Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Father of LSD Dies at 102

NEW YORK (AP) -- Albert Hofmann, father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery grew into a notorious "problem child," died Tuesday. He was 102.

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Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, in 1998, long maintained that LSD had many medical uses.

Hofmann died of a heart attack at his home in Basel, Switzerland, according to Rick Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, in a statement posted on the association's Web site.

Hofmann's hallucinogen inspired -- and arguably corrupted -- millions in the 1960's hippie generation. For decades after LSD was banned in the late 1960s, Hofmann defended his invention.

"I produced the substance as a medicine. ... It's not my fault if people abused it," he said.

The Swiss chemist discovered lysergic acid diethylamide-25 in 1938 while studying the medicinal uses of a fungus found on wheat and other grains at the Sandoz pharmaceuticals firm in Basel.

He became the first human guinea pig of the drug when a tiny amount of the substance seeped onto his finger during a repeat of the laboratory experiment April 16, 1943.

"I had to leave work for home because I was suddenly hit by a sudden feeling of unease and mild dizziness," he wrote in a memo to company bosses.

"Everything I saw was distorted as in a warped mirror," he said, describing his bicycle ride home. "I had the impression I was rooted to the spot. But my assistant told me we were actually going very fast."

Three days later, Hofmann experimented with a larger dose. The result was a horror trip.

"The substance which I wanted to experiment with took over me. I was filled with an overwhelming fear that I would go crazy. I was transported to a different world, a different time," Hofmann wrote.

There was no answer at Hofmann's home Tuesday, and a person who answered the phone at Novartis, a former employer, said the company had no knowledge of his death.

Hofmann and his scientific colleagues hoped that LSD would make an important contribution to psychiatric research. The drug exaggerated inner problems and conflicts, and thus it was hoped that it might be used to recognize and treat mental illness like schizophrenia.

For a time, Sandoz sold LSD 25 under the name Delysid, encouraging doctors to try it themselves. It was one of the strongest drugs in medicine, with just one gram enough to drug an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people for 12 hours.

Hofmann discovered that the drug had a similar chemical structure to psychedelic mushrooms and herbs used in religious ceremonies by Mexican Indians.

LSD was elevated to international fame in the late 1950s and 1960s, thanks to Harvard professor Timothy Leary, who embraced the drug under the slogan "turn on, tune in, drop out." Actor Cary Grant and numerous rock musicians extolled its virtues in achieving true self discovery and enlightenment.

But away from the psychedelic trips and flower children, horror stories emerged about people going on murder sprees or jumping out of windows while hallucinating. Heavy users suffered permanent psychological damage.

The U.S. government banned LSD in 1966, and other countries followed suit.

Hofmann maintained that this was unfair, arguing that the drug was not addictive. He repeatedly said the ban should be lifted to allow LSD to be used in medical research.

He himself took the drug -- purportedly on an occasional basis and out of scientific interest -- for several decades.

"LSD can help open your eyes," he once said. "But there are other ways: meditation, dance, music, fasting."

Even so, the self-described "father" of LSD readily agreed that the drug was dangerous if in the wrong hands. This was reflected by the title of his 1979 book: "LSD: My Problem Child."

Hofmann retired from Sandoz in 1971. He devoted his time to travel, writing and lectures, which often reflected his growing interest with philosophy and religious questions.

He lived in a small village in the Swiss Jura mountains and remained active until his early 90's. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

Monday, April 28, 2008

Chris Farley?

So... this woman today told me that I reminded her of Chris Farley. REALLY? WTF?
No more GM & Chicken Wings for me!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Travel-a-Thon

My Saturday was the travel day from hell. I left my house at 9AM Eastern and arrived at my hotel at 2:30AM Central.

I traveled through 7 states via planes, trains and automobiles. Really. My 18+ hour day began in Maryland where I took the Amtrak to NYC. Then a car service took me to JFK where my NWA plane sat on the runway for 60 minutes setting off the chain reaction. So the missed connection in Detroit forced me to fly through Minneapolis to get to Milwaukee. That's where I got to pick up my rental car and drive 2 hours!

Yeah!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Twister?

For some reason I just want to play TWISTER!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

A Taste...


So... I'm working on a couple episodes of a new A&E show that is from the creators of PARANORMAL STATE. Also involved is psychic medium Chip Coffey. He is featured in the above clip from season one of PARANORMAL STATE.

I'm a big skeptic... but I have had some "interesting" experiences on this shoot.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Florida Chilling

So we made it to Clearwater, Florida for the next leg of the PSYCHIC KIDS shoot. Part of the afternoon was spent poolside decompressing from last week. Rough life - I know.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Working at the Haunted Ranch

That's right... I'm working on a show that's filming at a haunted ranch in Arizona. Check out their website HERE. I hope to have some stories to tell but for now its work and sleep.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

OEM Orioles Opening Day

There were T-Shirts and Grand Marnier shots. And there was much rejoicing. Some people rejoiced A LOT! Look at the expression on T-Rizzle's face. Here are MORE PIX to prove it.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Squidbillies Rule


My latest guilty pleasure... Squidbillies!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

George W's Myspace Top Friends


How many can you identify? Look HERE for details.

RIP Chuck


That's right... My man Charlton Heston has shuffled off this mortal coil. He is LEGEND.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

DALE WATSON & P!E TV


Dale Watson will be playing at Joe Squared Pizza at 8:30pm Monday April 7th. And we will be filming it for P!E TV.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Jeff sounds Drunk


Slow Jeff Goldblum down by 30% and you get David Hasselhoff.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

 

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