ACEQUIAS
“Acequias” is a system of water management known as “sowing water”. The word is derived from the Arabic word “as-saquiva”, which means “water conduit” or …
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
I have called this blog “The Myth of American Democracy” because, although history suggests that the Founding Fathers intended to create a democracy, the subsequent …
GOING FOR A BONG
I found the following story, “Going for a Bong”, intriguing and, in perhaps a rather bizarre way, fun. Yes, it is about the marketing of …
USED PLASTIC
Getting rid of used plastic has been on the top of many researchers’ dreams for quite some time now. Huge rafts of plastic circulating in …
ROUNDABOUTS
The joy of roundabouts might draw the comment that you should probably think about “getting a life!” if you derive joy from so mundane a …
3D PRINTING
The advent of 3D printing has changed many products and introduced many new ones, some of them good and some of them downright dangerous, like …
SEEKING ADVICE
A close friend of many years once told me that he has a policy of always seeking advice for any major decision he has to …
KARAKALPAKSTAN
Most people have never heard of Karakalpakstan and, no, I didn’t spell it wrongly, even though my spell checker thinks I did. It’s a vast, …
COWBOYS
The most enduring theme that Hollywood has produced throughout its history, and one of its most loved, is the myth of the American cowboy. Countless …
SLAVERY
I listened to a commentary this week, presented by Bill Maher, the U.S. satirist, and it prompted me to write this blog on slavery. In …