Most of last week's posts were about music, so I thought I'd round out the holy trinity of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.
Traveling this weekend gave me an opportunity to indulge in one of my secret guilty pleasures: reading USA TODAY.
First up, as it were, is Kitty Bean Yancey's story on the opportunity for Atlanta-based passengers to join the mile-high club in a private plane for just $299:
Q: Who goes on these flights?
A: Couples from 18 and 19 up to their 60s. I've taken between 75 and 100 in five years. I've had people fly in from New York, New Jersey and Miami just to do the mile-high club. It's a lot easier (for them) than getting in the bathroom of a 737.
Q: Do men or women usually book the flights?
A: About 75% of the flights are booked by women. I've tried to figure that out, and I guess if the guy suggested it to a woman, he would be afraid she'd think he was some kind of pervert.
Q: But your plane is small. Aren't people embarrassed to fool around with you there?
A: No. I've got a curtain up so I can't see what's going on, and I wear a headset. But I guess the ones who want to (take a mile-high flight) aren't the inhibited type anyway.
The pilot only offers Cook's or Freixenet sparkling wine but you get a certificate and the sheets. There has to be some TSA joke in here about gels and liquids being permitted, but I am not clever enough to take the bait.
Second, my drugs feature, is Donna Leinwand's report on the results from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Although illegal drug use in ages 12-17 are on the decline, baby boomers now in their 50s and 60s appear to be revisiting their love of recreational marijuana:
The Census Bureau says there are 78.2 million baby boomers, the generation born from 1946 to 1964. This year, the oldest of them are turning 60. When they were young, "substance abuse became seen as part of coming of age," says John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Some "have carried (it) on throughout their lifetimes."
Steve Hager, 55, editor of the marijuana advocacy magazine High Times, says some ailing people his age choose marijuana over sleeping pills or anti-depressants. "People in their 60s are rediscovering it," Hager says of marijuana, which has been used as a pain reliever for glaucoma and other maladies. "If you're using it sparingly, it's the most wondrous medicine."
Enjoy what remains of your weekend!
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