Your Tequila May Contain Methanol

Your Tequila May Contain Methanol Happy Cinco de Mayo! If your holiday celebration includes tequila, you may be interested to know the American Chemical Society (ACS) has found that some tequila contains methanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-phenylethanol. What are these chemicals? In case youre wondering, no, these are not good and desirable chemicals to drink. The alcohol in alcoholic beverages that you drink is ethyl alcohol or ethanol (grain alcohol). Methanol (wood alcohol) and other alcohols are the types that can make you go blind and otherwise cause permanent neurological damage, not to mention give you a nasty hangover. The ACS purposely timed the release of the results to coincide with Cinco de Mayo, to raise awareness of the quality control issue. Tequila made from 100% blue agave tended to have higher levels of undesirable chemicals than other types of tequila (pure agave tequila is usually considered superior). What This Means Does this mean tequila somehow bad? No, actually tequila is one of the best-regulated alcoholic beverages in the world. The results not only point out a potential health hazard for this drink but also indicate other beverages are probably adulterated with contaminants. Its the nature of distillation. The process relies on boiling point differences between liquids, which means good control of temperature is key. Also, the first and last portion of alcohol that is distilled (the heads and the tails) contain other compounds besides ethanol. Not all of these molecules are bad, so a distiller may choose to retain a certain amount. Then, there is a risk of picking up contaminants during the aging process. Its tricky, which is why top-shelf tequila is likely way better than home-grown moonshine, as far as your health goes. Yet, its possible to distill alcohol without unwanted compounds. Why does the problem persist? Its partly a matter of economics, where a distillery determines what level of contamination is acceptable. Increasing purity decreases yield which decreases profit. Its partly a compromise between making a product with premium flavor, color, and scent while keeping toxins to a minimum.

4 Words to Delete from Your MBA Application Essays

4 Words to Delete from Your MBA Application Essays Certain words or phrases appear in almost every MBA application essay. I’ve explained below why you don’t want to use 4 of these too-common words/phrases and what some alternatives might be. If you want to make your application stand out, do some editing and make sure to avoid these words completely. You might be surprised at the result. 1. HOPE e.g. I hope that you will accept me to your program. OR e.g. I hope to be able to obtain a management position with the help of your education. Why not? MBA schools are seeking confident applicants who know where theyre going, and believe in themselves. Your competitors know that theyll reach their goals; they see themselves as naturals for the school. Alternatives: My short-term goal is to become manager of financial analysis at a leading investment bank. OR My ability to take clear, decisive action, combined with MBA courses in strategic planning, will allow me to make an impact at ABC company from day one. OK, now we’re talking! 2. HIGH SCHOOL e.g. My most substantial accomplishment was leading the school drama club in high school. Why not? MBA applicants are expected to be professionals and current leaders. Writing about high school indicates that your leadership has been on a downward path, with less impressive things done in college and/or since graduation. Imagine a leading CEO you admire, and imagine him or her answering this question by talking about high school. (On a related note, remove any high school or earlier items from your resume.) Alternative: My leadership of a production quality team at my employer led to improvements that doubled gross margins. It’s obvious this person is someone impressive who should be seriously considered for admission. 3. WORLD-RENOWNED e.g. I am applying to your business school because of its outstanding reputation and world renowned faculty. Why not? Business schools with outstanding reputations don’t need to be told that you want to go there because of their outstanding reputations. Your goal is to differentiate yourself from the competition so why join every other applicants in describing the place or faculty as world-renowned? HBS applicants neednt talk about the schools world-renowned case study method, unless they want to be the same as every other applicant. Alternative: The schools unique marketing to China specialization matches perfectly with my short-term career goal, which is to start and lead a business unit at my familys firm focused solely on marketing to China. That’s so much better, isn’t it? 4. FEEL e.g. I feel that Ill be happy in the financial services business. Why not? Tell a school what you know is true, confidently; and do it as an adult, giving reasons, often based on research. Just as with the first word I discussed, hope, feel is a sign of lack of confidence. Say I intend, I know, etc. and explain why thats true. Start to project the aura of a leader. Would any CEOs that you know, lets say Donald Trump or Larry Ellison, ever speak that way while trying to sell themselves? Theyd do their homework, just as youll have to do during your MBA studies, and confidently state the results of their careful research. Alternative: The combination of my work experience as a financial analyst, my strong interest in investing, and conversations Ive had with management at XYZ financial services firm have led me to set a short-term career goal to move from the buy side to the sell side by joining a financial services firm as research associate. Delete these four words from your MBA application essays and I promise you more effective and powerful language will show up. Can you think of some other words to delete from your essays? Please share them in the comments. Need guidance in your MBA/EMBA Application process? Maximize your applications with help from The Essay Experts MBA Admissions Consulting Services. Or feel free to email me directly at larryessayexpert@gmail.com. Larry Sochrin