a condor

Italy isn't huge, but it aint tiny either:

You could spend 7-10 days and see part of the country...say Rome-Naples-Florence-the coast...but to see most of the country you'd need at least 2 weeks, and that would be at a fast pace as well.

Dont worry guy...montreal is really a different world from israel/palestine. The situation there is much more complex than "they hate each other", its about conflicting national interests...much of the Palestinian population still lives in refugee camps where they've been forced to live by the Israeli government...under the Israeli army's control...so of course there's gonna be violence. What happened here is some arabs who spent too much time watching Israeli soldiers kill people on TV, so they decide to make a cheap firebomb and throw it in a school..I doubt its anything like organized terrorism.

You've probably noticed by now that I tend to make alot of generalizations

:p

whoah...Al isn't even close

Since it seems like you're more interested in a relaxing, chill type of vacation, I'd say go for the carribean. I doubt theres any one place in Italy thats interesting enough (or worth the money) to spend a whole trip there. Most people who go to Italy are looking to move around a bit, spending a couple of nights each at several destinations (whether on a tour or independantly).

But then again, I'm a bit of a travel snob, so feel free to ignore everything I've just said.

It seems like your parents have a really rigid and narrow idea of "what you should be doing with your life"...and they're using money to try and bribe you and your sister to choose the path in life that they set. I'm guessing your sister is taking the courses and stuff that your parents want her to take. If I'm right, then your sister is basically taking money (and cars, and trips) at the expense of her freedom to choose her future..she'll basically be locked into whatever your parents decide for her..while at least you have the independance to make your own choices. Besides who the fuck needs a car in cegep anyways?

for the Carribean, if you are flexible about dates and destinations you could probably snag a really good deal at the last minute. most of these deals are airfare+hotel packages, which would give you a resort-type vacation..is this the kinda trip you want?

as for Italy, you'll probably want to check around multiples places (the internet, call a few agencies, defitnely try voyage campus) and compare prices. in going to italy i'm assuming you'll probably just be interested in airfare and then staying at hostels along the way? give yourself at least 2 weeks there

summer.

i haven't had a summer for almost 2 years now :(

Western Consumption and its Consequences

Consumption has become our way of life. Fueled by our ever more productive economy, the prevailing culture of North America has evolved to embrace the consumption of material goods as the means of achieving fulfillment in life. Shopping has become our ritual, money our main yardstick of social worth. Since 1950, people in the United States own twice as many cars, drive over two and half times as far, use 21 times as much plastic, and travel 25 times as far by air . The culture of consumption is the United States has been shaped by corporate-dominated television, of which the average adult spends nearly 5 hours a day watching . At this rate, the average American is exposed to approximately 21,000 commercials a year, most of which carry a similar message: buy our product, and you will be happy.

Most economists would have you believe that a growing economy, as shown by a rising GDP and fuelled by increasing consumption habits, is a good thing. Of course, the underlying assumption is that the more we consume, the better off we are. It doesn’t matter if this consumption takes on the form of trips to McDonald’s as a result of lack of time to prepare food at home, or expensive visits with a psychiatrist due to mental distress; if it adds to the GDP, the assumption is that society benefits. Even if this were so, measures such as the GDP neglect to factor in the harm that consumption causes to the environment and to those living in other parts of the world. A more accurate assessment of the impact of our consumption would take into consideration the following:

•The consumer demand for more products at lower prices has given rise to huge transnational corporations, who frequently place their production facilities in the poorest countries in order to take advantage of weak labor and environmental regulation. The result is the proliferation of sweatshop working conditions for much of the world’s poor.
•The consumption of goods and services in the West has put a significant drain on the world’s finite resources, resulting in depletion of the world’s stock of lumber, oil, and other materials. The top 20% consumers of the world, most of who reside in the West, consume roughly 80% of the world’s resources .
•The production of goods, fueled by our desire for consumption, has resulted in a large amount of environment harm. The economies that represent the wealthiest fifth of humanity have been responsible for emitting two thirds of the greenhouse gases that threaten the global climate, and release three fourths of the sulfur and nitrogen oxides that cause acid rain .
•The over-consumption of the wealthiest has increased the inequality between the rich and the poor, thus fueling social unrest and discontent. While 1 billion of the world’s population lives in wealth, another billion lives in destitution.

Environmentalists and social activists have taken various approaches to combating
the problems listed above, including pressing for more restrictive environmental accords, encouraging “fair trade” of commodities such as coffee, or opposing globalization. However, since over-consumption in the West is the root cause of the problems discussed above, there remains little hope of achieving sustainability and equity so long as the culture of over-consumption prevails, particularly that which exists in the United States. The world simply cannot support much of its human population living the lifestyle promoted by the Americans, which consists of multiple air-conditioned cars per household, sprawling suburban properties, and heaps of unnecessary waste. Rather than consume ever greater amounts of material goods from one year to the next, as is the current trend in the West, those who are already consuming the most must become content with living more modest, less wasteful lifestyles.

