Brittney Walker

For example, 54,794 copies of Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.”

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Norton Files Amendment To Strike Anti-Home-Rule Rider For DC

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Norton Files Amendment To Strike Anti-Home-Rule Rider For DC

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has introduced an amendment to strike all four anti-home-rule riders from the House fiscal year 2018 District of Columbia Appropriations bill. This amendment would strike the riders that prohibit DC from spending its local funds on marijuana commercialization and on abortions for low-income women, as well as those that repeal D.C.’s medical aid-in-dying law, the Death with Dignity Act, and budget autonomy referendum. Norton’s marijuana amendment has already received bipartisan support in Congress and there should be no reason to prohibit DC from spending money in their local politics.

In 2015, D.C. voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 71, which legalized the cultivation and possession of limited amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and older. However, because D.C. cannot control its own budget, Congress was able to block the District from legalizing, taxing, and regulating the sale of marijuana. This lack of regulation of non-medical marijuana has caused D.C. to lose out on millions of dollars in tax revenue and hundreds of good jobs in the marijuana-market. Additionally, because residents cannot legally purchase non-medical marijuana, this has lead to more grey and black market sales. The District should have full control over its budget to implement and regulate the sale of marijuana.

In a press release statement, Norton stated, “The anti-democratic interference in D.C.’s purely local affairs flies directly in the face of the oft touted Republican principle of local control, and I am making sure no Member gets a free pass on abusing congressional authority over the District. Republican Members from states where medical aid in dying and recreational marijuana are legal should particularly apply the same right of local autonomy that their states have used to the District of Columbia. In addition, I am prepared to fight any and all new anti-home-rule riders introduced by Republicans later this week. We will not be used as political fodder for overeager Members who would rather spend their time meddling in the District’s affairs than working on behalf of their own constituents.”

Apple's Real Reason for Finally Joining the Net Neutrality Fight

Why a strong and open internet became "a top thing" for Tim Cook and co.

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Houston's Resilience Has Always Been Echoed In Its Music

Houston’s music, like the city itself, is a sprawl of possibility and community—and a deluge didn't change that.

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Sony's Speaker Looks Like HomePod, Works Like Google Home

The terribly-named LF-S50G combines a banging speaker with the power of Google Assistant.

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As Flooding Subsides, Houston's Trucking Lifeline Rumbles Back to Life

The logistical challenge of returning to normalcy is just beginning.

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Want a Robot to Walk Like You? Don't Expect It to Look Human

Getting a bipedal robot to not fall on its face, much less walk, is a feat that no one has mastered. But roboticists are getting there.

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What It Takes to Be an Expert Human Echolocator

Acousticians have measured the mouth-clicks of expert echolocators, turning them into computer-generated signals.

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Apple's Next iPhone Comes September 12 on Apple's New Campus

Three phones, one watch, and a whole lotta Tim Cook.

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The XYZprinting da Vinci Color 3-D Printer Spits Out Action Figures in Full Color

The machine merges ink jet tech with 3-D printing.

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Students Built the World's Fastest Hyperloop—Then Elon Musk Showed Up

Teams from around the world showed there's no wrong way to build futuristic transportation.

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The Best Star Wars Toys You Can Buy On Force Friday

It's that time of the year: time to spend your entire paycheck on cool new Star Wars stuff!

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Wednesday, 30 August 2017

AAA Is Doubling Down On Their Marijuana Distortions

At a recent AAA Texas-sponsored event, attendees were falsely told that drivers testing positive possess a 25-fold risk of accident compared to sober drivers. But the actual study cited by AAA concluded nothing of the sort. Rather, the study in question -- conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- determined that THC-positive drivers possessed virtually no statistically significant risk of motor vehicle accident compared to sober drivers.

Tell AAA to stop spreading disinformation on the impacts of legalization.

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AAA Is Doubling Down On Their Marijuana Distortions

Legalize marijuana First, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of you who responded to NORML’s request to contact the American Automobile Association and urged them to “stop lying about marijuana legalization.”

But even as public and media pressure grows, AAA affiliates are doubling down on their reefer madness rhetoric.

At a recent AAA Texas-sponsored event, attendees were falsely told that drivers testing positive possess a 25-fold risk of accident compared to sober drivers. But the actual study cited by AAA concluded nothing of the sort. Rather, the study in question — conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — determined that THC-positive drivers possessed virtually no statistically significant risk of motor vehicle accident compared to sober drivers.

