STEM and Politics

Starting this week, we will post updates on global news with a science and politics edge. Credit goes to CNN, Google news, and other sources. Science:  One of Antarctica's largest glaciers, Totten Glacier, may be melting due to wind, as opposed to climate change (Though climate change is still a major player). If it melted away into the sea, it would cause the global sea level to rise by about 3.5 meters. After years of observation, Chad Greene and his team at the University of Texas at Austin conclude using satellite imagery and special observations that the main culprit in the ice shelf of the Totten Glacier is wind. Technology:  Cyber criminals have broken into art galleries using email scams that have fooled some galleries in the US and London. These emails send buyers duplicated invoices with the details of the account changed. In essence, this means that the robbers get paid for a fake copy of the painting. Art dealer groups urge galleries to remain vigilant. Engin...

Is this funny thing. This says that 1, 10, and 100 are the same thing, and as a what-if (xkcd) once said: Age: 10 Height : 10 feet Number of Arms: 1 Number of Legs: 1 Total number of limbs: 10 (This is because you round to the nearest power of ten by taking root 10 which is ~3.1 and 4 > 3.1) Average Driving Speed: 100 mph Also Fermi tells me that I weigh 100 pounds, drink 100 oz of water each day, that I am 100 inches tall and 100 cm tall, and therefore 10 ft = 100 inches = 100cm. Yes, that seems about right. Also, Airplanes travel at 1000 mph, and the fastest bullet train also travels at 1000 mph. The speed of sound is also 1000 mph. Therefore, airplanes cannot fly because sound would brake the airplane up. Yes, that sounds about right too. Moral lesson here: Fermi approximations might be good for something like the size of the observable universe, but are definitely NOT good for the modern world (which, by the way, has a diameter of about 100,000 km (and mi...

Why was Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd president, the author of the Declaration of Independence, famous? Many kids know he is famous, but don't know why. Why was Thomas Jefferson one of the most respected president of the USA? Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner, an author, and much more. Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner, if you know him, you would think that's not true. In all of his public life, Jefferson had been an opponent to slavery. It was crazy to think that, but Jefferson still did. He passed laws making slavery prohibited in Virginia, one of the highest slave population areas. Jefferson did have slaves, yes, but it was different. He didn't beat them like other owners, but he treated them like people, not animals. He was very sensitive in that situation. One of the most famous titles for Jefferson was writing our nation's first important document, the Declaration of Independence. As history tells, Benjamin Franklin, another president, suggested Jefferson to w...

I am sorry to inform that the first post deadline will be pushed back until November 9th from the previous November 6th due to unpredicted circumstances. Sorry for the inconvenience, thanks for understanding. (The deadline has been changed in the intro series post too).

1. There is a McDonald's in every continent except for... Antarctica. Poor Antarctica. 2. The reason that artificial banana flavored products don't taste like bananas is because the flavoring is based on a type of banana that was wiped out by a plague in the 50's. 3. The national animal of Scotland is a unicorn. 4. By the laws of mathematics, white holes are possible, however, we have found none yet. 5. The Martian day is 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds. 6. Peanuts can be used to make dynamite. 7. Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon with his left foot. 8. There are over 35 billion Google Searches per month. (Considering that only around 45% of people have access to Internet whatsoever, and many probably don't use it regularly, THAT'S PRETTTTTTY IMPRESSIVE!) 9. You can not burp in space, or talk. 10. In one sitting, eating 30-90 g of polar bear liver is enough to kill a human, depending on your gender, height, age, etc. 11. "Faceb...

BREAKING: 23 Minutes ago, the New York Times released the official jobs report from the Labor Market. It was a relatively good month for US jobs, adding 261,000 jobs to the market while pushing the unemployment rate down to a historic low of 4.1%. But these are historic figures! Why do I only say "relatively good"? Well, it turns out that there are a few major points. The main one here, though, is wages. Wages have never been good in the US economy, and the latest signs show that it's not starting now. In October, wages fell by an average of 1 cent, to decrease the growth to 2.4%. A lot of economists say that they want the US to have at least 3% growth, and that has not been achieved in a long time. Also, while 261,000 is a GREAT (and I mean it GREAT) number for any regular month, this isn't just any regular month. This was the month where Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria devastated homes and tore down workplaces, and we were naturally expecting a bounceback. ...

All right, here's the moment you've all been waiting for... 1. George Washington (1732-99) George Washington's life in Virginia can be traced back to his great-grandfather, John Washington, who migrated from England to Virginia in 1631. At first the family was wealthy due to the land given to them by Henry VIII but most of it was lost in the Puritan revolution, so his grandfather, Lawrence Washington, moved to Virginia in 1657. Little info is known about the family until GW's father, Augustine Washington, was born in 1694. But all of that is boring. So let's skip directly to George Washington. George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He got his first job when he was 17, as a surveyor. He joined the British Army when he was just 20 years old and served as a lieutenant in the French & Indian War. After the war ended, he left the army and returned home to Virginia where his huge plantation was. He then served in the colonial House of...