At first, the notion that the wealthy over-consumers in the world would ever be willing to give up their affluence seems unlikely. But this is only because of the underlying assumption that by consuming more, we are living more fulfilling, happier lives; an assumption which is outright false. Rather, psychological data indicates that the main determinants of happiness in life are unrelated to consumption; instead, it is satisfaction with family life, particularly marriage, followed by satisfaction with work, leisure, and friendships which is most likely to result in happiness . Simultaneously, however, the culture of consumption that prevails in the United States has eroded the values of community, spirituality, and integrity that contribute to a meaningful existence. Polls indicate that many Americans feel dissatisfied with their culture of consumption, with one survey revealing that 75% of working Americans between the ages of 25 and 49 would like “to see our country return to a simpler lifestyle, with less emphasis on material success” . And yet, so long as the corporate interest maintains its stranglehold on American culture through the influence of television and other mediums, Americans will continue to buy the next round of products advertised to them in a misdirected attempt at increasing happiness in life.

Consumption and material success need not be the principle values of North American society. Indeed, there are alternate sets of values that restore a greater meaning and importance to life beyond materiality, and thereby reduce the inequality, environmental degradation, and the strain on the world’s resources caused by too much consumption. The United States was at one point known not for its excessive materiality, but for the “Puritan ethic” brought by its early settles, that stressed participation in community and spirituality, and which shunned the excessive consumption of material goods. The “voluntary simplicity” movement is a modern attempt to restore those set of values that turn away from mindless consumption, focusing on developing increased appreciation for an uncluttered life free from unnecessary material distraction. Indeed, most religious teachings stress simplicity and regard excessive material acquisition as being inconsistent with spiritual growth. Confucius taught that excess and deficiency are equally at fault, while in the New Testament, Matthew proclaimed that it is “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:23-24).

Could a spiritual awakening in North America be the solution to the problems posed by Western over-consumption? David Korten, a scholar on business, believes so, arguing that a more spiritual conception of reality “leads naturally to a totally different sense of the kind of future we could create and to a great sadness for what we are doing to ourselves and to others” . A change in the prevailing values in the United States would have a profound effect on the course of humanity. By redefining our culture to emphasize more deeply held values than the pursuit of material gratification, our prospects for success as a species suddenly appear much brighter.

When combining recreational drugs, the risks are much higher than when taking drugs individually. Very little is known about the effects of most drug combinations, and most overdoses are a result of a combination of drugs rather than any single drug. When combining recreational drugs, keep the following in mind:

1. Do not combine drugs until you are comfortable with the effects of each of the drugs on their own.

2. Take a much smaller dose of each of the drugs than you normally would, especially the first time, as often drugs in combination can severely potentiate each other. You can always take more the next time.

Dangerous Combinations:

MDMA+DXM Since DXM inhibits sweating, and MDMA often increases body temperature, the combination can induce hyperthermia.

MAOI's with many recreational drugs such as MDMA, amphetamines, or cocaine. Many prescribed antidepressants are MAOI's (ask your doctor if unsure).

Alcohol with sedatives, opiates, barbituates, valium, GHB, or ketamine. Alcohol and ketamine in combination cause respiratory depression (ie you may stop breathing) and hence should be avoided. A large percentage of ecstasy hospitalizations involve alcohol.

And now for some fun and relatively safe drug combinations:

-acid or mush with MDMA (highly recommended for those with experience)

-alcohol + weed (classic!)

-nitrous oxide with any psychedelic, including ketamine

-DXM and acid

-MDMA and 2c-b or 2c-i on the comedown

-DPT and ketamine

-ketamine with 2c-i

I haven't tried all or even most of these (i wish!!) but its what I remember off the top of my head from the internet

preheat the ovens

NO CAMO!!

that looks awesome!

if only I didn't have an exam right after...:(

made: influencing one of my teachers to cite "mind expanding drugs" as an example of spiritual development :)
made: getting to know this girl
ruined: being too wired from coffee to sleep
made: seeing "the fog of war" at cinema du parc
ruined: two papers due thursday. so much work..

who woulda thunk that caffeine is the most fucked up drug?

I am awareness, who turns waves into perception.

i would love to grow plants. particularly psychoactive ones :)

maybe that's why I never get the jokes

yes thats it :)

Powerful highs blast new neural pathways in your mind. The memory of the high will always be with you, and can be trigerred by as little as a smell. Does the feeling of being able to taste it correspond with a craving for using?

