More Feminine, More Real

“People say that having more women in engineering will change everything. Well, that’s the damned point!”

Professor Toor was particularly animated one day in 1986. Our Heat & Mass Transfer class at Carnegie was very technical, with infinitely more time spent on math than sociology. Herb Toor, however, was a empathetic and real-world professor with a reputation. He was out to change engineering forever, and put his prodigious passion into it.

I think about him a lot when we reach milestones, such as the recent swearing in of a record 102 women in the US House of Representatives.

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What is a Bear Market?

We recently stated that this is a “Bear Market.” So what does that mean?

It’s not all that scary, at least not once the market really settles into bear territory. In fact, it can be a great time of opportunity for many investors, particularly away from stocks. It’s worth spending a moment contemplating what a bear market is and why it’s important.

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2019 Predictions!

A new year means a new start. Resolutions are made and we all hope to be better people. it’s also a time for predictions, which shrewd people can write in a way to not look bad in another 363 days. It’s not just about making them vague and easily attained, no – a good prediction can be an excuse for not being a better person.

That’s my way of saying that we can expect a lot of ugly in 2019, but we shouldn’t let that get us down. here’s what I see happening in the year ahead. Bookmark this and make fun of me if you want.

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Happy 2019! (Special Request)

Happy New Year to everyone.  I hope you don’t mind a special request on a Tuesday.

Barataria has been coming to you every single Monday, Wednesday, and Friday without a single miss for almost 12 years now.  That’s 156 times a year, and about 120,000 words annually.  I hope that at least a few of them were enlightening.

I would very much appreciate it if you would be so kind as to donate just a small amount to help me in a time of need.  How much?  Whatever you think this is worth, but let’s start with one dime per post, or $15.60 for the year.  Naturally, more would be appreciated. Continue reading