Pygmania

So obviously I was reading the wikipedia article on the mineral "kaolininte". Just had to share the following: Geophagy [ edit source  |  edit beta ] Kaolin is eaten for health or to suppress hunger, [9]  a practice known as  geophagy . Consumption is greater among women, especially during pregnancy. [21]   This practice has also been observed within a small population of African-American women in the  Southern United States , especially  Georgia . [ 22]  There, the kaolin is called  white dirt ,  chalk  or white clay . [22] An illustration: Kaolin Tao Lin

Why am I awake and reading about this?

...in the passenger's seat

From an article I was reading in Slate about the benefits of friendship during junior high: "In fact, decades of research have shown that kids with close friendships are healthier, do better in school, and get don’t get bullied as often. Friendships also can minimize the negative impacts of family problems and, according to Dr. William M. Bukowski, a psychologist who researches friendships at Concordia University in Montreal, make kids less anxious about trying new things. In one University of Virginia study , researchers placed students wearing heavy backpacks at the base of a hill and asked them to estimate its steepness. The participants who stood next to a friend gave lower estimates than those who were alone." Can we please, PLEASE take a second to note the MASSIVE leap the researchers are taking with that conclusion. Oy.