Brain or Liver

Scott LaFee on Mar 13, 2024

of small-n case study evaluations."

The paper, published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, is actually about the value of limited sample sizes (small-n cases) in studying crime prevention. The title refers to a joke: Why is a bologna sandwich better than sex? Nothing is better than sex, but a bologna sandwich is better than nothing.

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that's hard to take seriously, and even harder to ignore.

In 1999, the Ig Nobel Prize in chemistry went to Takeshi Makino, president of the Safety Detective Agency in Osaka, Japan, for his involvement with S-Check, an infidelity detection spray that wives can apply to their husbands' underwear, though the latter may claim it's all baloney.

Self-Exam

Q: What is the vermillion border?

A: It is the normally sharp demarcation between the lip and adjacent skin. The lips' notably more red appearance is the result of a change in epidermis from highly keratinized external skin to less keratinized. Also, lip skin is thinner, making blood vessels more apparent. Keratins are protein in epithelial cells lining the inside and outside surfaces of the body. In different amounts and forms, they create everything from skin and lips to hair and nails.

Last Words

"If I convert, it is because it is better that a believer dies than an atheist does." -- British-American author and steadfast curmudgeon Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)

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To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.