Three Chemist Win Nobel Prize

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/science/09nobel.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Yes, this article DID NOT come from cnn.com. As you can guess by the title, this article is about the infamous, very prestigous Nobel Prizes, particulary the science awards. The three winners were all from the U.S., two of them undeniably were of Asian descent. Of course, this really has nothing to do with the prize except that it only supports the common belief that Asians are smarter. I cannot disagree. Anyway, if you are a nerd like me, then perhaps you've already seen this article or heard about it while perusing the infinite depths of the Internet or mass media. I found this article quite interesting because we learned about it today in chemistry and I thought other people should know how important the finding of "glow-in-the-dark" proteins are. Yes, they were found in jellyfish which is amazing enough in itself, but they have become one of the most beneficial discoveries to science in the past decades. Why you ask, because these proteins can be introduced into cancer cells and show scientists exactly how these cells move and attack. This I believe is the first step to finding a cure for cancer. However, this article left me pondering a few questions. First of all, how exactly did Mr. Shimomura decide that these proteins could greatly benefit science? Or was it by accident that he discovered this? If anyone, including Shimomura can tell me, do post a comment. Furthermore, they have also been trying to use these proteins to create glowing tatoos. Is that really necessary? Can't they just use glowing ink? And finally, if you comment on only one thing, please let it be this: How much does it suck that if more than one person is chosen for the Nobel Prize, they have to share it? I mean, they have to share the credit. In the medicine field, one doctor was awarded 1/2 the prize while the other two doctors were credited with 1/4 each. Personally, I would want equal recognition for the award. Of course, that may just be my personal selfishness and my need for attention.

Ba-lack Omama for President!!!

Yes, you heard me correctly. This is what Ted Strickland called Obama during a tongue-twisting cry for support at the rally Thursday night. This blog will perhaps be one of the longest and heartfelt that I may ever post. So prepare yourself my children.

It all began Thursday after school. Miranda, Aaron (yes, self-proclaimed Republican Thompson), and I left the high school to attend the rally. But first, we had to make a few stops. First, Heather Tussey's boyfriend's house to pick up Aaron's camera, then to get gas (Aaron's father's truck if a fricking gas-guzzler), McDonald's for a quick bite, and finally, we found ourselves crossing the bridge to our destiny or destination. As we entered the campus, we saw the line, the line that seemed infinite (which in all reality a line is infinite, so really this was a segment).

We waited 3 hours in this line but Kudos to Ally for waiting even longer. Finally, we entered the Alumni Green where we waited another hour and a half because Obama was late!!!! Anyway, in that hour and a half, I received a contact high. Yes, you heard me. The sky above me was foggy from smoke and it wasn't from cigarettes. The he-she standing about four people away from me was smoking that Mary Jane. He-she wasn't the only guilty one though. A man was escorted out of the rally for smoking a joint (his excuse: Parkinson's) by the incredibly handsome Secret Agents. The waiting was miserable. By this time, there was a whole group of Greenup County homies standing around listening to the same folk pop , I love America music over and over again. Mr. Parsons made a good point, " Why all the folk pop when they should be playing Barack and roll?" I laughed even though it wasn't that funny, at least he was trying to keep a positive attitude. At one point, I had four people touching my butt, so I was very uncomfortable and a little on edge. Finally, the moment we had all waited for came. Senator Barack Obama stepped into the spotlight and into my heart. Yes, I often go back and forth on presidential camdidates even going so far as to say Obama was evil at one point. I deeply regret that comment. Anyway, he was as eloquent and thought-provoking as he always is and I left that night feeling fulfilled. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I wouldn't have traded it for anything, not even Hugh Laurie or John Mayer. Even though some of you may dislike or even hate Barack Obama, you must respect him. He has accomplished so much in spite of his limited experience. I am not one of those people who will try to pesuade you to vote for Obama, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I for one believe Barack Obama is the "Change We Need". Yes, that was very very corny.

Bye Crikey!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/02/ike.missing/index.html

Okay so I'm not going to lie. I was COMPLETELY misled by the way I first found this article on the CNN website under the Latest News heading. You would be too if you read Gators, Dead Cows Hide Bodies of Misssing People. So I like some others instantly thought, "Oh My Goodness the alligators ate the dead bodies!" But no that would actually be too interesting for CNN (no really I love CNN). The article is actually just about people still missing after Hurricane Ike. And yet, I still have a feeling that CNN was trying to in some way suggest that perhaps the bodies are missing because the alligators have consumed them. Of course, that may just be me. On a much more serious note, I do feel sorry for the families that still have loved ones missing and I hope they return and are reunited (wow, Reunited just popped into my head that's a good song by the way). I have no clue how horrinle it must be for those people... okay I'm depressing myself now so I must end on a happier note.... GREENUP COUNTY SENIORS ARE GOING TO ROCK FACE TOMORROW AT BATTLE OF THE CLASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weird Questions Push Buttons of IT Techs

