Swiss cannabis. Photo Adam Dubbin/TheSequitur.com

Researchers have determined that a leafy green substance found in the 2,700-year-old grave of a man in the Gobi Desert is actually marijuana, MSNBC reports. The researchers have no idea whether the drug was used for religious or medical purposes, but they do know “…from both the chemical analysis and genetics that it could produce THC.”

Translation: it could get someone high.

And while we have yet to hear reports of the world’s oldest munchies, I’m willing to bet that a primitive Twinkie is somehow involved.
[MSNBC]

For folks who are scared to death of strep throat or the common cold, CNN has put together five precautions people can take to avoid germs that might make them sick this holiday season, including sitting in the front of an airplane, not drinking coffee or tea made on an airplane, and lathering yourself with hand sanitizer after touching damn near everything.

The problem with this is simple: people need to get sick.The problem with this is simple: people need to get sick. Fear of illness is natural in humans, since illness ends up killing quite a few of us. But rarely do complications from strep throat or the common cold result in life-threatening situations (for those prone to those complications, of course, the cautionary steps in CNN’s article may be appropriate). In fact, studies have shown that some of the chemicals in antibacterial applications like hand sanitizers and kitchen cleaners can actually serve as a breeding ground for more bacteria that could be resistant to the very sanitizers meant to eradicate them.

According to Scientific American, it works like this: “Soap works by loosening and lifting dirt, oil and microbes from surfaces so they can be easily rinsed away with water, whereas general cleaners such as alcohol inflict sweeping damage to cells by demolishing key structures, then evaporate....Unlike these traditional cleaners, antibacterial products leave surface residues, creating conditions that may foster the development of resistant bacteria....For example, after spraying and wiping an antibacterial cleaner over a kitchen counter, active chemicals linger behind and continue to kill bacteria, but not necessarily all of them.”

In other words, that sticky residue on your hands after using a sanitizer might actually be a breeding ground for bacteria that the sanitizer can’t kill.

[T]hat sticky residue on your hands after using a sanitizer might actually be a breeding ground for bacteria that the sanitizer can’t kill.The article goes on to mention that one molecular biologist thinks people only need to wash their hands three times a day and avoid touching mucous membranes to stay healthy. For those of you counting, that three times a day includes all those times you go to the bathroom. Most people these days might even gag at the thought of shaking hands with a person who hasn’t washed their hands after a bathroom visit. But I guarantee you that you have. And I’d be willing to bet that the encounter didn’t leave you in bed sick for days. Because in healthy human beings, the immune system eradicates harmful bacteria every second of the day. That’s its job. And just like healthy human beings, there’s nothing wrong with it getting a little extra exercise every now and then.
[CNN, Telegraph, Scientific American]
Video instructions for hand washing after the jump...

With Thanksgiving come and gone, the holidays are officially upon us. It is a time for joy, for reunion, for family and friends. It is also time for the rampant consumerism that continues to strangle our so-called “civilized” society to rear its garish, ugly head once more.

This incident shows the ugliest side of the American consumer...Shoppers at a Long Island Wal-Mart were so eager to get their hands on Black Friday deals that they rushed into the store when it opened, breaking down the doors and trampling an employee to death. Even as police tried to give first aid to the injured, shoppers continued to rush into the store, CNN reports.

This incident shows the ugliest side of the American consumer, a rabid beast so fiercely focused on the best deal he can get that the value of human life (and civility itself) can be undercut by a mass-produced LCD TV at half off.

What does it say...when holiday shoppers seem willing to kill in order to save a buck?Anyone who is baffled as to why people the world over seem to hate America and its citizens need look no further to see where that hate stems from. In this country, often regarded as one of the most technologically advanced societies in the history of the world, people can still be reduced to slobbering mindless zombies with “deals” rather than “brains” as their mantra.

While I am thankful to live in America, when I see things like this happen, I understand the hate. Suicide bombers half a world away are willing to kill themselves and others in the name of religion, and we abhor that over here. What does it say, then, when holiday shoppers seem willing to kill in order to save a buck?
[CNN]
Video after the jump...