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Well I know its been a long time since I posted anything in this journal, I just figured nobody really gave two shits about this crap I write. Oh well I'm ******** writing it. Anyway the one main reason I haven't posted anything is because I've been busy as a whore in Las Vegas at work getting ******** (metaphorically speaking) with hours, complaints, and all that good s**t. So All I've had time for is just maybe finding a news article here or there that sounded cool or something, but nobody seems to read the news I find so I kinda said ******** it. As for my christmas I was given a Lightbulb shapped like a palm tree, some hangers, underwear(mother of god I needed those), some sleep pants, a hand made Scarf from a Co-worker, and an I-pod from the whole clan. So far its 1/3 full and thats almost all of my music. I think the fruits of my work paid off though, I made a nice chunk of change and have used most of it up already. My new years was a little understated, but oh well. I finally finished a ******** book for the first time since.......well thats not good I highly suggest "make Love, The Bruce Campbell way" its a good book and I just started "Thank You For Smoking" haven't read too far into it. I just figured I'd come online long enough to upload the Doors soft Parade, Dio Master of the Moon, Korn Issues, and the Transamerica Soundtrack onto the computer so that way I can get a little closer to having all my music onto the computer, and yes I am one of those people who HAS to own the cd. Don't ask its odd.....
Also I decided not to be a masochist this Semester and instead of taking 18 units, I'm doing 13 units. Aritmatic, American Sign Language, Student Government, Disc Golf, and Boot Camp Fitness (yeah I survived it once and I'll survive it again god dammit)
Well heres three news stories that I found that are Intresting about 1) how we killed life on Mars, and 2)Some kid getting decked at Disney World 3)cheerleaders showing there true colors of evil. Well enjoy.......its not like anyone reads these..... or this....Man I am Bruce Campbell
Scientist Suggests NASA Probes Killed Life on Mars
WASHINGTON (Jan. 7) - Two NASA space probes that visited Mars 30 years ago may have stumbled upon alien microbes on the Red Planet and inadvertently killed them, a scientist theorizes in a paper released Sunday.
The problem was the Viking space probes of 1976-77 were looking for the wrong kind of life and didn't recognize it, the researcher said in a paper presented at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.
This new report, based on a more expansive view of where life can take root, may have NASA looking for a different type of Martian life form when its next Mars spacecraft is launched later this year, one of the space agency's top scientists told The Associated Press.
Last month, scientists excitedly reported that new photographs of Mars showed geologic changes that suggest water occasionally flows there - the most tantalizing sign that Mars is hospitable to life.
In the '70s, the Viking mission found no signs of life. But it was looking for Earth-like life, in which salt water is the internal liquid of living cells. Given the cold dry conditions of Mars, that life could have evolved on Mars with the key internal fluid consisting of a mix of water and hydrogen peroxide, said Dirk Schulze-Makuch, author of the new research.
That's because a water-hydrogen peroxide mix stays liquid at very low temperatures (-68 degrees Fahrenheit), doesn't destroy cells when it freezes, and can suck scarce water vapor out of the air.
The Viking experiments of the '70s wouldn't have noticed alien hydrogen peroxide-based life and, in fact, would have killed it by drowning and overheating the microbes, said Schulze-Makuch, a geology professor at Washington State University.
One Viking experiment seeking life on Mars poured water on soil. That would have essentially drowned hydrogen peroxide-based life, Schulze-Makuch said. A different experiment heated the soil to see if something would happen, but that would have baked Martian microbes, he said.
"The problem was that they didn't have any clue about the environment on Mars at that time," Schulze-Makuch said. "This kind of adaptation makes sense from a biochemical viewpoint."
Even Earth has something somewhat related. He points to an Earth bug called the bombardier beetle that produces a boiling-hot spray that is 25 percent hydrogen peroxide as a defense weapon.
Schulze-Makuch acknowledges he can't prove that Martian microbes exist, but given the Martian environment and how evolution works, "it makes sense."
In recent years, scientists have found life on Earth in conditions that were once thought too harsh, such as an ultra-acidic river in Spain and ice-covered lakes in Antarctica.
Schulze-Makuch's research coincides with work being completed by a National Research Council panel nicknamed the "weird life" committee. The group worries that scientists may be too Earth-centric when looking for extraterrestrial life. The problem for scientists is that "you only find what you're looking for," said Penn State University geosciences professor Katherine Freeman, a reviewer of the NRC work.
A new NASA Mars mission called Phoenix is set for launch this summer, and one of the scientists involved said he is eager to test the new theory about life on Mars. However, scientists must come up with a way to do that using the mission's existing scientific instruments, said NASA astrobiologist and Phoenix co-investigator Chris McKay. He said the Washington State scientist's paper piqued his interest.
