First Blog

Fake meat has stormed the country.   Many celebrate the vegetable protein based products for climate, for nutrition, and for reduction of meat consumption.   The beef industry clearly hates this, and only now are developing their talking points. Testing to scale always reveals the nooks and crannies of risk. So, what’s coming for fake meat?   Here’s the shortlist. Too much sodium –   the old standby Variety – more and more variations of fake meat will be developed.   Expect less expensive products using more plentiful vegetable proteins. Chemistry – what new chemicals are used; what old chemicals are used to excess; how do these chemicals interact? Allergies – it is a certainty that allergies will be discovered supporting unusual affectations Headaches – every new item on the menu causes headaches in many.   They’re coming. Digestion problems – many, probably thousands will endure digestive problems due to overconsumption. Cancer – certain digestive tract cancers will be

From Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1834) we note both the left (e.g. Marx) and right have used his philosophy in their own interests. Here are two paraphrased quotes and applicable today. ---Freedom under law is a constructive force.   Freedom from law is impossible in nature and destructive in society.  ---Morality must be a common bond, not an individual preference. An amusing anecdote about Hegel, famous for his opacity, is this. When asked what a particularly difficult paragraph in one of his books actually meant, Hegel responded, "When I wrote it, only God and I understood its meaning.   Now only God does." ------------ Another quote but not from Hegel: The embers of enlightenment may glow for centuries before catching fire. ------------- Speaking of philosophy, I could give a course on Immanuel Kant***, a philosopher difficult to understand.   I could, in my lectures, give 50 of his philosophical issues with appropriate responses. I could

For the last several years, we’ve seen a parade of prominent educators, businessmen, and politicians extolling the virtues of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).   Big money has been spent, and in the educational enterprise, big means really big.   The US Department of Education conditioned some state funding on the basis of states accepting and implementing the new standards.  Partly because of the probably correct perception our public education system was failing, the CCSS were adopted with virtually no testing by at least forty states.   It was hoped, actually expected, that most states would now be rowing with common ores and the result would be a stronger national educational system.    But these standards are intellectually demanding as to what is taught and importantly to how they are to be taught.    Many of our students and teachers were not up to the challenge.   The teachers were given insufficient training, and the students were left in the wake of this giant oil