Pumice for Dummies

Igneous rock

If you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that the average American is damned near scientifically illiterate. Put the blame wherever you want – we're not here to discuss politics. Our problem is that, even though they don't know jack, these people try to pass along their "knowledge" through sites like InfoBarrel.com and eHow.com. Today's villain is one Joannie Ham of InfoBarrel, whose bio claims she has not one but two science degrees. Unfortunately, she likes to write about stuff not pertinent to either; and worse, she's one of those morons who homeschool their kids to make sure they pass down that scientific illiteracy. Here just read what Joannie says about pumice, in an InfoBarrel piece she calls "Facts About Igneous Rocks":

Pumice ... is one of the few rocks whose density is less than water, therefore, it will float ... It is a common household rock.

First, we're at a loss here, Ms Ham: if pumice is "one of the few rocks" that float, what are the others? (Hint: there aren't any)  And second, we don't know about everyone else, but we'd hate like hell to live in a household where pumice is common. It would be awfully hot, not to mention wet. No, you dumbness, you meant to say "Pumice is the only rock that floats" and "Pumice can be found in common household products." Come on down, Hammie: for that innate and unrecognized inability to communicate common scientific facts in a coherent manner, you've been chosen as our Dumbass of the Day!

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