I like alot of it.

Provided that the chipmunk-style voice is absent. That makes me want to tear off my ears

crap

i think thats what the average raver looks like leaving a party at 10 in the morning

i wanna know this too

I agree with what you're saying. If I didn't have *any* money, I wouldn't be able to live in Montreal, or attend school, or go out, or travel. So obviously I benefit from the money I have. On the other hand, the act of spending money, in many ways, reduces one's freedom, because that money has to be acquired by submitting oneself to the institutions that society imposes - in other words, spending one's days working in our capitalistic economy.

Actually, many people who have no money beleive in the great myth that material wealth is equivalent to happiness, and feel deprived as a result. I feel sadness for these people. Then there are others, such as yourself, who are but another example of those who try to compensate for their inner emptiness with material possessions, yet no amount of money could ever fill the gap in your soul.

Personally, because I attend school full time and choose not to work, I live on an entirely sufficient but not wasteful amount of money. To be honest, I would not even know what to do with more money, should I have it. Yes, I could spend more money on a crappy drug (alcohol) when I go to bars, but frankly I prefer far better and less expensive drugs, of which I have no shortage of =)

i wanna go to burning man! so so badly

if you go to NYC, you gotta check out Harlem. its by far the most fascinating neighborhood in the city, and its not at all dangerous during the day. go on a sunday and eat soul food with all the people after church hour.

just be sure to leave before nightfall, when the church goers go to sleep and the junkies take over

best comment on ravewave. ever.

Am I a man who dreamnt last night that he was a pink flamingo with a green umbrella, or am I a pink flamingo with a green umbrella dreaming that I am a man?

word.

I think going through rehab is a rite of passage every psuedo-celebrity must go through...its one step on the ultimate path of writing a tell-all autobiography about the struggles of fame

i don't go for the hoes, they just want me for my pennies

tones what the fuck u calling me a cheapass mofo? if you actually knew me you'd know i was mister BLING-BLING. hence i go to peel pub and order a two-doller breakfast, its all about showing off the BLING get it? when i walk in the bar and show off my SHINY pennies all the hoes be wantin some. i got the most shiny pennies in the hood yo, i be polishing that shit all day. you can't even compete with that huh foo'

yo TONES maybe i do need a lesson in tipping, but i think perhaps you need a lesson in shutting the fuck up. tipping is NOT a social contract, it is a social convention, and quite a ridiculous one at that. you know why waitors and bartenders make their living off tips? its because the restaurant/bar owners cut their employees salaries in responce to people giving tips, so in the end it all balances out..wouldn't it be better if waitors and bartenders were just paid higher salaries to begin with?

On any given Friday or Saturday night, there will be a multiple block long lineup of drunken American frat boys looking to get wasted off of cheap recycled beer at the Peel Pub. These people are fun to point at and laugh. Recently, however, I've noticed that in addition to nasty beer, Peel Pub advertises suspiciously inexpensive food. I decided that for the sake of public safety in Montreal, I'd better conduct a food inspection quick. Before anyone gets hurt, y'know.

I walk in on a Sunday morning to a crowd of overweight middle-aged sports looser-types, and order the most redicuously cheap item on the menu: 2 eggs, coffee, potatoes, and toast for $1.99. Soon, a fairly large platter containing generous portions of all the above appears before me, which I suspiciously turn over with my fork for any signs of contamination. All appears okay, so I begin with the eggs..

Now, I tend to be picky when I order the eggs "over" and get them almost raw and way too runny. But, dare I say, these eggs were actually good! Not too runny, and quite tasty. I tried the potatoes next, which were at least above average. The waitress refilled my coffee AND remembered to give me more cream and sugar, which is more than I can say for most places. Finnally, not only was I given TWO (!) large slices of toast, but the waittress provided peanut butter, jam, AND honey when I only asked for some jam. These peel pubbers have something going for them after all!

My last item of inspection was the bill, and at $2.29 tax included, I must give this breakfast a "PASS" rating on the food inspection scale. I was feeling so inexplicably overjoyed that I even rounded up the bill to a full $3 (thats over 20% tip, folks!) I assure you that this uncharacterisic display of generousity on my part was completely unrelated to the fact that my waitress was hot, wearing a low cut shirt, and frequently bent over in front of me to clear my place. Awesome!

Its been over an hour since I last finished my meal, and I have yet to exhibit any signs of nauseau, diarreah, or other such maladies...though I will update this thread if neccesary. Now, I may even be forced to inspect those 9 cent chicken wings later on today...

no coughing either!

Jesus is so humble! Praaaaise the Lord!