- Well here’s one positive of these tough economic times:
THE number of executions in the United States has fallen to a 14-year low of 37 this year as social concerns about the death penalty and its financial costs rise, the Death Penalty Information Centre said.
How much an execution costs will, I’m sure, vary state to state. But I’ve seen estimates as high as many thousands, if not millions of dollars per prisoner. I can think of many other reasons not to support the death penalty. But hey, if you were looking for a reason that would bring everything down to brass tacks, here it is. Killing people costs too much money. [via]
- Ever wonder what Disney characters would look like when broken down into their base particles? Well, wonder no more! [via]
- The Keanu Reeves’ remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still will apparently be transmitted into deep space as part of a promotion. Damn, all the good jokes here are too obvious or already taken!
- This is just shocking:
Anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV/Aids are being bought and smoked by teenagers in South Africa to get high.
Apparently it’s a very widespread problem — with even AIDS patients partaking in it. It just proves, I suppose, that there’s no drug out there that somebody won’t figure out a way to abuse. [via]
- Pre-chewed pencils? Oh, those crazy British design firms.
The company, called Concentrate, says the pencils look like they have already been chewed making pupils less likely to put them in their mouths.
Here are the problems I see with this idea. First, parents and students are not going to want to use pre-chewed pencils. Except for a small minority, who won’t care, and who may very well chew them anyway. And second, if you tell them that it’s just a joke, and that the pencils are not really pre-chewed, that defeats the whole purpose. I know it’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I can’t imagine them being of any real use.