Ear to the ground

“I was going to go to urgent care, but had a beer and steak dinner instead.”

– Local woman after stacking up her mountain bike on area singletrack

Turning to mush

Forget what mother told you – hallucinogens just might be good for you. Researchers at John Hopkins University have broken the mushroom barrier and linked the effects of psilocybin with positive health benefits.

“Magic mushrooms may no longer just be for hippies seeking a trippy high,” reads a recent article inThe Lookout. The story notes that researchers have “zeroed in on the perfect dosage level to produce transformative mystical and spiritual experiences that offer long-lasting life-changing benefits.”

The drug is currently being considered for a variety of medical application ranging from treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder to breaking cycles of addiction. In the study, the researchers gave volunteers various dosages of psilocybin in a “controlled and supportive setting.” The effects were undeniable. Ninety-four percent of the human guinea pigs rated the experience as “one of the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lifetimes.” In addition, 89 percent of the travelers reported positive life changes as a result of the experiment. “I feel that I relate better in my marriage,” one volunteer wrote. “There is more empathy – a greater understanding of people, and understanding their difficulties, and less judgment.”

But beware – the blue meanies are still out there. The “exact right dosage” is key to a positive outcome, according to Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry at John Hopkins. “So far we’ve had – anecdotally only – very positive results,” he said.

Clean sweep

The champions of clean commuting were announced last Friday night at the conclusion of Trails 2000’s Commuter Challenge. The annual contest is part of Clean Commute Week and honors businesses who boast the highest percentage of employee participation.

The challenge was open to extra small (under 12), small (under 25), medium (26-199) and large companies (200 plus).

To  ramp up the competition, a bonus round was added allowing companies that logged participation days on Wednesday and Thursday in addition to Clean Commuter Day on Friday to receive bonus points. In the extra small category, Columbine Landscaping won the award. The all-female company has an average bike to work rate of 75 percent every day. Russell Engineering won the award in the small business size, just nudging out Goff Engineering. In the medium-size category, first-time participants at Stone Age Tools, which had its staff climbing the hill at the Airpark, took the award. In the large-size category, the City of Durango won again this year.