It is not cocaine, or marijuana, oxycodone or even nicotine. It is caffeine. Yes, that venerable cup of "joe" most adults in the world depend upon is a drug, as mild as it may be. Just like any addictive substance, there are withdrawal symptoms when you stop using it. However, to its credit, when we are feeling the effects of caffeine, they are mild and non-altering (at least not in a negative way). With climate change, the drug most of us have come to love, may soon be...

I must admit, that when I first heard of this, I was as ignorant as some of you must be. The tale goes that some people, pregnant women in particular, can leave stains on the seat of the toilet when they visit the bathroom. What makes this such an intriguing mystery is that some people have reported the staining to be blue. It turns out, the stain is due to a chemical reaction between certain toilet seats and certain fats in our sweat. Newer toilet seats have an...

Today, the Trump administration announced plans to roll back measures that mandated a certain amount of vegetables and fruits in the meals provided by schools to students. According to the Agriculture Secretary, he claims the new proposal will allow schools, "common-sense flexibility" to give students "nutritious and appetizing meals". What is the implication here? That the mandate, to include more vegetables and fruits resulted in less nutritious or appetizing meals? Of course, the changes are veiled under the pretense that "schools and school districts continue to tell us...

Board games have been around since humans settled into civilizations. The oldest known game is from 3500 BC. Most of us are familiar with the game of Life. The contemporary version of the game emerged in the 60s and revolves around paydays and cash to help you succeed in the game. The original version, however, was less cheerful. The original version, released a century prior, in 1860, revolved around the impartation of moral principles. The point of the game was to educate players on the various challenges, successes...

I'm a big fan of Mexican food and seldom miss Taco Tuesdays. This is why I was so surprised to learn about the origins of one of my favorite soups, Pozole. It turns out Pozole is a very ancient soup that originated with the Aztecs and during that era, the meat was not pork or chicken, as we've become accustomed. No, it was the human remains of the captives sacrificed at the Aztec altars. Pozole was a sacred, if even, special soup that one didn't have on a...

A month ago, I posted my recipe for the best homemade pizza there is. I got a lot of likes on it and it seemed to help many folks begin to cook in their home. Today I thought I'd share my own cookies recipe. Similar to the pizza recipe, this one will work in a pinch and it's supper fun to make with the kids. There aren't too many ingredients as you can see: Dry Ingredients: 205g of bread flour 5g salt 3g baking soda (1/2 tsp) 2g...

One has to love the awesome power of our economy. The US economy is great. Where else can you buy a car and a TV with little to no credit? But at the same time, in such an economy you get tricky offers. Take a look at this offer from Chase. Not bad, right? We're all coffee lovers and most people go to Starbucks. So getting a 10% money-back on your coffee is a deal, no? Right, all the way to a grand total of $3.00. Chase is...

When I was younger, I knew my family and I were different. I didn't exactly know what was it was that was different, but I could feel it. As I have gotten older I have gotten to know myself better and thus have also come to realize how I am different. I grew up in middle-class neighborhood and I was the only Asian in my block. My friends were Caucasian and we got along great. I can honestly say I never felt any type of racism. I was...

Pizza is one of my loves. Perhaps by only true love. I love pizza. I love pizza so much that I've gone on pilgrimage to the birth of pizza in Naples, Italy. For the past year I have been practicing making my own pizza dough. Today I think I found the best combination of preparation-time and taste yet. The 6 ingredients are simple: 600 grams of unbleached bread flour 4 grams of active dry yeast (this is key) 10 grams of sugar 12 grams of salt 380 milliliters...

A placebo is a substance or procedure which should have no therapeutic effect. A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect."his Aunt Beatrice had been kept alive on sympathy and placebos for thirty years" a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs. a measure designed merely to calm or please someone. This is what we have been taught since childhood. That placebos are all in the mind. However, in...