. It’s no longer just his ignorance and arrogance – his neurons must be short circuiting.” “Details, please,” Jay said, impatiently. “You… Read more: Has Hatch Lost It?

“Did you see today’s NY Times piece by Barbaro – on Charles and Hillary?” Bill asked. “Not yet, I thought Charles was fond of Sanders,” I answered. “He’s certainly anti-Trump, and probably not pro-Cruz,” Jay said. “The Brothers must be very disappointed, even despondent.” “Yea, so much money spent refocusing the GOP – mainly to result in a stable of loser candidates for President.” “The Times story, very briefly, suggested Koch was willing to at least consider Hillary,” Bill said. “Maybe you did get to him,” Jay said, smiling and looking at me. “The chocolates went to… Read more: Did Koch eat Ananda’s Chocolates?

  On demand drug synthesis has been demonstrated by an MIT team and several affiliated spin-off companies. The 1 April 2016 issue of SCIENCE includes a paper by Andrea Adamo and 13 co-authors describing a refrigerator size continuous flow chemistry machine for the automated synthesis/production of four drugs, including the generics to Benadryl, Valium, and Prozac. One of the syntheses utilizes methylamine. A commentary in the same issue titled Going with the flow suggests that one key issue is ‘how to avoid the the production of illicit substances’. The on demand, programmable system includes built-in on line… Read more: MDMA Machine could be next?

We were at the Roasting Company – this time for lunch. “Happy Leonardo’s Birthday!” I greeted. “Yes, his 564th,” Bill said. “And this year The Leonardo is celebrating it with a lecture and party tonight and tomorrow.” “I wonder what he’d think about our empathic enhancement activities,” Jay said. “I think he be fascinated with cognitive enhancement – and certainly an advocate for cognitive liberty,” I said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some notes and sketches are found someday which suggest he dabbled with mushrooms during those botanical treks in the Italian alps.” “New Scientist this week… Read more: Moral Enhancement and DaVinci

“Did you see the local papers in the last two days?” Jay asked. “There’s a move on to get Trump to commit to appointing Mike Lee as Scalia’s Supreme Court replacement.” “Crazy,” Bill said. “He’d be even worse than Scalia. It’s because Cruz did commit to appoint Lee. Cruz and Lee have been shouting Libertarianism fallacies into each other’s ears since they both ran for Senate.” “We said it earlier,” I said. “They’re afflicted with – and addicted to – their mental adolescence. They are infected with seductive Hayekian simplicity – what the psychologists might call simplism.”… Read more: Scalia Supreme Court Michael Lee Hayek Simplism