Irony on the intergalactic scale...

I had intended today's post to be entirely about advances in science, but as my radio station host this morning put it best - "It's a bit ironic the day that the President of the United States wins the Nobel Peace prize, we attack the moon."

When I first heard about the award, I immediately thought it must be for former President Carter, forgetting he won in 2002. I am still a bit floored that Pres. Obama won for showing promise (and essentially not being George W. Bush), but I like to think this is a harbinger of all the change he will be able to make in the years to come. Yahoo! News has a surprisingly expansive article on the reasons for Obama's win as well as the world's reaction, which has been (thankfully) mostly positive.

Now, onto attacking the moon, which has also gotten surprisingly positive reaction around the (scientific) world. NASA crashed a spacecraft and it's trusty sidekick into the moon at 7:31 EST this morning in hopes of finding evidence of water ice. Personally I could send them to a pretty good Rita's in Philly and save them the $79 million they wasted going splat in a lunar crater... But this exploration of the lunar south pole - where the sun never shines so we have no idea what's down there - could prove vital if the collisions do kick up some frozen water along with lots and lots of moon dirt.

MSNBC.com has a similar story to the one from Yahoo! News linked above, which is far less technical and has videos and subtitles like "Smackdown!"

On a very prescient this-past-Wednesday, Pres. Obama combined medals, science and astronomy. He handed out the National Medals of Science and of Technology in a ceremony at the White House. Obama honored scientists who mapped the human genome, made GPS systems possible and invented batteries for implanted defibrillators among others. Later that night he hosted over 150 school children in what may be the White House's first skywatching party, held in honor of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's observations of Jupiter and its moons. The first American woman in space, Sally Ride, answered questions from the children and from Internet users. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Hubble repairman John Grunsfeld were in attendance.

(Image courtesy of Disney/Pixar)

California dreamin'...

As I write this, the sun is straining to get through a solid white curtain of clouds. It's brighter than it has been in days, and there is the rumor of sunshine and temperatures in the 70's this afternoon. I know I've been a little (and by a little, I mean a lot) obsessed with the weather lately, but I have seriously never experienced three straight weeks of rain before. It was very disconcerting. 

So in celebration of the potential end of dreary, I have found some stories about the Golden State and/or its citizens. I have only been there once - to San Francisco/Stanford for an NCAA women's tennis regional - but I really liked it and plan to go back to San Francisco. Sorry, Mom. Between pit bulls and earthquakes, you just can't win. : )

While Mrs. Obama was in the city by the Bay to promote the President's new national volunteering initiative, Sasha and Malia inaugurated a new cable car with their grandmother. According to msnbc.com, they rode from Nob Hill to Lombard Street, the "crookedest street in the world." 

The San Diego Union-Tribune had a cute little piece on a recent dog surfing competition that was part of the Purina Challenge. Sadly their weather looks like ours, but the story was adorable, with little features on some of the dogs competing in each of the size categories. 

A man who can make an unwashed, eye-liner-wearing pirate hot is certainly something. Turns out actor Johnny Depp is also living proof you can be really, really ridiculously good-looking and a nice person. In Chicago to celebrate the premiere of his latest movie, he and a group of co-stars and other movie people went out to dinner until the wee hours of the morning at a steakhouse. To compensate his waiter for working so late, Depp gave the man a $4000 tip on a $4400 bill (Yahoo! News)

The LA Times has a great, three-page story on Khadijah Williams, a homeless student who used her own initiative and intelligence to get herself a spot at Harvard for the fall. This young woman has an inner strength and drive that people three times her age should admire. To be that self-aware so young and to make the connections between her goals and how to get there is phenomenal. 

(Photo courtesy of the San Diego Union-Tribune)

More immediate good news...

So lately it seems like I've been surrounded by people who've had good things happen to them. That's fun for me because I get to see how happy they are and help them celebrate. Recently, one of my co-workers announced she is pregnant and another got married. Then this morning I received a phone call from a college friend who told me she is pregnant. Weddings and babies, who doesn't love that? : ) 

Two men in the Boston area are being hailed as heroes after they caught a toddler who fell three stories out of her house in Lawrence last night, the Boston Herald reported. Toys flying out of the window attracted the first man's attention, and that man's screams brought a second one out of a Bible study. 

Most of the stories I find involve people helping people. Which is great - especially right now when a sense of community is vital. But this next story from greatpetnet.com involves the "Mother Theresa of Dogs" and I think it's fantastic. I've heard that you need to treat animals as animals; they do not have human feelings and thoughts. But Jasmine the greyhound is one of those cases that simply has to be an exception.

The Environment News Service reports on President Obama signing the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 into law yesterday. The legislation contains 164 separate bills, but the one that stands out is the piece that will protect two million acres of wilderness in nine states and a 1000 miles of rivers - a 50 percent increase in the wild and scenic riverway system. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had a great quote that's buried near the end of the story - "... for America's national character - our optimism, our dreams, our shared stories - are rooted in our landscapes."

Sometimes when big corporations do giveaways, particularly freebies, people look for the hidden catch. It just seems to be that you can never trust a big company to do something totally for a little guy. CBS News highlighted several businesses who have discovered doing the right thing can pay big dividends.