The Value of Diversity
A recent article in Nature reported on how our ancestors apparently were cooking and eating grains long before they realized they could be grown and invented agriculture. While that’s interesting in and of itself the really interesting thing is the way in which the discovery was made. Discarded animal bones
Juneteenth Holiday is Long Overdue
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the Palo Alto Daily Journal on Saturday, June 19, 2021. Note that the published version may differ slightly from what’s here due to editing by the newspaper. In a rare act of near unanimity Congress voted to recognize Juneteenth
Facts, Hypotheses and Theories
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal on June 2, 2021. A recent Daily Journal op ed repeated common misunderstandings about what constitutes a theory and created a false dichotomy involving evolution and the “theory” of intelligent design. That kind of
A New Addiction
This post was inspired by an editorial in the San Mateo Daily Journal, which focused on “social media addiction” enabled by the technology which wired the world. I encourage you to read it. Every technology has its pluses and minuses. For the “good” ones the pluses outweigh the minuses. I
A Conservative Budget in a Crisis Is Not a Good Thing
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the Daily Post on April 26, 2021 under the title “Wrong kind of budget in an emergency”. Both titles are catchy, IMHO, so go with the one you prefer :). I’ll post a link to the Post’s website once
Appoint or Hold an Election
The San Carlos School District is faced with a choice on how to fill the seat soon to be vacated as a result of Carol Elliot’s retirement. This is a topic I have quite a bit of experience with. I’ve been through two different appoint or elect decisions, one when