How Americans Said No To Cocaine After Years-Long Addiction

In Vogue

In the '80s, when President Ronald Reagan was waging a , cocaine — and its derivative, crack — ravaged the nation's inner cities. Meanwhile, the powder version of the drug reached a different demographic.

"The ethos in fashionable Manhattan was that you worked hard all day and you stayed up and partied all night," says author Jay McInerney, "and cocaine seemed to facilitate that kind of approach to life."

McInerney's novel, Bright Lights, Big City, set in 1980s New York City, became a literary sensation for a generation, capturing a culture of glitz and glamour — and cocaine.

"In the space of a few years, cocaine went from being something that was surreptitiously snorted off of toilet stalls in these kind of grimy clubs to something that was being done on table tops in chic restaurants by investment bankers," he tells Jacki Lyden, host of weekends on All Things Considered.

So what happened? Peter Reuter, a longtime researcher of drug problems in the U.S., says the passage of time played a role.

"The drug went out of vogue a long time ago," says Reuter, a professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. "Lots of people experiment with it, but very few of the people that experiment with it in the last 20 years have gone on to become regular users of it."

However, he says, whether cocaine use was simply a passing fad may very well "depend on your vantage point."                                                                 >Listen to the story<

An Evening in Ireland

Informative entertaining  format about Ireland It's struggles and victories.We continue are weekly discussion.We working together can live in harmony.We is the key.

Join us on Wednesday's 10 PM CDT on Blog Talk Radio                                                                 >link to broadcast<

Your tax dollars dollars hard at work

If you're a U.S. citizen, you might occasionally wonder: "Hmm... all that money I pay in taxes - where exactly is it going and what is it being spent on?"

Here are ten (possible) responses to this question (out of many):

1. Gitmo - In 2013, the Pentagon estimates it will cost $454 million to operate Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. taxpayer-funded prison where inmates have been routinely tortured and held for years without charge.

2. Israel - Foreign aid to Israel from the U.S. is $3 billion annually. Why is this problematic?                                                          >complete investigative report<

9/11 is the Litmus test

Powerful and informative commentary                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   >watch and listen<                                                           

American Blackout

American Blackout critically examines the contemporary tactics used to control our democratic process and silence voices of political dissent. Many have heard of the alleged voting irregularities that occurred during the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. Until now, these incidents have gone under- reported and are commonly written-off as insignificant rumors or unintentional mishaps resulting from an overburdened election system.
>the informative report<

Snowden: Symptom or Disease?

Lawrence Wilkerson: Never-ending culture of war breeds an ever-growing draconian government, which will pressure more whistleblowers to come forward to stop tyranny -                                                     >another informative interview<

The dream of life

The dream of life                                                                                                                                   Alan Watts
Philosopher
Alan Wilson Watts was a British-born philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and populariser of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts.                                                   http://youtu.be/wU0PYcCsL6o

5 People That Remind You Why Immigration Reform Is A Tough Battle

If you're wondering why negotiations for immigration reform look the way they do, here's 5 reasons why.

We're not saying Dems have done any better. In fact we're more than glad to make a "highlight reel" for the Blue Team if you all can help compile quotes or happenings. Post em to our wall!                                                            >Guess who<

The Owners of the Country

George Carlin knows what's going on. And what's going on is your getting fu*ked.
It's funny but deadly serious. We've been divided and conquered and its time to get our country back.
>reality check enjoy<

Jeremy Scahill Dirty Wars Charlie Rose

 Portrait Of A War Criminal: An Addendum To Jeremy Scahill's "Dirty Wars"
>Informative interview<

Sinead O'Connor & the Chieftains- The Foggy Dew

As down the glen one Easter morn
To a city fair rode I,
Their armed lines of marching men
In squadrons passed me by.
No pipe did hum, no battle drum
Did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus' bells o'er the Liffey swells
Rang out in the foggy dew.

Right proudly high in Dublin town
Hung they out a flag of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Than at Suvla or Sud el Bar.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through;
While Brittania's Huns with their long-range guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew.
>enjoy listening to the music<

Jon Rappoport: Conspiratorial Corporate Media Boxed In and the Ship is Sinking

Jon Rappoport shares some good news
about the future of mainstream media.                                                                                                  >Another informative interview<