*YIKES – EVEN WHEN SOBER, FREQUENT MARIJUANA USERS ARE DANERGOUS DRIVERS, REPORTS FINDS

Even when sober, some heavy marijuana users are dangerous drivers, a new study suggests. The bad driving appears to be isolated to those who started using pot before age 16, researchers reported Tuesday in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The theory is that early marijuana use changes the brain, leaving people more impulsive and more apt to make rash decisions. In the new study, which tested participants in a driving simulator, researchers from McLean Hospital in Boston found that sober cannabis users who started using the drug in their teens had more accidents, drove at higher speeds and cruised through more red lights compared to people who had never used marijuana.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, but there has been relatively little research on its health effects, particularly on teen brains. “This research suggests that early exposure to cannabis may result in difficulties performing complex cognitive tasks,” said co-author Staci Gruber, an associate professor of psychiatry and director of Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital.

*OVER 15,000 PEOPLE WERE FATALLY SHOT IN THE U.S LAST YEAR

At least 15,292 people were fatally shot in the United States last year, according to a new report from a nonprofit that advocates against gun violence. The figure, released Thursday by the Gun Violence Archive group, represents a 3 percent increase in gun deaths from the previous year. The group also reported that the number of nonfatal firearm injuries grew to 29,613, which is a 5 percent increase over the previous year.

The numbers, detailed in a report from The Trace, show that gun violence got worse in 2019 after a slight decrease between 2017 and 2018. The figures do not include suicides, which make up the majority of gun deaths. The report states that mass shootings, in which four or more people are shot, are also on the rise, with 5 percent of the injuries and deaths recorded last year occurring during mass shootings, compared to less than 4 percent in 2018. Shootings of children and teens also rose —the site reported 3,771 victims under the age of 18 killed or injured, compared to 3,539 in 2018.

*YOUTUBE HAS BEEN ‘ACTIVELY PROMOTING’ CLIMATE DENIALISM VIDEOS, ACCORDING TO NEW REPORT

YouTube has been “actively promoting” videos containing misinformation about climate change through a feature that determines what users watch for 70 percent of the time they spend on the platform, according to a report released Thursday.

The nonprofit activist group Avaaz examined 5,537 videos that appear by search terms such as “climate change,” “global warming,” and “climate manipulation.” The group subsequently found that for each of those terms respectively, eight percent, 16 percent, and 21 percent of the top 100 related videos featured in the “up next” sidebar contained false information about climate change, such as denying it exists or claiming that humans are not to blame for the crisis. “We’ve found that it’s very likely that at least one in five users who search for a term like global warming or climate change could be sent down this type of misinformation rabbit hole,” said Fadi Quran, a campaigns director at Avaaz. “Scientists are working so hard to educate people about the existential threat we face and YouTube is allowing bad actors among us the last word on this issue for many people.” 

The “up next” feature has an algorithm that dictates recommendations, and it is designed to engage users and keep them on YouTube. Avaaz claims that the platform has still used these tactics despite announcing in January 2019 that it would curb “content that could misinform users in harmful ways,” including climate change denying videos.

*NO ONE IS BUYING NEW YORK’S LUXURY CONDOS

Almost half of the new condos that have come to market in Manhattan since 2015 are currently unsold, according to Nancy Packes Data Services. The other half are presumably WeWorks. The reason for all the empty mansions-in-the-sky: a concoction of overly ambitious pricing and worsening sentiment. But mostly pricing. Just compare the prices of new development units to resale units over the last decade. In 2012, the difference in the average price between a new and resale unit was 22%. At the end of last year, the premium was 118%. 

Nancy Packes lists three reasons for the “extraordinary oddity of the current cycle.”  Buildings competed to add the latest amenities, pushing up prices. Units grew in size. The clientele changed. The ultra-skinny towers are trying to woo not just your local billionaire, but the wealthiest people in the world.

Bottom line: At the current pace, it would take six years to sell all of Manhattan’s unsold units, per a Halstead Development
Marketing report cited by Bloomberg.

*SPOTIFY LAUNCHES PLAYLISTS FOR DOGS LEFT HOME ALONE

Spotify has made playlists and a podcast for dogs to listen to in their owners’ absence, after finding that nearly 74% of UK pet-owners play music for their animals. The Swedish audio-streaming business company said it has launched a podcast featuring soothing music, “dog-directed praise”, stories, and messages of affirmation and reassurance narrated by actors to alleviate stress for dogs who are home alone.

Meanwhile, playlists aimed at pets offer tracks selected by algorithms to match pets’ characteristics such as energetic or slow. Spotify said it found in a survey that one in four pet-owners play music for their pets to listen to for company when they are away from home, with 42% of owners saying their pets have a favorite type of music.

