Sleepless in Midland

White Flu -- the NY snow cleanup slowdown

We've heard of the "Blue Flu," and maybe what happened in New York City would be called the "White Flu." It's the job slowdown initiated by the union bosses regarding the snow cleanup. See New York Post.

New York taxpayers might be accustomed to a municipal service snail's pace. So it's remarkable that the intentional work slowdown was leaked to the public, and if it hadn't, would they have considered that possibility?

Power Line tells us that public employee unions have been legal only since the 1960s and 1970s and are legal in roughly half the states. However, governments don't have the same incentive to keep costs down as businesses have. Power Line goes on to suggestion, "it is time to ban public employee unions."

I believe our own fair city of Midland, Texas, dutifully withholds union dues from the workers' paychecks to make it easier for the unions. But a union directed slowdown couldn't happen here, right? Think again. A union rep wanting higher taxes made a veiled threat (pdf) in a letter to the editor just last summer.

To quote Power Line again, "It is time to ban public employee unions."

What's in Your Wallet?

An interesting experiment -- snap photos of the contents of 45 people's pockets, purses, handbags or murses.

Results:

Syringes: Four
Pocket knives: Five, including two switchblades.
Packs of cigarettes: Three
Cans of beer: One
Condoms: Two
Hand grenades: One

Getting people to cooperate could have been a challenge, but otherwise this project must have been loads of fun.

Smokers by county

This interactive map was based on a survey of 400,000 people and purports to show the percentage of smokers by age or by county. Not too long ago about a quarter of the people in the U.S. were thought to be smokers. That number is down to 13%, according to slate.com and the map therein.

Smokers in Ector and Midland Counties, Texas, comprised 22% of the responders in the survey. West Texans are honest to a fault, so we have to believe those stats. As for the others, well, there has to have been a temptation to fib given that smokers are held in such low esteem these days.

Average age

The CIA provides some interesting stats regarding the average age of the residents in various countries. Average, in this case, means the median with half the people over and half under the median age.  And thus a marker is set for "middle aged."

On the North American continent the people get older the farther North they are. In Canada the average age is 40.7 years. In the U.S. it's 36.8, but in Mexico it drops a full decade to 26.7.

Europeans are in the 40s, and so are the Japanese.

But go to the African continent and the average age drops drastically. Most of the African countries have an average age in the teens with an exception in South Africa where the average is way up there at 24.7 years.

Maybe the older average age in some countries is explained by access to birth control and better medical services, both of which results from greater prosperity. The rich get richer, and the poor have children.

For more, see the The World Factbook.

A Fearless Woman

Not to be confused with courageous, this woman is fearless, meaning she feels no fear. The reason, according to the BBC, is because she suffered an injury to the amygdala in her brain.

If only there were some way to temporarily neutralize the amygdala in the normal brain. It might be nice to go into a situation that might otherwise be frightening, whether it's flying, giving a speech, or just asking the boss for a raise, and address it without all the baggage fear brings with it. Or as the BBC article suggests, alleviate PTSD.

Or some of us might want to become daredevils. Why should Evil Knievel have all the fun?

Top Ten Most Wanted Texas Fugitives

Here's a list of the Texas Department of Public Safety's top ten most wanted fugitives. See if you can spot something that ninety percent of them have in common.

1. Gaspar E. Loya, III
2. Rene Morales Munoz
3. Javier Morin, Jr.
4. John Junior Godinez Pesina III [Captured]
5. Gwen Komahcheet
6. Ricardo Zuniga
7. Robert Barrera, Jr.
8. Javier Cortez, Jr.
9. George Feliz Deleon
10. Leeroy Suarez
Link.

Did you spot it? Anyone who guessed "Hispanic Male" would be wrong. The DPS has bent over backward to avoid even a hint of ethnic profiling. Every one of these guys is a "White Male" with the exception of number five who is "American Indian Male."

Hef's new wife

World's oldest lady's man, Hugh Hefner, is getting married to a 24 year old hottie named Crystal Harris.

With Playboy Enterprises, Inc., facing steady losses, could he be marrying her for her money?

Just think, when he was her age there were only 48 states, Marilyn Monroe was a young starlet, "Rock and Roll" was what you felt when the horseless carriage hit a bump, and "Beaver" was a kid on TV.

"When I was your age, ... uh, what were we talking about?"

Actually, they've got something in common. Both have artificial parts, but hers don't soak overnight in Polident.