"Logical consistency is nice, but it's not enough anymore," McKay said.
Other experts said the new concept has a certain logic to it, but more work is needed before they are convinced.
"I'm open to the possibility that it could be the case," said astrobiologist Mitch Sogin of the Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole, Mass., and a member of the National Research Council committee. But he cautioned against "just-so stories about what is possible."
Father Says 'Tigger' Smacked Son at Disney Park
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 7) - A Walt Disney World employee dressed as the character "Tigger" was accused of hitting a child while posing for a photo, a spokeswoman for the theme park said Saturday.
Park officials temporarily suspended Michael J. Fedelem while they investigate the accusations, Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said.
"Naturally, physical altercations between cast members and guests are not tolerated," Suarez said.
Jerry Monaco of New Hampshire videotapped his son, Jerry Jr., posing with the costumed character at Disney-MGM Studios on Friday and recorded the confrontation, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The father said Fedelem intentionally hit his son "on or about the head," said sheriff's spokesman Carlos M. Padilla. "The tape only shows a fraction of what happened. Now it's up to us to find out what led up to that."
A message left by The Associated Press for Monaco was not immediately returned. A telephone listing for Fedelem could not be located.
In 2004 a Walt Disney World employee dressed as Tigger was accused of touching the breast of a 13-year-old girl while she posed with him for a photo. A jury found the man not guilty.
Texas Cheerleaders Terrorize School
Who's to Blame for These Teenagers Gone Wild?
(Jan. 4) -- At a high school in McKinney, Texas, officials say a group of five cheerleaders recently got out of control.
Dubbed the "Fab Five," they acted like they could get away with almost anything and refused to bend to authority. They repeatedly skipped class, insulted their instructors, and terrorized their coach, their fourth coach in just one year.
The Fab Five even posted sexually suggestive pictures of themselves on MySpace, but that still wasn't enough for the school to take their pompoms away.
In an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America," Michaela Ward, the coach that the Fab Five drove out, said the girls were beyond discipline.
"Unfortunately these girls were given power that any teenager would have completely abused. They were untouchable. They were invincible. The rules did not apply to them," Ward said. "There was no accountability. They knew that I had absolutely no power to discipline."
The school finally took action. Now, two questions are being asked: What took so long? And who is to blame?
Some are pointing fingers at the mother of the clique's ringleader, who was also the school's principal.
"This culture developed where the principal's daughter and her friends were above consequences," said attorney Harold Jones, who was hired by the school district to look into complaints about the cheerleaders.
In his report, Jones found the girls' influence at their high school was pervasive. There seemed to be no limits to their shenanigans.
"They took my cell phone and sent dirty text messages to my husband and to another coach," Ward said.
Though Ward was the cheerleading coach, she felt incapable of disciplining the girls.
"Everything I did, I was undermined by the principal and the administration. I was never kept in the loop," she said.
"Right after some risque photos are placed on MySpace in their cheerleader uniforms and they're on probation, it takes a whole week to decide that they won't be kicked off the squad," Jones said.
In December, the principal resigned as part of a settlement in which she received $75,000 and a letter of recommendation for her next job. The former principal's attorney says she denies shielding her daughter from punishment.
But Jones says it wasn't just the principal who was at fault.
He says the entire school administration and parents who didn't enforce the rules are also to blame.
"Kids are going to be kids. They're going to figure out ways to push your limits," Jones said. "Adults have to be adults."
Rosalind Wiseman, an educator on teens and parenting, and author of the book "Queen Bees and Wannabee's," sees the Texas cheerleading debacle as part of a wider problem with kids and power.
"This is about kids having more power than adults, and them getting away with things no matter how old they are," she said.
Wiseman said that if parents wanted to prevent their kids from running amok, they couldn't be afraid to punish them.
"Some parents today feel that their No. 1 job is to protect their child, and it's not," she said. "Their job is to raise an ethical child, which means holding them accountable for bad behavior."
When it comes to conflicts in school, Wiseman said parents should steer clear of direct involvement, if possible.
"Parents should only get involved if their child is being humiliated or ridiculed. But if it's a content issue, meaning a grade or a performance in sports or something else, you need to work with your child to articulate what the problem is and to speak to the coach or the teacher themselves," she said. "You should not do the talking for your child. Let your kid work it out when it comes to grades and playing time."
Being comfortable talking to people in positions of power can be a valuable skill, one that parents can teach kids early.
"If your child learns to speak to people in a position of power about something they feel is not right and to articulate how they feel about it, you are teaching your child a very powerful life lesson," Wiseman said.
 Azalin · Mon Jan 08, 2007 @ 08:14am · 2 Comments |
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