First Blog

In the olden days, like only twenty years ago, there was organic chemistry - the study of the chemistry of living organisms.   Biology was the quintessential organic science.   These days, the term “organic” is applied to almost everything.   We have ·        Organic crops – promised vegetables grown with only approved pesticides and fertilizers, and “certified.” ·        Organic growth in business – meaning a business is grown from within as a dynamical organizational process; mergers and acquisitions are considered inorganic. ·        Organic organization – referring to a flexible management style readily adaptable to changes, as opposed to the mechanistic , or top-down management system. ·        Organic military – often meaning a n  organic  (military) unit that is a permanent part of a larger unit with a specialized capability to that parent unit. ·        Organic education – basically meaning that children are born to learn and they want to learn, and educators must f

One problem with wisdom is that it compels you to make decisions you'd rather not make. On the other hand, without wisdom, you have more freedom to choose and therefore more free will. ---------------------- The same can be said about education and knowledge. The more you have the better you are able to solve problems, the less choices you have to select solutions even though more solutions can be offered, the less free will you have to make choices.  So, education works against free will.   -------------------- The seeds of knowledge combined together with with the seeds of experience, when cold-pressed, render droplets of wisdom. The residue is called textbooks.

When I was young, all there was just plain old intelligence , then measured by the IQ test.   The test has survived, flawed as it is, and continues to affect lives.   Its very existence proved to be a challenge to the many other forms of intelligence. These days we have emotional intelligence, and lately, artificial intelligence.   All are significantly different. More forms have been identified including… Emotional (empathetic +) Naturalist (nature smart) Musical (sound smart) Logical-mathematical (number/reasoning smart) Existential (life smart) Interpersonal (people smart) Bodily-kinesthetic (body smart) Linguistic (word smart) Newer forms of intelligence include... Artifical (algorithmic and programming) Information (mining and correlating) Entertainment (artificial living smarts) Medical (diagnosis smart)   Older but still valid forms include... Teaching (showing how smart) Mechanical (engine smart) Hunting and tracking (outdoors smart) Pl

In education as in medical care, there is so much government money it has become a "neon welcome sign" for every fraudster, pitchman, politician, ed-author, and peddler looking for a quick buck or more influence. They offer easy cures, cheap fixes, and sure-fire programs. While data should prove points and move arguments, it is more often misused, fudged, disguised, forgotten, or ignored. So, forget data! The pissing contest in education is all about liquefied data. Experts tell us, "Charter schools, yes! Public schools, yes! Counselling services, yes! More equipment, yes! Higher salaries, yes! Stronger unions, yes! Smaller classes, yes! More testing, yes! Less testing, yes! Group learning, yes/no!” To be honest, there are too many tricksters, some massaging data, some taking fees, some writing books, some supporting political parties, and others gathering votes. The whole pot is something of an expensive, mostly tasteless, non nutritious stew - served to

Robot is a relatively new word to the English language. It was the creation of the playwright, novelist and journalist Karel Čapek, who introduced it in his 1920 hit play,  R.U.R. , or  Rossum's Universal Robots . The first robotic welder what invented in the USA in 1954. Vaccines. Washington state, a leading anti-vaccine state, currently has an outbreak of measles. This was caused partly by the anti-vaccine rage cause by the autism-caused-by-MMR vaccine scare of two decades ago.   Count in also religious objections. Of the 23 confirmed cases, 20 are of those having no previous vaccination. The World Health Organization, WHO, calls the anti-vaccine rage one of the world’s leading health disasters.*  Fingers. Apple reports it is working on finger movement in mixed reality UX (User Experience).   The beat goes on as virtual reality increases in our world.   The time may come when the experiences of virtual reality exceed those in quantity and quality of the real thing. But

The Socialist view of life . From cradle to cradle to cradle - followed by a quick cremation. All for free. ---------------- The Socialist manifesto : We are smarter than you. We know more than you. We understand more than you.   We know what you need. We insist on helping you. ---------------- The Socialist menu .   Go to any Asian restaurant.   Almost certainly you will see the dish, “Happy Family,” a hodge-podge of various items to delight the customer.   A stir-fry dish with colorful vegetables (broccoli, baby corn, bamboo shoots, mushroom, carrots, etc.), meats (beef, pork and chicken), and seafood (fish, shrimp, and crab), it is cooked in a brown sauce.   As a catch-all, the European Union (EU) plan typifies this dish trying to serve all Europe the Happy Family. All are served the same and all are asked eat the same. But… Many simply want another dish.   Some want fish, some just beef, others only pork or chicken, and so on.   With this reckoning, the Happy Family

Immigration and Education Paradox The President has recently promoted a new immigration law.  English speaking and needed skills take priority.  You may agree or disagree.  But the pundits, always that crowd, have expanded the argument further – to education and immigration. They say we are educating foreign nationals to have highly technical skills.  Then, by law, they are required to return home.  However, the USA is not producing a sufficient number of technical USA citizen grads to satisfy job openings. It need many, many more.  The current push is to let foreign grads stay.  Let them stay - they say. Let’s allow those well trained, educated, and able students to take jobs right here.  Does this sound reasonable? Absolutely!  No brainer, huh?  Not quite .  By the requirement of law, the students to return home, the US has created a truly inexpensive and successful foreign policy program.  Those educated students, back home, and become allies of everything USA.  They be

Politicabobia - fear of politics* Simplicitivism - theory that the simple is often the best approach**   O ne needs to be careful with "ism" and “ phobia ” words. They often have loose meanings, strict meanings, and sometimes multiple meanings. In almost every endeavor, psychology, philosophy, science, biology, and the full list of topics, there are many, hundreds if not thousands. In politics, they are easy to apply. The are effective conveying to the listener what is personally imagined. Their greatest application comprise a form of demagoguery, whether through concern or fear.   We have communism, conservativism, progressivism, liberalism, racism, feminism, environmentalism, anarchism, nationalism, capitalism, colonialism, nationalism, and socialism, to name a few.   Of course, there is the anti -version of each.   Where an “ism” is not appropriate, the alternative “phobia” is used such as in homophobia and islamophobia, where cut away is any vestige of the

Let's honest about government and intelligence. 1. Why does the government want an intelligent population?  It doesn't. Too difficult to manage and govern. Therefore, it is acceptable to allow the schools to continue failing their mission.  It is fine for incompetent teachers to stay in place. A terrible curriculum is a strategic advantage. 2. Why does the government want an intelligent congress?  It doesn't. Too difficult to manage; to willing to compromise; to practical about human activities.  Too liable to do something of lasting value. 3. Why does the government want an ample and well trained military.  It doesn't.  This is too risky for its personal security.  The military lives mostly outside the walls of government and is clearly a threat.  The government fears it crossing the Rubicon. 4. Why does the government want efficient and fair federal agencies? It doesn't.   This increases the expectations of the population to fair and effective treat