Scientists tried to examine the chemistry between them, but all they could find was silicone and Metamucil.

Oh well. As I've always said, when that old love bug bites, there's just nothing you can do about it.

Merry Christmas

I love driving around town on Christmas day. The only other time a driver can expect less daytime traffic is during a flash flood.

Seeing all the kids out playing with their bikes, footballs and battery powered toys really drives home the meaning of Christmas -- a time for families to come together.

Here's what my house looks like this Christmas as seen through a special filter.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Will Ralphie Parker get that BB gun this year?

A Christmas Story was a delightful movie from 1983 that has entertained Christmas holiday television watchers for years as they shared Ralphie Parker's anguish and determination to get that Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle for Christmas.

So now Peter Billingsley, the guy who played little Ralphie, is peddling his musical version of the same story. Here he is on a Nightline episode telling about it. All well and good, until he lets slip at about the 2:58 mark that the movie was "set in the depression". The depression ended around 1939 having lasted much longer than it should have due to political ineptitude. But the movie was set in the 40's or 50's -- clue: see the family car. As a child actor Mr. Billingsley was probably tutored on the set, and maybe they didn't cover history. But at least he learned a trade.

Never mind that. The movie is still a delight. And if somehow you've missed it, check out the scene when Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker cuts loose with a string of colorful but fake expletives that probably had the censors scrambling for the dictionary.

Anyone wanting to see the movie a few more times can catch it on TBS where it starts at 7 pm on Christmas eve and reruns for 24 hours.

Headline writers must really enjoy their work

Headline writers have all the fun.

Poor old George Steinbrenner certainly led an accomplished life for someone with a wooden head.

Joe Ervine sentenced

Late last Friday afternoon, 12/17/10, Judge Hyde bestowed the sentence on Joe Samuel Erving, Jr.  You will recall that Mr. Ervine was convicted in November of slinging crack in the Flats. Actually the formal charge was possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. Click for trial summary.

The trial was heard by a jury which could have found him guilty of mere possession, but the testimony of a police officer convinced them that Mr. Ervine must have been holding the drugs because he intended to sell them. Mr. Ervine had elected before trial to have the penalty decided by the judge, and that happened Friday afternoon.

Judge Hyde listened to the prosecutor and the defense attorney give brief arguments for why Mr. Ervine should go to prison or be released on probation. Judge Hyde had ordered a sentencing report at the end of the trial, and at the hearing on Friday he announced that the report suggested that Mr. Ervine seemed unable to control his drug and alcohol use, and therefore he would not be a good candidate for probation. So the Judge sentenced him to 15 years in the slammer.

At the penalty phase of the trial Mr. Ervine confessed that at the time he was arrested he was conducting a "pass-off," a phrase that doesn't appear in the government's dictionary of drug terms, but which could reasonably be construed to mean that he was merely the person who did the dangerous work, i.e., passing off the drugs to the customer and taking the money -- the part of the trade with the highest risk of detection and arrest.

My expertise on the drug trade was formulated from watching The Wire on TV.  And there, if it can be believed, the street sales were conducted by adolescents who were expendable. One gets arrested, another one steps in his place. Here, if Mr. Ervine's case is typical, it looks like the kingpins might be using adults willing to do the pass-offs in order to feed their own drug habits. It's a ruthless business.

Most of the members of the jury pool told the lawyers in voir dire that they believed the most important thing about the criminal justice system should be punishment, not rehabilitation. And those people would probably be satisfied with the punishment meted out to Mr. Ervine.

Smarter people than me have wrestled with this, and the opinions all over the map. But this bystander has to question whether warehousing a junkie in the pen until he reaches retirement age is the best thing for society. I guess they have to do something with him. But the alternatives are limited to probation or prison. Too bad there's not some third alternative that wouldn't cost taxpayers as much as prison yet still keep tabs on the guy and just maybe give him a greater chance of breaking that ruinous habit than would sentencing him to stagnate in the penitentiary where any skills he learns will not be to make the world a better place.

There are no winners in the war on drugs.

Stuxnet

Stunned. That's got to be the general reaction to the reports coming out about the Stuxnet virus.

It had to take a lot of thought, experience and man/hours to construct, and the theory is that only a nation state would have the resources and motivation to build this fascinating worm. The virus crept through enough computers to finally reach its target, speeding and slowing the Iranian nuclear centrifuges to the point of impairment. It was a very impressive bit of malware. So impressive, in fact, that Phillip Klein says the "Stuxnet" Designer Should Be Person of the Year.

