Have We Forgotten How to Think?

It seems like lately there have been plenty of "doom & gloom" stories of how the United States is lagging behind our European and Asian counterparts when it comes to educating our population about science and technology. Our kids K-12 do not score as well on science and math tests compared to their global peers.

As a society, our US culture has always seemed to hold athletic prowess above academic achievement...traditionally, rallies were held for football and basketball team events, but never for forensic or music competitions. Our entertainment is more important. Tickets for a professional football game can cost more than a visit to the doctor that may improve our quality and longevity of our lives. Are those screwed-up values, or what?

Many of our teachers themselves were taught science and math in boring and confusing classes. No wonder that attitude carries over to when they have to teach their pupils. Have you seen the science and math textbooks currently in use now? In an attempt to seem more interesting, their layouts are colorful, but totally illogical in their presentation of facts. Sometimes rote learning is all that is require and needed...there is no extensive reasoning associated with why 2+2=4. Or why a rectangle has 4 sides! Some of these textbooks seem to fill up their pages with words just so their author can justify their reason for publishing a "new" version. Some textbooks written 40 years ago seem to be more reasonable and give concrete examples of practical problems and solutions. Like, "If you need to pour concrete in a semicircular area with a radius of 10', and each bag of concrete can cover 2.5 sq ft, how many bags of concrete will you need?" None of these silly "if train A leaves the station A at noon and travels 40 mph towards station B, and train B leaves station B at 12:25pm and travels 60 mph towards station A, when will they crash into each other?" Who the heck cares? Who would ever need to make that kind of calculation?

Science helps us describe the world around us, it helps us describe ourselves. It attempts to organize and explain. Science is what provides us sustenance and shelter. It even gives us an appreciation for things on a more spiritual plane as there is so much we still cannot explain.

However, science, math, and associated fields do require you to think! To analyze and form opinions and judgements based on what is seen, on facts...not emotions or conjecture. All too often people really do not want to take the time and effort to really think things through. They are too lazy...at work, they just go through the motions just to pull a paycheck. At home, they have no interest in improving their minds, and therefore the opportunity to improve their position in society, help their family, or help their community. It would be considered outrageous to request them to read up on something related to work on their own time. TV or computer games waste away a lot of leisure time. It really is a kind of selfish existence. And their kids have these parents as their role models.

We allow the news media to present their version of what is "news". Editors are just that, they edit an article not so much for space reasons, but more so for content. Creative cut & paste can make any article sound totally different than what was originally reported. The Internet is a great medium for exchange of information, but it's a two-edge sword. There is lots of misinformation out there also. And if we choose to not really think about the source or credibility or validity of the information, then we really will find ourselves in "Alice in Wonderland" where the normal rules do not apply. Even this blog is just one person's opinion...it is not fact, but there has been some thought behind it.

Be skeptical. Challenge people when they express an opinion. Ask them what they think, not what they feel. Encourage questions. Ask why?

Get the Lead Out! by Your Fresno, Central Valley Dentist

Seems like China is having a problem keeping things from where they're not supposed to be. The pet food scandal with melamine contamination, lead in children's crayons and toys, and now lead contamination showing up in porcelain & metal crowns/caps that are placed in people's mouths. Air transport shipping has made it economically feasible to ship dental lab cases off-shore to China where for a myriad of reasons it costs less than if fabrication took place in the United States. Workmanship can be quite good and comparable quality in the best of scenarios. At the worst, you may end up getting what you pay for: cheap materials with compromised quality.

Apparently in China there few regulatory agencies that have much authority to act on behalf of the consumer. It's definitely "let the buyer beware". Some dentists may be unaware that their US based laboratory has shipped their patients lab case overseas. Please be assured that the dental labs I use are very local: 2 are within 2o miles of my dental office, one other is located in Southern California and is adamant about their "made in USA" status.