Roundup

Not very surprising news: people buy and sell drugs, even when they are in mental hospitals. Everyone knows you can get drugs in prison, but in a hospital, where there’s less security? Gee, you think?
In athletics, there is a history of cheating and doping, and we’re not over it yet by a long shot.

Some people have misperceptions about popular holidays.

Psychologists and sociologists are studying brand loyalty. Wow, psychological attachment created in a social setting is being studied by professionals, and scientific learning is being applied to commerce.

And once again, a lot of people like to live alone. This is a slightly better perspective– CSMonitor describes it as a trend rather than a movement, and explores some of the implications, rather than promoting or decrying it. It’s especially noticeable in places like Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. where there are large numbers of young unmarried people– something like a third of Boston is between 18 and 30.