Interestingly, the Microsoft patches of 12/14/10 declare that, "The Stuxnet patch isn’t deemed critical." Well now, that's reassuring.

The usual suspects are the U.S. and/or Israel, especially Israel. But wait just a minute. Jeffrey Carr makes a very compelling case that it was China. Uh oh. The feeling just shifted from fascination to scared shirtless.

What's black and white and red all over?

It's the newspaper! Get it? "Red" is actually "read." Huh wha? You heard it in 3rd grade? Yeah, me too.  Kids are so advanced these days they probably tell that joke before they leave the maternity ward.

The new version goes like this: What's black and white and puts you in the red with its 23% annual cost inflation? Once again it's the newspaper.

I was paying a stack of bills yesterday, and there's the bill from the Midland Reporter Telegram for delivery of the morning paper. A year costs a customer $192, up 23% from last year's $156. Dang. But maybe that means it will be 23% better in 2011, even without the weekly TV Times.

For comparison, a subscriber can get the Wall Street Journal delivered for one year and two weeks for $119.08. But it doesn't have TV Times, either.

Outlaw nuclear bombs and only outlaws will have nuclear bombs

Ever notice how the backers of the Start treaty appear to be the same folks who, until recently, wanted gun control? Arms control and gun control are connected at the hip.

Biden says the Start treaty will pass. Mitch McConnell says he won't support it. And analysts say Senate rejection will be "a major blow to warming ties between the two countries," as if being liked is better than looking out for our own best interests. They probably teach this in diplomacy college -- the key to getting the people who control governments to like you is to give them whatever they want.

As N. Korea tools up its nuclear bombs and missile delivery system, Iran advances its own nuclear weaponry. Lay down your arms, y'all, and we can all live in peace, Obama seems to be telling them. All well and good. But an agreement with Russia which binds the U.S., doesn't provide for adequate verification, and gives the Russians an "opt out" provision is not good for the U.S. And it seems aimed at appeasing those among Mr. Obama's constituency who are repelled by U.S. supremacy and yearn to knock the U.S. down a notch.

Supporters say the Start treaty is better than nothing. Maybe. But if only one side is willing to abide by an agreement then it's more of a shackle than a truce. For more, see Top 10 reasons why Start is a non-starter

So we finally get to the link between arms control and gun control. Both rely on the good intentions of those who are expected to abide by them. It's trite but true, outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns. Same with the international bad boys. Ban nuclear weapons all you want, but countries like Iran and North Korea will yawn and keep going gang busters. And Putin sits back, hums a tune, and snickers at how he's got America falling all over itself to push that re-set button.

Shocked and awed by helo firepower

Check out this video from Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It's a night video from ground troops as they watch a UH-1Y Huey Venom and an AH-1W Super Cobra shoot up an enemy position. The troops had a good time watching it happen.

Watch it at Liveleak.com. Via Therightscoop.com.

Word of the day: laden. Usage: "He's laden it!" (See video linked above.) Slang, verb -- To aim a laser target sight to pinpoint a particular target prior to blowing it to kingdom come.

Drunk Santa

Search "drunk santa" at youtube.com and see first hand that Old Saint Nick really does a lot of celebrating. Sample: Drunk Santa CCTV Jingling All The way!.

It's almost enough to turn a believer into a nonbeliever. But give the old boy a break. It could have been worse -- he could have been texting while driving.

Obama backs 2nd amendment, says so on this card just auctioned

All of the anti-gun rhetoric that came out in the 2008 campaign put a fear into many gun owners and potential gun owners, so much so that after O took office guns were flying off the shelves. Gun sales were so brisk that some wit named Obama "gun salesman of the year."

A citizen wrote President Obama a pained letter asking whether the President could put his mind at ease from the fear of gun and ammo bans. The President wrote back:

I believe in the 2nd Amendment,
and the rights of Sportsmen like
you. Period.
Sincerely Barack Obama

It's not clear whether that would have put the man's mind at ease, but it did put some coin in his pocket. That note was sold for $9,000 yesterday by Alexander Autographs. Click here and scroll down to Sale 43, Lot 267A.

Via geeks with guns.

How to keep from becoming bear food

Of all the ways to die, being eaten alive would seem to be the among the worst. Not only would it be very painful, and the fright overwhelming, there's the humiliation of being second place in the food chain.

