Authors Posts by Nick Bernabe

Nick Bernabe

Nick Bernabe is the owner and lead editor of the website, an activist, blogger, and the founder and spokesman of the March Against Monsanto movement. He is also a guest contributor to The Mind Unleashed.

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Imagine falling into a peaceful slumber only to find yourself in the world’s greatest virtual reality game room. You can do anything you want to do. If you’ve always wondered what it felt like to fly, you suddenly sprout wings and take flight. If you’ve been struggling with a decision, you can call in specialists to help you work out the answer. If you want to go to Paris, you’re there in a blink of the eye.

Is this possible? Some people say it is. It’s called lucid dreaming.

Lucid dreaming is the practice of altering your dreams. In a lucid dream, you know you are dreaming and can change the course of a dream in the blink of an eye. Although lucid dreaming has only been a part of our everyday vocabulary for the past few decades, it has been a part of many cultures since the beginning of humankind. Native Americans use it as a portal to the spirit world, while Tibetan Buddhists have been using a variety of it for centuries.

Frederik van Eeden, a Dutch psychiatrist, coined the term “lucid dreaming” in 1913 during his study of dreams. He started by documenting his dreams in a journal, eventually coming up with nine different types of dreams. He felt that dreams weren’t strictly arbitrary and that there was a derivative meaning behind them. His studies were groundbreaking, leading others to pick up where he left off, advancing the study of dreams to new levels.

Lucid dreaming has a scientific basis to support it. It’s not just theory. Typically when we sleep, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex part of our brains is disabled. This is the part of the brain where working memory occurs. People who experience lucid dreaming actually activate this part of the brain, in a sense, turning on their awareness.


While lucid dreaming has entertainment purposes, it also has beneficial side effects. People have used lucid dreaming to help them solve problems by replaying the issue repeatedly in the dream, looking at the various outcomes. It’s also helpful for emotional healing and for stopping nightmares in their tracks. Imagine turning the tables on a monster by controlling its behavior.

How to have a lucid dream

1. Keep a Dream Journal beside your bed.

Document your dreams the second you wake up. This allows you to see the pattern of your dreams and become familiar with your dreaming world. It will help you remember your dreams. Most people have 3-5 dreams a night, but only remember one or two, at most.

2. Train yourself to know when you are dreaming.

Some people attain this goal by performing habitual reality checks, such as looking at their watches or glancing at a calendar frequently during the day, hoping the routine will carry over into their sleeping worlds. When you see this behavior in a dream, it will tip you off that you are in a dream.

3. Know your dream signs.

Read your dream journal frequently to see if there are any repeating clues. Always look for these when you are dreaming and use them as triggers to let you know you’re dreaming. Some people frequently dream about being chased or losing important items, which is helpful in alerting them to their dream state.

4. Try to dive back into a dream when you wake up from one.

Record the dream in your dream journal before you attempt to reenter it. Some people will deliberately wake themselves up with an alarm to do this. Alter the course of the dream as you reenter it.

5. Meditate before going to sleep or listen to a 6-8 hour meditation video that contains binaural beats.

Guided meditations can be found online and are easy to follow.

Don’t be surprised if it takes you a while to learn how to lucid dream. Even practiced lucid dreamers sometimes only achieve cognitive dreaming several times a month. If you find yourself waking, one tip researchers have found to be helpful is to make yourself spin or fall backwards. This seems to reactivate the lucid dream, keeping you in a dream state for longer.

Lucid dreaming isn’t for everyone, but those who have taught themselves the practice enjoy it immensely. Give it a try and see for yourself. You might learn to fly.

If you’re truly devoted to lucid dreaming, it may be worth trying a supplement. There are known chemicals in the brain that, when activated, promote lucid dreaming

This article originally appeared on and was used with permission.

Featured Image:  Lucid Dream World Game Jam by Kamikaye

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As I write this, a large protest is taking place in Chicago at Homan Squareto shut it down, with more protests being planned across the country in the coming weeks.


