UC Berkeley offers its popular ‘Science of Happiness’ online course for free
Spoiler: True happiness comes not from setting ourselves above and apart from others, but from joining and serving our communities.
California
New magnetic brain therapy relieved depression in 90% of the participants in small trial
“There’s never been a therapy for treatment-resistant depression that’s broken 55% remission rates in open-label testing,” the team says.
New Lyme disease treatment kills bacteria that causes lingering symptoms
A new Stanford Medicine study provides evidence that the drug azlocillin could be effective for treating Lyme disease patients infected with drug-tolerant bacteria.
Reddit now lets you report users who might be at risk of self harm
The company teamed up with Crisis Text Line to offer support to users who might be suicidal or hurt themselves in some way.
USC will offer free tuition to students from families making $80K or less
The plan will be phased in with first-year students entering the university in fall 2020. Additionally, the university’s financial need calculations will no longer consider home ownership.
L.A. County district attorney wipes 66,000 marijuana convictions
The move, which comes years after California voters legalized weed, reverses decades of drug enforcement that disproportionately targeted people of color — who then faced barriers in finding housing and jobs and enrolling in school.
Santa Cruz decriminalizes psychedelic mushrooms
The City Council of Santa Cruz voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a measure that will make investigation and arrest for “the adult possession, use or cultivation of psychoactive plants and fungi” a low-priority infraction by law enforcement.
California offers up to $9,500 to purchase electric vehicle
The incentives are up to $9,500 towards the purchase of a new or used plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, fully battery electric vehicle, or fuel cell electric vehicle and will be prioritized for low-income families.
Mattel commits to use sustainable materials in toys and packaging by 2030
In an expansion of its Environmental Sustainable Sourcing Principles that were announced in 2011, Mattel plans to use 100% recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastics materials in both its products and packaging by 2030.
Los Angeles libraries will stop collecting late fees for overdue books
The city will stop collecting fines for past-due books and other materials this spring, part of a larger effort to make the 73-branch library system more welcoming to the city’s neediest residents.