First Blog

Did you know that cere wax is the main ingredient in deodorants but is also used to give clothing that “wet look.”   Example: raincoats. Did you know that our word “candy” comes from the Arabic word “quandi,” meaning sugar cane? Of course, you do know the words “algebra” and “algorithm” also came from the Arabic. Even the word “coffee” comes from the Arabic “ qahwah .” Did you know it is still unknown whether sugar is addictive to humans? Read the book “1493” by Charles Mann for more information on this. Did you know that 70% of all olive oil is counterfeit?   That is, much of the   olive oil you buy is a blend with other vegetable oils, with flavoring added.   This is much cheaper to produce. It is virtually impossible to detect blends, even by experts; a chemical lab is needed.

We talk about diversity in STEM education when what we want are the best people possible to pursue STEM.  In fact, diversity enhancement for specialized tasks can never work. Money notwithstanding, It is not possible to stimulate excellence to those uninclined to be inclined toward an unpreferred/undesired/uninteresting pathway. Pouring on the cash simply fails. In STEM especially, we need, desperately need, excellence. Politically correct STEM is without merit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Much of the country lives in some kind of panic mode, and if they have nothing going on they panic about that. The latest entry to the NY stock exchange is Luckin Coffee, a Chinese firm    Golly gee, Luckin is but a single letter from a horrific nickname. An interesting fact about traffic jams worldwide... If you've experienced one in Country A, it is much the same in Country B