Similarly, AAA Mid-Atlantic is continuing to distort the truth about cannabis. Despite having been provided with peer-reviewed evidence to the contrary, a recent reply by their Director of Public and Government Affairs office shows that the agency is refusing to listen to the facts with regard to cannabis regulation and traffic safety.

“We are deeply concerned that lawmakers are considering the legalization of recreational marijuana,” the AAA’s response states. “AAA opposes the legalization … of marijuana for recreational use because of its negative traffic safety implications.”

Yet, recent studies of federal crash data find that changes in the legal status of cannabis are not associated with a rise in traffic fatalities – and, in some instances, regulating cannabis has been associated with a reduction in deadly motor vehicle crashes.

Send AAA the facts in a message now

Nonetheless, AAA Mid-Atlantic opines, “The problem of drugged driving … will only get worse if [a] state legalizes it for recreational use.”

AAA further argues that a 2015 Governors Highway Safety report finds that “drugs were present in … fatally-injured drivers with known test results, appearing more frequently than alcohol.” However, AAA fails to acknowledge that the Governors report was primarily highlighting a rise in the presence of prescription medications and over-the-counter medications in fatally injured drivers. As acknowledged by the paper’s authors: “For this report, a drug is any substance that can impair driving. There are four categories of drugs: illegal drugs, legal non-medical drugs, prescription medications, [and] over-the counter medicines.” The Governors’ report also fails to identify whether the drug-positive drivers identified by the study were either impaired at the time of the crash or even culpable for the accident.

Further, the Governors’ report has fallen under scathing public criticism from other traffic safety groups, including MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), who publicly repudiated its interpretations. “There is no way you can say that drugs have overtaken alcohol as the biggest killer on the highway,” MADD responded. “The data is not anywhere close to being in a way that would suggest that.”

They’re correct. Specifically, a 2014 review of US fatal traffic accident data by researchers at the Pacific Research Institute in Maryland reported definitively that alcohol remains a greater contributor to crash risk than all other drugs combined, concluding: “Alcohol was not only found to be an important contributor to fatal crash risk, … it was associated with fatal crash risk levels significantly higher than those for other drugs. … The much higher crash risk of alcohol compared with that of other drugs suggests that in times of limited resources, efforts to curb drugged driving should not reduce our efforts to pass and implement effective alcohol-related laws and policies.”

If we are going to achieve sane policy solutions in regards to cannabis reform, it is essential that we call out those who seek to deceive the public, even if we appreciate their roadside assistance.

Take Action:

Photographers' Harrowing Stories of Harvey's Destruction

Scenes on the ground during Texas' historic storm.

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Travis Kalanick's Great Defender Writes a Hell of a Motivational Letter

Shervin Pishevar, a major Uber investor and former board member, to the former CEO's defense.

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Samsung Gear Sport Is a Fitness Tracker and Smartwatch in One Device

A little bit smartwatch, a little bit fitness, a lot nice to look at.

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Review: Sennheiser HD1 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

Headphones as comfortable as a vintage lounge chair.

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This Is The Best Kindle You Can Buy In 2017

Choosing an Amazon Kindle can be hard. Let us help you!

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Making a Tropical Storm Harvey Donation? Go With Cash

As Houston donations rush in, consider not just what to give, but when it can get there.

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Ed Skrein Leaving 'Hellboy' Proves How Easily Hollywood Could Stop Whitewashing

What would happen if the whole industry followed Ed Skrein's lead?

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Do We Need a Speedometer for artificial intelligence?

Measuring how quickly machines are getting smarter could help us prepare for the consequences for society and the economy.

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For Broadband Connections, How Fast is Fast Enough?

FCC considers changing definition of 'broadband,' in move that could hit rural areas.

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The Quest to Perfect the Universal Standard Units for Science

Scientists want the universe—not the shaky human hand—to reset Earthly thermometers and scales.

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Meditation Apps Are Incredibly Ironic

If your phone makes you crazy, can you really fix that with meditation apps like Calm and Headspace?

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What's Inside K2r Spot Lifter

The popular household cleaner erases greasy stains with a potent combination of chemistry.

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Note to Self Host Manoush Zomorodi Wants You to Put Down Your Phone

Note to Self’s Manoush Zomorodi is on a mission to reset our relationships with tech. That mission starts with boredom.

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Your Smart Home Will Give You a Headache

We're on the verge of a shift in how smart home devices clamor for our attention. Get ready for Amazon Alexa-enabled push notifications.