*JAMES BOND WILL NOT BE PLAYED BY A WOMAN, SAYS PRODUCER

Daniel Craig’s successor as James Bond will not be a woman, the producer of the film series has confirmed. No Time to Die, which is set for release in April, will be Craig’s final appearance as 007, and there’s been speculation that the next Bond could be a woman. But producer Barbara Broccoli has poured cold water on the idea, telling Variety: “James Bond can be of any color, but he is male… I believe we should be creating new characters for women, strong female characters… I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”

The next Bond film will see actress Lashana Lynch play a female 00 agent and her appearance in the trailer restarted the conversation about whether Bond could be played by a woman in the next film. Broccoli went on: “For better or worse, we are the custodians of this character… We take that responsibility seriously.”

*EXAMINER—Poll: 64% OF EXAMINER READERS VOTE KILLING IRANIAN COMMANDER SOLEIMANI A GOOD IDEA:

  In response to a recent reader question, 64% of LBN Examiner readers in all 50 of the United States and 26 foreign countries felt that killing Iranian commander Soleimani was a good idea.

*EXAMINER–INVESTIGATES:

To boost alertness after a power nap (a 20-minute Stage 2 nap), sleep researchers suggest drinking caffeine before a nap. Caffeine requires 20–30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you’re waking.

*EXAMINER – A LOOK BACK:

Joni Mitchell, shot for Rolling Stone in 1979. Outtakes from this cover shoot and much more in our book, “Joni: The Joni Mitchell Sessions” by Norman Sheff.

*FIGHT FAKE NEWS – READ LBN EXAMINER:

For the last 17 years, an incredible 84% of LBN Examiner readers in all 50 of the United States and 26 foreign countries found this LBN Examiner “fearlessly independent” and “unbiased”!

Fake news is nothing new—we have long been exposed to propaganda, tabloid news, and satirical reporting. But now, with the dependence on the internet, promotion of trending stories on social media, and new methods of monetizing content, we have found different ways to relay information without using traditional media outlets. A single-story posted on a personal or biased website can go viral and lead to additional content that gets distorted just like the results of a game of telephone. The original authors may be fully aware that the story is a lie, but with no throttling or inspection of content, the story can take on a life of its own, go viral, and spread misinformation while also leaving a tarnished impression of legitimate media. With tabloid news, most people recognize that Bigfoot was not in their backyard. Fake news, however, can seem so believable that people have a hard time determining the truth. Whether the article is real or fake news, and if it should be shared, can be difficult to determine without researching the story personally.

Fight back against fake new by reading and sharing this LBN Examiner. Proudly independent since 2002.

*EXAMINER – HISTORY: GREAT-GRANDSON`S DEATH ENDS LINCOLN FAMILY LINE IN 1985:

The bloodline of Abraham Lincoln ended on Christmas Eve in 1985 when his last direct descendant, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, died in Hartfield, Va. at the age of 81. Beckwith was Lincoln`s great-grandson. Although he married three times, he died childless, ending the 16th president`s family line. The longtime owner of a farm in Middlesex County, Va., Beckwith was living in a Hartfield nursing home, according to the Bristow-Faulkner Funeral Home in Saluda, Va. Funeral arrangements were pending the arrival in Saluda of Beckwith`s wife, Margaret. Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, had four sons. Only the eldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, lived to be an adult. He served as Secretary of War under Presidents James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur and died in 1926 at the age of 82. Robert Todd Lincoln and his wife, Mary, had three children. Their youngest, Jessie, eloped in 1897 with Warren Beckwith, a classmate and football star at Iowa Wesleyan College.

The Beckwiths had two children, Mary Lincoln Beckwith, who died in 1975, and Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, who was born in suburban Riverside on July 19, 1904. The Lincoln family name ended in 1926 with the death of Robert Todd Lincoln. Beckwith was a short, fragile-looking man who bore little resemblance to his famed ancestor. He did not publicize his background, and once said he was occasionally embarrassed by the public`s fascination with his family history. Although he lived for several years with his grandfather, the result of his mother`s three marriages, he did not ask Robert Todd Lincoln about life in the White House. ”I was not especially interested,” Beckwith told The Tribune in 1967.

  *THINK FREELY – BE INDEPENDENT – MAKE UP YOUR OWN (DAMN) MIND: READ LBN EXAMINER

*WHO READS LBN EXAMINER?:

  Legendary saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders, along with 12 members of the White House staff, 3 Nobel Prize winners, over 100 Academy Award winners, 6 U.S. Senators, and over 300 Grammy Award winners.

*EXAMINER–A DIFFERENT VIEW:….

HELP WANTED: AUTHOR SEEKS PART-TIME (FLEXIBLE HOURS) ENTRY LEVEL RESEARCHER:
Experienced author seeking smart, reliable, resourceful entry-level research assistant for part-time, flexible hours assignments. Must be available for occasional meetings on the Westside of L.A. Work mostly from home. A great opportunity for the right person. An extraordinary addition to your resume. Send resume (no attachment) with complete contact details including phone number. E-mail to: Aurora411@TimeWire.net

LBN Examiner Edited By: Aurora DeRose 

LBN Examiner Disclaimer: 1.) The LBN Examiner accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. The LBN Examiner is not associated with any commercial or political organization and is transmitted via the web for the sole benefit of its subscribers. 2.) Unfortunately, computer viruses can be transmitted via email. The recipient should check this mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses.