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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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DEA hosting 'Mouse Party'
#7628912 - 11/13/07 05:00 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' November 13, 2007 - deseretnews.com
ARLINGTON, Va. — Seven cartoon mice in an interactive computer program at the Drug Enforcement Administration's museum take drugs and get brain scans to help visitors learn about drugs' effects on the brain.
The program, created at the University of Utah, is part of a new exhibit — "Good Medicine, Bad Behavior: Drug Diversion in America" — that focuses on prescription drug abuse. The exhibit opens to the public today at the DEA headquarters in Arlington, Va.
At a computer terminal next to a simulated dead body on a gurney covered with a sheet, visitors can guide a virtual researcher's hand to pick up one of the mice at the "Mouse Party" in a glass tank at a lab.
One mouse is woozy from alcohol, one twitches from cocaine use, another lays lethargic on a couch high on heroin, one puffs away on a marijuana cigarette and others show symptoms of using other illegal drugs.
Visitors pick up a mouse, put it in a chair, and then it is whisked away to a scanner that analyzes what is going on in the mouse's brain. Additional animation and a voice-over describe how the brain normally works and then how the drugs affect the brain.
While the museum's exhibit is new, the "Mouse Party" program has been around online since 2006, said Kevin Pompei, associate director of the University of Utah's Genetic Science Learning Center, which created the program.
With the help of high-school and middle-school teachers across the nation, the center devoted three years to developing the Mouse Party and its own Web site called "The New Science of Addiction: Genetics and the Brain."
"It was clear the students were curious about what drugs actually did to you," Pompei said, "but it was real clear the teachers didn't want the site to have an anti-drug message, but to be about science."
Pompei, who directed the team that created Mouse Party, said students get "bombarded" with anti-drug messages, which they tune out.
Six people worked on the site, including Pete Anderson, who did all the animation for Mouse Party, and Harmony Starr, who was responsible for researching and validating the science, as well as writing the text for the animation, Pompei said.
The DEA saw the Web site and wanted it for the new museum. Pompei said the site has also been included in the BodyWorld traveling exhibit that features specially preserved bodies without skin to show how muscles and the skeleton work. A museum in Mexico City has translated the Web site into Spanish.
Mouse Party was initially designed for teachers to use in the classroom, but Pompei said a nice surprise has been its use by drug-addiction counselors and law enforcement officials.
"It gets a huge amount of traffic from all over the world," he said, estimating that the online version of Mouse Party gets 4,000 to 5,000 hits a day.
At the new exhibit, Mouse Party is part of the "Medicine and the Body" portion, where visitors learn about the overall effects of drugs on the brain. The museum exhibits talk about how some drugs have healing and pain-relieving elements but can affect the brain if taken incorrectly or in deadly combinations.
While the DEA museum has exhibits on illegal drugs, it created the prescription drugs showcase because of the rising rates of abuse.
About 7 million people — up 80 percent in six years — are abusing prescription drugs, more than those using all illegal narcotics combined, according to the DEA.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction/drugs/mouseparty2.swf
On the Web
"Mouse Party" is part of a new exhibit, "Good Medicine, Bad Behavior: Drug Diversion in America," that opens today at the Drug Enforcement Administration's museum in Arlington, Va. The program was created at the University of Utah and may be viewed at: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction/drugs/mouse.cfm
The museum's Web site for the exhibit is at: www.goodmedicinebadbehavior.org
And the U of U's Web site on "The New Science of Addiction: Genetics and the Brain" is at: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction/
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero



Registered: 04/27/01
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: veggie]
#7628965 - 11/13/07 05:39 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Great... why is my tax money going towards a DEA museum?
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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akb112211
Stranger

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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: Seuss]
#7629067 - 11/13/07 06:49 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Things like this simply don't work. Why?
One reason schemes of this nature are ineffective is due to lack of creativity. Why is it difficult to find creative people to come up with interesting ideas that support the DEA?
Because most creative people believe in using drugs!
Some youngsters will look at the mouse zoned out on the couch(for example) and think, "ooh bad" "mouse looks like he's having a bad time." While others will wonder, what is on the other side of the mouses experience. The latter are the multi-dimensionally creative thinkers that tend to be most successful in life. With or without drugs. These anti-drug campaigns are so one dimensional. They may prevent those who wouldn't do drugs anyway from doing them(the single-minded), but have a minuscule effect on the others(those who are more inquisitive by nature). These schemes cost lots of money and time while essentially serving very little purpose in society.
Personality and mental function predispose or determine drug use. Not cartoon mice. Plus, I don't really like the idea of testing drugs on animals.
-------------------- "There never was and never will be, Nor is there now, The wholly criticized Or the wholly approved"
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outhere4
Anomaly