Anyone who has watched an episode of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" could be excused for having bears on the mind. Two episodes aired last Sunday, one about a Caribou hunt and the other about a camping trip in the Alaska wild where a bear attack is always a possibility. On the Caribou hunt the crew landed at a remote way station manned by a rugged woman who told the story of having been attacked by a bear, bitten hard on the head, then trekking back to the cabin for the gun she used to dispense some country justice to that hairy offender.

What do you do if a bear attacks? Answer Fella quotes a bear management biologist at Yellowstone National Park who provides this advice:

"What we recommend first is backing away and then, if the bear charges, standing your ground, because most of the time they won’t actually follow through with the charge."

But if they do?

"If they make contact, you would want to play dead."

If the bear starts eating you, try being very distasteful.

A Yellowstone bear management biologist probably wouldn't recommend shooting the darn thing, but that seems like the best defense. There's no guarantee, but a high caliber handgun might make for a favorable outcome. Here's a link to a blog post from the early days of Sleepless in Midland, a post that could be one of the most popular posts on this blog and gets linked regularly on outdoor forums. It's Bear killed with .40 caliber handgun - Alaska about the bear that ate Grizzly Man Timothy Treadwell and the Ranger who arrived later and killed the bear with a handgun as it attacked again.

Residents of West Texas are probably more afraid of sneaking up on a rattlesnake than a bear, but you never know. Bear sightings worry West Texas officers from the summer of '09 tells us they are out there. So watch out for those bears.

A double edged Machete

It's a movie gore fest featuring evil Texas anti-immigrant politicians versus a poor migrant whose m.o. is mass murder. Could happen to anyone, right? The movie sprang from the screen as a movie advertisement in another horror movie, Grindhouse, and got a life of its own as a full length Robert Rodriguez feature film named Machete.

What is interesting about all this is the faux outrage about the Texas Film Commission's refusal to subsidize the film makers. The amount is supposed to have been about a $1.75 million which is a lot of money for most of us. The art community believes that movie makers can make movies about anything they want, and that's a belief worth defending whether it's a horror show or a Hollywood movie condemning radical Islam. (How do you like the way I threw in something we all know won't happen in our life times?)

But the thing that's missing from the argument, the one thing that has dominated the news for the past two years, is the issue of taxpayer money and how it's spent. The state is split politically just like the nation. Some want a large government with tight controls on things they don't like and a big open purse for the things they do like. Others think the government is intruding too much in people's lives already and needs to stop the massive financial outlays.

Here's a sampling of the open purse attitude from the Los Angelos Times :

I hate to sound like a bomb thrower here, but if Texas wants to renege on its financial incentives to lure filmmakers to make movies in Texas, then I don't see why Hollywood shouldn't order its filmmakers to avoid shooting in Texas altogether.

Yeah, that's the ticket. Get Hollywood to "order" filmmakers to avoid shooting in Texas and forego that free money. Tell that to the makers of the True Grit remake. Tell it to the makers of Predators. But I guess Robert Rodriguez already knew about that one since he was one of the producers.

What we need is a realistic assessment of whether subsidies handed out to movie makers by the Texas Film Commission yield a net benefit for the state.

Is that a half pound of PETN in your pants or are you just glad to see me?

The underwear bomber's M.O. gets new life as "junk" takes on a new meaning.

See Airport Body Scanners Fooled By Human Tissue, subtitle: "Backscatter X-ray systems can't reliably spot even a large quantity of plastic explosives hidden against the skin, warn researchers."

Tip for terrorists: wrap it in aluminum foil. (Everyone else, see clip from This is Spinal Tap.)

The Clelia II took a wild ride on rough seas

Last week news watchers were treated to the vicarious thrill of riding a small ship in rough seas as the Clelia II bobbed up and down in the waves of the Drake Passage. Watch the video here and experience it yourself.

But watching a video and being there are two very different things. And one can only imagine the stomach churning that must have taken place as that ship made those rapid steep climbs and the drastically sharp drops. Here is a rather emotionless International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators news release from 12/8/2010:

Reports indicate that while Clelia II was encountering rough weather and sea conditions on the morning of December 7, a large wave hit the ship, breaking the starboard bridge window and dousing some electrical circuitry. This caused a temporary loss of communications and affected engine performance. Both engines remained operational and speed was reduced. There are no injuries to passengers, although one member of the crew sustained minor injuries. The ship reports no damage to the hull or discharge of oil or any other liquids or fluids from the ship.

But for the damage to the radios and the loss of engine power, that's a typical trip through the Drake Passage according to Chris Epting as he recounted a similar expedition in Waves of Terror in the Drake Passage. To wit:

OK, maybe "fun" is too strong a word. Yet, once you figure out the fairly consistent movement, it's possible to ride it out without too much discomfort (we did not get sick during the crossing, something we owe to the scopolamine patches, along with lying down as much as we could).

Of course, the fear of so-called "rogue" waves was always on our minds, it was hard to sit and eat, and the first night, when the ship had to turn quickly away from a brewing storm, for a moment I thought we were goners. I described my anxiety to a young Russian sailor the next day. He looked at me, surprised, and said thickly, "Drake Passage last night? Smooth like pond."

Emphasis added.

Meanwhile, Cruise Law News describes how the ship operator, the ship owner, the tour organizer, and travel agency are all scrambling to pin any potential liability on the other guy.

But if in spite of all this you want to take a trip on the Clelia II, rest assured that the "all-suite Clelia II will offer the finest in small-ship cruise travel," and its "spaciousness and intimate ambience combine to make her ideal for distinctive cultural and expedition voyages." Source: GreatLakesCruising.com.

Bon voyage. Enjoy the food.

Boys still outscore girls in math

Apparently, feminists are still disputing this, but it's still true. Mark Perry has been all over this with explanations based on SAT scores here, here and here.

For those of us who prefer to get our facts from cartoon characters, he's put together a cute animated debate in this Youtube video.

Possibly the funniest fake headline about Julian Assange

ASSANGE REGRETS LEAKING PRISON BREAKOUT PLAN.

“I asked him if he put the information out, and he confessed quite proudly,” Taylor recalled. “And then he pointed to his cellmates and said, ‘Also, that one’s got a shiv under his mattress, that one’s buying drugs from the guards, and this one’s committed two murders you don’t know about.”

Via Satirewire.com.

IRS moves goal post, increases number of tiny non-profit organizations

There has been a huge increase in the number of small non-profit organizations in 2010, all thanks to the IRS which simply changed a number.

Previously, a non-profit organization with gross receipts equal to or less than $25,000 per year for a three year average didn't have to file the Form 990 but could file the 990-N (e-Postcard). However, the IRS raised the threshold amount to $50,000. See IRS. So in effect, they demoted a bunch of non-profits down into the "tiny" category.

That will certainly make it easier for the poor saps who get stuck with the reporting responsibility in those non-profits that take in between $25,000 and $50,000. And it will make the IRS's job a little easier, too, if anyone at the IRS actually looked at those things anyway. The IRS is probably moving staff away from this group in order to target people and organizations that actually pay taxes. But there's another unwritten message that comes across here. The IRS is expecting inflation.

Meanwhile, as you plan for the new year, don't forget to make that deductible donation before this year ends.

And what's this? IRS is on Twitter? I do believe so. You can "follow" them, and if you're lucky, they might follow you.  Who wouldn't want that?

Choc Harris to retire

The headline in the morning paper says Constable to plead guilty to misdemeanor, retire in an article about Choc Harris and a possible plea deal.

We don't want to kick a fellow when he's down and won't comment on it except to note surprise at the high regard the county commissioners seem to have for him:

[Midland County Judge Mike ] Bradford said no one on the Commissioners' Court asked Harris to resign and they probably would not have asked for such a move regardless of how the investigation turned out.

Very forgiving, the commissioners are.

Previously:
Newspaper -- special prosecutor appointed for Choc Harris;
Choc Harris is in the news again;
Precinct 2 constable race; and
State of Texas vs. Theodore L. Jurgensen.

Red light ticket camera idea put to use

Last summer we noted Kevin Richardson's clever contest entry regarding traffic safety and red light ticket cameras. See A good idea for red light camera proceeds herein. Quote:

It's simple. Keep the red light cameras and continue giving tickets to the drivers caught by them. But instead of putting the proceeds into the municipal pot, put it in a lottery pot. Have the cameras photograph the good drivers, too, and they would be entered into the lottery. A winner would be randomly selected, and he/she would get the pot.