About the Author


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(TheAntiMedia) A new study revealed this week shows that in spite of past claims, marijuana use does not affect IQ. The research, performed by the University College of London, was presented on Tuesday at the European Conference of Neuropsychopharmacology in Berlin.

The longitudinal study was performed on over 2,000 students. Researchers studied subjectsonce at age 8 and again at age 15born between 1991 and 1992. As the Washington Post reported, the study found

“‘No relationship between cannabis use and lower IQ at age 15,’ when confounding factors – alcohol use, cigarette use, maternal education, and others – were taken into account. Even heavy marijuana use wasn’t associated with IQ.”

This runs in stark contrast to what an internationally publicized Duke University study found in 2012. That study claimed that using marijuana in adolescence led to irreversible drops in IQan average of 8 points. Though scientists almost immediately objected to the efficacy of the Duke study, the University College of London’s findings are the most recent to prove it wrong.

As the lead author, Claire Mokrysz noted,


In fact, the only substance the study found to lower IQ was alcohol, a government authorized drug.

While cannabis, a largely prohibited plant, improves a variety of medical ailments, alcohol is mostly detrimental and addictive. Even the state, which allows alcohol consumption, acknowledges alcohol’s health risks and admits that it instigates violence.

Likewise, pharmaceutical painkillers can be highly addictive, are increasingly abused by teenagers, kill more people than the drugs the state forbids, and remain perfectly legal. This is because they are approved by an agency in bed with pharmaceutical companies.

Similarly, toxic chemicals are considered legal and safe (as are poisonous foods and pesticides approved by the FDA and EPA) because corporations pay for special treatment.

Meanwhile, drugs deemed dangerous by the government continue to be outlawed and punished. Marijuana is not the only one. LSD, mushrooms and MDMA are increasingly recognized as beneficial yet they remain classified as Schedule 1 narcotics, described by the DEA as

“Drugs, substances, or chemicals…defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.”

Painkillers do not make the list, nor does alcohol.

The London study did find that among the heaviest marijuana users, test scores averaged 3% lower, cautioning that there are still drawbacks to consumption. However, as Mokrysz noted,


The study’s main findings add to the growing body of evidence that marijuana is far more medicinal than it is harmful. The new evidence adds to a long list of other past claims about the plant that have been disproved: that it causes cancer, that it is a gateway drug, and that it leads to crime and delinquency, to name a few.

Regardless of how harmful any drug — legal or illegal — may be, it is clear the government is not concerned with keeping people safe. Rather, its audacity in outlawing beneficial substances and promoting more dangerous ones shows not only its tendency toward corruption, but its belief that it can control what an individual non-violently does with his or her own body.

This notion is more dangerous than any drug the government condemns or endorses, but thanks to increasing studies like the University College of London’s, perceptions and policy continue to change.

This article is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Carey Wedler and Follow The Anti-Media on Facebook and Twitter to receive their latest articles. Image credit: Cannatraining

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The days of bulky, expensive solar panels that were heavy and required harsh chemicals to produce and a lot of labor to install may be coming to an end. Scientists in Australia have been able to produce the largest ever printed solar cells using a newly developed solar cell printer. Yes, they are printing solar cells.

The cells are flexible, cheap, and made from organic plastics and materials.

According to scientist Dr Scott Watkins, printing cells on such a large scale opens up a huge range of possibilities for pilot applications:

“There are so many things we can do with cells this size[…]We can set them into advertising signage, powering lights and other interactive elements. We can even embed them into laptop cases to provide backup power for the machine inside.”

Dr. David Jones has a few more uses in mind:


Image: VICOSC’s new solar cell printer installed at CSIRO.

solarprinterThese organic solar cells differ from conventional solar panels in that they are lighter, flexible, semi-transparent, and projected to be much cheaper.