Registered: 08/07/07
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: akb112211]
#7629152 - 11/13/07 07:21 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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What a joke, drugs are bad mmmmmkay? Somethings (most) can only be learned experientially...i grounded myself in reality by trying all the drugs except for meth, e, and a few RCs, and then comparing to real life and our sacharin infused flavor bombs...I've tried to kick reality but somehow always comeback to it on my knees begging for more.
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Rekkuzo
Lord EmperorButto



Registered: 10/09/07
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: outhere4]
#7629460 - 11/13/07 09:11 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Heh, if you actually go to the website and check it out, it's pretty informative, but the way they portray the mice is misleading.
The LSD mouse is pretty funny, though. He's sitting in the corner looking at hand tracers.
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YidakiMan
Stranger


Registered: 09/28/02
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: veggie]
#7629477 - 11/13/07 09:17 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
veggie said:
The program, created at the University of Utah, is part of a new exhibit — "Good Medicine, Bad Behavior: Drug Diversion in America" — that focuses on prescription drug abuse. The exhibit opens to the public today at the DEA headquarters in Arlington, Va.
How come no one noticed the writer changed subjects 1/3 through writing? "This exhibit focuses on prescription drug abuse. In the meantime look at these mice tripping out on Schedule 1 Non-Prescription drugs"
Wtf?
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badchad
Mad Scientist

Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,372
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: outhere4]
#7629490 - 11/13/07 09:20 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Did anyone actually look at the web page? I thought it was relatively creative and well-done.
I took a brief look at the site. I only looked at LSD. I didn't get any hint of a "drugs are bad mmmkay" message. In fact, I thought the information was objectively presented, and free of bias (although it was very brief).
Your tax dollars pay for this for the same reason they pay for other aspects of education: In general, most feel that educating the masses is a good thing.
This may help people begin to make educated guesses about drug use, because personality and mental function aren't the only things which predispose someone to drug use.
-------------------- ...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge. It is an indellible experience; it is forever known. I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did. Smith, P. Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27. ...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely. Osmond, H. Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436
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EntheogenicPeace
Scholar



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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: badchad]
#7630181 - 11/13/07 12:10 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Edited by EntheogenicPeace (01/30/21 06:58 PM)
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johnm214



Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: Seuss]
#7630271 - 11/13/07 12:30 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Seuss said: Great... why is my tax money going towards a DEA museum?
So I take it your in an american territory in the carribean?
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Quake3
Total Carbohydrate




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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: veggie]
#7630387 - 11/13/07 12:57 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Mouse Party is awesome, but old and wasn't made by anybody involved with the DEA. It was the product of a university, and the DEA is just hosting it.
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero



Registered: 04/27/01
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: Quake3]
#7630513 - 11/13/07 01:17 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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> So I take it your in an american territory in the carribean?
I was born in the US and still speak as if I lived there. I've only been down here since 2002.
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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boletusoftruth
Psychedelic Funk



Registered: 10/03/07
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: Seuss]
#7630562 - 11/13/07 01:23 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hahahahah, I just posted this site as an aswer to someone's question about how drugs really work. That was about 2 days ago. Funny how quickly this got in the news. Its actually well done, no biased at all. Only heroin mentioned that the drug was addictive and lets be honest here, heroin is addictive, so no lies there.
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monstermitch
Growing in Bags Doesn't Work


Registered: 02/10/06
Posts: 3,911
Loc: Arizona Bay
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their explanation of the brain chemistry isn't completely correct. it's incredibly generalized and it loses some of it's accuracy because of that. granted, if this is only for children, then whatever. but if it is meant for a teaching tool for adults, it's seriously lacking. growing up I always made a point to study the effects of a drug from a brain chemistry stand point before I ever tried it. I did so to see how dangerous each drug was to decide if I'd try it or not. I ended up trying them all though...
 If I never would have done that research, I never would have used prozac with mdma to protect my brain from damaging neuro-toxicity. if I wouldn't have done that, I might have turned out to be a vegetable. I pity those folks that don't understand brain chemistry and end up hurting themselves because of it. I'd love to see something like this done, but accurately with the proper detail. It is pretty neat though. I love the LSD mouse...
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fastfred
Old Hand



