Monthly Archives: January 2011

State of the Union: Winner of the Science Fair

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Lex

I wrote the State of the Union Speech that the President delivered yesterday. I know this because he said everything that I wanted him to say: “We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the … Continue reading →

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Making Tough Choices

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Lex

I read Bill Clinton’s autobiography My Life a while back. I’m not a big fan of presidential memoirs, and this was no exception. But I did remember something from it, that I’m sure has been said by many motivational speakers … Continue reading →

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War Relocation Camps

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Lex

I had a discussion today about World War II with a friend and was caught off-guard when he did not know of Japanese American internment. We often talk of the atrocities of concentration camps in Nazi Germany, but I rarely hear the … Continue reading →

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Life Expectancy

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Lex

Life expectancy is often used as a measure of a nation’s physical quality of life. Moreover, I have often heard it used in discussing the effectiveness of different types of healthcare systems. It’s a nice clean number but we have … Continue reading →

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Digame, Mi Amor

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Lex

“Speak to me, my love” is what a waitress in Cuba says to Dr. Paul Farmer after he calls her over to make his order. This story is from the nonfiction book Mountains Beyond Mountains. Farmer’s primary battle against infectious … Continue reading →

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Metric System Adoption in the United States

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Lex

The United States is one of only 3 countries that has not adopted a metric system of measurement. The SI (international system of units) is the most popular standard: Meter, Kilogram, Second, Ampere, Kelvin, Candela, Mole. Given that SI is a standard system of measurement in science, … Continue reading →

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Health Care Incentives

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Lex

I’ve recently had to pay for a visit to the doctor and realized that I’m afraid to go to the doctor because of what it might cost. It was a basic checkup that I guilted myself into since I’ve been … Continue reading →

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The Green and Gold

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Lex

For a person that doesn’t watch TV and reads as much as I can manage in a day, my love of football has always puzzled me as it never quite fit into the personal value system according to which I’ve … Continue reading →

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Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Lex

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease. It spreads through the air, attacks the lungs, and is present in about one third of the world’s population. About 10% of those cases progress from latent to active TB, which has a 50% … Continue reading →

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Eminent Domain: Comma or Smudge?

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Lex

Eminent domain is when a government seizes private property for “public use”. It compensates the original owner of that property with an estimated “fair market value”. A common example of eminent domain is the state demolition your house and building … Continue reading →

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