What “Inclusion” Means to Me

Dedicated to Earl R.* Although I lean left on many political issues, I’m a staunch centrist. Thus,  I must open with the obvious, which is not easy to say in today’s social climate: I’m often irritated by terms like “diversity” and “inclusion.” Too often either is used only in a racial context, especially the former … Read more

A Quick Note on Juneteenth 2022

[ email ] Happy Juneteenth & Father’s Day weekend! Hello family, friends, and neighbors; While we all may celebrate in different ways, here’s a pitch for a little bit of reading, especially for those with the extra day off: The Case for Reparations, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/  , 2014, theatlantic.com . While this article is from 2014; I … Read more

Sunarai Lyrics, by Metsa, Contact, 2019

These are my typed lyrics for Metsa’s track Sunarai, on the 2019 album Contact. The song is sung in Quechua. Listen here, or see their notes here. See their lyrics to the song Mambo Mambo here. The song follows the basic format below, repeated eight (8) times per plant name: [plant] sunarai, sunarai en ti … Read more

Quantum Nutrition 1: Criticisms

Minor Criticisms Is this just more quantum quackery?The title Quantum Nutrition begins an uphill battle. For the past few decades, ‘quantum this’ or ‘quantum that’ has had a tendency to have an air of — if not actually be — quackery. Thus, the phrase quantum nutrition might seem like a gimmick or scam, as both … Read more

Quantum Nutrition, 1: Introduction

Note: The central thesis of quantum nutrition is that energy can just as easily be nutritients as particles can; the obvious example being the photon. Ultimate goals of Quantum Nutrition A good theory should coalesce both explained and unexplained phenomena, and nutrition, if it is as grand as argued here, must ultimately explain large swaths … Read more

An Open Letter to the VA/VET-TEC program (aka PDX Code Guild’s Ethical Shenanigans)

This post is adjacent to the public review on the company/course as a school and paid product. Misuse of VA funds Deceit/potential fraud in interaction and forms with VA Misrepresentation of student population under VET-TEC rules (often placing a non-veteran student simply to fill a paperwork necessity, sometimes from the employee pool) Misrepresentation of alumni … Read more

An Honest Review of PDX Code Guild, Portland, OR

NOTE: Still in DRAFT form, spring 2022. (“TK” is a placeholder term to help streamline editing) Overall: 3/5 stars.————–Rating an adult educational “school” is nothing like reviewing a restaurant! Most people give restaurants fickle 1- or 5-star reviews based on an average, excellent, or poor anecdote. While I often disagree with this, in the aggregate, … Read more

More anti-vaxx COVID thoughts…

This is a response to some “educated” baby-boomer friends who have rejected the various COVID vaccines. Note: Names may have been changed. For a response to some concerns of some anti-vaxxer friends a month or so ago, see my post and tweet here: https://www.johnfial.com/2021/06/11/response-to-vaccine-concerns-for-any-anti-vaxx-friends/ .See the tweet at the very bottom, which is the essence … Read more

Berries in the NW

Before our record breaking heatwave this weekend… You must know that berry season is progressing nicely! Here’s an email I sent out last July 8th: Hi all! In addition to salmon berries (somewhat bland in their taste) and blackberries (with their lovely thorns) and clovers (which few people eat), these berries are now ripening, called … Read more

Personal response to COVID vaccine concerns for any anti-vaxx friends

What I did below (indented) was first to free write this once, and then loosely edit it ~2x. There are whole pages more I could say, dozens of links I could provide, and extra super-conspiratorial objections like those of some baby-boomers I could also respond to… stuff like A) the vaccines are made from aborted … Read more