The technology and manufacturing are still in the research phase, but scientists behind the project are hopeful for it’s future use for consumers. According to one of the project’s partners, CSIRO:

“The consortium is currently only purchasing materials on a research scale. When bought on a larger scale it is anticipated that component costs will be significantly lower and that pricing around A$1/W will be achievable.”

$1 per watt? Coupled with the lowered installation costs of this lighter system, that is utterly revolutionary. With these costs, a family would be able to cleanly power their home for only a few thousand dollars.

There is also an added benefit to printing solar cells over traditional manufacturing of solar panels: factories can be much smaller, therefore also much cheaper. This will allow for the production of these cells to be more decentralized making them more accessible in the developing world and the first world alike.

Is this the breakthrough that finally kills ‘Big Oil’ and brings solar power to the world? We think they are getting close.

Here’s a short video that explains these cells:

Image credits:


Nikola Tesla, the man who discovered how to use Alternating Current (AC) electricity, has many rumors surrounding his life. Born in 1856, he has basically disappeared from the history books, only for people to rediscover his work thanks to the internet.

He was a well known inventor in his time, first arriving in America to work for Thomas Edison. He later branched out on his own in disgust of Thomas Edison’s business practices. A rivalry between Tesla and Edison soon became apparent as the debate over AC/DC electricity heated up. Tesla, who ended up winning the debate, argued that AC electricity was more efficient and cost effective, which was true.

Tesla was also involved in many more controversial projects. Much of his work was undermined by Edison himself, who attempted to destroy Tesla’s reputation. There was also a concerted effort by bankers to bankrupt Tesla in order to stop his research that could have threatened their own businesses.

One such project was the transmission of basically free wireless electricity, an idea that is literally revolutionizing. Wireless energy would put many power companies and oil companies out of business. Tesla was working on this project late into his life, after he had fallen into bankruptcy and was living in a hotel room. It was long suspected that the FBI literally stole all of his work, research, and inventions that he had in his possession when he died. This rumor has now been confirmed by recent, heavily redacted Freedom of Information Act requests released by the FBI which you can read by clicking on the image below.

teslafbiHere is a video demonstrating Tesla’s suppressed inventions, whether due to FBI intervention, or corporate espionage waged by Edison and banker J.P. Morgan:

Who killed the electric car and why?

There was a concerted effort by oil companies, car manufacturers, and the government to stop the rise of the electric car in the 90’s.

You can watch the full documentary titled “Who Killed the Electric Car” here.


(Click on image to expand. Credit:

hemp-usesDocumented previously in our article titled “34 Medical Studies Proving Cannabis Cures Cancer“, we show that there are plenty of potential uses for cannabis that can cure cancer and help treat other ailments. This is an understandable threat to the current medical-industrial-complex that banks billions on cancer treatments every year.

The many industrial uses for hemp made the plant highly dangerous to current corporate establishments such as paper, plastic, and oil industries. There are reportedly 50,000 different industrial uses for hemp.

This threat to industry has led to an aggressive government funded, corporate backed anti-cannabis propaganda campaign that has spanned decades.


Nick Bernabe is the owner and lead editor of the website, an activist, blogger, and the founder and spokesman of the March Against Monsanto movement. He is also a guest contributor to The Mind Unleashed. Please follow his Facebook page by clicking here.

It would serve Americans greatly to take a page out of Sweden’s book about recycling their waste.

The Scandinavian nation of Sweden has set a new precedent in the world of recycling its trash, with a near zero waste amount of 99 percent. Sweden was already ahead of the game back in 2012, when they were recycling 96 percent of their trash, but the three percent jump in just two years is quite impressive. Image credit:

How does Sweden do it? They have an aggressive recycling policy, which goes in an order of importance: prevention, reuse, recycling, recycling alternatives, and as a last resort, disposal in landfill. As of 2014, only 1 percent of their waste ends up in a landfill.

Swedes understand that producing less waste to begin with is key to reducing the amount of trash that ends up being thrown away. Something as simple as using reusable containers for water and drinks can greatly reduce the amount of trash each person produces per year.

