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Even Life Insurance Actuaries Are Coming Around on Pot

Mother Jones

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A copy of Contingencies—the official magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries—came in the mail on Monday. I don’t know why—I’m not an actuary; I’m not even in a celebrity death pool. But there’s some interesting stuff in there. AAA president Mary D. Miller, in a column titled “It Takes an Actuary,” boasts that “our world will be more vital than ever” in the era of drones and Big Data, as people find more and more innovative ways to die; the puzzle columnist is retiring.

But I was mostly struck by the cover story:

Contingencies! Tim Murphy

Weed!

With the legalization movement racking up victory after victory, the writer, Hank George, seeks to correct a misunderstanding among his actuarial colleagues—that marijuana “conferred the same relative mortality risk as cigarette smoking.” To the contrary, he writes, “recreational marijuana users enjoy better physical fitness and get more exercise than nonusers” and “have even been shown to have higher IQs.” He concludes: “The tide is turning—life underwriters would be wise to be at the front end of this curve, and not stubbornly digging in their heels to the detriment of their products.”

For now, at least, life insurers are still holding the line on pot smoke as a vice on par with cigarettes. But it’s a testament to how far the legalization movement has grown beyond its hippie roots that even the actuaries are starting to fall in line.

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Even Life Insurance Actuaries Are Coming Around on Pot

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Cheap gas will make Thanksgiving traffic even worse this year

Cheap gas will make Thanksgiving traffic even worse this year

By on 25 Nov 2014commentsShare

Think last year’s Thanksgiving traffic was bad? This year, it’ll be even worse. Drivers should expect this Wednesday’s travel times to be 25 to 36 percent longer — and for rush hour to start two hours earlier — than on a typical Wednesday, according to the annual INRIX Thanksgiving Traffic Forecast. Basically, INRIX analysts say, don’t even bother trying to drive between 2 and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, unless by “drive” you mean “sit and stare at a Coexist bumper sticker,” which, I know, is everyone’s favorite thing.

Still, we’re a masochistic bunch. AAA projects that over 46 million people will journey more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving this year — the biggest number since 2007, and a 4.2 percent increase from last year.

And why, for heaven’s sake?! Probably ’cause gas is cheap: This week, we’re seeing the lowest gasoline prices since 2009. The national average is $2.85 a gallon right now, 43 cents cheaper than last Thanksgiving. That means drivers in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle, in particular, are going to be sitting in some of the thickest gridlock in years, according to INRIX:

INRIX

Yeah, Los Angeles drivers know a thing or two about traffic, but man, the above chart suggests that the average pre-Thanksgiving trip is probably going to take them more than a third longer than the average traffic-clogged day, says analyst Jim Bak.

“Los Angeles is simply the worst place to be on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,” said Bak. “The combination of people arriving for the holiday with those leaving town and normal commuter traffic will result in steady traffic all day long.”

Oh boy! Now that sounds like a happy holiday — and yet another reason we really, really don’t want cheap gas.

Source:
Inrix Thanksgiving Traffic Forecast Predicts Longer Delays This Year for Drivers on Wednesday Afternoon

, INRIX.

AAA: More Thank 46 Million Americans to Celebrate Thanksgiving with a Holiday Getaway, Most Since 2007

, AAA.

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Cheap gas will make Thanksgiving traffic even worse this year

Posted in Anchor, Everyone, FF, G & F, GE, LG, ONA, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cheap gas will make Thanksgiving traffic even worse this year