@kmosher

Here’s what’s up for the week of February 20.

1. [Blog] Portugal decriminalised drugs, and it worked. I read a fascinating post over at Contrarian this week about the decriminalization process that Portugal undertook a decade ago. Well, the stats are in, and surprisingly enough, it worked! Addiction is down, and although the docs are happy, the do give the caveat that this probably isn’t the only factor at play. What a fascinating case study! This Forbes article states that drug abuse is down 50% ten years into the change.

2. [Article] Adulthood, Delayed. Did you know that the societal norms of adulthood are drastically shifting? A lot of the research is focused on the US, so the recession plays a bit role, but it’s already very clear that the Millennial generation isn’t like the previous generations. So, the question is, when exactly does Adulthood kick in? This Atlantic article says Millennials are at least 5 years behind, and the shift is most likely permanent. Heck, I’m 25 and I’m not sure I’ve crested “adulthood” … begs the question, what deems “adulthood”, anyway?

3. [Site] HitRecord Project by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Who didn’t love JGL in 3rd Rock From the Sun or 500 Days of summer? One day Google brought me to HitRecord.org, and I learned about this amazing company that he founded about two years ago. The premise is online artistic collaboration and any of the projects that make a profit will split the returns between the company (re-investment) and the collaborators of the project. Check out JGL’s YouTube updates for more info, or just to listen to the sexy sound of his voice, for reals.

HitRecord.org

4.  [Fashion] Banana Republic Dress that I just had. to. have. I am supposed to be on a very strict self-imposed shopping ban, and mostly, I’m doing okay. I’ve stopped buying unnecessary items or making impulse purchases, and I limit actual clothing purchases to replacement items or items that I need (e.g., work pants). Need of course is relevant, and I think that’s how I came to own this amazing dress from BR today. I was actually on route to Sephora, but that’s another story. How could I pass up a wrap dress that was both on sale and was also amazing!? It fell into the “need” category on the basis that I buy dresses that fit and look good because they are hard to come by and they are literally my favourite thing to wear, because it involves only one choice and no matching tops and bottoms. I only own one other wrap dress (that I love) so I’m happy to own a new one that was not only on sale, but also was subject to another 25% reduction!

Good choice, right?!

5. [Happening] Family Day Holiday. It’s not a holiday where I am (Nova Scotia), but happy Family Day to all those in the provinces that do give this one as a freebie. I miss getting this as a day off now, as it’s the perfect holiday to get you through the winter slump. Nova Scotia keeps talking about adding a “Joe Howe” holiday at this time, but I think it’s mostly a pipe dream….