Lasers to the rescue. One of the beautiful parts about my commute into Washington, D.C., from suburban Virginia is crossing the Potomac. Before we moved offices in 2015, I’d drive by the Lincoln Memorial every day. It was like living in a movie. Now, even though our new office is merely two streets over from our old one, it’s faster for me to drive across the 14th Street bridge, where I see the Jefferson Memorial. I’ve always been more partial to Lincoln than Jefferson, but in recent years the Jefferson Memorial has gotten … grimy. Turns out, per the blog DCist, it’s biofilm:
And while it’s taken a few years to find a good solution—it is a national monument, after all—they’ve found one. LASERS. Who doesn’t love lasers? The process, which is really neat, is called laser ablation.
Is ‘Straight Edge’ Back? Minus the punk, of course. The Washington Post has an interesting story on how teens are delaying the traditional march to adulthood. (Adulthood, as you’ll recall is now legally defined as 26, thanks to Obamacare.) It’s based on a study published in the Child Development journal. It found:
So, late-model Millennials are pretty terrible, right? Well, the lead author of the study, Jean Twenge, has this to say to the Post: “youths may be less interested in activities such as dating, driving or getting jobs because in today’s society, they no longer need to be.” So, perhaps it’s our fault for not heeding the advice of the Big Lebowski, and encouraging to do what their parents did: Get a job, sir.
Speaking of interesting studies, here’s a quirky working paper on the 2016 election titled: “Party and Cleavage in the 2016 Election.” It’s eye-popping, and not because it’s about the cleavage you’re thinking about. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) Here’s a taste of the abstract:
The paper also takes a look at how voters’ positions on “immigration, religion, and race were more predictive of partisanship and vote choice in 2016 than they were in 2012.” 2016 was weird. Let’s see what happens in 2020!
We’re on a roll with science and studies today, so let’s do another one. Any triathletes here? A new study suggests that the risks of sudden death during triathlons are higher than expected. One finding?
That, and old men are seemingly at greater risk because autopsy reports show “many of these men had undocumented cardiovascular disease.” Maybe consult a doctor before attempting.
A welcome deportation. Rasmea Odeh is being booted from the United States, and her supporters are having a tearful farewell party at O’Hare airport. A spokesman(!) tells the AP she will be deported on Tuesday.
Odeh was one of the eight women behind the “Day Without a Woman” strike. Next year, women will have to be absent while enduring her absence. And that’s something to celebrate.
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