Registered: 05/17/04
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: Seuss]
#7630742 - 11/13/07 01:59 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Seuss said: Great... why is my tax money going towards a DEA museum?
I'd love to pay for a museum dedicated to a disbanded DEA. It would help prevent the same tragedy from occurring again similar to a holocaust museum.
-FF
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Ziggen
Bludgeon Yer Eye



Registered: 06/27/05
Posts: 651
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Quote:
EntheogenicPeace said: Do they say that cannabis is addicting & causes brain damage (or psychedelics for that matter)? If so, then throw the objectivity & unbiased bullshit claims out the window.
No. Really all it is is a straightforward explanation of how the drugs chemically act within a brain. Like someone else said, there is not a hint of drugs are bad. Just drug A inhibits release of chemical B, Drug C excites receptor D, etc.
Edited by Ziggen (11/13/07 03:13 PM)
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johnm214



Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Quote:
EntheogenicPeace said: Do they say that cannabis is addicting & causes brain damage (or psychedelics for that matter)? If so, then throw the objectivity & unbiased bullshit claims out the window.
Well if your refering to the most powerful type of addiction, the psychological sort, cannabis would seem to be addictive.
and certain of THC affects show a shifting of the dose response curve indicitave of physical tolerance
This doesn't mean their is the sort of withdrawal symptoms of say morphine, but it does exist in animal models.
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EntheogenicPeace
Scholar



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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: Ziggen]
#7631567 - 11/13/07 05:03 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Edited by EntheogenicPeace (01/30/21 06:59 PM)
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peaceandlove
Iron Lung



Registered: 07/16/07
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and they just chuck the mice back into the tank, so mean
-------------------- "For the Horde!"
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EntheogenicPeace
Scholar



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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: johnm214]
#7631594 - 11/13/07 05:08 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Edited by EntheogenicPeace (01/30/21 07:00 PM)
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BrandNoob
The REALAmerican Hero!



Registered: 07/15/07
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Awww, lame. I thought I was gonna get to party with the mouses. Instead it was just learning stuff. At least it wasn't preachy. I thought it was cute, but Heroin Mouse should have been on the nod!
-------------------- All posts were channeled through the user by typing the thoughts of telepathic beings. All photos are of paranormal origin and do not represent the physical world, as we know it. BrandNoob shall not be held accountable for the actions of deceased or hyperdimensional individuals.
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Wysefool
I AM SKELETON JELLY


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I don't get why the meth mouse is just standing there, and he looks really pissed off. I guess if they had him running around talking to the other mice, drawing pictures, or writing a story it would look too appealing.
All of them look like they've overdosed, even though it says it's not anti-drug it is in a subliminal way.
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truekimbo2
Cya later, friends.



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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: BrandNoob]
#7634107 - 11/14/07 08:49 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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ha veggie, i posted it in the pub a day or two before you did here.
-------------------- You can check the last post in my journal for contact info.
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Cannabischarlie
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Re: DEA hosting 'Mouse Party' [Re: BrandNoob]
#7634237 - 11/14/07 09:40 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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AKB is dead on, most smart people understand not all drugs are "bad". I for one was offered cocaine free of charge at a party. None of these people really had any kinds of cocaine "problem" which is probably true of MOST people who have used and tried cocaine, but then theres the real sad cases. I for one will never try it, ever, for two reasons, It doesnt sound like my type of "fucked up", or worse, maybe I will love it. I also think its just rather unhealthy on any level besides medical use.
I however actively seek out psychedlics, shrooms, DMT, Salvia etc because they are neither addicting nor is there any real tolerance, and I think the effects are mind expanding. I also smoke pot on a daily basis (with some exceptions) and find it to be at least no worse for me than smoking the same amount of tobacco, probably less so. Its not a drug "problem" its a drug solution! In all seriousness, besided being illegal and somewhat expensive, it causes me no other problems, besides whatever effects inhaling burnt plant material has (although no link to cancer has ever been found for cannabis, it still cant be the best for you)
-------------------- This section of the signature line has been intentionally left blank.
we could all use a little more sunshine.
yeah, she's funny and somewhat interesting. not a beauty queen, but not bad lookin. i'd feel quite honored to fuck janine garofalo. -tiny_rabid_birds
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frankoz
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Quote:
Cannabischarlie said: not all drugs are "bad".
no drug is bad, as an inanimate substance, a drug has no predilection towards being good or bad. the way society perceives drugs, and the way in which people behave regarding and with drugs, create the individual's perceptions of the moral standpoint of the substance.
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