Francis Thackeray, in his 2025 article, suggests Sir Francis Drake could have acquired it when sailing in the area. Since traces of it were also discovered in 1600s Milan its possible that the spanish were circulating it. This 2024 study discusses how the Spanish at least knew of it as early as 1499.

Here's the paper for anyone interested. TLDR: In 2001 cocain residue was found alongside tobacco and hemp residue. There were also refrences to drugs in art and poems that the author supposes are cocain and cannabis. Fastwarward to 2023 when traces of cocain THC & CBD were found in bones from Milan. Today the author of the 2001 study is using the 2023 results to support his findings. As far as I can tell no one else has tried to test the pipe fragments.

Until relatively recently, in common law and some civil law countries you weren't fully autonomous from your gaurdian until you turned 21. At which point you no longer needed a gaurdians approval to make some legally binding decisions. Some institutions (eg car rental & insurance companies) find 25 to be the cut off for risky behavior. However, these measures don't capture emotional maturity as I've met people in their 50s that still act like teenagers.

STALKER 1979 based on the sifi novel Roadside Picnic, and was the inspiration for the video game series of the same name. It reminded me of Annihiliation 2018 but less horror/action, and more lamentations on humanity.

Every homeschooled person I've met has lacked all tact but YMMV. I haven't met anyone that was homschooled after leaving university so no clue if that improves over time.

Didn't know they had a preference for tree types. We had a morel show up sporadically over the years between a white pine and white birch. They're usually chewed on by the time I find them.

Yeah its a southern thing.

Aside from the aforementioned risk of birth defects there are no 'other problems' other than being outside of social norms. It could be argued that the bans of these marriages in the US were motivated not by science but a desire to more quickly assimilate immigrants. Essentially boiling down to xenophobia if not racism.

@iamragesparkle, OOP of the above, is now on bluesky.

A 'default judgement' is supposed to encourage appearance in court since ignoring a suit results in an automatic lose.

It was replaced by computers and wide format printers. Some of the larger shops retooled and no longer needed dozens of sign painters, since a computer/printer could be operated by one person, while shops that couldn't afford the new tech eventually closed.