Have you ever wondered where the idea of God came from? Why certain religions have survived while others have not? Or whether or not religious beliefs have a direct impact to the betterment of our society? There are three main religions on Earth; Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Together, those three religions envelop about 70% of the world's population. Even in an era of so much technological and scientific innovation (we recently saw a black hole for the first time), religion remains a very important part of the fabric...

Game of Thrones is on its final season. It has been a long journey. A journey that began back in 2011, more than 70 episodes ago. The show has become so successful because of its close imitation to real life. Almost everyone can relate to one of its many characters; from courageous knights, to the beautiful princesses, to the loyal soldiers, to the caring fathers and mothers, to the manipulating whisperers, etc, etc. There is something for everyone. One of the biggest threats in the show is the...

Viruses form a shell around themselves called a capsid. This shell, or capsid, protects the viruses genetic material, or RNA, from intruders. The most interesting part about the capsids is how they are formed. Like all DNA or RNA molecules, they include instructions for their replication. Ribosomes take the instructions stored in the DNA or RNA to build more of those same molecules. But viruses have a limited amount of storage, which means the instructions held in their RNA cannot have complex assembly steps. Instead, they have a...

Since the original movie, Episode IV, was released, millions of kids, and now adults, have fantasied about being a Jedi Knight. Who wouldn't? Lightsabers, the "Elegant Weapons" of Star Wars, are awesome. They are like a Swiss army knife; they can deflect blaster bolts, they can cut through anything, they retract into their power block, and they glow in different colors. What is there to not like? So I was not surprised when I learned about a new sport, Saber laser (Lightsaber is trademarked). A new take on...

Google released the premium version of their Pixel line up late last year, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The phones were well received, but considered to be expensive. In fact, since the Pixel line began, the price of a Pixel has been on the premium side of things. This is in contrast to the previous line of Google phones, the Nexus, which most people considered the perfect balance between premium features and price. And while Pixel phones are well liked, at a starting price of $799...

Business is setup to work smoothly in the US. Business drives our economy and any added friction to the system is polished out. This means keeping the population working is the #1 priority. In California, purchasing a used vehicle from a private-party or dealer works very similarly. You test-drive the vehicle, agree on a price (plus taxes or fees for a dealer), pay for the vehicle and drive away. If you purchase it from a dealer you'll get the title to the vehicle within a few weeks and...

In the late 90s, another President was under Investigation, Bill Clinton. The genesis of the Mueller Report was the Starr Report. The Starr report was known as the Independent Counsel Report. Unlike the Special Counsel Report from Mueller, the Independent Counsel Report had much more latitude and fewer restrictions in their investigation. In fact, it was thanks to this wide-ranging and lengthy (4 years) investigation that politicians decided to limit the scope of any future such investigations and the Independent Counsel Investigation turned into the Special Counsel Investigation....

This is probably the aspect of Europe we miss the most, drinking alcohol without any shame. If you have always lived in the US, as we had prior to our move, this will be difficult to understand. Part of this apprehension to drinking is how Americans are exposed to it. In the US, in the spectrum of activities, drinking is more of a vice rather than simple consumption. Drinking has been stigmatized for so long that it has been turned into an immoral activity, something you need to...

Yesterday, April 30, a study on the increased risk of cancer from drinking California tap water made the news cycle. The news report, as we've come to expect, focused on grabbing your attention with a catchy headline: "Drinking California tap water for long period of time could increase cancer risk, study says" Don't humans need to drink water for long periods of time (without water we die in days)? Reading the article didn't provide much context either. The article cherry-picked quotes or statements which made very little sense...

WARNING: Spoilers below... Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 8 years, you are aware of Game of Thrones. Perhaps you are not a fan, but you have heard of it. Therefore, you would be familiar with the various main characters in the show. From the drunken and witty dwarf, to the courageous bastard, to the beautiful mother of dragons, to the Princess in the North? In episode 3 of the last season of the show, Arya not only saved the show, but all...