This page about sums up where we are on ecigarettes. It’s a news article about a cancer institute that’s somewhat optimistic about ecigarettes that plans to study them… with various “Related” stories embedded with figurative ominous music about their menace.

Statewide minimum wage pre-emption bills are a bad idea for the same reason that setting too high a statewide minimum wage is a bad idea. Different places have different needs, and I think we can handle some patchwork.

Megan McArdle says that the Panama Papers actually reflect pretty well on capitalism, and mostly reflects well on weak institutions and corruption.

Hearing that there was talk of Mayim Bialik being underpaid relative to Kelly Cuoco on Big Bang Theory had me prepared to say “Cry me a river” to Bialik because she is secondary cast, but she’s actually pretty gracious and that’s actually a really hard pay gap to justify. Hopefully she negotiates something better.

Proposed labor reforms in France are not going over well. Even worse, economic unrest is causing alcohol abuse.

Marine Major Mark Thompson (no relation) believes – credibly – that his military trial for rape was badly flawed. He’s fighting it hard. There’s only one problem…

If you’re a smart dude, women in STEM careers may not be the optimal place to look for a partner.

Sweden has a national phone number, which you can call to talk to a random Swede. I don’t know why I consider this such a neat idea since I can’t imagine I would ever do this and I don’t know who would. Maybe a journalist who needs a “word on the street” on some upcoming election?

I don’t think this is how population distribution works. (Or, for that matter, anti-discrimination law?)

In response to a previously linkied piece by Eli Lake on the French police state, Todd Seavey argues that domestic and foreign force cannot be so easily separated.

Unlike some scoffers, I actually think union exemptions to minimum wage have a decent rationale, but I can understand the resentment here.

My daughter is, unfortunately, at the age where I have to watch what I’m watching around her.

An interview with Johnathon Schaech, who you may recognize as the asshole lead singer on That Thing You Do, but is also known for being Ellen Degeneres’s fake boyfriend prior to her coming out.

Outside of Austin, they’re building a village for the homeless with some kind of nice and neat houses.

Since I periodically link to articles on the overaggressiveness of child protective agencies, it’s only fair to link to one where they did absolutely nothing except maybe help cover things up.

I hadn’t heard of the Vyapam Scam in India before. Oy.