Lo and behold, that idea was actually put to use in Stockholm, Sweden. And it worked. Wired.com has the story and reports, "The average speed of cars passing the camera dropped from 32km/h before the experiment to 25km/h after." But they note that it probably wouldn't work in the U.S. because the municipalities that use red light cameras are motivated less by a desire for safer intersections than by the desire to get their hands on the revenue the camera tickets bring in.

Via Carpe Diem.

Obama on MythBusters pt. 2

The other day we noticed that President Barack Obama will appear on MythBusters to ask Jamie and Adam to retest a myth they've already busted. And that invited a snarky suggestion for the MythBusters to bust President Obama's economic policy myth.  Link.

So in all fairness, we present here another view of the show, ripped from pages of Entertainment Weekly.

If you can't read the text, here's what it says:

9-10PM
MythBusters, TV-PG HD
President Barack Obama makes his cameo asking the 'Busters to revisit a myth they once (sorta) busted: Archimedes' use of polished shields to focus sunlight so intensely on an invading Roman ship that it burst into flames. The prez, a fan of the show, theorizes that if they had 500 real people hold the mirrored surfaces -- the team focused them mechanically last time -- that could make the difference. (And, of course, he wants to plug his science-is-cool campaign.) A good hour of geeky fun -- and a political alternative to Sarah Palin's Alaska. B -- Jenifer Armstrong

[Emphasis mine.]

Yeah, science is cool, especially when politicians aren't twisting it to support an off shore drilling ban or a global warming theory.

And they just had to throw in a jab at Sarah Palin. Is she starting to look like Obama's biggest threat, or what?

Obama on Mythbusters

Discovery channel:

MythBusters: President's Challenge
In this extra-special episode, Adam and Jamie tackle a request from President Barack Obama to re-test the myth of the Archimedes Solar Ray -- this time with more manpower. Watch what happens Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 9 p.m. E/P.

Here's a myth for Obama to bust: A country can borrow or print as much money as it wants without negative consequences. Confirmed, plausible or busted. Let the taxpayers decide.

Food or bait?

Quiz, which is human food and which is fish bait?  Click a photo to get a larger picture.

Answer: You probably guess it. They are both the same. Looks scrumptious, doesn't it?

Every successful restauranteur learned early on that food appearance is at least half of the battle. Maybe that explains why this particular pasta is absent from the manufacturer's product page.

As for the pasta itself, I received it as a gift.  And it tastes OK, but it's a food probably more suited for the blind.

Synthetic weed becomes illegal

How does that old saying go? "Democrats don't want you to get rich, and Republicans don't want you go to get high." Or something like that.

Anyway, a ruling was made recently to classify synthetic cannabinoids as Schedule I Controlled Substances "to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety." See Deadiversion.usdoj.gov.

Here's the rationale for the ruling.

Health warnings have been issued by numerous state public health departments and poison control centers describing the adverse health effects associated with these synthetic cannabinoids and their related products including agitation, anxiety, vomiting, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, seizures, hallucinations and non-responsiveness. Case reports describe psychotic episodes, withdrawal, and dependence associated with use of these synthetic cannabinoids, similar to syndromes observed in cannabis abuse. Emergency room physicians have reported admissions connected to the abuse of these synthetic cannabinoids. Additionally, when responding to incidents involving individuals who have reportedly smoked these synthetic cannabinoids, first responders report that these individuals suffer from intense hallucinations. Detailed chemical analysis by DEA and other investigators have found these synthetic cannabinoids spiked on plant material in products marketed to the general public. The risk of adverse health effects is further increased by the fact that similar products vary in the composition and concentration of synthetic cannabinoids(s) spiked on the plant material.

But take a look at this from the same statement:

These synthetic cannabinoids alone or spiked on plant material have the potential to be extremely harmful due to their method of manufacture and high pharmacological potency.

[Emphasis mine.]

What the decision makers got was the prosecution's argument sans the defense argument. And it appears that like Meth, the sloppy manufacturing process creates a harmful product. One problem is that there is no one capable of stepping up with research demonstrating that the drugs manufactured in a controlled environment aren't harmful.

If they make you high, someone wants to outlaw them. Since a Democratic administration is now in charge, maybe that old saying should be changed to "Democrats don't want you to get rich or high."

Tax dollars will feed this front of the war on drugs, but a potentially more beneficial result might come from a redirection of that money to a search for a drug or drugs that counteract the addiction gene.

Previously: Better living with chemistry -- K2, the synthetic, legal, marijuana substitute.