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Surviving This Summer on the Internet

For the past five years, I've turned off social media in August and detoxed from the internet. This year was different.

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My Attention Disorder Was Brought On by my iPhone

I've allowed technology to give me an attention disorder. Here's what I'm doing to reclaim my focus.

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Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Ford and Domino's Use Self-Driving Cars to Deliver Pizza in Ann Arbor

A tasty, vital effort to understand how people interact with driverless technology.

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Before and After Photos Capture Devastating Flooding in Houston

Aaron Cohen watched from a high-rise as Hurricane Harvey dropped 30 inches of rain in 48 hours.

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North Korea's Japan Missile Flyover Calls Donald Trump's Bluff

Donald Trump's scorched-earth rhetoric pushes North Korea closer to the brink—and, maybe, the US closer to the negotiating table.

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Bungie's 'Destiny' Characters Were Born to Be Cosplayed

The videogame developer takes costuming needs into consideration when designing characters for its popular series.

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How Climate Change Fueled Hurricane Harvey

The Gulf is warmer and the winds are changing. Which is why researchers expect more high-pressure anomalies like Hurricane Harvey.

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Google Joins the Augmented Reality Party with ARCore

Along with the developer toolkit, Google's launching an experimental browser to let anyone make AR-capable websites.

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YouTube's Redesign Makes It Easier to Watch All the Videos

Even vertical video!

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FDA Seeking Public Comments On CBD

On Regulations.Gov, right now, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is soliciting public comments with regard to the therapeutic utility and abuse liability of various controlled substances, including cannabidiol (CBD).

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT FORMAL COMMENTS TO THE FDA NOW

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FDA Seeking Public Comments On CBD

oil_bottles On Regulations.Gov, right now, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is soliciting public comments with regard to the therapeutic utility and abuse liability of various controlled substances, including cannabidiol (CBD).

The agency will consider these comments prior to preparing a formal response to the World Health Organization, which is considering placing the substances within their international drug scheduling code.

Now, to be frank, it’s a little silly that the FDA is seeking public comment on a topic that would normally be judged based on the merits of evidence-based science and data. But prohibition itself would be considered silly if not for the detrimental effects of a criminal record and lifelong penalties and stigma associated with it.

That being said, cannabidiol is defined by the US Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I controlled substance, despite:

Its therapeutic properties and lack of abuse potential, despite the safety trials which have determined the substance to be non-toxic and well-tolerated in human subjects
Seventeen states explicitly recognizing by state-law that CBD as a therapeutic agent
The head of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse publically acknowledging that CBD is “a safe drug with no addictive effects”

So a request for public comment should never go unfulfilled. So we made it incredibly easy for you to do so.

How Can a Cat Survive a High-Rise Fall? Physics!

Cats falling from super-high heights have a greater chance of survival than low-rise falls. That depends on two things: air resistance and apparent weight.

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Netflix's 20th Anniversary Is Nice, But It Doesn't Matter

The mail-order DVD company turned streaming behemoth turns 20 today, but its watershed moments go far beyond 8/29/97.

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Inside an Epic Hotel Room Hacking Spree

A vulnerability in hotel keycard locks was a security disaster—and a huge opportunity for one burglar.

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Harvey Shows Progress on Emergency Communications Since Katrina

As Hurricane Harvey wreaks havoc on Southeast Texas, crucial cellular networks remain largely stable, reflecting progress since Katrina.

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How To Stop Using Up All of Your Mobile Data Each Month

It's time to make some changes.

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How Students Built the World's Fastest Hyperloop

Teams from around the world showed there's no wrong way to build futuristic transportation.

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Monday, 28 August 2017

Why Didn't Houston Evacuate Ahead of Hurricane Harvey?

There are a lot of factors at play here.

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Why Those Floating Fire Ant Colonies in Texas Are Such Bad News

The only way to take them out? Dish soap.

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New Uber CEO Khosrowshahi Knows Many Tricks—He'll Need Them All

Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will take over the scandal-plagued ride-hailing company, the world's most valuable startup

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Congressman O’Rourke Introduces Amendment To End Arbitrary License Suspensions

This amendment is similar to the Better Drive Act, which Congressman O’Rourke introduced in April. The Better Drive Act removes the federal mandate that demands states to suspend the driver’s license of individuals with a marijuana possession conviction. Currently, any drug conviction, regardless of whether or not the motor vehicle was involved, results in an automatic suspension of the individual’s driving privileges for a period of six months.