Eideard

A study published Friday in a British medical journal may have finally uncovered the secret behind Australia’s laid-back lifestyle, and it turns out to be more than just sun and surf: The denizens Down Under, it turns out, consume more marijuana than any other people on the planet.

The study, an analysis of global trends in illegal drugs and their effect on public health published in The Lancet, a prestigious journal, found that Australia and neighboring New Zealand topped the lists globally for consumption of both marijuana and amphetamines, a category of drugs whose use the study found to be growing rapidly around the world.

The study’s co-authors…reported that as much as 15 percent of the populations of Australia and New Zealand between the ages of 15 and 64 had used some form of marijuana in 2009…

The Americas, by comparison, clocked in at 7 percent, although North America batted above the neighborhood average with nearly 11 percent of its population partaking. Asia demonstrated the lowest global marijuana use patterns at no more than 2.5 percent, the study said, although difficulties in obtaining accurate data in less developed countries were cited as one possible reason for the low figures.

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Police Constables Andy Clare and Steve Browett with boxes of bait for dumb fish

Police arrested 19 wanted criminals after pretending they had won free beer to trick them into coming forward.

Undercover officers with Derbyshire police sent letters to dozens of people who had evaded arrest asking them to ring a marketing company to collect a free crate of beer.

A total of 19 suspects fell for the hoax and called the number which put them through to police officers based at Chesterfield Police Station.

A time and date was arranged for the free alcohol to be dropped off at an agreed address. But instead of being handed free ale the wanted men found themselves confronted by police, handcuffed and under arrest.

Chief Inspector Graham McLaughlin, who is leading the sting known as Operation Rocky, said: “These suspects are people who have managed to evade arrest for some time so we have used different tactics to find them…It has been very cost effective as it can take a lot of time and money to track people down…

Alleged offences committed by some of those arrested range from burglary and robbery to a serious sexual assault.

None of which obviously required a whole boatload of brains.

 
Thanks, honeyman

It doesn’t even matter if there’s television to watch at the bar. Conversation takes a higher priority. And beer.

Wherever man has ventured, beer has followed. Now, two Australian entrepreneurs hope that will include space.

Looking ahead to a future of growing space tourism, they have developed a full-bodied brew they believe can stand up to the trials of imbibing in space, including swelling tongues that diminish the sense of taste.

“It’s going to be the first beer that will be specifically designed to be drunk in zero gravity with upcoming space tourism,” said Jaron Mitchell, who owns the 4 Pines Brewing Company, a microbrewery.

Mitchell and Jason Held, at space engineering firm Saber Astronautics Australia, have developed the Vostok 4 Pines Stout, which they aim to take where no beer has gone before…

The two decided that a full-bodied, flavorsome, stout-style beer would work best to counter the loss of taste sensation that takes place when the tongue swells in space…”Your tongue swells up a little bit — it’s not extreme, but kind of like having a bad head cold,” Held said. “So we wanted to have a flavor that would be strong enough, that would punch through that.”

Once the prototype was developed, the two bought space on a zero gravity flight over Florida to test it, recruiting a microgravity expert from the non-profit organization Astronauts4Hire as test subject…

With only surface tension operating in space, this means a glass can be turned over and the liquid will still stay in.

“You could see in the flight experiment where the test subject was flying and he was trying to get the liquid down his mouth. He is really having to shake it as he drinks it,” Held said, noting that a different receptacle has to be designed…

Finally, there is the problem of carbonation.

Since the bubbles and the liquid don’t separate well in zero gravity there’s no real place for the gas of the carbonation to go — except in what Held called a “wet burp,” with both the gas and the liquid coming out together, which he said was uncomfortable.

No doubt there will be an acceptable solution. All the beer drinkers in my life managed to overcome any obstacles in the path through life – to get to that satisfying brew.

A new study in the Journal of Food Science provides some limited scientific evidence to support the theory among beer enthusiasts that Guinness tastes much better in Ireland than other parts of the world.

Over a period of one year, four researchers of different nationalities traveled to 14 countries and visited 71 Guinness serving establishments in 33 cities to collect data for 103 tastings.

Tasting scores for pints of Guinness were generally high all around the world, yet tastings in pubs in Ireland scored significantly higher.

This difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for researcher, pub ambience, Guinness appearance, and the sensory measures of mouthfeel, flavor and aftertaste. Please note that results are subject to further verification because of limitations in the study design.

Please notify me when the study group is ready to expand into New Mexico.

If they’re willing to pay for the grog and transport, I’ll even let them send me anywhere – just to sit and drink Guinness.

“When you’re lonely…you cling to the things that bring you comfort”

A drunk driver trapped after overturning his car cracked open another can of beer while he waited for emergency crews to rescue him, a New Zealand court was told.

Paul Nigel Sneddon, 47, pleaded guilty to careless driving and drunken driving after being nearly three times over the legal alcohol limit in a district court in the city of Palmerston North.

Police found Sneddon, a former baker, trapped in his overturned Ford Laser on June 1, drinking a can of beer after he failed to take a corner properly and crashed through a wooden barrier, flipping his vehicle.

Defense lawyer Peter Young said that when Sneddon found he could not open the doors, “he had nothing else to do at that point, so he had another beer.”

When asked by police how much he had consumed, Sneddon replied: “Plenty, I’ve been drinking for four days straight.”

Judge Gregory Ross fined him $780 and disqualified him from driving for 10 months. It was his first offence.

Anyone taking bets on whether or not it will be his last offence?

A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. Researchers…studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon.

“The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied” said Charles Bamforth, lead author of the study. “We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer.”

Silicon is present in beer…making beer a major contributor to silicon intake in the Western diet…Some studies suggest moderate beer consumption may help fight osteoporosis, a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue…

“Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” concludes Dr. Bamforth. “Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort and much of this survives into beer.”

Any study that encourages beer drinking – in moderation, of course – is OK by me.

Thanks, Cinaedh

Yes, this does appeal to my fey sense of humor.

Thanks, TUAW

England’s longest New Year party finally ended this morning when a snow plough and gritter reached Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in the country, where 30 students and teachers had been cut off for two days.

Supplies of draught beer were down to Black Sheep’s Riggwelter as the group from Leeds University cross country club consoled themselves amid 7ft drifts.

They were joined by 17 people rescued from the nearby A66 which was closed between Bowes and Brough as heavy snowfall hit the whole Pennine chain yesterday . The Snake Pass between Manchester and Sheffield was also impassable after drifting caused by high winds…

The wintry spell is forecast to continue for the first half of January, with fresh snow showers likely to move inland from the east coast today and during the week. Much of the country is also experiencing Alpine conditions, of bright sunshine on a snowbound landscape, so complaints have been largely confined to those obliged to travel…

At Tan Hill, which stands in a sea of desolate moorland 528m (1,732ft) at the head of Arkengarthdale on the Yorkshire-Durham border, student Nathan Martin said that spirits had remained high…

The inn’s assistant manager Mike Carter said: “Everyone’s had a good time – people were peeling carrots and potatoes and helping to make dinner on an evening. It was a really nice atmosphere.

Adversity can be easier to bear – given food and appropriate beverages.