How much of modern technology comes from the efforts of stoners? (I wonder how much the US war on drugs has stifled investigation. Imagine if Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc. wound up spending their lives in jail instead of in business).
One thing I found funny in the text of the article: "The participant pool was composed entirely of 72 female students ... because researchers were unable to find male participants who played computer games for less than two hours a day." (FWIW I definitely spend less than two hours per day gaming).
"Presumably Wieland wants to be charged more—or, realistically, wants his wife and daughters to be charged more—at the pharmacy for birth control pills to deter them from actually using the pills. And here I thought Republicans were against 'nanny state' policies that try to influence behavior!" Seems a little silly to consider the removal of a subsidy an example of a nanny state.
"Food safety experts at Drexel University say perhaps as many as 90 percent of us are prepping our chicken for cooking the wrong way. ... Washing poultry creates big risks for cross contamination ... Not washing chicken actually saves a step and is safer."
Apparently one place isn't lowering standards: "Liberia's education minister says she finds it hard to believe that not a single candidate passed this year's university admission exam. Nearly 25,000 school-leavers failed the test for admission to the University of Liberia, one of two state-run universities. The students lacked enthusiasm and did not have a basic grasp of English, a university official told the BBC."
"The federal government wants to give Annie Laurie Gaylor a tax break for leading an atheist group. Gaylor, head of the Madison, Wisc.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, wants to stop them — and she's asking a federal judge for help. The standoff is the latest twist in a court battle over the parsonage exemption for clergy, a tax break that allows 'ministers of the gospel' to claim part of their salary as a tax-free housing allowance."
"So let’s invest in R&D instead of subsidies." Wind seems to be close to the point of being useful on its own, but I'm not yet convinced about solar - at least not for more Northern climates. Solar has already improved a lot though so over the longer term I'm less cynical about it.
Are you surprised? I'm not. Also noteworthy: "Most of the incidents, officials said, were self-reported." The article mentions that this might be from lie-detector tests but I'd say it seems a pretty strong indicator that this is underreported.
