Today’s OED Word of the Day: narcocracy, n. 1. A body of people responsible for the implementation of drug laws. rare. 1983 National Rev. (Nexis) 29 Apr. 492 The National Research Council report of June 21, 1982..was promptly suppressed by the narcocracy because it questions the efficacy of marijuana prohibition and advocates complete decriminalization and [...]

Face to Faith: However, shamanism cannot be described as a religion or a faith. No faith is needed in a visionary experience; in these states, the individual receives direct personal experience of the divine, becoming unified with their own subconscious and with the rest of the universe. In a timeless moment you realise that God [...]

Guaranteed broadband: I think the temptation is to romanticize rights as timeless philosophical axioms; to connect them to an imagined state of nature from which your preferred understanding of the social contract then arises. It’s no doubt difficult to admit technology into that picture. But what’s the second amendment if not a guaranteed right to [...]

marriedtothesea.com I find that drink-slapping does much for my game.

A Neuron’s Obsession: In their most recent work this year, the research team reported that a single human neuron could recognize a personality through pictures, text or the sound of a name — no matter how that person was presented. In tests, one brain cell reacted only to Oprah Winfrey; another just to Luke Skywalker; [...]

Straight-A student Rhona Tavener killed by vodka binge A “bright, vivacious” straight-A student died after drinking around half a litre of vodka at a friend’s house party, an inquest heard today. Rhona Tavener, 16, was more than five times over the drink-drive limit when her heart stopped. She collapsed unconscious on the driveway and friends [...]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — PepsiCo Inc. is facing criticism for an iPhone application that promises to help men “score” with two dozen stereotypes of women by giving users pickup lines and a scoreboard to keep track of their conquests. An apology by the company – which is using the app “Amp up before you score” to [...]

The Rise and Rise of Legal Highs: Head shops had found their breakthrough product, and quickly lost it. Could I still buy some? “The company that made Spice tried changing the brand and logo a few times, and eventually sold off the recipe,” said the salesman. “They still make it in the Dominican Republic, I [...]

Public Hearing on Beer Tax Hike MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state legislative committee will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal to increase Wisconsin’s beer tax for the first time since 1969. The tax is the third lowest in the country and past attempts to raise it have met with significant opposition. The [...]

Ecosalon has a list of the top 20 things we throw away, but shouldn’t. I won’t bore you with the details, but anyone who is as poor as I am might look at this list and say, “seriously?” I’ll admit to using paper-towels because my roomie got a metric ass-ton of them for free from [...]