Employment
Too High To Drive: States Grapple With Setting Limits On Weed Use Behind Wheel; Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Indiana are Among States That Forbid Driving at Any THC Level
Brain scientists and pharmacologists don’t know how to measure if and to what extent marijuana causes impairment. Existing blood and urine tests can detect marijuana use, but, because traces of the drug stay in the human body for a long time, those tests can’t specify whether the use occurred earlier that day or that month. They also don’t indicate the level at which a driver would be considered “under the influence.” “It’s a really hard problem,” said Keith Humphreys, a psychiatry professor and drug policy expert at Stanford University. “We don’t really have good evidence — even if we know someone has been using — [to gauge] what their level of impairment is.” more »
A New Lawsuit and Partial Shutdown: Alleging that the Federal Government is Violating the Law by Requiring Some Federal Employees to Work Without Pay
Editor's Note: Two points about this lawsuit are it doesn't force an injunction and doesn't protect private contractors. "Our members put their lives on the line to keep our country safe,” said J. David Cox Sr., national president, American Federation of Government Employees, “requiring them to work without pay is nothing short of inhumane. Positions that are considered ‘essential’ during a government shutdown are some of the most dangerous jobs in the federal government. They are frontline public safety positions, including many in law enforcement, among other critical roles. A substantial number of those working without pay are military veterans." more »
Nevada and Idaho Are the Nation’s Fastest-Growing States; How Does Your State Stack Up?
“Many states have seen fewer births and more deaths in recent years,” said Sandra Johnson, a demographer/statistician in the Population Division of the Census Bureau. “If those states are not gaining from either domestic or international migration they will experience either low population growth or outright decline.” Nationally, natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) was 1.04 million last year, reflecting 3,855,500 births and 2,814,013 deaths. With fewer births in recent years and the number of deaths increasing, natural increase has declined steadily over the past decade. In 2008, natural increase was nearly 1.8 million (based on National Center for Health Statistics data). more »
I Never Thought I'd See ... Chambermaids Do Not Seem to Be in Any Danger of Being Replaced by Chambermisters
Rose Madeline Mula writes: It’s interesting to note that in some areas men are managing to withstand female infiltration. Doormen are still doormen, for example. I know that I, for one, have yet to see a door woman. Since Joan Rivers’ failed foray into the arena, late-night TV hosts are still male. Since Oprah’s retirement, Ellen DeGeneres still rules the afternoon; but will we ever see a Stephanie Colbert or Jenny Kimmel after dark? Females, on the other hand, unfortunately, seem to have a lock on less prestigious, less lucrative careers. more »