Author Archives: Ryan Markel

Eggs with Tobasco and Sausage

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My breakfast of choice recently. Low carb, simple, and good.

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

Current:

Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal’s drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

Fascinating.

And to think that if we did this in the US we could prevent a ton of additional crime, both here and more importantly in Mexico.

HT: Zé.

I Wish I Could Be This Cool in Real Life

In Jetpack Joyride (iOS), you “rank up” by completing “missions,” like “Use every vehicle once” and such. (It’s a great game, by the way, and you should buy it.)

What’s the highest rank?

It’s Barry.

Drunk Moose Gets Stuck Up Tree

MSNBC PhotoBlog:

An inebriated moose trying to get more fermenting apples apparently lost its balance and ended up stuck in an apple tree in Sweden, The Local website reported.

I’m not sure whether I’d rather deal with a drunk moose or a hungover moose.

$10 Million for Bartz

CNET News:

A form 8-K the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today notes that Bartz was “removed from her role” as CEO, and will receive severance benefits “for termination without cause.”

According to some number crunching by CNN, that includes $3 million in cash, as well as a pro-rated yearly bonus worth somewhere between $1 million to $2 million. Add in company stock and you get an extra $5.2 million, a payout figure the company floated in December of last year, which is now higher.

We reward failure—even spectacular failure—in this country. But only if you’re the person at the top.