In general, elementary school is similar between the two countries. But as you would expect, there are a couple key differences; pre-k, schedule, food, required schooling and optional schooling. Pre-K. Unlike the US, there is no differentiation between pre-k and kindergarten. Children between 3 and 5 can attend public school and are placed in different "P" grades; P3, P4 and P5. School hours for P-grades are very similar to elementary school hours, with about a half-hour reduction in overall attendance. Schedule: Overall attendance hours between Spain and the...

According to the Mueller report, the investigation was hampered by several issues; like subjects and documents in question living and being held outside of the US, and active deletion of corroborating materials by people associated with the Trump Campaign as noted below: Further, the Office learned that some of the individuals we interviewed or whose conduct we investigated -- including some associated with the Trump Organization -- deleted relevant communications or communicated during the relevant period using applications that feature encryption or that do not provide for long-term...

The Mueller report is finally here. You can get your own copy of the 448 page report here. The report clearly states the following: Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. Mueller Report...

It's in the bible. At least according to a bible-thumper in an interview in a recent episode from This American Life. The episode is a re-run from 2016 which focuses on the struggles of fat people living in the US. The full episode is great and I recommend you listen it, but the highlight for me was the 4th act. The 4th act is about a weight-loss Christian movement from the 1970s. The reporter, Daniel Engber, reports about guidelines set by the Oral Roberts University for fat people....

In a previous posting we discussed the history of opioids in the US and how it grew into an epidemic. This epidemic had a lot of caregivers in various forms. Some of it was in the form of the governing bodies not doing their job. Others were in the form of marketing and advertising to doctors and consumers alike. Yet others were in the form of companies looking out for their bottom line. In the clip below you can see the extent to which some companies went in...

This is the first of our series on the differences between the US and the EU. This is not your average list of shallow differences between life in the good-old U.S. of A and Europe, but rather an in-depth look at how life there (EU) is different than life here (US). I recently moved back to California after a 5-year stint living in Europe. My work had this great opportunity in Barcelona, Spain and I could not pass it up. I lived in Spain from 2013 until late...

The news of the first-ever image of a black hole swept the world yesterday. Einstein's equations and our general understanding of physics had predicted these phenomena in space, but we had never actually seen one. Artists had done a great job at illustrating these "black holes" in the universe, but yesterday's image was visual proof they existed. Even with our advanced understanding of physics, black holes have always inspired awe. After all, how can something so massive be so small (relatively speaking) and so large at the same...

The first-ever image of a black hole in space is here. This is quite a contradiction because nothing can escape a black hole, not even light, and without light we have no images. So how, then, can this be? First, let's talk about what a black hole is and how they are created. A black hole is created when a big-enough star dies and its mass collapses onto itself. The creation of a black hole is something difficult to comprehend. For example, suppose our Sun became a black...

Everyone knows tacos are the best food in the world, right? OK, maybe I'm exaggerating, but they might as well be. They are small, varied, convenient and cheap. This is specially true if you live in a neighborhood that celebrates Taco Tuesday. On Taco Tuesday, you can find your local taco purveyor supplying these delicious delicatessens at discounted rates, combo'd, with special toppings, or all of the above. Add a nice and refreshing drink along and only a crazy person would think this to be wrong. What is...

Last week tonight Sunday's episode discussed a very important subject that many folks in America, and particularly our elderly communities, are impacted by; mobile home parks and private-equity firms. According to the Seattle Times, between 2016 and 2017, one such equity firm produced over 30% return on investment from their acquisition of mobile parks. These private equity firms make money by raising rents and through fees for anything which does not meet their rules. Fees range from huge late-payment costs, to fees for lack of general up-keep, etc....