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/09/25/odd.it/index.html?iref=hpmostpop

To change things up a bit this week, I decided to pick an article that was a bit more amusing than informational and yet, this article gives great advice. What advice you may ask? Don't mess with IT techs! People call in and ask some of the oh how should I put this FREAKING DUMBEST QUESTIONS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read the article to find out exactly what I mean. Even if you don't read the article though, I'm sure you can use your imagine. Anyway, I didn't really learn anything from this article, I already knew half of America was lacking in common sense ( I include myself in that group). This article is great for anyone who wants to laugh a litttle unless you've actually called and asked one of these questions. In that case, I'd wear a brown paper bag over my head for the rest of my life. Well, that's about it. I mean, this will make even more sense if you actually read the article. I leave you with one question to ponder... Are we really that dumb of a nation?

Orbiting Satellite Helps Scientist Track an Endangered Species

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/18/rats.satellites.ap/index.html
The first thing I thought when I read this article? Aww, look how cute kangaroo rats are! Then I read that they are endangered and that made me really sad:( So what did I learn from this article? They use satellites in outer space to track little five-inch rodents. If they can do that, then how can we be sure that scientists aren't watching us. I really wouldn't want scientists to watch me because they'd discover some embarrassing things that NOBODY knows about me. Anyway, wouldn't it be weird if the kangaroo rats found out they're being watched? They would probably be like "Oh crap, we're being watched! Everyone is able to watch us mate!" Then of course there would be an even bigger decrease in the rat population because they wouldn't want kangaroo rat porn to be leaked onto the internet. Oh, I think I just crossed the line. I must keep in mind my blog entries must be somewhat educational for Litteral's class. But seriously, who wants to read boring facts???Anyway, the purpose of the satellite tracking is to track the population because scientists want to be able to bring the population back up because many native animals take advantage of the presence of kangaroo rats. All I can say is that it's kind of weird that they are tracking the furry critters, but I really hope the kangaroo rat population does increase. Of course if that happens, we'll see Paris Hilton with one as a pet in no time!

Extinct Frog Survives Devastating Fungus

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/11/frog.extinct.ap/index.html

What do Austrailians do in their spare time aside from enjoying Vegemite sandwiches?  They look for what are believed to be extinct Armoured Mistfrogs.  However,  it turns out these frogs aren't extinct!!!! A graduate student from James Cook University found that the species of frog was still alive even after the species had nearly died out from a fungus.  There have been 30 to 40 of these little survivors found and they are all infected with the chytrid fungus.  The fungus doesn't seem to affect the frogs though.  I guess that proves Darwin's theory of evolution.  Obviously the frogs' genes have mutated to protect them from the fungus.  And that's about it.  This article wasn't really that interesting, but this article proves that scientists are sometimes inefficient.  Thank goodness for that or else a lot of people would be out of a job. Yay Armoured Mistfrogs, you're not extinct. You guys definitely have to be having the best week ever!!!!!!!!!

Armchair astronomer discovers unique 'cosmic ghost'

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/08/07/space.discovery/index.html

I'm not exactly sure why they call them armchair astronomers because either you have to go outside to look at the stars or you look at astronomical "stuff" on the Internet. In that case, you're probably sitting in a computer chair. Anyway, this is another article for science geeks about a new types of astronomical galaxy that was discovered by a 25-year-old teacher. Of course, she wasn't from the United States, she was from The Netherlands. It seems American teachers don't have time to look at pictures of stars to notice that there's a hole in a spiral galaxy. You know American teachers are too busy grading the papers of children that don't give a crap if they pass school or not. Yes, I just insulted most American students for their lack of enthusiasm when it comes to learning. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, Voorwerp. I learned alot from this article actually. For the longest time I thought that you had to have no life (kinda like me) to spend time in front of a computer classifying galaxies. It turns out though that it's kind of addictive maybe I should try it. I also learned that Voorwerp is Dutch for "thing". I've always wondered what the Dutch word was for thing now I know and I can die happily. Oh yeah I forgot to add that I learned that computers are still dumber than humans when it comes to astronomy. Humans rule!!!!!!!! Let's see, what else do I have to say? Well, I didn't really know anything about Voorwerps before I read this so now I have even more random facts to bore people with... and I really don't have any questions after reading this article because the truth is that I don't really care about the subject matter. I think I know more about Voorwerps to get me through life or at least college. Thank you person with no life for providing with such a wealth of information about something as menial as holes in galaxies.