Sexual Abuse By Clergy Will Not End If It Does Not End In The Philippines

     Instead of reacting to scandal after scandal regarding sexual abuse of minors by clergy, the Catholic Church must demonstrate a true commitment to ensuring this never continues. In places in the world where the church is powerful, where poverty and powerlessness is widespread, and where the unequal relationship between clergy and commoners is most striking, the church must become proactive. If abuse is not uncovered and stopped in the most vulnerable places of powerlessness and poverty, then it will not end anywhere.

Losing Paradise While Financial Markets Climb

    While this planet becomes increasingly impoverished and degraded, the illusion persists that human wealth is increasing. Stock markets, real estate and everything man made are fleeting at best. The real riches of this planet, the things that should be enduring and protected, are rapidly being lost.       Recently, a place was revisited that some thirty years ago was a vibrant coastal coral reef teeming with marine life. Now it is but a shadow of its former self. A young person seeing this coral reef might think the shadow is a sight to behold, never having known anything else.
       Few coastal coral reefs are left that are healthy and intact. This is only the tip of the iceberg. While real wealth disappears, people vainly follow the illusionary wealth of financial markets and their own accounts.

David Cosby. Pain, Anxiety; Marijuana And CBD Hype

     Now that Canada is in the process of legalizing marijuana, marijuana related stocks are flying through the roof. Big money is like a bulldozer, and where it goes most everything else is rolled over. Caution is thrown to the wind, and the once pariah marijuana and CBD have now become the cure all and answer for everything.
     Singer David Cosby, a big advocate for marijuana, announced his own weed brand. He declared CBD, or cannabidiol, will become a "hugely successful painkiller".
     Marijuana and hemp are cannabis plants. The active ingredient that makes people high, THC, is present in marijuana but is very low in the hemp plant. CBD is present in both plants. A variety of medical and therapeutic benefits are ascribed to CBD. THC is said to also have certain medical benefits. However, THC makes people high, while CBD does not. (CBD, now legal in a number of states, is poorly regulated. People may be getting too much or not enough of the dose they pay for).
     THC can increase anxiety in people. CBD is believed to have anti anxiety properties, but this is unproven. Cosby believes CBD will be a new family of painkillers. (The placebo effect may be why some people think it works.) CBD has been shown to be effective for certain forms of childhood epilepsy.
     There are compelling reasons to legalize marijuana. It will kill a black market that enriches gangs, criminals and terrorists that profit from keeping marijuana illegal. 
     The thus far unproven hype regarding marijuana, CBD and THC will leave many sadly disappointed. People in severe or chronic pain or anxiety may find it offers no relief. This will be another dead end that will leave them even more desperate in their search for relief. Legalize hemp, and perhaps marijuana. But stop using false medical claims and unproven therapeutic benefits as the justification.