O-kay....

Curiosity is an everlasting flame that burns in everyone’s mind. It makes me get out of bed in the morning and wonder what surprises life will throw at me that day. Curiosity is such a powerful force. Without it, we wouldn’t be who we are today. […] Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder. Sure, there are many risks and dangers, but despite that, we still continue to wonder and dream and create and hope. We have discovered so much about the world, but still so little. We will never know everything there is to know, but with our burning curiosity, we have learned so much.

That's a pretty inspiring essay, right? Sure, it reads like something written by a sixth-grader - but hey, it was written by a sixth-grader, so that's all right.

That's why the new Mars rover has a new name, Curiosity. Read this link too. Annnnnnd this one.

Now, before you read the comments (and you know the rule about reading the comments!), go post your own comment about this. What do you think of the name "Curiosity", and the contest?

Great! Now, most of the comments are okay. They're polite, anyway. Some of them, though....

Apparently (read this, it's a good rant on the subject) she's been accused of picking a "cutesy" name (because she's a giiiiiiiirl, and has coooooooties), and of only being chosen because she's a girl and Asian and OMG SO PC!!!!!!111. (Picking the best essay is PC now?) We're "lucky" she didn't pick "My Little Pony" or "Hannah Montana" - because those names would definitely have won the contest, uh-huh. (Actually, that'd be pretty funny if they did, but that's beside the point.)

As I said, Curiosity may not be as good a name as Very Large Array or Yogi Rock, but it's certainly satisfactory for anything roving the surface of another planet.

And now, to lighten the mood...

See this? THIS is cute and frivolous. But you know, I'm a girl, that's all I like, uh-huh. Cute... little... fluffy....

Okay, I really *do* like that. OMG IS IT NOT THE MOST ADORABLE CUTIEPIE EVER???? But I also like hard science, visiting Mars, and long walks on the beach.

A few quick articles

One about nighttime care for patients with Alzheimer's, who are often more active at night. The idea seems like a good one, but the text of the article veers into condescension often - referring to your elders as being "like a kindergartener" is never a good thing.

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An article on the Amish, religious freedom, and septic codes. It seems to me that your religious freedom ends right about when other people have to drink the water too. Blech.

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An editorial on same-sex marriage. This politician was shocked - shocked, I say! - to find out that gay people don't want to force homophobic churches to marry them. Uh, duh?

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An article on girl's sports teams in cities.
It comes with a slideshow

( Read more... )

And finally, the Stray Shopping Cart Project. Wow.

Ana's class brought in more boxtops than any other, so they're getting a class party.

I feel this is massively unfair, especially to such young children. Why? Because one kid in her class, N, brought in 700 boxtops in the past few months. He has a big family, clearly, but the point is that nobody else could possibly compete with that. If they're going to have a competition with a reward for this, they ought to discount his contribution, or put an individual cap. It's like running a race where your opponent is on steroids.

Of course, 700 boxtops is also shocking because, dude, the only way we were able to bring in our... *thinks a bit* five is because we happened to have some ziploc and hefty bags in the house. We don't eat any of that stuff, and we don't even use disposable menstrual stuff anymore! Oh, wait, for Ana's class birthday party I brought in some disposable plates. So, uh, six boxtops. A whole 60 cents. Yay!

But anyway, not to dis other people's diets, but 700 of these foods in a year? Wow. That's a bit shocking. (Maybe they make a lot of garbage. Maybe he has a lot of sisters - that'd use up Kotex AND Hefty bags every month.)

Well, at any rate, I ask again what I asked way back in the beginning of the year. If you happen to buy this stuff already, and don't have any use for the little clip-off boxtops, I'd be glad to get them for Ana's school. Just save them up and send them to me in one big bunch. Or if you're, like, buying from one of these places online already, that sort of thing.