SFist Answers Pities The Fool
THIS WEEK: Fools, border crossings, weed vs. your heart, bikes on BART, and an easy way for SFist Answers to make millions.
We took our title this week from Yueben Duped from Los Angeles (whatsmatta, no "answers" column in LAist?), who asks us:
Hey, what's that thing that a jester wears called?
I pity the fool who doesn't know that thing (belled cap, etc) is referred to as a "motley."
CG asks:
Do you know how I can get a copy of the controversial comic that showed people how to get across the Mexican/US border without dying. I believe it was put out by the Mex government.
Well, on an official level, I think you can get these things from your local Mexican Consulate. However, here it is on a Web site, for those of us who prefer to not get out of our chairs (a.k.a. SFist Answers).
Our very own SFist Co-Editrix Rita asks:
Why are bikes not allowed on the first car of a BART train?
Hey, Rita! According to the super-duper-awesome BART customer service department, the operator of a BART train, who is always in that lead car, needs to have his movements unhampered in the case of an emergency. A bicycle would very likely get in the operator's way should something unfortunate happen and the operator is called into action. A folded bike, however, is okay, as those are classified by BART as "luggage," not as a bike. Ride on!
Pappyklem asks:
I am trying to find out the effects of marijuana use in cardiac patients. I know cigarettes are definitely harmful, but does the smoke inhalation of pot affect the arteries to the heart in the same way as cigarettes? I have been trying to find info on pot for Cardiac patients for over a month, and have found nothing, so I was hoping maybe you could help me out, or refer me to a site that can.
Answer and more questions after the jump
Well, our go-to site for medical info is WebMD, who has some pretty good info. Excerpt:
Marijuana smokers are also at risk of other problems. One survey found that daily users reported 19% more respiratory problems (infections, irritation) than did nonsmokers. The daily users also had 30% more injuries from accidents than did nonsmokers, which is consistent with research on marijuana's effect on cognition and motor function. That said, just about without exception, alcohol is worse.
For some balance, here's some info from a group that's more into advocacy of the green. Excerpt:
Cannabis does not contain nicotine, a component of tobacco that contributes importantly to the risk of coronary heart disease. Use of cannabis in a young adult population was not associated with the presence of calcium in coronary arteries -an indicator of coronary atherosclerosis- and a cohort study conducted in a large health maintenance organization showed no association between the use of cannabis and admission to hospital for myocardial infarction and all coronary heart disease.
So it seems that pot may not be as bad as cigarettes on the ol' ticker--but personally, we wouldn't take any chances if diagnosed with a heart condition.
Finally -- "Duoala Keita," the "director of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of Bank of Africa, Senegal" gave us a long, sad story about a foreign customer of his that died in a plane crash, and wonders if SFist Answers can be trusted enough to be named next of kin. Seems there's a loophole by which we will get 30% of the client's $5.5 million estate by agreeing to do so! We will take our share of the money then send the rest to Mr. Keita. Wow! What a wonderful arrangement. Our bags are packed, Mr Keita . . . so long suckers. Hopefully doing "Senegal-ist Answers" will be as much fun as "SFist Answers" has been . . .