They have a very advanced system of trash separation which makes it easy to recycle nearly everything that’s thrown away.

Much of the left over waste is taken care of by using “recycling alternatives”, such as the Waste-to-Energy program, which is explained in this video:

While the “recycling alternative” remains controversial, it’s cleaner than drilling for oil or natural gas to burn in traditional power plants.

Sweden is so good at recycling its trash in fact, that it now has plans to import 800,000 tons of garbage from other countries in Europe in order to create heat for its citizens through its Waste-to-Energy program.

America should take note of this process considering we only recycle approximately 34 percent of the garbage we throw away.



Credits: LiveFreeLiveNatural. Used with permission via author.


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In a breakthrough that is bound to catch the attention of the oil industry and even electric car makers, a company has just gained approval for its ‘salt water’ powered car in Europe.

A car called the Quant e-Sportlimousine that was presented at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show is the first electric car powered by salt water and is now certified for use on European public roads.

The e-Sportlimousine, built by the German company Quant, runs on an electrolyte flow cell power system made by NanoFlowcell that generates a staggering 920 horsepower, goes 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds, and propels the car to a top speed of 217.5 mph!

What is an electrolyte flow cell you ask? According to Green Car Congress“Flow cells or flow batteries combine aspects of an electrochemical battery cell with those of a fuel cell. The electrolytic fluids in flow cells—usually metallic salts in aqueous solution(salt water)—are pumped from tanks through the cell. This forms a kind of battery cell with a cross-flow of electrolyte liquid.”

For the first time an automobile featuring flow-cell electric drive will appear on Germany’s roads,” said Nunzio La Vecchia, chief technical officer at NanoFlowcell, a company which designed the car. “We are extremely proud that as a small company we have developed such visionary technology and are now able to put it into practice. But this is only the beginning of our journey of discovery.”

A few months after making a debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the Quant e-Sportlimousine underwent an in-depth inspection and received official approval to be tested on public roads in Germany and Europe from certification provider TÜV Süd based in Munich, Germany.


The company claims that the Quant e-Sportlimousine can reach the speed of 350 km/h (217.5 mph), accelerate from 0-100 in 2.8 seconds and has maximum power of 920 horsepower (680 kW). Moreover, the car is claimed to be able to travel up to 600 km (373 mi) with a full tank, which is five times greater than with a conventional battery system. At the same time, the car is safe to drive and environmentally friendly.

However, the market price of the Quant e-Sportlimousine is estimated to exceed $1.7. It is not yet clear if the company plans to use the NanoFlowcell technology on more affordable cars, but it can be said for sure that this technology has a great potential and could be used in a wide range of applications which go beyond the automobile industry.

Using this platform, the e-Sportlimousine is able to produce a massive amount of power while emitting zero emissions. While the e-Sportlimousine is bound to be very expensive, there is hope for the electrolyte flow cell power platform to be used more practically in the future.


This technology has potential uses for other industries as well, says NanoFlowcell spokesman Prof. Jens-Peter Ellermann, “The potential of the NanoFlowcell is much greater, especially in terms of domestic energy supplies as well as in maritime, rail and aviation technology. The NanoFlowcell offers a wide range of applications as a sustainable, low cost and environmentally-friendly source of energy.”  

“Low cost”, that sounds good to me.

Check this thing out in action:



Images from

Daily Mail




Tidal energy works in a very similar manner to wind energy; in fact, the turbines look very similar. According MeyGen, the builder of the plant,

“Sea water is 832 times denser than air and so a 5 knot ocean current has more kinetic energy than a 220 MPH wind. Therefore ocean currents have a very high energy density and a smaller device is required to harness tidal current energy than to harness wind energy.

Tidal current energy takes the kinetic energy available in currents and converts it into electricity. As oceans cover over 70% of Earth’s surface, ocean energy (including wave power, tidal current power and ocean thermal energy conversion) represents a vast source of energy, estimated at between 2,000 and 4,000 TWh per year, enough energy to continuously light between 2 and 4 billion 11W low-energy light bulbs.”

