Derrick Nantz's Articles
Good Living
Gabe Sonnier: Janitor, Principal, Inspiration
Derrick Nantz June 7, 2014
For twenty-seven years Joseph “Gabe” Sonnier of Louisiana worked as a janitor for Port Barre Elementary. Although Sonnier never treated the position as beneath him, he worked hard to reach new levels of success, first as a teacher, then—as of November—as the principal of Port Barre.
Science & Technology
At World Cup Opening Ceremony, a Paraplegic Will Walk—Thanks to Miguel Nicolelis and Co
Derrick Nantz May 27, 2014
During the opening ceremonies for the World Cup June 12, a young paraplegic will walk onto the field in front of 65,000 fans and kick the first ball of the event. How? By means of a bionic exoskeleton, which he will control with his mind.
Good Living
Teen Inventor Kelvin Doe Exemplifies Active Mind
Derrick Nantz December 20, 2013
Thomas Edison once said, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” Kelvin Doe, a teen in Sierra Leone, spent the better part of his youth digging through trash bins in search of electronics parts. Finding the junk was relatively easy. Figuring out how to build…
Science & Technology
BYU Engineers Develop Promising Spinal Disc Replacement
Derrick Nantz August 11, 2013
Biomedical Engineers at Brigham Young University have developed a cutting-edge artificial spinal disc that mimics the function of a natural disc. Developers Anton Bowdon, Larry Howell, and Peter Halverson hope their innovative artificial disc will serve as a new option for those suffering from severe back problems caused by disc…
Science & Technology
Sony’s Video Headsets Radically Improve Surgeons’ Ability to See Inside Patients
Derrick Nantz August 6, 2013
Sony has recently developed a “head-mount image processing unit” for surgeons that gives them real-time, high-definition video of the inside of a patient during surgery. Sony, a company that has long been a dominant player in the video game industry, created a “Personal 3D Viewer Head Mounted Display” for video…
Science & Technology
Kudos to Scientists Improving Animal Organs for Use in Humans
Derrick Nantz August 4, 2013
In an interview with Popular Mechanics, Martine Rothblatt, founder and CEO of United Therapeutics, discusses the progress her company has made developing genetically enhanced pig lungs for transplantation in humans. Rothblatt, who entered the biotechnology field when her daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening pulmonary disease, now believes she is…
Education & Parenting
Public School Teacher Admirably Denounces Government-Run Education
Derrick Nantz July 27, 2013
Ellie Rubenstein, an elementary school teacher, is so fed up with the bureaucratic nature of “public” education that she has taken to YouTube to condemn the system and announce her resignation. At age 45, Rubenstein left her job in advertising to pursue her lifelong dream of teaching. While raising two…
Science & Technology
Scientists at Riken BioResource Center Make Major Leap in Life-Serving Cloning Technology
Derrick Nantz July 12, 2013
Japanese scientists at the Riken BioResource Center have discovered a way to clone mice from cells drawn from circulating blood, the BBC reports (and as Mikayla Callen mentions here). Scientists took blood cells from the tail of a donor mouse and used them to make viable clones in the lab.…
Education & Parenting
ObamaCare Propaganda in L.A. School District Shows Corruption of Public Education
Derrick Nantz July 1, 2013
California's state health-care exchange, Covered California, will channel one million dollars into a Los Angeles school district program to train students to be messengers for ObamaCare, the Heartland Institute reports. The purpose of the program is to encourage students to promote ObamaCare to their parents and relatives. School staff will…
Philosophy
A Heroic Mission Saved Ancient Manuscripts from Islamic Barbarians
Derrick Nantz June 17, 2013
The Washington Post has revealed the details of a heroic story that emerged from last year's armed conflict in Mali. In April 2012, the Islamic terrorist group Ansar al-Dine invaded the city of Timbuktu and began a reign of terror, destroying historical sites and imposing sharia law. The terrorist leaders…
Science & Technology
Swiss Scientists Create Wireless Implant to Monitor Blood Sugar, Heart Problems, and More in Real Time
Derrick Nantz April 15, 2013
Scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have recently developed a new medical implant device that works with a person’s smartphone or tablet to relay medical conditions to its receiver. The 14 millimeter device can detect a variety of chemical levels in the blood and warn its…
Arts & Culture
Soccer Coach Wenger is Right to Reject "Positive Racism"
Derrick Nantz November 4, 2012
Recently the Professional Footballers' Association (an English soccer trade union) called for new rules “to make sure qualified black coaches are on interview lists for job vacancies” and to establish monitoring of “the proportion of black coaches and managers,” reports the Guardian. The Association drew inspiration for its proposals from…