welcome to the sift my man.
excellent first post.
looking forward to your future submissions.

thanks mate!
you check out my lawrence lessig post?
it is a much watch:
http://videosift.com/video/lawrence-lessig-2016-will-have-two-elections-TED-talk

hehe..i am a tad long in the tooth as well.my days of tripping balls are pretty much over.
8 years ago there was a fantasy ranch reunion show.an old school 90's rave reunion that i was all excited about and my ex and her husband bought me tickets (vip,limo..the works) and i felt soooo out of place.last time i ventured into the underground world of the young and extremely high.i was forced to recognize my time in that world ..was over.

basically i was talking out my ass.

and i am ok with that.

i am not surprised we pretty much agree.

you should always be careful with any substance and to be informed is the first step.
was i careful at 15 with double barrel purple mescaline?---->nope.i was 15.

but i think the argument is getting caught up in distinctions,which is common.
when i speak of psychedelics,i am talking about:LSD,shrooms,mescaline.
and while exstacy is considered a psychedelic,and it IS a psychedelic (and awesome btw),i also consider that drug to be more a "club" drug,a designer drug,and yes...it can be fatal because often it is NOT mdma/mda you're are taking but a cocktail of bullshit with a few experimental chemistry molecules thrown in...so your cautionary tale is not exactly unfounded..but i have never seen shagen even suggest mdma/mda but almost exclusively:DMT.

now,i am fairly cautious in suggesting DMT to the uninitiated due to the fact of its potency (even in small amounts).there is no small build up with DMT,it goes from first gear to 15th in 2.2 seconds,and for a newcomer that can easily overwhelm and frighten.

for psychedelics to produce a positive and healthy response there first has to be interest in trying psychedelics out.the worst thing you could EVER do is "hey man,i just filled your beer with shroom tea" (you would notice though,that shit tastes like concentrated ass).

the person should also be in the right frame of mind and be in a place and with people they feel comfortable with and trust (very important the first time).knowing the dosage is important but not as important as you would think,as long as you take things slow and with patient care..things will sort out nicely.

as for death and permanent brain damage.i am not familiar with any cases except for the movie they showed us in the 7th grade with helen hunt thinking she could fly,because she took acid.i know psychedelics can affect a personality permanently (usually for the better) but nothing life threatening.i know too high a dosage on a novice mind can cause a "bad" trip and leave an unpleasant memory of the experience.there have been cases of latent mental illnesses manifesting due to the psychedelics,but it didnt CAUSE the mental illness.

from my own personal experience and what i have read,psychedelics are pretty safe.they are not a toy.they are an extremely powerful psychoactive compound that should always be treated with respect and to ignore that can have consequences.

but i dont think death and permanent brain damage are on that list.

unless you decided to do something stupid while tripping,but that is evolution,not psychedelics.

i could always come to california and we could drink shroom kool-aid.hang out on the moutain-side and watch the sunset and by the time we are watching the sunrise we will have become blood brothers and watched the universe expand in glorious birth pangs and then collapse upon itself in its death throes.talked to stars and danced with super novas.find ourselves in a meadow,thinking we walked half the state only to realize we are a 1/4 mile from your back porch.

i promise good times my friend.good times indeed.

@newtboy
while i agree that shagen tends to get downright biblical in regards to psychedelics,i have never seen him suggest taking them irresponsibly or in an abusive manner.

in fact,i have seen him on multiple occasions lay out proper procedure to have a safe and enjoyable trip.

i actually agree with shagen the positive benefits psychedelics can have on a person,having experienced them myself on multiple occasions,over a span of decades.

the difference between shagen and i,is that i see trying to sway someone who has never ingested psychedelics into taking them in the very same vein as trying to sway an atheist into believing in jesus.

it is never going to happen,so why would i waste my time?

it is like trying to teach a blind man the color blue,or a woman what it is like to have a penis.

certain people have certain personality traits that may lend them to experiment with psychedelics.other people do not.one should not be judged greater or lesser than the other,because both represent personal choice.

personally i love psychedelics,for many of the reasons shagen posts.you may not,for your own reasons.totally fair in my book.
you will never see me at your door asking "having you found the joys of chemically induced hallucinations yet?"

maybe i should.....
i shall call it the "cult of acid".
let the doorknocking BEGIN!

zombie jesus thanks you!

i am so thoroughly impressed and in a state of awe just how much you are accomplishing and with such precision and efficiency.

bravo my friend.
your talents are much appreciated.

i think i see what you are trying to create,though my limited understandings are a hindrance:a stylized and sleek user interface which is easy to use for the new visitor,uncluttered,yet still sexy.

all this while balancing the desires of long time users who have helped build this community.

no easy task my friend,but your recent attentions have proven spectacular in the face of those challenges.

i salute you my friend.
well done!

haha..yeah.i needed a boost.i had just come across the charlie hedbo shootings and was feeling pretty down.
posted it more for myself than anyone else but i am glad it put a smile on faces other than my own.

keep it sexy brother!

haha!
sure can..hugs are free.
hope i didnt come across as too harsh but the whining was grating on me a tad.

i am getting cranky in my old age.

loooooooooooooooove you!
thanks for the PP brotherman!

thanks captain awesome!
what did ya think?

check this slice of delicious out:
http://videosift.com/video/maximus-thor-kurt-cobain-was-one-cool-dude

you posted a self-link which is a huge no-no here on the sift.
this is a video aggregate site which promotes the work of others for their quality and other redeeming qualities.which are then voted on by the community.

usually most self-likers never bother to check back but since you are here..allow me to suggest that you ask another sifter to post this video and hence avoiding the inevitable ban hammer.

any questions that you have can be found in the faqs section,or just ask another sifter.we are usually a pretty helpful bunch.

never mind.seems @newtboy already addressed the situation far better than i could.

ha!
yep..missed it.
hadn't had my coffee yet.

i would not say i am anti-establishment but rather suspicious of power and authority,and rightly so in my opinion,but thats all that is..my opinion.

i tend to post chomsky because he is the most quoted and since he is so critical of power his research tends to be thoroughly vetted.i also post:chris hedges,henry giroux,sheldon wolin,carl popper all whom are extremely critical of the current power structures.

my faith dictates my politics and to me the argument is always,and i mean always:power vs powerlessness

i am critical of power.
i challenge authority and question its validity,forcing said authority to prove its relevance in todays society.

just because i criticize and challenge current power structure in no way dismisses the very good and beneficial accomplishments of the society i reside in.there are many positives to be acknowledged and applauded,but we must be vigilant and do our due diligence in order to challenge extremely powerful forces that seek to undermine the myriad of hard-won rights and privileges in order to benefit themselves at the detriment of everybody else.

so while my politics may be perceived as radical by some,it is not radical at all to me.which should be self-evident.

and disagreement is not only fine by me but welcomed,and i am glad you will engage with me (some people fear conflict).engagement forces me to refine and examine my own ideologies and if they are found lacking,then they must be discarded.without challenge and criticism we will all sit in our own hubris,an echo chamber of our own insular ideologies,smelling our own farts.

now where is the fun in that?

anyways..always a pleasure sparring with ya.
stay awesome brother and merry christmas happy new year!