Due to the slower moving blades in a water current powered turbine, it is less likely that they will cause harm to sea life or the surrounding ecosystem. Tidal turbines are much less disruptive to the flow of water than other types of tidal power such as ‘barrages’, which actually trap and release rising tide water.

The project will be built in the Pentland Firth in Scotland.


Here is a graphic that shows how the project will look when completed.


Here’s a short video that shows how tidal turbines work:

Image credits:,

One of the biggest problems facing the earth, plastic pollution, could soon meet its match if students at Yale University are able to breed a recently discovered plastic-eating fungus on a large scale.

Plastic pollution, exemplified by the giant floating island of trash the size of Texas in the Pacific ocean, is highly detrimental to the world’s ecosystem because it breaks down extremely slow. In fact, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, plastic doesn’t actually biodegrade:

“Plastics do not biodegrade, although, under the influence of solar UV radiations, plastics do degrade and fragment into small particles, termed microplastics.”

This presents humans with a challenge that must soon be met, considering much of our plastic trash ends up in the ocean where it breaks down into toxic microplastics, winding up in sea life. Not only is this dangerous to the sea life, but it’s also dangerous to people because we end up consuming these very fish which we are poisoning with our trash.

Many groups and organizations have been formed to clean up plastic that ends up washing ashore on our beaches, but the vast majority of plastic pollution ends up in the ocean. The planet has a growing addiction to cheap and industrious plastic, increasing in use exponentially every year with no end in sight.

This is why the discovery of plastic-eating fungus is so exciting. According to Inhabitat,


The discovery was published in the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Researchers were also able to isolate the enzyme responsible for decomposing the plastic.

It isn’t exactly clear how this fungus will be implemented in bioremediation, but one can picture floating plastic islands covered in mushrooms which will eat the entire trash pile then sink into the ocean.

It’s also important to wean ourselves away from petroleum based plastics because they require many resources just to manufacture, and pollution doesn’t start or end with the trash in the gutter. Many other sustainable options are available which could used instead, like hemp based or other plant based plastics.



Image credit:

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How far would you go to have your message heard? A journalist in Gaza is pushing the limits in a new challenge designed to raise awareness about the humanitarian nightmare being inflicted upon residents of the Gaza Strip.

Gaza has been under constant assault sinceOperation Protective Edge began on July 8th. The war was started against Hamas after three Jewish teenagers that were kidnapped were found dead in Gaza. The Israeli government immediately blamed Hamas and launched a bombing campaign against them; however, it was later found that Hamas was not responsible for the deaths of these teens. This fact has since been overlooked as the war effort continues on for months. Since then, 2,100 Palestinians have been killed, 80% of those are assumed to be civilians. Israel has lost 3 civilians and 63 soldiers in the fighting.

The situation in Gaza is nothing short of a full-blown humanitarian disaster. Millions of people on the Gaza Strip go without clean water, electricity, and food daily. At least 100,000 Palestinians have become homeless due to the conflict. Today a 12 story apartment building was bombed and subsequently collapsed, displacing 44 families and killing an unknown amount.

The time for increased awareness about what’s going on in Gaza is now! Here’s how and why the #RubbleBucketChallenge was started:

This is the sad reality of living on the Gaza Strip. 1.8 Million people are trapped and suffering due to the actions of Hamas; faced with an economic embargo forcing nearly everyone into malnutrition. Clean water is nearly impossible to find; and freezing it requires electricity, which is also hard to find there. But rubble is everywhere, and is symbolic of the struggle these innocent people are facing.

225 Jewish survivors and relatives of survivors of the Holocaust have openly come out in opposition to Israel’s siege of Gaza. Here’s a short excerpt of what they said,


Many Americans are apathetic to the struggle of the Palestinian people, but it should be noted that the US taxpayers fund much of the military equipment that is used by Israel via military aid appropriated by Congress.



Image credit: _rockinfree