Friday 13th not more unlucky, Dutch study shows – it’s always been lucky (or at least not unlucky) for me…

now that i’ve gotten that out of the way…

Big Joint Over Chicago – aspires (no pun intended) to be the second largest building in the world (after burj dubai). say what you like, it still looks like a big joint.

Medical Marijuana – from the New York Times… maybe this is the beginning of the kind of publicity we’ve been waiting for…

Marijuana’s potency hits 30-year high – it’s true that cannabis has doubled in potency since the 1980s (from around 4% to around 9%), but it’s also true that users self-regulate their dosage, and if it’s more potent, they tend to smoke less. this is the first time i’ve ever seen this in the mainstream media, and it may be another sign of change, as well.

finally,

Baby born with penis on back – another wonderful appendage to go in my multiple appendages category… too bad they cut it off…

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Friday 13th not more unlucky, Dutch study shows

Unlucky for some? Dutch statisticians have established that Friday 13th, a date regarded in many countries as inauspicious, is actually safer than an average Friday.

A study published on Thursday by the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) showed that fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays.

“I find it hard to believe that it is because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home, but statistically speaking, driving is a little bit safer on Friday 13th,” CVS statistician Alex Hoen told the Verzekerd insurance magazine.

In the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday, the CVS study said. But the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500.

There were also fewer incidents of fire and theft, although the average value of losses on Fridays 13th was slightly higher.

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Marijuana’s potency hits 30-year high
June 12, 2008

Marijuana potency increased last year to the highest level in more than 30 years, posing greater health risks to people who may view the drug as harmless, according to a report released Thursday by the White House.

The latest analysis from the University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project tracked the average amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in samples seized by law-enforcement agencies from 1975 through 2007. It found that the average amount of THC reached 9.6 percent in 2007, compared with 8.75 percent the previous year. The 9.6 percent represents more than a doubling of marijuana potency since 1983, when it averaged just under 4 percent.

But marijuana users generally adjust to the level of potency and smoke it accordingly, said Mitch Earleywine, who teaches psychology at the State University of New York in Albany and advises marijuana-advocacy groups.

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Baby born with penis on back
10 Jun 2008

THIS is the picture that will shock parents around the world – a baby born with a second penis on his BACK.

The tot was born to farmer dad Li Jun, 30, and his unnamed wife, who live in Hejian city in central China’s Henan province.

But he was rushed to Tianjin Childrens’ Hospital on May 27 for surgery to remove his extra manhood.

The rare condition, the first for Tianjin Childrens’ Hospital, is called fetus in fetu (FIF).

Doctors, who spent over three hours removing the extra penis on June 6, said he was fine following surgery.